Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

Episode: Broadway Is My Beat: The Lily Nelson Murder Case (10/06/1951)
Aired: December 17, 2025 (Rebroadcast)
Host: Choice Classic Radio

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Broadway Is My Beat orbits around the death of Lily Nelson, a dazzling and enigmatic Broadway star found dead from slashed wrists in her glamorous brownstone. Detective Danny Clover navigates a world of fame, obsession, and heartbreak as he tries to determine whether Lily’s death was suicide or murder. The episode delves into the emotional lives of show business figures, peeling back the glitzy facade to reveal struggles with love, loneliness, and identity on "the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world"—Broadway.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery of Lily Nelson’s Body

• [00:54] We open with Detective Clover's poetic narration of Broadway, setting a moody scene.
• [02:21] Lily Nelson is found dead in her apartment, wrists slashed, a razor blade beside her and no suicide note.
  • Frank Colombo (policeman colleague): "Lily Nelson, Danny. Slashed wrists... Sold out that far. I never thought I’d stand so close to her.”
  • The death is called in anonymously; police find no signs of struggle or others present.

2. The Anonymous Caller: Lily’s Chauffeur, Frank Colombo

• [04:23] The anonymous tip is traced to Lily’s chauffeur, Frank Colombo, who is emotionally attached to Lily.
  • Colombo reveals his deep, unrequited love for Lily:
  • "I'm the man who's seen Lily Nelson cry. You know what a woman feels for a man when she lets him see her cry?" [05:38]

3. Probing Suspects:

Jason Geaver, Producer

• [07:09] Clover visits Jason Geaver, the producer who made Lily a star. Geaver is businesslike and somewhat jaded.
  • On his relationship:
  • Geaver: "Lily meant money to me. And heartache and laughs I could count on the fingers of my left hand." [07:44]
  • He denies romantic involvement, listing Lily’s lovers and notably her current psychiatrist, Dr. Kobach, and director, David Knight.
  • Notable quote on Lily's emotional depth:
  • "The one emotion I couldn’t get from her was the emotion for self-destruction." [09:21]

Dr. Kobach, Psychiatrist

• [09:40] Clover meets Dr. Kobach at an exclusive gathering.
  • Dr. Kobach instantly asserts: "It was not suicide. Lily did not slash her wrists... Lily was too much in love with herself to have mutilated even a hair on her head." [10:22]
  • He admits Lily was neurotic and liked her psychiatrist, but there was "no love to return."
  • "Every particle of love that Lily had to give, she gave to the theater." [22:28]

David Knight, Director & Former Lover

• [13:20] Clover finds Knight listening to a recording of Lily reciting poetry; he is openly grieving.
  • Knight: "I killed you. I'm a murderer." [14:25]
  • He confesses to a sense of responsibility for Lily’s death, not that he killed her, but feeling culpable for not loving her as she apparently wanted.

4. Lily’s Secret Confidante: Janie Cochran

• [18:59] Janie, a young high school girl, reveals a secret friendship with Lily, who mentored her and possibly saw Janie as her protégé.
  • Janie: "We kept it a secret. It was our secret, Lily’s and mine." [20:04]
  • This subplot hints at Lily’s desire to shape a "new Lily Nelson" in Janie.

5. The Final Revelations & Thematic Resolution

• [24:25] Janie wants the director Knight to mentor her as Lily did.

  • The pattern of dependency repeats—Knight is willing, possibly to recreate Lily.
  • Clover warns: “What happened to Lily Nelson might happen to you.” [24:52]

• [26:26] Knight finally admits Lily begged him to kill her:

  • “She got down on her knees and cried. She said she wanted to love me. She said she couldn't love anybody. So she begged me to kill her because she couldn’t love.”

• [27:02] Clover's closing narration restates the loneliness and heartbreak lurking beneath Broadway's glitter:

  • "Otherwise, you’d hear a heartbreak. It’s Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent. The lonesomest mile in the world."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lily’s Fame and Vulnerability:

  • “Why should she kill herself? For what?” — Frank Colombo [03:22]
  • "Lily was too much in love with herself to have mutilated even a hair on her head." — Dr. Kobach [10:22]
  • “Every particle of love that Lily had to give, she gave to the theater. Every emotion she had was… How do I present it on the stage for people to feel. Every passion, every desire… What was there left for Lily to give to another? Nothing." — Dr. Kobach [22:28]

• On the Nature of Love and Obsession:

  • "I'm the man who's seen Lily Nelson cry. You know what a woman feels for a man when she lets him see her cry?" — Frank Colombo [05:38]
  • "I can create another Lily Nelson with this child." — David Knight, on Janie [24:44]

• Theme of Recurring Tragedy:

  • “What happened to Lily Nelson might happen to you.” — Detective Clover to Janie [24:52]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Monologue / Discovery: [00:54] – [03:31]
• Chauffeur Interrogation: [04:23] – [06:02]
• Producer Confrontation: [07:09] – [09:21]
• Psychiatrist’s Perspective: [09:40] – [12:44]
• Director David Knight’s Breakdown: [13:15] – [17:06]
• Janie Cochran's Story: [18:59] – [22:44]
• Resolution at Knight’s Apartment: [24:05] – [27:02]
• Closing Broadway Reflection: [27:02] – [28:23]

Tone, Style & Atmosphere

• The episode is suffused with noir melancholy, colored by tangible heartbreak, longing, and loneliness.
• Detective Clover’s narration is poetic, introspective, delivering moody, atmospheric lines like, “Broadway is my beat. The gaudiest, the most violent. The lonesomest mile in the world.”

Summary

Broadway Is My Beat: The Lily Nelson Murder Case weaves a tale of a tragic star whose inability to love offstage may have led to her demise, or to her murder. As Detective Clover unravels the entanglement of admirers, mentors, and protégés, the story lays bare the emotional cost of stardom and the emptiness beneath Broadway’s bright lights. The episode closes with Clover pondering the pain hidden behind the spectacle, hinting that the cycle may soon repeat with a new young woman stepping into Lily’s shadow.