I'm now more yours truly, Johnny Dollar. The next half hour has its
baggage pack to take a trip with America's tabulous freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar at
insurance investigation, He's just an expert at making out his expense account He's an
absolute genius. Expense accounts submitted by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar to home
office. I were the Insurance Underwriters Association, Hartford, Connecticut. Attention General
Manager, Harvey Anthony. Hmmm, dear mister Anthony, here is your problem.
The following is an accounting of my expense in the case of one hundred
thousand dollars legs or who puts your company out on the limbs Fren's account.
I don't want sixty dollars twenty dollars across the board on a losing horse.
I was rushed into betting on when you had me paged on a public address
system at the race track. This is Harvey Anthony. Dollars thanks for calling
back soon. I only page me. They said it was an emergency.
Better be why what's a dollar? This is my day off and if I
know you, this call is gonna make it an off day. If I
know you, my friend, you won't mind this assignment. I want you
to go out to Hollywood act as a bodyguard for a big movie star,
Marilyn Major, a bad body to God, what's the deal? We've issued
one of those publicity policies insured her legs for one hundred thousand. Policy will
only be an effect for forty eight hours. We want you to stick with
her, just to see that she doesn't get mixed up any hockey games.
I get it. She's been notified, so she expects you. Wonder the
forty eight hours starts tomorrow noon? Can you make it? Hour? Was
the help of American Airlines gets you to buy your ticket? About that?
I'll know right after the next race, I'll call you from Hollywood. Fens
accounts Item two ten dollars borrowed from a friend. Taxi fair from the racetrack
to town, from where I cash checked to pay. Item three one hundred
and eighty six dollars and thirteen cents point fair Hartford to Hollywood. Item four
three fifty cab fair locks Ackless Municipal Airport to the Hall of the Ensured its
Marilyn Major at the Horizon View apartments on the sunset strip hit the driver one
dollar. Miss Maker's apartment had the best view of the horizon, it being
the penthouse, but her outlook was anything but rosie. I found the apartment
open. First I looked in, then I went in. How I want
to play? The person to person called please, mister Harvey Anthony Corker,
Connecticut volunteer three six thousand. My name is Dollar, as in blood Money.
While I was waiting to get mister Anthony, I wondered who had got
Miss Major in the movies. I'd always thought she looked right at home anywhere,
and now right there in front of me, she was passing a Trevist
test. Lying there nice and relaxed. She looked right at home in the
role of a beautiful gal who has just been murdered. Her face was calm,
her legs were neatly placed in the best of cheesecake traditions. The only
thing not quite as it should have been was a very real bullet hole,
which she was worrying where an earring should have been. The next cameras that
would be taking her picture would be police cameras. The pictures be for Bloody
Dollar. Oh yeah, did you go ahead? Hell? Hello? Hello,
dollar, Yeah, yeah, this dollar, all right, Anthony.
First, I want to tell you those legs you ensure are still in beautiful
shape. Good, good, fine. I only hope you didn't also ensure
miss Major's life. She's dead. What Marilyn Major dead? That's right.
Oh, we certainly do ensure her life. We only issued that publicity policy
on her legs. Is a courtesy. Dollar. Get to work on it
right away. I'll get to work on it. But don't waste too much,
hope. The meaning it looks like you're only out is if the policy
does not pay off on murder. Murder good to heaven. Well, there
may be something about the case of the famous from paying double indemnity for death
by violence. Oh, this is death by violence, brother, anyway you
look at it. Okay, Anthony, I'll get to work on it right
after I call the cops and make a report. Do your mess, okay,
goodbye. Oh I'm not that jellowphone. The dames standing in the kitchen
doorway had thirty two caliber steel in her hand to back up the brass in
her voice. She was a youngster, but obviously an old timer. Had
a lot of things. Her hair was the same color as The murdered woman's
smoke blonde, and her dress was tobacco brown and round and firm and fully
pink. I said, put down that phone. Ah sure, sure,
okay, now, uh, you're doing a favor, will you if you
feel you want your finger near that trigger? How about moving it up to
the front end of the trigger? God huh, mister, I only heard
part of what you said, but you're not calling no police. Show that
damon there has done me enough harm. I came here to kill him,
but somebody beat me to it, and I'm not taking the back. Okay,
so beat it. Who cares? Then I'll call the police. Somebody
going to eventually before I go. I'm finding two things. I'm taking them
with me. Come on, get up on your seats. Miss You're coming
with me in the bedroom. Okay, okay, don't get excited. Okay,
mister over against that wall with your faith and closing your hands straight up?
