Broadway Is My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case 06/02/1950

Summary

Podcast Summary: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Broadway Is My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case
Release Date: May 21, 2025
Knowledge Cutoff: October 2023

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Introduction

"Broadway Is My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case" is a captivating episode from Choice Classic Radio's collection of Old Time Radio detective dramas. Hosted by Choice Classic Radio, this episode transports listeners to the vibrant and perilous streets of Broadway, where Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor, unravels a complex murder mystery. The story, set against the neon-lit backdrop of Broadway, showcases the detective's keen instincts and the intricate web of relationships that lead to the truth.

Setting the Scene

The episode opens with a vivid depiction of Broadway's bustling atmosphere. Charles Calvert, acting as the narrator, sets the tone:

“The stream of the neon carnival rises high above Broadway, explodes, then scatters over the city. And at police headquarters. It whispers through the gray stone and the glass closed against it. You have to listen.”
[01:10]

Detective Danny Clover is introduced as the protagonist navigating the "most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world," Broadway.

The Murder Case Unfolds

The tranquility is shattered when Christina Lacchia, Mario's sister, arrives at the police headquarters in a state of distress:

“Daddy, Danny, please come.”
Christina Lacchia, [01:31]

She reveals the grim scene:

“There's Mario on the floor, lying in his blood. My brother lies in his blood.”
Christina Lacchia, [02:26]

Christina suspects suicide but Detective Clover is unconvinced, recognizing signs of foul play.

Investigation Begins

Detective Clover visits the Locarno Club, Mario's last known location, where he meets Paul Dinsmore, the factory owner:

“Mario was not a policeman now. Because he lost his arm while he was doing his duty as a police officer.”
Paul Dinsmore, [05:16]

Clover delves into Mario's past, uncovering that Mario had been wrongfully dismissed from his job as a police officer and was working as a guard at the furniture factory.

Suspects and Motives

Clover's investigation leads him to Carrie Lister, Mario's girlfriend, who provides conflicting information:

“He picked a great night to see a girl. Whoever knocked over my safe had a breeze.”
Paul Dinsmore, [12:04]

Clover confronts Paul Dinsmore, suspecting him of involvement in the payroll robbery and Mario's murder. Paul's evasiveness raises red flags.

Confrontations and Revelations

The tension escalates as Clover uncovers inconsistencies in Paul Dinsmore's alibi. During an intense confrontation, Clover accuses Paul:

“You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina.”
Detective Danny Clover, [27:02]

Paul breaks down, revealing his guilt:

“I lied, Danny. An old man has not very much. His son, his honor, his prize.”
Paul Dinsmore, [23:22]

Resolution

In the climactic moment, a struggle ensues, leading to Paul's death at Clover's hands. Clover reflects on the violent culmination of his investigation:

“Requiem for Paul Dinsmore. Broadway plumes its lights upward into the sky and the night bursts open.”
Charles Calvert, [28:00]

Key Characters

• Detective Danny Clover (Larry Thor): The determined and intuitive detective leading the investigation.
• Christina Lacchia (Christina Lacchia): Mario's sister, whose discovery of her brother's body sets the case in motion.
• Paul Dinsmore (Paul Dinsmore): The owner of the furniture factory and the antagonist responsible for Mario's murder.
• Carrie Lister (Carrie Lister): Mario's loyal girlfriend, whose interactions provide crucial insights.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Christina Lacchia:
  “Mario’s death. Please come, Daddy. Please.”
  [02:12]

• Paul Dinsmore:
  “Mario was a proud guy. Not everything was good enough for him.”
  [09:34]

• Detective Danny Clover:
  “Why was Mario fired from his job at the furniture factory?”
  [12:04]

• Paul Dinsmore:
  “I lied, Danny. An old man has not very much. His son, his honor, his prize.”
  [23:22]

• Detective Danny Clover:
  “You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina.”
  [27:02]

Conclusion

"Broadway Is My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case" masterfully blends suspense, character development, and intricate plotting to deliver a classic detective story. Detective Danny Clover's relentless pursuit of the truth amidst the chaotic backdrop of Broadway showcases the essence of Old Time Radio detective dramas. The episode culminates in a poignant reflection on justice and morality, leaving listeners enthralled and reflective.

