Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Desalles Matter (EP1291)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Desalles Matter (EP1291) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter Radio
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Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com Slash
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Radio Detectives. Before we get started, today's program is brought to you by
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the support of our listeners, and I especially want to thank Mark and Sheila
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so much for their support. We'll send access to the premium site, which
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we do with all our nations of seven dollars or more, and you can't
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support the show at support dot Great Detectives dot net. Well, now it's
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time to get into today's episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, The Dissals Matter
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from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Dollar, Hillary Bukes, Jenny,
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that's your time these days, time to live and to die. You know
1:27
what's up? I claim on one hundred thousand dollar policy I wanted investigated one
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hundred thousand What kind of policy? Straight life? You sound word? I
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am? I think we're going to be taking this time. Jenny, Bob
1:46
Bailey and the Exciting Adventures of the man with the action packed expense account America
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is fabulous free lance insurance Investigators Truly Johnny Dollar. Expense Accounts submitted by Special
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Investigator Johnny Dollar to Continental Insurance and Trust Company, six fifty seven North Spear
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Boulevard, Heidford, Connecticut. The following is an account of expenses incurred during
2:19
my investigation of the Dassalle matter. I'd heard of Dave Dassal. I guess
2:24
everybody in this country has heard of him at one time or another. Dasal
2:28
Television, Dasal Radio, Dsal Electronics, Dessal appliances, racetracks, theaters,
2:34
Dassole this and that. But up until the time I talked to Hillary Fuchs
2:38
about the case, I had never put a man behind the name expense account.
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I had won two bucks two drinks for Hillary Fuchs in myself. We
2:45
had them in his office out of my bottle over his desk, just plane
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worn out with it. Suck O. That's the water. But I'll tell
2:55
you this, I'm not going to make a present of one hundred thousand dollars
2:59
of stockholder's money to anybody. I wouldn't do that anything. Drink you drink.
3:04
Here's the war salsing. Now, while that's settling, maybe you will
3:09
settle down and tell me what it's all about. Dave Dessol know him,
3:13
I've heard the name. Yeah, Well he's dead, drowned four days ago
3:16
out on the coast. Did you ever see our K policy series, I've
3:21
heard of it. Well, the premium is about triple and normal life policy.
3:24
It's designed only for people with big money. Sure, but it's got
3:28
a feature that makes those people with money look at it a long time.
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This clause isn't anything more or less than the old accident clause paying double indemnity
3:36
broken down. We aren't taking much of a chance. The incident statistics are
3:38
with us, all right, I don't look it up if a needing.
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Okay, three months ago we ensured Dave Dessla one of those K policies.
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Four days ago he fell off the back of a yacht and drowned, and
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we're hooked for a hundred thousand dollars. Accidents happen, you'll bet you all
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the time. But I'm not sure it was an accident. At least,
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there's not enough proof in his corner's report to convince me. You say it
4:00
happened four days ago. Yes. Has a claim been filed you? Yes,
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and the beneficiary is the deceased widow? In quest, in quest,
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burial? Everything was there an autopsy? No, there was not investigation.
4:11
Yes, it was handled by the local police in San Ladeo, Sam San
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Ladeo, a little place about thirty miles south of Los Angeles four days ago.
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Why didn't you put someone on it? Then I did? Burt Kenyon
4:23
is his last report, no evidence available to dispute. Current is verdict of
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accidental drowning. Recommend claim be honored. Kenyan sounds like cold turkey to mean.
4:34
It may sound that way to you, but I still don't like it.
4:38
I want it warmed up now. Look Bert Kenyon knows his way around
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and he can miss like anyone else. I want you to go out there
4:44
and work with him. Cover it all again. Get at Dessau's widow.
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She stands to gain most by his death. Maybe the two of you can
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come up with something or what do you do about the claim? The NY
4:51
liability on the grounds at the accident is not proven. Hillary, you will
4:56
be sued. I'll take that chance. Fuchs was an old chance taker who
5:04
had been raised in the insurance business. The kind of man who gave a
5:08
claim every kind of test, and if it still passed, he sat down
5:11
and smelled the paper it was written off, and if he didn't like that,
5:14
he'd take his chance expense account. I had him two one hundred and
5:17
thirty eight dollars playing for at the Los Angeles I had him three three dollars.
