Podcast Summary: 1001 Radio Crime Solvers, Episode – "THE EMBARKADERO MATTER" & "THE REALLY GONE MATTER" (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar)

Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Jon Hagadorn

Episode Overview

This episode presents two classic "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" detective stories: The Embarcadero Matter and The Really Gone Matter, starring Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar, the insurance investigator with an “action-packed expense account.” Through sharp dialogue and atmospheric storytelling, Johnny Dollar tackles the theft of an irreplaceable medallion smuggled across the Atlantic, and investigates the suspicious disappearance of a beneficiary in a remote Oregon town. The episode is packed with noir intrigue, underworld informants, hard-boiled wit, and surprising plot twists.

Story One: The Embarcadero Matter

Main Theme

An international art theft: Johnny Dollar chases a priceless Cellini medallion from Paris to San Francisco, unraveling a smuggling ring and confronting dangerous criminals on the city’s foggy docks.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

"A Paris Beginning" (00:04 – 04:00)

• Johnny Dollar is enjoying Paris when George Reed (his insurance contact) calls, requesting Dollar’s help on a new case: the Cellini medallion stolen from the Louvre.

• Rather than contact the official Floyd’s of England representative, Dollar reaches out to his Paris underworld informant, the flamboyant Louis de Marsac (aka "The Great Cat"), leveraging street connections for leads.

  "Think $100 might help to raise your spirits?"
  — Johnny Dollar to de Marsac, (05:26)

"A Risky Informant" (04:01 – 08:40)

• De Marsac, ever the hustler, exaggerates the danger and negotiates his fee for information about the medallion’s whereabouts.

• He uncovers that the item is en route to San Francisco, hidden inside a case of wine aboard the Klemper Hall ship, arranged by a known fence, Frankie Gestel. The specific crate is marked with a Maltese cross.

  "You dug up an awful lot of information...even about that mark on the case of wine."
  — Johnny Dollar, suspicious of de Marsac’s speed (08:03)
  "But of course, monsieur. You see, I put it there myself."
  — Louis de Marsac’s surprising confession (08:14)

"Return to the States" (08:41 – 10:47)

• Johnny races back to San Francisco and checks into the Huntington Hotel, the city shrouded in fog.
• On the way to dinner, he feels he’s being tailed—tense noir atmosphere ensues—until it turns out to be an old ally, Smokey Sullivan (11:30).

"The Foggy Embarcadero & The Watchman’s Murder" (11:48 – 19:35)

• Smokey, now gone straight, provides Johnny with local dock gossip. He mentions recent smuggling activity and the presence of Frankie Gestel, waiting for the Klemper Hall’s arrival.

• Together, they head to Pier 93 and discover the watchman shot dead, raising the stakes and confirming the high danger.

  "Yeah, Johnny. He's asleep all right. For good."
  — Smokey, grimly confirming the watchman’s fate (15:31)

"Warehouse Faceoff" (19:36 – 25:30)

• Johnny searches the dark warehouse alone for the marked wine case, knowing the murderer may be lurking. He finds the pried-open case, confirming Gestel has the medallion.

• A tense gunfight ensues among the crates, with Johnny using a crowbar and quick thinking to survive. Smokey ultimately intervenes, shooting Gestel to save Johnny.

  “Didn’t figure I had two guns, did you, Dollar?”
  — Frankie Gestel, moments before being shot (24:50)

"Resolution" (25:31 – 27:27)

• Police arrive; Gestel is dead, the medallion recovered. Smokey, though worried about his criminal past, is declared a hero and clear of wrongdoing.

