Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Wayward Moth Matter (EP1603)

Transcript

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Wayward Moth Matter (EP1603) · 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 common email it to
0:38
me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, Follow us on Twitter and Radio
0:44
Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot com,
0:49
Slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we get started, I do want
0:53
to let you know that this program is brought to you by the financial support
0:57
of our listeners, and I want to thank Jason so much for he is
1:00
support and for sponsoring today's program. Today's episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar originally
1:06
aired March the ninth of nineteen fifty eight. And the Tunnel is the Wayward
1:11
Moth matter from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Dollar. Earl forman Hi,
1:23
Earl, how are things down in sunny Florida? How soon can you
1:25
come down here? Johnny? You got troubles Yes, over a two thousand
1:27
dollars insurance claim. Oh no, wait, Earl, how can you justify
1:30
my fee and expense account and the claim? As well as that? Johnny?
1:34
The responsibilities of an insurance company sometimes involved far more than just collecting premiums
1:40
and paying off on claim. Well, sure, keeping your clients happy a
1:42
little good old public service answer. Little attention to our national security. Sure,
1:47
but on such a small policy, I still don't see how you can
1:49
justify national security. Yes, Johnny, I'll grab the first plane. Bob
2:05
Bailey and the Exciting Adventures of a Man with the action packed expense account America's
2:09
fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, and now act one
2:15
of yours, truly Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by Special Investigator Johnny Dollar
2:38
tri State Life and Casually Insurance Company, sarahs Outa, Florida. Following is
2:42
an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Wayward Moth Matter expense accnt
2:52
in a one ninety six twenty Plaine fairn Incidental's Hartford, Connecticut to Sarah so
2:54
Outa, Florida. There I was met at the airport by my old friend
2:58
of fishing pal Earl Horman, and we drove on into town. You like
3:06
my new car, Johnny, When aren't you driving a new car? But
3:08
now let's get down the elect break windows powers eater condition. Yeah? Sure,
3:13
Look, you said something about national security and connection with this insurance plan.
3:17
Yes, Johnny, I did. Well, I'll explain yourself. Well
3:21
that's the travel I can you mean to say you had me fly all the
3:24
way down now? Wait, Johnny? Or or was it just some trick
3:28
to one pegle me into fishing? Huh? Is that it I crack at
3:30
some of the great Florida fishing you've been promising me all these years? Well,
3:35
who knows, maybe while you're here we will be able to get in
3:37
some fishing too too. In addition to what, sure, Johnny, I
3:40
just had my boat repainted, the engine over earl. We'll go out on
3:44
the Gulf for kings and in the bay and the bayou back of the house.
3:47
I promise your red fish and seat trout until you get tired railing.
3:52
All right, all right, just tell me why you've had me come all
3:54
the way down here to investigate allowsy two thousand dollars climb. I told you
3:59
I don't don't really know, all right? National security is involved? Yes,
4:04
well, okay, Johnny, I issued a policy covering the chemical plant
4:10
of doctor John c. Olworth. What kind of chemicals? Well, you
4:14
see, I don't know, huh. I issued the policy at the specific
4:17
request of Todd Swamp, who's chamber of commerce, knows more about this whole
4:21
area and it's people than anyone else. Well, surely you've seen this chemical
4:26
lab? No, I haven't. You want As a matter of fact,
4:29
its exact location is a complete sequa. Now, look, earl, if
4:32
you've issued a policy, if you're ready to pay off a claim. But
4:36
if you haven't seen, how do you know a couple of thousand dollars worth
4:40
of damage occurred. I've taken Todd Swamp's word for it. I trust him
4:43
implicitly. Is the dog gone this, earl? How can I possibly investigate
4:46
something if I can't, even if nobody knows what I give up. I'm
4:50
sure that Todd will tell you everything. I'll take you in, introduce you
4:54
to him, then I'll leave you with it. Believe me, that's the
4:56
way he says. It has to be here. Take the keys to my
5:00
you'll probably need him. But how do you get banned? If you need
5:02
anything or if I can be of help, you know where to call me
5:05
at the office or at the house out on Saint Armand's key. Come on,
5:09
let's go in. DoD Swaan is a young was an aggressive sort of
5:17
shock serious, alert, perceptive. He thanked Earl for bringing me. Then
5:21
let me alone into his private office. Sit down on Johnny, and I'll
5:29
get right to the point. Nice, I know all about you, at
5:32
least all I need to know, not only from Earl Poorman, but from
5:34
a lot of the cases you've handled one up on me. I also know
5:39
that on occasion you've handled security matters, work tande in glove with the FBI,
5:42
and so on. So all right, My job here is not only
5:46
to promote Sarasota, tell the world what a nice place it is to live,
5:49
nice people, good homes, ideal climate, very fishing, is fishing,
5:54
voating, just about everything. Okay, okay, I'm sold. But
5:58
what about this doctor John Alworth. My job is also to be whatever service
6:02
I can to the people of the city. All right, Doctor Alworth has
6:06
lived here for years, chemist retired until recently. That is, we'll go
6:12
on now. In his small laboratory, carefully hidden in the swamps of the
6:15
Everglades for security reasons, doctor Olworth is producing an important rocket fuel ingredient,
6:20
all for use at one of the testing centers here in Florida, Cape Canaveral.
