Broadway Is My Beat; The Julie Dixon Murder Case 02/10/1950

Summary

Broadway Is My Beat; The Julie Dixon Murder Case

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Broadway Is My Beat; The Julie Dixon Murder Case
Release Date: February 5, 2025
Duration: Approximately 25 minutes

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Introduction to the Case

The episode opens with Detective Danny Clover navigating the bustling and treacherous streets of Broadway, a setting described vividly by Max Magnificent. Broadway is portrayed as "the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world," setting the tone for the intricate mystery that unfolds ([00:41]).

Encounter with Max Magnificent

Max Magnificent, a prominent figure on Broadway, approaches Detective Clover with urgent concerns about the disappearance of Julie Dixon, a young woman whose sudden vanishing has captured public attention. Max passionately implores Danny for assistance, highlighting the media frenzy surrounding Julie's case:

Max Magnificent ([02:38]): "The papers are screaming about a Cinderella girl named Julie Dixon. They waste a lot of time about a poor, poor girl getting engaged to a rich, rich lawyer named Alex Malvern. You know Julie's gone in a puff of smoke. They say today they've coined a new phrase, foul play."

Despite Max's earnest plea, Danny initially hesitates to get involved, expressing frustration over bureaucratic constraints and personal limitations ([03:19]).

Max Takes Matters into His Own Hands

Unwilling to wait for official channels, Max devises a plan to extract information from Danny. He instructs his informant, Marty, to disseminate false information about Julie's arrest to provoke a reaction. However, the plan backfires when Danny becomes directly involved:

Max Magnificent ([03:29]): "Cinderella girls are always public property. And the public's screaming. I thought you'd help, Melvin. Now it's gotta be done. My way."

This confrontation escalates, leading to Danny being physically overpowered by Max, highlighting the tension and high stakes of the investigation ([04:29]).

The Twist: Julie's Connection to Max

As the investigation deepens, it becomes apparent that Julie Dixon is intricately linked to Max Magnificent's past. Julie's disappearance coincides with revelations about Max's true identity—Joe Warner—a man with a hidden past and connections to Julie's troubled marriage to Alex Malvern. Detective Trudeau, the Sergeant assisting Danny, uncovers that Max is not the larger-than-life personality everyone believes him to be:

Sergeant Tartaglia ([16:21]): "Max Magnificent was none other than Joe Warner."

This revelation casts Max in a new light, suggesting motives tied to blackmail and deceit.

Unraveling the Blackmail and Murder

Further investigation reveals that Julie Dixon had a complicated relationship involving blackmail. She had withdrawn a substantial sum of money, $3,000, from the Corn Exchange bank the day before her disappearance, indicating possible financial motives ([16:47]). Additionally, Julie had been entangled in a deceptive marriage orchestrated by Max (Joe Warner) and his valet, Rupert, aimed at concealing Max's true identity and past.

Julie’s actions, including her sudden disappearance and lack of farewell, suggest she was under significant distress or coercion:

Danny Clover ([11:31]): "Five days ago. We were now going to a theater. The cab slowed down for a light and all of a sudden Julie jumps out. I haven't seen her since."

Confrontation and Resolution

The climax of the episode features a tense confrontation between Detective Clover and Julie Dixon. Julie reveals the truth about her marriage and the manipulation by Max Magnificent. As emotions run high, Rupert attempts to interfere, leading to a physical struggle where Detectives must subdue him. Ultimately, Julie's confession exposes Max's deception and his role in her predicament:

Julie Dixon ([25:04]): "What made you think your husband was dead when he wasn't?"

In the final moments, it is revealed that Max Magnificent (Joe Warner) was murdered, and Julie Dixon's disappearance was intrinsically linked to the unraveling of his fraudulent activities and their consequences.

Conclusion and Reflection

The episode concludes with Detective Clover reflecting on the complexities of Broadway, a place where dreams and nightmares intertwine. The intricate web of relationships and deceit highlights the dark underbelly of the glamorous façade:

Max Magnificent ([27:21]): "I bent over Julie to try to help her, to somehow ease the pain of the wound in her shoulder. And she did something strange. She shook her head and motioned me away. And in her eyes, there was something that could have been agony or happiness or something I didn't."