Cast and Production Credits

• Starring:

  • Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
  • Charles Calvert as Tartaglia
  • Jane Webb, Georgia Ellis, Jay Novello, Georgia Backus, Byron Kane, and Clayton Post in supporting roles

• Production and Direction: Elliot Lewis

• Musical Score: Composed and conducted by Alexander Courage

Final Notes

Listeners are reminded to join Choice Classic Radio every Monday night for more engaging detective tales, ensuring that the legacy of Old Time Radio continues to entertain and intrigue audiences.

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This summary encapsulates the essence of the "Broadway Is My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case" episode, providing an overview for both seasoned fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Larry Thor]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we.

[Charles Calvert]

Bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail] Broadway My Beat From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the giest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway's my beat with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Charles Calvert]

The stream of the neon carnival rises high above Broadway, explodes, then scatters over the city. And at police headquarters. It whispers through the gray stone and the glass closed against it. You have to listen. Then another sound washes out the whisper of Broadway stream. Danny Clover.

[Christina Lacchia]

Daddy. Danny, please come.

[Larry Thor]

Please.

[Charles Calvert]

Who is this?

[Christina Lacchia]

Christina Lacchi, Mario's sister. You remember Mario, Danny, please.

[Charles Calvert]

You remember. Yes, I remember. Christina.

[Chester Lavakia]

What?

[Charles Calvert]

Is there something wrong?

[Christina Lacchia]

Everything is wrong. Mario's death. Please come, Daddy. Please.

[Charles Calvert]

Then the sirens howl because a man is dead, and their cry tears a path through the wilderness of the city. Finally, they're still because the do. The door is open. A girl stands there. A young girl whose hair is black and whose tears lie on her cheek like jewels.

[Christina Lacchia]

Danny.

[Charles Calvert]

Don't be afraid, Christina. Try not to be afraid. Where is he, Christina? Tell me. In there.

[Christina Lacchia]

In his room.

[Charles Calvert]

Show me.

[Christina Lacchia]

Yes.

[Charles Calvert]

Yes.

[Christina Lacchia]

There. There's Mario on the floor, lying in his blood. My brother lies in his blood.

[Charles Calvert]

Mario. Why did you find him like this, Christina?

[Christina Lacchia]

I came home a half hour. An hour. I don't know. The house was empty. I thought it was empty. Then I heard Mario call my name and. He killed himself, Danny. He didn't have to do that, did he? Did he, Danny?

[Charles Calvert]

Why do you say he killed himself, Christina?

[Christina Lacchia]

Why? The gun in his hand. The wound.

[Charles Calvert]

Is this Mario's gun?

[Carrie Lister]

Yes.

[Christina Lacchia]

I've seen it many times. When he bought for his job at the furniture factory. After him. You know him, Danny? He was your friend.

[Charles Calvert]

Yeah.

[Christina Lacchia]

It's a sin to kill oneself, isn't it? Tell me it's a sin. I need Mario. Give him back to me, Danny. Give him back to you.

[Charles Calvert]

You'll be all right, Christine. Your father, where is he?

[Christina Lacchia]

Wednesday night? He always goes to his Locarno Club on Wednesday night. You'll find him, Danny, and tell him you, not me.

[Charles Calvert]

All right, Christina. I'll tell him. A while after that, the efficient ghost from Police Technical came in, formed a tight and impersonal circle around the dead boy. Then a man named Dr. Sinski detached himself from the group side and walked over to Christina. He put his arm around her, spoke gently, with a strange alchemy. He knew of about tears. He dried Christina's. Then I had a place to go, so I went there. The Locano Club was a rented store around the corner. It had once held a succession of groceries, candies, used clothing and articles held to pawn. Now it had given up to a group of old men who used its space to compare families, dreams and memories. Chester Lavakia was seated among his friends and holding up a memory for consideration.

