Sam Spade and Broadway Is My Beat

Summary

Podcast Summary: Case Closed! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: Sam Spade and Broadway Is My Beat
Host/Author: RelicRadio.com
Release Date: April 2, 2025

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of Case Closed!, RelicRadio.com transports listeners back to the golden age of radio with two enthralling crime stories. The first segment delves into the cunning maneuvers of the legendary private detective Sam Spade in The Hot Hundred Grand Caper from September 19, 1948. Subsequently, the narrative seamlessly transitions to Broadway Is My Beat and the intricate Gordon Merrick Murder Case aired on March 15, 1952. This summary encapsulates the key plot points, character developments, and pivotal moments from both stories, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for an immersive experience.

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Case 1: The Hot Hundred Grand Caper (Adventures of Sam Spade)

Setting the Scene

The episode opens with Sam Spade, portrayed by Howard Duff, navigating the murky waters of San Francisco's underbelly. Effie Perrine, his perceptive secretary, brings forth a mysterious client, Lorraine Kilcourse, seeking help regarding her husband's suspicious activities.

Effie Perrine [03:20]: "It's up to you, Sam. She's very well dressed, and I imagine she can afford you."

Lorraine Kilcourse's Plea

Lorraine Kilcourse approaches Sam Spade with concerns about her husband, Leonard Kilcourse, a prominent public servant whose secretive withdrawals from their joint account raise red flags.

Lorraine Kilcourse [04:09]: "It's about my husband, Leonard Kilcourse."

Sam deciphers that Leonard's substantial and unaccounted-for cash withdrawals hint at deeper, possibly illicit, dealings. Determined to uncover the truth, Spade tails Leonard to the Ernie Nogales Racket Club, a notorious gambling establishment.

Sam Spade [07:36]: "The haircut had nothing to do with tennis. He was trying to lose that hundred grand."

Unraveling the Mystery

At the club, Sam witnesses Leonard's inexplicable large bets and quickly deduces that the roulette wheel may be rigged. Despite potential dangers, Spade presses on, suspecting blackmail or deeper corruption linked to Ernie Nogales.

Sam Spade [08:44]: "He knows I was following him."

The plot thickens when Spade narrowly escapes an assassination attempt, hinting at powerful adversaries determined to keep Leonard's affairs concealed.

Sam Spade [10:08]: "It was bound to turn up black."

A Web of Deceit

Lorraine's revelations lead Sam to discover that the situation involves more than just Leonard's financial irregularities. Betrayals and hidden motives come to light as Sam confronts the intertwined relationships between the Kilcourses, Nogales, and Lorraine herself.

Lorraine Kilcourse [16:14]: "I was terrified I'd have to abandon him to protect my brother."

The caper culminates in a dramatic showdown where Sam meticulously pieces together the truth, exposing the corruption and deceit that entangled the Kilcourses.

Sam Spade [26:10]: "I just got to prove something."

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Case 2: Broadway Is My Beat and the Gordon Merrick Murder Case

Introduction to a New Mystery

The episode transitions to the bustling streets of Broadway, where Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor, is introduced. A glamorous yet mysterious figure, Gordon Merrick, is found dead in a high-rise apartment, clutching a portrait of Carol Royce.

Narrator [33:54]: "The penthouse apartment and violent death on the 40th floor with its own private entrance."

Investigation Begins

Detective Clover is tasked with unraveling the circumstances surrounding Merrick's death. His investigation leads him to Carol Royce, a woman with a tangled past involving jealousy and unrequited love.

Lorraine Kilcourse [35:31]: "He never stopped trying."

As Clover delves deeper, he uncovers connections between Merrick, Vic Kane—a man with a suspect alibi—and Sophie Henry, another victim found with Merrick's gun. The plot intricately weaves through Broadway's neon-lit alleys, exposing a network of deceit and hidden motives.

Sam Spade [47:46]: "What's that got to do with the truth?"

Confrontations and Revelations

The climax of the murder case features intense confrontations where Detective Clover employs sharp interrogation techniques, reminiscent of Sam Spade's investigative prowess. The revelation that Vic Kane's gun was involved in both murders unravels the central mystery.

Sam Spade [54:23]: "I got a reward coming if you want."

In a dramatic twist, Carol Royce's entanglement with both victims becomes apparent, revealing her manipulative schemes to cover up her involvement and protect her interests.

Lorraine Kilcourse [56:28]: "Here's my gun, Mr. Clover. Did I kill him? Is he dead?"

Resolution

Detective Clover masterfully navigates the complexities of the case, leading to the exposure of Carol Royce's machinations. The resolution not only clears the suspicions surrounding Vic Kane but also brings justice to the victims, showcasing the unwavering determination of the detectives.

Sam Spade [55:16]: "Vic killed Merrick out of jealousy over you, Ms. Royce."

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Conclusion

This episode of Case Closed! masterfully intertwines two classic crime stories, presenting listeners with a blend of sharp detective work, intricate plotting, and timeless characters. Through the astute investigations of Sam Spade and Detective Danny Clover, the episode underscores themes of deception, loyalty, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Whether navigating the shadowy casinos of San Francisco or the glamorous yet perilous avenues of Broadway, these stories capture the essence of old-time radio’s golden age of mystery and crime.

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Notable Quotes:

• Sam Spade [03:20]: "It's up to you, Sam. She's very well dressed, and I imagine she can afford you."

• Lorraine Kilcourse [04:09]: "It's about my husband, Leonard Kilcourse."

• Sam Spade [08:44]: "He knows I was following him."

• Sam Spade [16:14]: "I was terrified I'd have to abandon him to protect my brother."

• Lorraine Kilcourse [35:31]: "He never stopped trying."

• Sam Spade [54:23]: "I got a reward coming if you want."

• Lorraine Kilcourse [56:28]: "Here's my gun, Mr. Clover. Did I kill him? Is he dead?"

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Final Thoughts

For enthusiasts of classic radio dramas and intricate crime tales, this episode of Case Closed! offers a nostalgic yet fresh experience. RelicRadio.com continues to keep the spirit of old-time radio alive, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in stories of mystery, intrigue, and the perpetual dance between good and evil.

Transcript

[Narrator]

This is Case Closed. One hour of mystery and crime from the golden age of radio. Every Wednesday@ Relicradio.com our first story comes from the Adventures of Sam Spade. This week we'll hear the Hot Hundred grand caper from September 19, 1948. After that it's Broadway Is My Beat and the Gordon Merrick Murder Case. That story aired March 15, 1952.

[Commercial Announcer]

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective Brought to you by Wild Root Cream Oil Hair Tonic. The non alcoholic hair tonic that contains lanolin Wild Root Cream Oil again and again the choice of men who put good grooming first.

[Effie Perrine]

Sam Spade Detective Agency.

[Sam Spade]

This is Sam Blackleg Spade, the third most dangerous gambler on the Barbary Coast.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, Sam. Sam, not horses again.

[Sam Spade]

Horses, women and the gaming table. Zevi the versions of the elite.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Well, divert yourself with this, Sam.

[Effie Perrine]

The phone company has sent the pink notice.

[Narrator]

Aha.

