Episode 404: Investigate Missing Scientists

[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. [00:00:35] 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: This week I brought a series we have not yet featured on the podcast Dangerous Assignment. [00:00:48] Speaker C: Brian Dunleavy starred in this NBC Radio adventure series as a globe trotting special agent named Steve Mitchell. The series began as a limited seven episode run during the summer of 1949, but it was received well enough to warrant extending the show until 1953. The show ran concurrently with a TV series of the same name between 1951 and 1952, which also starred Dunleavy. The scripts were reused for an Australian version of the show that ran from 1954 to 1956. [00:01:21] Speaker A: Dangerous assignment often gets compared to A Man Called X, and for a year the two were scheduled back to back with Dangerous Assignment leading into its more popular partner. But it did manage to get to television five years ahead of A Man Called X. [00:01:37] Speaker B: For most episodes of Dangerous Assignment there is not a clearly established title, and the Internet provides a typical blend of confidence and inconsistency. Often this episode is called the Nazi and the Physicist, but we'll use the title that the gone but not forgotten digital deli offered Investigate Missing Scientists Heard here now after being first broadcasts April. [00:01:58] Speaker C: 24, 1950 it's late at night and a chill has set in. You're alone and 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. [00:02:21] Speaker D: Dangerous Assignment starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell. First, a word from the Ford dealers of America. [00:02:47] Speaker E: Everyone's saying that the 50 Ford is a great car. Listen to what Mr. W.W. henderson of Pomona, California, one of more than 470,000 owners of new Ford, says last January. [00:02:59] Speaker F: I bought a new 1950 Ford six cylinder, two door. This car is truly a pleasure to drive and its economy is wonderful. I've driven it about 6,000 miles in city and country, driving an average over 21 miles per gallon. It rides quiet and steers easily, too. [00:03:17] Speaker E: Yes, the owner of a 1950 Ford knows the real meaning of economy. He'll tell you that his big new Ford is low in first cost, inexpensive to maintain and thrifty to operate. But find out for yourself. Stop at your nearest Ford dealers and get the facts on Ford Economy. Then get in the driver's seat and test drive the big new Ford for 50. [00:03:56] Speaker F: Good morning, Commissioner. [00:03:57] Speaker G: Steve. [00:03:58] Speaker F: Well, what part of the world do I head for to get shot at this time? [00:04:00] Speaker G: You've been hounding me for a vacation lately, haven't you? [00:04:03] Speaker F: Sure, but that hound is a barking dog you never bite. [00:04:06] Speaker G: You've got a vacation coming to you. Go ahead and take it. [00:04:09] Speaker F: Come again? [00:04:10] Speaker G: You heard me. Take your vacation. [00:04:12] Speaker F: Are you kidding? [00:04:13] Speaker G: Of course not. There's just one condition. [00:04:16] Speaker F: I should have known. What is it? [00:04:18] Speaker E: I picked a spot. [00:04:19] Speaker F: Alaska. Alaska? Now look, if I'm taking a vacation, I'd like to go somewhere and bake in the sun. [00:04:25] Speaker G: Haven't you ever heard of baked Alaska? [00:04:27] Speaker F: Oh, you're in real great form today. [00:04:30] Speaker G: Look, do you want this vacation or don't you? [00:04:32] Speaker F: Do I have a choice? [00:04:32] Speaker G: No. [00:04:33] Speaker F: That's what I thought. Well, you're sure of course that it is a vacation. [00:04:37] Speaker G: You know, you're a very suspicious man. Sure it's a vacation. Of course there is the matter of the two missing scientists. [00:04:46] Speaker F: Oh great. My vacation has just turned into a busman's holiday. Okay, let's have it. [00:04:50] Speaker G: Probably nothing to it really, just a simple matter. [00:04:54] Speaker F: Sure, sure, just a simple matter. But somebody will probably have me chained to a sinking iceberg before it's over. [00:05:00] Speaker G: Steve, A week ago, two scientists went to Alaska. An ex Nazi named Dr. Herman Kreuther, who's been de Nazified, we think. And a younger man, a nuclear physicist, Dr. William Peters. [00:05:13] Speaker F: Why'd they go up there? [00:05:14] Speaker G: To conduct experiments on the effect of water temperature on a new theory of submarine detection. They were to be gone three months. Two days ago was Peter's wedding anniversary. He promised to call his wife on that day. She didn't hear from him. [00:05:28] Speaker F: Well, a guy forgets to call his wife. So you send me to Alaska? [00:05:31] Speaker G: When Mrs. Peters didn't hear from him, she got worried and flew to Fairbanks. She's there now waiting to meet you. [00:05:37] Speaker F: You think these two scientists stumbled onto something important up there? [00:05:41] Speaker G: I don't know anything about it, Steve, other than what I've just told you. But I can't help thinking that. [00:05:47] Speaker F: Sure, sure, when you think I move. Okay, Alaska it is. [00:05:51] Speaker G: Mrs. Peters is at the Waterfield Hotel in Fairbanks. Well, that's it, Steve. You've got your assignment. I mean your vacation. [00:06:00] Speaker F: Good luck. [00:06:09] Speaker D: You are listening to Dangerous Assignment starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell, colorful two fisted government agent. At all those places of the world where danger and intrigue walk hand in hand, there you will find Steve Mitchell on another dangerous assignment. [00:06:34] Speaker F: Sure. I've got myself a vacation. A big fat week. Nothing to do but enjoy myself. Plus, of course, the little matter of locating two missing scientists in an area big as most of Europe put together. Well, it's Wednesday. When I get to my destination, Mrs. Peters is waiting for me in her hotel room. [00:06:51] Speaker H: I'm so glad you're here to help, Mr. Mitchell. I've been worried sick. Oh, I know it sounds silly. Call it a premonition or a woman's intuition or whatever you want, but I think something's happened to Bill and Dr. Kreutzer. [00:07:03] Speaker F: Well, it could have slipped his mind. [00:07:05] Speaker H: Bill is a scientist, Mr. Mitchell. He never forgets anything. [00:07:08] Speaker F: I understand he's a nuclear physicist. [00:07:11] Speaker H: That's right. [00:07:12] Speaker F: Seems a little strange that he should come up here with Dr. Kreutzer when the purpose of the trip had nothing to do with his specialty. [00:07:18] Speaker H: He's been working very hard lately. He thought the change would do him good. [00:07:22] Speaker F: How long has your husband known this Dr. Kreutzer? [00:07:25] Speaker H: Ever since Kreutzer came to the United States shortly after the war. [00:07:29] Speaker F: You know much about Kreutzer? [00:07:30] Speaker H: No, hardly anything. But Bill seemed to take a liking to him right from the first. [00:07:35] Speaker F: Did he ever talk to you about Kreutzer's political beliefs? [00:07:38] Speaker H: No. As a matter of fact, Bill has always avoided any political discussion. [00:07:43] Speaker F: I see. Well, have you any leads that I can