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THE ABEL TACKITT MATTER and THE HERBERT TRANDEM MATTER YOURS TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR
00:58:50
The world's best insurance detective solves two cases today
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Edmund O'Brien
Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24. 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care from Hollywood. It's time now for Edmund O'Brien as Johnny Dollar. Mr. Dollar, this is Mrs. Tackett. Did Mr. Hou talk to you about Abel? Yes, Mrs. Tackett, he did. He thought maybe you and I could get together this afternoon. Yes, of course. Please hurry. I certainly have a right to know if my husband is dead. Edmund O'Brien in another transcribed adventure of the man with the action packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by Special Investigator Johnny $2. Home Office, Corinthian Life Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of my expenditures during the Able Tackett matter. Expense Account, Item 1, $5 Transportation Costs from Hartford to the New York address of Mrs. Abel Tackett. The apartment door was standing open and I walked in. It was dark inside except for the dim glow from a blue light at the head of the stairway where the beat of drums came from a phonograph. There was a crude native mask on the wall with an idiot's grin, something stale and heavy in the air. There was no one downstairs, so I went up. Walking up those stairs was like walking out of civilization. She was sitting on the arm of a chair in front of the phonograph. You heard them. I did not. Watch it here. You're a half hour in. Well, that gives us a half hour more to talk. My plane leaves tonight. What does the insurance company say? I'm going to British North Borneo to look for him. They do think he's alive, do they not? The company always operates on that premise. Yes. Rain. That awful rain. There is no getting out of it, he says. Have you seen any of his letters? No, I haven't. I want to read you this. I'm lost. I've always been lost. I don't know who I am or what I am or what I was intended to do. I've played all the parts and been all the places and found nothing of myself. The jungle is as nameless as I am. As nameless as lost. That was the last one from Borneo Vanderkin. Five years ago next month. Six years since we were married in Paris. You must find him, Mr. Dollar. Well, I'll tell you the truth, Mrs. Takada. I'm afraid that I'll be looking for a dead man. After all, he's been gone a long time. Maybe he just stopped writing. Maybe he didn't. That's why I'm going over there. Maybe he just stopped writing. Maybe. Maybe he wants nothing to do with me anymore. I woke up in the morning and he was not there. Just a note. He could be alive and not come back, could he not? You told me he's been gone for five years. He has a paid up policy. If he's dead, you'll receive over $700,000. If he's alive, what then? Do you think he'll come back? No. But he'll be alive. How old are you, Mrs. Taggett? 24. Look, I want you to promise me something. If I come back with proof of his death, you'll move out of here. I promise. But you'll never prove that he's dead. Expense account item $2,280.45 for the trip by air from New York to Chicago to San Francisco to Manila. Expense account item 3. $200 on the first ship to Sandaka. They called me super cargo. I ate with the captain in his cabin. Coochin Tamar. An edible bird's nest. Ah, filthy place. Hold me years in these waters and I never set foot on Borneo. Why would a white man go there? Not for diamonds. Malaria maybe. Or a new type of insanity. You look sensible enough. Who is this man? Your brother? No, never met him. And I've got to find him, that's all. Second biggest island in the world. Three million souls. Dusuns, bajaus, muroots, Dayaks. Ugliest people in the world. Took a young planter and his wife there six months ago. It was. Carried the bodies back my last trip. How did they die? The jungle. Oh, come on. I'm a close mouthed man. Who you looking for? You wouldn't know him. His name is Abel Tackett. Abel Tackett? I never heard of Abel Tackett. You find me a hand west of Tawau who hasn't heard of him? You knew him? Nobody knew him. He wasn't a man to know. He was a man to talk about. I want to show you something. Look here. That's a nasty scar right across the chest. Able Tackett. If you find him, give him me love. How did that happen in Manila? He did it slowly. As if he was enjoying it. Had a picture of a girl. And I said something. Coffee? No, thanks. Was it his wife? His wife, perhaps, or somebody else? Stuart. Hot coffee. Hot coffee. Hot coffee. Something happened to men out here. Men that might have been easy and calm any place else in the world. Something happened to them. Hysteria. Wild anger. Madness. In the weakening heat, the sudden bursts of temper arose where men would kill over a matchpost. Channel fever, the crewman called it. But perhaps there was another reason. The name of Abel Tagg. This is my dream. That some night I find him asleep. That it is very dark. That I slip my knife into his throat. That I feel his life going. That I hear him to cry out. Oh, I want to hear him cry out. What'll he do to you? Unspeakable. Unspeakable. Oh, I'll look for him. All find him. Oh, knife. Shoot. Kill. Haste. Oh, devil. Sandakan. We crawled around the point. There is no coast. You never know where the land begins and the ocean stops. The mangrove swamps melt into the muddy water. The inevitable tin roofs of the tropics. The breathless heat of the equator. Sand again. I found the British North Borneo Company office next to an exporter's shop. The secretary to the assistant district manager pointed me into a rattan chair and handed me a fly. Swanner. Oh, Abel Tackett. Oh, fabulous fellow. Great strength. Dry pie, you know. Why are you looking for him? Well, we understand that he was dead. We hold a policy on him. Hackett Dead? Oh, that's improbable. Oh, he's quite a man. I say, you didn't happen to bring any cigarettes, huh? American cigarettes? Sure, there's a carton. Oh, no, please, please. What is he doing out here? Tackets? Oh, no one seems to know. Some say gold, diamonds. Gutta percha escape, perhaps. Just popped in one day from Manila. Got all the necessary papers and headed into the interior residency. Not before he caused a bit of a ruckus in a native pub, however. I Say, you haven't been to London lately, have you? About a year ago. Oh, not since then, eh? Oh, shame. What I wouldn't give with them swept. Ginger beer. Splendid for the tropics. Ordered a case and it never came. I had to settle for gin. Look, can't anybody tell me about this man Tackett? What is this legend, this myth? What? Oh, It's a paradox, Mr. Dollar. A man of great strength and great weakness. Boy like us all, in a way. Looking for something. Always looking for something. Looking for what? Now, look, you're. You're trying to Solve this thing in American terms. This is the tropics, Mr. Dollar. And here we admit the inexplicable. But I've got to have answers, Mr. Kenyon. Oh, no, you don't understand, Mr. Dollar. Here, look at this. This nap you see here. Sandakan. Then you leave for the interior. 