Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of yours truly
Johnny Dollar. But first I want to encourage you. If
you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite
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Johnny Dollar air dot com. Johnny Dollar air dot com
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no additional calls to you. So remember check Johnidollar air
dot com first. But now from June twentieth, nineteen fifty nine,
here is the life at steak manor from Hollywood.
Speaker 2: It's time now for.
Speaker 3: J I have a call for you from Hartford, Connecticut.
Speaker 2: One moment please, Oh thank you all ready at all, Johnny? Yeah,
that's right.
Speaker 4: Bill Ferguson at Continental Insurance and Trust. I'm glad I
caught you before you.
Speaker 3: Left Los Angeles.
Speaker 2: Oh. I was just about to check out of my
hotel here on Beverly Hills and grab the morning fight
back east. Yeah, what's up?
Speaker 3: Do you remember Elvin Peabody corn.
Speaker 2: Wright right right, that wild old character who lives up
in Lakewood, a few miles north of High Prinson.
Speaker 3: That's the one, Batty is.
Speaker 4: They come it worth a lot of money.
Speaker 2: Hey, you can say that again. That robbery I cleared
up for him last winter. Bill He insisted on giving
me a small bonus for it. Three thousand smackers.
Speaker 5: Wow.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So mister Alvin Peabody Carridrite is calling for my services.
I am ready willing and able.
Speaker 4: Well he is, Johnny. He says, it's tremendously important that
you contact him at once.
Speaker 2: All right, then I'll finish my banking and grab the plane.
Speaker 4: No, he's out there on the coast, has a little
or at least he calls it little. He has a
place right there and Beverly Hills at ten three twenty
one North Roxbury.
Speaker 2: Drive and three twenty one North Roxbury. Can you tell
you what it's all about?
Speaker 1: All that?
Speaker 4: It's very important that he see you right away when
you consider how many attempts have been made on his
life over the years.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3: And Johnny, Yeah, don't forget that.
Speaker 4: Cotwright is a pretty important client of ours. If anything
should happen to me.
Speaker 2: I see what you mean. Okay, Bill, I'll be in touch.
Bob Dailey. The Exciting Adventures of the Man with the
Action Pact expens cout America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Truly
Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by a special investigator Johnny
Dollar at the Continental Insurance and Trust Company Home office,
Hertford Connecticuts. Following is the account of expenses incurred during
my investigation of the life at Stake matter. I know
to find the Beverly Hilton that I'd be staying over
for a while, and grabbed a Beverly Hills telephone directory
expense account. I don't want to call the crash field
three two one two one. Well, well, mister k R yes, sir,
that's very interesting. I beg your pardon.
Speaker 3: What's the matter, don't you hear?
Speaker 2: Good?
Speaker 3: I said, that's very interesting.
Speaker 2: You see, my name is Carsh No, no, you missunder
What can I do?
Speaker 3: Mister Cash?
Speaker 2: No, listen with you. This is Johnny Dollar Dollar.
Speaker 3: Oh now, what's the idea of trying to confuse me
that way? I'm Carshwrad you remember, yes, sir? And Johnny Yeah,
how did you do it?
Speaker 2: Do what?
Speaker 3: Get out here so fast? I only put in that
called a Hartford about an R and here you are.
I mean, how did you manage it?
Speaker 2: Mister?
Speaker 3: I know these new jet flights are pretty fast, but Johnny,
you haven't been fooling around with some of those rocket ships.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, I'm afraid not. I I just happened
to be here already. See, I was working on a
case of a Marrow Bay and did you Yeah? It
came out all right.
Speaker 3: Well, congratulations, john You are a one day and I
think you deserve some kind of a reward for it.
So maybe I'll think of something.
Speaker 2: Oh well, thanks, but that won't be necessary.
Speaker 3: What you say. I know that I'm deeply indebted to you.
But the things you've done for me, it's Johnny.
Speaker 2: Well, I don't worry about it.
Speaker 3: What you say? Nice, You've talked to you.
Speaker 2: Goodbye? Now wait a minute, right, weas a minute, can't
you see I'm busy what you sent for me?