5:21
A telegram to Bert Kenyon advising him of my arrival, which turned out
5:25
to be at one o'clock in the morning, ten minutes ahead of a fog
5:28
that blanked out the whole area at the airport. Junny cunning dollar line.
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Oh hey, Burt, Johnny couldn't see it, You can see him.
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Come on, I got a can. You got a cigarette? I ran
5:39
out two hours ago. Sure, man, there you go. Good to
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see it, Good to see it. Why The last time I saw Burt
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Kenyon was July a year ago in Dayton, Ohio. He was there working
5:55
on an Arson plane for the National Underwriters. Before that, I'd run into
5:58
him in Denver, Portland, and Chicago, and we'd work together for two
6:00
weeks in New Orleans on the San Antonio case. He sent me a Christmas
6:04
card every year. I sent him one we were as close and as far
6:09
apart as two friends can be. When I saw him this time, he
6:12
looked tired and thinner, and he lit one cigarette after the other. He'll
6:16
likes sadly deal, Johnny. Yeah, how's a hotel, old Spanish job,
6:20
big rooms, fireplaces and smells kind of damp all the time. You
6:24
get used to it. How you tired? Yeah? Well tell me about
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the claim, Bert, nothing to tell routines so far. Oh, Feuchs
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was pretty worried about it. He doesn't like the Corners report. Ah,
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you know, Fews worry, worry. That's what he gets paid for.
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Oh, that's what we get paid for too. Okay, okay, I'm
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a face of what I'd questioned the claim right away, just on the three
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months period alone, I'd question it. You still think it was an accident.
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I think we should pay up and shut up. I'd like to admit
6:56
this to see guy Johnny, stocks and bonds and pretty blonde head him all.
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Where do you meet missus des cell Where do you see the layer boy
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and Fuchs worrying about a hundred thousand dollar claims? And you know how much
7:10
Dessalle's widow is worth? Eight million dollars one hundred thousand dollars means about that
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much to her? Not that much peanuts. You want to hear something funny,
7:23
real funny? Go on? Descell bought that policy one day at the
7:27
racetrack at Delmar. Yeah, because an insurance broker gave him a tip on
7:31
her horse. Yeah. I can just see Fuchs worrying about his hundred thousand
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finding out about that part. How did you find out about him? Missus
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de sels? She told me the story. What about her? Now?
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What about her? She's a beneficiary. I told you one hundred thousand doesn't
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mean a thing to her. Why would she kill him for a hundred thousand
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dollars? Why not? Fuchs sent you out here to take over because he
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thinks Silas stepped, didn't me? Junny? He sent me out to see
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if I could give you a hand. He wants us to cover the whole
8:05
thing again. Wouldn't kid an old now? Would just? I'd never try?
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I bet you wouldn't. I just bet you wouldn't. In another ten
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minutes, we were in San Ladio, a sprawling little town built around a
8:22
natural harbor. The houses looked expensive, the boat's even more expensive. Kenyon
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pointed out, one house and a hail, a three story affair with an
8:30
acre of soa lawns around it. He explained it was the Dassal home.
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I checked into the San Ladio Hotel and got a good night's sleep. Next
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morning, Bert Kenyon and I went over to the statements of everyone who had
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been on the yacht to night. Thessaal went overboard. Then we went out
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and interviewed everybody again, including missus Dassalle's getting awfully dull. You understand we
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have to do this right. Dave and I were having drinks with a few
8:58
friendlies. He said he felt like getting a little air. He went up
9:03
on deck. A few minutes later, some one was looking for him,
9:07
mister Burke, it might have been. Well, that's what's on your statement,
9:11
all right, mister Burke. We couldn't find Dave, and then I
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remembered he was on deck. He went up there and saw his hat floating
9:20
on the water. He looked around, We didn't see him. I sent
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one of the crew to call for help. They fished him out an hour
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so later. You were never on deck until then, No, I wasn't.
