Speaker 1: The Avenger. Road to crime ends in a trap that
justice sets, crime does not pay.
Speaker 2: The absence sworn enemy of evil is actually Jim Brandon,
a famous biochemist. Through his numerous scientific experiments, Brandon has
perfected several inventions to aid him in his crusade against
crime as the Avenger. Most remarkable of these inventions is
the highly secret diffusion capsule, which quotes him in the
black light of invisibility. Brandon's assistant, the beautiful Fern Collier,
is the only one who shares his secrets and knows
that he is the man the underworld fears, and the Avenger,
and now the Avenger and death in mid air. The
circus is in town, a small wondering circus of the nursery.
Jim and Fern are on the midway here.
Speaker 1: You, miss Fern, go ahead, try again.
Speaker 3: No, I swear those wouldn't you'll follows? Move around back, man,
I can't.
Speaker 1: Well about trying something with a larger target.
Speaker 3: Uh are you in flying that the fat lies with
my aid?
Speaker 1: Oh, of course not.
Speaker 4: I merely think you'd have less trouble hitting the side
of a bomb than a no bottle.
Speaker 3: I'm insulted, say using the time for the show.
Speaker 1: In the big ten. Oh, yes, we better get going.
Speaker 3: Oh jim, these little wondering circuses are more fun than
the big one. Oh look gotten candid.
Speaker 4: Let's get so okay truth foolsk.
Speaker 3: Isn't it pretty? It's like a big handful of flying right,
big show.
Speaker 1: Yes, five minutes, hitch it. Take this side over here
for the biggest little sircus in the country. Hurry, hey,
hurry boats.
Speaker 3: He seems like we got here just in time.
Speaker 1: Jim. Oh, there's no hurry, fern, unless I miss my guest.
That barker doubles in brass as ring master. Look at
his costume.
Speaker 3: Oh oh, Jim, do you know what we forgot to get?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 3: What a balloon?
Speaker 4: Whoa, that's easily fixed. There's the balloon man's card on
the other side of the big top.
Speaker 3: You mean that funny looking goat.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Science has recently come to the aid of the
balloon vender. That novel rocket device is filled with gas.
All the balloon man has to do is attach the
balloon on top of it, turn the valve, and presto,
your balloon is blown up to whatever size you want.
Speaker 3: I'll take a big red one, says the man. Now, Hi,
he's moving away.
Speaker 1: Oh wait a minute, we want some balloons, Yes, two
balloons please? Orry can't sell any balloons to lap the show?
Oh why not? They aren't allowed in the big textor show.
They get loose, get to wear the formers. Oh well,
will you be stationed here after the show? Yeah? Sure thing.
Excuse me, I got a wheel less cart round on
the exit and help you get the animals after the show.
Oh you're double as a trainer. Huh yeah, sometimes I
see you after the show. Better go in now if
you want to get a good sea we'll get the boomslater.
Speaker 3: Friend, A big show is beginning.
Speaker 1: Here.
Speaker 3: Come on, Jim, I don't want to miss the name. Event.
Speaker 1: Attention, please attention, ladies and gentlemen. We are now about
to present the mean affection of our world fame show.
I give you that great friend, Chatty Sensation, the lartiest
of the tight rope. This illustrious star of the Ozone
will perform his thrilling, breath taking giants ride on the
tightrope and follow it with complete revolution on the trapees.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing a great friend.
Speaker 3: Chaddy, that tightrope and topreatmus be at least sixty feet
from the ground.
Speaker 1: And there's no safety, not either freight of look, Franchaty
knows his business friend nothing will happen to him. Eighties
and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, quiet, if you please. Franchadi
is ready to begin his perilous journey across the tightrope.
Here he goes one step, two three. He's balancing himself.
Now for the thrilling dangerous giants ride. He's set. Here
he goes. He waded, and now watch closely, ladies and gentlemen,
watch friend Chatty perform our most dangerous and daring stunt
ever attempted. In midair. He will make a complete revolution
on the trapeze and land back on the type road.
He's ready. Here he goes. He's on the trapeze. He's
swinging back and forth. He lets go. He's somersaults. He
missed the while.
Speaker 3: Instead of white over here.
