1001 Radio Crime Solvers

Episode: “The Backfire That Backfired” & “The Leumas Matter” (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar)
Air Date: November 22, 2025
Host: Jon Hagadorn

Episode Overview

This episode features two classic "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" detective stories: "The Backfire That Backfired" and "The Leumas Matter." The host transports listeners to radio drama’s golden age, where clever plotting and charismatic detectives held audiences rapt. Bob Bailey stars as Johnny Dollar, the insurance investigator renowned for turning expense accounts into adventures, close calls, and quick wit.

Story 1: The Backfire That Backfired

Main Theme

Johnny Dollar sets out for what should have been a pleasant breakfast with his girlfriend, Betty Lewis, but is quickly drawn into an investigation involving mysterious backfires, a suspicious hot rod, and a potential murder plot against a former attorney.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Lighthearted Beginnings and a Missed Party

• Johnny Dollar is woken by Betty Lewis’s playful marriage proposal, revealing their close, flirtatious relationship.
• Johnny has just returned from business in Eugene, Oregon, and missed Betty’s housewarming (00:39–02:00).

“I know, Pat, you haven’t assigned me to a case… but having breakfast with my best gal was to be only the beginning of an insurance investigation.”
– Johnny Dollar, 03:17

2. Breakfast, Strange Noises, and Observations

• Johnny goes to Betty’s charming new home for breakfast (05:31), noting the peaceful setting and the punctual neighbor, Barton J. Robinson, a retired attorney (07:09).
• Daily, a noisy hot rod with a “backfire” streaks by at exactly 8:00 AM. Betty is used to it—everyone thinks it’s just kids (07:50–08:17).
• Dollar’s investigative instincts are piqued when he notices the car’s odd behavior and asks Betty about the license plate (09:20).

3. A Hunch and A Clue

• The license plate on the “kids’” car is a phony; Johnny is suddenly convinced the backfires are a cover for something sinister (10:16).
• Johnny connects the timing of Robinson’s return and the reappearance of the hot rod, suspects the car’s driver is casing the lawyer's house for a crime (10:47–11:43).
• Despite Betty’s protests and disappointment, Johnny’s sense of duty prevails, and he sets out to investigate (11:44–12:04).

4. Into Danger: Pursuing the Hot Rod

• Johnny tracks the hot rod to a shack via clues from locals at a roadside tavern. The investigation leads him to a hidden car and a trap (12:04–14:00).
• Johnny is ambushed by two criminals, Ringer and Gil, who recognize him as an insurance investigator (14:30).

5. The Murder Plot Revealed

"You think you or anybody else could keep me from knocking off that fancy mouthpiece after sending me up the way he did? [...] The backfire will cover the shots when you murder the lawyer."
– Ringer and Johnny, 15:19 & 15:57

• Ringer intends to use the routine backfire as a cover for shooting Robinson during breakfast.
• Johnny is left tied with wet rawhide, intended as a hostage, while the villains go to commit murder (16:33).

6. Race Against Time

• Johnny, bound and in pain, uses the rain to stretch the rawhide, finally breaking free after the deed is likely done (17:49).
• The hot rod returns; the villains realize their plan has failed and suspect Johnny warned Robinson (17:54).

7. Showdown and Rescue

• Betty Lewis, following clues and worried over Johnny, arrives just in time—she helps disrupt Ringer and Gil, and Johnny apprehends the criminals (18:24).
• Emotional reunion and gratitude are exchanged:

"If I hadn't run into him, he would've killed—"
– Betty Lewis, 18:38
"That's okay, honey. You did the right thing."
– Johnny Dollar, 18:42

8. Epilogue and Reflection

• Johnny credits Betty with saving the day and hints about a future together, ending with his signature itemized expense report and a gift for Betty (19:36).
• Signature humor about expense accounts and romance.

Notable Quotes

• Flirtatious banter:
  "If you had any sense, you’d marry me, you know."
  – Betty Lewis, 06:09

• Detective’s intuition:
  "That license on it is a phony. There ain't no such number here in Connecticut."
  – Johnny Dollar, 10:17

• Villain’s plan:
  "The backfire will cover the shots when you murder Lawyer Roberts?"
  – Johnny Dollar, 15:54

• Betty’s heroism:
  "If I hadn’t run into him, he would have killed—"
  – Betty Lewis, 18:38

Key Timestamps

• 00:39: Johnny and Betty's opening phone call
• 03:17: Johnny explains how breakfast became a case
• 07:09: Introduction of Barton J. Robinson
• 10:17: The license on the hot rod is a phony
• 14:30: Johnny is captured by Ringer and Gil
• 15:57: The murder plan explained
• 18:24: Climax—Betty intervenes
• 19:36: Johnny’s closing remarks