follow? [00:07:46] Speaker H: Yes, this postcard. It's from Bill, mailed the day you. [00:07:49] Speaker F: Arrived from here in Fairbanks? [00:07:51] Speaker H: No, from a place called Cordova. He mentioned staying at a Mrs. Ludwig's boarding house there. [00:07:57] Speaker F: Cordova. Let's see, I've got a map of Alaska here someplace. Yeah, here we are. Cordova is a town south of here on the coast. Incidentally, take a look at these pictures they gave me in the States. One's your husband and the other's Dr. Kreutzer. Are they reasonably good likenesses? [00:08:15] Speaker H: Yes, they are, Mr. Mitchell. [00:08:17] Speaker F: Well, I'm going to fly down to Cordova and talk to this Mrs. Ludwig and at her boarding house and I'll let you know if I turn up anything there. [00:08:34] Speaker I: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I come, I come, I come, I come. [00:08:39] Speaker G: Yes. [00:08:40] Speaker F: You run this boarding house? [00:08:41] Speaker I: I am Mrs. Ludwig. You want a room? [00:08:43] Speaker F: Well, I want some information about two ex boarders, Kreutzer and Peters. [00:08:47] Speaker I: Who are you? [00:08:48] Speaker F: Steve Mitchell. I'm a friend of theirs. [00:08:50] Speaker I: Then I want to talk to you, Mr. Mitchell. [00:08:52] Speaker F: Well, that makes it mutual. [00:08:53] Speaker I: Come in, come in. Yes, I want very Much to talk to a friend of Kreutzer and Peters. [00:08:58] Speaker F: Why? [00:08:58] Speaker I: Because they skip out of here without paying their bill. Now if you are a friend of theirs, maybe you pay for it. [00:09:04] Speaker F: How much is it? [00:09:05] Speaker I: Room and board, three days. For the two of them, $30. [00:09:08] Speaker F: So they only stayed here three days, huh? [00:09:10] Speaker I: Yeah, and that is not bad enough for them to skip out without paying. They have to check in at the Atlas Hotel for another day. But they pay over there. [00:09:18] Speaker F: Wait a minute. Let's get this straight. They leave this boarding house, check in at the Atlas Hotel and leave again after a day there? [00:09:24] Speaker I: Yeah, yeah. [00:09:26] Speaker F: How long ago did they spend this day at the hotel? [00:09:28] Speaker I: Three days ago. [00:09:29] Speaker F: Did they leave any forwarding address there? [00:09:31] Speaker I: No, thought I check. The clerk is a friend of mine, but he told me that they leave no address. Now, about this money they owe. You take care of it. [00:09:39] Speaker F: Well, I'll make a deal with you, Mrs. Ludwig. I'll take care of their bill if you can give me any more leads about them. [00:09:45] Speaker I: Leads? What is this leads? [00:09:47] Speaker F: Well, what I mean is. [00:09:48] Speaker E: Norman, I thought you told me you were going to clean up my room this day. [00:09:51] Speaker I: I am. I can't do two things at once, Mr. Campbell. I get round to it soon as I have time. [00:09:56] Speaker E: For the price of man pays here, he's a right to expect a little service. [00:09:59] Speaker I: You don't like it here, you move. [00:10:01] Speaker E: I've a good mind to it. [00:10:02] Speaker F: Hey, wait a minute. [00:10:04] Speaker E: Are you addressing me? [00:10:05] Speaker F: Yeah. Look, you're a boarder here. Maybe you heard the two guys I'm looking for talking about where they were going. [00:10:11] Speaker E: Without knowing whom you're looking. I couldn't say. [00:10:14] Speaker I: This is Mr. Mitchell. He says he's a friend of Ko and Peters. The two that skipped out a few days ago. [00:10:19] Speaker E: Mr. Mitchell, I've got no time to indulge in idle gossip. I'm a hard working lumberman. [00:10:25] Speaker F: Yeah, I figured that without your telling me. [00:10:28] Speaker E: What do you mean by that? [00:10:30] Speaker F: That pine smell sticks out all over you. But if you could just tell me anything that you might have heard them say. [00:10:36] Speaker E: I've got no information that will help you. [00:10:40] Speaker F: Nice friendly guy. [00:10:41] Speaker I: Well, he pays his rent, which is more than your friends did. Now are you going to pay that bill or not? [00:10:47] Speaker F: Okay. And I'll take a room here too. Now, is there anyone else who might have information about Kreutzer and Peters? [00:10:53] Speaker I: Mr. Julian used to talk to them now and then. He's another border. Runs a shoe repair shop down the street. [00:10:59] Speaker F: Mr. Julian. Okay, I'll check with him. [00:11:01] Speaker I: Just A minute. [00:11:03] Speaker F: You think of something else? [00:11:04] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:11:05] Speaker I: If you want a room here, it's cash in advance. [00:11:20] Speaker F: Yes, he'll be right with you. [00:11:21] Speaker G: Okay. [00:11:25] Speaker J: Ah, what can I do for you, sir? [00:11:27] Speaker F: Your name Julian? Yeah, I'm Steve Mitchell. Nice little place you've got here. [00:11:32] Speaker J: Well, thanks, Mr. Mitchell. Yeah, I finally got in. The place in pretty good shape. [00:11:36] Speaker F: Yeah. I see you've been doing a little remodeling. [00:11:39] Speaker J: Heavy machinery is hard on these pine floors. I have to put in new flooring every now and then. [00:11:45] Speaker F: You know, the smell from these boards remind me of one Mr. Campbell. [00:11:49] Speaker J: Oh, you know Campbell? [00:11:50] Speaker F: Yeah, I just met him at Mrs. Ludwig's. About as friendly as a clam, isn't he? [00:11:55] Speaker J: He's not what you'd call talkative, Mr. Mitchell. I don't think that you came here either to talk about Mr. Campbell or to have your shoes fixed. What's on your mind? [00:12:04] Speaker F: Well, I'm trying to locate two friends of mine, Kreutzer and Peters. Mrs. Ludwig told me that you'd talked to them a couple of times at the boarding house, and I thought maybe you could help me. Go ahead and wait on your customers. I'm in no hurry. All right. [00:12:16] Speaker J: They sell shoes here only secondhand on claim pairs during the winter. [00:12:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:21] Speaker J: Help yourself, please. Be with you in just a minute. [00:12:24] Speaker G: All right. [00:12:26] Speaker J: Mr. Mitchell, are you sure that you are a friend of Croit's son, Peterson? [00:12:30] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:12:30] Speaker F: Why? [00:12:31] Speaker J: Because I think I know where you might find your friends. [00:12:34] Speaker F: Where? [00:12:35] Speaker J: I heard them speak of going to see a girl named Christine Beauvais. I think they called her up in Anchorage. I didn't say anything to Mrs. Ludwig about it because if they want to leave without paying their bill, that's their business. I'm a shoe repair man, not a debt collector. [00:12:48] Speaker F: Christine Bovet. [00:12:50] Speaker G: How. [00:12:50] Speaker F: How long ago was that? [00:12:51] Speaker J: Oh, three. No, no, four days ago. Yeah, I remember four, because that was the day that we had the scare about the submarine. [00:12:58] Speaker F: What submarine? [00:12:59] Speaker J: Oh, a couple of fishermen sighted what they thought was a periscope close offshore. We've had several reports like that up here lately. [00:13:07] Speaker F: Yeah, we've had them all over lately. Okay, thanks, Julian. I'll see. Well, I never thought I'd find