Come on, move right. You learn this at the movies or by
watching your friends work. Don't be a lifetime Not as dumb as I look.
The host still look sister by this time. I shouldn't still like you
well enough to want you. But what you're doing right now will get you
in plenty of trouble even if you didn't commit this theater, I'll take that.
If you don't get picked up for lash and they they'll still get you
for tampering with evidence. As far as the police are concerned, at the
scene of a murder, nothing gets touched. They like it that way.
What I'm taking more is to be missed. You're play more here, just
like him. So she's gotten here love letters from men. Who are you
covering up for your boyfriend? It's not even your business, mister, but
it's my hunts that I'm covering up for. Then you're just playing nuts.
If he knew her, they'll find that out. Then if they want him,
they'll find him. Yeah, and I'll find it dead. Huh.
My husband committed suicide over the no good Dame this morning. Oh no,
I've had enough out of you. Back up to dead. Not get over
there and into that closet. Come on, too bad. What's the matter.
I always feel sorry for a sucker. I choked around in the dark.
It was a small saucet. I met not much air that meant doing
something about it. I took my finger in a file, stood at our
edge and slipped it under the door, pressing down the nap of the rut.
I did the same with my fountain pen, but at least allowed a
small supply of air to sneak into my stuffy little cell. And then I
glued my ear to a thin wooden panel that separated me from the bedroom.
It wasn't long before my captor apparently completed his search. I past the closet
door and head to the front room. I didn't hear a dial of phone,
but it didn't take me long to realize that's what she was doing and
who she was calling. Give me the police. This is an emergency.
Hello, Hello, PLA want I report a murder? All right? Hellos
with a murder? The movie saw allan major in the penthouse. The horizon
view were popping on the sunset strip. Never mind who I am. I
caught the murderers. You'll find him locked up in the closet. From the
moment she hung up, I could only guess what was happening. I heard
a man spotstep brush in and then his voice that's what I'm telling you.
Please let us know I'm kicking them with me. I didn't think I had
the time to spend picking the lock on the closet door. So I thought.
The girl who had just tried to turn me into the cops was lying
on her face in front of a telephone stand, and a cover of bullets
had turned the brown silk on her back into wet red lace. She'd been
shot in the back, and if she succeeded in finding of letters, her
killer had taken them with him. I made a quick search myself and took
a look for the remaining sets of letters, one from a guy who signed
himself Barren, and the other one from a guy whose autograph read with all
my love larns. My instincts were trying to pull me out of that apartment,
but one look down the street throw them into reverse. Black and white
prowl cars were arriving, and I was less than another minute when their passenger
started pouring out of the elevator and through the front door. Backround, closet,
boys, make sure you how in front of that door. Never mind
the closet, lieutenant, it's empty. I kicked my way out, all
right, Let's say your hands get them up, and I swear I'm gonna
buy some stock in a gun company. Everybody's got them. Get around behind
him, check them the eleven. Yes, sir, okay, who are
you Johnny Dollar? And if you lend me back my right hand, I'll
give you my ID. Send my wallet. Gave him up it? Get
his wallet? Yes, it here? It is insurance, dick. Please,
I'm a freelance special insurance invest together. It sounds better, keeps my
price up. Let's just story first. I'd like to go on record as
saying I didn't commit either one of the murders. Either one. What are
you talking about? Well? This one here is the girl who phoned in
the report that brought you here, and once she was talking about Marilyn Major
is lying just as dead on the floor in the bedroom. Nolla, get
in there, take it. Look. Yes, while he's looking, you
keep on talking. Okay, I'll start from the beginning. I always sent
out here by high Worthy Insurance. They just to shift policy on the legs
of that dame in the other room one hundred thousand dollars publicity stunted. I
was supposed to protect their interests. What do you mean by that? Well,
what do you think I was supposed to see that? She didn't attempt
any Hindu fire dances or try walking any type ropes during the next forty eight
hours, you'd Warri's rod at the parkment at least? What else? When
I got here, the door was open. I walked in and found her
dead. Anyway to prove that any witnesses, just one? She's lying there
behind her. Over the phone, she accused you of the murder. That's
the wrong kind of a witness, now, lieutenants, the wrong kind of
dame. She knew I didn't do it. She was somewhere in this apart
from I arrived. And why did you say it? I can hardly ask
her, Listen, lieutenants. She did tell me that she came here to
get some letters her husband had written them to the major Dame. She said
she was trying to protect him from what. Who knows. Maybe she just
wanted him to rest in peace. The guy coming at suicide this morning,
we can't shake his story with him, Kenley, You've got a lot of
dead friends out at this one here, get that way. I'm not sure.
