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Podcast Host
This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You, you'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code SPACE80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code SPACE80 at talk.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for donating@ChoiceClassicRadio.com.
Narrator
Broadway's My Beat From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.
Larry Thor
Broadway's My Beat, the thrilling drama of murder and mystery and the people who walk the Great White Way, starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.
Narrator
In the morning, a kind of silence touches Broadway. The color has been squeezed from it, drained, spent by the wanton night. The neon is still in a spectacular sleep. The scavengers walk soft, grub furtively in the refuse of the night. And if you listen close, you can hear the wind. And it's the same wind that purrs through ruins at headquarters. You welcome Broadway's silence, but you know it'll splinter in your face. And it does. Its shape is a slip of paper tossed carelessly on your desk. On it are written the words Homicide Olympian Hotel, room 312. And Broadway is awake now. It's starting a new day at the Olympian Hotel. You walk down a corridor that's been painted in a color that won't offend anybod. Then a door opens to you and a voice designed not to frighten you welcomes you into a room lately furnished with death.
Matthew Porter
Come in, come in, please. Your headquarters, I presume. And you Matthew Porter, Yale, 47. Head of the crime detection bureau for the management. This is my first murder.
Narrator
Shot.45, I'd say. Who was he? A guest?
Matthew Porter
Not likely. Oh, I took the liberty of going through his pockets for identification. Of course, I find he is a Frank Conroy. Obviously one of those people from Texas. The high heeled boots. That 10 gallon monstrosity over there on the bed. They wear those things. Died with his boots on, eh? Classic.
Narrator
And this courtesy of the management.
Matthew Porter
The roulette wheel? Of course not. Gambling in the rooms is positively forbidden at the Olympian.
Narrator
But this is a roulette wheel. I'd swear it, Mr. Potter.
Matthew Porter
Maybe the Texan brought it with him. You know Texas millionaires. Oil steers, women, roulette. The black and the red.
Narrator
You say he wasn't a guest?
Matthew Porter
Never saw him before. How he got in without my notice, I don't know.
Narrator
Whose room is this?
Matthew Porter
Oh, Mr. Henry Sherwood. Stocks and bonds. Inoffensive chap. A moment, please. Yes. Oh, thank you. Strange. A telegram. Addressed to an Eddie Donald. Care of this room.
Narrator
Open it.
Matthew Porter
But.
Narrator
Open it. Read it aloud.
Matthew Porter
Dear Eddie. Stop. Arrived Flight 12 from Cleveland. Stop. 11:15 this morning. Stop. Hope you had good rest. Stop. Ha ha. Stop. Signed Henry Sherwood.
Narrator
What time is it now?
Matthew Porter
103 on the nose.
Narrator
That gives me an hour. You'll be courteous to the public servants when they come for the dead Texan, won't you, Yale? It took just about that hour to get to LaGuardia. Four engine plane from Cleveland made a storybook landing, and the people who walked through its door made storybook exits. Pause at the door, smile, wave, and walk down the ramp. The stewardess stood there checking off each performance. I asked her who was Henry Sherwood? And she pointed out a little man with a briefcase who was just going off the field. Sherwood. Henry Sherwood. Hey, is your name Sherwood?
Henry Sherwood
Who are you?
Narrator
Police. You Henry Sherwood, Police?
Henry Sherwood
Say, what is this?
Narrator
You're registered at the Olympian Hotel, room 312.
Henry Sherwood
Yes, I am.
Narrator
Who's Eddie Donald?
Henry Sherwood
Eddie Donald? What's he got to do with the police?
Narrator
We're looking for him. What's he got to do with you?
Henry Sherwood
Why, I lent him my suite while I was in Cleveland. I called him and told him he could live like a king in my suite for the week I was away.
Narrator
He.
Matthew Porter
Yes.
Narrator
All right. Where does Eddie Donald usually live?
Henry Sherwood
In a hotel, Ha ha. On West 59th. Let me think of just where you.
