Broadway Is My Beat: The Lt Jimmy Hunt Murder Case 02/03/1950

Summary

Broadway Is My Beat: The Lt Jimmy Hunt Murder Case
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Release Date: January 29, 2025

---

1. Introduction to the Case

The episode opens with Detective Danny Clover being summoned to St. Anthony's Hospital to investigate the suspicious death of Lieutenant James (Jimmy) Hunt. Initially reported as a suicide, Clover harbors doubts about the true nature of Jimmy's demise.

• Danny Clover [01:13]: "Broadway is a mob and a big voice that darts from doorways and screams in your face... A panic in neon where misery and packaged pleasures are commodities."

2. Initial Investigation

Upon arrival, Clover meets Sister Angela, who provides preliminary information about Jimmy's death. She mentions that Jimmy, a war veteran, was battling PTSD, leading him to take his own life with a steak knife.

• Sister Angela [02:36]: "Jimmy had been a soldier. He fought in a war and he was having trouble forgetting about it. That's all that was wrong with Jimmy."
• Frank Flaherty [03:15]: "Suicide is always deplorable, Mr. Clover. And to attend death with the police, even more so."

Despite the apparent suicide, Clover suspects foul play, particularly when he observes the manner of death.

• Danny Clover [04:05]: "Jimmy was stabbed in the side, too close to his back to make him a suicide. Jimmy was murdered."

3. Virginia Scott's Testimony

Clover interviews Virginia Scott, a close associate of Jimmy. Virginia expresses deep sorrow and offers to help uncover the truth behind Jimmy's death.

• Virginia Scott [05:19]: "I'm glad you came to me, Mr. Clover, because I can tell you things about him no one else knew, not even the doctors."
• Danny Clover [06:04]: "How long have you known him?"
• Virginia Scott [06:22]: "We met at a dance. Jimmy asked me to dance and I fell in love with him."

She claims that Jimmy never hinted at any adversaries, complicating the investigation.

• Virginia Scott [06:37]: "All the nameless ones who had to kill other nameless men. He was a soldier, Virginia. I don't... the words that heal pain."

4. Mickey Bianco's Involvement

Clover tracks down Mickey Bianco, a former platoon member of Jimmy. Their encounter at Bianco's pool room reveals twisted camaraderie and cryptic remarks about Jimmy's character.

• Mickey Bianco [08:17]: "I killed him and I've gotta suffer for it. I've gotta feel what Jimmy for?"
• Danny Clover [09:00]: "Makes you patriotic."
• Mickey Bianco [09:24]: "I reminded him about what he did to his platoon... I like to watch."

Bianco's vague admissions hint at deeper motives and unresolved tensions.

5. Sergeant Tartaglia's Update

Clover returns to Sergeant Tartaglia at headquarters, seeking clarity on the case. Tartaglia informs him about the missing person Fred Owen, raising further suspicions.

• Sergeant Tartaglia [10:34]: "Positively, we have found no trace of Fred Owen. The reports from the boys looking for Fred Owen are negative."
• Danny Clover [10:58]: "I'll find them, Virginia."

The absence of Fred Owen becomes a critical lead in unraveling the mystery.

6. Fred Owen's Confession

An urgent phone call leads Clover to Fred Owen, the very attendant who discovered Jimmy's body. Owen's confession unveils the tragic accident masquerading as murder.

• Fred Owen [17:38]: "I killed him and I've gotta suffer for it. I've gotta feel what Jimmy for?"
• Fred Owen [18:05]: "I cut up his food for him so he could feed himself... I left Jimmy with the knife."
• Danny Clover [18:58]: "Are you trying to tell me that Jimmy killed himself and you left him alone with a knife?"

Owen explains that negligence led to Jimmy's accidental death, deepening the emotional complexity of the case.

7. Madge Taylor's Suspect

Investigating further, Clover encounters Madge Taylor, another individual connected to Jimmy. Her aggressive demeanor and cryptic statements introduce a new layer of intrigue.

• Madge Taylor [20:04]: "I'll tell you why I visited him... Why did you marry Jimmy?"
• Madge Taylor [21:03]: "Lieutenant Jimmy Hunt killed him. Killed me, too."