a Chinese puzzle in Alaska, but it sure looks like I'm staring one in the face right now. Two scientists take off for Alaska on a three month trip. They skip out of a boarding house in Cordova, check in and out of the Atlas Hotel in the same town, then head for Anchorage to see a girl named Christine Bove. [00:13:39] Speaker E: At this Point. [00:13:39] Speaker F: I don't even have a glimmer of what's behind it all. But I do know my next stop is Anchorage. It's dark when I get there, and I look up Christine Beauvais in the phone book and go on over. [00:13:56] Speaker H: Yeah? [00:13:57] Speaker F: Are you Christine Bove? Sure. [00:14:00] Speaker H: Come on in. [00:14:01] Speaker F: I'm trying to get a line on a couple of friends of mine. [00:14:05] Speaker H: I know a lot of guys. [00:14:06] Speaker F: Their names are Kreutzer and Peters. [00:14:08] Speaker H: Never heard of them. [00:14:09] Speaker F: Look, they supposedly came here to Anchorage to see you. [00:14:12] Speaker H: I tell you, I don't know them. [00:14:13] Speaker F: Yeah, well, they were talking about coming to see you. [00:14:16] Speaker H: Beat it. [00:14:16] Speaker F: Now, Chris. [00:14:17] Speaker H: I said beat it. [00:14:19] Speaker F: All right. But if you change your mind, I'm staying at Mrs. Ludwig's boarding house in Cordova. [00:14:23] Speaker I: You heard me. [00:14:24] Speaker H: Get lost. [00:14:32] Speaker F: Add another piece to the puzzle. Why did Christine lie about knowing Kreutzer and Peters? I go down the street a way and I wait. A few minutes later, she comes out and takes off along the boardwalk. I follow. Suddenly, she darts into an alley. I speed up and turn in. It's dark in there, but enough light to tell me that she's disappeared and that it's a blind alley. Then I hear the car behind me. I whirl around. It's just entering the alley, heading for me. And the alley's just wide enough for that car. There's no room left over for me and nowhere to go. I'm Trapp. [00:15:13] Speaker D: In a moment, you will hear the second act of Dangerous Assignment after this brief message from the Ford dealers of America. [00:15:20] Speaker E: When you want the facts about a car, it pays to go to the people who know. And this year, the folks who have had a chance to compare the new Ford are saying that it is the finest car Ford has ever turned up. Yes, ask any Ford owner, any garage mechanic, any filling station operator, and you'll soon learn that the beautiful new Ford is tops for comfort, for performance, for safety and for economy. They'll tell you what a thrill it is to drive this great car. They'll talk about its power and the way it stands up under all kinds of driving conditions. And they'll give you the facts about Ford economy. For this car is low in first cost and high in resale value. It's inexpensive to maintain and thrifty on gas and oil. But see, hear and feel the difference yourself. Before you buy any car at any price, stop at your local Ford dealers and test drive the big new 1950 Ford. [00:16:17] Speaker D: And now, here is the second act of dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy. As Steve Mitchell. [00:16:29] Speaker F: The car keeps coming down the alley toward me. It's no use to flatten myself against the wall. Then I spot a side door in the building. [00:16:35] Speaker J: Locked. [00:16:36] Speaker F: I throw my weight against it. Car's right on top of me. Now the door gives just in time. The car screeches to a stop. Jam's into reverse. Piketails back out of the alley. But not before I've spotted the guy inside. It's the man who came into the shoe shop while I was talking to Julian. So I've been followed even then. [00:16:55] Speaker D: But why? [00:16:57] Speaker F: It's morning when I get back to Mrs. Ludwig's boarding house in Cordova, and she's talking to a tall, skinny gentleman. [00:17:03] Speaker I: Mr. Mitchell, this is Fred the boatman. He's got some information about your deadbeat friends. [00:17:09] Speaker F: What is it, Fred? Well, I make my living rent and boats, see? [00:17:14] Speaker E: Well, four days ago, this Kreutzer and. [00:17:17] Speaker F: Peters came to me and wanted to. [00:17:18] Speaker E: Rent a boat, see? [00:17:19] Speaker F: Yeah, they wanted to go fishing, they said. So I rent them a boat, see? Well, what about it? Well, that's what I'd like to know. [00:17:26] Speaker E: They never bring it back, see? [00:17:29] Speaker F: This morning, I find it hung up. [00:17:30] Speaker E: On a rocky point south of town. [00:17:32] Speaker F: Uh, no sign of the two of them. [00:17:34] Speaker H: Nothing. [00:17:35] Speaker E: So my boat's ruined, see? [00:17:37] Speaker F: And nobody to pay for it. Wait a minute. The day they rented that boat, was that by any chance? The day a sub was sighted off the coast? Why, say, four days ago? [00:17:48] Speaker I: Yeah. [00:17:49] Speaker F: Yeah, I think it was. [00:17:51] Speaker G: Why? [00:17:51] Speaker F: What's that got to do with it? That's what I'm wondering, see? [00:17:54] Speaker I: Mr. Mitchell? [00:17:56] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:17:58] Speaker G: For me? [00:17:59] Speaker I: That's what the lady said. Steve Mitchell. [00:18:02] Speaker D: Okay. [00:18:06] Speaker F: Hello? [00:18:07] Speaker H: This is Christine Bovet, Mr. Mitchell. [00:18:09] Speaker F: Christine Bovet. Well, this is one call I never thought I'd be getting. [00:18:13] Speaker H: I couldn't talk to you at my apartment last night. I was afraid. [00:18:16] Speaker F: Of what? [00:18:17] Speaker H: Someone's been following me. [00:18:18] Speaker F: Oh, is that why you ducked into that alley? [00:18:20] Speaker H: Yeah. I knew they were after me, but I managed to get away from them. [00:18:23] Speaker F: I was almost not so lucky. [00:18:25] Speaker H: Mr. Mitchell, will you meet me at Pete's Bar tonight? I want to tell you something about Kreutzer and Peters. [00:18:32] Speaker F: So you do know them. [00:18:33] Speaker H: Of course. When you asked me about it last night, I was afraid you were working with the men who'd been after me. I'll tell you all about it tonight. [00:18:42] Speaker F: Okay. I'll be waiting there at 8. See you then. [00:18:54] Speaker J: Howdy, friend. [00:18:55] Speaker F: What's it going to be, brother? I know where you're from. Texas? [00:18:59] Speaker E: Nope. Oklahoma. [00:19:01] Speaker J: Oh, just across the line on a windy day. We could hear them texting to talk, though. Friend, if you think I talk funny, you ought to hear the accent on them Texans. [00:19:11] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:19:13] Speaker J: Your name? [00:19:13] Speaker D: Mitchell. [00:19:15] Speaker J: Some high stepping fella left you a message. [00:19:17] Speaker F: Oh? [00:19:18] Speaker G: What is it? [00:19:18] Speaker J: She wants you to meet her at the cannery. [00:19:21] Speaker F: The cannery? Where's that? [00:19:23] Speaker J: Out on the pier yonder. Can't miss it. [00:19:25] Speaker F: Wonder why she wants me to meet her there. [00:19:27] Speaker J: Fran, I don't ask no one no questions. You want to do your sparkling and canneries, why, that's your business. But me, son, I'll take. [00:19:35] Speaker F: Wait a minute. When this filly, as you call her, came in, was a man following her? [00:19:39] Speaker