200 miles inland is Quamut. Now, there's no trouble thus far. And he was reported to be there eight months ago. From Kwamut. It's a different world. There's fever, reptiles of all sorts. Not worth it, really. I mean, is it a large policy? $750,000 for a man living in Borneo. That must be a tremendously high premium. Well, a million couldn't get me out there, and a thousand could take me home. How do I get to Kawamus? Oh, by Laurie. One of them goes up tomorrow with supplies for the garrison. We can fit you aboard. But. Oh, this is absurd. $. Yeah, I know. Well, all right, then. I'll send you to Hargroves, our representative there. What? I say, don't forget those cigarettes. My husband's been going on like that for five days. He can't tell you anything. I'm sorry to hear that. But can you tell me anything about Tackett? Wait till I close the door. Are you looking for Abel Tackett? The fever'd never get him. You know if he's alive? Alive? Sure, he's alive. How do you know? If you knew Abel Tackett, you'd know he's alive. We spent a lot of time together when I was on the coast. Did you know Tackett in the state? Nope. Playboy told me. Said he wanted something, but never knew what. I told him what he wanted was love, but he wouldn't stay. And then I tried to stop him from leaving. If you find him, what happened? Depends how we find him. If he's alive, I suppose I'll try to talk him into going back home. If he's dead, I want the proof. You better go back to your husband. Nothing I can do. Look, Mr. Dollar, if you find him alive, I'm gonna try to send him home. Tackett will never go back home. I'm going with you. Not this trip. I'm going with you. Come in, Mr. Dollar. I want to talk to you. I told you, Inez, I can't take you long. You better be getting back to your husband. He needs you. He's dead. I'm free now. I've got to find packet. Mr. Dollar, look, I can. I can help you. I can get a good guide for You. It'll take you all the way to Penanga. I know the jungle. Mr. Dollar, please. What do you hope to accomplish? I don't know. If I could talk to him, I could get him to come back to me. I know I could. Look, Inez, I'm gonna be very frank with you. I don't like you, and I don't trust you. And you don't understand me. But I'll tell you this. You'll never find him without me. I knew him better than anyone else. And you have to have a good guide. And I can get it for you. I'll get my own guide. Someone sent supplies to him a month ago. I know who it was. Okay. It's a bargain. Pack up. She took me to a trading post, and I met the owner who operated under the obviously false name of George Brown. To me, he looked big and clumsy. But he'd been trading with the interior for 10 years. So I decided to take the recommendation. As if I could do anything else. Sure, sure. I know where he is. At least I knew where he was a month ago. I've been trading with him for over three years. Okay, when do we leave? You don't know what you're getting into, mister. Did you ever hear of Longwy? It's a village across the border in Dutch territory. We'll need four porters and supplies for a month. When do we leave? The last porters I sent into him never came back. The porn and Dyke's got the most likely. They're headhunters, you know. Which one of us are you trying to talk out of this? You or me? I can always use $500. That isn't all the pay I'm going to get. What do you mean? If I find Abel Tackett, I'm going to kill him. We will continue with yours truly, Johnny Dollar, in just a moment. But first, every Wednesday night, CBS brings you Groucho Marks with his wonderful quiz, you Bet your Life. It's one of the brightest, most spontaneous, most genuinely funny shows on the air. So be listening this Wednesday night on most of these same CBS stations For your Bet your Life, starring Groucho Marx. Now with our star, Edmund O'Brien. We return to the second act of yours truly, Johnny Deller. Expense account item five. Eight hundred and thirty dollars. Safari to long Wye. Dutch Borneo. One of the first things I learned about jungle travel was not to waste breath talking. Not until we made camp that night was their conversation. A slow day. A woman slows us down. Where is she? In her hammock. It couldn't be helped. It was a bargain. I didn't want her to come. I wonder why he picked Long. Why? I wonder a lot of things. The easiest travel here is on the rivers. If he picked a river village, it would have been simple. This way, we have to fight for every foot. What are you going to do when we find him? What do you mean? About Mark. Killing him. I'll decide when the time comes. If it does. Maybe I don't think you'll go through with it. You know, if you really wanted to, you wouldn't have waited for me to come along. I suppose it was in the back of my mind before then. I knew something had to be done, but I hadn't decided now or at. What did he do to you? What does he do to everything? He spoils it. When the Poland Dyaks are peaceful, my trade is good. When they're not, my trade is. Oh, now look, Brown. You aren't going to tell me that this man is capable of stirring up a few thousand natives. That's ridiculous. Is it? How does he do it? Why? How? By being there in their country. They hate him. They're afraid of him. And when the Dayaks are troubled, they're dangerous. Why does he do it? I can't think of any reason. He makes no profit from it. He lives, he works a plot of ground, he hunts. I suppose it could be that he doesn't know