Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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Well, now it's time to get into this week's yours truly Johnny Dollar
Cereal. As always, we will be bringing you episodes one and two on
Tuesday, and then on Friday we'll bring you episodes three to five, So
you can bust this episode and lan wait till Friday to listen to the rest
of it if you want to wait. But here, from May the seventh
and May the eighth, nineteen fifty six is The Silver Blue Matter, Episodes
one and two from Hollywood. It's time now for joy, Ralph Dean,
Johnny monno guarantee? Oh hi you, Ralph? How things rough? My
wife could kill me? Johnny? Were the insurance just for kicks? Because
she's mad? Because you wanted a mink coat? In short, she's a
woman. I couldn't buy her a mink I don't make that kind of money.
You know how it is in the insurance game. Oh sure, I
know, Ralph. You're down to your last yatch. So what happens?
Yesterday? I lose eighty mink coat Silver Blue, worth one hundred thousand dollars
gone. Snatch disappeared. Where's robbing? Check? Bandley furriers out in Los
Angeles. My wife's about the blowers stack. She says. If I can't
afford one fur coat for her, then how come I can pay for eighty
them that I haven't even got. How do you reason with a woman,
Johnny? I never try. Usually I just send flowers. I've already done
that. She ran them through the garbage disposer. So now what do I
do? Why? Some more flowers? Tonight and every weekday night. Bob
Bailey in the transcribe Adventures of the Man with the Action Packed Expense Account America's
Fabulous Freelance Insurance Investigators, Truly Johnny Doller. From Special Investigator Johnny Doller to
the home office Mono Guarantee Insurance Company, forty three twelve Spring Street, Hartford,
Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the
Silver Blue matter right on one one hundred and fifty two dollars and forty cents
telephone and incidentals and transportation to Los Angeles. I called the Mono Guarantee agent
out there before I left and got a brief rundown on the case. Among
other things, I learned that a man I'd known and worked with before,
Detective Lieutenant for him On Garcia, had been put in charge. And with
Garcia on hand, I knew I could count on cooperation by the police,
but I still wasn't expecting quite as much as I got. Like twelve for
last Chicago. I knocked over there first joint myself. Johnny see it the
only way, we get to see your over work, underpaid, prostrated disillusion.
Don't appreciate it. In other way, it's fine, got your luggage
yet it's coming right there, Go ahead, We ought to get moving.
I've got a squad car outside. What's all the rush. We've got a
guy downtown in the hospital. I figured you'd want to talk to Well,
he'll Wade Wanny. He'd probably like to if he had any choice. He's
dying, kind of looks that way. He's one of the two night watchmen
the gang slugg when they broke into the warehouse, and he's our big one,
Johnny. He's all we've got. Has he been able to talk a
couple of sentences during the night, He's got to talk. What do you
mean? He's the only one who got a look at But when he did
talk, what did he say? Gibberish? Mostly he did say one thing
though. They were kids, just a gang of kids. That's gonna make
it a rubber Yeah, in a lot of ways. What do you mean?
You'll find out later, Johnny, Come on, let's go. We
took the freeway into town with the accelerator floorboarded and the sirens screaming. Racing
against time and against dying, weaving in and out through the four wheel madness
that Los Angeles calls traffic, and then the other side of the carn,
the solemn quiet of hospital corridors, the calm voices of the nurses, and
the blank hardness of sterile white walls. We sat there beside a bed and
waited for a man to talk or to die. But the slow minutes passed
and he still didn't either, So we waited. Guess that shut the ductor
gave him is not going to have any effect. Apparently not. It's a
crazy world, Johnny. No, just the people in there. I mean
yesterday we'd never even heard of this guy. I still don't know, isn't
it? And twenty four hours later, here we are a couple of strangers
sitting around watching him dance her on his chart at ahead of the bed Albert
Christmas. Strangers, not even family or friends. He didn't have any family
or friends. He lived alone in a furnished room, worked alone too,
except for one partner. So a gang of punks jump him and bust his
head open. Dude, I'm a bad cup journey. I get sentimental about
things like this. How they work at Garcia. It's a warehouse district.