Speaker 3: I did?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you called Hartford said you wanted to see me
right away?
Speaker 3: Oh of course, idea, what's the matter with you? Anyway?
Of course I want to see you. Jonathan Peebles too, right, away.
Speaker 2: Who is Jonathan Peebles.
Speaker 3: He's an old friend of mine. He lives out here.
I telephoned him to come running too.
Speaker 2: Oh well, what's it all about, mister guy? Right?
Speaker 3: Just you get yourself all over here to my house
and I'll tell you, and don't you waste any time.
Speaker 2: You're just hear it pretty important? Huh important?
Speaker 3: It's fight.
Speaker 2: Well, there's somebody threatening you something like that.
Speaker 3: I said, it's important, Johnny, and I mean important.
Speaker 2: Okay, mister right, I'll be right over r Johnny, Yes, sir, yeah,
old man kind ride was as wacky as a bed bugy.
But what build Ferguson that told me was true. A
lot of people had tried over the years to get
to him and get to his money. So I pulled
the desk for a Navis rent a car and started
down from my room. I say started. The youngster came
barreling down the hallway chasing a hula hoop. Was probably
a very nice kid, a great joy to his parents,
and may even grow up to be president of the
United States. But as I started out the door, that
hoop caught me between the knees.
Speaker 1: Door.
Speaker 2: I came to a couple of hours later on the
table at the dispensary, I guess you'd call it. There
at the hotel, I was conscious of a good looking
blonde and starched quite uniform standing beside me holding a
lot of cotton. He winches from my face. That's better, now,
that's better. Now once more, take a good deep breath inhale,
mister Dallan.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 2: What the smelling salts. You had quite a bang on
the head. Yeah, you just see what you did to
that metal door panel when the child's parents said that
if there's anything they can do there, No, oh, nurse,
where's my coat? Oh but you want to rest?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 2: Sorry, I got to get out of here, and thanks.
I dashed out to where my rental car was waiting
for me and drove to the address of North Roxbury
Drive and a wealthy section of Beverly Hills. A beat
up turning car that must have dated back to the
early thirties was parked in the driveway. The front door
of the house too wide open, the kit writes. The
kit writes, Oh, hello, is that you? He isn't here?
What are you, mister dollar? I mean, are you mister dollar?
That's right, I'm Jonathan Peeble's Alban's friend. And oh, mister Dollar, Yeah,
what's the matter. He's gone. Something's happened to him? And oh,
mister dollar, well yeah, well from what I saw, from
what I've found around here, Oh, mister Dollar, he's been murdered.
What I'm sure of it. He's been murdered. Mister Crankwright
has been murdered. Oh mister Dollar, what can we do?
What happened? How long have you been here? He telephoned,
He told me to come over here, that it was
very urg Yeah, he told me the same thing. But
he often does that, you know how he is always
has to see me right away immediately, and often it's
just for some little thing like sharing some ice cream
with him. I seeing the new flower that's coming, the
blue lost anything, now, that's why I didn't hurry coming
over here. And anyhow, Betsy doesn't like to be push
That's my nice old car that's parked out front. Didn't
you see it? Oh? Yeah, sure. I named it Betsy,
after an old white horse I used to have when
I first came to California's a wonderful horse. Would you
believe how old she was? When she's No, And I
don't care now about mister kit right, Oh yeah, oh,
dear mister dollar. When I finally got here a few
minutes ago, I was surprised to find the front door
standing wide open. But then I wasn't surprised either. If
you know what I mean, I certainly do not know
what you mean. I mean that he often left it
open that way, and I told him a thousand times
he shouldn't do it, that it was careless of him,
and that one of these days I'm roughia knowing about
all the money he had. Well, I told him, mister done, Yes,
I'm sure you did, but that doesn't do us any good.
Right now, Look, before we go any further, mister, people's
just who are you one of the many of Alvant
card Writ's eccentric old wealthy friends. No, I beg your pardon.