[Sam Spade]

Pay it no mind, sweetheart. We are healed. We have hit the cashier's cage, annexed the pot, broken the bank and we're standing on velvet.

[Effie Perrine]

Sam, are you sober?

[Sam Spade]

Definitely velvet warm too.

[Effie Perrine]

Sam, from where are you calling from?

[Sam Spade]

You're wrong, Effie. It's a drugstore. Stay where you are. I'll be right down to deal out my report on the Hot Hundred Grand Capers.

[Commercial Announcer]

Dashiell Hammett, America's leading detective fiction writer and creator of Sam Spade, the Hard Boiled Private Eye and William Speer, radio's outstanding producer director of mystery and crime drama, join their talents to make your hair stand on end with the Adventures of Sam Spade presented by the makers of Wild Root Cream Oil for the hair. It's smart to buy things the whole family can use, isn't it? That's why I say it's smart to buy Wild Root Cream Oil hair tonic. To mom, to dad, to the children. Wild Root Cream Oil is really a friend indeed. Non alcoholic Wild Root Cream oil with lanolin grooms the hair neatly and naturally relieves dryness, removes loose ugly dandruff. I hope you have a big family sized bottle of Wild Root Cream Oil in your home. Get Wild Root Cream Oil Hair Tonic again and again. Lo the choice of men who put good grooming first. And now with Howard Duff starring as Spade, Wild root brings to the air the greatest private detective of them all in the Adventures of Sam Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Date September 19, 1948 to robbery detail, San Francisco Police. Attention Sergeant Walsh. From Samuel Spade license number 137596. Dear Joe, is the rundown on that hot hundred grand. It started pleasantly enough when my secretary, Ms. Effie Perrine cute little mouse eased into my private office, closed the door behind her and leaned back against it with that air of pained resignation. Which generally means there's a customer outside that she doesn't approve of. But that I'll see her anyway.

[Effie Perrine]

It's up to you, Sam. She's very well dressed, and I imagine she can afford you.

[Sam Spade]

How do you deduce that?

[Effie Perrine]

Well, she dropped her purse.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I didn't get time to count it.

[Effie Perrine]

All, but there was a hundred dollar bill on top.

[Narrator]

Well, sure.

[Sam Spade]

And effy, Sam. Go ahead, say it.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, I don't know, Sam. Sometimes. Well, there's just money.

[Sam Spade]

No, no. That's one of the reasons I hire you. What's the matter with her?

[Effie Perrine]

Nothing. That's just it, Sam.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

She's very good looking, cultivated and very kind and considerate.

[Effie Perrine]

And she seems sincerely troubled.

[Sam Spade]

You mean her act is a little too good.

[Effie Perrine]

I felt that too, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Thanks, angel. I'll keep that in mind. Tell her to come in.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

All right, Sam.

[Effie Perrine]

Mr. Spade will see you, Mrs. Kilcorn. Thank you. Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Spade.

[Sam Spade]

My pleasure. Won't you sit down?

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, thank you. I'm Lorraine Kilcourse, Mr. Spade. It's about my husband, Leonard Kilcourse.

[Sam Spade]

Husband?

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, we've only been married a short time. It was a quiet ceremony at the San Sidro mission. Leonard didn't want to subject me to any publicity. The difference in our ages, you know.

[Sam Spade]

You mean you want me to keep it a secret?

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, no, no. Except for the newspapers, of course. Naturally. All of Leonard's friends know.

[Sam Spade]

He doesn't have many, from what I've heard.

[Effie Perrine]

I've thought it straight. Strange, too, that such a prominent man should have such a small circle of acquaintances. I met him only a short time before I married him. He's been very kind and absolutely devoted to me. And I suppose I should feel ashamed of myself for coming to you, but there are so many things about him that are mysterious that I sometimes. I can't seem to find my handkerchief.

[Sam Spade]

Here. Kleenex.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you.

[Sam Spade]

I take it you're not a San Francisco girl.

[Effie Perrine]

No, no. I met him at a Jude ranch.

[Sam Spade]

Well, maybe I can clear up some of your mysteries for free. The reason your husband doesn't have many friends is because they keep dropping dead.

[Effie Perrine]

I don't understand you.

[Sam Spade]

Forget it. He's a big public servant. He's built a lot of sidewalks. The streets of the city are paved with his good intentions. His name is on a thousand manhole covers. If the names of his former business associates. Land on headstones. It's nothing to me. I got my own racket.

[Narrator]

Well, what?

[Effie Perrine]

I think my husband is paying blackmail to someone.

[Sam Spade]

Aha. And upon what do you base your suspicions, Mrs. K?

[Effie Perrine]

It started about a month ago. He began withdrawing large sums from our joint account. First it was 10,000. Then. Then 20,000. And last week, 50,000. And this morning he closed out the balance of the account, $100,000.

[Sam Spade]

Well, he's got it to span, Mrs. Gilcourt.

[Effie Perrine]

I won't pretend the money doesn't interest me. But what's behind it, Mr. Spade? Each time he withdraws these cash sums, he leaves the house without a word to me and sometimes doesn't return until dawn. My husband is not fond of nightlife, Mr. Spade. Only a desperate situation could induce him to leave the house after dark.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, so I've heard. They say that's how he kept his health as long as he has. All right, you want me to trail him, Find out what he does with the money. Just one question. Why'd you pick me for the job?

[Effie Perrine]

I. Why? Your reputation.

[Sam Spade]

That's local. You say you're new in San Francisco?

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I do read the local papers. Your picture was in only two weeks ago.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, well, that caver didn't help my reputation.

[Effie Perrine]

I like your looks. A nice, honest face. A man I could trust.

[Sam Spade]

Don't buy that.

[Effie Perrine]

And I'm sentimental too. Your picture reminded me of someone who was very dear to me. My brother. Of course, you're nothing like him, really, but. But you do look alike. I suppose that sounds like a silly woman's reason.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. What's your address?

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I have a little place of my own out on Divisidero. The Balbo Apartments near Normandy Terrace. You'd better keep in touch with me there. I don't want Leonard to know. The Kilcourse mansion is at 1316 Clarendon.

[Sam Spade]

1316.

[Effie Perrine]

He returns from his office around 6 in the evening. Do you have a car?

[Sam Spade]

No. I need one.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I don't know where he may go now. Here are the keys to my car. It's parked in front of the main entrance. A gray Plymouth. He won't recognize the car. It's my brother's. Now, about your fee.

[Sam Spade]

100 bucks. Now, if I need more, I'll leave you now. I had an uneasy feeling I would need more. The last detective that tried to follow Leonard Kilcors had hospital insurance. I don't. But I'm a gambler at heart. So I parked Lorraine's Plymouth across the street. From the Kilcore mansion and waited. At 9pm Mr. Kilcorse, much, much too old for her, came out the front door and flagged on a taxi. I made an illegal U turn and followed. The trail ended across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. It was a country club type building on top of a hill overlooking the bay. It did business under the name of Ernie Nogales Racket Club. The racket had nothing to do with tennis. It came from two sources. The moans and groans of the customers losing money at the roulette wheels and crap tables and the glad hand the management threw at my quarry as I followed them in.