J: Friend, if I hadn't been on duty, I'd have followed her myself. But not to the cannery. Me, I'd have followed her. [00:19:45] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah. Here. That's for the drink. [00:19:48] Speaker J: Better have a refill, friend. Might kill your sense of smell. [00:19:52] Speaker F: What do you mean? [00:19:53] Speaker J: You get a whiff of the cannery? You know what I mean. [00:20:02] Speaker F: The cannery on the pier is. It's dark. I spot a side door. Open it and the aroma of fish almost knocks me down. Suddenly, a hand closes around my mouth, pulling my head back. A gun jams into my back. Through the fish smell, I can catch a whiff of something else. A familiar smell I can't take. Then the gun eases a little. There's a flashlight outside. Steps along the pier. Probably the night watchman. The killer's waiting. Until he passes, I can't call out. My only chance is to make noise somehow. Then my eye catches a glint of shiny metal. A stack of tin cans near me. I drop to one knee and grab the hand over my mouth. The guy goes flying. The gunman takes off through the garden cannery. I try to follow, but I bump into every hunk of junk in the place. He gets away. Oh, Christine Bove was just a decoy. But again comes the big question. [00:20:53] Speaker G: Why? [00:20:54] Speaker F: Why now? I'm tired of asking myself. So I decide to ask. Christ. Commissioner. Commissioner. [00:21:03] Speaker G: Oh, yes, Steve. I'm glad you called. I've been trying to get in touch with you. What have you got so far? [00:21:08] Speaker F: Well, I thought I had the whole deal figured out, Commissioner, but it just blew up in my face. [00:21:13] Speaker G: What do you mean? [00:21:13] Speaker F: Well, put it together this way. Two scientists come up here. One of them is an ex Nazi. Those boys have a reputation of selling out to the highest bidder. So the other's the nuclear physicist who avoids the mention of politics. So they disappear from a rooming house, pop up at a hotel near the waterfront. They check out of that hotel and somewhere along the line they rent a boat to go fishing. Now that boat turns up later, but they don't. And along about this time there's a submarine sighted off the coast. Yeah. I thought our boys had had a change of heart and decided to leave the country. But what happened a half an hour ago changed my mind. [00:21:48] Speaker G: What do you mean? [00:21:49] Speaker F: Somebody tried to kill me in a cannery. Now if the scientists had left, the deal would be all over. Then why the attempt on my life? [00:21:56] Speaker G: Now that's the point, Steve. Kreutzer and Peters haven't left the country. That's why I've been trying to reach you. Three days ago they checked into a hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. [00:22:04] Speaker F: What? [00:22:05] Speaker G: They also dipped down to Seattle. At last report they were heading north again. [00:22:08] Speaker F: Well, they could be collecting information from various points. [00:22:11] Speaker G: And that was my thought. Maybe they're still planning on leaving the country after they've collected the information. If that's true, you've got to stop them. [00:22:17] Speaker F: Yeah, first I've got to find them. [00:22:19] Speaker G: Any leads at all? [00:22:20] Speaker F: Well, I've only got one left. They checked in and out of the Atlas Hotel here in Cordova a few days ago. I'll go over there. [00:22:27] Speaker G: Now. [00:22:27] Speaker F: There's just a bare possibility that they may be back. [00:22:30] Speaker G: Where are you now, Steve? [00:22:31] Speaker F: I'm at Mrs. Ludwig's boarding house. Out. [00:22:33] Speaker G: What's the matter? [00:22:34] Speaker F: Somebody just came in the front door. I'll call you back. Well, Mr. Campbell, the lumberman. [00:22:43] Speaker E: Oh, it's the man Mitchell, isn't it? [00:22:45] Speaker F: Yeah, it's the man Mitchell. You out kind of late tonight for a hard working lumberman, aren't you? [00:22:51] Speaker E: I believe a man has a right to take a walk in the evening if he wants. [00:22:55] Speaker F: That all depends on where he walks. You weren't by any chance taking a walk down near the cannery, were you? [00:23:01] Speaker E: Now why would I be walking down there? [00:23:04] Speaker F: That's just what I'm wondering. [00:23:06] Speaker E: I'll thank you to mind your own business, Mr. Mitchell. [00:23:10] Speaker F: You know that's just what I'm trying to do. Well, sweet dreams, Campbell. [00:23:26] Speaker I: Okay, okay, I'm coming, I'm coming. [00:23:31] Speaker H: Sick and tired. [00:23:32] Speaker I: I'm sleeping and he rings a bell. How do you want. [00:23:36] Speaker F: Look, a couple of guys stayed here at the Atlas Hotel about four days ago. Their names were Kreutzer and Peters. Do you remember them? [00:23:43] Speaker I: Did you haul me out of bed? Just ask me about them. All I know is they stayed here a day and then they left. [00:23:51] Speaker F: I know but there's a chance that they may come back here. Now, I want you to take a look at these pictures and if you ever see these guys again, there's 20 bucks in it if you let me know right away. [00:24:03] Speaker I: What do you mean see them again? Let me take a look here. I never seen them guys in picture before in all my life. [00:24:13] Speaker D: What? [00:24:14] Speaker F: But this is Kreuter and Peters. [00:24:16] Speaker I: Yeah, well, them pictures ain't the guys who registered as Kreutzer and Peters. [00:24:22] Speaker F: Are you sure about that? [00:24:23] Speaker I: Oh, sure, I'm sure. [00:24:25] Speaker F: I see, I see. Well, thanks a lot. Go on away. [00:24:36] Speaker J: Oh, good evening, Mr. Mitchell. [00:24:37] Speaker F: Julian. You're working a little late tonight, huh? Yeah. [00:24:40] Speaker J: Seems like everybody in Cordova needs new half soles. Shoes don't last long in this country. [00:24:45] Speaker F: Julian, I want you to take a good look at these pictures I've got. [00:24:49] Speaker A: Sure. [00:24:51] Speaker F: What about them? Are they Kreutzer and Peters? [00:24:54] Speaker J: Of course. [00:24:55] Speaker G: Why? [00:24:55] Speaker F: Because the guys who registers as Kreutzer and Peters at the Atlas Hotel weren't really. What? [00:25:01] Speaker J: But look, I don't understand. What does that mean? [00:25:05] Speaker F: I think I'm beginning to see part of the answer. [00:25:07] Speaker J: But I. Mr. Mitchell. What's the matter? [00:25:13] Speaker F: So there I am, standing on the new pine flooring in Julian's shoe shop when the smell hits me again. It's the same one I'd noticed before when that guy in the cannery had clapped his hand over my mouth. And now at last, I've got it pegged. And also at last, a lot of things suddenly fall into place. [00:25:28] Speaker J: What's the matter, Mr. Mitchell? [00:25:29] Speaker F: I. I just had a thought, Julian. Say, you can do me a favor, if you will. Of course. [00:25:34] Speaker J: What is it? [00:25:35] Speaker F: What time will you be through here? Oh, half an hour. Okay. I want you to go to the boarding house and get Campbell the lumberman. Get him to go to the cannery with you. And then the two of you wait there for me, will you, campbell? [00:25:47] Speaker J: All right, Mr. Mitchell, I don't understand what you're up to, but I'll be