  "Now, now he's a public hero...Smokey's really in the clear."
  — Johnny’s final word on Smokey’s fate (26:41)

Story Two: The Really Gone Matter

Main Theme

A missing-person case with a twist: Johnny Dollar is tasked with finding a mysterious beneficiary, “Jonathan Doe,” who is named on a life insurance policy in Eugene, Oregon, only to discover the truth is even stranger than the name suggests.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

"An Odd Assignment" (27:28 – 29:00)

• Dollar gets hired by Percival Leslie Fairfoot (“call me Les!”), the insurance manager, to locate the beneficiary of a large policy. The beneficiary is named “Jonathan Doe.”
• The deceased, Harvey Wakeman, a retired professor turned farmer, named Doe—supposedly a close friend and neighbor—as the primary beneficiary, with his son Ben as secondary.

"A Town Without a Jonathan Doe" (29:01 – 33:10)

• Johnny interviews Wakeman’s family (Ben and Mrs. Wakeman). Neither ever met Jonathan Doe or knows anyone who did.

• Johnny’s investigation reveals neither neighbors, merchants, nor the local postman—even the town’s records office—have any real knowledge of Doe. Every official document regarding Doe was processed by legal proxy.

  “It’s just kind of funny that they knew so little about Mr. Wakeman’s closest friend...”
  — Johnny, puzzled by the phantom beneficiary (31:29)

"Suspicion and Motives" (33:11 – 37:17)

• Sergeant Conroy (local police) is also stumped, noting Ben stands to inherit the money if Doe remains missing for seven years.

• Johnny considers whether Ben could have reason to want Doe gone, but both Ben and his mother vehemently deny any motive or involvement.

  “You’d better be. And you just gotta get out of here.”
  — Mrs. Wakeman, furiously confronting Johnny’s suspicions (36:40)

"The Legal Twist" (37:18 – 41:14)

• Johnny visits lawyer John Waverly, who admits the truth: Jonathan Doe never existed.

  • Wakeman, wanting Ben to inherit the money only after he reached maturity (and not risk his widow spending it all), created a legal fiction—a non-existent person as beneficiary, with Ben named to inherit if Doe was ever “legally presumed not to be alive” after seven years.

  “That’s right. For the simple reason that he was never alive.”
  — John Waverly, explaining the ruse (40:23)

• Everything is legal and aboveboard; the arrangement cleverly protected Ben’s future while ensuring his mother couldn’t access the money prematurely.

  “A real John Doe in the true legal sense... the fictitious name of a completely non-existent person.”
  — Waverly, summing up the scheme (40:45)

"Resolution" (41:15 – end)

• Johnny agrees to let the secret stand until the policy comes due, ensuring the money will reach Ben as intended.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On criminal informants:

  “Alas, monsieur, I have been most unfortunate. Only one small, what-you-call, investment... She was young. She was so beautiful.”
  — Louis de Marsac (05:38)

• On the Paris underworld:

  “He knows more about what goes on in the Paris underworld than any other man alive.”
  — Johnny Dollar, justifying his expense (07:13)

• Dark humor, after discovering the warehouse murder:

  “Yeah, Johnny. He's asleep all right. For good.”
  — Smokey Sullivan (15:31)

• Revelation of nonexistent beneficiary:

  “That means the $50,000 can’t possibly go to Ben while he’s still a kid... nor could his widow.”
  — John Waverly (40:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Johnny’s call from Paris: 00:04 – 03:40
• De Marsac’s information & reveal: 04:10 – 08:40
• Johnny in San Francisco: 10:30 – 13:00
• Discovery of the dock murder: 15:00 – 16:30
• Warehouse gunfight: 19:36 – 25:30
• Insurance case background ("The Really Gone Matter"): 27:28 – 29:30
• Wakeman family interviews: 30:10 – 33:30
• Revealing John Doe’s nonexistence: 39:30 – 41:14

Closing Thoughts

This episode showcases the taut, witty scripts of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," blending thrilling action, clever dialogue, and poignant twists. From the cobblestones of Paris to the foggy San Francisco docks, and the mystery fields of Oregon, Johnny Dollar’s investigations offer vintage radio at its most entertaining.

Listeners seeking iconic detective drama and memorable radio performances will find this episode a standout example of Golden Age radio storytelling.