Speaker 1: Thanks for polling me, for it was an accident, though,
wasn't it.
Speaker 3: We certainly looked that way to me. But I don't
know what Jim thinks.
Speaker 1: Worries Jim.
Speaker 3: He's in that tent talking to Baldwin, who's Baldwin, the
manager and ringmaster. They're waiting for you instead.
Speaker 1: They're coming along.
Speaker 3: No, I'll wait here.
Speaker 1: Okay, this shouldn't take long, eh, Jim, I'll come in side, Inspector. Hey,
what's on the fire here? Inspector? This is mister Baldwin.
How do you do I'll just requested mister Baldwin to
hold the circus over for a few days, inspector, and
I have refused to do it. Inspector, we're scheduled open
and recard him on. I don't see why we should
have to cancel and gates because of an accident. He's right, Jim.
Unless you've got some mighty good reasons, we can't hold
this circus up here. I don't realize they can be
sued for bridge contract if they don't fill their engagements.
If Francharty's death was a natural accident, yes, but if
there's a reasonable doubt of that, the law is well
within its right. Say what are you getting at, Brandon
Franchotty's death was accidental? Oh how can you prove it? Well? Well,
I was standing right underneath him. I don't know what happened.
He just missed the rope and fell. That's all I'll
at that's the way it looked, Earl Jim while all
is fuss then, oh, he's just trying to put the
squeeze on us to get some publicity for the police department.
Just a minute, Baldwin, correct me if I'm wrong, But
I mean to remember that this is the third accident
that's occurred in this circus so far this season. Two
other arealists met their deaths before Franchotti that ride. Yes,
that's right, Inspector. But we've just had some bad breaks
this season, that's all. That's the weird colds in this business.
Sometimes we get through a whole season without a single mishap,
and other times we don't. You know the old superstition
about accidents happening in threes, Well, Franchotty was the third.
I tell you, he just missed the rope. That's the
risk these arealists tape ell those previous accidents put a
different light on things, Baldwin. Different light why we got
clearances in the towns where they happen, and you'll get
a clearance here when we're satisfied about Franchoti.
Speaker 4: You see, Baldwin, in this town, we're inclined to believe
that one death may be an accident, two deaths may
be coincidence, but three deaths just may be murder.
Speaker 1: Murder. You better tell your men the circus is staying here,
will Baldwin. I saw they were beginning to pull up stakes,
and I came in here. Well, all I can say is,
if you fellows, hold this show up here for more
than forty eight hours, the yell Darts circus will be ruined.
We'll work as fast as we can. You can depend
on that. Well, you're better because if you can't back
up your statements, mister eld offers the kind of man
who will make you pay through the knowledge. Yes, Brandon,
that's the rope. This is the trapeze Franchotty worked on
during his last performance. Thanksfulman, This rope looks perfectly okay, inspector,
Let's see if there are any weak spots on the trapeze.
I take hold of that end, right, you got it?
Pull There's nothing wrong with that, Jim, No, I told
you Franchoty just lost his balance and fell. After all,
he wasn't such a young man anymore.
Speaker 4: After those first two accidents, why didn't your aerial office
use a net Baldwin.
Speaker 1: They refuse to using a net lower as an artist's
prestige and cuts down his chances of hitting the big time. Hey, Jim,
this rope's been waxed. Oh that doesn't necessarily mean anything, Inspector.
Some arialists wax the ropes to lessen the fiction and
the stride. Uh, hey, how come you know so much
about this circus stuff? Believe it or not, Inspector.
Speaker 4: I traveled with a circus in Europe one summer, worked
my way straight across three countries that way, doing what
practically everything. I was beginning to show promise as a
trick bicycle rider when I had to leave and go
back to school. Well, how does this case shape up
to your professional eye?
Speaker 1: I'm not convinced now. Don't ask me why, But somehow
this whole affair just doesn't look right. Let's take a
little more time on it, Inspector. And that's the situation
we're in. Mister Elder wired you to come because I
know this delay we'll put your circus in a bad
way financially. Uh, it certainly does, Bolin. If Carver won't
grant us another loan, and the old off circus is
washed up that's what I was afraid of. What is Carver?