The streets are practically deserted at night. A police prowl car checks the street
once about every forteen minutes, and they hit at one ten a m.
Three minutes after the police had passed suns. Profession No, just a smart
bunch of kids. The only further seemed to know was mink. They passed
up a dozen or so chinchillas worth twice as much. How they get in
I don't know. Christman hasn't been able to tell us. They must have
tricked him into opening the door. What about Christman's partner. He was making
his rounds. They slipped up behind him and slugged him. He didn't see
them. He didn't know what hit him, And nobody side in the streets
saw anything, saw them leave with the furs or any loop all. If
they did, they're not saying anything. That's a rough one, Johnny.
We haven't got a thing to go on except christmin here. They shape he's
in. That's only a straw if he recognized any of them, If he
lives long enough to I don at least the poor devil can grown. No.
I think he's closer to being conscious right now than he's been in the
last hour. Maybe all right, Chrismin. He wants a drink. Here
you go, bad enough, he wants some more. Who are you?
This is Johnny Dolla, insurance investigator from Hartford. I'm Lieutenant Garcia, LA
Police. Where house? Look? Kids? All right? Now you're in
the hospital. Now it's going to be all right? Right? Do you
feel like answering a few questions? Mister christmin you won't take long. Those
kids, how did they get in the gram telegram? He showed me Telera
Graham through the wind right opened the door. One of them hit me.
Did you get to look at the boy who showed you the telegram? Yeah?
Sorry, yeah, eighteen nine? What do you look like? Five
nine h ten? Dark skin, black hair? How was he dressed?
Dark jack, any scars, anything unusual about him? No? Are you
sure would you recognize him if you saw him again? Yeah? Any of
the others? No? Only when there was a mark on his arm?
What kind of a mark? What kind of a mark on his arm?
Hurts too bad? Alight? All right? M m, well that's that.
Yeah, he's passed out again. Well, we ain't got a description.
Only one thing wrong with it right in that area. There are about
fifty thousand kids who fit it. I talked with mister Banley, owner of
the furs. Then Gussie and I went down to the warehouse. It's still
in the fringe of the river bottom section, front of the railroad yards and
backed up by block after block of weather beaten slum shacks. We looked through
the warehouse with the racks where the furs had hung, watchman's office where the
gang had entered. But knew how we did it, that we were only
going through the motions. The police technicians had already been over the place inch
by inch, and they'd found exactly nothing. Finally we stepped out the door
into the street, a drabbed gray street, cluttered with things cast off and
discarded, dusty. And how there's the story of this whole district down here,
Johnny, right there, and that's story. Yeah, it's a backwash
service yard. It's something you need but don't like to look at. You
shove it out of sight. The people you need but don't want around.
It's the same with them. You grew up down here, didn't you,
Garcia. Yeah, I grew up down here. That's why they gave me
this case. I know this section inside out, and that's why I told
you this one was going to be tough. I think I get the general
idea those kids came from that slum there to the east one gets to nine
on that The people who live there aren't on our side, Johnny. If
they do know anything, they won't hard is that they wouldn't tell a cup
the time of day. I don't mean they're criminals, most of them aren't.
It's just that they always put themselves on the other side. What about
juvenile gangs? Do they operate around who have dozens of them? And there's
another thing. A few of these gangs are pretty rough, and people who
might talk don't because they're scared too. Oh, it's a great setup,
Johnny. A fine place to look for a hundred grand in first. You
know, I've been thinking about the fact that they knew exactly the time to
hit. They must have staked out here somewhere, sure, and probably right
in the place you're thinking at lunch from across the street, or they had
to be inside or the Proud Car would have seen them. That's the only
place open at night. Did you shake it down like I told you,
Johnny? They won't give us the time of day. What about me having
a go at it? Maybe they wouldn't smell a cup on you quite so
strong. The owner's name is Redwellers. He was on that night. See
what you can get out of him if you want, I think I will.