6:27
He and his assistant work entirely alone. For obvious reasons. Lord Earl
6:31
says there's been some damage at his place. That's why I asked him to
6:35
have you come down. Only a couple of thousand dollars worth. That is
6:38
beside the point, Johnny, I think it's a case of sabotage. But
6:42
if nobody's even permitted to know where the place is, and if you're ready,
6:46
we'll go out there right away, Okay, right, Act two of
7:00
yours, truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment, and now Act two of
7:04
yours, truly, Johnny Dollar, and the wayward mouth mattered. Don Swamp,
7:15
manager of the Sarazota Chamber of Commerce, suggested we used two cars,
7:17
so I got behind the wheel of the one. Earl Portman at left for
7:20
me and followed him. We drove south on Highway forty one through Fort Myers,
7:25
then swung left on Route eighty two into the Everglades and finally into the
7:28
Big Cypress swamp country a few miles further south. I'm not permitted to say
7:33
how many. We left the main road for a pair of wagon pracks leading
7:36
into the swampy jungle. We stopped in a little clearing from a small shank
7:43
at the edge of a bio, A tall husky Indian emerged. He lowered
7:46
his high powered rifle as he recognized Todd swam and walked over to the world
7:50
week park. You bring him man that? Then I say, olda,
7:58
this is mister Johnny Dollar. How do you do mister Jarney? Then he
8:03
used to be let through here anytime he wants, very well, God,
8:07
have you the airboat ready for us? Already the back of my house?
8:11
Good, Come on, Jenny. The airboat parked on the edge of a
8:22
bio backup Innarciola shack was an aluminum hull about twelve foot long square across the
8:26
boundstead appointed Two high seats were built up on it. At the back was
8:31
a powerful motor with a propeller of the airplane type. Todd swam and I
8:35
climbed onto the precarious little seats and we took off, brother, I mean
8:41
took off. What a ride. The airboat, half plane, half skipped
8:46
over the shallow water of the buyer, perched up over the hull itself.
8:48
I kept waiting for us to flood. After a quarter mile or so,
8:52
we came on a vast plane of soggy, grassy marshlands squatched here and there
8:56
with patches of clear water now and then on half submerged logs. Big turtles
9:01
quickly drew in their heads. We approached more than once. A huge alligator
9:05
gave us the bedi and then quietly sank alow the surface of a shallow pool.
9:09
Plenty of rattlers and totten mouths around here too, Thanks a lot.
9:13
Finally we pulled up to an anchor and so of brush and freeze it looked
9:16
almost like an island in the middle of the swamp. On it sent a
9:20
long, low building made a concrete block. This is the place, Johnny,
9:26
unless you'd like to ride around a bit more. No thanks, zad
9:39
Swamp got the introductions over in a hurry. Doctor Lworth, a short,
9:41
wiry old man with sharp features and the shock of white hair, led us
9:45
into the laboratory building. No, no, mister Dellar, not in there.
9:54
No one is permitted in the laboratory except myself and my assistant. Oh
9:58
I'm sorry, doctor, you leither way about your assistant. Doctor over.