Detective Sergeant Tartaglia provides a final analysis, emphasizing the human elements of the case and the perpetual struggle between truth and illusion on Broadway ([16:27]).

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Max Magnificent ([00:41]): "Broadway's My Beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

• Max Magnificent ([02:38]): "Cinderella girls are always public property. And the public's screaming."

• Sergeant Tartaglia ([16:21]): "Max Magnificent was none other than Joe Warner."

• Danny Clover ([11:31]): "Five days ago. We were now going to a theater. The cab slowed down for a light and all of a sudden Julie jumps out. I haven't seen her since."

• Julie Dixon ([25:04]): "What made you think your husband was dead when he wasn't?"

---

Final Thoughts

"Broadway Is My Beat; The Julie Dixon Murder Case" intricately weaves a tale of deception, ambition, and tragedy set against the vibrant backdrop of Broadway. Through Detective Danny Clover's relentless pursuit of truth, listeners are taken on a journey that explores the depths of human motives and the often-hidden stories behind public personas. The episode masterfully balances suspense with character development, making it a standout installment in the Choice Classic Radio Detectives series.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Your message amplified.

[Danny Clover]

Ready to share your message with the world?

[Podbean]

Start your podcast journey with Podbean.

[Max Magnificent]

Podbean.

[Danny Clover]

Podbean.

[Max Magnificent]

Podbean.

[Narrator]

Podbean, the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Julie Dixon]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Max Magnificent]

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Julie Dixon]

My school uses Podbean.

[Podbean]

My church too.

[Max Magnificent]

I love it. I really do.

[Narrator]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we.

[Podbean]

Bring to you the greatest old time.

[Narrator]

Radio shows like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail].

[Max Magnificent]

Broadway's My Beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Podbean]

Broadway's my beat. With Larry Thor as detective Danny Clover.

[Max Magnificent]

Broadway. It's the journey you have to make because all the other streets you ever walked never paid off. But Broadway's different. It twists you into the nighttime and you whirl your puppet dance with the spinning lights. It rocks you and throws you up in the air and beats you against the wall and you can't quit because Broadway never does. That's how it is on Broadway. My beat. People go to wrestling matches for a variety of reasons. For a change of pace from their own domestic strangleholds. For laughs, for motives which make footnotes in textbooks. And at the bout between Max Magnificent and the Panther. The faces and the reasons were up to par. I was there because pressure from upstairs ordered me to be there. They said a man was there who was trying to keep a big secret. They said to drop everything to see him Right now? Right now. He was sitting on the aisle near the tunnel entrance. I walked up to him and nodded.

[Danny Clover]

What do you want, Danny?

[Max Magnificent]

Just talk, Melvin, that's all.

[Danny Clover]

I'd like to watch this. Max Magnificent. Danny.

[Max Magnificent]

The first call's not due for 10 minutes yet. You'll be back before then. Come on. We can talk in the tunnel.

[Danny Clover]

All right. Well, what do you want?

[Max Magnificent]

Julie Dixon. What about her?

[Danny Clover]

What about her?

[Max Magnificent]

Forget you're a big criminal lawyer, Melvin. Make believe you're not quibbling in a courtroom. Make believe there's just you and me. Where's Julie?

[Danny Clover]

Forget it, Danny.

[Max Magnificent]

You know better than that. Forget it. I can't do it that way. The papers are screaming about a Cinderella girl named Julie Dixon. They waste a lot of type about a poor, poor girl getting engaged to a rich, rich lawyer named Alex Malvern. You now Julie's gone in a puff of smoke. They say today they've coined a new phrase, foul play.

[Danny Clover]

She's around. She'll be back.

[Max Magnificent]

Maybe only the foul play phrase bothers the police department. You going to help us, Danny?

[Danny Clover]

Danny, forget it, huh? Way off. I'll find Julie. I've got friends. That's why I've got to say it again. Danny, lay off. I mean it.

