Broadway Is My Beat: The Mary Gilbert Murder Case 11/26/1949

Summary

Broadway Is My Beat: The Mary Gilbert Murder Case – Detailed Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
• Episode: Broadway Is My Beat: The Mary Gilbert Murder Case
• Host/Author: Choice Classic Radio
• Release Date: November 27, 2024

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Overview

“Broadway Is My Beat: The Mary Gilbert Murder Case” is a riveting episode from the Golden Age of Radio, hosted by Choice Classic Radio. This episode delves into the intricate investigation led by Detective Danny Clover as he unravels the truth behind the murder of Mary Gilbert. Set against the bustling backdrop of Broadway, the narrative intertwines suspense, emotion, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

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Introduction to Broadway and the Crime Scene

The episode opens with the atmospheric depiction of Broadway, highlighting its dual nature as both glamorous and perilous. Detective Danny Clover sets the tone by describing Broadway as:

“Broadway. It's a place you drift to because the other promises you've made to yourself never happen. It's a place where you leave your life behind and stand on a street corner beating down the scream in your throat. It's the best of the thousand and one nights you've dreamed of the place in the world where something happens to you outside of the movies.”
— Detective Danny Clover [00:48]

This vivid imagery establishes Broadway not just as a setting but as a character integral to the unfolding mystery.

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The Initial Revelation: Mrs. Brandeis’ Plea

Detective Clover is approached by Mrs. Brandeis, distraught over her son Maury’s impending execution for the murder of Mary Gilbert. The emotional exchange sets the stage for the investigation:

“Say this. Tell them they can't do this. Execute.”
— Mrs. Brandeis [03:10]

Clover is torn between his duty and the mother's heartfelt plea, highlighting the personal stakes involved in the case.

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Unveiling the Evidence: Sergeant Tartaglia’s Report

Back at the police headquarters, Sergeant Tartaglia presents the case details:

“On May 22, 1949, at 11 o'clock of the same evening, one Murray Brandeis did hold up the jewelry shop of one Charles Gilbert. He did, in process of hold up, shoot one Mary Gilbert in the back cent.”
— Sergeant Tartaglia [05:08]

This account introduces the key events and the primary suspect, Maury Brandeis, whose guilt seems apparent based on eyewitness testimonies and physical evidence.

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Investigating the Alibi: Charles Gilbert’s Testimony

Detective Clover interviews Charles Gilbert, Mary’s father, seeking clarity on the night of the holdup:

“You want to save a murderer's life, Mr. Clover? Save it. And my curse on you, Colt.”
— Charles Gilbert [09:06]

Gilbert’s defensive demeanor and inconsistent statements raise questions about his involvement and the reliability of his account.

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The Mystery of the Coat: A Key Piece of Evidence

A crucial element in the investigation is a woman’s coat with a bullet hole. Detective Clover tracks down Robert Shaw, who reveals:

“He said, here. Maybe I could use it. But a coat for a woman? Yeah, for a woman. For my sister, Ethel.”
— Robert Shaw [11:00]

This revelation implicates another layer of the case, suggesting connections between the evidence and other individuals involved.

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Confronting Ethel Shaw: Uncovering Truths

Clover’s interaction with Ethel Shaw uncovers a distressing encounter:

“He came out of the. It was dark. Then he hit me. He started to tear the coat, tried to tear it off of me.”
— Ethel Shaw [12:19]

Ethel’s account adds complexity, indicating possible defense or motive shifts surrounding the coat and its significance in Mary Gilbert’s murder.

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The Final Countdown: Race Against Time

As the execution clock ticks closer, Detective Clover grapples with conflicting evidence and dwindling time:

“What happened that night? When you were drunk, why did you leave the dance?”
— Detective Danny Clover [19:27]

Clover’s pursuit intensifies, leading him to question Maury Brandeis directly, pushing the narrative towards a climactic resolution.

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Climactic Confrontation: Revealing the True Culprit

In a tense encounter with Maury Brandeis, Detective Clover seeks a confession:

“Did you kill that girl, Maury?”
— Detective Danny Clover [18:33]

Maury’s reluctant admissions and subsequent revelations force both characters and listeners to confront the murky truths of justice and guilt.

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Twist and Resolution: Unmasking the Real Murderer

The investigation culminates in a dramatic twist. Detective Clover scrutinizes the bullet holes in the coat and blouse, leading to the realization that Phil Alexander, not Maury Brandeis, is the true perpetrator:

“The bullet hole in the coat was in line with the bullet hole in her blouse. That means her hands weren't in the air like you told us.”
— Detective Danny Clover [25:51]

This pivotal moment not only exonerates Maury but also reveals the depths of deception and the complexities of human motivations.

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Conclusion: Reflecting on Broadway’s Duality

The episode closes with Detective Clover contemplating the dual nature of Broadway, intertwining its allure with its inherent dangers:

“Broadway looks good now it's wearing the funny mask or the funny nose and a great big toothy smile Painted pretty in scarlet... Because it's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.”
— Detective Danny Clover [27:58]

This reflection underscores the recurring theme of appearances versus reality, a central motif in the narrative.