Story 2: The Leumas Matter

Main Theme

Johnny Dollar travels to Vineland, New Jersey, to investigate the disappearance of wealthy glass magnate Elmer Loomis ("Leumas" spelled backward), whose beautiful young wife stands to inherit everything.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Case Setup: A Vanished Millionaire

• Les Walters from Worldwide Mutual Insurance asks Johnny to find Elmer Loomis, who disappeared without a trace.
  "That's the funny part of it." – Les, 22:26

• Loomis is a retiree, sportsman, and yachtsman. His wife Lena, 29 years his junior, is the sole beneficiary of his life insurance (24:37).

2. Suspicions Around the Wife

• Lena Loomis throws parties, seems unbothered by her husband's disappearance, and is rumored to only have married for money (26:10–26:32).

"Don't be surprised when you find that Lena Loomis isn't at all broken up over this loss of her husband. Because she isn't."
– Sergeant Louis Tommaso, 26:09

• Lena is charming, flippant, and unapologetic about her ambition for wealth (29:35–31:43).

"Why do you think I ever married Elmer in the first place? Ooh, Elmer. Isn't that a terrible name?"
– Lena Loomis, 31:47

3. A Web of Motives and Red Herrings

• Lena is impatient for her husband's fortune, but also realizes she must wait seven years for the statute of limitations or for his body to be found (32:11–32:15).
• Johnny presses Lena, who is evasive and soon has Johnny thrown out (33:55–34:39).
• Johnny is assaulted by Lena’s “protectors,” heightening suspicion she may have arranged Elmer's disappearance (34:49–35:24).

4. Johnny Follows the Yacht

• A lead on the sale of Loomis's cherished yacht, The Lena, spurs Johnny to the Tuckahoe River.
• The new owner, Samuel Remley, matches Loomis’ description, but with a twist: Remley is just Loomis spelled backward (36:58–38:36).

"L-E-U-M-A-S... spelled backward, it comes out Samuel. Elmer Loomis...Samuel Remley."
– Johnny Dollar, 38:31

5. The Twist: Disappearance as Escape

• Johnny confronts Loomis/Remley, who confesses he staged his disappearance due to unhappiness with Lena (39:06–39:09).
• Captain Wilson and the marina staff corroborate Loomis' ruse, noting his disguise and retreat (39:18–39:27).
• Loomis confides he needed time to decide about his marriage, leaving Lena under the watchful eye of his bodyguards (38:46–39:03).

6. Resolution

• No crime—just a sad, manipulated marriage; Lena's greed is unmasked, but no charges can be brought.
• Johnny closes his expense account, reflection tinged with relief he need not solve the family drama.

Notable Quotes

• "She's quite a beauty... all she cared about was getting her hooks on his money."
  – Les Walters, 24:37, 26:32

• "What Lena wants, Lena gets. Why do you think I ever married Elmer in the first place?"
  – Lena Loomis, 31:47

• "L-E-U-M-A-S... spelled backward it comes out Samuel. Elmer Loomis... Samuel Remley."
  – Johnny Dollar, 38:31

Key Timestamps

• 22:03: Les Walters introduces the Leumas/Loomis case
• 24:37: Lena Loomis described—a fortune at stake
• 26:09: Sergeant Tommaso warns Johnny about Lena’s attitude
• 29:35: Johnny meets Lena—her lack of grief is evident
• 31:47: Lena’s confession of greed
• 36:58: Johnny tracks the sold yacht
• 38:31: Johnny reveals the reverse-spelling twist
• 39:06: Loomis/Remley explains his disappearance

Memorable Moments

• The playful rapport and bittersweet chemistry between Johnny and Betty Lewis, providing emotional core and continuity for Dollar’s personal life.
• The villains plotting a murder using backfire as a mask for gunshots—demonstrating radio’s knack for inventive twists.
• The clever wordplay and classic radio twist of identity in “The Leumas Matter,” where the missing man has simply run away—under a reversed alias.

Conclusion

This episode encapsulates classic Golden Age radio crime drama: snappy dialogue, ingenious plotting, and a blend of humor, romance, and suspense. Johnny Dollar's approach—equal parts cynic and knight-errant—makes him as compelling today as 70 years ago. Both stories showcase the genre’s love for red herrings, last-minute rescues, and the ever-appealing friction between the call of duty and the longing for connection.

For listeners and fans:
This is a top-shelf example of detective radio fiction, balancing light-hearted banter, real jeopardy, and a twisty puzzle. With Johnny Dollar at the helm, every case is an engaging blend of danger, deduction, and a dash of romance.