Taylor's revelations suggest a vendetta against Jimmy, complicating the narrative.

8. Climax and Resolution

The investigation takes a dramatic turn when Fred Owen returns, confessing to the murder under emotional distress. In a tense confrontation, truths emerge about love, betrayal, and unintended consequences.

• Fred Owen [27:24]: "He was getting worse and worse about Virginia all the time."
• Fred Owen [27:34]: "I let him. But because I'm a cop, I had a man follow him."
• Fred Owen [30:00]: "I killed him, and I'm prepared to suffer for it."

Clover grapples with the moral implications of Owen's confession, leading to a poignant resolution.

9. Conclusion and Reflections

As the case concludes, Clover reflects on the dark underbelly of Broadway and the human emotions that drive such tragedies. The episode closes with a haunting narration about the relentless and often violent nature of the city.

• Danny Clover [28:18]: "He lay there, his body taut... projecting Broadway's gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

The narrative encapsulates the essence of old-time radio detective stories, blending suspense with deep character exploration.

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Notable Quotes

• Danny Clover [04:05]: "Jimmy was stabbed in the side, too close to his back to make him a suicide. Jimmy was murdered."

• Virginia Scott [05:19]: "I'm glad you came to me, Mr. Clover, because I can tell you things about him no one else knew, not even the doctors."

• Fred Owen [17:38]: "I killed him and I've gotta suffer for it. I've gotta feel what Jimmy for?"

• Madge Taylor [20:04]: "I'll tell you why I visited him... Why did you marry Jimmy?"

• Danny Clover [28:18]: "He lay there, his body taut... projecting Broadway's gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

---

Final Thoughts

"Broadway Is My Beat: The Lt Jimmy Hunt Murder Case" masterfully intertwines suspense, emotional depth, and intricate character dynamics, embodying the golden age of radio detective storytelling. Through Detective Danny Clover's relentless pursuit of truth, listeners are immersed in a tale of love, betrayal, and the haunting shadows of Broadway.

Transcript

[Podbean]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Podbean]

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[Danny Clover]

My school uses Podbean.

[Podbean]

My church too.

I love it. I really do.

[Larry Thor]

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 [e-mail].

[Danny Clover]

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 With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Danny Clover]

Broadway It's a mob and a big voice that darts from doorways and screams in your face Then scurls off into the quiet streets It's a panic in neon where misery and packaged pleasures are commodities Sometime on installments It's a place that dares you one way or another It'll rock you to sleep It's Broadway, my beat early on a January morning, you get up and turn on the heat against the cold of the day. Then there's coffee in the newspaper. The warming things to buffer your shivering at the thought of going out into your own world. I didn't have it that good. I didn't have time for the coffee and newspaper. A call came. It said, get down to St. Anthony's Hospital. I did. And the nun at the information desk said Sister Angela was waiting for me right over there. Sister Angela?

[Sister Angela]

Yes. You're from the police?

[Danny Clover]

I'm Danny Clover. Headquarters said there was some trouble about a man dying.

[Sister Angela]

About Jimmy's dying. Jimmy Hunt? Please, this way.

[Danny Clover]

Jimmy was a patient here at the hospital? Yes, and he died. And I don't see the police.

[Sister Angela]

I mean the manner in which he died, Mr. Clover. Father Flaherty said it must be reported to the police. Jimmy committed suicide with a steak knife off his food tray.

[Danny Clover]

I see. He was that sick?

[Sister Angela]

No. No, he wasn't, Mr. Cloper. Jimmy had been a soldier. He fought in a war and he was having trouble forgetting about it. That's all that was wrong with Jimmy.

[Podbean]

This is the room.

[Sister Angela]

Oh, Father Flaherty. This is Mr. Clover, Father. From the police.

[Podbean]

Mr. Clover. Suicide is always deplorable, Mr. Clover. And to attend death with the police, even more so.

[Danny Clover]

However, I understand. Father. This is Jimmy. He was found like this?

[Sister Angela]

Yes, the attendant found him.

[Podbean]

Fred Owen, the attendant's name? Owen found him and called me.