he's doing it, but he is. He's got to be moved out. The only way to move Abel Tackett is to kill him. What? I'm going to turn in. I heard part of what Brown was saying. What are you going to do? Well, I'll have to protect Tackett if I can protect him. That sounds funny. I never thought he'd have to take that from anybody. You know what I'll be protecting? You better get some sleep. Wait. What now? Why do you hate him? You know, you've never even met him. Well, I've talked to people who have. A ship's captain with a. With a knife scar across his chest and a little deckhand from Manila with a hurt so deep he couldn't talk about it. You and your husband. A few others. And I met his wife. He's never talked to me about her. Well, that's the first thing I've heard in his favor. Maybe he's human enough to be ashamed of what he's done to her. Maybe he realizes what he meant to her and that she'd stopped living when he left. Cause that's what he's done. It's not all his fault. The trouble he had in Manila and Sandican. He told me the men thought he was afraid of him. He wanted to show him he wasn't. He'd never known people like that. He didn't know how to get along with them. Say that it doesn't make any difference how I feel about him. We'll get to him as quickly as we can. I'll figure out some way to stop Brown. If he makes a try, maybe that'll be too late. But Brown's going to be stopped, Mr. Dollar. I promise. If you don't do it, I will. Go get some sleep. We break camp at dawn. Lying in my hammock looking up at the solid ceiling of foliage that hid the sky. And with the unaccustomed language of the jungle bothering my ears. I tried to get a fair perspective of the situation. But I couldn't. I could answer any of the questions. I dropped off to sleep, realizing that I was more than anxious to meet the amazing Abel Tackett. There was no sign of real danger until the third day. Only the painful monotony of slashing at vines with heavy knives. Fighting insects. Stumbling over half concealed, ankle high branches of sweat filled boots and soggy clothing. And a hundred other arguments against Borneo. Mind the tent. That looks like a fern. Here. Got it. It carries a brutal sting. This is the warning. Ez, watch it. I see it. Hold up. Come on. What is it? I wondered about that. What did he say? Head hunting. They found a body on the trail. Coming along. Yeah. Better stay here, Inez. I wondered about that. It's been too quiet. We haven't spotted a dyak since we started. This section is usually swarming with them. Poor beggar. How does that look to you? You still think the natives aren't stirred up? No. It looks like they're stirred up for poor Beggar. He can thank your man Tackett for what he got. We don't have to look at him. It's the work of a poonan. You can tell by the clean wound. Their Mandaus are the sharpest ones in the island. They know we're coming, Inez. Yeah? How do you know that? I know them. They hide the bodies. They don't leave them on trails unless they've got a reason to. Like telling us to stop, huh? That's right. Look at those boys of mine. Waiting to see what I'll do. Waiting the chance to slip into the brush and head for home. Can you hold them? I Can hold them. I'll shoot the first one that tries to leave. And they know it. Come on. It's a house. We'll have to make a camp here. They're great people for Romans. I told them to start looking for good ones. And I know them. It'll take the rest of the day and half the night to find enough to make move them towards Long Wye again. How do the omens look to you? I can't say yet. The headhunters know we're coming, but I don't know why. They knew we were coming after Tackett. Each in our own fashion, so to speak. I. I don't think there'd be any trouble from them. Or they don't now. There's no way to tell them. You're blaming Tackett for this. I am. You stupid fool. Do you really believe in this idiotic stand you've taken again? Or is it a convenient answer for some mistake you made with the native? I can't. Be quiet, Inez. Stop it. Don't you believe it. You're lying, Michael. Shut up, Dora. Ah, shut up. After you've answered. Stop it. We've had enough. We don't need hysteria now. Be quiet, will you? You won't answer me, will you? They've been headhuntered from the beginning. So tell me why Tackett is to blame for what you found on the trail. Tell me why. I will if you'll shut up long enough to hear it. You've been in Borneo too long. I know what the tropics do to men like you. I know the people. For 10 years, I've learned to know them. I understand about head hunting to the dyak ahead of the strongest magic in the world. Strong enough to bring rain, make things grow Strong enough to protect the whole kampong from plague or anything else. Like enemies. You should have been born in one of their filthy huts. You think like one. Forget it, Brown. Forget it. She'll find out I'm right. Head hunting was almost stopped until Packet came here. Then it started again. Because they hate him. Because they're afraid of him. That's why they're collecting heads again. And that's the truth. Blame everything on Abel, Packet. If you can't find another reason for something, blame it on Abel. Packet. What the devil's the matter with you? You heard her. I've been in Borneo too. Tension, hysteria. Everything out of proportion. The distorted perspective of the jungle. Where emotions become sensitive as skin. Inez wanted to love Tackett. George wanted to kill Taggart. I Wanted nothing but proof of his existence. Yet all of us were of one mind and one thought. All our efforts were directed toward Tackett. And Borneo was keeping us from him. We started to move again in the next morning. That day and the next were easier. Physically at least. The country cleared some. And we started to climb out of the humid jungle. Into a section where there seemed to be more air. The following day we stopped before dark. And Brown pulled me into the privacy of a shadow. We'll be there tomorrow. That close. What then, Brown? I was going to ask you the same thing. I've learned to like you, $. Thanks. But I still can't let you kill him. I'm not so sure you can stop me. How would you get back to the coast without me? I've been asking myself the same thing. I'd be stupid to take the gamble, but I'd have no choice. So that's the way it is. Yeah, that's the way it