Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Screen Guild Theatre: Call Northside 777 (EP1000s)

Transcript

Screen Guild Theatre: Call Northside 777 (EP1000s) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to our one thousandth episode special from Boise, Idaho. This is your
0:35
host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it to me
0:40
Box thirteen at Great Attractives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
0:47
and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com slash Radio
0:52
Detectives. We're very pleased to just celebrate this one thousand episodes of a podcast.
1:00
It's not something that happens all the time. Require some determination here,
1:03
but just listeners continuing to listen and comment and be part of the show.
1:10
Really truly appreciate all the support we've gotten, and so we're pleased to bring
1:15
you this special. We're actually bringing you the very first show that was podcast
1:22
on the Great Detectors of Old Time Radio. Before we officially launched the series
1:29
on October twenty six, two thousand and nine, I went ahead and I
1:33
did a pilot episode on October twelfth, two thousand and nine, so people
1:38
would have something that they could subscribe to as we got ready for the official
1:45
launch in two weeks and subsequent to that, it's been knocked out of the
1:48
way. Plus I spent about ten minutes at the beginning and commentary. I
1:51
hope I don't spend that much this time, so I was kind of introducing
1:56
the show, which isn't necessary. I will introduce the program. This is
2:01
an episode of the Screen Guild Theater. This was from nineteen forty eight October
2:10
the seventh, and it was called North Science seven seven seven, in which
2:16
Jimmy Stewart reprised by his screen role. This was a very important episode of
2:23
the Screen Guild player's program because they had just made the switch from CBS to
2:29
NBC, and so they decided to lead off strong with call north Signed seven
2:32
seven seven. I'll let you know in advance the commercials have been edited out
2:37
then, they weren't done by me. That's the way the program came with.
2:40
That said, let's go ahead and take a listen to this classic story.
2:45
Well, the first time on the air, the Screen Guild players were
2:49
that all Northside seven seven seven, storrying James Stewart, Pad O'Brien and Richard
2:54
Covey. First of all, let's get one thing straight. I didn't just
3:12
dream this story up. I'll try off the record it really happened. So
3:17
if the people don't resemble characters living are dead, well, believe me,
3:23
it's strictly intentional. On October tenth, nineteen forty four, I would report
3:32
on the Chicago Times. October tenth, nineteen forty four. Remember that that
3:37
date's important. That was the morning the ad appeared, little ad and on
3:42
a classified section a personal notice that said five thousand dollars reboard for the killers
3:47
of police officer Bundi on December nine, nineteen thirty two, called north Side
3:53
for seven seven seven twelve to seven pm, ask for Tilly le Chick.
4:04
I didn't notice the ad myself, but Brian Kelly did. Kelly was Dart
4:09
City editor. It wasn't it wasn't much in the paper he ever met,
4:14
And whenever Kelly got an idea he usually had me do something about it.
4:18
Well, call it curiosity, Mac. I don't know why. It's what
4:23
five thousand dollars or somebody to find out who killed a cop eleven years ago.
4:27
Well, in nineteen thirty two, it was open season on cots on
4:30
the North Side that were shooting them in Paris like a brace of ducks.
4:32
Well, I'll hook chick. Maybe you get your name in the paper,
4:35
Kelly. This is a sucker bait. Every grifter and moods in town will
4:40
be after that five gram. They'll frame their own brothers to get at Hey,
4:46
maybe this is a frame. This thing has a lot of bangles.
4:50
Yes, you know what I mean. It just takes you long to catch
4:54
up. Oh no, well, I was thinking about a time he used
4:58
my phone I got out of All right, Hello, Patty, give me
5:02
a number with him? Yeah, yeah, I want north Side seven seven
5:09
seven. Kelly Whecheck wasn't home and they said she worked nights, and they
5:18
told me where. It's one of those big office buildings downtown. I found
5:23
it on the seventh floor in the corridor, on her hands and knees,
5:29
with a scrubbing brush and bucket of water. I showed it the edd and
5:33
she got up quickly. Yes, yes, that's just from me. You
5:38
don't know something, No, No, I'm a reporter from the Chicago Time.