10:01
It was in the vault that the accident occurred. It was an accident,
10:05
of course, it was who would possibly want to Lndy of people, doctor,
10:09
And you know it may sound corny, but this whole country has enough
10:13
enemy agents. You speak as though we were at war time, were certainly
10:18
in a cold war. And speaking of agent a moment, please, gentlemen,
10:22
When I worked the combination of this luck, this ball looks big enough
10:28
for a bank in it. I keep two things, mister Deller, the
10:31
finished rocket fuel component and the delicate apparatus with which I complete the final secret
10:39
stage of its production. Apparatus no one but myself has ever seen, and
10:43
you're letting us see it. Well, the accident has rendered it completely unrecognizable.
10:50
I still haven't learned what happened here, you know. A matter of
10:52
fact, I haven't either, Johnny, I certainly have my suspicions. Doctor.
10:58
We are no, no, no, no, don't go in.
11:01
Well, the substance on the floor is so corrosive that well, look you
11:07
can see how the legs of that heavy metal table have completely corroded, left
11:11
nothing but a pile of splintered metal and rust. A rocket fuel did that?
11:16
Now? There in the corner at your left are the rotting, tangled
11:20
remains of the apparatus I mentioned the apparatus. The insurance money will replace so
11:26
I can make up for valuable time loss. Doctor, I tell you it
11:30
was no accident. What happened, mister dollar, is that the heavy glass
11:33
flagon containing the finished rocket fuel additive glass stocked a very special glass over in
11:41
each stick. The flagon, containing about five liters of it, was on
11:46
that marble slab there in the middle of the floor, ready to be created
11:50
and shipped to shipped to its destination. I see, I had completed processing
11:56
it night before last, early yesterday morning. For some reason, I have
12:01
not been able to determine the flagon exploded. Well, I'll bet I can
12:05
find a reason. Where's that assistant of yours? Leon? Yes, Leon,
12:09
Salkoff, Salkow, Yes, Johnny. A man doing secret work for
12:15
the rocket missile project hires an assistant with a name like that, now Salkoff.
12:18
Hey, doctor, there was a famous, well I should say infamous
12:24
character, but the name of Sarkoff, during the last war, a young
12:26
chemist, yes, mister, mixed up in a couple of industrial bomb plots.
12:31
And if this is the same man, it is the same man.
12:35
Well, in good heaven, it's exactly what I say. No, no,
12:37
no, no, you're both wrong. This man was cleared in the
12:41
war trial. What difference does that make? I say, a leopard can't
12:46
change his spots. But don't you see that not even he knows the combination
12:50
to this vault some other way to get in. Those are little windows up
12:54
there, eight inches square and two inches thick. And you're sure there's nothing
13:00
in your process that would cause the bottle to explode. I have checked and
13:03
rechecked it. Where was Leon Salkov when it happened? And where is he
13:09
now? Well? He he went to Fort Myers for supplies early this morning.
13:13
He should be back. My guess is that he kept right on going.
13:16
And I'm inclined to agree with you, because doctor, of what you've
13:18
told us is true. Well, somehow someone must have got to this stuff.
13:24
How high are those little windows about the ground outside? Oh? About
13:26
five feet? Then a gun perhaps aimed in through a window, but they
13:31
are all in place and unbroken. Well, any reason why one of them
13:35
couldn't be removed from the outside then replaced. Well, I I don't know.
13:39
I'm going to see. I'll be right back. Stop, don't move
13:56
what moves, I will shoot you right through the heart. Act three of
14:07
yours, truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment, and now act three of
14:13
yours, truly Johnny Dollar and the wayward moth matter. Oh, put your
14:26
hands up of your head, mister. Now wait one movement. I will
14:30
pull this trick. Who are you? I will ask the questions what are
14:33
you doing here? Where is doctory Alworth? Answer me? What's to help
14:37
me? I will shoot you down, mister Dollar. Mister Dollar, did
14:41
you find anything? Doctor? Stay there, doctor, there's a man out
14:43
here with a gun. What's there? No? No, don't come out
14:46
here, lay on, lay no, No, that's mister Dollah, Johnny
14:50
Dollar, insurance investigator to arrange the payment of acclaim. Your sure, daughter,
14:56
of course, I'm sure. Oh. I recognize him at the Swamp's
14:58
card shack of the Indian. But when I saw the other car, well,
15:03
I was worried about you. No, no, no, it's all
15:05
right. He's here to help us, Salkof. So you finally decided to
15:09
come back, mister Sloan, what took you so long? Later, all
15:13
the way into Fort Myers this morning, they puzzled over how the flagon could
15:18
possibly have exploded in the ball. You found the answer? Or have you
15:22
known it all along? Sarkoff? I do not understand, mister Downer.