is, all right. I can smell rain. It'll be here before morning. Our first sight of the village of Long Y was from a low hill. It was veiled by the slanting sheets of rain that floated across a welter of huts. Two larger buildings for gatherings, but not a sign of life. Abel Tackett's hut was barely visible a mile or so down the shallow valley. We started down toward it. What do those drums mean, Brown? Do you know? Yes, I know, Mamatoulou. A happy little ceremony when the headhunters come home. It could turn sour if they knew we were here. But I think we can move across the clearing. Let's go. What are you going to do, $? Aren't you even going to warn him? All right. If you won't, I will. Abel. Abel, be careful. Come on. Take her. Keep her quiet. Come on, Dollar. I'm going inside. Wait a minute, Brown. We'll go in together. Take. I came here for nothing. He's already dead. Is that Packet? Must be. They stopped being afraid of him. I wonder how long it'll take to undo the trouble he's caused here. Abel. Packet and these dead. There was the body of a man lying on the floor. Dirty duck shorts and jacket, but no papers. I couldn't positively identify him as Abel Tackett. The natives who had killed him were headhunters. Expense account. Item 6 and 7. Same as 2 and 3. Transportation back to New York. Item 8. Cab fare to the address of Mrs. Abel Tackett. She seemed neither sad nor happy to see me or to hear what I had to say. He died, Mrs. Tackett, of fever? He was in the interior. There was no time to get him to a doctor. You saw him. No, I didn't. Then you can't be sure. There's no proof. But, Mrs. Taggart, absolute proof has a. Has a different meaning. In Borneo, he wanted to lose himself, didn't he? He could have changed his name. He could even have traded his identity with someone else, couldn't he? He's dead, Mrs. Tackett. Look, I want you to go to probate court. Even without absolute proof, with what I brought back, you can have him declared legally dead. You're his sole heir. There are no other living relatives. His estate, his fortune, they're yours. They're yours to live with. That's why he left them to you. You can't go on struggling with a false hope. Please, Mrs. Tackett, don't stop living just because he did. You've got to believe me. Abel Tackett is dead. He's not dead. He's alive. He's living somewhere. And as long as he's alive, I'm alive. There was nothing to do. I left her in the old house with her records and her dark walls and her old letters. I left a young woman dying there. And there was nothing I could do. I walked out into the clean, fresh air and went home. Expense account total $4,075.80. And for what? The only constructive thing I can make out of it is that it made me an expert on pure, unadulterated frustration. Yours truly, Johnny Doll. Yours truly, Johnny dollar stars Edmund O'Brien in the title role and is written by Gil Dowd and David Ellis, with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Edmund O'Brien can currently be seen starring in the Harry M. Popkin United Artists production doa. Featured in our cast were Maria Palmer Tudor Owen Raul Chavez, Ben Wright, Chris Kraft and Dan O'Herlihy. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. Join us next week at this time when From Hollywood, Edmund O'Brien returns in another transcribed adventure of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Yeah. Yeah. I better get on the RA expense account. Item 7. Another cab fare. $4 from my hotel to the Jesse Frederica mission. It was a week later. The old lady nodded me to a chair and I sat down. Well, Mr. Dower, it's good to see you again. Won't you sit here? I think this seat will be more comfortable. Thank you. I've just come to say goodbye, Ms. Frederica. Wish you all the luck in the world. And I've got something for you. A contribution I Think you'd better sit down first, Ms. Frederica. I wish I could have the pleasure of giving checks like these to people like you more often. And don't try to count the zeros. 1,150,000. Oh, Mr. Dollar. It's from a guy named Harold Trandom. It's his way of giving back about 5% of what he should never have taken. I can't believe it. How did it happen? He named the Jesse Frederica rescue mission as a second beneficiary. And the first beneficiary is dead. Please excuse me, Mr. Dollar. I think I'm going to CR. She did. As quietly as possible, I got up and left. I walked out onto Main street, down past the little shops, the surplus stores, the shoeshine parlors and the all night movies. And I couldn't help thinking a million dollars can buy a lot of turkey dinners. Expense account total $736.82. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Yours truly, Johnny dollar stars Edmund O'Brien in the title role and is written by Gil Dowd and David Ellis with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Edmund O'Brien can soon be seen starring in the Columbia Pictures production the Los Angeles Story. Featured in tonight's cast were James Eagles, Ted Osborne, Ed Max, Gloria Blondell, Raymond Burr, Eda Rees Marin and Junius Matthews. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. Join us again next week when From Hollywood, Edmund O'Brien returns in another transcribed adventure of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is CBS where Wednesday night is Bing Crosby night. The Columbia Broadcasting from Hollywood. It's time now for Edmund O'Brien as Johnny Dollar. My name is Edward Holly. I represent the East Coast Underwriters association of America. Yes. It has been brought to my attention that you are a special investigator available on a contract basis. That's right, but as a matter of fact, we carry a policy on a Sydney Rykoff, a pugilist. We have received notification of a very unusual nature. Why don't you get it off your chest, Mr. Hawley? Off my chest? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Mr. We have just received a ransom note. Mr. Rykoff has been kidnapped. Edmund O'Brien in another transcribed adventure of the man with the action packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar to East Coast Underwriters Association, Hartford, Connecticut. Attention Edward Hawley. The following is an accounting of my expenditures during investigation of the Sidney Rykoff matter. Expense account, Item one, a dollar and a half cab fare to your office. Now. I'M not in the habit of beating about the bush, Mr. Dolly, but the situation from which we must extricate ourselves is well, delicate enough to warrant your extreme caution. Sidney Rykoff will be dead in seven hours. You want to pay off the ransom note, is that it? Now, you understand that this requires the utmost secrecy because few people realize the necessity of insurance companies such as ours being forced to negotiate with unscrupulous persons. Here's the note. It was mailed yesterday in Kansas City. Have the police seen this? Certainly not. I'm afraid you don't understand at all, Mr. Dallas. Now you see. Yeah, I see. $25,000 is against 100,000 for you boys. No questions asked, right? Right. It was what anyone would expect a ransom note to look like. Made up of print taken from newspapers and magazines and pasted on a plain sheet of yellow paper. It read, we have Sidney Rykoff. If you want him alive, bring $25,000 to the Anthony Millstone Mausoleum, Johnson Park Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri, at exactly midnight, May 13th. If you call the police, forget the money. Rykhov will be dead. Now, naturally, $25,000 is a lot of money if there's a possibility of saving it. We wish you'd do a little investigating first. Now, look, Mr. Hawley. It's 5:00 in Kansas City. Now, as you said yourself, he'll be dead in seven hours. It'll take me at least five hours to get there. We'd better pay off the. We'd better pay off first and investigate later. You've marked the money, haven't you? It says lay. Here's the list and here's the 25,000. The matter's in your hands. Expense account, item two. $453 in advance for charter plane. As we hit the Ohio river, the sky started to blacken ahead of us. Looks pretty rough out west. What's weather say? Nothing later than St. Louis. Storm front to 16,000. I think we ought to set down. We can't. I'm not in Kansas City by midnight, somebody will be dead. You a doctor? Yeah, in a way. But this is one sickness that can only be cured with money. Look, mister, I'm gonna lay it on the line. I'm no hero. I got a wife and a couple of kids back east. My contract says I'll get you to KC If I. I can. But that front ahead there isn't kid stuff. He'll bounce this kite around like a balloon. But I can't tell you to do it. It's up to you. But if we Set down now. We'll find a dead man in the morning. Okay, mister. I'll do the best I can. Fasten up. This plane is too underpowered to climb above it. We'll try to go right through. Hope the wings stay. What was left of us coasted into Kansas City at 1140. Expense account, item three. An extra hundred for a pretty good pilot. Expense account, item 4. $3. Transportation to Johnston Park Cemetery. The driver took off. My money. The driver took my money and scooted off fast. I found the right mausoleum at the edge of the park. I looked at my watch. It was three minutes to 12. Park's closed, mister. Yeah, I know. I'm supposed to meet somebody here. What for? It's a financial matter. You can conduct your business with me. Wait a minute. How do I know there won't be more business tomorrow? You don't. Where you gonna leave him? He'll let you know. Hey, thanks. Be around. There's never a guarantee in a kidnapping case. You hope the guy will be alive, but you don't just sit around waiting for him to show up. I checked into a hotel, had half a night of sleep. And the next morning I strolled around the listed place of occupation of victim, Sidney Rykoff. The Southeastern Athletic Club. This high sounding name covered for a bunch of cheap puppets and cheaper boxing equipment. Sydney's manager made his shabby office livable by spraying the corners with Sweet Air household deodorant and keeping the door closed. Close the door. What's the matter with you? Crazy or something? You want that smell coming in here? You know what trouble I go to keeping that smell out of here? Sorry. People come in here. What are they, chairs? Not their office. They wouldn't do it at home. What do you want? I have information that you're Sidney Rykoff's manager. Is that right? Yeah. You know where he is? That bum matched him against Malone next week. And he's off on another bench. You want him, you can have him. There are a thousand fighters I could have. Two years ago I should have torn his contract to pieces. But I fell in love with his right cross. Did you ever see his right cross? No. Stand up here. I won't hurt you. Put your hands up. Now. Higher. That's right. Now, look, it's the fifth round. I've been throwing body blows at you. See? Let me loosen my time. Forget it. You're listening to me? Yeah. Go ahead. Now, look, your defense has dropped. I telegraph a left. A left. What? Cross. Oh, cross. Yeah. Then bam. Well, with me it never works. That's how Rykoff won the golden gloves in 47. How do you know? He's off on a binge. He mixes it with milk. You ever hear anything so disgusting? Bourbon and milk. He thinks he's still in training that way. When was the last time you saw him? Friday afternoon. He was working out. He looked great. But when he comes back, he's got no manager. What kind of shape can he be in for Malone? I'll have to bail him out, I know it. If I don't, who will? Not his wife, that's for sure. I was gonna ask you about his wife. Let me tell you something about that woman. One way, she's the greatest gal on the face of the earth. On the other hand, she can be a demon. Let me tell you something what she did. Yeah. You know, that big boy from Chicago had come up through the middleweight. What was his name, that Snyder? Rider Kreit or something like that. Anyhow, she told Sidney if he didn't beat this guy, she wouldn't let him in the house. Well, Sidney gave the greatest fight it was possible for him to give, but he got it in the eight. He was a mess. Mr. Mess. You know, they had to sleep in the hall. She wanted a winner. He never lost again. I'd rather have her under contract than him any day. He don't fight for money. He don't even fight to be great. He fights to keep her from leaving him. Hey, who are you, anyhow? I'm from Hartford. What, with Malawski? No, not Malawski. What was was it with Malawski? Did you have a stable at welterweight? I'm thinking of that. What am I thinking of? That. Thanks for the information, Mr. Medill. I think it stopped raining. Wait a minute. Who are you? Insurance. Well, for