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Who were they? You said they fished him out? Pollice, Someone
9:43
I don't know. There were a lot of men. They tried to give
9:48
him out official respiration. What did you do? I watched? What else
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was there to do? I'd think to watch missus desire? Your husband just
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drowned? Yes, yes it was? Is that all? Yeah? That's
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so Come in, Hi, what's all this? Thought? You'd been in
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bed just going over the reports again? Yeah? What do you think?
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Oh? I don't know. I'm trying to make up my mind, Burt,
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about missus Dessau, The way she looks, the way she acts.
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I told you if she was something. Yeah, sure, fifty minutes sell
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his souls to be tired of with her one way or another. She had
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help, Bert, She had to have help to kill him. A dozen
10:43
people swear she was below drinking Martiniz with him. So someone was up on
10:46
deck waiting for Dassal. What have you got to go on? Dassl swam
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the English Channel twenty years ago. He should have been able to swim twenty
10:52
feet to a gang plank, drunk or sober. He should have been able
10:54
to do that. I knew about that swimming business. Expert swimmers gone all
10:58
the time. We both know that. What else? Why didn't somebody hear
11:03
him yell. Maybe everybody lets out of yell in a situation like that,
11:07
falling or in the water. There were a dozen people aboard. One of
11:09
them should have heard him yell. Yeah, I guess you're right, all
11:15
right. Suppose he didn't yell. But suppose this corner made a mistake.
11:18
About the bruises on the side of his head, Suppose they happened before he
11:22
went over the side. Want to be hard to prove, now, Johnny.
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Oh, Look, she's got a boyfriend somewhere Bert. She had to
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have one. The servants can be going over. Somebody at the house has
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seen him. He's called her, sent her messages. He's our boy.
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We can bring him out in the open. We'll get help from Los Angeles.
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We'll call the legal department and get them busy, get permission to exude
11:41
the body and have an autopsy. We'll be what let this one go?
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Huh what drop it? It's just lousy enough to get by fukes. We
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got a good case for I know. I've known it all along, Johnny.
12:01
A sellout. This is the sell offered me the whole hundred thousand,
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the whole hundred thousand, Johnny, to let it get by. Who helped
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it do it? I don't know. I wasn't interested anymore when you came
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up with the offer. Look what does the sale mean to you and me?
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Nothing? He got a whole life, the best he could give him.
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We can't bring him back. I'll split one hundred thousand with you,
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Johnny. We'd have a little chance. For something's too, Johnny, very,
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how do you not do you? You're a good dick, Johnny,
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stand up or put that thing away. I've been looking a long time for
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a mark like this. Now you've lasted up and I have to beat it.
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Turner right for it, So I'm Johnny. I went down to my
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knees, trying to hold onto the desk. I saw him standing there a
13:13
minute, like he might want to help me, and then he was gone.
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I did everything I could to make my feet, but my legs wouldn't
13:20
work, and then it was all over, back too, of yours,
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truly, Johnny Dollar, in just a moment. Democracy? What does it
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mean? The word itself is of Greek origin, the most meaning the people
13:50
and protost meaning authority. Thus, in a democracy, the people have the
13:56
authority to rule themselves. But where does the authority come from The authority comes
14:01
from the people themselves. They put it in their constitution, and the constitution
14:05
can't be changed by anyone except the people. That puts the supreme power of
14:11
the government of a democratic country right in the hands of the people, and
14:15
the people elect their representatives to run the government. In that manner, democracy
14:20
gives everyone equal representation in the government. Democracy provides mankind with its greatest legacy
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of freedom. Now act too, of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar and
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the Dasal matter. The light on the desk was the first thing I saw.
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I was still on, The window was still opened, The room was
14:46
the way that had been before. I kept thinking about every man having a
14:50
price, and Albert Kenyon had settled for one hundred thousand dollars. It seemed
14:54
like a fair price. It also seemed too bad there was no way for
14:58
him to collect it. There were two of them, A heavy set man
15:03
about fifty years old and a tall, lean faced man with dark eyes.