[Max Magnificent]

Uh, Cinderella girls are always public property. And the public's screaming. I thought you'd help, Melvin. Now it's gotta be done. My way. My way was to a penny arcade on Broadway. The sharpest little stool pigeon I had named Marty. I told him to sing it around. That I knew a about Julie Dixon's disappearance, that I was primed to make an arrest. And with Marty saying the words I'd put in his mouth, someone might believe them and that someone might make a move. And I needed that to help me find a lost, strayed or stolen Cinderella girl. At headquarters I waited for Marty's call and I fell asleep waiting. And then a bell exploded at 2 o'clock in the morning. It couldn't stand it anymore and it exploded. Danny Clover speaking. Marty?

[Rupert]

No, it's not Marty. I'm inviting you to a party, Danny. Wanna come?

[Max Magnificent]

Who is this?

[Rupert]

A girl. Pier 38, East River, Danny. 3am an hour from now, if you're the guest of honor. It's for Julie Dixon. The party. So you'll make it, huh, Danny?

[Max Magnificent]

All alone? Wouldn't go any other way. Thanks. I didn't wait for 3:00. I left for the east river docks right away. Maybe I was going to be a little early, but I was being a little eager. Pier 38 occupied about 50 front feet of the darkness and lent its own quality of shadows to it. Toward the river. A couple of tugs huddled together to my right and left, equipment shacks. I should have been looking toward the stern because that's where it came. Wake up.

[Julie Dixon]

Wake up, I say.

[Podbean]

There.

[Julie Dixon]

Come out of it. I beg your pardon? Come, come, come, come. Wake up, I say. You're quite unintelligible, you know. Now there now, open your eyes. Now then, isn't that better? Good morning.

[Max Magnificent]

Huh?

[Julie Dixon]

I said good morning. I greeted you.

[Max Magnificent]

Oh, I greet you. Good morning.

[Julie Dixon]

Good morning.

[Max Magnificent]

Where's all this greeting taking place?

[Julie Dixon]

At the Ashton Hotel, room 312. New York City.

[Max Magnificent]

And you're Rupert. Rupert. How did I get here?

[Julie Dixon]

Rupert, I found you on Pier 38.

[Max Magnificent]

Did you hit me first? On the back of the head, Rupert?

[Julie Dixon]

Oh, no, no, no, no. But I did kick you. That is, I stumbled over you. That's what made me know you were There. I brought you here in a cab.

[Max Magnificent]

What were you doing on Pier 38, Rupert?

[Julie Dixon]

Well, sir, every night. Every night after the matches, I go to the waterfront and look toward England and make a wish. The same wish, sir, that I was back in Crofton on Willow.

[Max Magnificent]

Why aren't you back there, Rupert?

[Julie Dixon]

Because I'm not. Max Magnificent doesn't wrestle in England until the summer.

[Max Magnificent]

Max Magnificent?

[Julie Dixon]

Yes, of course. I'm his valid. I spray the ring for him. Carry his own.

[Max Magnificent]

Rupert, where's Max?

[Julie Dixon]

The Magnificent is in the next room having his hair done.

[Max Magnificent]

Thanks, Rupert.

[Julie Dixon]

Will you be staying to breakfast, sir? Kippers in 10 minutes.

[Narrator]

Well, well, I see you're up and around. Glad to see it. Max Magnificent wishes he could sleep that well. How do you like it? No, I don't mean Mabel the hairdresser. I mean my hair. The flamingo bob. I call it fancier Fancy. Well, here it is. I got it all ready for you. Autographed photograph of Max Magnificent. Look what it says. To an all American lad from your idol, Max Magnificent.

[Max Magnificent]

Fancy. Can I talk to you without the hairdresser?

[Narrator]

With my hair half up in curlers? You're kidding, baby. Go ahead, talk to me. Mabel doesn't understand nothing except hair anyway.

[Max Magnificent]

Talk.

[Narrator]

Talk to me.

[Max Magnificent]

Maybe I'm being coincidental. Max.

[Narrator]

Oh, Mabel. Comb the curls. Don't yank them out of my head.

[Max Magnificent]

You say a man I know came to see you wrestle last night when he was supposed to be worried. Max. Man named Alex Malvern.