5:42
Oh, we'd like to know why you're so interested in finding the killers
5:45
of this cop. Thank the chick is my son. It's in prison for
5:48
killing him. My friends tell me if I offer big money, maybe somebody
5:54
will tell who kiled his police You mean your sons and person for killing the
5:57
cops. All right, yes, but he won't do my Frank is a
6:00
good boy. He don't do this thing. Yeah, yeah, now that's
6:03
five thousand dollars. What did you get back? That is important? Yeah,
6:09
that's very important. I might have had it hidden away, or maybe
6:12
you got it from some mob that's trying to sprink. No, no,
6:15
it's mine. I work. I scrub thus eleven years. I save every
6:20
ten they never miss a day's work, so I can get Frank out.
6:26
I dream of this day. Oh, five thousand dollars is a lot for
6:30
a dream. Yes, eleven years. I dream and I work. First,
6:35
I try three thousand dollars. Nothing. Now I try five thousand dollars
6:41
and suppose he's still love it. Then I work eleven more years. I
6:46
get ten thousand dollars. But my boy someday he gets out. Well,
7:00
it made a pretty good yarn. I guess you know. Mother slaves to
7:03
save five thousand dollars, offers it to clear her son. I told myself
7:10
all the day's work I wrote it, try to forget it. I tried.
7:15
Kelly didn't swell, starty man, swell. That's rights. It's too
7:20
good for one day. Run. Why not go up and interview the boy?
7:25
Oh no, wait a minute, I'm not glorifying any cop killer.
7:30
Is that proof he is a cop killer? Well, they didn't get him
7:32
ninety nine years for playing the hockey. He had a record. He was
7:34
on pull patient when he shot the cop. Yeah, I know, I
7:38
looked it up too. He was public Enemy number one. Seeing a couple
7:43
of other kids broke into a grocery store, he got a few candy bars
7:46
and the record. Luck, Mac, Let's let's put it this way.
7:51
Maybe I'm interested for a personal reason because because my mother did the same thing.
8:00
She scrubbed forwys on her hands and knees for more than eleven years.
8:05
Send me to school, Okay, okay, I'll go up to the penn
8:11
stam in the morning. How about expensive. Here's about you take the cashier,
8:16
right, Kelly. Yeah, I happened to know that your mother had
8:24
a small annuity, she never scrubbed a floor in her life, and you
8:28
never got out of the fifth grade. Well, but I just I just
8:31
figure if you pulled such a corny gag, you must want me to go
8:35
up there pretty bad. So I'm going, Oh so well, swell,
8:39
keep the expenses down with you, Mac. I guess the Warden told you,
8:50
Frank, I'm from the card of time. Yes, he told me.
8:52
Of course, you don't have to answer to this question. You don't
8:54
want to, but I do want him. Sure, I want to fine,
8:56
all right? I like I like more of your story, your side
9:01
of it. I need an angle, something to hit the public with.
9:03
You understand, yes, sir? Now you know about the ads your mother
9:05
put in the papers about the five thousand dollars reward. That's right. Now.
9:09
Did you know that she's scrubbing floors to get the mine, Yes,
9:13
sir, I did. Or she lives for is to get me out.
9:15
I guess that's all I got to live for too. You know, if
9:18
you're guilly, you're letting her slaver life away for nothing. She knows I'm
9:22
not guilty. I don't know. I read all the news clips, the
9:24
transcript of the trial. They don't exactly. White wants you. I know
9:28
that you only read what convicted me. All the true facts didn't come out.
9:33
Even Judge Molten said I wasn't guilty. But the judge you gave you
9:35
ninety nine years. Well he had to do that. The jury said we
9:37
were guilty. But in his chambers he said he knew we were innocent.
9:41
When was that after he sentenced? Oh? Oh after well, I think
9:43
everybody duck that. What else? My lawyer was a drunk. He didn't
9:48
even let me in, understand, because he was afraid I'd get the chair.