glad to help. [00:25:56] Speaker F: I leave Julian's shop, round up a crowbar, shovel, flashlight and my gun. Then I come back. The shop is dark by now. I go in a window and start ripping up the new pine flooring. Few minutes later, I'm digging in the dirt underneath. Pretty soon I find what I'm after. Two bodies. I pull the pictures out of my pocket and by flashlight I compare them. Yeah, no doubt about it. [00:26:24] Speaker J: Congratulations, Mr. Mitchell. [00:26:26] Speaker F: Well, hello, Julian. I see you brought your two stooges with you. [00:26:30] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:26:30] Speaker J: I didn't realize until almost too late that your purpose in sending me to find Campbell was to get me out of your way. However, I returned in time, and I must say it was very considerate of you to dig your own gr. [00:26:52] Speaker D: You will hear the conclusion of Dangerous Assignment after a brief message from the Ford dealers of America. [00:26:58] Speaker E: Tonight there are more than 470,000 enthusiastic 1950 Ford owners. And most of them are talking about their cars. Listen to what Ms. Barbara Sargent of San Francisco says. [00:27:10] Speaker H: I've been wanting a car for a long, long time. So when I decided to buy, I took my time and looked all of them over very carefully. Finally, I chose the new Ford because it was the only car that gave me everything I wanted. It's a beauty both inside and outside. It's the easiest car to drive I've seen yet. And it gives me the smoothest ride of all the cars I tried. If anyone who is thinking of buying a new car will just drive one of the new Fords, I believe they'll agree with everything I said. [00:27:39] Speaker E: Yes. Ford owners, mechanics, service station attendants and garage men all over the country. [00:27:44] Speaker D: Agreement. [00:27:46] Speaker E: The new 1950 Ford is the finest car Ford has ever turned out. They're saying it's tops for performance, for comfort and for economy. But see, hear and feel the difference yourself. Stop at your neighborhood Ford dealers and test drive the big new Ford tomorrow. [00:28:10] Speaker F: Well, I guess that makes us even. Julian. I couldn't get you out of the way. But your stooges missed on me when they tried to run me down in Anchorage. How'd you boys enjoy your junket around the country posing as Kreutzer and Peters? Pick up a lot of information from your contacts. [00:28:24] Speaker G: Come on, Julian. [00:28:24] Speaker F: Let's get this over with. Yeah. [00:28:26] Speaker J: Get up out of that hole, Mitchell. [00:28:31] Speaker F: I know. The floor covers me from the waist down. I put one hand on it like I'm gonna climb out. But I fish the gun out of my pocket with the other. Then I throw a quick shot at the light overhead. I drop back into the hole just in time. I spot the pistol flash and let him have it. Only two to one now. [00:28:48] Speaker J: Stop circling, Marcus. [00:28:49] Speaker H: Stop circling. [00:28:50] Speaker F: That's bad. If they come at me from two different directions at the same time, I'm cooked. I reach down and pick up my flashlight. I snap it on and toss it out on the floor. One of them throws a shot at it. I give him one back. The third guy has had enough. He heads for the door. But as he jerks it open, he silhouetted. I scramble out of the hole, grab my flashlight and run to the door. The guy lying there is Julian. Well, the merry go round was nice while it lasted, Julian. Only you weren't lucky enough to grab the brass ring. You got a lead slug instead. [00:29:26] Speaker J: I thought I had a good plan. [00:29:29] Speaker D: You did. [00:29:30] Speaker F: You know, I thought that submarine was hanging around to pick up some agents. I didn't realize it had landed. A couple you guys had heard about Kreutzer and Peter's trip. You grabbed them right after they got up here and killed them. Then your boys took their papers and started around the country collecting information and reports from your various contacts. That about the way it breaks down, huh? [00:29:49] Speaker H: What? [00:29:50] Speaker J: What went wrong, Mitchell? [00:29:51] Speaker F: You gave yourself away, Julian. [00:29:53] Speaker G: No. [00:29:53] Speaker F: No, I couldn't have. When you clapped your hand over my mouth down at the cannery, I got a whiff of a very familiar smell. But I couldn't peg it until I was in here talking to you earlier tonight. Then I smelled it again, and it registered. Shoe polish. [00:30:06] Speaker J: Shoe polish? [00:30:07] Speaker F: Yeah. Like most smart boys, you overlooked one little item. In this case, the smell of shoe polish on your hands. Yeah, that's what tripped you up, Julian. Or maybe I should say polished you off. [00:30:29] Speaker D: And now a special announcement for friends of Dangerous Assignment. Dangerous Assignment will next be heard Wednesday, May 3, at the same time over most of these NBC stations. That's Wednesday, May 3rd, at this same time. You have just heard another episode in the exciting new adventure series Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Dunleavy in the role of Steve Mitchell. Dangerous Assignment is written by Bob Rife with music by Bruce Ashley, and is directed by Bill Karn. Be with us again Wednesday, May 3rd at the same time when Brian Donlevy, starring as Steve Mitchell, will embark on another Dangerous Assignment. Tomorrow is Tuesday. That means Bob Hopes on NBC. [00:31:33] Speaker A: That was the Nazi and the physicist. Or investigate missing scientists from Dangerous Assignment here on the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast. Once again, I'm Eric. [00:31:47] Speaker C: I'm Tim. And I'm Joshua. [00:31:49] Speaker A: Yes, this is a man called X in different clothing. I get that. So I brought this for a couple reasons. First and foremost, we've never done it on the podcast. So I always feel like if there's something out there that we haven't done, we should throw it out there to Davis. [00:32:06] Speaker C: And Andy is next. [00:32:08] Speaker A: Probably not, but yeah. So, you know, let's dive into this. We all know we love suspense and escape and, you know, we all these shows. So let's throw it out there to this, obviously, is right in my wheelhouse. It is something that is Pablomy Adventure Y Don't think too deeply. Go get the bad guy nonsense. It's not deep. [00:32:37] Speaker C: Stop selling. [00:32:38] Speaker A: Yeah. So I know. I want to be really clear at. [00:32:42] Speaker B: The top of this. [00:32:42] Speaker A: I know exactly what this is. Here's some of the things. So, you know, we're just going to. [00:32:48] Speaker B: Be together for half an hour and then we're gonna go our separate ways. [00:32:51] Speaker C: Right. [00:32:53] Speaker A: I know what it is. [00:32:55] Speaker C: It doesn't mean anything. [00:32:56] Speaker A: Right. We're just two lonely souls. Yeah. Three. So, yeah. I'm not gonna sit here and go, oh, wasn't this fantastic? But it is really fun for me. It's really great. Just like A Man Called X. And I actually listened to 10 episodes of this as Joshua knows more than you. I was pretty late in getting our. Our. [00:33:22] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:22] Speaker A: My pick in this week. And the reason was. The reason was, is I was