[Danny Clover]

I'd like to talk with Fred Owen, Father.

[Podbean]

Of course, Sister.

[Sister Angela]

I'm afraid that's impossible, Father. Fred must have gone home for the day. This finding Jimmy dead by a knife, it undoubtedly made him ill. Fred is very sensitive boy.

[Danny Clover]

Surely. Did Jimmy have any visitors?

[Sister Angela]

Why, yes, I. I have them here, Mr. Clover. A list. I called to tell them of Jimmy.

[Danny Clover]

If you don't mind, Sister.

[Podbean]

Yes, yes.

[Sister Angela]

I don't understand.

[Danny Clover]

Routine, Sister. Simply to complete a file.

[Podbean]

Hey, is. Is that all, Mr. Clover?

[Danny Clover]

A few more things I'll want. The attendance address and a question. Could anyone. Anyone at all? Attendant visitors? Anybody? Could someone have come in here and murdered Jimmy?

[Sister Angela]

What are you saying?

[Danny Clover]

Please.

[Podbean]

Yes, it could have been done, Mr. Clover. What are you getting at?

[Danny Clover]

Jimmy was stabbed in the side, too close to his back to make him a suicide. Jimmy was murdered? You can say rights now, Father. A man who has slept on the beaches of death so many times is struck down finally in the ultimate screeching brutality of violence. In a non silent, gentle hands, the whispered chant of a priest tried to ease the pain of his journey into the shocking chasms of darkness. All a cop can do for the man is to find out why he had to die in this way. So the cop calls at the address of one named Fred Owen. Finds him not at home, hasn't been home, don't know when he'll come home. Then the cop sends out an all points bulletin on one named Fred Owen. Then the cop calls on the first of a murdered man's visitors list.

[Podbean]

Who is it?

[Danny Clover]

It's Danny Clover of the police.

[Podbean]

You're here about Jimmy? Please come in.

[Danny Clover]

The girl was slender, her face delicate, with an almost wistful expression. But it was her eyes, gray and soft, as if the color had been strained through gauze.

[Podbean]

Please sit here.

[Danny Clover]

Thank you.

[Podbean]

They called me from St Anthony's they told me about Jimmy, Mr. Clover. They told me.

[Danny Clover]

Then you're Virginia Scott.

[Podbean]

Yes. I'm glad you came to me, Mr. Clover, because I can tell you things about him no one else knew, not even the doctors. I understand why he killed himself. Shall I tell you why?

[Danny Clover]

Jimmy didn't commit suicide, Ms. Scott. He was. He was murdered.

[Podbean]

Who? Who would do that to my poor lost Jimmy?

[Danny Clover]

Jimmy, Ms. Scott.

[Podbean]

Jimmy was brave. He was kind and innocent. He was my child and my love. All he ever did wrong was to get lost.

[Danny Clover]

Will you help me find his murderer, Ms. Scott?

[Podbean]

Yes. Yes.

[Danny Clover]

Who would kill him?

[Podbean]

Who kills Mr. Clover? Who searches out a wounded boy and kills him. Why are there such people?

[Danny Clover]

How long have you known him?

[Podbean]

We met at a dance. His company was going overseas. I didn't know anyone there. But Jimmy asked me to dance and I fell in love with him.

[Danny Clover]

He kept in touch with you every day?

[Podbean]

We wrote each other every day.

[Danny Clover]

Did he ever mention anyone in his letters? Anyone who could.

[Podbean]

Who hated him? Who wanted to kill him? Yes, Mr. Clover. All the nameless ones who had to kill other nameless men. He was a soldier, Virginia. I don't. Don't try to find words, Mr. Clover. The words that heal pain. Are there such? You can do one thing for me, though.

[Danny Clover]

Anything.

[Podbean]

The letters I wrote Jimmy in the hospital. They were love letters. Every day I couldn't visit him, I wrote him one. May I have them letters?

[Danny Clover]

There weren't any.

[Podbean]

What? But they were all I could ever give Jimmy. I know he'd keep them. They have to be there.

[Danny Clover]

I'll find them, Virginia. I only ask this. I know you'll understand. Why didn't you marry Jimmy?

