Episode 374: The Chicago Fraud Matter

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast welcome to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:36] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:36] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:00:37] Speaker B: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:42] Speaker A: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, debuted on CBS February 11, 1949. Described as America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar narrated each story in the form of an action packed expense account. [00:00:57] Speaker C: Many actors portrayed Johnny Dollar over the program's 12 year run. The very first was Dick Powell, who recorded the show's initial audition episode but turned down the role in favor of the lead in Richard Diamond. Charles Russell originated the role on air and portrayed the character until Edmund O' Brien took over on February 3, 1950. Subsequently, Dollar would be played by John Lund. [00:01:21] Speaker A: CBS canceled the series in 1954, only to revive it again in 1955 with a new man in the lead by Bob Bailey, best known for his portrayal of George Valentine in the comedy turned detective series Let George do it. In 1960, CBS moved production of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar along with the significantly scaled back version of suspense from Hollywood to New York. Bailey bowed out, preferring to stay in California. He was replaced by Bob Reddick and later by Mandel Kramer. The final episode of yours truly Johnny Dollar, the Tip Off Matter aired September 30, 1962, followed immediately by the Final Broad. [00:02:01] Speaker B: We've had several of the Bob Bailey episodes in the podcast as well as the Dick Powell audition recording, but I'm now completing my three part project to bring examples of all our unexamined Johnny Dollars from its first run. Prior to this, we've checked out an episode featuring Charles Russell and one featuring Edmund o' Brien. Today we'll be listening to John Lund starring as Johnny Dollar. This is the Chicago Fraud Affair from yours truly Johnny Dollar, first broadcast November 4, 1950. [00:02:28] Speaker A: It's late at night and a chill has set in. You're alone, but the only light you see is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker, listen to the music and listen to the voices from Hollywood. [00:02:44] Speaker D: It's time now for John Lund as. [00:02:48] Speaker E: Johnny Daller. [00:02:49] Speaker F: Miles Hartley. [00:02:50] Speaker E: Johnny Columbia Life Miles, how are you? I thought you were in Chicago these days. [00:02:55] Speaker G: I am. [00:02:55] Speaker F: This is long distance. We have one here that's a pimp. [00:02:58] Speaker E: Tell me about it. [00:03:00] Speaker F: One of our brokers wrote a $50,000 straight life policy on a man named Lane. Mr. Lane up and dropped dead. [00:03:06] Speaker E: A couple of days ago. Uh huh. [00:03:08] Speaker F: And you'll never guess why. [00:03:09] Speaker E: Why? [00:03:10] Speaker F: He starved to death. [00:03:13] Speaker E: What? [00:03:13] Speaker F: Honest. He died of malnutrition. [00:03:16] Speaker E: A man could afford to buy that much life insurance, but he couldn't buy himself a hamburger. [00:03:20] Speaker F: Interested? [00:03:21] Speaker E: Very. [00:03:22] Speaker F: Get yourself an airplane, boy. [00:03:24] Speaker E: I'll be waiting for you. [00:03:30] Speaker D: John Lund. In a transcribed adventure of the man with the action packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, yours truly, Johnny Doll. [00:03:52] Speaker E: Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar to the Columbia Life and Accident Insurance Company, Meston Building, Chicago, Illinois. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Chicago fraud matter. Expense account item one, $78.13. Plain fare and incidentals. Hartford to Chicago. I had breakfast, took the limousine into town, found a hotel room, then checked in with Niles Hartley at the Claims Division. Chicago's blustery climate seemed to agree with him. He was a little bigger than I remembered, a little ruddier, but efficient as ever. [00:04:31] Speaker F: I wrote a special delivery to the insurance commission in Springfield this morning. Explained we were holding up payment pending a routine investigation of the claim. But the faster we move on this. [00:04:41] Speaker E: The better off we'll be. [00:04:41] Speaker F: Johnny, they're going to ask questions and we don't have to ourselves. Some answers. [00:04:45] Speaker E: They asked. Any yet? [00:04:46] Speaker F: No, but the beneficiaries, Lane's sister, name is Lydia Staley. She's called them and she's called us a couple of times wanting to know what's what. Tough she could be, I guess. She has money of her own, some influence and so on. [00:05:01] Speaker E: A lot of money. [00:05:03] Speaker F: Trust stuff. Very comfortably fixed. But she's pretty upset by the whole business. You see, I had to stick my horn in right away and request the coroner to hold the body until we got something done. [00:05:13] Speaker E: How so? [00:05:15] Speaker F: Lane died on the street with no identification on him. By the time they did find out who he was, a routine PM had already been performed to determine cause. The county was gonna bury him with. [00:05:25] Speaker E: $50,000 worth of insurance. [00:05:27] Speaker F: Yep. The first thing that occurred to me when I saw this report was that it might not be Lane at all. Besides the malnutrition. Here are these findings. [00:05:37] Speaker E: Chronic heart condition, lung history, debility. [00:05:43] Speaker F: Certainly doesn't sound like anybody we'd insure. [00:05:46] Speaker E: Lane took a physical before the policy was issued, didn't he? [00:05:49] Speaker F: Yeah, sure. [00:05:50] Speaker E: Uh huh. [00:05:52] Speaker F: Here's a copy of it. He was 100% okay then. [00:05:55] Speaker E: How could he pass it with all these things wrong with him? [00:05:58] Speaker F: Good question, Johnny. Like to find the answer? [00:06:02] Speaker E: Yeah. What's that doctor's name? [00:06:05] Speaker F: Dr. Walter Unger. Suite 1932, Michigan Building. [00:06:13] Speaker E: Expense account, item 2, $3.50 taxi fare through Chicago's slushy streets to the offices of Dr. Walter Unger, who had been licensed to practice medicine in the state of Illinois in 1946. He was a Northwestern University medical school, married, had two children and lived in Glencoe, a North Shore