[Paul Dinsmore]

The fields of cassette were dry like, I don't know, water from the dock. And Valerio stood looking and his tears fell upon his brown chest. That's the way it was in case. Oh, Danny. Danny Clover. Welcome, amigo. Danny, what about a glass of wine? A glass of wine for my friend?

[Charles Calvert]

No, maybe later. Important, sir?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Oh, sure, sure, of course. Well, apart in my friend. My friend from the police wants to consult me on a matter of importance. What is it, Danny? About Mario Trista. Trist. Danny, Maybe you can get him back his job with the police. A job at death, Maybe. After all, Danny, Mario is not a policeman now. Because he lost his arm while he was doing his duty as a police officer. And this job is a guard in a furniture factory. He do not like any. I was so glad when he was discharged from such a child's job.

[Charles Calvert]

Ches. Yes?

[Paul Dinsmore]

What do you want to say?

[Charles Calvert]

I wish I knew at least another word for it. Mario. He's dead. Mario. There was a priest? Yes, one was on his way. What?

[Paul Dinsmore]

What happened to Mario?

[Charles Calvert]

Christina thought he killed himself.

[Paul Dinsmore]

No, no. Kill himself? No, my Mario, he didn't.

[Charles Calvert]

He was murdered. There were no powder burns. He was murdered. Chester.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Who did this to him?

[Charles Calvert]

You'll help me find out. That's why I came to you.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Ask me what you have to do.

[Charles Calvert]

Why was Mario fired from his job at the furniture factory?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Mario as a policeman.

[Charles Calvert]

I heard something about it. I didn't bother.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes, I know, I know. A good man like you. Not too big to reason for a friend of shame. I will tell you, Danny. Mario was a guard in the factory. There was a robbery over the safe at the payroll. Mario was not in the factory where he should have been. When was it?

[Charles Calvert]

The robbery? Why was it?

[Paul Dinsmore]

It's a girl. He left the factory to be with a girl.

[Charles Calvert]

What girl? Who is she?

[Paul Dinsmore]

I met her. Carrie carry list.

[Charles Calvert]

She lives? I don't know.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Some place in here, I think.

[Charles Calvert]

No, I listen to Legion. Mario.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Mario.

[Charles Calvert]

Mario.

[Larry Thor]

Mario.

[Charles Calvert]

There were no tears in the old man's eyes. Only anger and fury. A fury that feared and kept at a distance. The old friends had heard his Cry and came to help. They stood around him in silence. And their helplessness was big. Big enough to dissolve the fury and leave only that. The helplessness. And old Chester asked me to take him to his son. And I did. In the morning. Headquarters. Headquarters came up with Carrie Lister's address at brownstone in the West 60s. A kid bouncing a ball on the stoop told me Carrie was home. He'd just seen her drying her hair out the window. Then her door opened. She stood there, brushing the blonde hair away from her face.

[Carrie Lister]

Yes?

[Charles Calvert]

I'm Danny Clover, Police Megamin.

[Carrie Lister]

Hi.

[Charles Calvert]

I want to talk about Mario Lavecchia.

[Carrie Lister]

I don't.

[Charles Calvert]

No. They tell me Mario was in love with you.

[Carrie Lister]

And me with him a lot. Real big. Good. Too good for you to go scratching. And that's why I don't want to talk to you about Mario.

[Charles Calvert]

He was murdered.

[Carrie Lister]

I know. I called him last night. His sister told me he was dead.

[Charles Calvert]

We want his murderer, Carrie. I want him. Because I knew Mario.

[Carrie Lister]

All right. Come in. Yeah. That's Mario's picture. And that's a sofa where we sat and looked out over the alley.

[Charles Calvert]

How long have you known him, Carrie?

[Carrie Lister]

Since I was a kid. And we played Run Sheep Run. Hid in the back room of a delicatessen. The cop chased us. Do you mind if I put up my hair while we're talking?

[Charles Calvert]

No. Mind a personal question, Carrie?

