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Detective Danny Clover
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.
Alfred Carroll
You for donating@ChoiceClassicRadio.com.
Detective Danny Clover
Broadway's My Beat From Times Square to Columbus Circle. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.
Business Representative
Broadway's my beat. With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.
Detective Danny Clover
Broadway, where you walk through the October evening and hold close the things you want to save for memories. Then Broadway's as innocent and nostalgic as music drifting from a carousel. And you move on. You get hit in the face by a guy fishing for nickels under a grating. Whatever you are pursuing is gone now, lost. And Broadway trails off into the side streets. Walk them like I did and try to close your eyes against the pattern of scars in the street of the tenements. The kids with the torn deck of cards under the lamppost. The dogs at the trash cans. The wide eyed girl who lurched against me.
Linda Arnold
Pardon me.
Detective Danny Clover
That's all right.
Linda Arnold
Pardon me. Pardon me.
Detective Danny Clover
That's all right. Is something wrong, miss?
Linda Arnold
No, no, it's all right. I'll find it. All right.
Detective Danny Clover
Find what? May I help you?
Linda Arnold
You've seen it. You know where it is.
Detective Danny Clover
You're not feeling well, miss? Let me take you home. That's right. Where do you live?
Linda Arnold
I don't know.
Detective Danny Clover
Then tell me your name. We'll find out.
Linda Arnold
I don't know my name. I don't know who I am. I don't know. Tell me who I am.
Detective Danny Clover
I'll just take it easy. That's better. What were you looking for?
Linda Arnold
Pocketbook. I remember I had it. I think I had it when I was rocking right over there. I fell down.
Detective Danny Clover
Let's go see. How long ago did you miss your pocketbook?
Linda Arnold
A little while, I think. I don't know. An hour. I don't know. Just a few minutes ago. I can't remember when.
Detective Danny Clover
Here's where you fell.
Linda Arnold
Yes, I remember because when it happened I stretched out my arm so I wouldn't hit the trash can.
Detective Danny Clover
Uh huh. Is this it, miss?
Linda Arnold
Yes. Yes, that's it. I can remember that.
Detective Danny Clover
Let's Open it.
Linda Arnold
Yes, yes.
Detective Danny Clover
Here. The wallet is. A driver's license made out to Linda Arnold. 1912 West 54th Street. 5, 4. Blonde hair, green eyes. That fits. And this. In case of accident, notify Helen Carroll. Address the same.
Linda Arnold
Helen Carroll? Aunt Helen? Yes, that's right. My name's Linda Arnold, and Helen Carroll's my aunt.
Detective Danny Clover
Uh huh. There's something else in this purse, Ms. Arnold. Recognize it?
Linda Arnold
What? Why, that's a letter opener. Aunt Helen's. And there's blood on it.
Detective Danny Clover
That's right, Ms. Arnold. It's sticky with blood. Which is your apartment, Ms. Arnold?
Linda Arnold
That one. The one at the.
Podbean
There.
Detective Danny Clover
You all right?
Linda Arnold
Yes, I'm all right. It's the one at the end of the hall.
Detective Danny Clover
Have your key?
Linda Arnold
It's in my purse. Who?
Detective Danny Clover
Muggerman.
Alfred Carroll
Hi, Danny. You got the call, huh?
Detective Danny Clover
What call?
Alfred Carroll
Homicide, Danny. You mean you didn't get it? Then why are you here?
Detective Danny Clover
Miss Arnold lives here. She's ill. I found her wandering in the streets, so I brought her home.
Linda Arnold
You said someone was dead. Who is it? Who's dead?
Detective Danny Clover
Who, Mugaban?
Alfred Carroll
Woman named Carol. Mrs. Helen Carroll. In the kitchen.
Detective Danny Clover
Take care of her, Mugavan. Make her lie down someplace.
Alfred Carroll
Okay, Danny. Bedroom over there, I hear Ms. Hong. Let me help you, Danny. We've been waiting for you.
Detective Danny Clover
Hi.
Alfred Carroll
You got a cigarette, Danny?
Detective Danny Clover
Sure. Dr. Sinski. He's here. How?
Alfred Carroll
Stabbed in the chest, over and over. Pierced the lungs, the heart. The murderer made very sure, Danny. Like it was what he'd lived for all his life.