suburb. His income and practice, according to report, were average. Well, good. [00:06:40] Speaker H: Yeah, drop in tomorrow. Goodbye. I'm sorry, Mr. Dollar, you were saying? [00:06:45] Speaker E: I'm from the Columbia Life Insurance people, Doctor. Claims Division. I'd like to get some information about a man you examined on July 14th of last year. All right. [00:06:55] Speaker H: I hope this won't take long. What is it you want to know? [00:06:58] Speaker E: The man's name was Christopher Lane. You happen to remember him? [00:07:02] Speaker H: Christopher Lane? No, I can't say that I do, Mr. Dollar. What about him? [00:07:07] Speaker E: Well, first I'd like to know, is this your signature? [00:07:13] Speaker H: Yes, those are my letterheads. I suppose that's my signature. [00:07:17] Speaker E: Aren't you sure? [00:07:19] Speaker H: How many people are certain of their signatures? It looks like mine, Mr. Dollar. I can't say for sure that it is or isn't. [00:07:25] Speaker E: Well, assuming that it is, what about these notes? Are these in your handwriting? [00:07:31] Speaker H: Yes, I would say that was also my handwriting. Mr. Dollar, I'd appreciate it very much if you'd get on with whatever business you have here. [00:07:38] Speaker E: According to this, you gave Mr. Lane a complete physical and pronounced him sound. [00:07:43] Speaker H: I did. Anything unusual about that? [00:07:46] Speaker E: He died two days ago. [00:07:49] Speaker H: I wish you insurance people would buy some books on heart diseases and read them, know them, not take up valuable time. Look here, this patient was 41 years old. If he had no heart condition when I examined him, and obviously he didn't, according to my cardiographic findings, it's entirely reasonable to assume that he could have developed one in a very short time. You people gauge that in your premium? [00:08:09] Speaker E: Mr. Lane didn't die of heart trouble, doctor. He died of malnutrition. [00:08:15] Speaker H: Malnutrition? [00:08:17] Speaker E: That's what the pathologist at the coroner's office says. Here, look for yourself. [00:08:22] Speaker H: Well, he should know. [00:08:24] Speaker E: Was it possible for you to overlook that condition at the time you examined him? [00:08:28] Speaker H: No. [00:08:29] Speaker C: No. [00:08:29] Speaker H: If he'd been suffering from malnutrition in any degree, I would have discovered it. [00:08:33] Speaker E: According to the coroner's report, he'd been ill for a year or better. Can you explain that, Dr. Unger? [00:08:39] Speaker H: No, I can't explain that. I wish I could. All I can say is that I did my job. I examined the man, reported my findings. How about this angina, I could have missed that, I suppose. But it's unlikely with the degree of aggravation noted here. [00:08:56] Speaker E: Did you x Ray, Mr. Lane? [00:08:58] Speaker H: Certainly. It's part of the examination. [00:09:00] Speaker E: Have you had much experience reading chest x rays, doctor? [00:09:04] Speaker H: Mr. Dollar, I know my business. If there'd been any lesions in that man's chest, I would have reported. [00:09:10] Speaker E: Doctor, just bear with me, please. Again, the coroner's man said they were all lesions. [00:09:16] Speaker H: So I notice. I can't explain that either. [00:09:19] Speaker E: Well, you can understand why we want to be thorough about this. [00:09:22] Speaker H: Yes. Yes, I do. And I wish I could help you. [00:09:25] Speaker E: You keep a file copy of all examinations? [00:09:27] Speaker H: Yes, certainly. [00:09:28] Speaker E: I'd like to see your file on this one, if I may. [00:09:30] Speaker H: Of course. Anything else? [00:09:33] Speaker E: Yeah. Another hour of your time. [00:09:36] Speaker H: What for? [00:09:37] Speaker E: I'd like to have you look at Mr. Lane's body. Doctor, I could get an injunction. [00:09:44] Speaker H: All right. I'll be finished here at seven o' clock. [00:09:53] Speaker E: Expense account, item three. Six dollars and a half more. Cab fare to and from City Morgue. Dr. Unger viewed the mortal remains of Christopher Lane and was unable to state definitely whether he'd ever seen the man. The next day, all of the personnel connected with Dr. Unger's office made a trip to the morgue. None of them recognized the body either. However, I had better luck with the elevator operator in Lane's apartment building. You ever seen this man before, Ms. Shattuck? [00:10:34] Speaker I: Yeah. Yes, sir. That's Mr. Lane. Apartment 2338. [00:10:38] Speaker E: You're positive? [00:10:39] Speaker I: Oh, yeah. I've seen him every day for almost two years. [00:10:42] Speaker E: Okay. Want to smoke? [00:10:47] Speaker I: I'm going to get out of here. [00:10:49] Speaker E: Sure. [00:10:52] Speaker I: I don't know why I'm acting this way. I've seen him that way a hundred times. [00:10:56] Speaker E: Why? [00:10:57] Speaker I: I mean, almost like that, out stoned. Only I guess it's because I knew he was just drunk then, not dead. [00:11:04] Speaker E: Oh, I see. [00:11:06] Speaker I: Well, he was crazy. [00:11:07] Speaker E: Was he? [00:11:08] Speaker I: He's carrying on the way he did. Oh, Feels good to be out here again. Car old enough? [00:11:15] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:11:17] Speaker I: I'll take that smoke now, Mr. Dollar. [00:11:19] Speaker E: Oh, sure. [00:11:25] Speaker I: Thanks. Yeah, he used to get up around 10 every morning. I'd take him downstairs, look awful. But he was always kind of nice, polite, you know. He'd go out to the store and come back in a little while with a sack of groceries. Find a milk for a three, donuts for himself, some booze. Then he'd just lock himself up in his apartment. Stay there all day drinking. Oh, yeah. Fried to the ears by noon. I think it was wine. [00:11:59] Speaker E: The Janitor and the maid, as well as the doorman and the desk clerk, further verified the fact that Lane had been drinking heavily for better than 18 months prior to his death. No one seemed to know why, not even his sister. She turned out to be a woman of 30 or more, well tailored, well groomed and bad mannered. [00:12:20] Speaker J: I wish you'd take your briefcase and get out of here, Mr. Dollar. [00:12:23] Speaker E: I'm sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Staley. [00:12:25] Speaker J: Chris drank himself to death. I don't know why. I just know he did it. He's dead. He named me his beneficiary. Why don't you pay me what you owe me? [00:12:33] Speaker E: We will, Mrs. Staley. If the circumstances are