[Narrator]

Oh, Max Magnificent welcomes him to the ever growing list of his staunch admirer. Hey, I did that good.

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah. And Alex Melvin worries because his fiance, one Julie Dixon, is missing. I talked to him.

[Narrator]

Worried, huh?

[Max Magnificent]

Then I got slugged. Then I wake up in the tender care of Rupert, valet for Max Magnificent.

[Narrator]

Hey, that makes a circle, huh? Go ahead.

[Max Magnificent]

Go ahead.

[Narrator]

This is real goose pimply talk.

[Max Magnificent]

What's with Julie Dixon? Max, you know.

[Narrator]

Oh, asking me questions will no sense finish me, Mabel.

[Max Magnificent]

This guy just got boring. What about Julie Dixon?

[Narrator]

Mabel, hand me the mirror. Julie Dixon the Flamingo Bob. The fans will eat it up. You know something? You, mister Standing there? I can't hear you no more. You better go, mister. Mabel's gotta scent me the lavender.

[Max Magnificent]

Mabel Mac's Magnificent swept up the train of his magnificent brocaded robe with a hairy paw. Swept up. Mabel, his lady barber, with his other hairy paw motioned me magnificently to the door. And through it all maintained the magnificent grace and delicacy of a quaffed and perfumed gorilla. All that magnificence deserved some historical research. So I put a call through to Sergeant Dattaglia to get on it. To bring me up to date on how and why and when and where Max and Rupert got so magnificent, so regally considerate of a poor, beaten up policeman. And then I went back to the beginning. And the beginning was the lawyer, Alex Melv.

[Danny Clover]

Sure I can't offer you a drink, Danny? A noon cocktail to take the bitter taste out of your mouth?

[Max Magnificent]

You've come a long way, Melvin. I can remember when it was a toss up who'd get to where mayhem was first, you or me.

[Danny Clover]

You mean I was a shyster? An ambulance chaser? It doesn't shame me, Danny. We all have to grub for nickels one way or another. Here's to you, Danny.

[Max Magnificent]

I told you at the wrestling matches. It bothers us police about Julie Dixon. Gets worse all the time.

[Danny Clover]

So I see those black and blue marks, Danny. They hurt, don't they? I know they hurt because I know.

[Max Magnificent]

A girl you were going to marry. The papers said. The brightest torch you ever carried, the paper said true. She disappears, you don't even cry. You don't even ask for help. Is that how it gets when you're Big Malvern?

[Danny Clover]

You see the walnut paneling in my office, Danny? It cost a fortune. This private bar, upholstered in Florentine leather. A fortune. Those Golden Girls. My secretaries who wait on me hand and foot like I was a king. Also a fortune. None of this I got by asking anybody for help. So we've got nothing more to say to each other, Danny. Glad you dropped in, though.

[Max Magnificent]

I enjoyed that, Melvin. I speak only as a jury of one. But it was very impressive. I really enjoyed it.

[Danny Clover]

Out, Danny. I'm busy.

[Max Magnificent]

You're going to throw me out, Melvin? Because that's how it'll have to be.

[Danny Clover]

There are lots of ways. One way I could pick up the phone, talk to a friend. This friend listens when I talk. And because he listens, they could put you in the middle of Fifth Avenue, helping visitors dodge the terrible traffic.

[Max Magnificent]

Do that, Maverick. Do it, Danny. Now you've got a good reason. A better one. Do it, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

Danny, take it easy.

[Max Magnificent]

Here's the phone, King. Call your friend.

[Danny Clover]

Forget it, Danny. Forget it. Forget I ever said it. I. I only thought it would be better if I found Julie in my own way. That's all there is to it, Danny. I swear.

[Max Magnificent]

When did she disappear?

[Danny Clover]

Five days ago. We were now going to a theater. The cab slowed down for a light and all of a sudden Julie jumps out. I haven't seen her since.

[Max Magnificent]

She didn't say anything, leave anything?

[Danny Clover]

Just a bag with all her money in it. She didn't even say goodbye. She'd been acting funny for days.

[Max Magnificent]

Where's the bag?

[Danny Clover]

Here. Right. Right here, Danny. Take it if you want.

