Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Hope to Die Matter (EP1525)

Transcript

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Hope to Die Matter (EP1525) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
0:33
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
0:38
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
0:43
Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
0:48
slash Radio Detectives. Before we do get started, I do want to say
0:53
the program's brought to you by the financial support of our listeners, and I
0:56
particularly want to thank John so much for his support. And you can support
1:00
the program at support dot Great Detectives dot Nand well, now it's Tom for
1:04
today's episode of Yours Truly Johnny Doller the original air date November twenty fourth,
1:11
nineteen fifty seven, and the Toddle The Hope to Die Matter trooval Man.
1:17
And this is George Reed. Well, nice to hear from you, George,
1:23
especially when I have no assignment. That's fine. What's fine about it?
1:26
No expense accountterpad means how do I keep the wolf from the door,
1:30
unless, of course Floyds of England has a case for me? Huh,
1:34
well, yeah, well a few weeks ago you were kidding at the time.
1:38
Oh no, George, how could I ever kid you. Yeah,
1:42
you, Betty. The point is you, your author jestingly asked me,
1:46
instead of selling life insurance, oh no, don't tell me. I'm afraid.
1:51
So I'm afraid the company is settled with what you might call it death
1:53
insurance policy. You mean, instead of insuring somebody against dying, you've insured
1:59
him against living. Yes, John, Okay, Georgie, say no more.
2:04
I'll be right over Bob Bailey and the Exciting Adventures of the Man with
2:15
the action packed Expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator as Truly Johnny Dollar.
2:28
What now yours? Truly Johnny dollars? Expense account submitted by special Investigator Johnny
2:46
Dollar to Floyd's of England, American Office, Hartford, Connecticut. Following is
2:52
an account of expenses encourage during my investigation of the Hope to Die Matter expense
3:01
account out of one a dollar ten taxi from my apartment at George Read's office
3:06
or I found him pacing the floor and worrying, an even more worried expression
3:08
than usual. And believe me, that's something. This thing has me so
3:14
riled up, Johnny, I can hardly see straight. Well, you should
3:16
have known better than to issue a policy like that, George. It was
3:20
Harry Baxter. He filled in here for me while I was on vacation.
3:23
I should have known better. What they do is sell a lot of policies
3:27
that you shouldn't have to handle. No, just this one, And I
3:30
swear I don't understand that. He of all people, all right, she
3:32
said on the phone that it was kind of life insurance and reverse. That's
3:37
exactly what it is. Explain place. Well. Usually, of course,
3:39
we pay the face value of a policy when the insured died. Right.
3:43
In this case, however, the company will have to pay the two hundred
3:46
and fifty thousand dollars that the insured doesn't die. One hundred and fifty thousand.
3:50
Yeah, how under the sun can a man be crazy enough to issue
3:53
a policy like that? John? You know how it is? The company
3:57
prides itself on the fact will ensure anything, not only life and property and
4:00
health and so on. With the voice of a singer, the feet of
4:03
a dancer, hands of a pianist, even the dimples on the knees of
4:08
a chorus girl. Yeah, I'm singing mice an old alley cad a sick
4:12
way because I can't say that Harry wasn't in position to do it. But
4:15
Johnny, you've got to help me first. You'd better tell me who and
4:17
why and what it's all about me. It's just the trouble I don't know
4:20
on that kid. You don't know. I only got back here to the
4:25
office this morning. I found our copy of the policy lying here on my
4:28
desk. But if you don't even oh, look, I've handled some pretty
4:31
screwy cases for you, joor yes, but they've all finally made sense one
4:34
way or the other. And Johnny, we have paid you some very nice
4:38
fees. You can't deny that. Tell me. Have I ever questioned your
4:41
expense account? But death insurance it does makes sense. Have I insuring somebody
4:46
against levy? Have I? I'm sorry, but this time the answer is
4:48
no. But if you take this on, I'll okay your expense account without
4:54
even reading it. Death insurance expense account unlimited, Johnny, George. There
5:00
are some things even a conniving, chiseling, unprincipled rascal like myself won't even
5:06
unlimited. Johnny. Okay, George, I'll take it fact too of yours
5:16
truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment and now act two off yours truly,
5:20
Johnny Dollar and the Hope to Die matters well into England ensure anything. At
5:30
least that was their boast, and now it looked as though it had finally
5:32
backfired on them because somebody in the organization, some character named Harry Baxter,
5:38
had issued not life but death insurance. If it hadn't been for my friendship
5:43
for George Reid Well plus his promise if unlimited expense account, I'd have thrown
5:48
the whole problem right back into his face as it was. Thanks Johnny,
5:53
from the bottom of my heart. I'll never forget you for this. Believe
5:56
me, George, I'll never forget you for this. And if you can
5:58
get is off the hook. All I can do, who is try?