15:07
They look me over. Your name Dollar, Yeah, police, you want
15:11
to talk to you. My name's Blair, sorryan mafreda you sick or something?
15:18
I bumped my head? Oh never mind, Well, what do you
15:20
want. We'll ask the questions. What are you doing to send the deal?
15:24
I'm standing around in our hotel room talking to a couple of cops.
15:28
Just answer up. I'll be funny, fella. I don't feel even a
15:31
little bit funny. You got a license to carry this gun? Hey?
15:35
What is it you? Yes, a meat handed friend. Ought to put
15:37
it down or it might go off and fired. Tom Ah, meat hand,
15:45
that's what I said. I don't remember that. Okay, tell us
15:48
about it. Tell us what you're doing here, and don't waste a lot
15:50
of time doing it. I'm an insurance investigator. Tell this coon to back
15:54
away and on double his fist or I'll break a chair over his head.
15:56
You're going to try to be tough, baby, I'm going to try to
15:58
find out what this is all about. You want me to pop them open
16:00
as eve? He's as tough as he sounds. Behave yourself, Tom,
16:04
Let's see something that says you're an insurance dick. Top of the dressing it
16:08
over? Tom? Sure? Yeah, m okay, Now tell us what
16:21
you're doing in town. The cell case, Now you tell me no.
16:25
Jared Kenyon I know him. I've been working with him. He's been around
16:27
town four or five days, we haven't seen you. I only got here
16:30
this morning. You could prove all that, could you? Oh sure?
16:33
With a plane ticket, with a hotel clerk downstairs, with a bell hop
16:36
who brought up my luggage with a dozen people and more I talked to today
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tonight? What about tonight? Right here? You could prove that to try
16:42
the clerk downstairs. There's Kenyon? Where is Kenny? I don't know?
16:47
You want to know? Why don't you sit down? Tom? Oh?
16:52
When did you see Kenyon last a couple of hours ago? Now tell us
16:56
what you talked about, and don't forget anything we talked about out to the
17:00
sal case? Can you have something new on it? No, don't hold
17:03
out on me. Boy, that's a police business. Tom here's pretty edgy
17:07
for a cop. But I'll turn them loose on you if I have to,
17:10
because I haven't got a whole lot of time to waste being sweet.
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Tom worries me to death. One more minute, Just one more minutes,
17:17
I'm gonna take off this guy. Oh shut up. I'll ask you again,
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Dollar, what's new in the desal case? What I can you tell
17:26
you? The way we look at it? You came out here because something
17:30
new popped up that might take two guys to handle it. Look at it
17:33
anyway you want to, Lah, you're gonna take this step of mine.
17:38
Okay, get your having, coach, Dollar. We're going to see a
17:41
fella unless I know why, and I mean that Dollar. Your buddy's been
17:48
killed. What Kenyon? Somebody shot him up an hour ago. I put
17:59
on my clothes and we went downstairs and climbed into a pannied looking police car.
18:03
Tell him a free to drove. I sat with Blair in the backseat.
18:06
No one said anything. Half a mile lot of sandlato. He turned
18:10
onto the main highway and drove to a spot about two miles away all night
18:12
filling station. There were a couple of highway patrol cars there, an ambulance
18:17
and men in jock suit so look the way police went always went. Wait
18:22
here. Keep an eye on him, Tom, Sure be just a minute.
18:27
He's a soft old gink. I suppose you're hard. I not a
18:32
handle pinballs like you before we threw you and me. We'll have it out,
18:38
okay, Dollar, get out? Yeah sure, Tom put the spotlight
18:44
on him. Oh good, now, posy, posy, take a good
18:49
look at this man, have you ever seen him before? No? Look
18:55
good, take your time. Boy, Oh man, I saw it was
18:57
shorter by this much. You wasn't hus Okay, you're going back to your
19:03
place there and get some sleep, boyd at all. There'll be more over
19:06
a morning. Go on. Huh sure, nice, Oh it was all
19:11
that time. Get out. You stay around here with Dick and Wally.