[Podbean]

Why? Why burden him with more? Didn't you notice, Mr. Clover? I'm blind.

[Danny Clover]

She said it gently and smiled and offered me her hand. Then I left. Then I found a crowd and walked into it and stuck with it. That way I could clutter my mind up with other faces. After a while, I put my hand in my pocket and took out a piece of paper. It had names on it and addresses. Under Virginia Scott's was a man's name, Mickey Bianco. The address was a pool room on 16th street off 8th Avenue. Where do I find Mickey Bianco?

[Mickey Bianco]

You're in my way.

[Danny Clover]

Sorry. Hey, nice shot. You should play for money.

[Mickey Bianco]

I'm Mickey Bianco, mister.

[Danny Clover]

You know Jimmy Hunt?

[Mickey Bianco]

You like that shot?

[Danny Clover]

I'm quivering with excitement. Where'd you know him from? The Army.

[Mickey Bianco]

Yeah, the Army. Where I picked up an eight ball and parlayed it into a two table pool room.

[Danny Clover]

About Jimmy Hunt. I'm from the police. Uh huh.

[Mickey Bianco]

What about Jimmy Hunt? What do you want about him?

[Danny Clover]

Did you kill him?

[Mickey Bianco]

Oh, he did.

[Danny Clover]

Dead. Huh?

[Mickey Bianco]

Jimmy Hunt, dead. Lieutenant James Hunt, a civilian casualty. Hip, hip, hooray.

[Danny Clover]

Makes you patriotic.

[Mickey Bianco]

Yeah, like the lieutenant Hunt taught me. Be patriotic. Point yourself forward at the enemy when you die. Man, he said to us. And he meant it.

[Danny Clover]

You were in his outfit?

[Mickey Bianco]

Sure, his platoon. We were murdered being patriotic at Eniwetok. But not the lieutenant. And not me either. Everybody else, but not us. Fortune's a war.

[Danny Clover]

Did you visit him at the hospital?

[Mickey Bianco]

It was my pleasure. Believe me. Oh, don't pat me on the back for going to see my old lieutenant. You know why I went. I made him feel worse. I reminded him about what he did to his platoon, and that'd make him pull his knees up to his chest. I like to watch.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Did you see any letters just lying around the room? Letters addressed to Jimmy when you visited him?

[Mickey Bianco]

Letters? What letters? Uh, but that other question. Did I kill Jimmy? You know, I should have thought of doing it, but I didn't. Hand me the chalk, policeman.

[Danny Clover]

The shaded lamp that hung over the pool table gouged a cone of saffron light out of the shadows. And trapped in the twist of light were frayed banners of smoke and whispers and aimless dust. The silhouetted outline of Bianco's face and hands. Then the sharp click of wood on ivory. The pleased titter spilling out of Bianco's mouth. And this, too, can be the requiem for a dead man. It stayed with me all the way to headquarters, where a report was to be filed, where questions were to be asked. Questions you ask of Sergeant Tartaglia. Sometimes he has answers.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

And the answer to that one is in the positive negative. Danny.

[Danny Clover]

Be kind to me, Titaglia. Sometimes I don't understand things. What is a positive negative?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, easy. Positively, we have found no trace of Fred Owen. The reports from the boys looking for Fred Owen are negative. This makes valid the use of the double. The double?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. What about the letters? The letters Virginia Scott wrote to the boy in the hospital. Have you found them?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, no, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

No.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

No, we haven't found the letters. We searched the effects of the deceased. We checked with Sister Angela, with Father Flaherty. No letters. Does it make a difference?

[Danny Clover]

Danny? Danny Clover speaking.

[Podbean]

Mr. Clover, I'm sorry to bother you.

[Danny Clover]

I told you, anytime.

[Podbean]

Virginia, something strange has happened. A phone call just came and a voice said I would die.

[Danny Clover]

What?

[Podbean]

It said if I didn't want to die, I'd better get some protection. What does it mean, Mr. Clover?

[Danny Clover]

It means lock the door and bolt the windows. I'm coming right down. Danny, get a squad car. Titaglio. Don't stand there. Get it. It's me, Virginia. Open the door.