6:00
So come on, give me the dope on him. Yes, well,
6:02
here the name of the insured is miss mary Ellen Markham. Yeah, I
6:08
got it. Where does she live? Five one four East fifty second Street,
6:12
New York City, pretty fancy address. Yes, Okay, Now tell
6:16
me why this Mary Ellen has insured herself against living? Well, that's the
6:19
point, Johnny, she hasn't. And I'll wait a minute, you Albert
6:24
Schwinner, has you mean somebody else took out this policy in her life or
6:28
rather dead? Yes, holy what is this guy? A professional gun Solo's
6:32
gonna wipe her out and then collect. I suppose he's the beneficiary too,
6:36
Yes, he is all fine? Well, come on, who is?
6:40
I don't know? As I told you, The policy was lying here on
6:43
my desk when I got back this morning. I do know this much about
6:46
him. It's doctor Albert Swiner. Doctor? What kind? Those are the
6:49
things? You've got to find out? Who he is? What he is?
6:53
Why he's bought insurance against this woman's living beyond November tenth, the tenth,
6:57
Well, that's only a few days from now. It's worse than world.
7:00
If only Harry Baxter hadn't issued that policy. But he has. Oh
7:04
boy, you sure picked a dilly to fill in for you while you were
7:06
away him. What else could I do? After all, he ever did
7:10
anything like this before? You've known him before? Are you serious? Of
7:14
course? I have why Harry back now. Look, times are wasting and
7:16
we haven't got much of it. I take it you want me to see
7:20
if I can find some legal grounds for canceling this policy. Yes, immediately.
7:25
Now, have you got an address on the beneficiary, this doctor Schwinner.
7:29
I've been so upset about this whole thing. I haven't even looked.
7:31
Let me see, according to this he lives at what's the matter, doctor
7:40
Albert W. Schwinner c L Say, l what kind of a doctor is
7:44
there? I don't know. The address is one four three two seven E
7:47
Street, Union City, New Jersey. Say yeah, well, I'll soon
7:50
find out. Where can I reach this Harry Baxter, who sold the policy
7:55
in New York at the here, I'll shut down the address. I still
7:59
don't see off facts. They could get away with this after all, And
8:01
you consider his position, he offered no explanation at all. I'm afraid I
8:07
didn't give him much chance. I practically threw him out of here. Huh.
8:09
I can't say that I blame you. And that's another thing. Look,
8:13
Johnny, perhaps you can reason with Oh, don't worry, George,
8:16
he's number one on my calling list. I'll be talking to you. Expense
8:24
a count had him two seventy eighty five fare to New York and taxi to
8:26
Harry Baxter's address A real stoodie one over near Ston Place. And people don't
8:31
live in that joint unless they've earned or chiseled a lot of money from somewhere.
8:35
In the case of Baxter, I suspected a big chisel. My suspicion
8:39
was considerably heightened when he opened the door. His apartment was luxury from stem
8:43
to stern. As for Factor himself, Dolla, we calls, boy.
8:48
I've heard a good deal about you from my dear friend and colleague, George
8:52
Weed. Dear friend, huh, what he would say? That is who
8:56
counted it? Oh? I knew that, filling in for him while he
9:01
was away. Well, I really should have done better for the old thing.
9:03
But I've had so many social obligations to meet these past few months,
9:07
and after all, one must keep up with those things. Oh, I'm
9:11
sure one must. I did the one policy a real dilly. That's the
9:16
understatement of the week. I suppose. I can't really blame him for being
9:20
a bit excited about it. But he gave me no chance to explain why
9:24
I assumed the policy. Why did you? Oh? No, really,
9:28
well, but I made it very clear to George that I would tell him
9:31
when he calms down enough to be reasonable. Really, mister Dollar, he
9:35
was in quite at his brother. He still is, That's why he sent
9:39
for me. But when he calms down he'll be sorry. Bother. You'll
9:41
suppose you tell me why you wish you that policy? You no, what,
9:48
No, I'll tell George when he's ready, and when I'm ready.