19:14
Okay, you're the boss. You're getting the front dollar. You're lucky Posey
19:23
didn't recognize you. I suppose I am. Why an hour ago, Posey's
19:29
pumping gas. You hear three or four shots off in the dock. Then
19:33
a car starts up and gets out of the real fast. Then Posey sees
19:37
your pal Canyons stagger out across the highway full of lead. Canyon drops dead
19:41
right in front of the station. I've see him the mopping up. Now.
19:45
We had half an idea you might have been the man beating in the
19:48
car. That's a dumb idea. You shot close up, Michael. It's
19:52
somebody who was just standing talking to an old friend. An old friend is
19:59
here. You got it all wrong. Huh. We haven't been friends for
20:02
three hours. His full name was George Blair He'd been on the Los Angeles
20:10
force twelve years, then they retired him at half pay when a hold up
20:12
man shut off quite of his right foot. He'd taken the same leadio job
20:17
because it was the only police force he could find. It would take a
20:18
man who a limp more than a little expense account had him for twenty cents
20:23
coffee for Lieutenant Blair and myself. I don't know. Maybe he went at
20:29
you the wrong way in that hotel room. That's my fault. But a
20:33
man's been murdered, and I get excited about things like that. I don't
20:37
blame him, no heart feelings. No, as long as I don't have
20:41
to do business with your boy Tom. Yeah, I got Tom of Freedom
20:45
and three other boys, none of them worth a press in their pants.
20:48
I need help doll him. What this town's popping open tonight? Your buddy
20:53
got it. Let's tied in with the sal things somewhere. You're sure he
20:57
didn't have anything new for you. No, you woudn't want to tell me
21:03
about that, bumping your head with you? Not right? No, No,
21:06
my boys are so green. They tramped all over the boat that night.
21:08
The sail drown They loused up anything that might have helped me to find
21:11
out how he went over the side. They banged his head against the dock
21:15
a few times bringing them in. I couldn't tell her the bruises were there
21:18
before or after he was in the water. You don't think the cells was
21:22
accidental. I was murdered. She had somebody do it. Well, why
21:27
didn't any of that come out in the coroner's report. My corner runs a
21:30
drug store when he isn't being a corner. If you feed him enough,
21:33
Scotts, you'll tell you whether somebody's dead or not. He don't know from
21:37
nothing, you know. The thing that kind of got me was this Kenyon.
21:41
He went along with that coroner's report. I know that you both know
21:45
that. All right, I'll lay it on the line. I need help,
21:51
dollar, if I'm going to get anything done, find out who killed
21:53
Kenyon and get at this to cell thing. I need help, all right,
21:56
I'll help you. I was hoping you'd say that or coffee. No
22:03
Dollar, you can start, but telling me about the bruise in your head.
22:11
Kenyan? He sold out, Yeah to missus de sal he covered up
22:17
for and the reports he sent him A man bank and Heidford got suspicious and
22:21
sent me out to make a recheck. Yeah, I guess something like that.
22:23
No dummies, those claims men, Look who the state was in on
22:30
him, He didn't say. I don't think he really knew, at least
22:33
not any more than you and me. I wonder you didn't want to talk
22:37
up. That kind of news kind of hurts, doesn't it like having a
22:41
bad cop around you should know? No. Well, I be for you,
22:49
mister, and I feel lousy. A friend of mine's been shocked once
22:52
more. He died a bum. Well, I'm talking about dropping in on
22:56
people while the smoke still hanging around Missus de sala. Yeah, let's go.
23:02
It was about a quarter to seven in the morning when we left the
23:03
diner. By seven point thirty we were winding up the driveway to the Dasau
23:07
mansion, overlooking the ocean. Player mumble things about the fog lifting and what
23:11
a nice day it would be. I smoked cigarettes and looked and watched the
23:15
contented smile he kept on his face. Oh, what do you know Tommy
23:25
Lafrida's car. What does that mean? Let's find out Tom's off duty at
23:30
six o'clock. As far as I know, I told you it was gonna
23:36
be a nice day. Yeah you did it. Then, nice Place.