like, I really want to come across an episode of Dangerous Assignment. That's awesome. Right. Like, I want to bring something really good. Turns out they're all pretty much this. That, you know, they're not. There's no peak and valley to the show. They're all this. You get the gist. You now know what Dangerous Simon is. But the thing I do really love about this, and I can't quite shake that. [00:33:55] Speaker C: He solves the mystery by smelling a guy's hand. [00:34:00] Speaker A: Yep. No, no, no. It makes me think because of the theme music of Jonny Quest. The theme music has such a Jonny Quest feel to it and what they're doing, even though it's not the same character kind of arc and. But it is kind of Johnny Quest in its simplicity, too. Right. It's not deep. But anyway, I do and did enjoy this. But you're. I'm gonna tell you right now, you're not gonna hear classic out of my mouth at the end of this. However, I'm wondering what you guys did think of it when you compare it to the genre that it's intended and the audience that it's intended for. [00:34:43] Speaker C: Oh, this week we're supposed to meet the episode on its own terms. I guess I see how this is. [00:34:51] Speaker A: Yeah. When I bring stuff, the rules change. [00:34:57] Speaker B: There's a lot of stuff. Because this is not trying to convince anybody that it's anything other than what it is of, like, we're plot light adventure, spy thriller. That being said, this had a lot of fun oddities. Its tone is just like. Keeps veering into broad comedy at some points. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Yes. [00:35:17] Speaker C: When dealing with old ladies who own boarding houses. Yes. [00:35:22] Speaker B: I can't even recreate the Sound. That woman made the yodel. [00:35:26] Speaker C: Yes, the phone yodel. [00:35:28] Speaker A: The phone yodel was fantastic for you. Okay, King on your thought. My mom occasionally. Not occasionally, but frequently out of the blue, would sing things like, hey, Eric, time to make your bed. And once you started to notice that my mom. [00:35:49] Speaker C: I'm not your real mother. [00:35:52] Speaker A: It got really annoying sometimes. Like, why are you all of a sudden, in the middle of a sentence, singing part of it? [00:35:59] Speaker B: That's how I handle my anger. [00:36:05] Speaker A: That's probably very accurate, but that's what that scene reminded me of, and also. [00:36:11] Speaker B: This time around, of, like, travel to. [00:36:13] Speaker A: Exotic Alaska and not have any Alaska elements at all. So I got disappointed. [00:36:20] Speaker C: The cannery is an Alaskan element. [00:36:21] Speaker A: I want wind. I want snow. I want freezing. I want Sergeant Prescott. [00:36:26] Speaker C: Hey, you brought the episode. Come on. [00:36:28] Speaker A: I'm. What I'm saying is. So when I finally went, it doesn't matter. They're all kind of the same thing. Which one do I pick? I picked this one. Can you tell me, Tim, why I said this one? [00:36:38] Speaker B: No. [00:36:40] Speaker A: Because they mentioned submarines. [00:36:42] Speaker B: Oh. [00:36:43] Speaker A: And I went. And I went, fine, we'll go with the submarine one. Even though they actually don't get on it. [00:36:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm not so desperate for submarine content that just the word. [00:36:56] Speaker A: But I bet you got disappointed when they didn't get in the thing, right? [00:36:59] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:37:01] Speaker A: Get in the sub. I will also say this. We have said this before, and as performers of radio drama, it sounds farcical or ridiculous to do such extreme voices, but for audio storytelling, you have to make sure you're differentiating voices. [00:37:19] Speaker D: Right. [00:37:20] Speaker A: This episode goes so far out of its way to have so many character voices. It's hilarious how many there are. [00:37:30] Speaker C: Partly it's Alaska, because a lot of people who aren't from Alaska go to Alaska. And I thought that's what they were trying to capture because it got to the point where everyone was from somewhere else. [00:37:43] Speaker A: Oklahoma. [00:37:44] Speaker C: I assumed that was a nod. [00:37:46] Speaker A: That is actually true, by the way. To this day, I spent some time in Alaska, and a guy that I still am friends with who lives up there, after my third or fourth day there, he's telling me yet another horrific story of how somebody who moved to Alaska died in some horrifying way. Because people go. They're not understanding just how dangerous it is, and they think they're really rugged outdoor people. And he goes. And he did say this. He goes, a lot of Minnesotans are like, yeah, I can handle cold, and. But they come up there and they die in these horrific ways. It was like the ninth story of like the. And, oh, there was this couple that came from where. And I went, oh, my God, does everybody move to Alaska thinking they can handle it and get killed in a horrifying way. And he says, yes. He says, a lot of me goes, we should change our state motto to. You feeling lucky? [00:38:39] Speaker C: I going to say that the landlady. They're two different landladies at one point. Right. Like she was in a different show. [00:38:47] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:38:49] Speaker C: And I'm not sure that the comedy played for me. No, I mean, you're gonna get a laugh out of me when you yodel so. [00:38:59] Speaker A: Yodel. Phones ringing. [00:39:00] Speaker C: Almost an autonomic response. I had no control over it. But yeah, I thought she was a bit much. Comparing it to other shows of this style, this sort of action adventure espionage. I was a little underwhelmed by it. I feel like the music that you liked was out of proportion with the excitement that was happening. I also thought Brian Dunleavy was not that great, particularly his narration of action, which was correct, which just didn't work. And part of it's the script. It's way over narrated. It's like he's doing a diary entry. [00:39:42] Speaker A: So one of the things about this episode that I don't like compared to the others is he's much more of a infallible hero. He narrates differently the action and the others. This one, he sounded terrified and. [00:39:54] Speaker B: What. [00:39:55] Speaker A: Why are you picking on me? Why are you trying to run me down in an alley? I didn't. I thought that was a weird and not normal. From what I know from my 10, 12 episodes of Dangerous Assignment must have. [00:40:08] Speaker C: Been just trying something. [00:40:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I guess, because I did catch that too. Like, you're being weird. You're supposed to be the infallible here. [00:40:14] Speaker C: Did you fight with your wife before coming to the recording studio? [00:40:17] Speaker B: Having just heard the one episode. I don't know how much to take as this is the way the character operates. But there were points at which he seemed unwise. Like, oh, this lady walked me into a blind alley where I tried to get run over. I should try to get a hold of her again. That didn't seem like a red flag of this person is actively trying to kill me. Right. She must be part of whatever the conspiracy or guilty parties are. [00:40:43] Speaker C: Yeah, I