another. Charlie, close that door. Say, I hear you're nosing around about Sidney Reichel. I've been losing a lot of money on him. What makes you think I want to know anything about him? Quit it, will ya? I listen to Doris. You found out anything? About what? About his disappearing. Who said he disappeared? He ain't been around. He disappeared. Some people think he went off on a binge. Nah, it ain't his cycle. He had his last binge in March. He ain't due again till September. You a friend of his? Allow me. My name is Al Barsoomian. I handle wages. Where do you think Rykoff is? I don't know, but the longer he stays there, the better I like it. The betting ain't good when he's around. Why is that? He's erratic. Sometimes he WINS in the 8th and sometimes in the 10th. Well, that's the way it goes. Wife still live in the same place? Yeah. Just follow the broken glass. I didn't get on the trail of the busted gin bottles until about 11 that night. I knocked at the door and she yelled, come in from the kitchen. She was sitting at the table in a soup stained kimono, peeling the polish off her fingernails. Sit down or just throw them stockings on the floor? You drink? Not right now, thanks. I'm an insurance investigator, Hartford, Connecticut. When did you see your husband last? Oh, Sidney. He comes home and he feels like it. Why? Something happened to him. I think you ought to know, Mrs. Rykoff, your husband has been kidnapped. The company I'm working for received a ransom note. I paid somebody $25,000 last night to get him back. $25,000 for Sydney? Gary Medill, his manager, took out a $100,000 insurance policy on him. Would you throw me that bottle? Who'd know about that policy? $25,000 for Siddons. The papers know about this yet? Hey, I gotta get fixed up for the reporters. I look like a perfect slob. Nobody knows about it but you and the insurance company. Now, how about giving me some answers? Why? So I can get him back. What do I want to get him around here for? Who'd know about that policy, Mrs. Rykoff, besides Medill? I don't know, but he's gabby. Who did you pay that 25,000 to? Well, the man that gave it to me didn't give me his name. Wait a minute. If that bum walked out on me, if he picked up 25 grand by kidnapping himself, well, he can stay out. He's not getting back in. What'd he look like? Who you paid it to? It was dark. Couldn't see much. But his size, about up to here. Oh, then it wasn't Sydney. He's a light, heavy five eleven. Could have been a friend. Any idea who? No. And if I had, I'd tell you. Ah, he can't get away with this. What makes you think he'd try? Cause he got no guts anymore. Wants to quit fighting. When he does that, he quits having me and he knows it. I'm not the type for any milk sop. Hey, you sure you don't want to drink? No, thanks. Why not? Mrs. Rykoff. Who's that? It's me, honey. Who's he? That's your husband? No, it's another stumble bum. Mickey Snell. Hey, who's this guy? Never mind who's this? You lost your fight. Aw, Joe, honey, what's up? I heard it on the radio. A lousy four rounder. You stupid clown. Get out of here. Now don't be that way, Joe. It was a bad match. I'll win the next one for you, then you can come back. But you're lost and I. Get out of here. Get out of here. Go on, you two girls. She backed him into the living room and reached up towards the mantle. As she passed it, she finally found something heavy enough. A two foot wrought iron candlestick. She didn't have to swing it. Her guest took one look at it, went out the door. I thanked her for hospitality and followed him. He went down two blocks and into a bar. I got his name from a waitress and slipped into a booth with him. What was you doing there, buddy? Business, Mickey. I was asking her about her husband. Yeah? What for? What difference does it make? He's missing and I want to know where he is. I don't believe you. You're part of why she kicked me out and I don't like it. See? You know why she kicked you out? She likes winners. You lost your fight tonight. She knew I was outmatched. That guy had the reach and everything. Look at my face. Hey, how long you a friend of Iceberg? I'm not a friend. I just met her. Came in from Hartford, Connecticut. How well did you know Sidney Reichardt? Look, I'm working for an insurance company. They want to know where he is, that's all. How well did you know him? He paid me a couple times, right cross of his. You know where he is? No. Did he take a run out on his own or was it somebody else's idea? Who could have that idea, buddy? I hear he was winning a lot of fights. He was. He beat me a couple of times. Well, who was losing money? Alba Zumian. This is too public. Where you staying? Commodore Hotel. It's not far from here. You know it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it. But I can't go with you. I'll meet you in the lobby. We'll go to my room. It's gotta look like they ain't meeting. You sure, it's easy. We'll order another drink here. I'll leave and then you saunter over in about 20 minutes, okay? Okay. I pulled only one double cross on Mickey Snell. Instead of waiting in the hotel lobby for him, I waited outside the bar. He came out 20 minutes later and I followed a quarter of a block behind him. I was half expecting him to make a wrong turn at the first corner. But he didn't. He stopped to wait for the traffic signal to change and then stepped into the street. And you say you saw it happen, Mr. Dollar? That's right, Lieutenant. I saw it happen. It was deliberate. Hit and run. You get the license number? Only the first three numbers. M176. Now, any other witnesses? Well, I don't know. There were a lot of people around. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean witnesses. They. What'd you find in his wallet? Identification. Mickey Snell. He was a fighter. He must have won tonight. He was loaded. Can I see one of those bills? Yeah, Dollar. But watch it. I have to keep a record. Thanks. It was a $50 bill the lieutenant handed me. In the corner was a number, a number I'd memorize on the plane trip out. The bill on Mickey Snell's body was part of the ransom money I paid for the victim I hadn't gotten back. We will return to the second act of yours truly Johnny Dollar in just a moment. Circle Wednesday night. That's the night George Burns and Gracie Allen drop by to visit with you over most of your CBS stations. Each Wednesday, Burns and Allen bring you 30 minutes of rich laughs and hilarious characters. Remember Burns and Allen this Wednesday night. Now with our star, Edmund O'Brien, we return to the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. I knew Mickey Snell had died for something and his inglorious death pointed to one of three possibilities. First, Al Basumian's gambling ventures. Second, Gary Medill's insurance on Sidney Rykoff. And number three, the old kidnap yourself and collect the ransom type crime with Mr. Rykoff himself as the suspect. To me the latter loomed as the most probable. I told the police as little as I could, still operating on the assumption that Sydney would be dead if I spilled what I knew. At 2:00am I went back to my hotel for another half night's sleep. The next morning I made up my mind to visit Mrs. Rykoff again. With such a nice day, I walked. As long as Sydney was missing there was nothing to do but ask questions until something seemed to make sense because everybody had an angle. But Assumian might have been paid off, Gary Medill might have been paid off and Mrs. Rykoff might have been paid off. I took the whole thing up with Mrs. Rykoff as she stood in front of a cracked full length mirror trying half heartedly to comb the knots out of her hair. You come in here with your ouch, lousy accusations. I'm not accusing anybody? Mrs. Rykoff, I'm trying to get at the truth. Now, somebody has your husband, right? Hand me that brush, and somebody has the 25,000, right? How should I know? Look, I don't have any interest on Sidney Rykoff. I don't care if he's alive or dead. I don't care about your $25,000. All I know is I'm sick of hearing about Sidney Rykoff. Sidney Rykoff. Sidney Rykoff. I'm a good mind to go out and change my name. You too, must have had a fine romance. Oh, he was okay for a while. Was winning. Steady. I can't stand to go with a guy that can't win. And when he lost, he slept in the hall. Exactly. A man has to fight for me. I ain't just sitting here waiting for losers. Sidney was winning, wasn't he? Winning? Winning? What? With that Medill as his manager, what could he win? What kind of a contract did Sydney have with Medill? Medill got everything, including Sidney's third molars. So what was I supposed to do? Look at this place. Sofa needs covers. Boy, could I use some clothes tatters. Look here. Things busting out all over. I like Sidney to win, but I like him to win something big. Maybe you can if you bet on him. Take Pursumian, for instance. Never gamble against my whole way of life. And then there's the possibility that you got in debt and knowing about Medill's $100,000 policy on Sydney talked Sidney into kidnapping himself and writing to the insurance company for ransom. That's a dirty crack, but a pretty fast way to get out of debt. I've been scouting around. You owe a lot of people. I'd put the figure up to around $10,000. For a girl who lives like you do, that's a big sum. You make me mad. Get out of here. Bet you didn't think it would be like this when you first met Sidney, huh? Golden Gloves winner. Handsome boy, trips around the country. I'll bet. Get out. I'll put down that candlestick. I'll get it. You finish your hair. I'll get it. You stay where you are. Oh, copper, huh? Yeah. What is it, Sergeant? Mrs. Rykoff lives here. Hi, Mrs. Rykoff. What is it? I'm afraid I've got bad news for you, Mrs. Rykoff. Your husband, Sydney. What happened? They found him on the highway just outside of town. He's dead. I studied Mrs. Rykoff. Her face showed only what could have been contempt and maybe a little relief. The officer made an embarrassed Exit and I closed the door. Mrs. Rykoff walked to the window. I followed her. We didn't say anything for a long while. And then she turned to me. What do you expect me to do, cry? Not if you don't feel like it. I feel like I felt when they paroled me. I didn't know you did time. Twice. For what? Burglary and couple other things. What are you gonna do now? I don't know. Something go away, I guess. You know, he wasn't such a bad guy when you got to know him. He tried hard. I used to sit in the front row and when they knocked him down, I'd stand up and yell at him and call him every name in the book until I saw how mad he got. And he'd get up and win. Funny guy. I never could figure if he won because he loved me or he won because he couldn't stand me. Hey, have a drink with me, will you? I'd appreciate it. Sure. Expense Account, Item 5. 250. Transportation. After toasting the remains of Sidney Rykoff and gin I went down to the morgue and took a look at what was left of the Golden Gloves champ. His head had been bashed in with what the attendant described as a heavy instrument. The heavy instrument hadn't been found. They covered him up and I went back to the hotel. It was still possible that Sydney had abducted himself, collected the money, then been killed for it by whoever he hired for the job. But then everything was possible. The more things happened, the more things were left in the dark. My head was spinning with Rykoffs and Medills and Bassoomians and the taste of that raw gin wouldn't go away. I slept through the day, got up and ate dinner and went to sleep again. It was a good thing I did, because the next morning the phone rang early. Hello? Mr. Duller? Yeah, this is Al. Al, give me a sec. Oh, yeah, Al. Yeah, Vasoomian. You better get down here to my place. Yeah, why? Don't be ridiculous. I can't tell you with the phone. 1050 Clay street in 10 minutes, huh? Yeah, as soon as possible. Hurry. Yeah, yeah. Expense account, item 6. 