[Carrie Lister]

You have other kinds. Go ahead.

[Charles Calvert]

Why didn't you and Mario get married? You'd have been fine for him.

[Carrie Lister]

I would have. I asked him to marry me. A lot of times Mario wanted to. And you could have. On his police pension. But he had to take care of his family first, he said. His father, his sister. They came first with him.

[Charles Calvert]

Yeah, they would. Mario must have been tough for him after he got wounded on the force.

[Carrie Lister]

It was. Mario was a proud guy. Not everything was good enough for him. That's why it made me feel good. Mario loved me.

[Charles Calvert]

What'd he do before he got that job in the furniture factory?

[Carrie Lister]

Tried to get other jobs. There weren't any. He didn't have to work. We could have lived good on his pension. And me working. But Mario had to keep Christina in that fancy boarding school. Help his father.

[Charles Calvert]

His friends during that time, who were they?

[Carrie Lister]

His father, his sister, me. Not whoever it was robbed the payroll at the factory, if that's what you're trying to say.

[Charles Calvert]

The night of the robbery, where was Mario?

[Carrie Lister]

He was with me. He left his post and came to me.

[Charles Calvert]

Maybe he went somewhere else first. Maybe he was in on the robbery and then came to you for an alibi.

[Carrie Lister]

You told me you knew Mario. You lied. You lied in your teeth.

[Charles Calvert]

The factory where he worked. Carrie, where is it?

[Carrie Lister]

The Paul Dinsmore Furniture manufacturers in Brooklyn. Mr. Clover, you'll get along good with Mr. Dinsmore because he thinks Mary robbed him, too. Get out of here. Mr. Clover. That's all I ask of you. Get out of my sight.

[Larry Thor]

And take this spec sheet back to Planning. And tell them to substitute clear pine. It'll work.

[Charles Calvert]

Yes, sir.

[Larry Thor]

Right away. And what can I do for you, mister?

[Charles Calvert]

My name's Danny Clover. Oh, fine.

[Larry Thor]

I'm Paul Dinsmore.

[Charles Calvert]

Glad to know you, Mr. Dinsmore. I'm from the police.

[Larry Thor]

All the more welcome.

[Charles Calvert]

Can we get out of this noise?

[Larry Thor]

Let's go into my office. You like the layout here?

[Charles Calvert]

Quite a place.

[Larry Thor]

We might expand soon. Here. Right in here. Sit down.

[Charles Calvert]

Thanks.

[Larry Thor]

Mr. Dinsmore, about the robbery last week, isn't it? About the robbery on May 26th.

[Charles Calvert]

What makes you think so?

[Larry Thor]

Well, so far, Mr. Clover, you're the latest of a series of policemen who've been coming around.

[Charles Calvert]

Now, there's something else.

[Larry Thor]

Oh?

[Charles Calvert]

Huh? Mario Lebecchi is dead.

[Larry Thor]

I know about that. Came with a morning paper.

[Charles Calvert]

Didn't it throw you?

[Larry Thor]

No. It would have one time, but it didn't. This morning, Mario turned sour.

[Charles Calvert]

I knew Mario once. He was in the force. I'm trying to understand about him, what made him what he became. What's your opinion?

[Larry Thor]

Love money with one arm. How does a guy get them? You know all about motives. Not me. Sure, Mario. With my friend. How well does a man get to know a friend?

[Charles Calvert]

Depends on.

[Larry Thor]

Sure it does. We grew up together, Mr. Clover. But a line gets drawn somewhere people separate. Like you said, it depends.

[Charles Calvert]

You gave him a job after he was pensioned off the force.

[Larry Thor]

I wouldn't do less for a friend. Only Mario lost it.

[Charles Calvert]

Let me get it straight. Mario left the factory one night last week to see a girl. He should have been on duty.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, to see a girl. Old John tells me that a guy comes up to Mario and tells him to go see a girl. He picked a great night to see a girl. Whoever knocked over my safe had a breeze. Nobody left to guard the payroll but that friendly old man. Friendly to Mario.