I didn't quite mean that the way it sounds. I
should hope not believe me. I may be eccentric, but
I am not wealthy. It wasn't for beneficial finance. I
couldn't even keep up the payments on bits. You mean
to say you're still making on I'll wait a minute,
mister Cardrid, Oh yes, of course, So well, anyway, I
came into the house and I called to him, and
I looked around for him, but there was no one here,
no servants. No, And anyway, he keeps changing them so
often that well, I just can't keep up with him.
So I looked all through the house. Any sign of
a struggle or anything like that. No, no, no, no no.
Then I looked out the window and I saw them.
Who's them? Two men walking up the driveway from back
where the garage is. What did they look like? They were, well,
they were awfully rough looking, but they were well dressed,
so I thought perhaps they were a couple of Alvin's
youth servants. I hadn't met, But I'd only thought about
that tour robe they were carrying and the way it
was drifted. Wait a minute, what's a tour robe. Oh,
it's like a big, heavy suitcase. Like a small wardrobe. Trunquilly,
It's more like a suitcase. It was heavy, they could
hardly carry it. And oh, mister dollar, wait a minute. Listen.
You said it was dripping. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
oh all over the dry Come on, I think we
better take a look and close that front door. Yes,
come on. These men were coming from the garage. That's right, yes,
but Alvin doesn't have a car, so what could they
be doing? There is that where he kept us all luggage, yes,
and the frozen food dock and some garden tools. Oh
oh there now look yes, oh oh yes, it's it's blood.
Speaker 5: Isn't it.
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: They killed him, dismembered him then, Oh, mister doll. I
made a hasty inspection of the garage. Nothing. I found
no sign of a struggle anywhere in the house. I
tried to get a description of the men he'd seen
from Jonathan Peeple's but I'm afraid he wasn't much help.
And yet with that funny mind it is. Oh, dear
mister Dollar, I'm afraid I'm soode distraught, and I just
can't remember it all. Look, they must have had a car,
mister Peoples. Did you notice a car out front? Car? Oh? Yes, yes, yes, yea,
I did, all right, can you describe it to me? Yes,
it was a touring car in nineteen thirty one. Oh no, no, no,
that's my car. Oh great, But there was another at
the end of the driveway. And mister Dona, I've seen
that car before time. Well, it was a four door sedan.
It was a big car. It was silvery on the
sides and a cream color on top, like vanilla ice cream,
you know. And the license number was see if you
won six? Oh lord, you are sure of that. Oh,
I never forget things like that. And you say, I've
seen it before many times. At the dock, at the
Malibu Dock. That's where he keeps the Alpa car. Who
keeps the what where Alvin keeps the Alpa car. Here's
yacht Alp car, Alvin pee. Okay, okay, it's a pretty
slim leave. But come on, And I was a slim one,
believe me. But I couldn't see calling in the police
until I had something more definite to give them. Well,
here we can take betsys. Are you kidding? I'll make
better time in mind? Oh yes, of course. We cut
out through Westwood, then Santa Monica, and then hit the
Coast Highway and headed Norton. Finally we've pulled over at
the entrance of the Malibu Dock. Look, that's the car
I told you about, park there at the side. Yeah,
and it looks like coming here may pay off for us.
The boat, the Alpa car, It isn't it? The morning. White. Oh, why,
I'm missus feebles. Have you seen mister cock right this morning?
Speaker 5: Right?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I didn't notice his boat went out so how
long ago? Oh, I'd say ten to fifteen minutes. Yeah,
see you out there going up towards Point Doom. Yeah,
I said, but those two men, Yeah, they had the
shore boat take him out to the outfit car. Yeah,
well I ord to see him. What do you mean
that little trunk that they was carrying. You see what
I'm mopping up, the messy trailer left all over the
pier for me to clean up. Yes, sir, I ought
to assume him. Who is all of that means that
taking Elvin cock Write's dismembered body after seed to dispose
office and on his own office. He's got to find
something fast enough to catch up with it. Out there. Well,
there's that that Thompson cruiser of Larry Comstock's tied up there.