right. So far, we have a reasonable doubt, and this investigation is for your benefit as much as it is ours. [00:12:43] Speaker J: What do you mean by that? [00:12:45] Speaker E: When we've satisfied ourselves one way or the other, your claim can be settled. [00:12:49] Speaker J: Well, what is it you want to know? I haven't seen my brother in over a year. I can't tell you anything about him. [00:12:55] Speaker E: Were you on good terms with him? [00:12:57] Speaker J: Of course I was. Left me his insurance money. [00:13:00] Speaker E: Didn't he understand you're a widow, Mrs. Staley? [00:13:03] Speaker J: I don't see what bearings. [00:13:05] Speaker E: Do you have any dependents? [00:13:06] Speaker J: No. Children, that's what you mean. [00:13:08] Speaker E: And the insurance money would have gone to you alone? [00:13:11] Speaker J: Let me correct you. The money will come to me alone. I don't know what you people think you can do, trying to weasel out of this. But I've already spoken with my attorneys, and they've advised me to sue for an immediate settlement. [00:13:24] Speaker E: Are they aware of the facts of this matter? [00:13:26] Speaker J: They certainly are. [00:13:27] Speaker E: And they still advise you to bring suit? [00:13:29] Speaker J: They certainly did. [00:13:31] Speaker E: Well, perhaps I can save you some fees and then some time. Who are your lawyers, Mrs. Staley? [00:13:36] Speaker J: Never mind. You'll find out soon enough. [00:13:39] Speaker E: All right, I'll tell you what I tell them. You can pass it on. Your brother could have died quietly in his bed one night, and any doctor would have pronounced him a heart failure. And your claim would have been. But he made the mistake of dropping dead on a public street, and the police took over. And before he was properly identified, an autopsy had been performed. [00:13:59] Speaker J: Yes, and I'm going to sue the city. [00:14:00] Speaker E: And from that autopsy, we know your brother couldn't possibly have passed an insurance examination. [00:14:05] Speaker J: But he did pass it, Mr. Dollar. He came to me the day after he'd taken the exam and told me I was his beneficiary. [00:14:12] Speaker E: You said you hadn't seen him for over a Year? He took the exam last summer. [00:14:15] Speaker J: All right, I saw him that one time. [00:14:18] Speaker E: He might have come to you. But he didn't come to you about passing that exam. Now listen here. Your brother never took that exam. [00:14:23] Speaker J: What? [00:14:24] Speaker E: Someone went up to the doctor's office and took it for him. Mrs. Staley, we aren't fools. Now we're going to find out who that someone was and how it was done. We're used to all sorts of tricks in this business. And all sorts of bluffing, too. You can sue us for settlements. You can sue us all over the place with what we have right now. We'd just love to meet you in a court. I'm talking facts to you, Mr. Staley, and I wish you'd talk them to me. [00:14:52] Speaker J: Get out of here. Get out of here, you cheap snooper, before I call a policeman and have you thrown out. [00:15:10] Speaker D: We'll return to yours truly, Johnny Dollar in just a moment. Out of the jungles and into your homes comes Tarzan every Saturday night on CBS Radio. Yes, in the comfort of your own radio side, you can enjoy the fascinating experiences of the man whose friends are jungle beasts, whose power and cunning have been developed to an astonishing degree by dangerous environment. Tomorrow night on most of these same stations, don't miss Tarzan on CBS Radio. Now with our star, John Lund, we bring you the second act of yours truly, Johnny Doll. [00:16:05] Speaker E: I started the case with an autopsy report and a dead man who should never have been insured. The doctor who examined him and passed him couldn't explain why. His sister, the beneficiary, explained even less. I left her under the surveillance of a leg man provided by Niles Hartley and decided to talk with the insurance broker who'd written up the policy. His name was Rutherford, and he looked insurance from the top of his iron gray hair to the tips of his highly polished brown shoes. I suppose you're Mr. Dolan, Mr. Rutherford? [00:16:45] Speaker G: Yeah, come in, come in. I was surprised when you called me. [00:16:52] Speaker E: We're trying to wrap this thing up, Mr. Rutherford. [00:16:54] Speaker G: I understand. I'll tell you, I've been writing insurance for 17 years, Mr. Dollar, and this is the first time anything like this has ever occurred to me. [00:17:02] Speaker E: Listen, now I believe you, Mr. Rutherford, and your record. [00:17:06] Speaker G: Uh huh. You've looked into me? [00:17:09] Speaker E: Well, you know we have to on a thing like this. Just a matter of routine checking. [00:17:14] Speaker G: Yeah. [00:17:15] Speaker E: I'm here to find out all I can about the circumstances under which you sold the policy to Mr. Lane. [00:17:20] Speaker G: Mm. [00:17:22] Speaker E: He was a bachelor. He lived in a fairly nice apartment on the Gold Coast. No dependents. I'd like to know what made him a prospect. [00:17:33] Speaker G: Well, actually, it's more of a personal thing, I suppose. Mrs. Rutherford and I were interested in buying a home in Wilmette a couple of years ago. There was one we liked on Sheridan Road. The agent happened to be this man Lane. That's we became acquainted. Paul Lane was in the real estate business? On and off. Actually. He didn't really have to work for a living at all. He had a fairly comfortable income from trusts set up by his father. [00:17:59] Speaker E: Did he do very well in real estate? [00:18:01] Speaker G: Well, I don't really think so. I don't think he worked hard at it. [00:18:05] Speaker E: You met him when you were out to buy a house. Did you buy it? [00:18:10] Speaker G: No. My wife died suddenly and I had no need to buy a house. [00:18:14] Speaker E: But he bought insurance from you? [00:18:16] Speaker G: Yes, eventually. [00:18:18] Speaker E: You say this was a couple of years ago? [00:18:20] Speaker G: Mm. [00:18:21] Speaker E: Did you try to sell him right away? [00:18:24] Speaker G: I don't recall. I called him now and then, had him over for dinner. I was surprised, frankly, when he decided to buy. [00:18:32] Speaker E: Uh huh. What kind of a man was he? [00:18:37] Speaker G: What do you mean? [00:18:39] Speaker E: Your opinion, Mr. Rutherford? [00:18:41] Speaker G: Just your client, Mr. Darwin. I treated him the same as any other client. [00:18:45] Speaker E: How did