[Charles Calvert]

Old John?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, John Fisher. Friendly old John Fisher. A friend of Mario. A friend of the guy who called on Mario. Wait a minute.

[Christina Lacchia]

Yes, Mr. Dinsmore?

[Larry Thor]

Get me John Fisher's address.

[John Fisher]

Plantas. Plantas y mas. Plantas and country, farm and garden. A key Miso in Yakima and la venida Washington des de los pimientos mas picantes del mundo as las flores mas her mosas lot tenemos todo calantisado, Jalapeno Roma y super chile en existencia todo los dias un paquete de cuatro vejetales cuesta solo tres dolores, conventin, nuevecentavos vena, country, farm and garden. Para todo tus vegetales, tomates, seboyas, pimin y pepinos, siempren existencia and country, farm and garden and Abenida, Watson and Yakima.

[Larry Thor]

You want his address, don't you, Mr. Clover? So you can do better than the other boys on the force who cleared him.

[Charles Calvert]

But why his address? Isn't John Fisher here anymore?

[Larry Thor]

No, he was too conscientious for us. Somebody walks in, steals our payroll, and old John Fisher sleeps through it all just like a baby. Next morning we retired him.

[Charles Calvert]

Then called in for. Got philosophical about the whole thing and explained crime to me in terms of greed and sickness. Then a sawdust, free young lady in Hollywood type glasses walked through the door, handed him the address of John Fisher. He handed it to me. I left. The address was on Front street, right.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Down the hall there. Mr. I'll come with you to show you.

[Charles Calvert]

All right.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Keeps that radio playing all the time, he does. All the time. Now if I own this place instead of just cleaned it. This room here.

[Charles Calvert]

Thanks. Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher. You have a key for this room.

[Dean Chesterfield]

You don't need any. Last two tenants been screaming about the busted lock. Mr. Fisher. Hey, look at him. Look what's been done to him.

[Charles Calvert]

John Fisher sprawled face down on the floor. The heavy handle of a billiard cue stick lay beside him, touching him, the instrument now of a different purpose. The matted hair and the blood, the pattern of what it had done to him. And whoever had held the weapon had been feral. John Fisher had been beaten to death. Me. She thinks she loves me. The more she. She gotta learn.

[Larry Thor]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Freakin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Charles Calvert]

Broadway all depends on the mood you're in. You can be part of the mob and perform for the sightseers, or you can detach yourself from it, lean against a wall, crease your newspaper and bite your lip over that two column item on the right hand side of the page. Two guards at a factory mysteriously murdered. Consider it. Then flip the pages to the box scores and waggle a finger back At Ted Williams, or as Sergeant De Taglia had it, next day at headquarters.

[Chester Lavakia]

That Ted Williams, Danny, that ball player from Boston, Mass. He ruins the scenery.

[Charles Calvert]

Oh, how does he do that, Gino?

[Chester Lavakia]

I can't appreciate Mrs. Tartaglia anymore on account of him.

[Charles Calvert]

Somehow I knew that's just what you were going to say.

[Chester Lavakia]

Last night, Danny, Mrs. Tartaglia was paraded back and forth, up and down and across in her new swimsuit from Catalina in preparation to being the belle of the beach at Far Rockaway, when all of a sudd over the radio that this Ted Williams had hit another home run.

[Charles Calvert]

After that, you couldn't enjoy the scenery, huh? You don't like Ted Williams? Anything else? You know I'm talking to you, huh?

[Chester Lavakia]

Oh, oh, no, no, nothing else, Danny. Except. No, no, nothing else except what? Well, except about Mrs. OConnell and the Lacchia case.

[Charles Calvert]

Mrs. O' Connell?

[Chester Lavakia]

Yeah, yeah, my up neighbor. Two doors down.

[Charles Calvert]

HUD Dooraglia.

[Chester Lavakia]

Okay, okay, Danny. Only Mrs. O' Connell said something to me this morning that twits me, Danny, about her daughter, Sandra Lee.

[Charles Calvert]

Tell me about it.