[Podbean]

You came so quickly, Mr. Clover.

[Danny Clover]

Has anyone?

[Podbean]

No, there's been no one. I've just been sitting here listening to the sounds of the street. You know, Mr. Clover, when night falls, it has a sound. Shall I turn on the light?

[Danny Clover]

No. Is there any other entrance to this apartment?

[Podbean]

Yes. The kitchen. It has a door, opens onto the hallway.

[Danny Clover]

Is it locked?

[Podbean]

Yes, you told me, Mr. Clover.

[Danny Clover]

I'll unlock it. It'll be all right, Virginia.

[Podbean]

Podbean, your message amplified.

Ready to share your message with the world. Start your podcast journey with podbean.

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[Danny Clover]

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

[Podbean]

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[Danny Clover]

Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter? Right, and the best part?

[Podbean]

They accept Discover. Accept Discover In a little place like this? I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh, yeah, huh?

[Danny Clover]

Discover's accepted where I like to shop. Come on, baby, get with the times.

[Podbean]

Right.

[Danny Clover]

So we shouldn't get the parachute pants?

[Podbean]

These are making a comeback, I think.

Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide.

[Danny Clover]

Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. We leave this one open, too. Where were you sitting?

[Podbean]

Over here, near the window.

[Danny Clover]

Sit there now. I'll stand over here.

[Podbean]

Why would anyone want to kill me, Mr. Clover?

[Danny Clover]

I don't know. Maybe because you're all that's left of Jimmy.

[Podbean]

If they want to kill me, why did they tell me to get protection? It doesn't seem logical, does it?

[Danny Clover]

Maybe it's not.

[Podbean]

I hear someone. Mr. Clover. Don't move, Mr. Clover. He's heading for the fire escape at the back. Mr. Clover. I can tell by the sound you'll.

[Danny Clover]

Have to come with me. Virginia. I can't leave you here.

[Podbean]

Just hold my hand.

[Danny Clover]

There he is. Down at the bottom of the fire esc.

[Podbean]

He got away, didn't he, Mr. Clover? In a car. He got away?

[Danny Clover]

Yes, Virginia, he got away.

[Podbean]

Give me your hand, Mr. Clover. Suddenly it's darker than it's ever been.

[Larry Thor]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. CBS invites you to HEAR Senator Brian McMahon on the Capitol Cloakroom over most of these same CDS stations later tonight. Senator McMahon is chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, and when he is interviewed tonight by CBS newsmen Eric Severide, Bill Schadell, and Griffin Bancroft. This will be the first detailed discussion of the hydrogen bomb and its implications by a high government official since President Truman's historic announcement earlier this week. That CBS Capitol Cloakroom later tonight.

[Danny Clover]

There's this about Broadway. It has a bag full of free illusions. In every color, every size Guaranteed against fading, warranted against shrinkage. Want an illusion, kid? Just reach in the bag. There's more where that one came from. There's the illusion that Broadway can break its heart. And here's one in the classy all plastic 1950 model, laboratory tested. The illusion that Broadway can shed a tear. That's the one you'll want for the murder of a sick soldier boy. For the girl of his Harkness dreams the song of a girl with sightless eyes. Hug it close to you, kid, because it's fragile.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny? Danny. What's the matter, Danny? You look sick. No, it's something different from sick. Hey, Danny, can I get you a glass of water or something?

[Danny Clover]

What do you want, Tataglia?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny, I just want. You shouldn't look like that.

[Danny Clover]

What else do you want, Tataglia?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Ah, now, Danny, don't be like that. I know how upset you are. Because of the boy. Because of how they tried to kill that blind girl. I don't figure it, Danny. If they wanted to kill her, why did they tell her to get protection?

[Danny Clover]

Maybe it wasn't her they wanted to kill.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

No.

[Danny Clover]

Me.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Then that means it was Danny. I got it. The killer set it up that way because it was you he wanted to kill. Hey, Danny, we gotta do something.

[Danny Clover]

Hand for the phone to tag them.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Huh?

[Fred Owen]

Oh.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, yeah, Danny. Yeah, Danny Clover's office. Sergeant Tartaglia speaking. What? Yeah, yeah, right away.