he look? [00:18:46] Speaker G: Hmm. [00:18:47] Speaker E: Pale, thin, healthy, Emaciated, What? [00:18:51] Speaker G: He looked fine to me. [00:18:54] Speaker E: Hmm. I noticed you arranged for the examination. [00:18:59] Speaker G: Yes. [00:19:00] Speaker E: How well do you know Dr. Unger? [00:19:03] Speaker G: Just slightly. You know, the physician is supposed to be an impartial third party. And when a client has to be examined by a physician, I send him to Dr. Unger. That's all. I get a Christmas card from him every year. [00:19:13] Speaker E: Mm. I see. You say you had Lane over for dinner a few times? [00:19:19] Speaker G: Yes, when my wife was alive. [00:19:21] Speaker E: Did he drink much on those occasions? [00:19:24] Speaker G: I don't recall. [00:19:25] Speaker E: Why? His malnutrition resulted from an alcoholic condition. All drinking, no eating. [00:19:32] Speaker G: Lane. And alcoholic? [00:19:34] Speaker E: He sure was. Had been for years. Can I use your phone? [00:19:39] Speaker G: Yeah, help yourself. [00:19:54] Speaker F: Hello? [00:19:56] Speaker E: Johnny Dollar. Niles. [00:19:57] Speaker F: Oh, glad you called. Johnny. I'm trying to reach you. [00:20:00] Speaker E: What's up? [00:20:01] Speaker F: Mrs. Staley's fighting back, huh? Her lawyers served notice on us an hour ago. [00:20:06] Speaker E: Well, nothing to worry about there. Just a bluff. [00:20:10] Speaker F: Oh, but this wasn't. She made the coroner release her brother's body. Took it to a crematorium. Exhibit A is a pile of ashes by now. [00:20:19] Speaker E: Oh, I can try something here. [00:20:23] Speaker F: We'll try it. [00:20:25] Speaker E: Right. Mr. Rutherford. [00:20:29] Speaker G: All finished? [00:20:31] Speaker E: Yeah. Mr. Rutherford, I'm afraid you're in a little trouble. [00:20:37] Speaker D: What are you? [00:20:38] Speaker E: You couldn't have written that policy or known Christopher Lane without being aware of his drinking habits. [00:20:43] Speaker G: Now, see here, $. I've been an insurance broker for a good long time, and no one has ever questioned my integrity. [00:20:49] Speaker E: And I think that's what you were banking on. Your reputation. I'm sorry for you, Mr. Rutherford, but there had to be a collusion here. And you're the logical party. You arranged for someone to take Lane's examination. You were going to split with. Oh, in the three minutes it took me to get my breath and. And my feet under me, he was well away and out of sight. I used his telephone a second time. I told Niles Hartley what had happened and then made a beeline for Lydia Staley's place. [00:21:28] Speaker J: What do you want? [00:21:30] Speaker E: I'm here to tell you about all the trouble you're in, Mrs. Staley. Rutherford's given it away. [00:21:34] Speaker J: Given what? What are you talking about? [00:21:36] Speaker E: About an insurance policy that was written up and issued in your brother's name under fraudulent circumstances. You're the one who stood to gain most, but you had to have help to pull it off. Rutherford helped you. [00:21:47] Speaker J: I don't know anybody named Rutherford. Now, look here. [00:21:50] Speaker E: No, you know. You look here. Rutherford just slugged me and beat it. But he isn't going to run far, principally because he doesn't know how to run. He'll cool off, and he'll begin thinking about all this business in a new light. A few minutes ago, it dawned on him what he'd done. He'd kicked his whole lifetime right out the window. He's been found out. He's lost all around, and he's gonna be mad. And you're the one he's gonna be mad at. [00:22:17] Speaker J: I told you, I don't know anybody named Rutherford. [00:22:19] Speaker E: Well, then I'll tell you. He'll probably want to kill you. Oh, do we talk now? [00:22:27] Speaker J: I don't see why. I've done nothing wrong. [00:22:29] Speaker E: Who took that physical for your brother? [00:22:31] Speaker J: He took it himself. [00:22:32] Speaker E: You got your brother drunk enough to sign the insurance papers, didn't you? [00:22:35] Speaker J: I had nothing to do with them. [00:22:39] Speaker E: Okay, Mrs. Staley. We'll get it all from Rutherford. [00:22:42] Speaker J: Yes, why don't you do that? [00:22:44] Speaker E: In the meantime, I hope you sleep well, knowing what you've done. [00:22:48] Speaker J: I've done nothing. And you'll never prove any of these things you've been saying. Never. [00:22:58] Speaker E: And for two days, it looked as if she might have been right. There was no way to involve Mrs. Staley without a statement from Rutherford. In the name of the company. Niles Hartley filed charges on attempted collusion against Him. And a warrant was issued. The Chicago police were unable to find him anywhere. His apartment was watched 24 hours a day, as well as Mrs. Staley's residence. The case was stalemated. We couldn't locate Rutherford, but he found us. Johnny Dollar, this is Earl Rutherford. Where are you? [00:23:30] Speaker G: Never mind Dollar. They all know about me around Niles office, huh? [00:23:35] Speaker E: Just Niles and me. [00:23:39] Speaker G: I'd like to explain some things to you so you can pass them on to Niles. I. I'd like him to know why I did it and. Well, before I leave town. [00:23:48] Speaker E: You won't get far. There's a warrant out for you. [00:23:51] Speaker G: I can get away all right. [00:23:53] Speaker E: Rutherford. Columbia doesn't want to prosecute you on these charges. The notoriety would be bad for them. If you'd make a statement, sign it. I think I could talk them into dropping the whole matter. [00:24:06] Speaker G: Maybe we'd better get together. [00:24:08] Speaker E: Come on over. [00:24:09] Speaker G: No. I'll meet you at the Dearborn entrance to the Drummond. [00:24:12] Speaker E: Fifteen minutes. I'll be there. Right. When I pulled up In a cab 12 minutes later, he was waiting for me at the curb in front of the Drummond. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on in his apartment. He needed a shave. And judging from the circles under his eyes, he hadn't slept much. He was pale and shaken. Expense account item4.51 cents. Coffee and doughnuts for both of us. [00:24:49] Speaker G: I met Lydia right after Miriam and my wife died. My children are both grown and married and have lives of their own. I guess I was very lonely. Sure, I became interested in Lydia and we had a great many things in common. Seemed like the thing to do. I asked her to marry me. [00:25:09] Speaker E: Nothing wrong with that. [00:25:11] Speaker G: You don't understand. She laughed at me. [00:25:14] Speaker E: No, I don't understand. [00:25:16] Speaker G: I guess I'm not an exciting man, A witty one, or. She made me feel as though all my life had been hopeless, a waste, and I'd missed a great deal. I asked her, Mr. Dollar, what is it? What do you want out of life? [00:25:33] Speaker E: Is that when she brought up the proposition? [00:25:35] Speaker G: I guess that's what gave her the idea. Trusts pay her 500amonth for life, and my commission's come to that. We could have lived very comfortably on a thousand, But Lydia talked of traveling, of Europe, of clothes, I don't know. Things her family had had once. [00:25:50] Speaker E: She wanted $50,000 in cash instead of money. Just trickling in every month, huh? [00:25:55] Speaker G: I suppose so. [00:25:57] Speaker E: I didn't understand her motive at first, but. Go on. [00:26:01] Speaker G: Well, she told me about her brother Christopher. He was a drunk. The doctors in New York gave him two years. I paid a man $100 to go to Dr. Unger's office and take the physical. [00:26:14] Speaker E: What's the man's name? [00:26:16] Speaker G: I wouldn't tell you that, Mr. Dollar. He's not involved in anything and I don't want to get him into any trouble. [00:26:21] Speaker E: After Lane was insured, you were gonna wait for him to die. [00:26:23] Speaker G: That was the general idea. Once I'd done it, it was too late to turn back. I mean, I wanted to at times, but a cancellation on a policy that size would have been hard to explain. [00:26:36] Speaker E: You're leaving something out. She had you, didn't she? You were the goat. Legally, she was clear, right? Yes. [00:26:46] Speaker G: She still is, isn't she? [00:26:48] Speaker E: Unless you write all this down and we can hold it over her head to prove collusion. [00:26:53] Speaker G: You speak to Niles. [00:26:55] Speaker E: He'll go along. The charges will be dropped if you'll make a statement. [00:26:59] Speaker G: Okay. [00:27:06] Speaker E: Enclosed fine notarized statement of Earl Rutherford explaining his part in the attempted collusion. Regarding policy 678Jn 23L. True to his word, Niles hardly dropped charges against Rutherford. Upon receipt of the enclosed, Rutherford settled his affairs and left Chicago. The following day, when Mrs. Staley was shown a carbon of the enclosed statement, she instructed her attorneys to withdraw suit. The night I was to leave town, I called at her apartment to have her sign a release of all claims. [00:27:50] Speaker J: Help me, Mr. Don. [00:27:51] Speaker E: Which way did he go? Help me. [00:27:53] Speaker J: Please help me. [00:28:00] Speaker E: I carried her to the couch, did what I could while startled tenants phoned for an ambulance and the police. After that, I began looking around. I found a dark stain on the windowsill leading out onto the fire escape. And on the floor, a blood stained letter opener. There was no gun anywhere in sight. I decided that if I'd been stabbed with a letter opener, it'd be easier to try three flights up to the roof than 14 down to the alley. [00:28:26] Speaker F: I was right. [00:28:28] Speaker E: Earl Rutherford was hanging over the top ledge of the building, firing down at me. I ducked into a window frame one flight away from him. [00:28:35] Speaker G: Get away from me, $. [00:28:36] Speaker E: You know I want Rutherford. You missed by a mile. You'll have to come down. It's the end of the line for you. [00:28:43] Speaker J: Don't do anything fooling. [00:28:44] Speaker E: I'm coming up after you. Come on then. [00:28:46] Speaker G: I'll be waiting for you. Good shot, though. [00:29:07] Speaker E: Can you walk? [00:29:09] Speaker G: No. [00:29:10] Speaker E: Why did you do it, Rutherford? You were clear. You were free. You didn't have to. [00:29:16] Speaker G: I didn't tell it all. $she told me tonight. Laughed at me. Said she was planning to run away with someone else when she got the insurance money. [00:29:34] Speaker E: Oh, I see. [00:29:37] Speaker G: She just used me all along. [00:29:53] Speaker E: Earl Rutherford died on the way to the receiving hospital. Mrs. Staley was dead when I got back to the apartment. Expense account item five, $53 hotel and food while in Chicago. Item six, same as item one, fare back to Hartford. Expense account total $219.77. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. [00:30:33] Speaker D: Yours truly, Johnny Dollar stars John Lund in the title role and was written by E. Jack Newman with music by Eddie Dunstetter. John Lund can currently be seen in the Universal International picture Just across the Street. Featured in tonight's cast were Jack Moyles, Edgar Barrier, Peggy Weber, Mary Lansing and John McIntyre. Yours truly, Johnny Dollars. Transcribed in Hollywood by Jaime Del Valle this is Dan Cubberly inviting you to join us next week at this time when John Lund returns as yours truly, Johnny Dollar. If you like your thrills to be real, your adventures to be true to life, Gangbusters is the show for you. Every Saturday night, most of these same CBS radio stations bring you gangbusters full of action, bravery and realistic excitement. Listen for new thrills on Gangbusters straight out of life every Saturday night on CBS Radio America now listens to 105. [00:31:45] Speaker E: Million radio sets and listens most to to the CBS Radio network. [00:31:53] Speaker A: That was the Chicago fraud affair from yours truly, Johnny Dollar here on the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast once again. I'm Eric. [00:32:02] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:32:03] Speaker C: And I'm Joshua. [00:32:04] Speaker A: And that is completing Tim's three part project of our unexamined Johnny Dollars. [00:32:12] Speaker B: The unexamined Johnny Dollars. [00:32:13] Speaker C: You should really get that Johnny Dollar looked at. [00:32:17] Speaker A: Every physical should have your Johnny Dollar examined. That, I will tell you, is more in line with the Bob Bailey episodes of Johnny. It follows the structure of the Bob Bailey series that I love and I still think are the best. And for anybody skipping around on the podcast, not following these in order, just giving you that information that I love the Bob Bailey episodes and have never listened to these other ones. That's why Tim is bringing these other ones to me. So that falls in line formatically and writing wise and everything with that series. I still think Bob Bailey actor wise is much more interesting than Lund was in