[Narrator]

Mr. Kirkwood, surprised to see you. Since when you go out after D? Well, I thought a little night life might agree with me. Oh, that sounds like you, Mr. Kim. I didn't know you better. I think you was afraid to go out night. Well, now, I was thinking of buying this place to retire to, but I figured it'd be cheaper to win it at your roulette table. What's your limit here? 10,000. But for you, wide open the sky. A hot 100 grand for a starter. Anytime they catch you with hot money, Mr. Kim, come over to the cashier. I sell you the chips myself.

[Sam Spade]

I don't have to bother making myself inconspicuous. Everybody in the joint stopped playing to watch Kilcore while he shoved his hundred grand roll through the cashier's window and scooped up four sacks of thousand buck chips.

[Narrator]

Make your bets. All right. You spin that wheel, huh? How much you got there? 25 grand. Any objections? Is that okay, Mr. Nogales? Spinach, Joe. I'm covering through the table personally. Okay, sir. Around and round the little ball goes. Fifteen, page 15 and the red. Maybe next time, Mr. Kivko. Why don't you double up? Play the red and the black. It's safer. I'll stay with the numbers. 50,000 on 15 there. Spin it. It's okay, Joe.

[Commercial Announcer]

I'm still covering.

[Narrator]

Well, it's your money, Mr. Nogales. Number four, page number four.

[Sam Spade]

And the red again.

[Narrator]

25 grand more on 15. Look, Mr. Kilcos. Go on, enjoy yourself taking off your income tax. But please spend those. Spread them out a little there. Those chips, huh? Looks bad for the house. What kind of a joint is this? Can't you cover the bets? Okay, Joe. He asked for it. Okay, sir.

[Sam Spade]

I didn't wait to see where the little ball went on the last spin of the wheel. I would have made a side bet with any taker that Kilcores wanted To lose that hundred grand, I would also have made book. He knew I was following him. As I left the table and walked out of the club, I braced myself for what usually comes next. There would either be a dead body in the car or somebody would crease my noggin with a SAP. But nothing happened. I switched on the headlights and stood in the glare of them for fully a minute. But nobody even shot at me. I flushed the shrubbery. No gunman, checked the ignition wires. No booby traps. Driving back to town, I racked my brain for some way to bring them out into the open. I felt like a man with his life savings all on one number, waiting for the wheel to stop spinning. Which wasn't far from the truth. Not much of a cliffhanger, but the best we could do. This week.

[Commercial Announcer]

The makers of Wild Root Cream Oil are presenting the weekly Sunday adventure of Dashiell Hammett's famous private detective, Sam Spade. Now here's important news on good grooming. If you want the well groomed look that helps you get ahead socially and on the job. Listen. Recently, thousands of people from coast to coast who bought Wild Root Cream Oil for the first time were asked, how does wild Root Cream oil compare with the hair tonic you previously used? The results were amazing. Better than four out of five who replied said they preferred Wild Root Cream oil. Remember, non alcoholic Wild Root Cream Oil contains lanolin. It grooms the hair naturally, relieves dryness and removes loose, ugly dandruff. So if you want your hair to be more attractive than ever before, get the generous new 25 cent size of Wild Root Cream Oil, America's leading hair tonic. On sale at all drug and toilet goods counters. It's also available in larger economy bottles and the handy new tube yet, Wild Root Cream Oil again and again, the choice of men who put good grooming first. By the way, smart girls use Wild Root Cream Oil too. And mothers say it's grand for training children's hair. And now back to the hot 100 grand caper. Tonight's adventure with Sam Spade.

[Narrator]

Yeah?

[Sam Spade]

This Mrs. Kilcos's apartment?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Sam Spade]

She here?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Sam Spade]

Well, can I come in?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Tommy?

[Narrator]

Yeah. Who is that?

[Effie Perrine]

Mr. Spade?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, this is. This is the detective I was telling you about, Tommy, remember?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

The one who looked so much like you.

[Narrator]

Yeah. No.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, excuse me. This is my brother, Tommy Lane.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, I mean Tommy.

[Effie Perrine]

Won't you run down to the corner and buy me some cigarettes for about 20 minutes? I have something to talk over with Mr. Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, nice boy, your brother. Small vocabulary, but big feet.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, he. He's shy. Now, what did you find out about Mr. My husband, Mr. Spade.

[Sam Spade]

He dropped a hundred grand in a gambling joint. Ernie Nogales Racket club. You know it?

[Effie Perrine]

No, but I know Ernie Nogales. I knew him in Reno before I met Leonard. He lost his license there for running a crooked wheel.

[Sam Spade]

The way Kill course is playing tonight, that wheel didn't have to be crooked. He was trying to lose that hundred grand.

[Effie Perrine]

But why? Why would he do a thing like that?

[Sam Spade]

One of two reasons. Either he's paying off to Nogales or he's paying off to somebody else. And Nogales is the go between.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I don't believe it. Ernie is a crooked gambler, but he doesn't touch blackmail.

[Sam Spade]

And your husband isn't stupid enough to drop a hundred grand in three turns of a wheel. Anyway, I'm not tangling with him and or the Ernie Nogales mob for a hundred bucks of your money or anybody else's. Here, take it. Here are your car keys.

[Effie Perrine]

No, no, wait, please. You can't desert me now.

[Sam Spade]

Why not?

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I haven't told you everything. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to.

[Sam Spade]

About your brother.

[Effie Perrine]

How did you know?

[Sam Spade]

The only place you get a green suntan is in a pokey? Besides, the acts kind of stir crazy. Spent a little time in solitary, didn't he?

[Effie Perrine]

He won't talk about it. But that's it, Sam. That's why Leonard is paying that blackmail money to Nogales.

[Sam Spade]

You just said Nogales wouldn't touch blackmail. Any other corrections you'd like to make in your copy before we proceed?

[Effie Perrine]

Yes. Well, I might as well tell you everything.

[Sam Spade]

Why not?

[Effie Perrine]

I knew when I came to you this morning that my husband was paying this money to Nogales. I knew because I asked him to.

[Sam Spade]

You and Ernie Nogales are working together.

[Effie Perrine]

I'm not that rotten.

[Sam Spade]

I didn't say you were. But you're a rotten liar. There's that much in your favor.

[Effie Perrine]

But I'm telling the truth. Now, Sam, you must believe me. Everything that has happened is my fault. I persuaded Nogales to give my brother a job in his place in Reno. They quarreled, and when he got closed down, he blamed Tommy. He swore he'd kill him when he got out of prison. That's why I begged my husband to pay him to save Tommy's life.

[Sam Spade]

Who did write on Nogales about that crooked wheel of Reno?

[Effie Perrine]

I did. That's why I feel responsible. Leonard is so Fine. So, so generous. But I can't let him go on paying for my mistake.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, like you said, he's going to run out of money.

[Effie Perrine]

Look at me, Sam. Do I look like the kind of a woman to whom money means everything in the world?

[Sam Spade]

No, but you're looking at me, not at Kilcore's.

[Effie Perrine]

You're laughing at me. Oh, I know what you think. Perhaps I did make a mistake in marrying Leonard. But he was so kind, so considerate, like my father.

[Sam Spade]

Everybody reminds you of your relatives.