guess I didn't even dial into that. To me, these are those stories that I did that because the plot. [00:40:49] Speaker A: Yeah, here's what it kind of reminds me of. It has all the elements to be fantastic. Like the premise of this and the name of it, the music. There's things about this I love right. This series and it doesn't quite live up to what it could be. I think that A Man Called X does more live up to that expectation. [00:41:15] Speaker C: Based on the one episode of each, I would agree with you. [00:41:18] Speaker A: But then it kind of reminds me of Rocky Jordan in the sense that. [00:41:24] Speaker C: Rocky Jordan is so much better. [00:41:26] Speaker A: I agree with that. But Rocky Jordan also, which I've listened probably 70 episodes of Rocky Jordan. [00:41:32] Speaker C: I bow to your superior Rocky Jordan knowledge. [00:41:35] Speaker A: And Rocky Jordan has really good episodes. But it also, a lot of times, like you guys, that's running the mill. You run in the mill. You phone that one in. Because again, the premise is so fantastic. There's so much action and adventure that can happen in that Rocky Jordan set up the setup for that. Um, but this has the entire world as its playground and falls short of being able to exploit what you can go anywhere and do anything and fight anything. Again, I have now fallen asleep to a lot of dangerous assignment and woken up to the ninth one playing, you know, because they just keep going. [00:42:18] Speaker C: But soothing aside. [00:42:23] Speaker A: I guess I brought it a, as I said to bring it so that we say, well, we did it and so that we're familiar with it, that we understand what it is, but also to kind of say, there's a lot of adventure series out there and you, you can pass. [00:42:40] Speaker B: This is one of them. [00:42:41] Speaker A: This is one of them. Yeah. [00:42:43] Speaker B: To give it its credit, it successfully kept hammering away at pine. Pine. That smell, that familiar smell. Pine. They want to shoe polish. Like, I didn't see that one coming. Good job. Right? As well as I did not see the twist of. Instead of this Nazi spy trying to get away, it was like, somebody's gonna off that Nazi spy and take his place. Like, I didn't see that coming. That being said, the reaction was like, huh? [00:43:11] Speaker C: And I do think the title, and I wish I had heard the alternate title of the Search for Scientists or whatever it was, because I think when you title an episode the Nazi and the Physicist, I'm like, where's my physics and fascism? Like, come on, what's going on here? [00:43:30] Speaker B: That's a very unpopular role playing game. [00:43:33] Speaker A: Right. [00:43:36] Speaker C: And the scene in the office with the commissioner, I was like, ooh, okay, it's been denazified. That's a great. That's a great word. [00:43:46] Speaker A: Yeah, right. [00:43:47] Speaker C: You talk about submarines and Mitchell even makes the joke. I'm going to end up tied to an iceberg. And by the time that scene ends, I'M like, this is going to be some crazy pulp fun. And then it's just a guy schlepping. [00:43:59] Speaker B: Around talking to innkeepers, checking hotel registries. [00:44:04] Speaker C: So without that, I might have had different expectations, but I was a little, a little disappointed. [00:44:11] Speaker B: It's. The genre is fun and it does the fun part of the genre. I don't think it's the best example of the genre. [00:44:18] Speaker C: One moment I thought was really interesting in here is when Mitchell is talking to the scientist's wife and he goes, huh? To this effect, he's hanging out with a Nazi. Huh. And she says, oh, he never talks about politics. And it had A really, again, McCarthyist kind of quality where he's like, oh, if he's not talking about his politics, he must have the wrong kind. It's really what was implied there, right? [00:44:45] Speaker A: Yep. [00:44:46] Speaker C: That was immediately suspicious. [00:44:48] Speaker A: Yep. [00:44:48] Speaker C: Like you think today it's like, I'm never talking about politics, anyone, because I have the wrong kind. Exactly. Because of the Pablum, I've been denazified. Shut up. [00:45:00] Speaker A: Because of the Pablum esque nature of this adventure series. Like I said, I can have it on the background. I can fall asleep to it. I've listened to parts of a lot of them. Because of that. I have for years wanted to bring one of these to the podcast just to say, all right, we did it. And so I set forth this week to go, let's find the best one. It was this week that I realized, oh, they're all this. But now I can say, we did it. [00:45:30] Speaker C: Tore that band aid off. [00:45:31] Speaker A: We tore that bandaid. Now, the last thing I want to tell everybody, if you like Johnny Quest music, which the music from the series Jonny Quest is written by Hoyt Curtin, who is one of the greatest arrangers of studio music ever. And there are things you can go online to read about this. The music from Jonny Quest, all of it is so complicated. There's actually footage of them recording it and these world class musicians going, what? [00:46:05] Speaker E: What? [00:46:06] Speaker A: And there's pictures of like what he wrote for the notes and stuff. And like, what? What are you talking about? What is this? Because. And it's jazz, but it's orchestral and it's. So Hoyt Curtain is a fascinating read. Also, all the music from Johnny Quest is on a CD, including the 20 second interstitials, you know, and the background music are. [00:46:28] Speaker C: You burned me. That CD ages ago. It's fantastic. I wonder if that was something that was common with cartoons because I have read that Raymond Scott was a composer mostly in the 30s, but well into the 60s too. He did weird experimental, like music for babies. I think I've talked about it on the podcast before, but his early stuff was acquired and used in Warner Brothers cartoons and you recognize it immediately. But it was supposedly just incredibly difficult to play. [00:47:00] Speaker A: Right. [00:47:00] Speaker C: The musicians, again, are like, we're doing all this so Wiley Coyote can have an anvil drop them. [00:47:06] Speaker A: Well, that's. You know, you're doing a Hannah Barbera cartoon, which, if you watch the documentaries on Johnny Quest, they were cranking that out and they were angry at each other. And if you watch the. The actual drawings of it, how they change and morph and how cheaply done it was. And it's a fascinating read about Johnny Quest, but those musicians gave it everything to make that music. [00:47:30] Speaker B: I heard similar about. And I think it might have been Hoyt who did that one as well. [00:47:33] Speaker C: The. [00:47:33] Speaker B: The theme. The Jetsons. Yeah, that just changes. [00:47:36] Speaker A: I believe that is. I think that is Hoyt Curtin. Yeah, that does. The Jetsons, I can find out. I have a computer in front of. [00:47:41] Speaker B: Me, but Dangerous Assignment. When I was reading a little bit about the series itself, it was this weird back and forth of. It was fairly popular, you know, in late 50s, mid-50s, you know, radio was a little bit on the decline and it was. Held its own for a few years also. But it couldn't really get a sponsor, had to share sponsors. It was just very. A little of this, a little of