9:50
Well, when they questioned you hour after hour, you're bound to get
9:52
mixed up on a lot of little things. The coup didn't even listen to
9:56
me on the important things. They had to have a conviction, so they
9:58
went ahead and got that's that's a good angle, railroaded. And then they
10:01
took me from one police station to another every few hours, taking me around
10:05
the horn they call it. My lawyer couldn't get me out. And then
10:09
this fender scut make scut make that that's the name around the speaking to you.
10:13
Yeah, the first come At the time she saw me, she said
10:15
I wasn't one of the killers, and all of a sudden she said I
10:16
was fingerwoman. All right, I will play that up too. When that
10:20
cup was killed, I was home with my wife. I try, that's
10:24
that's what you said. The trial. Another say, does she come up
10:26
here in presage? My wife? Yeah, no, not anymore. We
10:31
divorced. That's what kept sticking in my craw. If his wife didn't believe
10:41
him, how could I? But I couldn't forget that old lady's scrubbing floor.
10:46
That's the way I wrote the story. Not Gilli says. We checked
10:50
places faith in mother, and by the next night Kelly was full of ideas.
10:54
Nice work. We're getting up to twenty four calls an hour on the
10:58
story. What are you gonna use for a follow up? Follow up?
11:00
Oh? Sure, it's snow bullying. No, I'm more evan. What
11:01
do you want to give me a raise? Or do I just get the
11:05
five thousand from we checked mother? Listen? How I just work here like
11:07
you. I get my artists too from home the circulation department. Sure,
11:11
we're selling a lot of papers. We might also be selling that dead cop
11:15
short. You know he might have a mother who scrub floors too. All
11:18
right, all right, I know you was blowing your top. Now I'll
11:20
tell you another thing. Remember what we check said about the judge promising the
11:24
new trial. That judge died three weeks after the case was closed, and
11:28
we checked for Oh no, I'm just saying there was. He's pretty sharp,
11:31
you know, give me a leader. He knew I couldn't check.
11:33
Mac. If you're so sure he's guilty and there's nothing more of the story,
11:35
and then that right, a finished piece and kill it. Okay,
11:39
I'll take that deal. I'll interview his wife. What. Yeah, she
11:43
believed in him so much she got a divorce. Put that in your paper.
11:46
Killing. I got to kill it for keeps. You see, Well,
11:56
I've been wondering what you think about frying Bank is innocent. He didn't
12:01
do it. He was home with me when that policeman was chilled. You
12:05
wouldn't be saying that because you loved him then, I mean, yes,
12:09
I did love him. I loved him very much. So you got a
12:11
divorce and right somebody else, only because Frank insisted on it. Look,
12:16
would you mind repeating that Frank made me do it. He made me get
12:22
the divorce, then he made me get married again. Oh why so our
12:26
boy would have a chance in life, he'd grow up with another name.
12:39
I guess the story I wrote that night was a little different from the one
12:41
eyed plan, but that had a nice lead. Divorced wife believes we checked
12:46
his innocent And the next day Kelly was on my neck again. Mac.
12:50
I know there's nothing more of that we tack case. I know it's all
12:54
washed up, and at the same time, I well, but what well?
12:58
I just got a call from the warden. We Check wants to see
13:01
you again. What for? And he wants to confess. But I was
13:05
up. I was up there. Don't I get time off for good behavior?
13:09
We Check's been there for eleven years. You better take that first train
13:11
up in the morning. Hello, we checked. I understand you want to
13:22
see me. Yes, I want to tell you something. I don't want
13:28
you to write any more about me or my family. No, no,
13:31
we brought out our hearts to you, and all that meant was Joe,
13:33
wait a month, Wait a minute. You wanted help, don't you.
13:37
We've got We've got half a million people following this story. Someone might know
13:41
the killers. What do you think of kidding? My mother's doing this for
13:43
me, not to sell your papers. I don't know. I thought I
13:46
was doing a pretty good job for you, putting my boy's picture in the
13:48
paper, spoiling his whole life. I don't want that kind of help.