Detective Danny Clover
Who called it in, do you know?
Alfred Carroll
Detective Mugavan. Said some man from a coin box wouldn't give his name.
Detective Danny Clover
Stabbed. Boys know with what.
Alfred Carroll
No weapons in evidence, Danny. They think it was a knife. A small knife like that.
Detective Danny Clover
A letter opener, maybe.
Alfred Carroll
The boys mentioned the possibility of a letter opening in.
Detective Danny Clover
There's a girl in the bedroom, Doctor. She'll need your help.
Alfred Carroll
Don't take me to her, Daddy.
Linda Arnold
I killed her. I killed her. I hated her. She was mean and rotten. She twisted everything and made it dirty and mean. I killed her, Danny.
Alfred Carroll
You too, Mugavan. But gently. You'll be all right, miss. It'll be all right.
Linda Arnold
I want Ted. Bring Ted. Tell me. Tell him. Tell dad. Oh. Oh. Tell him I killed her. Tell him to come to me.
Detective Danny Clover
Dr. Siski.
Alfred Carroll
A moment longer, Danny. In a moment she'll be asleep. This girl murdered, Danny.
Detective Danny Clover
She's asleep. You're right, Dr. Sinski. It only took a moment. It only took a moment. And sleep touched Linda Arnold. The face. Gouged with hysteria smoothed down to a kind of release, an innocence. Her lips formed a final word. Ted. Once. Then she surrendered to sleep. I left. Routine. Then questions. Questions prefaced with the word Ted and answers from people who lived in the apartment house. Ted. Guess that's her boyfriend that always comes calling. Mr. The good looking boy in the uniform. Then a woman who opened the door for me before I knocked told me. Ted. You mean Ted Raymond, Mr. Linda's boyfriend? About his uniform. Mr. Guess that's because he drives a bus. More questions and find out. Ted Raymond drove a bus for cross country tours. Go to the depot. Ted was off yesterday, but here's his address. But Ted wasn't home when I got there. Assign a man to call me. When Ted got in the next morning at 10. A phone call. Ted Raymond had been out all night. He just got in. I went there.
Alfred Carroll
You're the police?
Detective Danny Clover
That's right. Danny Clover.
Ted Raymond
Come on in.
Detective Danny Clover
Thanks. How'd you know I was.
Ted Raymond
You were the police? How did I know? One of your boys was outside this house? When I came in, he was trying to look like a maple tree. Like the one that's outside. Real detective Y looking fat man with a cigar trying to look like a maple tree. I came home. He went across the street and made a call. Then you came. Have a chair.
Detective Danny Clover
Thanks. You know why I'm here?
Alfred Carroll
Sure.
Detective Danny Clover
That's why you're packing that bag over in the bed.
Ted Raymond
Maybe I was doing the wrong thing. I don't know the etiquette about getting arrested. Do they furnish prisoners with small and necessary items like razor and toothbrush and combs and brushes?
Detective Danny Clover
Huh?
Ted Raymond
Go ahead, look. That's what I'm packing.
Detective Danny Clover
Look.
Ted Raymond
And then arrest me.
Detective Danny Clover
Arrest you for what?
Ted Raymond
Come on, come on. I. Don't get cagey on me. Arrest me for murder. I killed Helen Carroll.
Detective Danny Clover
Where were you all last night? Ted?
Ted Raymond
Killing Helen Carroll and walking the streets. Atoning to myself for my crime.
Detective Danny Clover
How'd you make out?
Ted Raymond
Fine. She needed to be killed. All her money. Linda never got a cent of it. Kill her, Aunt Hanlon. Marry Linda. Be rich.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Logic.
Ted Raymond
Now I'm caught.
Detective Danny Clover
How'd you kill her?
Ted Raymond
I stabbed her.
Detective Danny Clover
With what?
Ted Raymond
How do I know with what? I picked up something and stabbed her. Let's go. Mr. Clover. Take me down to headquarters. Get me a secretary and I'll dictate my confession.