this. Not that Lund is bad in this at all. I just Bob Bailey's got a je ne sais quoi to him. He's got a thing that I just adore. But I will say this, the plot itself for me, just starting off the conversation mundane all Right. [00:33:20] Speaker C: I want to say this before we get into the actual plot, because this is what struck me listening to this, is that this is Johnny Dragnet. [00:33:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:29] Speaker C: That's how it's very different from not very. How it's at least subtly different from Bob Bailey. [00:33:34] Speaker A: Right. [00:33:35] Speaker C: This has that police procedural quality. [00:33:39] Speaker A: Sure does. [00:33:39] Speaker C: It's not a hard boiled private eye kind of approach that some of the Bob Bailey episodes have or some of the mental o' Brien. And it's not at all like over the top or wild like some of the earlier ones. [00:33:53] Speaker B: Charles Russell. [00:33:54] Speaker C: Yeah, Charles Russell at all. And the performances are very understated. The dialogue is very naturalistic. And the sound reminded me of Dragnet, particularly his interview with the female elevator operator. That whole scene, the attention to detail in the sound effects from the rattle of the elevator cage. There's an echo when they're in the elevator. She wants to step out and we get like a cigarette lighting. We have traffic sounds on the street. And she is this anxious, flustered person he's interviewing, which I can totally imagine Joe Friday interviewing this woman. [00:34:34] Speaker B: Just some feedback. Not feedback. Background. In the choice of this episode for the previous two $20 episodes, I just grabbed the title of that. That looks cool. We'll do that one. [00:34:43] Speaker A: Right. [00:34:43] Speaker B: And for John Lund. Is that what I want to listen to? John Lund? I actually did listen to several different episodes and part of the decision making process went into the sound quality. A lot of them that I heard were so, so sound quality. And I in part chose this one for the more straightforward story. [00:35:05] Speaker C: It's a great contrast to the last two. [00:35:08] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a fine line between straightforward and mundane. [00:35:12] Speaker C: But if this were Dragnet, you'd love it. [00:35:14] Speaker A: That is correct. I am comparing it to Bob Bailey, Johnny Dollars. I can't get out of that. And you said it exactly right, that there's great repartee and wordplay and fun and twists, plot twists. I knew what had happened and I kept waiting for this to evolve into something different. And it didn't. It was that she set this up and he's just gotta prove it. And that's all it was. You see what I'm saying? [00:35:41] Speaker C: It's another. That it reminded me of Dragnet. They often know who did the crime. They're just finding them, finding the evidence, finding the witnesses. [00:35:48] Speaker A: Correct. [00:35:48] Speaker C: He knows from the get go that. Oh, not the get go, but very quickly into the story. He knows that somebody else took this physical for him. [00:35:57] Speaker B: Once he talks to the doctor and establishes like, I don't think the Doctor was in on it. Then it's just like, okay, so someone else took the physical. It's a question of who are the people who made that happen. [00:36:07] Speaker C: The Doctor scene, again, I'm gonna keep beating this dragnet drum because he's in a metal doctor's chair that squeaks at it. And it is time to squeak. When Johnny says something insulting to him, like, he squeaks, and you can see him lean forward to say, like, I know how to read a X ray, sir. So it's, again, very meticulous. [00:36:30] Speaker B: It also had the nice little element there of when he's still in narration, like, I'm going to go talk to the Doctor. You can hear the Doctor on the other side of the door already on the phone. [00:36:41] Speaker C: Yes. [00:36:43] Speaker B: It's sophisticated, nuanced storytelling will sound that way in what is a pretty straightforward story. [00:36:49] Speaker A: Every time that chair squeaked, I was reminded of all the times in our recording that I made my chair squeak and Joshua shoots me a look. [00:37:01] Speaker B: I'm adding Foley. [00:37:05] Speaker C: Added value. [00:37:06] Speaker E: Added value. [00:37:07] Speaker B: Overall, I really like this. And the vanillanness of it for me was a feature, not a bug. But in the big project of listening to all these, I really. The ones I love were the Charlie Russell crazy wacko ones of the earliest days. [00:37:23] Speaker C: My personal taste runs more toward the Charles Russell ones as well, just for pure fun. But I think I land the opposite of Eric while simultaneously agreeing with Eric. This is a rather mundane story, but I found it really intriguing that it was yet another stylistic tone and variation that can be found within Johnny Dollar. [00:37:45] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:37:45] Speaker C: And to me, listening to these curated episodes from Tim makes you realize, oh, Johnny Dollar has as much like, tonal swing as the Shadow. [00:37:56] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure it does. And that's. I agree with that. It's a fascinating journey to listen to all these different styles. [00:38:04] Speaker C: It's really interesting and I admire that. They don't have to experiment. No, they just do, because they get different writers in or different producers or different talents. Writers just get bored. And I think it's much more interesting to listen to something that changes through its run than just stay static. [00:38:23] Speaker B: And you never know if that's the story of the series. This is what the series became. And then it ended, it lost its momentum and they decided, we're starting over again. Let's find someone who can. Can be a little more of like it used to be, a little more upbeat and a little more sense of humor to it. [00:38:40] Speaker A: Such a risk. If you have something that's well known and you're going to change the formula of it, because you know the. The title, yours truly, Johnny Dollar, already well known, famous, well liked to go in and absolutely change the entire delivery of it, so to speak, is super risky. [00:38:59] Speaker C: Yeah. The tone of this absolutely does not match the title of the show. [00:39:04] Speaker A: No. [00:39:04] Speaker C: Right. Which is a little tongue in cheek and a little winky. Which is little winky. [00:39:13] Speaker