By the way, Johnny, I know you and Sure and sky Is
make deals sometimes no questions asked, just to get the loot back. Sometimes
yeah, but before you make any deal on this one, you better remember
one thing. Christman may die. Why are you saying, Max, save
your money? What do you want? Coffee? Yeah? I guess a
house business bucket two a day father in the hole? O cream? No,
I'll take it black sinker with it? Oh? Thanks? Are you
Red Wallers? So that's it? What do you mean? You're in a
fur case, ain't you? Maybe I thought you was the same one,
but I couldn't be sure. Senior crushes you come up with that cup?
Guy? See you a while to go, don't you. That's right,
I'm an insurance investigating him. Well, you're coming the wrong address, mister.
I don't know nothing about nothing. Who was in the lunch room here
just before the robbery. I don't remember any young kids here. No,
it was all old men with long bid I see ten cents for the coffee.
Yeah, they got you real scared, haven't they? Haven't they?
I don't know any days, all right? Look you know Chrisman, the
watchman over at the warehouse, he comes in. He didn't know any days
either or about it, nothing except he's dying. I'm at the Rokens Hotel.
If you change your mind, Room three twelve, Johnny Dollar, Sorry,
I don't see no use of Mead dying too. Follow me, mac,
Johnny Dollar. This is Red Red Wallace, remember sure? Sure you
run that lunch from across the street from the warehouse that was robbed last night.
Yeah that's right. Now, look, DNA, supposing I'll tell you
what I know about it? What's going to happen to me? Nothing,
as long as you weren't mixed up in at yourself. No, No,
I mean the papers and the cups I get said I talked you want the
last twenty four hours. I think I can take care of that. What
do you know about it? Red? That depends on what it's worth to
you. I see, I'll have to sell out get away from this section,
so I'll need some dough. You follow me, all right, I'll
see you taken care of Just what is it? You know? I ain't
safe from talking from a booth. You stay right there at your hotel,
I see and a half hour right just you no cups? Yeah, yeah,
that's right, mister bank, mister bank, and six quarts of milk
and two pounds of butter. Sure right away, thanks, mister Beck.
Goodbye. Hello, Hello from Special Investigator Johnny Dollar. Location in Los Angeles,
California, the home office Moneo Guarantee Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut.
Assignment the silver Blue Matter expense account continued IDEM four twenty cents, a phone
call to my friend, Lieutenant Garcia of the LA Police, and a call
to Queen of the Angel's Hospital. Albert Chrisman, the night watchman who was
slugged by the gang of teenage hoodlums during the warehouse robbery, was still unconscious
and Chrisman, unless red Weller was ready to talk now, was the only
lead I had toward finding a hundred thousand dollars worth of silver bloomink coats.
I waited two hours and a half a red Weller, but he didn't show.
IDEM five two dollars and eighty five cents taxi to the warehouse district at
the south end of the rail old Yards. It was night by now,
and the area was almost deserted, a lost, lonely district, shabby and
worn even on the softening darkness, and haunted now by fear. The only
lights in the block were those shining from the windows of the warehouse office and
from Waller's lunch room across the street, reading what would you like, sir,
cup a coffee? I guess you're lucky. I just made some fresh?
Would you like some cream? No? Thanks, No, I'll be
fun. Is it foggy? Yah? Yeah, a little? Not bad
though. This coffee is all right. You're a good cooks. The boss
always has me make it when I'm here. He says, I do it
better than he does. I'll bet you do. Is the boss around by
the way called me and said he had to go out. That's why I'm
working. I'm on in the daytime mostly. Do you have any idea where
he might be? No, no, he had to go somewhere. I
get what'd you want to see him about? He wanted to see me.