Detective Danny Clover
It could have ended there with the boy's confession and arrest. Could have been easy. Easy to erase the words of a girl. The cries of a girl uttered in anguish and hysteria. The Sickness of the lost. Easy to put out of mind. The blood on a letter opener, found in her purse, found behind a trash can. A girl wandering aimlessly in the twilight. That never happened, but you know it did. All of it. So you make a call to Dr. Sinski and he tells you. The girl is in the police hospital. Yes, she can talk to you. She's been asking for you. And the girl sitting upright in the bed is a girl who was never lost, who never cried. Except alone.
Linda Arnold
I've waited for you to come back, Mr. Clover.
Detective Danny Clover
You're better now. Feel all right?
Linda Arnold
Look at me. What do you think?
Detective Danny Clover
You look fine.
Linda Arnold
I tried. I made them bring me lipstick and powder and this negligee. It's one I've been saving. You like it?
Detective Danny Clover
You consider this an occasion?
Linda Arnold
Miss Arnold, isn't it?
Detective Danny Clover
Can you remember what you told me when I brought you home the other night? When we found your aunt?
Linda Arnold
I remember it exactly. Word for word. I said it killed her because I hated her. My aunt was mean, Mr. Clover, and rotten. That's why I killed her. This makes it an occasion, doesn't it?
Detective Danny Clover
You lived with your aunt.
Linda Arnold
Ever since I was in pigtails. Ever since I was 12. I think it began the first night I stayed in her house. Yeah, that's right. That's when it began.
Detective Danny Clover
What began?
Linda Arnold
The hate. The loathing.
Detective Danny Clover
Why?
Linda Arnold
Because she made me cry. Because she put me in a dark room and let me cry all night.
Detective Danny Clover
You'd done something wrong.
Alfred Carroll
Mm.
Linda Arnold
I did wrong. My mother and father were dead. That's what I did. Wrong. There was no one to take me except a school friend of my mother's. I call her Aunt Helen. That's what I did wrong.
Detective Danny Clover
And after that?
Linda Arnold
Have you ever had to live on the charity of a bitter Old woman, Mr. Clover? It could have been so nice. She was that rich. A hundred thousand dollars. Alfred said $100,000. And we ate out of paper bags. We dressed.
Detective Danny Clover
Alfred. Who's he?
Linda Arnold
Alfred Carroll, my uncle. My aunt's husband. Poor thing.
Detective Danny Clover
We didn't even know about him. Where is he?
Linda Arnold
I don't know. But find him, Mr. Clover. He'll be so relieved that I've killed her. So happy. I'd like to see his face. Find him for me, please.
Detective Danny Clover
We will. We'll put out an all points bulletin.
Linda Arnold
Thank you. Now you'll put me in a cell, I suppose I'm well enough for you to do that.
Detective Danny Clover
Ted, Raymond says he killed your aunt.
Linda Arnold
You're not fooled, are you? He said that because he loves me. Turn your back, Mr. Clover. I'll get dressed so you can put me away.
Gino Tartaglia
Danny. Hi, O, Danny.
Detective Danny Clover
Oh, come on in, Tartaglia. What's on your mind?
Gino Tartaglia
Oh, thanks, Danny. Especially to extend to you formally the warm hand of welcome back from your vacation west of the great Divide.
Detective Danny Clover
Thanks, Gino.
Gino Tartaglia
And to remark that the western winds have indeed done wonders to your features. The sunburned brow, the hearty handshake and that dunwon shirt. You look like a veritable Dun Juan.
Detective Danny Clover
Thanks, Gino.
Gino Tartaglia
And I tell you that I have prepared myself during your vacation for whatever problems perplex your brain.
Detective Danny Clover
Oh, tell me about it.
Gino Tartaglia
I have been studying the exploits of Mike Schreck, the bald headed miracle detective from Philadelphia. Detective Schreck is a man who has coined two interesting theories. First theory, find a woman. Second theory, the criminal always returns to the scene of his crime. Put them together.
Detective Danny Clover
In other words, when a man walks past the scene of the crime with.
Gino Tartaglia
A girl, he's the killer. Hey, how did you know?
Alfred Carroll
Lieutenant Clover?
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Detective Danny Clover
Come in.
Alfred Carroll
Thank you. I understand you're looking for me.
Detective Danny Clover
I am.
Alfred Carroll
My name is Alfred Carroll.
Detective Danny Clover
Yes, yes, we were looking for you, Mr. Carroll. Do you know why we want you?