Oh he's outside. I haven't looked around, but he has
a size up as a poor risk. I can tell
my his attitude, mister Eldhart. Maybe I'm speaking out of turn,
but I don't trust Carver. No, why not bowling? Well?
If we have to close up, Carver can claim most
of the circus as a payment on the loans. He's
already advanced. You can't he that's right. Then he stands
to gain more by not lending us any more money,
doesn't he? Yeah, he does. But I've done business with
Carver for years. Surely he wouldn't caple well, commer, what
do you think if you're ashamed to close the searches
down for one of another small loan? Wouldn't Maybe it's
held off? But I can't lend you any more money
on this outfit. I don't. Why not? Because that Manidrea
is the only thing that's worth him out. I've already
advanced yet. No wait a minute, car Oh, that's not
men's words. Held off one horse second is through. As
soon as you face it, the better it'll be for
all concerned. You might have pulled through this season if
it hadn't been for those accidents. The way things stand now,
you don't suppose that anyone would be deliberately forcing me
into this position to get the control of the fift
Do you come. I don't know exactly what you're getting.
I held off, frankly, I don't care as far as
that loan is concerned. The answers. No, those other notes
that do at the end of the month. And if
you don't pay up off a clause, good day. How
do you like that? It's like I said, mister older
Carver's out to get this circle. I won't let him.
I'll fight to the last dip. Well, what can you do?
We have to have money to pay the artists and
help every Saturday, or they'll quit. There must be some
way we could sell the menagerie to that jungle circus
outfit that keeps offering to buy it. No bodowin the
managerie is what brings in the customers. Without that would
be nothing more than a fourth rate tenth show. Well,
what's the answer that we've still got to the end
of the month. We'll hang on. Only you've got to
see to it. No more accidents happen. One more and
Carvers got us right where he wants this.
Speaker 5: To a.
Speaker 2: And now back to the Avenger and death in Mayor.
Speaker 3: What sort of clues do you it' step to find
here in the menagerie. Don't tell me you even suspect
these animals, no.
Speaker 4: Friend, I'm merely trying to track down something that could
have furnished the motive for those three debts.
Speaker 3: Those jungle red lines are ferocious looking to be starting.
Speaker 1: Yes, they're dangerous. The cheap positive though, Say there's a liger.
I didn't know there were any of those in captivity
in this country.
Speaker 3: What's a ligry, Jim?
Speaker 1: Well, it's a very rare animal friend part lion and
part tiger. I know there are a few of them
in foreign zoos, but I'm certainly surprised to see one
in a broken down circus. They're worth a lot of money.
Speaker 3: Well, I like the looks of my study. Better, say, Jim,
what's all this I hear about you arranging to have
a friend of your appear on the trapeze than that.
Speaker 1: Name who told you about that?
Speaker 3: Will read the bloom vendor, he said, mister Baldwin told
him about it. I never knew you were appointed with
any typeze artists.
Speaker 1: Well, Fern, it's a kind of a secret. I wonder
if I should trust you with him.
Speaker 3: I'll never forgive you if you don't.
Speaker 1: Well, don't breathe a word of this.
Speaker 4: But the Great Gilberto who will perform this afternoon is
none other than your Austro league, Jim. No, it's the
only way for And we're pressed for time on this case,
and so far we have no solid evidence against anyone.
Speaker 3: But Jim, why should you risk your life on?
Speaker 1: And I don't worry. I won't be taking any risks.
Speaker 3: I'm going to tell me Inspector he'll put a stop
to this.
Speaker 1: Inspector knows all about it, and he agrees that it's
a good idea.
Speaker 3: Jim, Please don't something's sure to have happened to you
while you're a rank amateur at that sort of thing,
even if you did play around at it one summer.
Speaker 4: Your concern is very flattering. But believe me, Frind, I'll
be all right. Now come along. I want you to
get a good seat in the grandstand because this will
be the one and only performance of the Great Gilberto.
Speaker 1: And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you our star
attraction this afternoon intro to seeing one of the greatest
sterialists this country, a great Gilberto, Ladies and gentlemen, A
great Gilberto will ride his bicycle across the entire length
of the title to our friends. Him knows what he's doing. Look,
he's on the bicycle, ready to go. A great gilvers
All begins his perilous ride. Watch closely. He's on his
way now, a quarter of the way across. Now, during
all laws of gravity, he's reached the half mark. He
his bicycle is waddling the count below. He's blowing burn burn.