Do you know where he lives? Well, he's got an apartment over on
Marina. It's about eight blocks from here. I think he'd be there.
No, he wasn't going home. He was going out somewhere. He actually
kind of strange. I don't know what he was gonna do. May I,
may I ask just what business you're in? Insurance? Oh, I'm
a special investigator. What do you mean. I'm working for the company that
ensured those furs, the furs that were stolen the night before last from the
warehouse across the street. Something wrong? Oh no, no, of course
not. I don't know what you mean. Can I help you gather up
that silver? Oh no, no, that's all right. She had.
I don't know what happened, just careless, I guess. Yeah. Do
you do you live around here somewhere? Well? Yes, yes, sound
Dalton three blocks up. What's your name, Carla Kalamanti? Why are you
asking? How long have you worked here? Carla? About a year?
Do many teenagers hang out here? What do you mean kids? Seventeen eighteen
nineteen? Do many of them come in here for coffee hamburgers sometimes? Yeah?
I've never noticed much. You know any of them? No? No,
no, I don't know any of their names. Sure, I don't
ask him their names. Did I ask you your name? Dollar, Johnny
Doller? Well, I still didn't ask you. If you want to tell
me, what are you scared of, Carla? Nothing, I'm not scared.
You're not, of course not. Why would I be scared for the
same reason your boss is Redweller. He was scared when he talked to me
this afternoon and when he phoned me later. I don't know what you're talking
about. Oh, yes you do. That's why he didn't come to my
hotel. He was afraid too. And why did you drop that silver or
when I told you who I am? Because you're scared alfter that? What's
the matter with you people down here? What are you doing crawling into a
hole because a half grown gang of hoodlum starts throwing their weight around. You
don't understand. I suppose you tell me about it. Do you think that's
any kind of an answer in the long run? To pull it covers up
over your eyes and let them do as they please and just keep hoping they'll
leave you alone. All you're doing is making things worse. You don't know
how it is. You don't have to live here, No, no,
I don't have to live here, But I know how it is because I've
seen it in other places where the mobs managed to take over, And if
you let it happen here, then you will really have something to be scared
of. Maybe maybe they've already taken over a bunch of kids with a gripe
on running and packs so they feel safe. Is that the kind of mob
you mean, Carlin. No, they're not a mob yet, but they
will be if they're not stopped. It seems to me you'd have some sense
of responsibility to them if nobody else. Maybe if other people had a sense
of responsibility, kids wouldn't have to grow up in a place like this.
Have you ever thought of that, mister Dalla? Yeah, yeah, I've
thought of it, But it doesn't hold water. And you think so if
you lived here. All right, so it's a slum district, and sure
these kids start out with a strike on them, but that's a pretty week
excuse for joining up at criminal bands and terrorizing a whole neighborhood, for slugging
people and loading warehouses. Yes, yes, I know, most of them
find other answers. It's only a small minority that turns to crime. But
if you let them get away with it, others will join them, and
they'll grow until finally it's too late. Well, Color, still nothing to
tell me. I can't, I just can't. I see, Wow,
there's a quarter for the coffee. Keep the change, Good night, Color.
Wait, yeah, mister Daller. Suppose suppose I knew someone who might
be able to help you. I mean, I mean who might know something
about the robbery innocently. Of course, if you talk to this person and
they agree to help you, could you, well, could you keep them
out of it? Depends on the circumstances. I do, I could that
much, I promise. I don't know. I'm not sure. You're not
sure of what you why? I know better when I stop and think that
I've lived in this neighborhood too long, live with these people, and I'm
bound by the law like any other citizen, and I won't break it to
help somebody cover up a criminal act. But I figure it's up to me
sometimes to decide whether a thing is a criminal act, and if a person
seems to deserve it, well I could be pretty lenient. You promise what
you just said? Yes, I promise. I've got to trust you.