Alfred Carroll
Yes, yes, of course I do. It's about my wife's murder.
Detective Danny Clover
It's this way. Two people have confessed to your wife's murder.
Alfred Carroll
What?
Detective Danny Clover
That's right. Linda Arnold and Ted Raymond.
Alfred Carroll
I'm not a young man anymore, Lieutenant. Would you mind if I sat down?
Detective Danny Clover
Please do.
Alfred Carroll
That's strange. Why should two people confess to my wife's murder?
Detective Danny Clover
What?
Alfred Carroll
Why should they do that? I killed my wife. I killed Helen.
Business Representative
You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Keep your guard up. That's the key slogan of the 1950 National Guard Recruiting drive. And it's a slogan as timely as today's headlines. More than ever before, America stands prepared, and the National Guard must recruit approximately 220,000 men as soon as possible. By joining the National Guard, young men will have the advantage of choosing their own unit and preparing themselves for promotion by being in a job for which they are best qualified. Investigate the National Guard now help America to keep up its guard.
Detective Danny Clover
In the late October afternoon, Broadway stands on a corner, sips its coffee, snaps at a coney and sums up the day. Some days are better than others, you know, because the trans luck says it was. Our men in Korea are doing fine, it says. A horse out in far Hollywood paid 90 for 2, it says. But you went on it, were you kid. For the rich they run. I kid. Get this item. Look what it says. Three people confessed to murder of Helen Carroll. A field day for the police, I kid. Three tries, three scores coming up in the world. The police. And at headquarters, the husband sits quietly waiting for the police stenographer to catch up with him, because his confession spills out of him like laughter, like it has to be shared with the world.
Alfred Carroll
Have you got that now, young man? All of it, Every word.
Detective Danny Clover
He's got it, Mr. Carroll. Go on.
Alfred Carroll
There's not much more. I wish there were. There are so many things.
Detective Danny Clover
Where did you go after you killed your wife, Mr. Carroll?
Alfred Carroll
I went to do things she'd never let me do.
Detective Danny Clover
Like what?
Alfred Carroll
Enjoyable things, Pleasurable things.
Detective Danny Clover
Like what?
Alfred Carroll
I went to a bar and had a drink. A lot of drinks. With her money? With Helen's money, what else? There was a girl there, sitting all alone. She came up to me and asked me if I was having a good time. I said indeed I was. Then I asked her if I could buy her a drink. And she smiled. What have you done with Linda? Where's Linda?
Detective Danny Clover
How much money did your wife have?
Alfred Carroll
$100,000. Imagine. $100,000 and she made us live like pigs, like beggars. She wouldn't even let me get a job so I could have money for myself.
Detective Danny Clover
Why does she keep her money?
Alfred Carroll
It's all in the bank, in her name. It's all coming to me now. You know what I'm going to do with it after I die? After you.
Detective Danny Clover
What are you going to do with it?
Alfred Carroll
I'm going to leave it all to Linda, to my child. I think of her as my child, but she isn't. You know, it's like a blessing to have Linda in our house. I want her to have all that money.
Detective Danny Clover
Let me look at the transcript, Florio. Thanks.
Alfred Carroll
You will see to it that Linda gets that money, won't you?
Detective Danny Clover
You said here you stabbed your wife with a letter opener, Mr. Carroll. What did you do with it?
Alfred Carroll
Didn't I tell you that I must have forgotten the excitement. I walked around and all of a sudden I was on the dock. A garbage scow floated right past, so I threw the weapon onto the garbage. I thought that was ripe for Helen.
Detective Danny Clover
Is this the ladder opener?
Alfred Carroll
Let me see. Yes, that's it. It belonged to Helen. That's what I killed her with.
Detective Danny Clover
I found it in Linda's purse with blood on it.
Alfred Carroll
You lie. You're lying. I threw it away. I threw it on that barge. You're lying now.
Detective Danny Clover
Taglia, see that Mr. Carroll gets home.
Alfred Carroll
I killed her. I killed her.