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah. Lipstick, compact, money. Hey.

[Danny Clover]

What, Danny?

[Max Magnificent]

This newspaper clipping. This picture of Max Magnificence. You didn't tell me about that.

[Danny Clover]

Why should I? It doesn't mean anything. Julie liked wrestling matches. Maybe Max Magnificent was a hero. She made me take it to see him once.

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah, fix your $20 tie, Malvern. It got wrinkled somehow. It deserved a social call on Max Magnificent, but I was polite. I phoned first, which was the proper thing to do because he wasn't at his hotel. The Magnificent had gone to the Armory early. They said he needed time to perfume his person and his dressing room before his performance tonight. They said, however, I could talk to his valet, they said. I said no, thanks. At the deserted Armory, I followed Maxes spoor down a long cavern and into a whitewashed dressing room that brought me face to face with Rupert.

[Julie Dixon]

Oh, Mr. Clover, how very nice of you to be here when I need you so desperately.

[Max Magnificent]

Later, Rupert. Where's Max Magnificent?

[Julie Dixon]

He's there. That. On the floor in the corner.

[Max Magnificent]

He sleeps on concrete because he's so rugged.

[Julie Dixon]

The Magnificent is not asleep, Mr. Clover. He's dead.

[Max Magnificent]

What?

[Julie Dixon]

You see, Mr. Clover?

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah, yeah, I see Rose.

[Julie Dixon]

I didn't touch him, Mr. Clover. So you police would find him just as I found him only a moment ago. That is the custom, isn't it, Mr. Clover?

[Max Magnificent]

Yes, Rupert.

[Julie Dixon]

That knife, it is back. That means he was murdered. Murdered.

[Max Magnificent]

Podbean, your message amplified, Ready to share.

[Podbean]

Your message with the world?

[Danny Clover]

Start your podcast journey with Podbean.

[Narrator]

Podbean, the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Julie Dixon]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Max Magnificent]

Use Podbean to record your podcast.

[Danny Clover]

Use PodBean AI to optimize your podcast.

[Max Magnificent]

Use PodBean AI to turn your blog into a podcast.

[Danny Clover]

Use Podbean to distribute your podcast everywhere.

[Max Magnificent]

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Julie Dixon]

The magnificent is dead, Mr. Clover. Long live the Magnificent.

[Podbean]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. The cream of the fun and songs on Arthur Godfrey's daytime shows are now brought to you in a half hour special Godfrey Digest, every Saturday night on cbs. So if a date with the dentist, the hairdressers, if a Traffic ticket in court kept you from hearing one of the daytime shows this week. Or if you want a fast half hour of humor and songs by Jeanette Davis, Bill Lawrence and the Mariners, listen in this Saturday night to the Godfrey Digest on most of these same CBS stations.

[Max Magnificent]

Broadway is a place that can fool you. You can walk by the lost and the broken and the dying without batting an eye. But when one of its own lies dead, Broadway tears its collective breast, dons the sackcloth and ashes and sends up a shrieking lament that can be heard round the world. And for a little while, you believe it. You believe Broadway is heartbroken because death came on a man who called himself Max Magnificent and stuck a knife in his back. You believe Broadway has found torment because it lost a Cinderella girl named Julie Dixon. Then you take a good look at Broadway. You know you're out of your mind. But you stay with it because you're a cop. And as a cop, you're Broadway's conscience. And as a conscience, you've got a helper, namely Sergeant Gino Tartaglia.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny, sometimes when I can't go to sleep nights, I analyze my relationship with you.

[Max Magnificent]

And?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

And I have come to the conclude, to the conclusion that I am what is technically known as a mother's helper.

[Max Magnificent]

And I'm very proud of you, Gino.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Ah, Danny, stop it. Well, item one. The boys in the lab say that after a detailed check of the fingerprints of Max Magnificent, he turns out to be an ordinary human being with a name as common as Clover or Tartaglia.

[Max Magnificent]

Oh, yeah.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Honest, Danny. Max Magnificent was none other than Joe Warner.

[Max Magnificent]

Joe Warner, huh? And Joe Warner was none other than who? Tataglia.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

A guy who we once picked up for attempted blackmail. Badge again.