Narrator
Do that, Mr. Sherwood. On the way down to headquarters. It didn't take Mr. Sherwood all the way down to Headquarters to think of it. He thought of Eddie Donald's address. Just as I was lifting him into the squad car, he wriggled and said I could let him go now. I said they'd point a finger at me if I did. At headquarters, Mr. Sherwood said he'd take up police brutality with the stock exchange, the governor, the State Department. When he got to Drew Pearson, I walked out. Eddie Donald's hotel was run by a sweet and charming lady. Everybody told her she was then, so she told me.
Mrs. Tolby
Just call me mom, Mr. Clover. Everybody calls me that. It's because I treat my boys like as if they was my own son, Mrs. Tolby. What's the matter? You got monkeys in your ears? I told you to call me Mom.
Narrator
Okay, okay, Mom. Eddie Donald. Is he home?
Mrs. Tolby
Eddie. Now what do you want with dear, sweet Eddie?
Narrator
All I want is. Is he home?
Mrs. Tolby
Eddie brings me candy on Mother's Day. He brings me flowers. Go on, Mr. Clover. Talk to mom about Eddie.
Narrator
We want him for murder.
Mrs. Tolby
Murder? Why, that dirty, low down no good. The flowers he brought me, they stunk. The candy he picked up off a subway seat. He's week behind in his rent and he has the gall to commit murder.
Narrator
Take it easy, Mom. Where is he?
Mrs. Tolby
Wherever he is, I hope it's crawling. For the shame he brought to my hotel.
Narrator
He's not here.
Mrs. Tolby
No. He didn't come home all week. Every night I waited for him to bring me a bop. He didn't come home to Mom.
Narrator
You mind if I take a look?
Mrs. Tolby
Look to the green face.
Magna
Come on.
Mrs. Tolby
This is his room as of now. It's got a sign on it. Room to let half price show that.
Narrator
Eddie, this picture.
Mrs. Tolby
September's the only picture of a month in the altogether I ever see. Now comes November, she don't even look cold.
Narrator
It's framed. The calendar part's been cut off. To Eddie, it says forever and ever. No signature. You ever seen the girl before?
Mrs. Tolby
Only in shop windows and on counters and magazines all over the country. You like her?
Narrator
The artist? Magna, a Magna girl. Mind if I take the picture with me?
Mrs. Tolby
You lonely boy? Take it. Mom says you can take it.
Narrator
Thanks, Mom. Ah, I beg your pardon. Ah. Whose name is Magna around here?
Magna
But I am. My studio, my artistry, my cocktail party for my one man show. But I am a joke. A joke?
Narrator
No, I was just asking.
Magna
You have taken the tour. Come, I will show you. Magna. Here on this pedestal is the trunk of a small tree on which Magna first carved the.
Narrator
I think you misspelled the word there. Ah.
Magna
You saw it. You saw it. A Magna extracted the essence of the word and set it down for the world to applaud.
Matthew Porter
Oh, you.
Magna
You primitive.
Matthew Porter
You saw him.
Narrator
Stop jumping up and down, Mr. Mr. Magna, I want to ask you a couple of questions.
Magna
You don't understand my art.
Narrator
I understand your calendars.
Magna
You are not a primitive after all.
Narrator
Take a look at this one. I brought it along.
Magna
Magna does not autograph reproduction.
Narrator
Who is this girl who modeled for.
Magna
This painting as it is printed on top? November model for it.
Narrator
Yeah, but what's her name?
Magna
November.
Narrator
I forgot to tell you. I'm from the police, Mr. Mag. November.
Magna
Purge for the painting. A touch of gold, a sniff of sorrow, the dying days, all embodied in a woman. I found one. You're a cop? I found November one day at a model agency.
Narrator
Who is she?
Magna
Nelson. Liz Nelson. A pedestrian name for November. Yes. No.
Narrator
Where do I find her?
Magna
Lise Nelson.
Narrator
Her address. Her address.
Magna
I will write it down for you.
Narrator
Don't extract the essence for me, Mr. Magna. Just the number and street.
Henry Sherwood
What else?
Narrator
Go away.
Liz Nelson
If you're the Fuller Brush man, go away. If you want me to sign a petition, go away. Whatever's eating you, go away.
Narrator
I'm from the police, Ms. Nelson.
Liz Nelson
Oh, yeah. Now I can tell. Can tell by the way you put your foot in the door. Police. Or a mature college boy working his way through a mature college.