9:52
Oh, just a minute, and you may tell George I said exactly that
9:54
goodnye dollar. You'll tell me bax to right now. I'll do nothing of
9:58
the sort, and much more. Since my thing for Europe is leaving shortly,
10:01
I have no time to we do you kind of remove your offort from
10:05
the door and until I get an answer from you, and I'll start talking.
10:09
If you can chose some legal cause, legal cause there your behavior at
10:13
the moment constitutes trespass, legal entry. Call it what you like, and
10:16
believe me, unless you leave here immediately, I sha'n't hesitate to ring up
10:20
to please. All right, all right, now, look, just tell
10:22
me one thing I'm not what. What is your connection with the beneficiary of
10:28
this policy, doctor Swinner? That's right, Albert Schwinner. Albert happens to
10:31
be a very close I might have guessed as much. All right, then
10:37
tell me this. I thought I just one question. I've given the answer.
10:39
Good bye? Are you hard of hearing? Good bye? Well,
10:48
there was no point in trying to better down the door of Harry Baxter's apartment.
10:52
So I left him downstairs in the lobby. I put in a phone
10:54
call. I sat him three fifty five cents to George Read's office in Hydrant
11:01
for a few minutes. Oh well, then please tell him when he gets
11:05
back that I want a complete rundown on Harry Baxter. Right. Having hired
11:09
him, George shouldn't have much trouble getting that for me. That's when I
11:13
met a matter of fact, I think I can now let George do it.
11:16
I'll call him back, write him four or sixty five cents text you
11:22
to marry Ellen Markham's apartment on the east fifty second seat uniform nurse met me
11:28
at the door, told me I could stay with Miss Markham only a very
11:30
short time. Then led me into the bedroom, and there, carefully propped
11:33
up in bed, lay a pale, wan tired woman who looked to be
11:37
sixty five or seventy. The room was full of flowers. You me leaving
11:48
when I uneath you. Yes, sit down, thank you. I am
11:56
Harry. I won't be able to speak because you're very long that as you
12:03
can see. Yes, yes, I can, of course I'll get right
12:05
to the point. You must know. I'm sure that someone has just taken
12:11
out a policy on your well, an insurance policy on you. Yes,
12:16
it is so smart, and so I'm so helpful, Harry Baxter. All
12:26
you see, I am suffering from a rare, incuritible disease of the blood.
12:35
I'm sorry. I don't have long to live. A few days,
12:41
perhaps a few weeks at the most. Excuse me, this is such a
12:48
difference. What you're getting the best of care. I trust it's the very
12:54
best. What do you wish to know? You know what doctor Albert Swinner,
13:01
don't you. I have known Albert for many years. He's been great
13:07
friends. Then why does he take out a policy that well then indicates he
13:11
hopes that you will die? Oops, I'll die? Yes? What else
13:18
could it be? Understand? Don't you see? Schwinner has brought insurance against
13:22
your living beyond November ten, Yes, my fiftieth birthday. You mean to
13:31
say the reason? The reason? So yes, I'm sorry you mustn't.
13:41
Oh, I know I'm tiring you. But just one more thing. You're
13:45
a doctor. The doctor who's taking care of you, Albert, the same
13:52
doctor Schwinner is. Yeah, now, you must leave Act three of yours,
14:16
truly Johnny Dollar in a moment, oh, Act three of yours,
14:18
truly Johnny Dollar, and the hope to die matter the little let Mary Ellen
14:26
Markham had been able to tell me, let me more puzzle than ever.
14:31
I've never been given such a runner ound of my life, deliberate or otherwise.
14:35
But I didn't dare tax or strength further, so I left. I
14:37
am five another fifty five cents for another call at George read in Hertford.
14:41
This time he was in Yes, Johnny, I must confess I am calmed
14:43
down a bit. But the first shock of learning that mister Baxter had issured
14:48
that seemingly absurd. What do you mean seemingly absurd, George? This whole
14:52
thing has been a tissy, now a double barrel one. Well. I
14:54
tried to call mister Baxter a few minutes ago, but got no answer.
14:58
I wanted to apologize, of course, apologize, after all, since he's
15:01
chairman of the board, chairman of wood board, the company, this company.