E: Yes. [00:39:13] Speaker B: This chain Dollar is not the one who's gonna like and send some money to my eight girlfriends. [00:39:19] Speaker C: There's not a wise crack in here. At most you get a couple wry comments. [00:39:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:23] Speaker C: But there's nothing glib about any of this. An unexamined little winky is not worth winking. But I'm wondering if some of your disappointment with the mundaneness of this story is related to the over the top promise of the hook when he says, I just talked to a guy who took out a $50,000 life insurance policy and then starved to death. [00:39:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:51] Speaker C: And then he even backs down a little. First he's like, well, died of malnutrition. [00:39:55] Speaker A: Right. [00:39:55] Speaker C: But because he was like. But starved to death is a better hook. [00:39:58] Speaker A: The Bob Bailey ones give you that phone ring and that hook at the top. That takes a long time for him to figure out what happened. And with a lot of twists and turns. And I will say that I just recently came to this conclusion about a day ago, actually, that I was struck by how much the Bob Bailey Johnny Dollar episodes remind me of episodes of the Rockford Files. [00:40:29] Speaker C: I can see that. [00:40:30] Speaker A: And that's why I think I love them so much. [00:40:34] Speaker B: That's the real line between those two characters. [00:40:36] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. There's a lot of similarity, not the least of which is narratively. Both of them take you through the eyes of the lead that you only know what they know. And I like that. I don't like being told by outside sources or a scene cut where you see the criminals doing the thing that they've got to discover. I like just discovering it with the main character. [00:41:02] Speaker B: One of the main things in this story that jumped out at me as being distinctive among all the spectrum of Johnny Dollars is just how dark. I mean, there's people die in all these stories, but the two deaths are pretty grisly. [00:41:18] Speaker C: Yeah. Or even again, back to that hook. Those opening lines suggest, oh, maybe we're gonna have a John Dixon Carr style impossible mystery here. And then it's like, oh, no, he was just a alcoholic who spent 18 months drinking himself to death. There's no interest in, well, what happened in this guy's life? What was he like? They don't care about him. [00:41:42] Speaker A: Right. [00:41:42] Speaker C: Yeah. Because it's sort of outside Johnny Dollar's mission. That's interesting in and of itself. I kept thinking like, oh, maybe we'll get a little look into his life or what made him shrink himself to death. [00:41:54] Speaker A: And that they, other than alcohol is really good. The reference is made of, you know, he started his drinking. I probably got this wrong, but 18 months ago, or there is. They give the starting point of, oh, he started drinking. Then it piques your curiosity to, oh, what happened that made him start drinking. [00:42:15] Speaker C: But they never explore that, which I think is interesting. That's not a critique. It to me underscores this procedural quality to this. [00:42:24] Speaker B: It's just a dot on the timeline. [00:42:26] Speaker A: But I also thought that what happened to him might have something to do with the solution. You know what I'm saying? But it doesn't. [00:42:36] Speaker C: This one did have that male pity party quality with Rutherford at the end. And I thought it was fascinating that Johnny Dollar, when he confronts Mrs. Daly, like, walks out and says, how can you even sleep at night? But then when he talks to the guy who's equally culpable, he's like, well, maybe I can get you out of this. Maybe there won't be any charges pressed against you. And so it's a little disproportionate and I think thoroughly we're supposed to feel sor. A little sorrier for the Rutherford character who's like, I asked her to marry me by her. [00:43:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:12] Speaker C: She didn't immediately say yes. I think, how dare she want someone more exciting and witty. [00:43:18] Speaker A: I, I think this is testimony to it being good. How frustrated I was that Rutherford was able to walk away, turn her in and you're done, and he goes back and kills her. You idiot. Why are you doing that? [00:43:37] Speaker C: Johnny Dollar says the same thing. Yeah, but yet it made me wonder in an earlier scene with Daley, he tells her, you do know he's probably gonna kill you. And so he might have been saying that just to scare her into a confession. But if he really thought that, yeah, it's pretty irresponsible to just say, yeah, we got you off the hook. See ya. Right. [00:43:59] Speaker B: Don't kill anybody. [00:44:01] Speaker A: As far as production value and creating space in our brains. Right. Were you struck, like, I was very struck by the. I'm going to go up to the roof and go after the guy, the Foley, the pacing, the writing. I can see him shooting down at him. I can see him climbing the last few rungs of the ladder. Then you hear him Walking on the gravel of the roof. There's no descriptors other than gunshots, But I can see it all. And I thought, oh, that's really well done. Like, I can see that playing out without a lot of heavy lifting. [00:44:41] Speaker B: That whole scene of she's dead. There's the bloody letter opener. There's the trail of blood with, you know, as you're just saying, with a bit of foley, a little exposition, it's clear as day and really well directed in your mind. [00:44:56] Speaker A: And that last gunfire, it's interesting because I was counting shots, so I went, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Just so you know, there's five in the last round. And I went, nope. What kind of gun does he have? And they went, oh, he's shooting back at him. And I went, cool. Way to not make me go, that's stupid. [00:45:14] Speaker C: It made me wonder what sort of special powers an insurance investigator has to exchange gunfire with someone and be off the hook. [00:45:24] Speaker A: It's how it is. [00:45:25] Speaker B: I don't know if it. I mean, if he, in theory, went up there and felt like, this guy's armed and he's going to kill me. [00:45:31] Speaker C: And he will obviously had a license to kill. [00:45:35] Speaker A: Right. Insurance agents, too, yo. [00:45:37] Speaker C: He's truly James bond. Copyright. [00:45:46] Speaker