Narrator
Let's go inside, Ms. Nelson.
Liz Nelson
All right, let's go inside. The bed. It looks like that because I live in it. But I'm not working that ad every minute. That way I stay. The police want me to pose to improve their public relations. That's why you're here.
Narrator
Eddie Donald. You know him, Ms. Nelson, huh? And maybe you can tell me where he is. You can't tell about him, huh? Tell me.
Liz Nelson
You first. You tell me why, huh? Well, let's see now. I know Eddie for. Oh, let's see. For four years now. Two years of that, he was in Dannemora Prison.
Narrator
Why?
Liz Nelson
I never followed his career, so I don't know why. After that, he called me lots of times. Left a number where I reach him. Sometimes I call back. Depended on my schedule and my mood.
Narrator
When was the last time the schedule permitted?
Liz Nelson
About three months ago. I got it penciled in, in my little black book.
Narrator
Frank Conroy, a man from Texas. He in the book?
Liz Nelson
He's dead, isn't he? I read about it.
Narrator
Is he in the book?
Liz Nelson
First I heard of him, he was dead.
Narrator
And Eddie Donald. When was the last time you saw him?
Liz Nelson
I told you three months ago.
Narrator
You inscribed a picture to him forever and ever. It said. A calendar picture.
Liz Nelson
The cost of my beauty. Men look at my picture and they want me to belong to them forever and ever. Sometimes it's for always. I put down what they tell me.
Narrator
Oh.
Liz Nelson
Let'S not answer it, huh?
Narrator
Uh. Oh.
Liz Nelson
Eddie.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Eddie. Mm. I figure you'd be there. This is Jack Perry. I'll make it easy for you. Try room B. 1829 was 47.
Liz Nelson
Who was it?
Narrator
Uh, Ms. Nelson.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
There. You came realer. Who are you?
Narrator
Police. Danny Clover.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
I did what?
Narrator
Did I come in?
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
No.
Narrator
Your name? Jack Perry.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
State your business right from there. All right. So your muscle got you in my real important thing.
Narrator
Look, Perry, I'm trying to find out who killed a man from Texas.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
What voice whispered, my name is Perry?
Narrator
You did?
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
What else did I do?
Narrator
Over the phone when you called.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Liz, spare me the method police. I got it figured already. Your muscle lifted the phone. Said it was Eddie Donald.
Narrator
You're real anxious to talk to Eddie, aren't you?
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Real, real. Why in that way? Mind if I sit down?
Narrator
Let's go, Perry. We got a squad car outside.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Oil for me?
Narrator
The police are looking for Eddie. Maybe you'll help. Let's go.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Yeah, sure, I'll help. I'll help you from here.
Narrator
All right.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Eddie's got a lot of money. That's mine. It's a reason for a man wanting to see him in.
Narrator
How much money?
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
What's the difference?
Narrator
A lot.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
You know what?
Matthew Porter
Police.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Someone's in backup.
Narrator
Yeah, I know. Let's go.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Someone is lets.
Narrator
His laughter, mixed well with pain, came in tides and swelled and rolled over me. The thing that pounded at my brain was the thing that exploded and showered down like a million nickels, bright colored red and green and black. Then everything stopped. It came back again later and I opened my eyes. The color, the paint of the room was the same. The pattern frayed furniture and dust. And Jack Perry was still there. Only he was different. He wasn't laughing anymore. He couldn't. He'd been shot to death. Though the hour months fade and the oysters forsake Broadway, life still goes on there. The box scores to consider, the hot dogs with everything. And for exercise, you can now dial Nassau County. As if this weren't enough, Broadway offers another diversion. Double killing this time. Backdrop to the roulette wheel and a police officer who got slugged at the scene of the crime. Broadway tucks the protesting wiener back into the role, takes another bite and chews appreciatively later, at police headquarters, Sergeant De Taglia summed it all up.
Sergeant De Taglia
This is something you can stick your teeth into. Danny, what is this? Sticky apple, Mrs. Tartaglia. Packed with my lunch.
Narrator
Mmm.
Sergeant De Taglia
It's tasty and good.