[Chester Lavakia]

Well, she said, how come this Christina Lavecchi was home from that boarding school, that Thatcher School for Girls, and her daughter, Sandal Lee is not.

[Charles Calvert]

Go on.

[Chester Lavakia]

Because Thatcher School for Girls is not closed down for the summer yet. That's where Sandal Lee goes to. And she is even now at school preparing for exams. And they got strict rules about not being on the outside. So how come Christina Levesque?

[Charles Calvert]

That's a good question, Tataglia. How come Christina Lavecchi?

[Chester Lavakia]

Yeah, yeah, how come her? What was she doing out on the night of her brother's murder?

[Charles Calvert]

Maybe I better go find out, huh, Danny?

[Chester Lavakia]

Somehow I knew that's just what you were going to say.

[Charles Calvert]

The Thatcher School for Girls was the very model of high fashion culture. It stood languid and poised on three acres of fashionable soil, and its handwrought gates, signed by the artist, opened onto a vista of golden girls pursuing the arts and sciences on horseback. One had to wait to let the scholars pass.

[Larry Thor]

Paul and the bell girls.

[Charles Calvert]

Remember Paul?

[Carrie Lister]

Paul.

[Charles Calvert]

Later on, in a wooded glen, a woman in black beat a drum as girls in diaphanous night shirts danced the tragedy of the cone and the cube, and beyond that, the life of girls in silken shorts who pause in their game of volleyball to observe you and having done so, resume the struggle. Finally, the office of the dean. Dean and office, both done by an exclusive decorator.

[Dean Chesterfield]

I am Dean Chesterfield. Welcome to Thatcher.

[Charles Calvert]

Thank you, Dean.

[Dean Chesterfield]

My secretary tells me you're from the police.

[Christina Lacchia]

Are we at Thatcher?

[Dean Chesterfield]

The subject of an investigation only.

[Charles Calvert]

Christina. Lacchia.

[Christina Lacchia]

Christina.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Oh, what has Christina done?

[Christina Lacchia]

Has she shamed us?

[Charles Calvert]

Just tell me about her.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Christina has often made us quite unhappy.

[Charles Calvert]

Oh, how?

[Dean Chesterfield]

A certain unwillingness to respond to our regimen.

[Charles Calvert]

Tell me about it.

[Dean Chesterfield]

The night before last, for instance, we discovered that she had not slept amongst us. A flagrant protest, an undisciplined gesture.

[Charles Calvert]

The night before last, her brother was murdered. Christina should have been here.

[Dean Chesterfield]

There is not a night of the school term that she should not be here. To have complete behavior control of our girls is our objective.

[Charles Calvert]

It is. You said Christina made you happy. Unoffen. How? How often?

[Dean Chesterfield]

Well, one moment. I have it here in my records. Ah, yes, Here we are. Lacchia. Christina. On April 19, Lacchia did steal into her dormitory three hours after cursing for this, a class B demerit and a week in Coventry.

[Charles Calvert]

You confined her to the campus.

[Dean Chesterfield]

You have another meaning for Coventry. On May 26, Lavecchia was gone all night. Appeared for her third class, disheveled and distant.

[Charles Calvert]

For this you could have dismissed her.

[Dean Chesterfield]

We were going to, but her brother pleaded with us. We relented when he told us Christina was at home with him that night.

[Charles Calvert]

5-26-26. Thanks, Dean. It's been educational. So somebody might have lied. Dean Chesterfield had said Christina was with her brother Mario on the night of May 26, the night of the robbery. But Dinsmore said Mario went off with another man. Mario's girlfriend had told me yesterday that Mario spent the evening with her. Mario's girlfriend was named Carrie Lister. She was. Was someone I wanted to talk to again. Then back to West 60s and the brownstone in the middle of the block. I didn't have to go that far. Three doors from the brownstone was a bar. Through the glass front I could see Carrie Lister seated on the high stove. She was entertaining or being entertained. You get the picture? There was my wife standing there with egg in her face. Funny, huh?