13:54
I'll stay here a thousand years. Just don't write about us anymore, that's
13:58
all. Wow, you seemed pretty Look look Frank, suppose I went on
14:07
with your case and did my best to slamp the story your way. I
14:13
want you to know that I still don't think you're innocent, but I'm willing
14:16
to dig get the facts, the facts, and remember this. The first
14:18
time I catch you lying, I'll blast you so hard you won't even get
14:22
your parole when you're ninety nine years or up. How about it. It's
14:26
the deal. I got nothing to be afraid of. Yes, I'll make
14:30
that deal. Okay, all right, now let's start talking. Was there
14:33
any witness when Judge Moulton told you he'd try and get you another trial?
14:37
Well there was a bailiff. Yeah, what was his name? And I
14:39
don't know. All right, i'll find out. Who's your lawyer? His
14:43
name was Underwood, but he's dispad Now he was a drunk. Well that's
14:46
great, a dead judge and a dispoy lawyer. All right. What else?
14:48
Now, Well there was tender Skutnik. She was a woman who ran
14:52
to speakeasy. She identified me. The other two witnesses said no, no,
14:56
keep going. Then there was the police captain he stood right alongside of
15:00
and the Scott Nick when she picked me out. What she acted like?
15:03
She was afraid of him? What was his name? I never found out
15:05
he wasn't at the trial. Where can I find the Scott Nick Day?
15:09
I don't know. You know this is great material I've got here. Well
15:13
it's all I got. But it's the truth. I swear it. Look,
15:16
but would you be willing to take a lie detective test just to make
15:20
neil? For eleven years I've been waiting for a chance at that bucks.
15:24
You know what you're up against. If it turns out bad, you're cooked.
15:26
If it turns out good, it isn't legal evidence. I'll take the
15:31
test, Okay, Oh, I'll set it up for you. So seen
15:41
a report on that detect test? Yeah, don't your hand give? We
15:48
check pretty clean? The health didn't that? Yeah? Sure? You don't
15:52
want someone to say it? No? No, no, stomachs a little
15:56
jenera. Don't I guess it? I guess it's something I ate, you're
16:00
sure, or something you wrote. Now look now, look, Kelly,
16:03
just just don't think that. I thought. Slow down, man, Why
16:06
don't you let's go and tell yourself the truth. You want him to be
16:10
innocent, you want him to be free, admitted. Maybe you're right,
16:11
Maybe you're right, I do want him to be free, but that doesn't
16:17
make me believe he's in us. If you want to believe, that's a
16:21
pretty good start. I remember, fella, I'll be in there swinging with
16:25
you all the way. Thanks, Kelly, Kelly, Yeah, you wouldn't
16:37
have some of that sand left with you. Well, they say that a
16:55
convert always praised a louder. And as soon as as soon as I I
17:00
had switched over the frank we check side, I guess he could have hurt
17:03
me all over town. It wasn't just the story anymore. It was big
17:07
unto a man's wife. And I started with the bailer, the one Fiker
17:11
told me about it. It's the truth, mister McNeil. Judge Molton did
17:15
promise the lad a new trial. He hands to the saints. I was
17:18
there and heard him. You remember the details I saw, mister McNeil.
17:22
I'll have you understand. I'm the fellow that reminds the elephants. As you
17:26
see, the way it happened has come out in the trial. This opposite
17:30
Bundy was having a snort in a little speakeasy run by this woman nor wander
17:34
scot that barely said, and whilst he was warming himself with being a cold
17:38
day. He's two yeggs, come in and let him have it. But
17:42
no, there was another color sitting there having a drink on a truck driver
17:47
the name of Gruska. Correct. Correct. And when the trial was done,
17:51
the judge god rest his soul had am all brought into his chambers.
17:55
That's when this Fresca Colla speaks up and tells the judge that we checked wasn't
17:59
one of the killers? Or what did wander scot? They say, well,
18:02
she stands pat She claims she saw the shooting from start to finish.
18:07
But then then this Christo fellow gets mad and he says she never saw any
18:10
part of it, but when the firework started she ducked into a closet.