Narrator
I'm sure it is, Gino, but I got a headache. I've just come from the infirmary and Dr. Sinski said I'd feel a lot better if I didn't have any emotional disturbances for a while. So let's all pitch in and help Dr. Sinski.
Sergeant De Taglia
Roger, we'll go.
Narrator
Thank you.
Sergeant De Taglia
So, to work we go. To wit, in the matter of Frank Conroy. From Texas. He is indeed from Texas. Police authorities in Texas sent a 500 word telegram to us to that effect.
Narrator
500 words indeed.
Sergeant De Taglia
It states that Frank Conroy is an esteemed owner of oil wells and well known in Galveston. The rest of the telegram is about Texas.
Narrator
Go on.
Sergeant De Taglia
In the matter of Jack Perry, the man who was killed under your very nose was a man known to all and sundry as a man who delighted in floating games of chance. That's what on him.
Narrator
All right, tell me about the man we're looking for. Eddie Donald.
Sergeant De Taglia
An all points bulletin is out on him at this very moment.
Narrator
What else?
Sergeant De Taglia
Eddie Donald was released from Dannemora Nyanka six months ago after serving a two year stretch for assault and battery.
Narrator
Before he went to jail, hearsay has.
Sergeant De Taglia
It that this same Eddie Donald was a steerer for the gambling industry. Precisely speaking for Mark Oslo.
Narrator
Yeah. And hearsay has it that Mark Oslo isn't operating anymore.
Sergeant De Taglia
You believe that, Danny?
Narrator
No. I've never been able to get anything on him. To Taglia.
Sergeant De Taglia
Yeah.
Narrator
Does Oslo still live at the same address?
Sergeant De Taglia
I checked that already, Danny, and yeah, he does. In that tumble down shack on Park Avenue. Hey, Danny, I brought you one, too. I was hiding a sticky apple behind my back.
Narrator
The shack of Mark Oslo occupied five floors of a gilt edge apartment house where dogs were walked by student psychiatrists. On the first floor of his hovel, something in silk knee britches and epaulets held a candelabra to your badge side press profoundly adjusted its wig and ushered you into a private elevator. On the second floor, you caught a glimpse of a library with real books, thousands of them. On the third floor, a girl with ashen hair and leg slits in her Mandarin robe waved joy to you as you floated up. On the fourth floor, a chef sniffing a chafing dish took time to consider you as a potential sauce rejected you. Then you were on the fifth floor. The mate of the thing in silk knee britches led you through a luster of elegant men and women in silent prayer at a roulette table. Then Mark Oslo extended a glittering hand to you. You didn't take it.
Henry Sherwood
No, Danny. You don't shake my hand and it sets up a melody of sorrow in my heart.
Narrator
Cry a tear, Mark. I'd like to see it.
Henry Sherwood
You'd be the first. You want a tear, Danny? I could arrange it.
Narrator
You could. Having a party, Mark?
Henry Sherwood
You mean my friends at the table. They're playing for matchsticks, Danny. Literally. Matchsticks. Come along, Danny. I'll show you.
Narrator
Don't bother.
Magna
No.
Henry Sherwood
Your pleasure, Danny. I should get back to my guests.
Narrator
State your pleasure, Eddie Donald.
Henry Sherwood
Eddie Donald. Mark Oslo knows such a man.
Narrator
Yeah, Mark, Oslo does. Shall I freshen it up for you, Mark?
Henry Sherwood
No need, Danny. Thank you. It'll come back. Eddie Donald. Oh, yes. You want him for murder and you.
Narrator
Come to me for help for Eddie Donald. Not for what you said, Mark.
Henry Sherwood
He was a good boy. Came to work on time, conscientious. Stuffed the suggestion box with suggestions. I read a few. Not bad. I sent word down for him to keep trying.
Narrator
Where is he, Mark?
Henry Sherwood
My chef baked some delicacies for him. I had them sent to Eddie at Dannemara. After that, we lost touch. Not even a thank you note from Eddie.
Podcast Host
This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, Talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist. Today at talkspace.com save $80 with code space80@talkspace.com it calls.
Narrator
It calls a man named Frank Conroy.