[Effie Perrine]

You don't believe my story.

[Sam Spade]

Well said she was.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, all right, then here's the truth. I'm really Jack the Ripper's granddaughter. My parents were terribly wealthy. I harpooned my mother in her Beverly Hills swimming pool, set fire to my father with a $50,000 negotiable bond and eloped with John Wilkes Booth. That brings us up to 1865. Shall I go on?

[Sam Spade]

Don't stop. It's great.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, get out of here. Get out of here and leave me alone.

[Sam Spade]

After you've told me all your secrets. I'm not that rotten.

[Effie Perrine]

You won't help me. You never intended to. Why go on torturing.

[Sam Spade]

Stop it, please.

[Narrator]

Please.

[Sam Spade]

I believe you. I believe all your stories. Now, what is my next smart move?

[Effie Perrine]

Sam, the only way to stop Ernie Nogales is to prove that he's running a crooked wheel. Then he'd pay back all that blackmail money and he wouldn't dare lay a hand on Tommy.

[Sam Spade]

Well, it's going to be hard to prove. And expensive. I'll have to lose a little on that wheel before I can figure the way it's rigged. How much can you invest?

[Effie Perrine]

Well, I. I have about a thousand dollars of my own.

[Sam Spade]

With you.

[Effie Perrine]

Yes. Here, you take it.

[Sam Spade]

Smells nice, Sam.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Sam, after all this is over and after I've put things to right with Leonard. I should have told him before this, but I owed him so much, I. Oh, Sam, I'm so glad it's you.

[Narrator]

Yeah, me too, angel.

[Effie Perrine]

Go now, darling, before I beg you not to.

[Sam Spade]

What time is that joint close?

[Effie Perrine]

Well. Well, it runs all night, I think.

[Narrator]

Good.

[Sam Spade]

Let's stay up late and raid the icebox. Around 2 in the a.m. when I low geared the Plymouth up the long, steep driveway to Ernie Nogales Racket Club backed into the parking space nearest the road with a car headed downhill for a quick getaway, just in case. And I went in. The joint was still going full blast. I bought 500 bucks with a chip. Swag it over to the table. Where kill course had dropped his hundred grand and nonchalantly flipped the blue chip onto the red.

[Narrator]

Ladies and gentlemen, make. Make your game. Okay, that's all. Around and round the little ball goes.

[Sam Spade]

I didn't look to see where the little ball went. Most of the money was on red, so it was bound to turn up black.

[Narrator]

A red page, number 15. Place your bets, please. Make your game, ladies and gentlemen.

[Sam Spade]

Around. The chips were spread around more the next turn, So I stacked 100 at the bottom of the 1 to 34 column for the crooked wheel. My hundred made it the best fit.

[Narrator]

The lose and 19. And the red wins again. Hey.

[Sam Spade]

I plunked 500 down on number five and raked in 17. 500. I left my original bet on the table. When the little ball fell into the pocket, I was 35,000 bucks to the good from my point of view, but not for my clients. I doubled my bet and looked apprehensively around. There were no surly characters edging up by. In fact, the only surly character in sight was Ernie Nogales, and he looked happy. That didn't make much sense. When my Bankroll got to 105,000, I played a hunch. I threw five grand of it back on the table and lost it. That made a kind of sense. I cashed in the rest of my chips and squeezed the 100 grand US currency into my inside pocket. If anybody aimed for my heart, it was thick enough to stop the slug, which was some comfort. But what I saw when I walked out to the parking lot was no comfort at all. I'd gotten just a glimpse of it through some trees. A sedan backed into a driveway halfway down the hill. It was blacked out except for five glowing cigar ends that showed through the windows. I could think of only one reason for five cigar smokers to be parked in that particular spot at that particular moment. The Plymouth is where I had parked it, pointing straight down the hill. I slammed the door but didn't get in. Then I listened. The car down the hill was getting ready too. I cracked the door of the Plymouth wide enough to get my arm inside and pressed the starter with the heel of my hand. I switched on the lights, pushed the clutch with my left hand, used my right to shift it into low. Then I pulled the hand throttle out all the way and let it go.

[Narrator]

What's the big idea busting into my office?

[Sam Spade]

We're gonna have a talk now, Gallus.

[Narrator]

Please don't wave that heater at me. Makes me nervous. I don't like God.

[Sam Spade]

I don't either. That's why I'm here. Put your hands on top of the desk and keep them there.

[Narrator]

All right. Give me back that roll. I give you clean money for. It was a gamble, so I lost. Can you blame me?

[Sam Spade]

Where'd you get this money?

[Narrator]

I buy it.50 cents on the dollar. I don't ask where it came from, but I read the papers. I figured it was that ship roll. That shipyard payroll job a few days back. Like it just fell in my lap. I figured make 50 grand instead of kill course.

[Sam Spade]

5.

[Narrator]

I guess that was dirty trick. You just out of stir, Tommy?

[Sam Spade]

I had news for you, Nogalis. I didn't know this money was hot. And I'm not Tommy Lane now.

[Narrator]

Then what?

[Sam Spade]

Private Dick, Tommy's sister hired me to take the fall for him. Look, I got most of the cap A Kill course wanted to pay Tommy 100 grand. You rigged the wheel so Kilcos would lose it one night and Tommy would win it back the next night. Now, what was kill cause paying him off for?

[Narrator]

No caper. Legitimate. He was signed up for bribing a public official.

[Sam Spade]

You mean he was the payoff man for Kilcors contracting fund?

[Narrator]

Sure. Legitimate business. The grand jury went out after Kilcors. Tommy took the rob, that's all. For a price.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. A hundred grand. Thanks, Nogales. That's all I needed.

[Effie Perrine]

I was afraid I might be too late.

[Sam Spade]

You are, sweetheart.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, I have so many things to explain. Where can you talk?

[Sam Spade]

Right in here.

[Effie Perrine]

Who's this man?

[Sam Spade]

Why, that's your old sweetie from Reno. Ernie Nogales, Remember?

[Narrator]

What's the matter with you two? You crazy?

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, Sam, I should have told you the truth from the beginning.

[Sam Spade]

Check. Well, no Golosh yarn I can understand, but why did you tell me you were kill Kross's wife?

[Effie Perrine]

I was desperate. I had to say something. It was the only explanation I could think of for my interest in this case without telling the truth.

[Sam Spade]

But you were making a pigeon out of me.

[Effie Perrine]

I don't know about such things, Sam. All I know is I'm here in time to warn you. You mustn't walk out of here with that money. They may kill you to get it back.

[Sam Spade]

They already did. They're combing the wreckage of that car right now looking for my body.

[Effie Perrine]

Then Tommy was right. They did mean to kill him. How'd he get the rumble While he was in prison? From another man that killed Course Framed. He was in for life so it was safe for him to talk.

[Sam Spade]

Hey, Houston or Galas that Carter that.

[Narrator]

Just drove up, I think that's Mr. Kilco.

[Sam Spade]

What's your hurry?

[Narrator]

Don't let me go.

[Sam Spade]

Come on. What's your hurry?

[Effie Perrine]

Tommy's out there in that cab. I've got to warn him or tip.

[Sam Spade]

Off kill course, which is it?