15:26
I think I do, Johnny. I thought so from the first I've heard
15:28
about you, sarkoff about some of your activities during the last war. I
15:33
pray that Heaven will forgive me for what I have forced to do in that
15:37
conflict, mister dow Forced. It is my hope that by serving this wonderful
15:43
country that has given me refuge, in some way, I can make up
15:48
for the terrible things I was compelled to do for the men who sought to
15:52
rule the world. Now that's a very pretty space. Oh it's true,
15:54
mister Deller. You've only to consult the records of the war trial. I
15:58
may take a look at those records before I'm through with this case. I
16:02
humbly beg you to do so. You still haven't told us where you've been
16:06
all day, Leon, I tried to figure out how the explosion could possibly
16:11
have occurred, so I telephoned one of our contacts, contacts the glass company
16:15
that has furnished us with the heavy flagon. But there is no way the
16:18
additive could have caused them to disintegrate. Disintegrate, No, no doctor or
16:25
the flagon had stood. We found the pile of granulated glass. The flagon
16:30
had completely crystalone. But even so I wait. Of course, of course,
16:37
by some means execute the formula for the glass that I obtained from the
16:44
glass words indicated the possibility. Would your gentlemen mind telling us what this is
16:48
all about, mister Dollar, I believe Leon has found the answer. Well,
16:51
if he has, I'll take back a lot of the things I've said
16:55
and thought about him. Of course, we can be sure until we proved
16:57
it. It means waiting an until morning. Meantime, we have a lot
17:02
of work to do. We spent most of the night working like dogs,
17:11
swamming out the vault with a powerful neutralizing solution. Then early in the morning
17:17
the four of us gathered in the vaults. A flagon, like the first
17:19
one, was placed on the marble slab in the middle of the floor.
17:22
We sat around a way a long time. Then I noticed something, the
17:30
rays of the sun coming through one of the tiny, thick windows. The
17:33
light was focused as though through a magnifying glass. Slowly, the powerful,
17:40
searing pinpoint of light worked its way over to the flagon. Doctor Alworth rose
17:45
and held a piece of paper where the rays converged. It burst into flame.
17:48
There. Now you can see the tremendous heat generated at this point.
17:53
Yes, and on the flagon itself exactly. The tempered, thick glass well
17:57
of the bottle, tempered, perhaps to a highly critical degree, crystallized,
18:03
Doctor, the way the other one did. Leon, I still don't believe
18:06
it. Well, many things will cause glass to crystallize. Vibrations of many
18:10
kinds. You've heard. I'm sure of the tenor who shatters the goblet by
18:14
the power the vibrations of his voice. But light vibrations are Doctor. Of
18:19
course, it should have occurred by now if it's going to it all.
18:25
Oh, the temperature of that bottle must be terrific. The pressure building up
18:29
in the glass itself, I don't understand, Steve. The angle of the
18:34
sun is slightly different each day. Or an imperceptible flow in the one that
18:40
explodes, Oh sure, well, perhaps the other had some outside stimulus to
18:44
act as a as a trigger, a sudden draft, perhaps any little thing
18:48
Excuselessly on your stalling, you said the other bottle was in here alone,
18:53
the doors closed. Only it wasn't because you exploded that thing. I don't
18:57
know how, but you did it. And if that isn't sabotage. Come
19:02
on, Johnny, this gag has been carried far enough. Look I saw
19:07
it too. A tiny moth, attracted by the blazing spot of light on
19:11
the side of the flagon where the focus rays of the sun converged. The
19:15
moss circled, flew past it, almost brushing it with his wings. We
19:22
waited, He circled again again, then dove at it. Well time,
19:37
Yes, Leon, I apologize. Yeah, A tiny moth triggered the reaction
19:52
that disintegrated, that crystallized that bottle into a million tiny grains like Sam and
19:57
simply because of the different and temperature of his little body, seems impossible.