[Max Magnificent]

Who was the girl?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

That we don't know. But we're still working on it. The missing girl, Julie Dixon, is known to have withdrawn her entire savings from the Corn Exchange bank the day before said Julie Dixon disappeared.

[Max Magnificent]

How much savings?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

A goodly sum. $3,000.

[Max Magnificent]

As you say. Goodly. Maybe that explains why she didn't need her bag when she jumped out of Melbourne's cab.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Possibly. Danny, may I continue?

[Max Magnificent]

Please do.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Item 3. Detective Mugavan is even now on the tail of the famous and renowned lawyer Alex Malvern. And Detective Kinney is even now on.

[Max Magnificent]

The tail of Rupert de Valet and Julie Dixon's description.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Description?

[Max Magnificent]

Description. Tartaglia. It's out. Any reports on it?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

No. No.

[Max Magnificent]

Danny, get on it. Tartaglia. Check again. Every railway station, every pawn shop, every. Everything you'll remember won't you, Tertaglia?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, I promised Danny. Oh, I. I just remembered I forgot something.

[Max Magnificent]

I'm glad for you, Tatagli.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Well, thank you.

[Max Magnificent]

Danny.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

I just remembered you got a call from someone named Sophie Wojciekowski.

[Max Magnificent]

Huh?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, Sophie Wojciecowski. She skates on roller skates at the roller derby at Madison Square Garden. She says come meet her at 8 tonight. There's something about Julie Dixon. She said. Danny, Danny, can I help with him? I forgot. I got so much on my mind. Mrs. Tataga. You're the kids.

[Julie Dixon]

I haven't sm.

[Max Magnificent]

Hi.

[Rupert]

You waiting to see me?

[Max Magnificent]

If your name's Sophie Wojakovsky, I am.

[Rupert]

Well, you don't have a scorecard, huh? Else you'd know. Everybody knows number 12 is Sophie Wojakowski.

[Max Magnificent]

I'm Danny Clover.

[Rupert]

Oh.

[Max Magnificent]

What about Julie Dixon? Sophie?

[Rupert]

Oh, Julie and me used to borrow our skate key from the same guy.

[Max Magnificent]

How long ago was that?

[Rupert]

Oh, years and years and years. I mean, we grew up together practically. Then we grew up. Then she got married, then she went away. Then I never heard of her. Then yesterday came.

[Max Magnificent]

Yesterday was something special?

[Rupert]

Not especially special, except a guy called me upon the telephone and asked me if I knew the whereabouts of Julie. I told him no, because I don't. Then the guy said a bad word and hung up.

[Max Magnificent]

What guy?

[Rupert]

The guy I was talking to up on the telephone. Oh, you mean his name? Uh, he didn't say.

[Max Magnificent]

Now, let's go back a little bit. You said Julie was married to a man named Joe Warner.

[Rupert]

That I don't know. Except I heard from sources close to the roller rink that he deserted her. Ran away to Texas. I heard this was about three years ago.

[Max Magnificent]

Then the reason you called was to tell me about the phone call?

[Rupert]

Well, not exactly. You see, I saw Julie yesterday. Later, after the guy called upon the telephone.

[Max Magnificent]

Huh?

[Rupert]

Sure. She said she was broke. She came to borrow some money.

[Max Magnificent]

How much did you lend her?

[Rupert]

Not a cent, because that's how much I had at the time. She said thank you and walked out of my life again.

[Danny Clover]

Oh, the woman's team will take their places.

[Max Magnificent]

One minute.

[Rupert]

Hey, look, I gotta go now. That's all I know, Mr. Clover. Come on.

[Max Magnificent]

I watched Sophie clatter onto the track, watched her rabbit punch one of the contenders trip another sharp right cross to another. And then Sophie Wojcikovsky had a clear field. It wasn't fun anymore. So I got out and I began to add it up. Julie's husband had deserted her, Sophie said. And in Julie's bag had been a picture Of Max Magnificent, who was Joe Warner. And Julie had gone through $3,000 fast, even for a girl like Julie. And the sum could be blackmail and murder. Except one factor was missing from the equation. Julie Dixon. And at headquarters, Sergeant Titaglia was being mother's helper. Like anything.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny, I think what we boys got on us. Julie Dixon will help you like anything.