18:14
Oh why didn't he say that on the witness stand. Well, no,
18:17
I guess he never had the chance. I'd let him say was yes and
18:22
no. Well, the next man on my list is a little harder to
18:30
fine. But four days later I dug him off in a greasy little restaurant
18:34
washing dishes exactly the same meaning. Yes, my name is Underwood. Was
18:40
we Check's lawyer? I didn't care what happened to him then, and I
18:44
don't care. Now, Look, why should I. I'm at this partcisely.
18:48
I'm a drunk of food and a crook. Testimony is no good,
18:51
my words, no good my life. I'm no good to anybody. Anybody
18:55
did think we check on the advice of this was? Yeah, my wife
19:02
was every night. All right, I'll tell you something. There is only
19:08
one thing convicted we check, and that was a testimony of Fender Scutnan.
19:14
Yeah, but that's not me. She said that after the murder, she
19:15
didn't see you recheck again until she identified him in the police lineup. But
19:19
the day before that she was in a squad car with him. She was
19:23
with him the day before she identified it, and they were writing, we
19:27
check around the horn from station to station, so I couldn't find him,
19:32
he intended, Scutnick sat side by side. Well, why didn't you use
19:34
that information at the fire? Couldn't prove it? Well, I'm gonna find
19:37
that, scut mac dame. I'll prove it, all right. I'll give
19:41
you some advice, and good advice, not shyster talk. You did it
19:45
to prove she's a liar. Otherwise you're wasting your time. All I had
19:56
to do was to find Fender scut Make, except that she didn't want to
20:00
be found in Chicago's a pretty faraicized village. But I wasn't exactly wasting my
20:04
time. Checking the police filed, I found that Frank had been arrested on
20:11
December of the twenty second, but he hadn't been booked until the twenty third.
20:15
The police had held him for twenty four hours. He could have he
20:18
could have been with that Scutnic Dame. I said to myself, if I,
20:22
if I could only prove it, And then suddenly I got a big
20:25
idea, and I raced for the nearest telephone. Should he asked, Kelly.
20:30
Listen, Kelly, about the we check yard. Now? I know
20:33
it wasn't important back in nineteen thirty two, but maybe somebody took a picture.
20:37
You want to get one autograph? Don't clown I'm not hurry. Don't
20:40
check your file. Have somebody check the other papers. Mac. You've read
20:42
every word it was printed on the case. You've seen every picture, No,
20:45
Kelly. Now, a photographer shoots maybe ten pictures and only princh one.
20:48
I want to see the other nine, Kelly, Hello, Mac,
20:57
When you got out, have I got I just got a partner, or
21:00
Frank. We checked, that's all. Here. Take a look at this
21:02
picture, will you shut of? We check it out of a squad turn
21:07
and then the scot mak right beside him. That proves that she was lying,
21:11
doesn't it. That'll invalidate everything she said. Well, she testified she
21:15
didn't see. We check between the time of the murder and the time she
21:18
identified him on December the twenty third, But Frank claims she saw him on
21:22
the twenty second, when the comps were taking him from station to station.
21:26
You see, and you think that's when this picture was snapped? Well,
21:30
obviously it was. Well look back, when you come up before the pardon
21:33
board, you can't just say obviously, you've got to have proof and this
21:37
picture could have been taken outter she identified. Well, but it wasn't.
21:41
You how it wasn't and I think it was the boy will just sit there
21:45
and ask for facts, you know, that could be pretty rough on.
21:48
We checked. If they review his case now and turn him down, well
21:52
might hurt his chances for cool. Well, I wouldn't want to hurt Frank.
21:57
I know you wouldn't. I know what you've done a great job back.
22:03
Nobody could have done any better. Yeah, yeah, sure the operation
22:06
was successful, but the patient died. Oh personally, I go along with
22:11
you. But the front office is getting a little worried these cracks. We've
22:14
taken it the police department, in the state's attorney, and well, okay,
22:22
okay, what do we do? Write a finished story, get the
22:25
paper off the hook. Then you better go out and see re search's mother.