[Danny Clover]

Danny, what was it?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

That was Dan Dobin, desk sergeant, the 29th Precinct. They got Fred Owen. He gave himself up. He's confessed to the murder of Jimmy Hunt. Hey, Danny. Take your overcoat. You catch your death of cold.

[Danny Clover]

Fred Owen, you killed a man. Home. You killed Jimmy Hunt. Why?

[Fred Owen]

Killed him?

[Danny Clover]

Tell me about it. That's why you came here, wasn't it? You want to tell someone about it? Tell me. I'm Danny Clover. I'm a policeman.

[Fred Owen]

I'll tell you. You're a policeman. You'll make me suffer for what I did to Jimmy. I killed him and I've gotta suffer for it. I've gotta feel what Jimmy for?

[Danny Clover]

I'll take it easy, Owen. Just tell me how you did it.

[Fred Owen]

With the knife.

[Danny Clover]

With a knife.

[Fred Owen]

Go ahead, Mr. Clover. Did it hurt him much?

[Danny Clover]

I don't think so.

[Fred Owen]

I cut up his food for him so he could feed himself, so he wouldn't have to use a knife. The doctor always warned me not to let Jimmy use a knife. You see, the doctor was afraid that Jimmy. That Jimmy would do what he did too.

[Danny Clover]

Huh? What did he Do Owen.

[Fred Owen]

I was feeding him and then I suddenly remembered something I had to do.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah? What thing?

[Fred Owen]

I forgot it wouldn't have happened. It didn't have to happen.

[Danny Clover]

Then you remembered it. Is that when you stabbed him?

[Fred Owen]

As if it had been with my own hand. Jimmy liked me to read to him.

[Danny Clover]

While he was eating.

[Fred Owen]

And I forgot to bring a book, so I left to get it. I left Jimmy with the knife.

[Danny Clover]

Are you trying to tell me that Jimmy killed himself and you left him alone with a knife?

[Fred Owen]

As if it had been with my own hands. My children. It was my fault that Jimmy's dead. My fault. I killed him as surely as if I'd plunged the knife into him.

[Danny Clover]

I tried to break through the wall of tears he'd built around himself, but it was no good. I tried to ask him about Virginia's letters. He didn't know anything about them, he said. And it was another lash of the whip he held over himself. I finally broke his heart by releasing him from the dismal, bitter shadows of the cell he'd begged for. Then I took a long walk in the cold, unspoiled air. Then I knew I had to get back to it. The third name on the visitors list was Madge Taylor, whose address was a brownstone between other Brownstones on West 53rd. I climbed the steps that led to its doors with the cracked stained glass.

[Madge Taylor]

Hey, man. Looking for someone?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, Mads Taylor. She here?

[Madge Taylor]

Come in, man. Come in.

[Danny Clover]

Want me to freeze your match, Taylor?

[Madge Taylor]

Yeah, right in there. What, the old battle axe that runs his flat? Don't know. Won't hurt her anyway. It's cudlier with the door closed, huh? Man, such a nasty draft in that hallway.

[Danny Clover]

Madge, I'm Danny Clover. The police, huh?

[Madge Taylor]

Let's have a drink on it, shall we?

[Danny Clover]

Danny, they told me you visited a man in the hospital. A man named Jimmy Hunt. Friend of yours? It's funny what I said.

[Virginia Scott]

It kills me. I thought you were.

[Madge Taylor]

All you want to know is, did I murder Jimmy Hunt? Isn't that it?

[Danny Clover]

Why did you visit him?

[Madge Taylor]

I'll tell you why. You see me how I am. Charge it up to Jimmy Hunt. Send him the bill.

[Danny Clover]

You were in love with Jimmy Hunt?

[Madge Taylor]

The lieutenant? The wonder boy with the loose marbles.

[Larry Thor]

Are you kidding?

[Madge Taylor]

I never saw him in my life till I found out he was brain sick in that hospital.

[Danny Clover]

I don't.