[Max Magnificent]

Oh, yeah.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Sit down, Danny. Sit down. This is big. You ready? We have discovered that Julie Dixon was married to Joe Werner. Later, Max Magnificent. And there is no indication that a divorce happened in the family.

[Max Magnificent]

You're right, Tataglia. You've made a big discovery.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Thank you, Danny, thank you. But I have here another item that is not so happy. Rupert the valet has disappeared from the tail of Kenny the detective.

[Max Magnificent]

What? Don't go away, Tartaglia.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Where would I go?

[Max Magnificent]

Danny Clover speaking. Mr. Clover, I am Howard Jones, the mentor of a sanctuary you people call a pawn shop. We'll try to do better. Is that all you want? Not What I want, Mr. Clover. What you people want. Julie Dixon. She was in my place not an hour ago. How do you know it was Julie Dixon? She fits the description lots of women might. True, true. But she pawned a platinum and diamond bracelet with her initials on the back of it. I gave her $50, but only because I'm a friend of mine. Okay, okay. What name did she give you? Mary Smith. Address? Hotel at 2617 East 8th Street. Thank you. Howard Jones. D'Artaglia.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah.

[Max Magnificent]

Danny, don't go away.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

I won't. Hey, Danny, don't forget your hat.

[Max Magnificent]

You the desk clerk?

[Narrator]

No, I'm the scrub lady, Mac, But I got worried there's no vacancy. So go try another fleabag, huh, Mac?

[Max Magnificent]

This one suits me fine. I'm looking for a girl.

[Narrator]

Oh, in that case, you want the Lonely Hearts Club. Three blocks down, up two flights. Tell them I recommend you for membership.

[Max Magnificent]

A girl, Julie Dixon. What room is she in? Scrub lady?

[Narrator]

For this, I got two answers. I doubt if one of our guests, if she has a name Julie Dixon, would sign this same name on the register. Answer number two is why should I answer you at all, Mac?

[Max Magnificent]

Good question. Good answer.

[Narrator]

Plain clothes dick with badge to match. Oh. Impresses me.

[Max Magnificent]

Tell me how much.

[Narrator]

This much. Mac, I am a room clerk in this hostelry. We have a guest, A gorgeous doll occupying our diplomat suit. It's possible this girl could be the girl whom you of the John D'Armen.

[Max Magnificent]

What room?

[Narrator]

Try number 18. That's the suit with the washstand. If you want room service, just Scream, huh? Policeman.

[H]

Get away from here.

[Max Magnificent]

Your name's Julie Dixon.

[H]

I said get away from here. Get away before I make it real tough for you. Go ahead, you ask for it, mister. Help.

[Max Magnificent]

Help.

[Rupert]

Somebody help.

[Max Magnificent]

Such a pretty dress. Ripping it won't help it at all. Somebody, please. Please. That's me. Police.

[Rupert]

What?

[Max Magnificent]

Badge and all. Look. Okay, let's go inside.

[H]

Police.

[Max Magnificent]

That's right, Julie. You want to tell me now or later? Doesn't matter a whole lot. No.

[H]

No, it doesn't. Nothing matters anymore. What do you want?

[Max Magnificent]

Not so much. Just fill me in. You are paying blackmail. To whom?

[H]

To a nursemaid. To a nursemaid? To my husband. Nursemaid who called himself Rupert.

[Max Magnificent]

He had something to sell you.

[H]

Like this. My husband, Joe Warner. Joe Warner? Max, Magnificent, whatever you want to call him. I thought he was dead. We were never divorced and I thought he was dead.

[Max Magnificent]

What made you think your husband was dead when he wasn't?

[H]

Papers. Joe was in Texas at the time. You know, the time the tanker blew up.

[Max Magnificent]

Texas City. A disaster in 47, huh?

[H]

The papers listed a man named Joe Warnedette. Certain it was my husband. He was in Texas City then.

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah. They still don't know how many people died there. Or who.