That's Comstock, who has a boat motor shop in Los Angeles. Enough, well,
he had a couple of Big Johnson's on the fastest
one that's out here. Now, call him on the phone,
tell him me borrow it. I'm why it's an emergency,
and that we'll pay him plenty for the U. Well, now,
I don't know if you really are what I do
and listen. Call a coast guard in Santa Monica. Have
him send out a patrol boat. Come on, people, say,
put mister Dara, those men on the off of Desperados
there kill us. I'll say, then stay here in the dark.
I'll go on along. No, Alvin was my friend. I
shall help to avenge his untimely deaths. Maybe I should
have left him behind. Of course I had a gun
with me, but that wouldn't keep him from stopping a
bullet at the men afoord. The Alpha car decided to
shoot it out. I opened the throttle wide on the
twin out boards, and within fifteen minutes we overtok the
big seventy five foot yacht. Much to my surprise, it
was simply cruising along. Of course too, i'll suspicion. That's
why mister Dollard. Yeah, possibly, Yet it must be pretty
clear to him there were chasing them. Look for the
men at the wheel. That's one of the Ruffians I
saw carrying the trunk with Alvin. Believing the party in
this Ruffian man, that's sure. And there's the other coiling
up the fruits up on the board. Deck's chills. You're
going to stay down long, mister. People's stopping the boat again.
There's gonna be any shoe up theirs. Alven, what's years?
Speaker 4: Alban?
Speaker 2: He just came upon Dick. You're right, haven't you seen
mister Donad? They put him together again? Yes, those children, Alvin, Alvin,
who we are here? We've come to your rescue. Then,
n what a surprise? And Johnny Dalla, now what are
you doing out here? Are you kidding?
Speaker 5: What?
Speaker 2: Oh? Of course I remember now.
Speaker 6: I wanted to take you out for a nice long
ride in my lovely yacht.
Speaker 2: Huh.
Speaker 6: Of course, that's why I called you, Johnny. I think
you deserve something nice like this for all the good
working Dan, and you've done so many fine things for
me over the years. I decided I should take you
on a nice long cruise and you could relax and
eat and sleep and finish.
Speaker 2: And that's why you call the insurance company to get
in touch with me. That's right. I wasn't that a
great idea? And I invited Jonathan along too, But an
awfully funny thing happened, Johnny, Yes, sir, Johnny.
Speaker 6: The minute we left the doc.
Speaker 2: I gu just knew there was something else that I'd
forgotten that and you know what the words don't tell me.
Speaker 6: Of course, however, I've forgotten to wait for you, Jonathan.
Speaker 2: Oh, now isn't that the funniest thing? Yeah, mister, now,
just a minute, m what about those two men, those
terrible cures. What did you say right there beside you?
They killed you, they murdered you, and they Oh what
am I saying? Wait a minute, Yeah, you're thinking you
said something else you forgotten.
Speaker 6: That's right, you and Jonathan. I forgot to wait for
you at the house. And then when we started off,
I were Oh, wasn't it silly? I forgot all about you?
Speaker 2: What what was the other thing?
Speaker 3: The other thing?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 6: Yes, yes, Oh, the other thing that I'd forgotten was
the trunk full of nice, thick, juicy hinderline steaks that
I'd set aside in the garage.
Speaker 2: For this trip. But it was not real trunk, just
with two ropes that I had out in the garage.
But I remember that the minute we came on board,
and so I had to send Gerald and Harold back
to the house. And there's card again and there minute,
Butler and Cook, Oh they are the nicest boy. Oh,
Gerald and Harold come over here to the rail. So
my friends, don't wait, Eldren Wade, you you need to
see those men standing there beside you.
Speaker 6: Now, why don't you and Johnny come onboard and I'll introduce.
Speaker 2: Him to you. Oh wait just a minute. Then all
that blood, all that blood that was dripping out of
that trunk, Oh, wasn't that o? And he was all
my fault because I let the steaks fall out too
much over the trees, bood.
Speaker 3: And we'll take the I p for you.
Speaker 2: Come on now, you know something. It's crazy, it's wild,
but it does my heart good to get tangled up
in something like this sometimes helps keep away the ulcers.