Henry Sherwood
What does that do to You Mark the dead Texan. Nothing at all. Someone pointed it out to me while I was having a rub and it didn't do anything at all.
Narrator
Jack Him.
Henry Sherwood
Some of my friends sent a wreath. I paid for it. Should I have done more? Oh, of course. You were hurt in that one, weren't you, Danny? Name your favorite charity.
Narrator
Eddie, Donald, Mark. That's all I want. Send the word around, get him to me.
Henry Sherwood
You're ordering me, Danny?
Narrator
Yeah. Surprise you?
Henry Sherwood
No, I find it rather delightful. I'll tell you what, Danny. Mark. Oslo will see what he can do, and the footman will show you out. Goodbye, Danny.
Narrator
On the way back down on the elevator, I caught a glimpse of the girl in the Mandarin robe again. This time she was eating a hamburger. I was disenchanted about the whole thing. I called headquarters. Nothing on Eddie Donald. Phoned cab garages. Nothing. Spent a few more hours dropping in on back rooms and dropping the name of Eddie Donald. Blank stairs. Then I went home and slept on it. The way it happened was simple. The next morning I walked out of the door. There was a hand on my sleeve by the time I stepped onto the pavement.
Magna
Hi, Darren.
Narrator
Benny Fain. You're looking good, Benny.
Magna
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am. I. I'm. I'm on my way to work. How do you like that?
Narrator
I like it. What happened?
Magna
I kicked it Danny off the stubborn got a job. Look at me. $50 suit, suede shoes, watched by Long Jean. Beautiful, huh? On credit, Danny, but I'm gonna pay for it. Legitimate job.
Narrator
Publishing, huh? Publishing what?
Magna
Well, anyhow, Danny, the reason I've been waiting for you on my way to work is because I never let my old friends down. So you never let them down. Still working for you. Now don't call it stewing, Danny. I can't stand that word.
Narrator
Nobody called it anything, Benny.
Sergeant De Taglia
Okay, okay.
Magna
Now look, try the Bronx, Danny, if you want to find Eddie Dolan. You know where those guys go? In shacks by the river? Those guys? Those guys out of work? Or try the one with a Bull Durham sign for a. For a front door.
Matthew Porter
Come on in, pal.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Oh, it's.
Matthew Porter
It's not a pal?
Narrator
No.
Matthew Porter
Eddie, I'd appreciate it if you tell me your name. It slips the memory.
Narrator
Danny Clover. Police.
Matthew Porter
That's right. Danny Clover. You are the sluff who wants me for the murder of. Let me think now. Frank Conroy from Texas and Jack Perry from Stinkville, right?
Narrator
Uh huh. Let's go, Eddie.
Matthew Porter
Gladly.
Narrator
Huh?
Matthew Porter
I said I will go with you. Gladly. However, if you should care to Listen to my side for a minute. I think this courtesy will not go unrewarded.
Narrator
You haven't got much time, Eddie.
Matthew Porter
Not even enough to give you the for real murder of those two.
Narrator
The real murderer already.
Matthew Porter
For real interest. Maybe a story goes with it, Mr. Clover. That Texan, he shouldn't have died. It wasn't planned that way.
Narrator
No?
Matthew Porter
No, mister. Mind if I call you Danny?
Narrator
Go ahead.
Matthew Porter
It was like this, Danny. I took a rap in Dannemora.
Narrator
I know.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Yeah.
Matthew Porter
Then Perry puts salt in the wound. While I am in the crib, he purloins my girl.
Narrator
Go on.
Matthew Porter
Well, look at me, Danny. How little I am. Can't knock over Mosquito. But one night in a bar, I meet a Texan. He wants to fight. I figure, who better he should beat up than Jack Perry from Stinkville? This can be so easy.
Narrator
Arranged by that roulette game in the Olympian.
Matthew Porter
Exactly. Exactly. This is a game rigged by Perry. The same night he tells me, go get a sucker for old times sake. No hard feelings. I got a hotel room, courtesy of a friend. So get a sucker. The sucker I bring him is the Texan.
Narrator
And?
Matthew Porter
And I play Perry for the sucker. While the Texan loses, I bet against him and keep winning. Then when I got it all, I tell the Texan he's been taken by a rigged wheel. I figure this will make him mad at Perry.