Detective Danny Clover
Take her home. I'll take you there. It was three people confessed to a single murder. An elderly man, Alfred Carroll, said he killed his wife, but the details of the killing were too cloudy. A young woman, Linda Arnold, said she did it. Killing done in a mental blackout. A young man, Ted Raymond, swore he was the killer. Take a premise, consider it. Make up your mind that one of the suspects was the murderer. But who? All had motive. As far as I could gather, all had opportunity. That was the joker routine again. And questions again. The knocking on doors and tipping the hat and flashing the badge and intrude into lives of people who thought the word murder was reserved for headlines only. A person like Mrs. Westfall, for instance, landlady and purveyor of towels and clean sheets for Ted Raymond.
Mrs. Westfall
You're talking about Ted Raymond, ain't you?
Detective Danny Clover
That's right.
Mrs. Westfall
Ted drives a bus.
Detective Danny Clover
What are you looking at? Mrs. Westfawn?
Mrs. Westfall
Gittle. Fiddleburg. Look at her walking down the street. Gittle in her uppity ways. It's just October and she's got out the raccoon coat already. Look at her.
Detective Danny Clover
Ted Raymond.
Mrs. Westfall
He drives a bus. Bus driver. Jockey for a bus. Look at Gittel.
Detective Danny Clover
Do you know whether he made any phone calls on my phone?
Mrs. Westfall
Where he always makes him broke a date with his girl. I heard him because I was peeping with my ear.
Detective Danny Clover
Then what'd he do?
Mrs. Westfall
I don't know. Maybe he went to work. Where he works at the bus depot. I bet it's not even real raccoon bus leaving.
Detective Danny Clover
Are you Mr. McLean?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
That's right.
Gino Tartaglia
What can I do here, sir?
Detective Danny Clover
I'm for the police.
Mrs. Westfall
Five minutes.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Fine. I drive that bus for cross country tours. I'm supposed to take it out to Washington in five minutes.
Detective Danny Clover
Think I'll make it sure. This will only take a minute. The man at the ticket window said you were a friend of Ted Raymond's.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Was Ted in trouble? Oh, I'm just supposed to answer the questions.
Detective Danny Clover
So you'll make the bus.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
I know Ted.
Detective Danny Clover
You see him last night?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
All night. Sat up with Pinocle all night from 5pm till 4am that's funny.
Detective Danny Clover
You know what's funny?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
He called me very early this morning. Told me if anyone asked us. Say, I never saw him at all last night.
Mrs. Westfall
Thought you're a policeman.
Detective Danny Clover
Better catch your bus, Mr. McLean.
Mrs. Westfall
Tomorrow in Washington. Leaving in.
Alfred Carroll
Your name, Clover?
Detective Danny Clover
That's right. Who are you?
Alfred Carroll
My name is Jones and I've been looking for you.
Detective Danny Clover
Why have you been doing that?
Alfred Carroll
Because I read in the paper you were assigned to the murder of Mrs. Carroll. Therefore, this.
Detective Danny Clover
Therefore what?
Alfred Carroll
Here. Hundred dollar bill. Take it. As you see, I didn't spend a cent of it.
Detective Danny Clover
Look, Mr. Jones, what's this all about?
Alfred Carroll
It's about that boy, Ted Raymond. He gave me the hundred dollars and I'm giving it to you.
Detective Danny Clover
Why are you doing that?
Alfred Carroll
Because I'm the superintendent of the apartment house in which Mrs. Carroll was slain. Ted Raymond gave me the hundred dollars early this morning. Said tell anyone that asked that he was lurking around the apartment house at the time of the murder.
Detective Danny Clover
I see. What took you all this time to come to the police?
Alfred Carroll
Yes.
Detective Danny Clover
What?
Alfred Carroll
Yes, it did take me a long time. What happens to the hundred dollar bill now, Mr. Clover?
Detective Danny Clover
Hello, Ted.
Ted Raymond
Your marbles must have come loose, Mr. Clover. You leave that door open, I make a dash for it.
Alfred Carroll
Escape?
Ted Raymond
Become a fugitive from justice. Make a name for myself in the papers.
Detective Danny Clover
But you won't do that, will you, Ted?
Ted Raymond
A dreamer.
Detective Danny Clover
You won't do it because you like it here.
Ted Raymond
Yeah, that's right, I like it here. The walls are worn thin where guys have cried on them, where guys have beaten their heads against them. Oh, yeah, I like it here, Mr. Clover. But you'll be careful, huh? Careful I don't hurt you when I try.