[Carrie Lister]

Mr. Becker, you're a whiz bag.

[Charles Calvert]

Yeah, that ain't all. Listen to.

[Carrie Lister]

I haven't had a drink since I don't know when, Mr. Becker.

[Charles Calvert]

I'll buy it for you, Karen, huh?

[Carrie Lister]

Oh, Mr. Clover, meet your rival, Mr. Clover of the Police. This is Mr. Becker. He's in Cannes. Good, aren't you, Mr. Becker?

[Charles Calvert]

Get at the end of the line, friend, and the line don't move for hours from now. Goodbye, Mr. Becker. If I stand up, I'm pretty large, friend.

[Carrie Lister]

Mr. Becker. You know, suddenly you got A fat face and fat lips. And you didn't shave so good this morning.

[Charles Calvert]

Feed it, you copper. Flash me a badge. Make me move. The lady said go. Lady? Ain't been one of those in this place for years.

[Carrie Lister]

You get out of here.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Hey, look.

[Carrie Lister]

I said go. Oh, so help me.

[Charles Calvert]

Settle down, Carrie. Put it down. Better? Goodbye, Mr. Becker. Yeah, I'll get back to you, honey.

[Carrie Lister]

Give me a shoulder, Mr. Clover. I want to die on it.

[Charles Calvert]

You shouldn't punish yourself so much, Carrie. Not like this.

[Carrie Lister]

It doesn't matter anymore. What matters?

[Charles Calvert]

Mario. Who killed him.

[Carrie Lister]

That matters.

[Christina Lacchia]

How?

[Charles Calvert]

Just a question, Carrie. Was he with you on the night of the robbery?

[Carrie Lister]

I haven't had a drink.

[Charles Calvert]

Was he?

[Carrie Lister]

You know he wasn't. He told me to say so, but he wasn't.

[Charles Calvert]

Who was he with?

[Carrie Lister]

How would I know? Go ask his old man, his sister. He was married to his family, not me. Take me home, Mr. Clover. Get me out of here.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Oh, Denny. Come in, Danny, come in. Take my chair, please.

[Charles Calvert]

Please take just. No, no.

[Paul Dinsmore]

First you must please sit down to show me you are a guest in my house.

[Charles Calvert]

Good. Good.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Danny. An old man is grateful you call on him. An old man is lonely without the boy. Without the son.

[Charles Calvert]

Lonely, Cesare. You want your boy's murderer, don't you?

[Paul Dinsmore]

I live only till then. After that, I die.

[Charles Calvert]

Then you must tell me the truth. You lied to me.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I lie, Danny. An old man has not very much. His son, his honor, his prize.

[Charles Calvert]

His daughter.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Christina is no longer my daughter.

[Charles Calvert]

Why, Chester?

[Paul Dinsmore]

It was because of her.

[Larry Thor]

I lied.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Because of her, Mario saved. Because Danny.

[Charles Calvert]

Mario wasn't with Carrie Lister the night of the robbery, was he? No. Tell me about it, Chester. Well, it was late.

[Paul Dinsmore]

The telephone rang. A man told me Christina was missing from her school. She was not in her bed, no place in the school.

[Charles Calvert]

A man? Yes.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes man. I went first to Mario.

[Larry Thor]

You.

[Charles Calvert]

You want to marry?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes. I told him he left his duty to come with me to find Christina because he love Christina. Nothing else would have made him go now, Danny.

[Charles Calvert]

Nothing.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Believe.

[Charles Calvert]

Where was Christina?

[Paul Dinsmore]

We don't know. We look and we don't know. She come to us in the morning and she will not tell us nothing. Will she?

[Charles Calvert]

Tell us, Christina. You out of my house.

[Larry Thor]

You get out. Don't go there no more.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Not the finish.

[Charles Calvert]

Leave her alone, Cesare. Leave her alone.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Forgive us, Belly. Forgive us. You have a just a witness.

[Charles Calvert]

Shame. Christina, listen to me. Why did you come here the night Mario was murdered?