15:07
What I tried to tell you that this morning, but you didn't give
15:09
me a chance. Harry Baxter is also the majority stockholder, oh brother.
15:15
In any event, as I'm sure you can see he must have had some
15:18
good reason for that policy. And as soon as I can get him by
15:20
phone, you won't. He just left for Europe. What I don't know,
15:26
and right now I don't care. But if I can't contact him,
15:28
tell me I don't dare to cancel his policy until I've talked to him.
15:31
If his Markham should die before the tenth, yeah, two hundred and fifty
15:35
g you've got to carry on. Would you like to tell me how If
15:45
Mary Ellen Markham dies honor before in November tenth, Floyd's of England pays doctor
15:50
Albert Schwinter two hundred and fifty thousand dollars on a policy taken out by him.
15:56
And he is her doctor, with her life in his hands. And
16:00
if there isn't something wrong with that center Expencer con had him sixt eight dollars
16:03
for a taxi the Shwinter's address in Union City, New Jersey, and there
16:07
at last I learned what the cl meant behind his name. It was an
16:11
abbreviation for this was the Albert Twinter Clinic, devoted to the study of rare
16:15
diseases of the blood. But Twinter wasn't there. He'd gone to New York
16:18
to see miss Markham Item seven ten dollars even for a fans taxi ride back
16:22
there to Manhattan. As the nurse led me into the unfortunate woman's apartment,
16:26
he was just coming out of the bedroom door. Oh, doctor Schwinner,
16:30
this is mister Johnny Dollar. Oh, mister Dollar. Hurry. Baxter told
16:33
me I might expect you. Oh he did. Huh, Yes, he
16:36
fooled me just before his plane took off. For you were a pretty smart
16:40
you Aine insurance investigator onn't you? That is right? Oh? You may
16:44
go in to see miss Markham. Now missus haswell very well. Doctor.
16:48
How is miss Markham? Doctor much better? Thank god? Oh why need
16:52
to say that? Well, if she dies before this week is out,
16:56
you're staying the collect the cool quarter of a million, don't you go the
17:00
clinic? Isn't that the same thing? Hardly sit down, mister Darler.
17:07
Now you're concerned about the rather unorthodox insurance policy that mister Baxter issued. I
17:15
certainly am. I think you'd better let me tell you the reason for it.
17:18
I think you'd better at the onset of her illness some fifteen years ago,
17:22
the best doctors in the country gave her five years to live at the
17:25
most. And that's when you came into the picture. Yes, because of
17:29
the devotion, the concentration of all our efforts to this one field of medicine,
17:33
the clinic was able for the first time to give her hope. Her
17:37
hope was justified. We have given her years of life. But now we'd
17:41
a minute doctor. And she told us then that if she could be helped
17:44
to live until she was fifty, and that'll be on the taped years,
17:48
that would prove, beyond the shadow of it out that our methods, our
17:52
practices were right, that we could prolong and possibly ultimately save not only her
17:59
own, but thousands, perhaps millions of lives. Therefore, she agreed that
18:03
if she reached fifty, she would make an outright gift of two hundred and
18:08
fifty thousand dollars to the clinic and its work, money which is much needed,
18:12
by the way. But then it began to look as though she might
18:17
never reach fifty. Yes, and she suggested this unusual insurance policy on her
18:22
death rather than on her life. I see, But why Harry Baxter,
18:30
chairman of the board of the insurance company it's biggest stockhol or whatever. I
18:34
don't get it. Baxter's own mother died of the same disease, mister Dollar.
18:42
Oh, of course, then he knew how necessary this money is to
18:52
the clinic. Yes, and let's face it, Baxter is something of an
18:57
eccentric and that's the reason he chose this offbeat way to make sure you'd get
19:03
the financial help you need. Exactly. Then, if I try to get
19:08
this policy canceled, a great many lives in the future may depend on it's
19:15
remaining in force. Of course, if you feel it, your duty doctor,
19:23
My duty, as I see it, is to do just exactly nothing.
19:34
Mary Ellen Markham did live to see fifty, not only for a few
19:40
days, just long enough to make a gift to the clinic. Harry Backer
19:44
in the company, Well, Harry came back from Europe and he said he
19:48
found some quote mistake unquote in the policy that requires the company to pay off
19:53
on it. Anyway, eccentric, we should have more of them like that
20:00
expens account total. Are you kidding yours? Truly? Johnny Doggs deposits programs.