that. Popular but not popular. Was kind of the. [00:48:09] Speaker C: Yeah, that sounds about right for this. Because I want to be clear, this wasn't terrible. [00:48:14] Speaker A: No, exactly. Isn't that interesting? It's not terrible. [00:48:17] Speaker C: It's not good. [00:48:18] Speaker I: Right. [00:48:19] Speaker A: It's just kind of there and it's not. And you're like, oh, yeah, thanks. That was a good story. Thanks. It was. [00:48:25] Speaker B: And I understand there are times they're like, I want to watch something on tv but nothing good. I don't want to. [00:48:31] Speaker A: Oh, exactly, Tim. [00:48:34] Speaker C: I can't tell you guys not value your time at all. I don't understand that. [00:48:38] Speaker A: I think a lot. So the television, like growing up and now the computer, watching, streaming, whatever, is absolute baseball game for me. It's background noise while I think about things. And so if there's something I really love, I'll watch it. And I'm watching it and. But there's a lot that I'll put on. I need something that's Pablo Masque. I keep using that word. But stuff that isn't going to. I don't need to give it my full attention, to know what's going on. [00:49:03] Speaker B: I also know that there are times, all right, this is a show I'm supposed to like. I don't want that pressure. [00:49:09] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:49:10] Speaker A: I hate when people say, you gotta watch this. I'm not going to. [00:49:13] Speaker C: Now. The problem is you guys can choose to turn your attention on and off. We're entering a phase in which people don't have the attention to watch anything other than like second screen television. And this very much reminded me. You said a second screen radio. Yeah. [00:49:31] Speaker A: Shannon will tell you that. And I'm not allowed to do this anymore. That I can be writing script and have a full conversation with her while I'm typing. My brain splits into two. It freaks her out so much. You stop. Stop doing that. I cannot believe you are able to think of two things at once. By the way, Hoyt Curtin did write the Jetsons and the Flintstones and Scooby Doo. Not the rock and roll stuff, but the interstitial spooky music of Scooby Doo. Yeah. Or the. [00:50:07] Speaker C: So should we vote on our favorite cartoon theme song? [00:50:10] Speaker A: Yes. Johnny Quest. [00:50:12] Speaker B: Then it splits. [00:50:15] Speaker A: One banana, two banana, three banana, four. You'll never get that out of your head. I will say this. This is not a classic. In a weird way, stands the test of time. It doesn't do anything groundbreaking, but it also isn't like, oh, that's outdated. It's pretty basic stuff. So, yeah, it is what it is. I don't really have a category for. [00:50:37] Speaker C: This, but is mostly inoffensive of voting correct. Yeah, I found it to be weirdly too earnest and too silly at the same time. That's part of what turned me off about it. [00:50:51] Speaker A: I'll give you that. [00:50:51] Speaker C: Different points, but again, it's fine to steal a line from Eric. It's fine. [00:50:57] Speaker A: It's fine. [00:50:58] Speaker C: I mean, I do think it stands the test of time, sadly, because of what you guys were saying about background noise and things like that. [00:51:04] Speaker A: And I think the production value is really good. I do. [00:51:06] Speaker C: No, I don't. I don't mean productive value. I mean, like, you don't need to pay attention. [00:51:09] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, I know. [00:51:10] Speaker C: Know what's going on. [00:51:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I got you. But we did not give the credit. It is produced well. It sounds nice. It puts you in places. So the Foley and all of that. It's good. [00:51:22] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know if I would say it stands the test of time. It's really interesting to me in that, in this spy genre, it's really kind of off to one side different from the rest, which is maybe that's worse than the rest is what I'm thinking of. But it's not just quality, it's tone. It is tonally different, I think. [00:51:45] Speaker C: Yeah. It has more in common with detective series from this era from the late 40s. Yeah, it felt more like a mystery he was solving. [00:51:56] Speaker B: So I would call it historically significant. Meaning that in the least sort of backhanded compliment way. [00:52:01] Speaker A: Tim, tell him stuff. [00:52:02] Speaker C: Do a little backhanded. [00:52:03] Speaker F: Little backhand. [00:52:05] Speaker B: Please hear me when I say to. [00:52:08] Speaker C: You. [00:52:11] Speaker B: Go visit ghoulishdelights.com I know everyone wants you to go to their website, but this time just take a moment, log into Google. I worked real hard on this, guys. And then you can like, you'll find episodes of our podcast there. I'm really digging into this this time. This is my awards acceptance speech. When I'm accepting an award for plugging your website, this is what it's gonna be. I didn't have much to say about the episode, so here it all is. [00:52:44] Speaker C: Keep going. [00:52:45] Speaker B: All right, so not only will you find the episodes there, but you'll find the wherever you go episodes podcast. You'll find those there. But with each episode you can leave a comment, you can post comment. Yes, ask, solicit comments. You'll also be able to find like, hey, I want to find out all the episodes of Dangerous assignment yout've done. Right now it's one, but later on. [00:53:05] Speaker C: You'Ll probably still. [00:53:08] Speaker B: There'S a spot on the website. You can go like, hey, show me all the episodes you've done from this particular show. Whatever show you can think of, if we've done it, you'll find it there. You can also find. We got little bios like, hey, who are you guys? You can go to our website and. [00:53:20] Speaker C: Find out are there pictures on this website? [00:53:21] Speaker B: There's pictures, there's buttons you can push, there's a link. You can go to a store, an online store and buy clothing, apparel and other things that have our logo on it. [00:53:32] Speaker C: Wow. [00:53:33] Speaker B: Where else can you do that? [00:53:34] Speaker C: Nowhere else. [00:53:35] Speaker A: Nobody else offers stuff like this. [00:53:37] Speaker B: Googleschlats.com also there's a link to our Patreon page. [00:53:41] Speaker C: Yes, go to patreon.com themorals and support this podcast. I'm sorry. I'm giving the listeners their time back and I'm gonna stop. [00:53:50] Speaker A: And if you'd like to see the mysterious old radio listening society theater company performing live on stage recreations of old time radio shows and a lot of our own original work. Come see us performing live on stage by going to ghoulishdelights.com to see where we're perform, we're performing and when and how to get tickets. Just go there and come see us. And if you can't make it being a Patreon, we record the audio of those shows. And that is another perk of being a Patreon to get that audio recordings of our live shows. What's coming up next? [00:54:21] Speaker C: Next is my pick. And we will be listening to an episode of Quiet Please called the Hat, the Bed and John J. Catherine. Until then. [00:54:35] Speaker F: Yeah.