As for the expense account, forget it. Alvin Peabody Cartwright
shoved a check into my hands before I left that
would cover the expense account a dozen times over. As
for Larry Comstock, the man who's boat had appropriated, I
want to hear the story of what had happened. He
wouldn't accept a penny for it. So that's that, yes, truly,
Johnny Dollar, here is our star to tell you about
next week's story instead of telling you about next week. Sean,
congratulations to station, w DBJ and Roano Virginia thirty five
years on the air. Pretty good, hunh, Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood
and has written, produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard
in our cast were Virginia, Greg Geene Tatum, Howard mcneer,
Boris Lewis, Joseph Kerns, and Paul Duball. Be sure to
join us next week, same time and station or another
exciting story of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. This is Dan
cobberly speaking, Well, I'll.
Speaker 1: Come back well. Most websites have the title misspelled, but
John Abbott, in his book Though, who is Johnny Doller Matter,
has the correct spelling of steak for life at Stake now.
Doubtless some listeners thought if they looked up at the
title and saw what it was, thought I had misspelled it.
But I have not. According to Abbott, that's what's on
the title page, and I love it.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 1: This is one of those cases where you might think
that Cartwright is referring to some sort of action that
happened off air, but it's actually a case that aired
on December twenty eighth, nineteen fifty eight, and was in
that whole stream of lost episodes that closed out nineteen
fifty eight. It was actually the second appearance of Alvin
Peabody Cartwright. It was the first time the character was
portrayed by Howard mcneer. The first time Cartwright appeared was
in The Loss of Memory Matter in nineteen fifty seven,
and the part was played by Poorly Bear and it
was a very different portrayal, and there was a little
bit of eccentricity, but Alvin was only in the story
a few minutes, which focused on him instructing Johnny to
guard some goods he wanted to donate to a museum
and to keep them safe from his worthless nephew who
was coming along to guard them but had his own designs. Now,
Howard mcneer actually played another eccentric millionaire, Jedediah Gillis, and
kind of a trilogy of strange animal stories, including a
singing mouse, a talking dog, and a cat who had
inherited a fortune. In his final story, Gillis had at
last canceled his policy with Floyd's of England, and bought
his own insurance company. By letting mcneer reinvent the character,
john Stone could have mcneer playing off Bailey in that
great way, unburdened by the tropes of Jededi Gillis, and
also the decision to buy the insurance company. Now, if
you are blastioning in your mind, how Johnny ended up
in California after the last episode we wrapped up had
him in New York, this shows that rejuggling of scripts
once again sabotage Johnstone's efforts at continuity. Now, nobody else
who ran the show tried to do this, and generally,
if you have a series, you know, like Sam Spade,
every episode is set in San Francisco, or you have
a series where it's all said in the same place.
He was trying to have continuity from one week to another.
The challenge during this era was that financially, radio couldn't
be the priority for a lot of actors. He would
want to use because people loved, you know, doing radio
if there was nothing else on, But if they were
getting paid for a TV show or for a movie,
he'd have to work around that. And that's where I
suspect most of the juggling came from. Now it's time
to thank our Patreon supporter of the day. Thank you
to Christine, Patreon supporter since March twenty eighteen, currently supporting
the podcasts at the Shawmus level of four dollars or
more for a month. Thanks so much for your support,
and that'll do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast,
please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be
sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download
it from. We will be back next Friday with another
episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. But join us back
here tomorrow as we give way to Counterspy and the
great adventurers of old time radio ware.
Speaker 5: Yes, very beautiful, a wonderful Please, it's dance like a
lovely girl of a belly right the night will be
a turning point in history.
Speaker 2: I have no interest in history, mister.
Speaker 5: I'm an office with good business. Then, now that my
work is done as a matter of the fifty thousands mark,
you have earned your money. Wear a grin when you
put the talks to the right time.
Speaker 2: You stop at the flaming symbols that will wait for
you to come.
Speaker 1: Hope you'll be with us. Then In the meantime, 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 Son and all