[Effie Perrine]

No, Sam, you've got to believe me.

[Sam Spade]

Sit down. Stop that.

[Narrator]

You two have fun. I'm getting out of here. Go ahead.

[Sam Spade]

Now listen, sweet Lorraine, you may as well save your breath for those explanations. You're staying right here until the Cape is all wrapped up.

[Effie Perrine]

Here he comes. Have you got a gun, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, you better have it ready. But Sam, there's no goddess.

[Narrator]

I want to see him.

[Sam Spade]

He was called out of town, sir. I'm in charge. You must have killed course.

[Narrator]

That's right. I want to know why you people have been interfering with my business. It might interest you to know that this building site's on an old Spanish land grant. Title's very shaky. I'll run an eight lane highway straight through the middle of it and turn the rest of it into a game preserve. That's what I do to people who double cross me.

[Sam Spade]

I tried to tell Mr. Nogales that, sir. He wouldn't listen to me. He tipped Tommy off for a split of a hundred grand. But I knew sooner or later we'd have to answer to you, Mr. Kilcorse.

[Narrator]

Oh, what's that?

[Sam Spade]

Here's your hundred grand, sir. Count it.

[Narrator]

Well, well, well, well. What's your name, son?

[Sam Spade]

Sam Spade, sir.

[Narrator]

I'm glad to meet an honest lad. Well, come along. You too, young lady. We'll all walk out together.

[Effie Perrine]

Sam, what are you? What?

[Narrator]

Spade, huh?

[Sam Spade]

Yes, sir. I'm a private detective, but I'm ambitious.

[Narrator]

Politics?

[Sam Spade]

Yes, sir.

[Narrator]

Well, we'll run you for assembly. In the meantime, I believe there's an opening in one of the public services. Garbage disposal, executive end, of course. Where the devil is that man with my car? Oh, there he is. You drop around to my office in the morning.

[Sam Spade]

Thank you and good night, Mr. Kilcox.

[Narrator]

Drive on, Horace, back to the city.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, Sam, how could you? All those lies and just handing over the money like that. It wasn't yours.

[Sam Spade]

It wasn't Tommy's either, sweetheart. Get in.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, Tommy, are you all right?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Sam Spade]

Drive us across the bridge, Tommy, will you?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Tommy.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Tommy, I'm afraid we'll have to do without the money. Yeah, Sam gave it to Mr. Killcourse.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Effie Perrine]

Now don't get excited, Tommy. I'm sure Sam had a reason. Didn't you, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. I mean, that was marked money from a payroll job.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, then it won't do him any good.

[Sam Spade]

It'll send him up for a good long stretch if the eyewitness story that goes along with it is good enough. And you're just the girl to tell it, sweetheart. Am I right, Tommy?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Sam Spade]

Period, end of report.

[Effie Perrine]

Already? But, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah?

[Effie Perrine]

What happened? Who were the five men in the car? The ones who shot at that Plymouth in the mistaken belief that you were in it?

[Sam Spade]

Their names are of little account, Effie. Suffice it to say that Kilcor has pointed his pudgy finger at them in the hopes of keeping the charge of attempted murder out of his indictment. But I was too clever. I identified them.

[Effie Perrine]

But, Sam, you didn't see anything but their cigars glowing in the darkness.

[Sam Spade]

Have you never heard of Sherlock Holmes monograph and the 49 varieties of tobacco ash?

[Narrator]

You fool.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

But, Sam, Sherlock Holmes is only the.

[Effie Perrine]

Segment of someone's imagination. He's a fictional detective.

[Narrator]

Well, you mean.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, Sam, you're tired.

[Sam Spade]

Yes, I am.

[Effie Perrine]

It's affected your mind, winning all that money. Now, you just sit here and rest, all right? Think of the snowy mountaintops. Blue skies.

[Sam Spade]

I just go and tight fit snowy mountaintops. Winter sports yet.

[Commercial Announcer]

And now listen to this. If you haven't yet tried Wild Root Cream Oil, the famous hair tonic that grooms your hair neatly and naturally relieves dryness and removes loose dandruff, then here's a wonderful way to get acquainted. Buy Wild Root Cream Oil in the new 25 cent size bottle at your drug or toilet goods counter. Also, ask your barber for a professional application of Wild Root Cream Oil Hair tonic Again and again, the choice of men who put good grooming first.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Well, here it is, Sam.

[Effie Perrine]

And not that it made any difference, but how did you guess that she wasn't Mrs. Kilcor's?

[Sam Spade]

Simple kill Kors didn't recognize it.

[Effie Perrine]

But, Sam, that was after you denounced her.

[Sam Spade]

I did no such thing.

[Effie Perrine]

From the report, Sam, in black and white, quote, why did you tell me.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

You were Kill Kors wife? Unquote.

[Effie Perrine]

At that point, you assumed that she was not Mrs. Leonard Kilcores.

[Sam Spade]

I did not. I merely wondered why she had told me.

[Effie Perrine]

Well, with all the lies she told, you might have assumed anything she said.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Was totally devoid of truth.

[Sam Spade]

And I did, sweetheart. I did.

[Narrator]

Oh.

[Effie Perrine]

Oh, well, that's a relief. I was afraid for a while she'd taken you in.

[Sam Spade]

What's that got to do with the truth?

[Effie Perrine]

Good night, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Good night, sweetheart.

[Commercial Announcer]

The Adventures of Sam Spade Dashiell Hammett's famous private detective are produced and directed by William Spear. Sam Spade is played by Howard Duff. Loreen Tuttle is Effie. Sadie Thompson appeared as Lorraine Kilcourse. The adventures of Sam Spade are written for radio by Bob Tolman and Gil Dow. Musical direction by Lud Gluskin. Score composed by Renee Garagang. Join us again next Sunday when author Dashiell Hammett and producer William Spear join forces for another adventure with Sam Spade. Brought to you by Wild Root Cream Oil. Again and again, the choice of men who put good grooming first. This is Dick Joy reminding you to get Wild Root Cream Oil, Charlie.

[Sam Spade]

It keeps your hair in trim, you see.

[Commercial Announcer]

It's non alcoholic, Charlie.

[Sam Spade]

It's made with silhouette.

[Narrator]

You better get Wild Root Cream Oil, Charlie. Start using it today. You'll find that you will have a.

[Commercial Announcer]

Tough time, Charlie, keeping all the gals away. Hiya, baldy.

[Sam Spade]

Get Wild Root right away.