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Notable Quotes

• Detective Danny Clover [00:48]:

  “Broadway. It's a place you drift to because the other promises you've made to yourself never happen...”

• Mrs. Brandeis [03:10]:

  “Say this. Tell them they can't do this. Execute.”

• Sergeant Tartaglia [05:08]:

  “On May 22, 1949... Murray Brandeis did hold up the jewelry shop... shoot one Mary Gilbert in the back cent.”

• Charles Gilbert [09:06]:

  “You want to save a murderer's life, Mr. Clover? Save it. And my curse on you, Colt.”

• Detective Danny Clover [25:51]:

  “The bullet hole in the coat was in line with the bullet hole in her blouse... So you lied. So you committed murder.”

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Final Thoughts

“Broadway Is My Beat: The Mary Gilbert Murder Case” masterfully blends suspenseful storytelling with intricate character development. Through Detective Clover’s relentless pursuit of truth, listeners are immersed in a narrative that highlights the complexities of justice, the fragility of truth, and the enigmatic allure of Broadway. This episode stands as a testament to the enduring charm and intrigue of old-time radio detective dramas.

Transcript

[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 donating at choice classicradio.com Broadway's My Beat.

[Detective Danny Clover]

From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway is my beat. With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Broadway. It's a place you drift to because the other promises you've made to yourself never happen. It's a place where you leave your life behind and stand on a street corner beating down the scream in your throat. It's the best of the thousand and one nights you've dreamed of the place in the world where something happens to you outside of the movies. It's Broadway, my beat. At 6pm Broadway is getting ready for the nighttime. There's a feeling to it. The fury crouches in the doorways, waiting till all the lights turn on and the feeling trails down into the small streets that feed Broadway. Down into the small streets and around corners. Somehow, on that Friday night, it stops in front of a particular house. Mrs. Brandeis lives there. And through the window you see her standing in front of the candle above. Seven candles, the palms of her hands pressed against her face. You wait. Then you press the bell.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Danny. Danny Clover. Oh, it's good you came tonight, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Good jobless, Mrs. Brandeis.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Thank you, Danny. Please come in. Come in, Danny. You got some news? You heard something about my son?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, that's why I came. Mrs. Brandeis.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

In the parlor there, we can sit down there. You can tell me the news of my son.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Your husband, Mrs. Brandeis.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Listen to him, Danny. Already Mr. Brandeis is saying for our son the prayer for the dead. Please sit down. Thanks to him, Maury is already dead. He said to me then Mr. Brandeis said that no son of his was a murderer to him, he said such a son is dead. So to him it's not Maury who sits in prison for stranger.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I don't know how to say this, Mrs. Brandeis.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Say it then.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Say it, Mrs. Brandeis. The plea for stay of execution. You see, the board that handles the execution takes place Monday morning at 1:00.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

They're going to kill my son. Execute. That's the word they use for killing my son.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What can I say to you?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Say this. Tell them. No, Danny. Tell them they can't do this. Execute. Tell them, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mrs. Brandeis, tell them.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

This is a notion they've got that my boy is a murderer. This bore, these people who Think such a thing? What do they know of Maury?

[Detective Danny Clover]

There's nothing I can do.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Maury didn't kill anyone. You tell them that, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

If Morri was innocent, I'd tell them.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

A mother who has looked into the heart of her son tells you this. Maury didn't do this thing. Her mother tells you this.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I'd better go, Mrs. Brandeis.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Here. Then he goes. Good night.

[Detective Danny Clover]

When I left, the chant of an old man's prayer for his dead son was in my ears. But rising above it was a twisted melody, all mixed up with lament and hope and desperation. And that would be Mrs. Brandeis. That would be all I had to go on. The instant of a man's dying had been written down and sealed and approved. And all I had to do was to tear it all up like it had never happened. That could be the mission of a fool. So I'm a fool. So I went back to my office headquarters and waited for Sergeant Otaglia to bring in the file on Maury Brandeis. When he brought it in, it was 10:00 of a Friday night.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

It's 10:00, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

That means something to you?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, yeah.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Danny, why did you bring me on Maury Brandeis?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, everything. The works. But I could sketch it for you, Danny. This way we could all go home earlier, you and me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

All right.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Sketch a sketch. To wit, on May 22, 1949, at 11 o'clock of the same evening, May 22, 1949, one Murray Brandeis did hold up the jewelry shop of one Charles Gilbert. He did, in process of hold up, shoot one Mary Gilbert in the back cent. Mary Gilbert being the daughter of aforesaid Charles Gilbert, jewelry shop proprietor.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What says he did all that?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

What says is two witnesses, one Phil Alexander, male, and one Nicky Thomas, female.