[Madge Taylor]

I'll draw you a diagram. I was in love once. With a kid. A soldier kid. My husband. Lieutenant Jimmy Hunt killed him. Killed me, too. At the same Time. Because the lieutenant thought it was dandy Kids should be killed. This the lieutenant liked. You still want to know why I visited him?

[Danny Clover]

No. No Match. I've heard it. Once. When you saw him. Did he have any letters?

[Madge Taylor]

How would I know? All I care about Jimmy Hunt was that he should die slow. Slow a long time, Diane.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Stick around, Match. Don't go away.

[Madge Taylor]

You out of your mind? I love it here. I never had it so good. It's a free ride on a roller coaster, man.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Hi, Danny. Hey, I got news for you.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, what is it?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

There's a guy in your office waiting for you.

[Danny Clover]

Who is he?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Named Scott. Says he has a daughter named Virginia Scott. Hey, ain't that the girl, Danny?

[Danny Clover]

Your name's Scott?

[Podbean]

It is. And you're Danny Clover. Virginia describes it to me. Well, don't look surprised, Mr. Clover. My daughter is a perceptive girl.

[Danny Clover]

Nothing about Virginia surprises me, Mr. Scott, except the fact that she has a father. I didn't know that before.

[Podbean]

Because Virginia didn't want you to know.

[Danny Clover]

She'd have a reason for that, Mr. Scott.

[Podbean]

Well, it's all bound up with the kind of person she is. Her love for people who love her. The reason why she insisted on living alone without me. The reason why she didn't want me mixed up in this affair.

[Danny Clover]

She thinks you had a motive for killing Jimmy.

[Podbean]

She knows I did. That's why I'm here. Perhaps you'd never have found out. But that's why I'm here. To tell you I had a motive for killing Jimmy.

[Danny Clover]

Which was what?

[Podbean]

I hated that boy. Hated him for what he was. For what he could do to people. His arrogance, his snobbishness, the play acting he did to cover his cowardice by his very existence. Jimmy Hunt was a liar.

[Danny Clover]

Mostly. You resented his making love to your daughter.

[Podbean]

Yes. My daughter is blind. Whatever she can do on her own, sew, cook, turn on lights, dial a telephone, it doesn't alter the fact Virginia is blind. It's her burden. She didn't deserve another awful one like Jimmy Hunt. A sick boy who willed himself sick.

[Danny Clover]

Virginia knew you felt this way.

[Podbean]

She knew I was prepared to kill Jimmy that very day.

[Danny Clover]

But you didn't. Is that what you're telling me?

[Podbean]

That very day I went to the ward to kill him. That's what was on my mind to do. But an attendant saw me, asked me my business there. When I couldn't answer him properly, he made me leave. No, I didn't kill Jimmy. But there's this. There's what I'm glad, he said.

[Danny Clover]

He got up and walked away, and I let him. But because I'm a cop, I had a man follow him. And because I'm a cop, I had to check on his story. Whether he had actually left the war. The morning Jimmy Hunt was killed, that meant I had to talk to Fred Owen, the attendant. I called the hospital and they told me Owen hadn't showed up. And as far as they knew, he was home. So that's where I went, too. To the home of Fred Owen. His landlady was a kind woman.

[Virginia Scott]

Fred'll be right back, Mr. Clover. Would you like to wait in his room?

[Danny Clover]

Yes, please.

[Virginia Scott]

Next room down on your right.

[Danny Clover]

Thanks. I'll find my way.

[Virginia Scott]

Wait. Wait. I'll go with you. Turn on the fire. Sometimes it gets cold here in Fred's room. Can't understand it. A nice gas fireplace like this. And Fred likes to sit here in the cold.

[Danny Clover]

There.

[Virginia Scott]

Don't that make a nice fire?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Cozy. Yeah, this is a real cozy room.

[Virginia Scott]

Now, Fred decorated it himself. I allow him to hang pictures. Lots of landladies don't allow hanging pictures.

[Danny Clover]

Nice pictures. All girls.

[Virginia Scott]

It's a man's privilege.

[Danny Clover]

Girls with veils over their eyes. Girls with their eyes closed. Sightless girls.

[Virginia Scott]

Yeah. And here's one with a man on it, with a girl holding his hands over her eyes like he's gonna support. Well, hello, Fred. I was just telling.