I've got to trust someone. Do you know such a person, Carlin,
Yes, do you know where to find them? I think so. Well.
I'm sure they'll be at one of two or three places not very far
from here. And who is this person? Someone who grew up around here?
A boy nineteen my brother expense account IDEM seven two dollars and seventy cents
taxi. We went first to Carlo's apartment, where she lived with her brother,
but there was no one there. Then we checked out a drive in
a few blocks away, a teenage hangout. No luck. Finally we tried
to pool Hall down south of the yards, just off Alameda Street. It
was our last hope. I know he comes here. It's not a good
place for him, but a lot of the other kids do too, and
he wants to belong. Yeah, sure, everybody does, one way or
another. Gosh, it had been different if our folks had lived. But
a boy just won't take orders from his sister. Yeah, I know.
Ah, thanks. If he's not here, then I just don't know,
worry. Oh wait, there he is down near the corner, the one
with the dark curly here. All right, come on take it. Just
tell him I'm a friend of yours. You want to talk to him?
We'll get him off to one side. Whatever you say, eddieh for the
what are you doing here, Carla? Eddie, Eddie, this is mister
Dollar, a friend of mine. We were I wonder if we could talk
to you for a moment. What a bond? Well you know better than
to come in and joint like this, But I want to talk to you,
Eddie, right, talk to me at home night, Go and get
her out of here. We go, mister. It might be a good
idea if you listen to her first. I thought it was her that wanted
to talk to me, the one. Get her out of here, all
right, if you'll go with us before. I like it here. It's
a nice place. Yeah, at least it's better than saying, Quentin,
what are you talking about? A warehouse robbery? One hundred thousand dollars worth
of furs? Stand? You may know something about it innocently of course,
I just said this guy was a friend of yours. That's right, Eddie,
he's just Zzy. He's an insurance investigator. Oh so that's the pitch.
She's promised to help, Eddie. If you'll tell him whatever you know,
he'll protect No. Look, mister, I don't know nothing. About
nothing. I never even heard of, no fur robbery. So take her
with you and get out of here. This maybe your last chance to get
off before the boat sinks. Eddie. All right, then, Allie,
Eddie, let him go. We can't force him to talk. Oh no,
mister dull, I don't understanding. I do all right. I'm eight
ten cents phone call from the pool hall to Lieutenant Garcia at police headquarters.
He said there was no change in Albert Christman's condition yet he was still holding
on and he still hadn't talked. But there had been another new develop on,
a big one. And when I joined Kyl in the taxian side,
she knew it by the look on my face. What's wrong, mister dollar?
Hello? How sure are you that your brother wasn't mixed up in that
robbery? I want the truth. I'm afraid he was mixed up in it.
Embrace yourself, Carlin. Your boss Red Weller, who was going to
tell me what he knew about it, was found murdered in an alley an
hour ago. Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of
this week's story Tomorrow. A lonely, broken hearted girl, a blood stained
shirt and a fight with a cornered rat. Join us, won't you Yours
Truly Johnny Dollar? Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, is transcribed
in Hollywood, written by Les Crutchfield. It is produced and directed by Jack
Johnstone. Be sure to join us tomorrow night at same time and station for
the next exciting episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. Roy Rowan speaking play ten
Welcome back and interesting first two parts. It not only begins to develop the
story, but also discusses some important themes from the mid nineteen fifties, such
as the importance of fighting crime and standing up to criminals, and also the
real danger posed by juvenile delinquency and the failure to address the causes of that.
There was also a very big payoff from the episode one cliffhanger that came
rather quickly in this story. Well, now we turned to listener comments and
feedback. We start over on Instagram, where Julie the Lawyer writes regarding the
first two episodes of the Lonely Hearts Matter. I loved when the widow said
she wished her son was home so Johnny could meet him, and the way
Bob Bailey voiced that so do I was such obvious suspicion. Then we go
over to YouTube for some comments on the Layer Douglas Douglas of Heather Scope Matter
regarding episodes one and two, Saceoff rides, I don't always laugh at Johnny
Dowler, but when I do, I know it's probably a Jack Johnstone episode.