Narrator
Didn't.
Matthew Porter
No. The Texan turns yellow just because Perry pulls a gun on him. I quick turn out the lights, there's a shot and I flee with the DOE. 50 grand. So? For the murder of the Texan, you should have talked to Perry.
Narrator
I was talking to Perry and somebody killed him. You.
Matthew Porter
That's what I've been trying to tell you. Not me. Look, all you gotta do is let me go for a little bit and I'll lead you to the for real murderer.
Narrator
Sorry. Let's go.
Matthew Porter
You got it, Danny. You gotta. I'll get the murderer for you.
Narrator
Let me go. I'll make you let me go. The little man took a swing at me, flicked my chin and I pretended he'd knocked me cold. How I kept from laughing out loud at his surprised, bewildered, then proud face, I'll never know. But I did. I let Eddie go because I believed him. To follow him together for real murderer. Or maybe to make an idiot out of Danny Clover. It was the chance I took. I watched him while he made a phone call. I watched him while he had some coffee. Then I watched him while he hailed a cab. And I hailed one, too. He stopped at an address I'd been to once before. I let him go in and I waited five minutes. Then I went to the apartment where I knew he'd be.
Liz Nelson
I'm telling you to get out of here.
Choice Classic Radio Announcer
Eddie.
Liz Nelson
You don't get them, you don't get anything.
Matthew Porter
You know, I figured different.
Narrator
Please, I'll do you figured. Eddie, the policeman.
Liz Nelson
Look, Eddie, they caught up with you.
Matthew Porter
Oh, Danny, you recovered. There's your murderer. Danny, I told you. Give me a chance.
Narrator
Ms. Nelson here murdered Perry. Is that how you figured?
Liz Nelson
Take him out of here.
Narrator
I'm repeating myself, Eddie. Let's go.
Matthew Porter
No, no, listen to me. You gotta listen. She wants me to get electrocuted. That's why she did the whole thing. And you know something? I love her.
Liz Nelson
My kick's for just now. Take him away.
Matthew Porter
Don't laugh at me, Liz. You could have had the money. Don't you understand? You could have had it.
Liz Nelson
Now, you two play Patty cake down on the pavement. I'm bus.
Narrator
What about now, Eddie?
Matthew Porter
Don't you see, Danny? Don't you see what she's done? She kills Perry so I can sit in the electric chair for it.
Narrator
Why would she want to do a thing like that?
Matthew Porter
Because she's greedy. She wanted all the dough for herself.
Liz Nelson
Shut up, Eddie. Make him shut up.
Matthew Porter
I gave her the money I won, and she said she loved me all over again. And I believed her. But when she heard the cops were looking for me for that rhubarb in the Olympian Hotel, she got cagey as all get out. Kills Perry and books me solid with the executioner.
Narrator
You're an accomplished girl, Ms. Nelson. You model. You pistol whip me in Perry's room. You kill Perry. Accomplished.
Liz Nelson
Uh, Try again.
Matthew Porter
Don't be like that, Liz. Show him the money. All that money. Give it to him, Eddie.
Narrator
You fool.
Matthew Porter
Go ahead, Liz. The man's waiting. Give it some time. Shut up. Shut up now, Liz.
Liz Nelson
I told you to shut up. I told you.
Matthew Porter
Oh.
Narrator
Drop that gun. Drop it. Oh, it's a lot better.
Liz Nelson
All that money.
Narrator
That money. He ruined it, Eddie. Bad Eddie.
Matthew Porter
I. I got a bad shoulder now, Danny.
Narrator
You're a fool, Eddie. She could have killed you.
Matthew Porter
Yeah, I know. I didn't know whether she did it or not, what I said. But I had to find out. I loved her. I really did.
Narrator
Broadway it's an eight beat revival meeting and the lost souls wail To a hot trumpet and sax It's a hunger complete with syncopation and spinning neon Grab your dream and dance a while Then try to look it in the face. You can't. It's a mask of terror. It's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My Beat.