It's all right. Jim's safe. Yes, he looks in the air. Yes,
he had two wires attached to his safety belt. They
hold him up until the net is stretched below him,
and he'll cut the wires and jump into the net.
That's almost ready. There, you see, it's ready.
Speaker 3: Jim's cutting the wires.
Speaker 1: There he goes. He made it.
Speaker 3: You're sure that you're all right?
Speaker 4: It is a fiddle, friend, I just wear it all this,
gearest Jim inspector. There was nothing wrong with that wire,
and nothing wrong with the bicycle. Whatever happened up there
happened to me. I got dizzy and lost my balance.
Speaker 1: That was quite apparent. Oh here comes Baldwin. Look out
for fireworks. Oh it was you have, Brandon. Just what
were you trying to prove by that fiasco? One thing?
And I did prove it, Baldwin? What was that?
Speaker 4: You'll find out later. Right now, I want you to
take a message to mister Eldorf for me.
Speaker 1: What messy? Tellaldorf he can pull up stakes after this
evening show. You mean the cases solved? Brandon? It will
be by that time. Mister Elsdor will be glad to
hear that. I'll go tell him. Is that true? Jim?
Do you know who's behind all this? Not yet, Inspector.
Speaker 4: But all I've got to figure out now is why
I lost my balance. Up there, then I think I'll
have the solution to this mystery. Hello miss Brandon, Hello Lowey,
how's the balloon business?
Speaker 5: Ah?
Speaker 1: That's good. Hey, you're on the way of that meeting
in the cook tent. Yes, you coming, y thing? Wait
a minute, I'll pack this balloon machine inside of Big ten.
Be waiting in a minute. Say know what this meeting
is being health for? Louis sure, it's Brennan. About half
the performers want to leave the show. Have fed up with
all a bad luck we've been running into it. Couldn't
stance over this way? How about you, Louis you going
to stick? Well?
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 1: It's Brennan. I hate to leave the animals. What the
fella's got to look out for the future in this business? Oh,
here we are, we are where it's meetings, all right?
It begin from then on. There's no reason to believe
we can't meet our schedule and make some money. How
is everybody satisfied? The stick until the end of the month,
at least to give me a chance to make the
proper replacements. I'm not I'm leaving this out tonight. This
show won't last the season out and you know it.
Ball listen, Slim, that's just an ugly room or somebody started.
Speaker 2: Tell us your suckers, if you let them talk you
into it, If you wait till the end of.
Speaker 1: The month, you're killed for the season. With other ten shows.
Speaker 3: Slive a to night.
Speaker 1: It'll be better off the time. Wait, wait a minute, well,
all right, take your time and talk it over. Louis you, sir,
come along with me over to my office and get
some paper. Then you can come back here and give
everybody a chance to vote by ballot. Okay, mister Borlin,
mister Brandon as Bolin, would you be kind enough to
collect the ballots and deliver them to my office when
they're ready? But certainly all right? Then come on, Loie, Well,
where's Louis with them?
Speaker 3: Ballast?
Speaker 1: Does Baldwin expect us to wait there all day?
Speaker 3: It shows how a jings on. It ever sits me stuck?
Speaker 1: Listen, what's that? It's the animals they're run loose? That's
how wrong.
Speaker 3: About general the animals accounted for?
Speaker 1: Yes, I heard some shots.
Speaker 3: What happened?
Speaker 1: Louis shot a lion and one of the hippos.
Speaker 3: Oh in the world did those animals get loose?
Speaker 5: To?
Speaker 1: Simple enough? Somebody they deliberately open the cages.
Speaker 3: Who would do a thing like that.
Speaker 4: I don't know who did it, but I think I
know why it was done. Yes, someone wanted to make
sure the circus wouldn't continue its tour.
Speaker 3: Who all the circus people were in the coop? To
not all?
Speaker 4: Fern Baldwin, Louis and Aldof the owner weren't there.
Speaker 3: And mister Carber hasn't left yet. I saw him over
near Baldwin's office about an hour ago.