And then regarding episodes three through five, Okay, I sure didn't see
this ending coming. And then another listener wrote in regarding the conclusion, and
I read his comments on Friday regarding the first two episodes and he says,
I dissed the first two episodes the other day. These three were so much
better, and Nolan is a treasure my favorite. Lady Macbeth in Orson Welles's
nineteen forty eight Republic film, well, thanks so much, and I'll have
to check that out. I love a good bit of Shakespeare, and I
appreciate Orson Wells. Although his work does tend to be a bit hit and
mess. His films are either brilliant or terrible. So I try to see
the really good ones like Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil and avoid having another
viewing experience like watching Orson Welles and David and Goliath. Another listener rights,
I'm so surprised at how much I enjoyed this considering it just randomly started playing
from AutoPlay. Yes, YouTube will do that, but I'm glad it worked
out area. And then another favorable comment from Betsy regarding the indictment episode first
Smuggling, that was pretty good. Thank you. And we also have a
couple of new reviews on the Apple podcast store and the first one here is
from Garrett d five to seven and there are a great podcast featuring old time
radio detective and detective adjacent shows from decades past. Adam provides insiful commentary on
the shows, from the truly memorable to the painful a lame. It's a
window into the world of radio and entertainment as it used to be, and
an opportunity to enjoy some of the great radio actors in their many guyses,
Oh, thank you so much. And then another listener Rose Broadcasting Rights,
I enjoyed the show tremendously and the hosted a nice job on the presentation as
well. I just gave five stars as my response, Well, thank you
so much. I appreciate you listening and taking the time to go and write
the podcast. Well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the
day. Thank you to Timothy, Patreon supporter since April of twenty twenty two,
currently supporting the podcast at the rookie level of two dollars or more per
month. Again, thanks so much for your support, Timothy, and we'll
do it for today. If you are enjoying this podcast, please follow us
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be sure to lock the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the
notification bell, all those great things that make the channel grow. We also
welcome your comments and really appreciate everyone who's engaging with us on YouTube. We'll
be back on Friday with the conclusion of this week's Johnny Do All Our story,
But join us back here tomorrow for Dangerous Assignment. Where is the Fredomential?
Yeah? Hey, they're loading crates out of that warehouse. Hey,
look up on Dick. Yeah, Captain Schuller, keep back in the shadows,
right, you know, I'd like to find out what's in those crates.
Wait, it looks like a side door to the warehouse. It's ahead
of us. Let's try for it there. Anybody's spot us I don't think
so. In side quick arc in here? Great a guard? Quick,
get behind those crazies. Okay, can your spot of Mitchell? I can
see his flashlight. He's heading this way. Probably got a gun too.
Yeah. Look when he gets closer, i'll jump. No, that was
quick. Yeah, it's gotta work past. It's only a question of minutes
before they miss him. Yeah. Look there's a pro bar over there.
Yeah. I have one craz student on any other I guess I'll try this
one guard moving any No, he's keeping the land on good. Okay,
hand me a flashlight? Would you here? You are m nothing but a
bunch of paintings. What kind of a carg was that? Hey? Wait
a minute. Yeah, I'm no art student, but I recognize a few
of these. There are masterpieces, Mitchell. Hey, this could be some
of the stuff and nazis aluded from Europe. If I will get you ten
It is so. They had it hidden here in backcar all the time,
and Schiller has been delivering it little by little to the head art collector himself.
You've got enough evidence of grab Shiller. Look, that's the last thing
in the world I want to do right now. I'm a lot more interested
in finding out just whom he's delivering this stuff too. I hope you'll be
with us then. In the meantime, do send your comments to Box thirteen
at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and
check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from
Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham, Sign and AF