23:45
The only thing nicer is fucking m Pallas. Missus de sal picks up all
23:51
these little knickknacks when we probate that will the boat down there? Everything nice,
23:56
Yes, mister de sal Place. At this hour of the morning,
23:59
she's still We kind of guess you might be in that you tell the police
24:02
are here and want to talk to her police Now you got it, Yes,
24:06
sir, that's the moment at you play Hello, Tom, wait to
24:12
see her too. I thought you might have a little something to say that
24:18
it'd helped in that Kenyan killing and be willing you remember mister dollar. Mister,
24:25
that's what I said, Tom, he's giving me a hand. You
24:27
trust him better than I do. You kind of a crack, is that?
24:33
No crack? That you're always talking and you ought to be listening.
24:36
That you've been drinking again. Come on, get your hat and get out
24:37
of here. I just gave you a lord that beat it. You'd like
24:45
to kill somebody that I'm not so sure he didn't. You got a gun
24:49
on that coat? Oh take mine? What? I don't like him being
24:56
here. It just came to me. He was the first one Lanapa doctor
25:00
the night the sald got it, the first one her boyfriend could be.
25:07
I can't awake m this. You'll have to come late. I will handle
25:10
that part. Which room is herd? You can't come in here? Whom
25:12
top of the stairs the first you run along by yourself, a cup of
25:15
coffee. Come on good morning and take you a huh miss the sun?
25:25
There you got the light? Sweatch out? Come hear me? Please hopefully
25:32
I won't tell. I won't tell. Sold dick up good, don't look.
25:42
We aren't gonna hurt you. Tell us who did this to you?
25:45
Tell us why Tom Afreida? Was it Tom? Tom helped you get rid
25:53
of your husband? Is that right? We know that's right? Now?
25:59
What about Kenyan Tom Lafrida killing? Why you wanted money? He's got away?
26:08
Tom said it be easier, easier to kill him off and let it
26:14
go. Tom did this? Why? He said? People be around to
26:22
see me to talk about? An eating to talk about? Is George Blair
26:30
get an ambulance over to the South place fast? And he loves me?
26:36
He never loved anything anything in his life. You big fat pig, turn
26:48
around and get it I want your tom dollars, got my gun. He's
26:52
next you look at mine? You are okay, here's one seeing you.
27:00
Okay, he's gone. What made him Dollar? What made him? All
27:11
these knickknacks? And her expense account had him five twenty five bucks one phone
27:30
called a Hartford. I told Hillry Fuchs the whole story, and he promised
27:33
to send out the necessary legally. I had him six ten dollars. Flowers
27:38
for Burt Kenyon, had him seven two dollars. One drink to one good
27:44
comp with a bad foot. The drink cost a buck, the glass cost
27:48
a buck. The drink for the good, the smashed glass for the bad.
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Oh yeah, I was hammy, but it made me feel expense accunt
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total fought at sixteen dollars. Remarks none, yours truly, Johnny Dollary.
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Now here is our star to tell you about next week's store. Next week.
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One of the sweetest ool characters I ever met, and with him one
28:22
of the cleverest killers. Join us, won't you yours? Truly? Johnny
28:27
Dollar? Yours truly? Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood.
28:48
It is written by John Dawson and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone.
28:53
Heard in our cast were Virginia, Greg Harry Bartel, John Stephenson,
28:59
Will Wright, Ms Macallan and Ben Wright. Musical supervision is by Amrico Marino.