22:29
Now I can't. I can't do that, Kelly, Okay, I
22:33
can't do that. You wanted to read it in the paper till you're mad?
22:41
Oh no, all right, I'll go. Well, that was the
22:53
toughest assignment I'd ever had to have to tell Frank's mother. We're pulling out.
23:00
I have to tell her she was on her own again. On the
23:03
way back to the paper and the cab, I just kept staring at that
23:06
picture of Frank and the scutnake and just staring at us, looking looking for
23:11
something, you know, like when you get a letter and it's got bad
23:14
news on it and you keep reading it over and over again, hoping you've
23:15
read it wrong. And I guess I didn't even hear the cab driver at
23:19
first seen in the afternoon paper. But I said, have you seen the
23:25
afternoon paper paper? No? I have the top full to lift you in?
23:27
All right, group, some guy was a Forgern. First time they
23:30
use that new machine machine. Yeah, yeah, machine that enlarges things a
23:33
thousand times. They can take a piece of writing, a picture, anything
23:38
and a thousands A thousand times, yeah, a thousand times. Brings about
23:42
players of bell. Hey, hey, hey, do you know where the
23:45
you know where the police lab is? Please land? Sure it's down a
23:49
few blocks. Okay, Oh I don't park, just drive No, no,
23:52
wait a minute, I'll pull up the drug store there when you I
23:55
want to make a phone call. First I dropped everything. Mac's right down.
24:00
What's it all about? We've still got a chance, Kelly. If
24:03
you know how to pray, if we get a break, pray for what
24:07
slow down? Give me an angle with They got a new process. It
24:11
just perfected in the largest pictures that are now Frank and yeah, yeah,
24:15
but they're not working on them. Over the one side, there was this
24:18
kid in the picture, a newsboy with some papers under his arm. Now
24:21
that's the part they're working on, Kelly, Kelly, if I'm right,
24:23
if they can, if they can bring this ready, man, want to
24:26
come in, try and stop it. Don't write any matches or anything.
24:30
I have to develop these prints in the dot, got it, Joey's just
24:36
Kelly what I said about praying. I still don't know what you're looking for.
24:41
The date? The date on the newspapers under the newsboys falling that all
24:48
coming up news Watch Kelly, watch it. Watch that date there is it's
24:56
come on to the lif simper. What is that? December twenty something,
25:08
December twenty second, nineteen thirty two. Well, as that cab driver said,
25:22
it was just clear as a bell, clear enough for even the pardon
25:25
board. I guess I should be pretty happy. But there was just one
25:29
thing. There were two men convicted for the murder of Offshore Bundy. Two
25:36
men convicted in the same evidence. One of them, Frank, we checked
25:41
even pardon now. The other one's still in jail. You know I I'm
25:48
sort of wondering about that. Hmm. Looks like I'll have to go to
25:55
work again. Welcome back. Well a great performance by Jimmy Stewart and absolutely
26:14
solid story. It was worth noting that call north Side seven seven seven was
26:23
based on a was based on a true story, and I found this in
26:30
the Columbia Journalism Review. In the actual story, it doesn't appear that the
26:36
flipped picture the negative was a big factor. It was just more solid journalism
26:44
finding a witness to the promise of a second trial and exposing police corruption.
26:52
But they had to spose it up a little bit for the film. But
26:56
a great story. Love Jimmy Stewart as always. And I was, you
27:02
know, when I was planning on this, I you know, there's not
27:04
a whole lot of mystery programs around with Jimmy Stewart's voice for radio. I
27:12
decided to lead off strong and hopefully we started our next thousand episodes strong with
27:18
this story. All right, Well, that will do it for today.
27:22
Join us back here tomorrow. We'll continue with our current yours truly, Johnny
27:27
Dollar matter in the Maintimes. Andrew comments to box thirteenth Great Detectors dot Matt,
27:33
follow us on Twitter, Radio Detactors, and become one of our friends
27:36
on Facebook, Facebook, dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
27:41
This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off