Detective Danny Clover
It's open, Ted. All you have to do is walk out.
Ted Raymond
So what is this? This I never even read about.
Detective Danny Clover
You told me you killed Helen Carroll.
Alfred Carroll
Yeah?
Ted Raymond
Who else should I tell? Bring him to me. I'll whisper it in their ears.
Detective Danny Clover
She was killed in the evening at 7 o'.
Linda Arnold
Clock.
Detective Danny Clover
The medical examiner says, bless him, I.
Ted Raymond
Killed her in the evening at seven o'.
Detective Danny Clover
Clock. You're lying, Ted. We know everything you did from 5 until 4 in the morning. You weren't even near Helen Carroll. How much did you lose at pinochle?
Ted Raymond
Ted, you're crazy.
Detective Danny Clover
The man you played cards with, McLean, is he crazy too, Ted? All of us. And Jones, the man you Paid a hundred dollars to establish at the scene of the crime that the current price for a confession of murder. Answer me, Ted.
Ted Raymond
So I didn't kill anybody. So you don't have to put your hands on me.
Detective Danny Clover
Who did you do it for?
Ted Raymond
It's this way, Mr. Clover. Somebody gets killed. I feel guilty, so I confess. And I don't feel guilty anymore.
Detective Danny Clover
It was for Linda, wasn't it?
Ted Raymond
I do it for her too.
Detective Danny Clover
For Linda. Hot Dad.
Ted Raymond
Leave her out of this. I warn you to leave her out. Look, Mr. Clover, you're wrong. Linda couldn't kill. She's a sick, but she wouldn't kill. Not Linda. She's just sick, that's all. All she needs is how sick. Ask your doctor, he'll tell you. Dr. Malcolm?
Detective Danny Clover
Dr. Malcolm?
Ted Raymond
Yes, Dr. Robert Malcolm in the Equitable Building. Go ask him how sick a girl like Linda can be.
Detective Danny Clover
We won't need you anymore, Ted. The guard at the end of the tier will show you where to go. Goodbye, Ted.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
The case of Lent Arnold is not a very exciting one, Mr. Clover.
Detective Danny Clover
I don't want to write a magazine article, Dr. Malcolm. I'm just trying to clear up a murder.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
I'll wager the material you police come in contact.
Detective Danny Clover
Look, doctor.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
And of course, Goslin Donald. She came to me some years ago.
Detective Danny Clover
How many years ago?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Oh, about 10, I'd say. Charity patient. Later I found out her aunt was quite wealthy, so I had a dollar for my fee.
Detective Danny Clover
Her aunt was the one who was murdered.
Alfred Carroll
Really?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Now that's interesting.
Detective Danny Clover
Oh, why?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Well, let me ask you a question, Mr. Clover. Did Linda kill her aunt?
Detective Danny Clover
We're not sure. Maybe she did. Why do you ask?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Well, there might be a pattern for murder there. Linda was an emotional girl. And when an emotional crisis presented itself, she would, well, blackout.
Detective Danny Clover
In other words, at times, rather than face reality, Linda would.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
I said it. Blackout.
Detective Danny Clover
Would you say you cured her, Doctor?
Dr. Robert Malcolm
I can only say she hasn't had need to see me for the last three years. Say she was a perfectly healthy, normal girl. Anything else?
Detective Danny Clover
No.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
Good day, Mr. Clover.
Detective Danny Clover
It was 5pm When I walked out of Dr. Malcolm's office. It was 10 minutes after 5 when I called the police headquarters and had them release Linda Arnold. Then back on Broadway for a hot pastrami sandwich. I almost had some cream soda too, but Morris the waiter said, ah, Danny, you look dyspeptic. I prescribed celery tonic. Then the theater crowds began to gather and Broadway became crowded. So I left it. Linda Arnold should be home by now. I went there to her apartment but it wasn't Linda Arnold who opened the door for me. Oh.
Alfred Carroll
Oh, it's you, Mr. Clover. Please come in.
Detective Danny Clover
Thanks, I will. Where's Linda?
Alfred Carroll
She was just admiring the clothes I bought for her. I opened a charge account for her because I'm going to get all that money. And I bought all those beautiful clothes for her. Silks. Linda looks so wonderful in silks. You see these and these and these.