185. Taxi fare to the brick bungalow of Mr. Al Bassumian. I was surprised to find a man of such uncertain profession housed so well. He met me at the door in his bathrobe and without a word led me down the cellar stairs. He flicked on the light near the furnace and pointed mutely at something gold in a box of ashes. I lifted it out Carefully. It was a golden statue of a boxer. The engraving read, Sidney Rykhoff, 1947. The base was caked with dried blood. It was an. It'd be a little difficult to explain to the police, Al. I came down this morning to give the furnace a good cleaning. It ain't been used since winter. My wife has been after me to clean out the furnace because it ain't been used for so long. So I came down here. Look, $, I didn't have nothing to do with this. This is probably the object that killed Sidney Rykoff. Could very well be that you thought up this kidnapping, killed Sydney and took the dose. Would I kill Sydney, plant a mitre weapon in my own furnace and then call you? Now, would I throw suspicion away from yourself? It's been done before. All I can say is I didn't do it. Look, dollar, I called you because I thought maybe you could get me out of this. You being a man of influence. As far as influence goes, mine stops at getting funeral passes. I'd stick around if I were you, Al. Any traveling you might do between now and when the police get here is liable to be considered a confession. You gonna tame me in? What would you suggest? Drop the trophy back in the fox. $. Every so often I run into something like this. Come on, stand away. Just shows you I'll never trust a friend. He might be more honest than you. Get upstairs. Get those hands up. You bet. He walked me in front of him for a few paces. As we passed the light switch, I let my elbow brush it down. As the lights went out, I fell to the floor. He shot over me and I felt the hot sprinkle of powder. I grabbed his legs and pulled them to the ground. Okay, Al, come on, let it go. Let it go, Isaac. You dirty double crosses. Come on. I grabbed the gun and felt my way along the floor on the wall of the light switch. When I snapped it on, I found I'd left a very cold Mr. Barsoomian on the cellar floor. I took the Golden Gloves trophy out of the box of ashes, wrapped it in a piece of newspaper and headed up the stairs. Expense account, item 7. $2. Taxi fare again to the police station. No. I was a fool, but no. I had a big hunch that the man I'd left in his own basement was not the killer or kidnapper of Sidney Rykoff. What I should have done is told the police my theories and hopped a plane for home. But there was $25,000 the company had paid in ransom money plus 100,000 for the death of Sidney Rykoff, which they were going to have to pay. And if things stacked up the way I had it figured, maybe I could save them on both accounts. No, I didn't go to the police. I went to the drab apartment of Mrs. Sidney Rykoff. I was about to knock when I heard a pair of familiar voices inside. You shouldn't have come here, Gary. Well, I had to. Now that they found them, we can get out of here. You think so? I don't mean right. Today, a week, maybe. Then we'll get out. Just me, baby. And that is great. Careful. As he opened the door, I ducked around a corner of the hallway and flattened myself against the wall. Once he looked back, I saw him squinting into the shadows and I wasn't sure whether he saw me or not. I waited till he was a good way down the street before I went to the drugstore and phoned for the law. I told the lieutenant in charge to give me five minutes alone with Mrs. Rykoff and then to take her away. He agreed. Not knowing what was up, I went back up to Mrs. Rykoff's apartment. In the hallway, I quietly unwrapped the Golden Gloves trophy and stuffed the newspaper into my pocket. The door was open just a crack. I opened it wider. There was no one in the living room. I squeezed inside and shut the door with care. I heard her pulling up window shades in the bedroom. I went over to the mantel. There was a round, clean spot in the center and the trophy fitted right into it. Then I went over to the couch and sat down. I felt the comforting bulge of the sue man's gun in my pocket and I lit a cigarette. She must have smelled the smoke. How did you get in here? You left the door open. You got a lot of nerves. You know, something's different about this room. You know that. You know, I can't put my finger on it, but there's something added. Maybe it's you. No, no. I mean the way of furnishings. Are those the same drapes you had in here before? Look, let's get skip the interior decorator routine. Oh, no, please. It bothers me. Let's see, the sofa was over here. Remember? That chair was over there. Maybe it's something on a mantelpiece. What? Yeah, yeah, it's that thing. Hey, where did that come from? I don't know, but it sure is pretty. Oh, I guess that's what Sidney won in the Golden Gloves, eh? Let's see that. No. Stay away from me. What's the fuss? It's Just a trophy. You're pretty smart, aren't you? Well, it isn't going to do you any good. You better put that trophy back where it belongs, Mrs. Rykoff. You don't want to cave in my skull like you did your husband's. Nobody's stopping us. Nobody. You must swing a pretty mean trophy, Mrs. Rykoff. But not today. Come on, give me that. No, that's. That's better. Now you better stand over there near the door. Go on. This thing's loaded. Get him. Jerry. Jerry. Jerry. Thanks, Lieutenant. Hi, Dollar. Better late than never, huh? It all tied up nice. Al Basumian's gambling racket was looked into and cracked wide open. Mrs. Rykoff's confession read something like this. I killed him a week ago. I got mad at him. I picked up the trophy off the mantelpiece and killed him. I didn't mean to kill him. I called Gary and he put the trophy in Al Basumin's furnace and got his boys to lug the body out to a place he had. They kept the body for a week and then put it on the highway after the insurance company paid the ransom. End of confession, end of affair, end of story. Expense account. Item 8, $203.54. Air travel back to Hartford. Expense account, total $982.28. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Yours truly, Johnny dollar stars Edmund O'Brien in the title role and is written by Gil Dowd and David Ellis with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Edmund O'Brien can soon be seen starring in the Columbia Pictures production, the Los Angeles Story. Featured in our cast were Howard McNear, Howard Culver, Walter Burke, John McIntyre, Bill Gray and Jeanette Nolan. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. Join us again next week at this time when Edmund O'Brien returns in another transcribed adventure of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24. 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care. Shopify helps you sell at every stage of your business. Like that. Let's put it online and see what happens. Stage and the site is live that we opened a store and need a fast checkout. 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