[Commercial Announcer]

This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Narrator]

Broadway's my beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. Broadway is my beach. With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. When Broadway leaps into the nighttime, the sound is a thing compounded of trumpet and machine and hiss and a gaudy laugh. They melt together. The noise you get is shock. When the month is March and the rains of spring fall softly into the riot. Shock scatters and huddles tightly behind this facade and that in that doorway, behind that window. The street is hurry up and get out of the weather. The street is stragglers, is bleeding neon. So make a phone call, find a friend. It's lonely in the rain. There were ceiling to floor windows where I was to enjoy the view high above the city and look out over it, blurred now by the spinning raindrops. The penthouse apartment and violent death on the 40th floor with its own private entrance. And Detective Mugavan kneeling over. It's a way to die, Danny. With a.32 slug, I'd say. Shot in the back. Of course, it's frowned on by 100% sports. Who is he, Magavan? Name's Gordon Merrick. You know, Angel Merrick. I hope he makes angel word. Merrick, huh? The showbacker with a golden touch. Isn't that what the columnists call him? Yeah, they'll think of a better one after tonight. Let's have it, Muggleman. What happened? Oh, pretty definite. When he was shot. Hotel like this times everything. Calls, requests for room service. You know, Merrick Called down for champagne at 11:30 and the table service for a two. Would you drink champagne alone on a rainy night in a place like this? Sure, for two. Waiter brought everything. A half hour later at midnight, no answer. Walked in, saw Merrick lying there. Any callers of the desk you have? Anybody could get on the public elevator to the 35th floor, get off, take the private elevator to here. No way of checking that painting underneath him. Looks like he grabbed it when he fell. I don't blame him. All I got that resembles that picture I had to cut out of a magazine and paste in my locker with Merrick. It's a life sized oil painting. Comes the time I back a show starring that woman. Daryl Rice. Beautiful girl, Michael. I saw her a couple of weeks ago coming out of the theater where her show was playing. I would have found some excuse to stop her and talk to her. You know, your car's parked in the wrong zone or something. Well, work to do, huh, Danny? And through the window, the pattern of the city far below, sodden now with rain and mist. The sunken city, its roar muted, its brilliance dimmed and sallowed in the haze of night rain. Then the quick phosphorescent gleam of neon. And only neon has the power of flight. Through this darkness, all other lights are slowed. Their shimmer flows on the currents of wind. And here and there are trap gathered into a blob, shapeless, blurred. And a man on the pavements below pauses an instant, touches a flame to a cigarette, hurries away. Because this death in this place has somehow whispered into the fall of rain. And at headquarters, the opening of a file on the death of Gordon Merrick. The image of the woman's portrait to whom he spoke is dying. Gives you the first entry. A name. Carol Royce. An address. Sutton Place on the East River. Go there. The woman who finally opens her door to you is wrapped in night lace. Goes well with March torrent.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I was trying to sleep. It's quite late, you know. For me it's late.

[Narrator]

I'm from the police, Ms. Rice. May I come in?

[Effie Perrine]

It's late.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I told you, I'm trying to sleep. I have a matinee tomorrow.

[Narrator]

It's about Gordon Merrick.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

What have I to do? What about Gordon?

[Narrator]

He's dead. He was murdered.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Please come in. I asked you something.

[Narrator]

Yes?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

What have I to do with Gordon Merrick alive?

[Narrator]

We found him holding a portrait of you when he was shot. In the back. He must have reached out and.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

In the back, Poor boy. In the back. It must have hurt you Think so?

[Narrator]

Think what?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Think that it hurts. Tell me. I want to know.

[Narrator]

I'll send you the autopsy report.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Do that. Please do that.

[Narrator]

That's all it means to you, is dying like that.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Gordon called me at the theater tonight. Asked me to a champagne supper for two. A cold bird in candlelight to talk about things. I was bored talking to him about things, so I didn't go. I came home, tried to sleep. Oh, my portrait in his arms.

[Narrator]

Poor boy. Talk to him about what? Things, Ms. Rice.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Vic Kane. Him over there in the silver picture frame. I met him when I toured the USO last war. The man stood out from that olive drab crowd on the hill. I went after him tooth and claw. I got it.

[Narrator]

And Merrick wanted you back. Wanted you away from this Vic Kane.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

He never made it. But he died trying. That you can say for Gordon Merrick. He never stopped trying.

[Narrator]

Vic Kane. Did he know about you and Merrick?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Jealous? Jealous is my Vic. So bitterly so, without reason. I adore the man, you hear? A night filled with rain and no Vic, you hear?

[Narrator]

Where does he live?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

A rooming house on 3rd. 756 3rd Avenue. But he won't be there when you go to him. I've been calling him ever since I got home. I. Hello? Oh, yes. Yes. Is it? Yeah.

[Narrator]

Vic Kane.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

No. Our eager boy stage manager calling a rehearsal for tomorrow's matinee. You, Vic. Between the two of you, you've murdered sleep. Anything else you want, Deb?

[Narrator]