Detective Danny Clover
Where is Linda, Mr. Carroll?
Alfred Carroll
And this. You should have seen Linda in this. We played that record you're listening to so Linda could walk around to it.
Detective Danny Clover
Let's get rid of it, huh? Where's Linda, Mr. Carroll?
Alfred Carroll
Oh, she's in her room changing into something else. Call her because you want to take her back for murder. It won't work, you know. Linda has no mental responsibility for what she did. And besides that, if she were brought to trial, I'd say I did it. Linda. Doesn't she look beautiful, Mr. Clover?
Detective Danny Clover
How do you feel, Linda?
Linda Arnold
I'm happy. What happened to the music?
Detective Danny Clover
I turned it off, but I'm happy.
Linda Arnold
I need music to go with it. Look at these things. Look at them. Uncle Alfred bought them for me.
Alfred Carroll
Yes, I did, didn't I, Linda?
Detective Danny Clover
Ted signed his confession, Linda.
Linda Arnold
What?
Detective Danny Clover
Yes. The district attorney's going to arraign them tomorrow morning.
Alfred Carroll
That's wonderful.
Linda Arnold
Ted did that.
Alfred Carroll
Isn't that wonderful, Linda? I asked you, isn't that wonderful?
Linda Arnold
Ted's in jail now.
Alfred Carroll
We have nothing to worry about. Don't you see, Linda?
Linda Arnold
Yes. Yes, Uncle Alfred.
Alfred Carroll
Linda, don't call me uncle. I'm not your uncle. Linda. Linda. Linda, you're so lovely. So lovely. Lovely.
Linda Arnold
You take your hands off me, you old man. You take your hands off me.
Alfred Carroll
How dare you talk to me like that.
Linda Arnold
Get out of here. Get out of my sight.
Dr. Robert Malcolm
How dare you.
Alfred Carroll
I killed for you. Planned this whole thing for you. The years I waited for you. You.
Linda Arnold
You old man.
Mrs. Westfall
Old. Old man.
Detective Danny Clover
Leave her alone.
Alfred Carroll
I'll show you. Take her, Mr. Clover. Take her. Me, too, Alfred.
Linda Arnold
You're crazy.
Alfred Carroll
Listen to me, Mr. Clover. I planned it all. It was I who told her to walk around. To be found in the daze with a knife in her purse. No jury would convict her. I killed my wife. And Linda helped me to do it.
Detective Danny Clover
Linda.
Linda Arnold
Oh, all those beautiful things. They'll take them all away. All these. These things. All these beautiful.
Detective Danny Clover
In the time of autumn twilight sighs down on Broadway. You walk toward it. Someone smiles and takes your hand whispers to close your eyes then bangs your head against a wall and your scream mixes well with the shriek of the night, It's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My Beat.
Business Representative
Broadway's My Beat. Stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. With Charles Calvert as Tartaglia. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Included in tonight's cast were Joyce McCluskey, Herb Butterfield, Peggy Weber, Lou Krugman, David Ellis and Jack Crushen. Jack Smith, Dinah Shore, Margaret Whiting, Bob Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Lowell Thomas, Beulah, Ed Murrow. Anywhere else, they'd make up an all star list for a week. But at cbs, the Stars address, you can hear them every evening, Monday through day. Dan Cubberly speaking. This is cbs, where yours truly, Johnny Dollar, brings adventure. Saturday nights on the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Podcast Summary: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Broadway Is My Beat: The Helen Carrol Murder Case (10/13/1950)
Introduction
Choice Classic Radio presents one of old-time radio’s most riveting detective stories in the episode titled "Broadway Is My Beat: The Helen Carrol Murder Case." Hosted by Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor, the episode delves into the mysterious murder of Helen Carrol, unraveling a web of deceit, multiple confessions, and psychological turmoil set against the bustling backdrop of Broadway.
Setting the Scene
The story unfolds on the vibrant yet perilous streets of Broadway, described vividly by Detective Danny Clover:
"Broadway, where you walk through the October evening and hold close the things you want to save for memories... The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world." [01:21]
This atmospheric introduction sets the tone for a tale filled with urban intrigue and hidden dangers.