[Christina Lacchia]

I came to tell him I was through with school. Finished.

[Charles Calvert]

Why? Why, Christy?

[Carrie Lister]

Because I was married.

[Christina Lacchia]

They thought I was married. Tonight he told me it was a lie.

[Charles Calvert]

And the night of the robbery, May 26, you were with your. Your husband, Christy? Yes. Yes.

[Christina Lacchia]

He told me we'd been married. I'd been drinking and he said we were married. My husband said that?

[Charles Calvert]

Who is he, Christina?

[Christina Lacchia]

Paul. Paul Dinsmore.

[Charles Calvert]

Paul. Paul dinsmore.

[Larry Thor]

Oh, hi, Mr. Clover. What brings you to me?

[Charles Calvert]

News. Something like that. Let's go back into your office. We can like it.

[Larry Thor]

Read your mind, huh, Mr. Clover? You want quiet? You're getting quiet.

[Charles Calvert]

Wedding time. Three o' clock in the afternoon.

[Larry Thor]

Modern production methods.

[Charles Calvert]

The help needs a short break.

[Larry Thor]

The union says they do. They go out in the yard and relax. Maybe they're right.

[Charles Calvert]

I want to talk to you.

[Larry Thor]

All right, let's talk.

[Charles Calvert]

I just came from Christina Lavakia.

[Larry Thor]

So?

[Charles Calvert]

She told me. She thought she was married to you. You lied to her, didn't you, Paul?

[Larry Thor]

She'd tell you a story like that, Mr. Clover. A very hysterical girl.

[Charles Calvert]

I could do a thing like that to Christina, Paul. It's still her story. There's more that goes with it. You get the girl who thought she was your wife to come to you on the night of the robbery. Then you phone her father and tell him she's missing from school.

[Larry Thor]

The noise in this place really got you, didn't it?

[Charles Calvert]

You knew that family well enough so you were sure her father would go right to Mario. And you knew Mario would leave his job and go looking for her.

[Larry Thor]

What are you trying to prove, Clover? I still don't get you.

[Charles Calvert]

I'm proving a couple of things. You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina. You killed the other guy, John Fisher.

[Larry Thor]

I did that, huh?

[Charles Calvert]

Yeah, you did. Because you got scared when I started digging into it. You were afraid John Fisher would tell me. You came to the plant after Mario left.

[Larry Thor]

That was nice of me.

[Charles Calvert]

But killing him, Beating him to death. Mr. Clover, it was all your fault.

[Larry Thor]

It's like you said. You came nosing around. I couldn't take any chances with an old man keeping a closed mouth.

[Charles Calvert]

Let's go, Paul. Go?

[Larry Thor]

You must be out of your mind.

[Charles Calvert]

He broke away and started running toward the crowd to get lost in it.

[Christina Lacchia]

That man's got a gun to keep.

[Charles Calvert]

Me from shooting at him. In their terror, the crowd opened the way for him. And there was only one thing to do. He was dead. And I kneeled over. Sometime after that, they took him away. And later, an old man swirled a mop over the blood stained concrete of the floor. And that was Requiem for Paul Dinsmore. Broadway plumes its lights upward into the sky and the night bursts open. The swarm starts its dance down the canyon streets. The little man starts the heels of a drunkard. It's a place of darting eyes and crowds, mobs people with empty hands. It's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway, My Feet.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with.

[Charles Calvert]

Charles Calvert as Tartaglia.

[Larry Thor]

The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. The musical score was composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Included in tonight's cast were Jane Webb, Georgia Ellis, Jay Novello, Georgia Backus, Byron Kane and Clayton Post.

[Charles Calvert]

Tonight on FDN Presents, you've been listening to our end of the week special, half comedy and half detective drama. Tripper McGee and Molly in part one of the show and Broadway is my beat part two. Join us again Monday night when FBM Presents starts the week all over again with Dragnet Stand Escape. In the meantime, have a nice weekend. See you again Monday night at 9:05. This is Navy journalist Dan Jerkinson speaking. Sam.