A: What are the thoughts you have, Joshua? [00:45:47] Speaker C: Okay, so this is not about the episode. It's about the commercial for Tarzan. And I say Tarzan because here's my question. Have I been mispronouncing Tarzan my entire life, Putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable? He's like, he calls it Tarzan, and I'm like, that's not his name. [00:46:05] Speaker A: I'm so glad you also caught that because I ended up in a whirlwind in my own head. Tarzan. Tarzan. Tarzan. So it wasn't just me. [00:46:14] Speaker C: I wonder if there's some copyright issue and they didn't actually. I wonder if it pay for Tarzan. So this is tarz Tarzan. [00:46:21] Speaker B: I wonder if it was like, Tarzan radio and then the movies made it. Tarzan might have been. [00:46:25] Speaker A: But the journey I went down saying them both back and forth is I eventually ended up with Tarzan. The emphasis that way sounds so much better than Tarzan. Yeah, Tarzan. [00:46:36] Speaker C: I'm gonna say it's a totally different, like, knockoff character who was raised by raccoons. He's just, like, foraging in garbage. [00:46:45] Speaker B: I have this right in an alley. A spondy instead of a trochee. [00:46:50] Speaker C: Is that some of your poetry education coming in? Yes. [00:46:54] Speaker A: Say that again. [00:46:55] Speaker B: You don't like iambic pentameter from Shakespeare? [00:46:57] Speaker C: Yes. [00:46:57] Speaker B: And Iam is two Beats unaccented one and an accented one. Most Western surnames that are two syllables are trochees like yours. Webster. Yeah, emphasis on the first one. Aspandi is emphasis on both. So Tarzan as opposed to Tarzan. [00:47:17] Speaker A: But I say Tarzan. [00:47:18] Speaker B: Let me Tarzan. [00:47:20] Speaker A: But I say Tarzan. I also say that's a. I also say television and tv. [00:47:25] Speaker B: Oh, that's a whole different. [00:47:26] Speaker A: I also say tv and I get a lot of grief from that, from my wife. Do you say tv? [00:47:30] Speaker C: It's tv. Oh, yeah. [00:47:32] Speaker A: Tv. [00:47:32] Speaker C: My wife, too. But your wife lived in California as well. I wonder if it's a tv. Yeah, because. [00:47:38] Speaker A: And then my argument is, what kind of vision is it? It's television. Therefore the emphasis is on what you're describing. It's television. Tv. And she just looks at me, goes, you're wrong. I never get anywhere with this. [00:47:50] Speaker C: Sleep on the couch, but it is the sofa. [00:47:59] Speaker A: All right, let's vote. I will start it with. Very enjoyable. It's great. I love this journey. Thank you, Tim. I'm glad to be exposed to all this. Bob Bailey is still the clear winner. I learned a little something with your Dragnet analysis that. Yeah, I think the comparison to the others made me not enjoy and appreciate the procedural of this because I'm comparing. So my estimation of this, my vote on this, because of this discussion, a little bit higher. Stands the test of time. And it's pretty good. [00:48:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Similar of out of context of the other Johnny Dollars. I feel like this is a really solid, well made, lots of nice touches. Episode in the context of other Johnny Dollars. I enjoy the other ones more. They're fun. The Charlie Russell ones, I think are my favorite just because it's a little extra weird. There's a landmine under the carpet. That's my kind of story. But it's. One of the lovely features of this series is there's a wide variety of Johnny Dollar to be had and it's got a lot of consistency in the quality. So it stands test of time. [00:49:11] Speaker C: Yeah, I think this was a lot of fun to listen to, particularly in contrast to the other episodes you chose. So good job there. I also think it's a great example of how a somewhat straightforward, mundane plot can be elevated by performance and production values, which made it incredibly fun to tune into and listen harder to. To hear all the little details. And as I said, I really appreciate a program that really takes advantage of the elasticity of the premise and allows itself to do these changes in stylistic approach and tone. So, yeah, definitely stands the test of time. It's always hard to say it's just a classic. I haven't listened to enough Johnny Dollar and I just think it helps to prove why Johnny Dollar as a program is a classic and has lasted so long and been such a favorite of old time radio fans for so long. [00:50:13] Speaker A: But is it a classic classic? [00:50:17] Speaker C: Did you spawn to it? [00:50:18] Speaker B: That was my classic classic classic. [00:50:23] Speaker A: Tim, tell him stuff. [00:50:24] Speaker B: Please go visit ghoulishdlights.com home of this podcast. You'll find all the other episodes we've listened to there. You can vote in polls. Let us know what you think about these. Leave comments. Your opin can be recorded. I was going to say it's important to us, but I'll say it can be recorded and it's important to us. You could also find there links to our store. If you want to buy some swag, a T shirt, a hoodie, a travel mug, you can get those things with our logo and you'll find a link to our Patreon page. [00:50:56] Speaker C: Yes, go to patreon.com themorals and support this podcast. It is so nice to have, I don't know, money. It's Cut to the chase. It makes this podcast possible. That's what we say to our wives when we disappear for an entire evening to record these episodes. It's like honey, I'm making some money. [00:51:23] Speaker A: This is our ice fishing. [00:51:26] Speaker C: So please help us justify this podcast to our wives. And go to patreon.com themorals if you'd. [00:51:33] Speaker A: Like to see the mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Theater Company. We perform classic recreations of old time radio shows live on stage. We also perform a lot of our own audio drama work. Come see us performing radio drama by going to ghoulishdelights.com and finding out where we're performing, what we're performing, and how to get tickets if you're unable to go to our shows, which are pretty much monthly for whatever reason. If you're a Patreon, we record them and the audio is made available to you of our live recording. So another perk of being a Patreon. What's coming up next? [00:52:08] Speaker C: Next is your choice, Eric. [00:52:10] Speaker A: We're gonna be doing an episode of Suspense called the Red Headed Woman with some interesting things about that that we'll tell you then. Until then, don't kill anybody.