While I was in the closet, I heard her call you, and
then a man came in and yelled something about blackmail at her and shot her,
and naturally he had disappeared by the time you'll kick your way out of
the closet. That's right, This story yours may win some kind of a
prize dollar, but not for me. I'm not a judge. That's one
thing in my favor. I got something. The dame was dead, all
right. Look what I found in that closet. A fingernail file, a
fountain pen with a name on it, Johnny Dollar, and a thirty two
caliber revolver Jam's in a shoe, well, Dollar, That combination puts you
in a kind of jam too. Look, Lieutenant, I think I can
make you see things my way if you'll let me go through my story once
more. I was sent out here by a high worthy insurance expense account item
for three dollars candy, guns, cigarettes, and magazines to make cell number
thirty six, Los Angeles City jail less like a no place and more like
a home. There's something about a jail door closing on you that sounds very
In just a moment, we'll return to the second act of yours, truly,
Johnny Dollar. But first we want you to know that the biggest jackpot
in the history of radio, fifty thousand dollars, goes in the works.
Tomorrow night when CBS Great Saturday Night Quiz shows, sing It Again comes to
you again over most of these same stations, fifty thousand dollars twenty five thousand
in marvelous prizes, plus twenty five thousand in cold hard cash. And that's
only the beginning. Because the longer the phantom boys questions if here the listeners,
the higher the rewards go. Be sure you're around tomorrow night when sing
It Again sets telephones ringing across the nation, and fifty thousand dollars goes riding
on each call. Now back to yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. When
I accepted this Hollywood assignments, I visualized spending much of my time gazing upon
bars, but not the kind offered by Cell number thirty six. The guy
who said stone walls do not a prison mate had never been a guest in
the Los Angeles City jail. He had a better chance of getting out of
Barblet's quotations, and I had a getting out of there. But as we
keep saying in the insurance racords, never say die, wow, that roach,
what are you going for? I've heard tallot boys around headquarters have a
very funny joke about roaches and jails. But that's not why I am here.
Sit down, make yourself uncomfortable. Nice. I can't offer you,
I mean, Julip. The closest I can come is a spearmid life saver.
This kind of zero is a pleasure after facing the climb. Blew up
against huh so for a dollar or we've got to go on as Joe and
a mess of evidence we haven't a yet been able to trace down to its
rightful womens. Oh, accidentally about that gun we thought might be yours.
Oh, don't tell me you're going to give up to me as a birthday
present. It was the weapon used to kill Marilyn Major, the power up
and test we took on your hands. Let you up. You haven't been
firing any guns lately? Does that mean you've come here to what? Scout
me to the front door. You're not so fair. We do want to
know what your finger, Prince, We're doing all over those two bundles of
love letters we found. I'm going to have to learn to pick things up
with my knuckles, Lieutenant. I just had a natural curiosity as to who
killed the cat. The only difference we between us roach is that your curiosity
is official? How far did you get? Not far enough? Didn't take
much figgering to know that Miss Major's and playing a high class badger game.
All the perfume and the joint couldn't cover up the smell of blackness. On
top of that, we found the two batches letters that you've been messing around
with, one signed Baron eether as signed Lawrence. Those the fire departments should
be handling. Yeah, I remember there's probably a third set flowing around.
Why do you say that I was not an eyewitness to this, only an
ear witness, but from what I could hear inside that closet, the name
who came there looking for a husband's letters found them and she called you to
turn me in. On our way out of the apartment, some guy came
in, stuck her for Marilyn Major and shot her on the back. When
I kicked my way out of the closet, those letters of hers were gone,
so Faker's the murderer grabbed the letters out of her hand, thinking there
was some he'd written. Then in your file that killer was either that Baronello
the other one Lawrence Lieutenant. In my file, they're both murderers. It's
just a question of who killed home. The guy who killed Marylyn Major certainly
wouldn't have come back to kill her again, would he in this town?