[H]

So I met Alex Malvern and I fell in love with him. And he fell in love with me. And we were going to get married. That's the way I am when I fall in love with a man and he falls in love with me.

[Max Magnificent]

So Joel changes his name to Max Magnificent, becomes a wrestler with a hairdo and hires himself a valet named Rupert. Max, hairdo and valet show up in New York, right?

[H]

Yes. Rupert came to me and said he wanted money to keep my first marriage quiet.

[Max Magnificent]

More than that, Julie. It was the kind of marriage you had, wasn't it? A partnership for blackmail. A partnership to work the badger game. That's why you paid him the $3,000 you drew from the bank.

[H]

That's why it was worth that. To keep Melvin from knowing what I used to be. But it was no good. So I ran away. Ran away. And I've been running ever since.

[Max Magnificent]

You got nothing to worry about anymore, Julie. Except one thing.

[H]

Whether Alex will have me now that.

[Max Magnificent]

Maybe that. But the other thing. Your husband's been murdered. You had the motive, the opportunity, maybe, and you're running away. Murderers do that.

[Julie Dixon]

I've been terribly impolite. I've been listening. You don't mind that, do you, Mr. Clover?

[Max Magnificent]

Glad to have you aboard, Rupert. Your name was being bandied about.

[Rupert]

I'll kill him, so help Me?

[Max Magnificent]

I'll kill him. Take it easy, Julie.

[Julie Dixon]

Thank you, sir. Else I would have killed her before your very eyes.

[Max Magnificent]

Like you killed Max?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yes, of course.

[Julie Dixon]

He had the body of an ox, but his insides were not fortitudinous at all. Yellow is the word for Max. Magnificent. I laugh at the name.

[Max Magnificent]

Why did you come here, Rupert?

[Julie Dixon]

I've been following you, Mr. Clover. I want you to be happy before you die. Now that you found Julie, you'd find me then. You tried to have me executed for murder. I just couldn't stand that.

[Max Magnificent]

One more thing, Rupert. Just to make me a happy man. You said Max was yellow.

[Julie Dixon]

I said it because I meant it. He suddenly changed his mind about blackmailing Julie. Let the kid alone. She deserves a break. Those were his very words. I tried to argue him out of his faint heart. There were words. He had muscles. I had a knife. I won the argument. Julie, you have such poor taste in husbands.

[Rupert]

You ruined it. You ruined everything.

[Max Magnificent]

Julie. Watch out. You fool.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

I told her.

[Max Magnificent]

Yeah, you told her good. Rupert crashed into the washstand. The gun clattered out of his hands. And then, like some crazed animal, he scurried forward in the half light. So there was only one thing to do.

[Julie Dixon]

Then.

[Max Magnificent]

I bent over Julie to try to help her, to somehow ease the pain of the wound in her shoulder. And she did something strange. She shook her head and motioned me away. And in her eyes, there was something that could have been agony or happiness or something I didn't. When the ambulance came, she walked into it and lay down and fell asleep. Rupert was different. He screamed and tore at my face. So I had to give him the anesthetic once more. Broadway's wearing its harlequin clothes and it winks an eye and beckons and a pale and hungry girl Walks its pavements like a queen Because Broadway's a dream street and a fat man stands with begging eyes because he just found out his last dream didn't come true It's a laugh or a cry with nothing in between It's Broadway the gaudiest, the most violent the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway My Beat.

[Podbean]

Broadway's My Beat Stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover, with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia. The musical score was composed and conducted by Alexander Courage, and the program was produced by Elliot Lewis and directed by Gordon T. Hughes. The cast tonight included Vivi Janis, Bill Johnstone, Virginia Gregg, Jay Novello, Junius Matthews and Larry Dobkin. Molly Goldberg's being visited tomorrow night by an old flame and Jake's really burned up. Yes, romance has flowered in the Goldbergs apartment this week. And this Saturday night, Jake takes action against Molly's old beau. Be listening when the Goldbergs come to you on most of these same CBS stations in their new Saturday night time. Tomorrow night, Joe Walters speaking. This is cbs, where you find Broadway as my beat. Every Friday night, the Columbia Broadcasting System.