20:04
What had happened? Expense account total, including the trip back to Hartford two
20:10
hundred and four dollars, even remarks pay up this claim in a hurry?
20:14
Will you? The more help we can give to people like doctor Alworth and
20:17
Leon Salkoff, the better yours truly, Johnny Dollar, Our star will return
20:37
in just a moment. Now here is our star to tell you about next
20:41
week's story. Next week, Well, I thought my job in Florida was
20:45
all done. Far from it, It had just begun. Join us,
20:49
won't you? Yours truly? Johnny Dollar. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, starring
21:11
Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone,
21:15
who also wrote today's story. Heard in our cast were Vic Karn, Herbellas,
21:21
Paul Richards, Lou Merrill, and Leon Blasco. Be sure to join
21:25
us next week, same time and station, or another exciting story of Yours
21:30
Truly Johnny Dollary. This is Dan Cumberly speaking. This is the United States
22:00
Armed Forces radio and television show. This is Andrew J. Graham, author
22:18
of the web surface series Oh and a Man and his Wife. You're listening
22:22
to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Welcome Back. There are some episodes
22:33
where Jack Johnstone does his best to create an interest in story, never mind
22:40
if Johnny actually has anything to do with it. In fact, the only
22:45
thing Johnny is successfully achieved in this episode was collecting his expense account funds.
22:52
Still not a bad story, and it does continue the theme from Johnstone's pre
23:00
a spy story, The boron one twelve matter. Fans of old time Radio
23:06
who listened to Johnstone's work will recognize the name of Leon Velasco. Leon Velasco
23:14
appeared and in the CBS run of The Man Called X played haganvel Schmidt,
23:22
Ken Thurston's occasional sidekick and occasional thorn in his side. And this was back
23:29
when Johnstone was producing The Man Called X. All right, well, now
23:33
we turn to some listener comments and feedback and we have Brian commenting regarding the
23:41
Price of Fame matter. I love the episode with Vincent Price. It's great
23:47
when they throw in a funny episode. Well, that's definitely a hallmark of
23:51
the Ball Bailey era. Michelle says Johnny Dowler is the best ever. Keep
23:56
them coming, and then I do have this comment just from Mark who says,
24:07
hey, Adam, great stories. I look forward to them each day.
24:10
My favorite is Johnny Doller, Bob Bailey of course, next is The
24:14
Saint with Vincent Price. All the others are equally good. I've been listening
24:18
to others you did in the past, like Christopher London and Candy Matson.
24:22
Any plans to do Not Beat with Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone a good question
24:30
mark and we definitely plan to go through Not Beat. I don't have a
24:36
specific time for that. Not Beat as one of those shows just because you're
24:41
dealing with about eighty episodes, where you really have got to have a big
24:48
chunk of time to go through them. I've heard more interest in programs like
24:55
Rocky Jordan, Casey Crime photographer Sam Spade, and so we've just got to
25:02
kind of work it in. And I don't always go by popular demand in
25:07
choosing when to run a show. I also like to kind of keep things
25:11
balanced, So I will say you won't here not beat playing with Broadway as
25:15
my beat, as both can tend to be a little bit on the downbeat,
25:21
and I don't want to depress folks, at least not too much.
25:23
Thanks so much for your comment, and I do want to before we go,
25:29
encourage you to be sure in watch or listen to this weekend special.
25:37
We celebrated sixteen hundred episodes and former Johnny Dollar actor em and O'Brien will be
25:42
back with us, and it's not a performance you will want to miss.
25:47
So if you can add an extra hour of OTR listening next week, I
25:52
don't think you'll be disappointed. And of course tomorrow we have Dragnet and next
25:57
Friday we'll be back with another episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. In the
26:02
meantime, Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow
26:07
us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook,
26:12
Facebook dot com. Slash Radiodetectives From Boise, Idaho, This is your
26:18
host, Adam Graham's On and Off