And leave there. And the drive now downtown through the streets of wavering shapes and rain that slants towards you with the sound of the windshield wiper that somehow becomes intimate and lolling. The spotlight on the car searches out a house number, finds it be told Vic Kane is not at home. But why don't you wait, sir? That chair over there in the hall, sir, is for waiters. So wait. The hall is a place of built in draft and a picture of a tiger at bay. And a rug becoming one with a wooden floor. Wait and in an hour. Is your name Vic Kane? Who are you? Police. Danny Clover. Waiting for me? That's right. Could have waited in my room, mister. In here it's always open. A stinking room by the side of the road. What do you want? Cop information about the death of Gordon Merrick. He dead? On a rainy night. Very theatrical. Very. He was shot in the back. Vic. You got a gun? Yeah, I got one.32. You want a pat? Pat on top of your head and admiring, don't you? You just tell your boss I Said you're real good for. 32 it is. You had a. Sure. Hey, what is this? Can't find it, Vic. What do you think I'm doing, cop? Going through a ritual before I reach under the mattress and say, well, here it was all the time. The gun is gone. Somebody just walked into your room by the side of the road, which you leave open because you're friendly. And that somebody took it. Is that right? That's right. Where were you tonight, Rick? Shooting snooker. I can point out the table. The cue stick. You want me to. Between 11 and 12 midnight, had me walk along Broadway past Carol's Theater to look at the posters. Then had me a long walk in the park in the rain. Let's see your shoe, Vic. Come on. Come on, hold it up. Let's see. It's a muddy park tonight, Vic. Your shoes are awfully clean. What did you do, walk on your hands? Now look. You're under arrest, Vic. Suspicion of murder. And deliver him to homicide, to the death handlers for further questioning, further probing. The coffee scalded too many times. The pack of cigarettes tossed in a gleaming arc from one shadow to another. The quiet night talk. Kane stays with his story. He's booked, locked up on suspicion of the murder of Gordon Merrick. And in a room reserved for it. Gather up the shreds and rags of sleep. Try to arrange them on the steel cot. Not quite make it because too quick. There's a gentle clutching at your shoulder. Danny. Danny. Sorry I have to bother you, but there's a man waiting for you in your office. A couple hours now. I tried to let you sleep as long as. Walk away from sleep to where the man waits. A bulk of a man. His hand like a clump of cold iron in your yours. And his voice soft, surprisingly soft. I wish I didn't need to disturb you, Mr. Clover. You boys work hard. Need all the dreams you can steal. I know. Anything I can do for you? If you care to, you can. It's a matter that rests entirely with you. My position being rather ambiguous in this thing, which makes me a pleader, Mr. Clover. A special pleader for what? I'm a private investigator. Jackie Scar. I've been retained this morning by a Ms. Carol Royce to investigate the murder of Gordon Merrick, which you were handling, I understand. You see now what an ambiguous position she's. You could have told her you didn't want it. You could have told her the police were handling it. You've seen her, Mr. Clover. You talked with her at the moment when she Expected another call. You'll understand my receptiveness. That's in the large fee she's paying you to find Vic Kane innocent of Merrick's murder. An observation not too astute, considering how deeply she loves this cane man. No offense, Mr. Clover. Honestly, no offense. If you took the job, you must believe that you can do that, prove Kane's innocence. Otherwise, you'd taking all that she offers under false pretenses. Not true, Mr. Clover. I shall work very hard and with integrity. But I prove nothing. I get nothing. Only expenses. It's a thing we've grown to admire here, Mr. Scott. Integrity. Then you'll admire me. And since I must begin the process somewhere, your permission to speak with the Cain man in his cell. That is, if it's Danny Clover here down to the mor. Got a thing for you. Real interesting thing. Right away. You want to talk to Kane. That's your special plea, Mr. Scar. Exactly. So I too can earn my keep. Tell him at the desk I said you could have an hour. Go ahead. Prove his innocence, Gar. I'll admire you when it happens. Over here. Danny, why don't you take a look at somebody? Okay. What have you got? This woman been here in the morgue since 5 this morning. She'd been dead about half hour. Oh. Who is she? Her name that's made police blotter a lot of times. Vicinity of the Bowery. What'd you call me for? This. This gun was found beside her in an alley downtown. And it's been up technical, Danny. Slug that killed this woman came from this gun. Also the slug that killed Gordon Merrick. Let's see it for a second. Serial number's been filed off. Yeah, I was coming to that. The boys in Technical raising numbers and you know what? No, I don't know what. Come on, come on. Guns registered to Vic Kane. But I had Vic booked it too, this morning. Yeah, his gun. This woman he couldn't have killed. You've got to find yourself a new murderer. You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Now here's a word from Bert Lancaster, star of the motion picture the Crimson Pirate. This is Bert Lancaster. I've been doing quite a bit of traveling around the world lately, either on location or making personal appearances. But I always keep in touch with Hollywood by listening to the Lux Radio Theater every Monday night over the CBS Radio network. To radioactors, the Lux Radio Theater is Hollywood because you can always be sure of hearing the Latest and best motion pictures with the original stars. Why don't you tune in with me to the CBS Radio Network next Monday night and hear some fine entertainment on the Lux Radio Theater. This Monday night it's Barry Fitzgerald and Blythe and Dennis Day. In top of the morning on most of these same CBS radio stations, the squall of rain lashes once more at Broadway. For the time of its passing, the desolation is complete. Only the gutters run with movement. Only the pavement receives reflects the shrieking of spectaculars, the insinuations of neon, the whisperings into nothing, the shrill promises offered on rain tossed wind. And finally the storm begins its dying. And from underground a girl darts, her slicker glistening, her hair streaming under the shelter of a newspaper torn from a trash bin. And after her, another and then another. The street is no longer desolation, something else now. Something that happens after rain from a window. Consider it. Follow the trickle of a raindrop of your finger. Consider that in this passing storm a woman had lain dead in an alley. Then turn away from it and come face to face with sergeantaglia. Rain is indeed a moody thing. Ain't any. Oh, well. Hello, Gino. I tossed a similar comment to Mrs. Tartaglia during the night. I knocked on her shoulder, woke her up and said. Mrs. T. Rain is a moody thing. It taps on windows, calls up memories of todhood. You woke her to tell her that? Once she woke me about snow. We have an understanding about things like that, Danny. I'm glad for you both. I shall tell Mrs. T. You didn't mind I woke her up. Thank you, Danny. And me. Gino, what do you have to tell me? And that the woman found dead of the same gun which did murder one Gordon Merrick. What about her, Gino? A woman. Sophie Henry by name. A frequent caller at the precinct pokey. A frequent instigator of brawls, friendly riots, et cetera, et cetera. Record up to here, Danny. Anything in it about a connection between her and Gordon Merrick? None. Danny was gone over by the department with tooth and comb. No connection. Anything else? Address if you need it. Besides the poker. Your fleabag in the Bowery. I scrolled the name here, Danny. Fake if you need. You're welcome. That boy we're holding for Merrick's murder, Danny. Vic Kane. What about him? Do we release? Not yet, Gino. There's still an answer. I've got to find why Sophie Henry was killed with his gun. So? Because the new murder is closer to you in time than the old One, pursue the reasons for violence done upon a woman named Sophie Henry. Late of the bowery, late of police blotters, late of the living. The ride downtown to the tip of the island. The streets are clean now after the rain, the chalk on the wall faded the gutters running deep and turbulent for the five year old sailors of matchsticks. The address you're looking for is placed between a grocery store and a bar. And note briefly that the cat in the bar window is the fatter.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Yepo.

[Narrator]

Good morning, I'm from the police. Name? Stan.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

You come right in here, boy. This way. Right in, sonny boy. Oh my, what a day, what a day, what a day. Meet your brother.

[Narrator]

Hello Mr. Scar. Good morning to you, Mr. Clover.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Your brother, he's a cop too? Ain't had two cops in here at the same time since the time Ms. Flybusher threw a fit.

[Narrator]

I hope I'm not intruding into your jurisdiction Mr. Clover. You got your job to.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

And nobody threw a fit today. Well, what do you sonnies want?

[Narrator]

I'm sure we're both looking for the same thing, Mrs. Pope. Please. Watch the elbow, Mrs. Pole.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

This sonny just told me about Sophie.

[Narrator]

She's dead, he tells me.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

So what do you want with me?

[Narrator]

I want you to help the police.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Find out who kills my soap son. Who did that to her? Who beat and threw her in an alley to die like that? Who would do that to my little Sophie, huh?

[Narrator]

She was doing that when you knocked on the door, Mr. Clover. Now you're all caught up. You found out anything? All this that we ought to know? Believe me, I'd be the first one to let you know. How come you're here? Well, you must know for an identical reason that you are. The papers had it. My client's gun killed this woman, Sophie Henry.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Hey.

[Narrator]

Yes, Mrs. Pope.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

How about me?

[Narrator]

What about you?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Ain't you got questions to ask me?

[Narrator]

Well, promise you won't go hysterical again when I mention Ms. Henry's name.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Scout's honor.

[Narrator]

Just answer this question. When was the last time you saw Ms. Henry?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Well, when the hall phone woke me up last night and the gentleman said get Sophie to the telephone. And so I did.

[Narrator]

What gentleman asked you that? Did he give his name?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

No, didn't give his name. I called Sophie. The phone.

[Narrator]

What time was this, Mrs. Folk?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

What time? When?

[Effie Perrine]

The.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

About midnight last night. After the call. She got dressed like always and she went out. So I closed my door and went back to sleep. Ah, poor so you know, she was like a little girl. Nothing you Couldn't ask her to do. And she would do it right away.