[Fred Owen]

I'm happy you're here, Mr. Clover. I'll make some coffee.

[Danny Clover]

Thanks, but I don't care for any. Fred.

[Virginia Scott]

I'll just leave you two gentlemen alone. I know how gentlemen like to talk. Sometimes without ladies.

[Fred Owen]

You like my room, Mr. Clore?

[Danny Clover]

I was just admiring your pictures.

[Fred Owen]

Yeah, I like them too.

[Danny Clover]

But all these girls, their eyes covered, they can't see you.

[Fred Owen]

I know some men hang pictures of girls. Well, you know, because that's the kind of men they are.

[Danny Clover]

What kind are you, Fred?

[Fred Owen]

I'm an ugly kind of man. My face, I mean. I know I am. Girls never look at me on the street. Even when I stare at them and set my mind that they should look at me, they look away. Even when I talk to them.

[Danny Clover]

Virginia doesn't, does she?

[Fred Owen]

No. Oh, no. When she comes to the hospital and I say good morning to her, she smiles and talks right to me.

[Danny Clover]

When she doesn't come to the hospital, she writes you, doesn't she, Fred?

[Fred Owen]

Oh, yes, of course she does. Because she loves me. Maybe you don't believe that, Mr. Clover, but I'll show you. Here. This will show you that she loves me. Her letters to me. Go ahead, take one of them out of the envelope and read it. I'm not ashamed of our love.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, she loves you all right, Fred. But look. Look at this.

[Fred Owen]

Yeah.

[Danny Clover]

You've crossed Jimmy's name out wherever it's mentioned and written in your own.

[Fred Owen]

Well, of course I did. Don't you see? Virginia's very clever. She wrote those letters to Jimmy, but she knew I'd get them. I knew Virginia wanted it like that. And Jimmy. Jimmy was sick, you know. He thought Virginia really meant them for him.

[Danny Clover]

So you stabbed him. You really did kill him, didn't you? Oh, I had to.

[Fred Owen]

He was getting worse and worse about Virginia all the time.

[Danny Clover]

Why didn't you tell me that when I talked to you in the cell, Fred?

[Fred Owen]

Because I'm clever, too.

[Danny Clover]

Yes, you are. That was a clever trap you set for me in Virginia's apartment.

[Fred Owen]

Now, you're wrong. I wasn't clever. Then you got away.

[Danny Clover]

Put down that knife, Fred.

[Fred Owen]

It won't hurt Mr. Clover. It didn't hurt Jimmy. You said it didn't. Give me my letters. I don't want blood on Virginia's letters.

[Danny Clover]

Here are your letters, Fred. The letters. You threw them in the fire. My letters. They're burning. Help me. Help me get my letters with you. I can't touch this. Help me.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Please.

[Danny Clover]

Help me. Will you help me? If you need help, friend. Only you need this first. He lay there, his body taut, as if unwilling to accept what was happening to him. His mouth hung open in disbelief and a spasm in his fingertips groped for the fireplace and the ashes of his letters. But the final, the complete rejection was in his eyes, open and staring at me. Empty of passion, of insanity even. Cold and empty, his eyes staring and sightless. Broadway's having itself a time it's cocky and it's needling people a step over the line it's making a big muscle and daring the nighttime before it's over it'll gouge chunks out of itself and laugh at its own agony It's Broadway the gaudiest, the most violent the lonesomest mile in the world Broadway, My beat.

[Larry Thor]

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 Peggy Weber, Ted Von Eltz, Mary Jane Croft, Georgia Ellis, Jerry Hausner and Jack Edwards. He's a Jack, He's a knave when it comes to spending a nickel. He's an ace in the business of making America laugh. And now he's a king of hearts. Yes, the name is Benny. And this Sunday night, Jack Benny will formally be named America's King of hearts for 1950. Mary, Dennis, Phil, Don and Rochester will be on hand. And no king ever had such a group of jokers. Join us on all of these CBS stations this Sunday for the Jack Benny Show. Joe Walters speaking. This is cbs, where the Goldbergs are. Every Saturday night, the Columbia Broadcasting.