21:33
Welcome back. This is officially the most confusing episode of Johnny Dollar I've
21:41
heard now. This was written by Jack Johnstone, who had a big job
21:45
even with the reduced length of the show, as he was directing and producing
21:51
and writing nearly every week, and this script is the result of course what
21:55
we get in the second half of the program. It's confusing because because the
22:00
terms of the insurance contract seem to change what originally alarms George and the hook
22:08
is that a death insurance policy has been written, providing an insurance payment of
22:15
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars if miss Markham doesn't live past November tenth.
22:22
However, when we get into the later acts of the show, it turns
22:26
out that this is actually an insurance policy that will pay off if Missus Markham
22:32
dies before November tenth, and therefore it's not a death insurance policy at all,
22:36
but a short term life insurance policy. And then at the end of
22:40
the show it turns out there's an insurance policy it'll pay off whether she dies
22:45
or doesn't. It's almost as if Jack Johnstone were revising the story, because
22:51
it's originally set out only thing to really be concerned about is the insurance company
22:56
hiring a hitman to make sure that Missus Markham died before November ten. And
23:03
then we come to the question of why Harry Baxter decided to issue this death
23:08
insurance policy. Not only is it strange and eccentric, it really is something
23:15
to do bi us to decide to invent a new, brand new type of
23:21
insurance policy like that. Why would he do that? And it seems like
23:25
Jack john Stone decided to add some realism by having it turn out that he
23:30
felt free to write the insurance policy because he was the majority shareholder and CEO
23:37
of the company, or not CEO but chairman of the board. And of
23:41
course the chairman of the board will often sit in for a vacationing insurance agent.
23:48
And the big problem is that it was clear from the first scene that
23:52
George Reed wasn't aware of this. How can you not be aware that your
23:56
friend is chairman and the chairman of the board and chief stockholder of the company
24:04
you work at? And again, I don't say this to rag too much
24:07
on Johnstone. I think the script is probably an evidence of just how much
24:14
work he had to do, because this was the first of three straight scripts
24:18
that he would write, and essentially he's writing close to two thirds of the
24:22
scripts for the show, as well as all of his other duties, and
24:26
so that, along with the lesser link, is going to affect the quality
24:33
of the program overall and lead to some efforts that are kind of hard to
24:37
follow. All right, Well, on to some listener comments and feedback.
24:41
John emails in and he says, of the shows you're running now, I
24:48
enjoy Johnny Dollar the best, but I always save the episode form my Monday
24:52
morning commute to start my week out right when you were doing the serialized broadcast,
25:00
save them up and listen to them in order, one ride after the
25:03
other. It really made it easier to follow the story. Well, thanks
25:07
so much, and we'll look at doing some more of those special omnibus.
25:14
We've done four of the omnibus, all five episodes together. So far we've
25:18
gotten pretty good reaction. And then we have an email from Lisa says,
25:23
thank you for all you do to put the great detectors of old time radio
25:27
on the air. I love telling my friends about your program, and I
25:30
recognize how much you've grown in the way you present the material as a polished
25:36
speaker. I sat on and she says, I sat on a plane next
25:40
to someone from Boise and she didn't sound anything like you. But that's okay.
25:44
Are you sure you're not from Georgia? As a native New Yorker who
25:48
now lives in the Midwest, I'm not one to criticize just to ease a
25:51
little. Well, thanks so much, and as you reference, the accents
25:56
with which we speak, particularly in our world where people move around so much,
26:03
aren't just tied to the place we are from, but all the places
26:07
we've been, the people we've encountered and grown up around. My dad was
26:11
down South for many years, and if you hear just a tiny hint of
26:17
that accent, I called that from him, and I did spend a few
26:19
months down there. Actually didn't move to Boise until I was twenty two,
26:25
almost twenty three, so also extra accent materials may have been picked up in
26:32
Kalispell, where I live for many years, and then traveling all over the
26:36
country, though a lot around Washington State. It's hard to trace the origins
26:41
of whatever I've got in my voice. But thanks so much for your comments,
26:45
Lisa, and that will do it for today. We'll be back next
26:49
week with another episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Doller, and join us tomorrow
26:55
for Dragnet. In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at great
27:00
Net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our
27:04
friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot com, Slash Radiodetectives From Boise, Idaho,
27:10
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.