[Narrator]

She was always just one thing, Mr. Clover. Looks good for my client, doesn't it? How can you possibly figure Vic Kane, the killer? Thanks, guard. I'll call you when I want you. Hello, Vic. Welcome. Carol Royce been in to see you, Vic. She was here. Oh, she wept and pressed her lips against the wire mesh and carried on everything but the saw and the fruitcake. I can't figure you at all, Vic. Yeah, yeah. Police psychologist. Had a go at me a little while ago. Then screaming down the hall. I can't figure you, Vic, because a woman like Carol Royce is in love with you. A beautiful woman. Talented. Famous. The way I hold a cue stick, little finger crook. Just so you love Carol. It eats you. What I got for Carol. That's not what I asked you. Listen, you love her. What you want with me? Love it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That gives you motive, Vic, to kill for. We've been over that. I said no to you. I know you went walking in the park at the time of Merrick's death. Hey, I forgot to tell you something about that. What? I scraped the mud off my shoes so I wouldn't get the landlord's rug all muddy and dirty. He's got trouble enough with tenants who dropped cigarette butts. All right, let's assume you've scraped your shoes and you're all neat and natty. Did you happen to walk past Merrick's apartment house and just happened to get on the elevator and just happened to get off at the penthouse? I've never been in a penthouse in my life. Which includes Merrick. One more question, Vic. Did they let you see the morning papers? I saw them. Puts you up a tree, doesn't it, cop? Kind of. Kind of? What kind of jury's gonna convict me, cop? Merrick dead with my gun, I go to jail. Hours later, I'm still in jail and somebody else is found shot to death in an alley. Also shot with my gun. My gun was stolen. Like I said, it was that guy, that guy that Carol hired for me, that Jackie Scarn. He's gonna find out what this is all about. What do you want, Gino?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Technical, Danny.

[Narrator]

Here, take a look. You'll be interested in this too, Vic. These copies of your prints. What about them? They match perfectly with prints taken off the phone at Mr. Gordon Merrick's penthouse apartment. Okay. Okay, what? So I was at his apartment? That's right. I forgot to tell you. I made a free phone call from there, but I didn't kill Merrick because I didn't have a gun. My gun was stolen. That I can prove. My gun killed Merrick and it also killed a dame while I was in your jail. So what are you gonna prove? Cop and leave him spend the rest to the afternoon wondering about Vic's question. What was they going to prove? And know this Vic would never be brought to trial unless I could prove something. His statement that his gun had been stolen would hold. But make an assumption and work from there. Assumption? Vic had murdered Gordon Merrick. Reason for assumption? Vic had lied twice. The mud that wasn't on his shoes, his prints that were on a telephone. Further reason for assumption he had motive for killing Merrick. Motive? The love of Carol Royce. What needed to be known now was how the murder gun was found in the Bowery beside a dead woman. So have dinner and think about it. Read a newspaper. Catch up on back detail. And it's 11:30, a late time but still a question time. So go now to the apartment of Carol Royce.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

It's getting habitual. I open the door and it's you.

[Narrator]

Mind if I come in?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

A well turned question. Yes, I mind.

[Narrator]

Mind if I ask why?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Because I'm dressed like this. My third act costume happens to be this negligee and I rush right home.

[Narrator]

We've got to talk, Ms. Royce. If you want to change, I'll wait.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Well, a packed house saw me like this tonight. Come on in for some standing room in here and don't stand too long. It gets me nervous. Say your say and get out.

[Narrator]

I understand you saw vic this morning, Ms. Roy.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Yes, I did. To see him with bars in front of him. I wanted to measure my self control.

[Narrator]

You think he'll be getting out?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I don't know much about the law, but I doubt whether they'll even arraign him. It's what my friends tell me. It's what I read in the papers. Vic's coming home to me. We'll have a party. He'll drink wine for my slipper. We'll pass it around the room and only the two of us will drink it. It'll be a happy.

[Narrator]

Mr. Scarn. Come on in. Mr. Rice has been waiting for you. Of course, I guess I was wrong all the time. Don't let it distress you, Mr. Clover. People are wrong about things, right about things all the time. It happened. But this time I was too wrong. I thought Vic and Ms. Royce. Now it turns out you have the key to Ms. Royce's apartment.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Hired help. I'm a courteous employer. And I expect loyalty from my domestics.

[Narrator]

Domestic? I suppose you could say so. And I'm sure your Visit's about over, Mr. Clover. That's about right, Ms. Rice.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Man. Talk now, Mr. Clover. The three of us.

[Narrator]

You really love Vic, don't you?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I told you how it's going to be when he gets home. When's he going to come home, Scar?

[Narrator]

That's up to Mr. Clover, my dear. But it shouldn't be too long. He'll be held where he is for trial, and the trial is going to be for murder.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Scar. Does he know what he's talking about?

[Narrator]

No.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

When's Dick coming back to?

[Narrator]

Soon. Soon. You can believe that if you want, Ms. Royce, but that's not the way it is. Vic Kane killed Merrick out of jealousy over you. Gently, my dear. I told you. Did you tell her? Vic's prints were found in Merrick's apartment. Who? Gently.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

I paid you. You said it would be all right.

[Narrator]

Situation doesn't warrant so much drama, my dear. It's really a very simple situation. Let's start from there. Vic killed Gordon Merrick out of jealousy over you, Ms. Rice. He used Merrick's phone, called you, told you what he'd done.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Listen to him.

[Narrator]

Listen to him, Scott. So Ms. Royce got in touch with you, Scar, and you set up a thing. I'm sure Ms. Royce is quite bored with all this now, Miss. Are you Miss Royce?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

You set up a thing. Scar picked up Vic's gun where he left it in his room, then killed Gently. Gently, my dear.

[Narrator]

That's right. Then killed Scarn, got hold of a woman named Sophie Henry, murdered her with Vic's gun. That way, Vic would never be brought to trial. Lack of sufficient evidence. His story about his stolen gun couldn't be disproved. All I get out of this is expenses. Like I told you, I don't help in any way. I get practically nothing. But you helped. You did a lot. You got a reward coming if you want. Let's go, Scar. That's Carol Royce. Clover? No. Then we'll have to do it another way. Old queen. What do you want?

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Here's my gun, Mr. Clover. Did I kill him? Is he dead?

[Narrator]

He's dead.

[Lorraine Kilcourse]

Good. Take me away. I feel clean again.

[Narrator]

Broadway is almost empty now. Except for those who never quit. Those who wear peepholes for eyes. The dream walkers, the people who want to laugh. The search behind doorways, in alleys, through shuttered windows. They never go home because they can't. It's Broadway. The gaudiest the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway My Beat Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia and Jack Crucian as Mugavan. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. In tonight's story, Rita Johnson was heard as Carol Royce, Herb Butterfield as Jackie Scarn, Martha Wentworth as Mrs. Polk and Paul Richards as Vic Kane. Tomorrow night, Joseph Cotton stars in Playhouse on Broadway. The play is titled In a Lonely Place. Don't forget it's a thriller for Playhouse on Broadway tomorrow night on most of these same CBS Radio stations. And remember Robert Hughes Waxworks bring you the the top records and recording artists on the CBS Radio Network. That's Case Closed for this week. Hope you enjoyed it. You can find more from Sam Spade, Broadway Is My Beat, Case Closed and all of the Relic Radio podcasts at the website relicradio.com our shoutcast stream is up and running there with even more old time radio lots to listen to there, all made possible by your support. If you'd like to help out, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the links on the website. Your support makes it happen. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this Wednesday. Be back next week with another hour of Case Closed.