Speaker 1: Brandon, have you seen mister Oldafrand anywhere?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 4: I haven't Baldwin say this animal break leaves you in
a bad spot, doesn't it say?
Speaker 1: It does? Well, we went completely off his head and
shut two valuable animals. Yes, then he took his life
in his hands to say that Liger, that crazy fool.
The doorf will probably fire him for this.
Speaker 4: Oh, there's aldof going into the office now. Well, I
might as well give him the bad news. You'll have
to decide what's to be done, Fern.
Speaker 1: Come on over to the midway. I've just hit on something.
I think we can close up this case in short order.
Speaker 3: You called the inspector and order half a dozen men
to s announced chank, What are you going to do?
Speaker 4: Then we have a whole hour before the main show begins,
and within that hour the criminal will enter the big
tent and encounter the Avenger.
Speaker 1: What with that noise? There must be something wrong with
that machine. Yes, there's something wrong with that machine, Louise.
It's an instrumental murder. Turn that gas off. Who's in
this tent? The Avenger is here is an invisible witness
against you. Louis the avenger. Hh. What good is an
invisible witness as good as the evidence he can produce?
What evidence? That balloon inflating tank you have there? That
is all the state will need to prove your crimes
against you. Take the average, then no mere voice can
deliver me into the hands of the law. I can escape.
You won't get commanded time avender by all means. Plea Louis,
it's I just meant awake.
Speaker 3: You gush, Jim. The show was good tonight, too bad?
This is the last performance here.
Speaker 1: There anxious to move a long fern and catch up
with their schedule. Well, the crownsall clear out of the tent,
now shall we go? I dissemine that, Jim, A few
things I've got to get straightened out here. What's bothering you? Inspector?
That gas Louis released in the tent here when he
wanted to get rid of an area list. If he
released it before the performance, why didn't he defect everyone
in the tail?
Speaker 4: Because the gas rose to the top of the tent,
displaced the oxygen and formed a pocket or straight him
up there That caused the aeralist to grow dizzy and fall.
Speaker 1: But what was Louise's motive gym. After all of the
circus closed, he lost his job as Louis was after
that liger in the menagerie. That rare animal is worth
more than fifty thousand dollars. Eldorff picked it up in
South America a year ago, but had no idea how
valuable it was. And when Louis joined the circus at
the beginning of the scene and he recognized his value.
That's right.
Speaker 4: So Louis began making offers to buy the menagerie through
an outfit called the Jungle Circus. He couldn't bid for
the liger alone because that might give away its value.
Speaker 3: Mister Veldorf was fentimental about the managering. He one self,
yes and.
Speaker 1: His sentiment will pay big dividends in this case. After
all this publicity, that liger will be worth a dollar
a look.
Speaker 3: Jim up until the time the animal's escape, he didn't
know who the criminal was. What tipped you off that
it was Louis.
Speaker 1: Louis risked his life to get that liger back in
his cage, but he shopped that two other most valuable
animals needlessly and ruthlessly. That meant one thing, he knew
the value of the Liker, But why did he arrange
that brak so that he'd have an excuse to shoot
some of the animals and strengthen his chances of buying
what was left of the menagerie, including the Liger. His
motive all the way through was to force the circus
out of business. Where Well, that ties it up, Jim, hell,
I'll run along their headquarters and file my report. A
good night to both of.
Speaker 3: Jim. It's one of the little things that I don't understand.
Speaker 1: All about the balloons, right, Yes, sir.
Speaker 3: Wouldn't Louis seldom to keep go into after.
Speaker 1: They came out of the victory, because if those balloons
were brought into the temp they might get loose, and
if that happened, they would fly up only as far
as the gas pocket or remain suspended there. That would
have given the whole scheme away satisfying perfectly.
Speaker 3: Well, come on, Jim, I want to see mister Baldwin
before he leaves. Baldwin what for I've decided to manage
the great Gilberto. I want to see if I get
him some booking.
Speaker 2: All characters, names, places and plots used in the Avenger
program are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead
is purely coincidental.
Speaker 1: This is a thought, a thought, a thought. Remember listen
for another adventure of
Speaker 2: The Avenger