The Crime and Initial Confessions
Helen Carrol's sudden and brutal murder shocks the community. As Detective Clover investigates, three individuals come forward, each claiming responsibility for the heinous act.
Linda Arnold’s Confession
Linda Arnold approaches Detective Clover in a distressed state, searching for her lost pocketbook. Upon inspecting the wallet, they discover a blood-stained letter opener belonging to Helen Carrol.
"I killed her, Danny. I hated her. She was mean and rotten." [04:17]
Linda's emotional breakdown and confession raise immediate doubts about her mental state and possible motives rooted in familial strife.
Ted Raymond’s Admission
Ted Raymond, a young man and Linda’s boyfriend, later confesses to Detective Clover:
"I killed Helen Carroll and walked the streets. Atoning to myself for my crime." [05:10]
Ted's confession is detailed yet inconsistent, particularly regarding his alibi, as his whereabouts during the time of the murder come under scrutiny.
Alfred Carroll’s Revelation
Alfred Carroll, Helen’s husband, emerges as the third confessor. His demeanor and statements initially suggest genuine remorse:
"I killed my wife. I killed Helen." [14:29]
However, his later recounting of events reveals chilling inconsistencies, casting suspicion on his true intentions.
Detective Clover’s Investigation
Detective Clover meticulously examines each confession, seeking truth amidst conflicting narratives.
Linda Arnold’s History:
Linda reveals a tumultuous past with her aunt, Helen Carrol, marked by emotional abuse and financial hardship.
"Have you ever had to live on the charity of a bitter Old woman, Mr. Clover?" [10:50]
This history provides a plausible motive, yet Linda's mental instability complicates her culpability.
Ted Raymond’s Alibi:
Ted asserts his innocence, but Detective Clover uncovers discrepancies in his story, particularly his activities during the murder timeframe.
"You weren't even near Helen Carroll." [22:38]
Alfred Carroll’s Motives:
Alfred's financial desperation is hinted at through his discussions about his wife's wealth.
"It's all in the bank, in her name. It's all coming to me now." [16:51]
His calm demeanor juxtaposes the chaotic confessions of the other suspects, prompting Clover to delve deeper into his involvement.
Notable Quotes:
"She was mean, Mr. Clover, and rotten. That's why I killed her." – Linda Arnold [02:38]
"I killed Helen Carroll." – Ted Raymond [08:17]
"I killed my wife. I killed Helen." – Alfred Carroll [14:29]
Revelations and Climactic Conclusion
As Detective Clover navigates the tangled confessions, the true nature of the crime begins to surface. Alfred Carroll's subtle manipulations become apparent as he orchestrates Linda and Ted's confessions to obscure his own guilt.
In a climactic confrontation, Alfred attempts to absolve himself by implicating Linda further:
"I planned it all. It was I who told her to walk around. To be found in the daze with a knife in her purse." – Alfred Carroll [28:02]
Detective Clover, recognizing the pattern and Alfred's controlling influence, pieces together the evidence pointing to Alfred as the mastermind behind the murder.
Final Resolution
The episode concludes with Detective Clover solidifying Alfred Carroll's guilt, ensuring justice is served. Linda and Ted's confessions are understood as manipulated acts born from Alfred's coercion and the psychological scars inflicted by Helen Carrol.
"The blood on a letter opener, found in her purse, found behind a trash can. A girl wandering aimlessly in the twilight. That never happened, but you know it did." – Detective Danny Clover [05:50]
This resolution not only brings closure to the case but also highlights the intricate psychological play between the characters, showcasing the depth and sophistication of classic radio detective storytelling.
Conclusion
"Broadway Is My Beat: The Helen Carrol Murder Case" stands as a quintessential example of old-time radio's golden age detective narratives. Through compelling characters, intricate plotting, and atmospheric storytelling, Choice Classic Radio delivers an engaging episode that captivates both aficionados and newcomers alike. Detective Danny Clover's unwavering pursuit of the truth amid layers of deception underscores the timeless allure of detective fiction.
Notable Quotes Recap:
Production Credits
The episode features an impressive cast, including Joyce McCluskey, Herb Butterfield, Peggy Weber, and more, with production and direction by Elliot Lewis and musical composition by Alexander Courage. These elements combine to create a richly textured audio experience that pays homage to the enduring legacy of classic radio detectives.