You never know. Look, Lieutenant, I got a two ways stake in
this thing, one to get my name cleared, the other to get my
job done. And I'm in a hurry. I imagine you are too,
Marilyn League. It was a big name. That means we'll soon have newspapers
burning under our seats. We're in a hurry, all right, Okay,
then listen. If I were either one of those murderers, and I know
that the police probably had a handful of letters, it could send me to
the gas chamber, I'd head for the border. Yeah. But if I
thought an outsider had him, somebody they might be able to buy off,
or scare off or be off, then I'd go find that guy. Well,
let's bring this thing to what had in a hurry. Run a story
in the papers. Tell him you released me, tell him I escape,
tell him anything, just so long as you tell them that you suspect that
I have those letters in some place. Well, if you don't mind taking
the chance of having two murderers gunning at you, we certainly don't. Oh
I mind, believe me. I'm not doing you any favors. It's just
that I'll feel safer in my own hands. Okay, mister Pision, you've
got your over elected. We'll published that story, then we'll let you fly.
The coop said, enough, just make sure that you give me plenty
of fighter cover expense account Item six seven cents purchase of newspaper, an extra
edition that hit the street about a half an hour before I did. Item
seven five dollars a big square meal to make up for the ones I'd missed,
ignoring the little round beams while a guess of the city, seeing the
lieutenant's fiction and black prim on the front page of a newspaper almost had me
believing it. There was my picture, big as life, And when those
birds set up a pigeon, they made sure everybody would know the la location
of his roost firmly. Planet High in the story was the name of a
hotel into which they had registered me, and to which I was under orders
to proceed immediately. As I walked down the hotel card or to my room,
I felt an icy chill and a flight of goose flesh headed south down
my spine, Darley and close a door. Expected company, but not your
kind. At first, I thought I'd got into the wrong room. This
kid looked right at home, and she used some some of the clothes from
a half packed over a night bag to make her look at Oh you're Johnny
Duck. Yeah, thanks for saving me a calling card? How are you?
Alice Hill? That doesn't mean anything. Otherwise known as missus Lawrence Hill,
Oh, Lawrence. Oh. The last time I saw that name it
said with love, but not to you. That's why I'm here. I
want those letters. Why is you carrying a gun? It'll be here if
we need it. We yes, my husband's on the lobby. Look,
if you give me those letters, he wrote, I'll pack up my little
bag and leave and everybody will be very happy. Yeah. I think I
know the next line, but go ahead. I hope you keep bond being
that smart. My husband was watching for you when you came in, so
he knows you're up here. Naturally, he knows I'm here, and he's
on his way up. We want thoters. This isn't just a Badger game,
this is the world series. If I don't give you the letters,
your husband busts in here shoots me and I get written off under the unwritten
law. Neat neat me. It's a handy law, right, It's covered
a multitude of sin. Where are the letters? Where's your husband? It's
some matter with you? What do those letters mean to you? Well,
right now they look like my only hold on the future, Missus Hill,
how do I know that you and your dear Lince won't kill me after you
get them? Do you want me to take your word for us? Well,
I'll have to trust Laurence. He don't know what to do. I
already know there's nothing else for him to do. Look, Missus Hill,
why don't you wise up? Your husband is ready to commit one murder to
remove the evident motor for another, and he's dragging you into this with him.
You'll wind up an accessory before after and during the fight, you're running
up a blind alley as fast as you're gonna run, and it's too late
to turn around, so I'll just have to keep running. Oh, well,
here he is. Lace up your track shoes, lady. The race
is on. Come in all right, still, praise Buffy. It's okay,
ALUs. You can hold off on the Dog and Pony Show. Save
it for the witnesses when they arrive. Don't waste it on Lawrence. And
maybe isn't Lawrence what? Oh? So this must be Barren? You all
through? That depends on that gun in your hand for other letters? Letters,
letters, letters. You know, I'm beginning to feel like a mailman
when he's late getting around in the morning. There's one thing I want to
know. Where is it an ugly part time romeo? Like you find all
those pretty words you wrote? Look, don't got me, So I'll blast
still letters and all letters as the tone I was trying to bring your voice
up to mister Van No letters is exactly what I've got to offer. Lying
he admitted to me that he has. He's tried to blackmail you, Darren.
That's what he's doing. Oh are you never mind? My husband's the
saint bold you are. I read the papers, Lawrence, So that's right.
You'll be here any second between us, we'll figure out something. Now,
stay away from a dollar. I as good idea. If a man
asks, hang up, it'll be Lieutenant Roach Hugh. Wait a minute,
okay, answer a dollar. But the first wrong word fires this gun.