Larry Thor
We invite you to join us next week at this same time when Detective Danny Clover returns again with Broadway's My Beat. Broadway's My Beat is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with music composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. The program is written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover, with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia. Included in tonight's cast were Peggy Weber, Francis Robinson, Eddie Quillen, Herb Butterfield, Jay Novello and Anthony Barrett. Bob Stevenson speaking. This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting.
Mrs. Tolby
Ram.
Narrator
SA.
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode Summary: "Broadway is My Beat: The Frank Conway Murder Case"
Release Date: June 18, 2025
In the thrilling episode titled "Broadway is My Beat: The Frank Conway Murder Case," listeners are immersed in the gritty underbelly of Broadway through the eyes of Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor. Set against the vibrant and often perilous backdrop of New York's most famous street, this episode delves into a complex murder investigation that intertwines deceit, greed, and unexpected alliances.
The story kicks off on a silent Broadway morning, with the tranquility shattered by the discovery of Frank Conroy, a wealthy Texan, dead in room 312 of the Olympian Hotel. Detective Clover is promptly summoned to the scene.
Narrator [02:13]: "In the morning, a kind of silence touches Broadway... And Broadway is awake now. It's starting a new day at the Olympian Hotel."
Upon arrival, Clover inspects the room, noting suspicious elements like a roulette wheel—a forbidden item at the hotel.
Matthew Porter [03:43]: "They wear those things. Died with his boots on, eh? Classic."
The investigation reveals that Frank Conroy was not a guest but somehow accessed the room undetected, raising immediate red flags about possible internal involvement.
Clover engages with Henry Sherwood, the hotel’s manager, uncovering that Conroy was unfamiliar to the hotel staff, further deepening the mystery.
Matthew Porter [04:22]: "You're registering at the Olympian Hotel, room 312."
Sherwood's evasive behavior and the peculiar telegram addressed to Eddie Donald ignite suspicions. The telegram hints at a connection between the deceased and Donald, propelling Detective Clover to seek further leads.
Clover's investigation leads him to Mrs. Tolby, the hotel’s proprietor, who provides cryptic remarks about Eddie Donald but remains conspicuously unhelpful.
Mrs. Tolby [06:39]: "What's the matter? You got monkeys in your ears?"
Undeterred, Clover discovers a photograph of Liz Nelson, a singer associated with Eddie, marked "forever and ever," suggesting a significant relationship.
Narrator [07:18]: "You ever seen the girl before? Only in shop windows and on counters and magazines all over the country."
The plot thickens as Clover meets Mark Oslo, a known figure in the gambling scene, who reveals a convoluted backstory involving Rigged roulette games and personal vendettas.
Mark Oslo [23:04]: "It was like this, Danny. I took a rap in Dannemora."
Oslo confesses to orchestrating a confrontation that led to Conroy's death, indicating that the game was manipulated to frame another party, thereby complicating the investigation.
As Clover pieces together the puzzle, he faces betrayal and unexpected turns. Eddie Donald becomes a suspect, but his connections with Liz Nelson introduce new layers to the case.
Eddie Donald [25:03]: "I love her."
In a dramatic confrontation, Liz Nelson reveals her true motives, highlighting themes of greed and manipulation.
Liz Nelson [25:58]: "Shut up, Eddie. Make him shut up."
The climax unfolds with Liz Nelson confronting both Clover and Donald, leading to a tense standoff that exposes her as the true murderer. Her actions stem from a desire to secure the ill-gotten gains, manipulating those around her to cover her tracks.
Matthew Porter [26:04]: "You could have had the money. Don't you understand? You could have had it."
Clover's perseverance and keen detective work ultimately unravel the web of deceit, bringing justice to Frank Conroy and resolving the complex case.
"Broadway is My Beat: The Frank Conway Murder Case" masterfully blends suspense, intricate character dynamics, and the vibrant atmosphere of Broadway to deliver a captivating detective story. Detective Danny Clover's journey through deception and revelation underscores the timeless appeal of classic detective narratives, leaving listeners eagerly anticipating his next case.
Larry Thor [28:18]: "We invite you to join us next week at this same time when Detective Danny Clover returns again with Broadway's My Beat."
Produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with music by Alexander Courage, this episode stands as a testament to the enduring allure of old-time radio detective dramas.
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