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Be sure to join us next week, same time and station, or
29:07
another exciting story of yours, Truly. Johnny Dollars Dan Cumberly speaking, Johnny
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Dollar has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces
29:18
Radio and Television Service. Welcome back. Well, we've seen cases of Johnny's
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friends going bad, but this is the first time we at least with Bob
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Bailey as Johnny Dollar. You go back to the Lund era, there were
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a couple others. It's very unique because you had a friend of john who
31:10
was an investigator on this case, having decided to cover it up and really
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adding to that sense, this is different than the confidential matter of the five
31:23
part serial where Johnny was dealing with somebody he found out turn crooked over time,
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based on the fact that his friend says, I've been looking to make
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a score like this for a long time, which meant that contrary to the
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adventures they shared and the idea he had of this man, he didn't really
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know them him at all, and that probably contributed to some of the reluctance
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in the sense of shell shock. And it really played pretty well off the
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lieutenant story because the lieutenant also was dealing with corruption he knew he was dealing
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with at the very least incompetence, and kind of the way Johnny and the
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lieutenant end up coming together, I thought it was just a very nice,
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solid twist. So from a dramatic perspective, this was a very good episode.
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The mystery not great, but the dramatic element of this tale of corruption
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I thought was very well played. And I was kind of nervous when they
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went to the part where they got the arrest, because it sounded like these
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police officers down there were practicing by watching the Late Late Show for nineteen thirties
32:49
police movies, But that all turned out to play into the general theme and
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direction of the episode. All right, listener comments and feedback, and we
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have just we have a comment from Sheila first of all, who says,
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I love your old time radio every night I go to sleep. And then
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we have an email from Nicholas who says, I discovered your podcast a few
33:20
months ago and recently purchased your app and Slime Incorporated. It's rare to see
33:25
someone who's so engaged in their topic and making it a large part of their
33:29
lives. Kudos to you for pursuing your interest. Your love of the form
33:34
is obvious. And he asked first of all, regarding Slime Incorporated, I
33:42
enjoyed your book very much. You stick as a lot volcable character, and
33:45
the plot moves along nicely. I did have one question, why did you
33:50
make him a younger man than someone older? Perhaps this comes from film betrayals
33:54
of famous protectives, but I always imagine this sort as being in their form
34:00
or fifties. There patina of age gives them the anchors for their hard boiled
34:06
personas. I see how his sister's tragic story would provide some of that.
34:10
But I did wonder how you came to that feature of the character, and
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my answer is that Cole Eustick was actually I first created him for use in
34:22
the short story an Ounce of Prevention, and he was basically just he was
34:30
Jerry Newton's sidekick in that one, and I had so much fun writing the
34:36
character. It just made sense to make him the centerpiece of the novel and
34:43
so it was kind of already established, and I never thought of making him
34:49
older. It just wouldn't work because there's backstory that goes that I had in
34:54
mind. Plus I really wanted to create a character who was a mix of
35:00
a lot of old school plus some twenty first century stuff mixed in. So
35:07
that kind of mixture of old and new is something we'd definitely try to do
35:09
with Slime Incorporated. And he had one other question. I do think what
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you said, he says separately. Listening to Johnny Dollar makes me think of
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Theford Files, how every show began with a phone call. In the case
35:28
of the TV show, it was always humorous rather than setting the stage for
35:31
mystery. But I wonder if Rockford creators were not subtly acknowledging their character spiritual
35:37
predecessors. Again, thanks for all the work you do. I think that
35:43
what he said is plausible. I mean, after all, Rockford Files started
35:46
just about twelve years after Johnny Doller went off the air, so it wasn't
35:52
all that long ago that they might have taken some inspiration. But sometimes when
35:58
you're writing something, you have conscious inspirations, things you decide to pay homage
36:02
to. But sometimes you have an unconscious inspiration. I remember that I had
36:09
written a first draft of a novel. My brother read over it and he
36:15
found something in there that really was was kind of taken from Star Wars prequels,
36:27
and the weird thing was that it was about three guys living together an
36:31
apartment. But nevertheless, it's plausible enough that Johnny Dollar did play into that.
36:37
Well. Thanks so much for your letter, Nikolaus. I do appreciate
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it, and I appreciate your support. We will be back tomorrow with Police
36:46
Headquarters, and then join us again next Friday for another episode of Yours Truly
36:52
Johnny Dollar. In the meantime, sender comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives
36:57
dot net and follow us on Twitter. Radio to Tactives from Boise, Otah.
37:00
This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off