Oh you can believe me, nothing but right words are on the tip of
my tongue. Hello, whoever was on the other end of the line,
decide another trot and hung up. So I started an imaginary conversation with Lieutenant
wrote your homicide. While I was talking, I was thinking Darren's voice was
the voice I'd heard when I was locked in the closet. That made him
the guy who shot the girl who turned me. By the process of elimination,
Lawrence Hill was elected murderer of Marilyn Major. During my thought which made
no sense. In my thoughts, which made plenty of sense, I was
checking the length of cord on the phone. I needed Barren a little closer,
so I started crossing enough dangerous words into the mouthpiece to draw him closer,
threatening me with his mutters, his looks, and his guns. He
moved into range, and I moved into action. I heaved the base of
the telephone straight into his face. I moved in with my knee right after
stumble back Bunny and go with a gun, which I kicked one of the
metal. Then I made a break front on the pressure next to the bed,
using his head to break the front. The water from the crank the
pitcher hit him in the face. But it didn't do him any good.
Hey, get out from on his there that way my gun. Come on,
well, I got a hold of your ankle. I got a good
mind to do this thing right, and heave you out the one off.
Come on, I span a few all right, I hope it's you once.
We don't want any trouble. Just let me audience. We'll pay you
anything. My husband's an important nest, so am I. I've had all
of pushing around on my take from now on on the theater, and your
hands are shut up. Oh no, you don't. I baited you.
Try to bait me. Now we'll both sit here and bait your husband.
It must have bet him to crall this room and hung up when he heard
my voice. One thing I didn't bother to tell you. Your husband couldn't
have known I was up here until then, because I came in the hotel
the back way and came up here the back way elevator and all. What
do you mean you baited me? Why do you think the police put my
name, my address, and my picture in the newspapers to draw autograph hunters.
Oh? Oh, is right. Now. I'll get over there in
the corner while I retrieved mister Baron's gun from under the bed before some mouse
crawls out of the woodwork and Fry is taking a shot at me. Go
on, get going, turn around. Okay, Now, if you don't
want me shooting runs in your stocking, don't make a move while I'm under
the bed. I feel like something that old maids hoped for. On the
boy, he's kind of gun kill him, kill him under the bed and
taking no chances. Lesson wrote, you may be a lieutenant at the police
department, but to me you're just a fat private. Oh no, I
don't mind studying myself up as a pigeon. But you promised me protection.
Well what Sampa, Tampa? Now who's who here? Let's get these stiffs
sorted out then we can talk. There's only one stiff, the other one,
the one near the door's line. He's only wounded. I had to
shoot his pins out from under him. He came crashing in and killed Baron
by a mistake. That's Baron over there by the bed. Another case of
mistaken identity. He miss you. I happened to be under the bed at
the time. Oh and I wasn't hiding, No, I was looking for
a gun, and I found it and I used it. If I had
one right now, I'm not so sure I wouldn't use it on you.
You still haven't told me why you left me here alone holding a sack all
this time. I'll tell you a way, and I guess it was for.
And then I had posted in a lobby. Didn't see you come into
the hotel. Well, how do you like that? Johnny dollars? Wise
guy? Huh, Lieutenant, I got some news for you. Just to
make sure I was taking no chances, I came him the back way.
Pen's account Item eight sixty two dollars Hollywood Entertainment. Seeing what there is to
see at Cerro's Item nine one hundred and five dollars seeing through it at one
of the things I saw at Cero's. Had a good time with me at
the Mocambo. Item ten one hundred and eighty six dollars eighteen cents. Planefair
Hollywood Back to Hartford, Item eleven one dollar ticket to the movie. Back
in Hartford to study the last motion picture of Marilyn Major, so that in
the future i'd be sure to steer clear of her. Kind of a woman
who is too much of a Jinx for My kind of Man. Expense account
total nine hundred and forty eight dollars and seventy six cents signed, Yours Trooling
Johnny dollars. In keeping with the Easter season, you'll hear a different kind
of story on CBS Gangbusters Tomorrow Night, the authentic story you have a former
gangster's fight to go straight, broadcast in cooperation with outstanding parole authorities. You
will find this Easter Eve Gangbusters drama as gripping as any programs CBS has ever
brought to you. Tomorrow Night, you'll also find a mid April adventure with
the intriguing title The heat Waves on CBS. Philip Marlow programs. Gangbusters and
the Adventures of Philip Marlow are regular Saturday nights on most of these same CBS
stations. Listening again next week when CBS brings you Yours Truly Johnny Dollar,
with Charles Russell as Gunny, written by Paul Dudley and Gill Dowd, with
music by Mark Warnow. Yours Cruely Johnny Dollar is produced and directed by Richard
Sandville for CBS for Columbia Broadcasting System MHM