[Detective Danny Clover]

They saw the killing.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, Danny. Yeah. What they seen goes like this. Phil and Nikki was walking home from a dance. They see Brandeis with a gun in the girl's back. The girl has got her hands in the air. They hear the shot. They want to call the police.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How did they know it was Brandeis?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, they didn't, Danny, they didn't. They had presence in mind to note down the license number of a new Nash car standing on the street in front of the store with its motor running. In this car was found the gun, the loot, the ownership tag of one Murray Brandeis, which was found asleep drunk in his house two hours later by one of our boys. Can I go home now?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah, I'd like to go Home then it was 10:15 in the night. The city makes a somber, tearing music that seeps through stone and shrieks through your open window. So you slam the window. It's still there. You try to memorize the deep that will bring death to a man on Monday morning at 1:00. And finally, when your eyes feel as if they'll crack, you've memorized them. Then it's dawn and you grab some sleep and you awaken and it's something to eat. Then you wait for a man named Charles Gilbert to open his jewelry shop. You watch him move slowly out of the curtained shadows at the rear of his shop and slowly walk and slowly unlock the door. And it's nine o'clock Saturday morning.

[Charles Gilbert]

Good morning. Good morning, sir. Beautiful morning, isn't it?

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're Mr. Gilbert? Mr. Charles Gilbert?

[Charles Gilbert]

Yes, that's me. You're early.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Aren't you on your way to work, Mr. Gilbert?

[Charles Gilbert]

Oh, I know. You want to buy before the rush will come in.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Please.

[Charles Gilbert]

You'll find I have some excellent values on sale, sir. You read my ad in the News. Expensive, but worth it if customers come so early.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I'm Danny Clover, Police Department. I want to talk to you, Mr. Gilbert.

[Charles Gilbert]

Is it about the murder of my daughter?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Can we go in the back of the store and talk, Mr. Gilbert?

[Charles Gilbert]

Yes, of course. Through the curtains, Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Thank you.

[Charles Gilbert]

You understand, Mr. Clover, that whatever words we will speak over my daughter will bring me great pain.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I'll make it as easy as I can. I'm trying to save a man's life, Mr. Gilbert.

[Charles Gilbert]

A murderer's life.

[Detective Danny Clover]

There's a question in my mind.

[Charles Gilbert]

If he is a murderer, there's none in mine. Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I want you to go over the night of the holdup with me, Mr. Gilbert. Everything, the simplest, the most ordinary details, everything.

[Charles Gilbert]

I have already done that with you. Police, Mr. Clover. Is that how you work? To rake through a man's brain?

[Detective Danny Clover]

That's how we work.

[Charles Gilbert]

It was a Thursday night. It was late. Someone pounded on the door. Kept pounding. My daughter said she'd get up and see what it was. I told her not to bother. They'd go away. I told her. I told her.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Go on, Mr. Gilmer.

[Charles Gilbert]

Ruth slipped on her old coat and went to the door. She opened it. I heard her say, what do you want? And then I heard the door close. And then whispers. And then the shot. That terrible, terrible crashing sound. And Ruth's cry to me, like when.

[Detective Danny Clover]

She was a little girl.

[Charles Gilbert]

Oh, no. Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You have customers, Mr. Gilbert.

[Charles Gilbert]

Good morning.

[Phil Alexander]

Will you mind if we look around there? My wife and me are in the market for a bubble. Nothing's too good for my wife. Is that right? Wife?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Please.

[Charles Gilbert]

Go ahead. I'll be in the back of the store. Just call me when you're ready.

[Phil Alexander]

Yeah, sure thing, dad.

[Charles Gilbert]

Do you want more, Mr. Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

All of it? All of it.

[Charles Gilbert]

I picked up my child, Mr. Clover, and put her on the bed. She was still alive. Then I took off her, Colt. He shot her in the back. I held her like a baby in my arms and she died. You want to save a murderer's life, Mr. Clover? Save it. And my curse on you, Colt.

[Detective Danny Clover]

No coat was mentioned in the transcript. Why Wasn't it mentioned, Mr. Gilbert?

[Charles Gilbert]

How would I know, Mr. Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Where is that coat?

[Charles Gilbert]

I gave it away.

[Detective Danny Clover]

To whom?

[Charles Gilbert]

To a boy who comes in Saturdays and cleans my shop. A boy by the name of Robert Shaw.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Do you know where he lives?

[Charles Gilbert]

In Harlem, Mr. Clover. 1229 West 117th Street. I know because I had to send him postcards to reach him. The code is important.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I wouldn't know. I'm sorry, Mr. Gilbert, but I had. I'm sorry. Thank you, Mr. Gilbert. Saturday afternoon, 2:00pm Standing there in front of a house in Harlem and trying not to look like a policeman. But somehow, the people who lean from the windows and stare at you, the over the shoulder glances you get from passersby, you can't hide it. So you pat a kid on the head and smile and look around, but nobody smiles back at you, not even the kid. The man you're waiting for acknowledges your greeting with a short nod.

[Robert Shaw]

Yeah? I'm Robert Shaw.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I'm Danny Clover, police. Well, I need some help from you, Shaw, for me.

[Robert Shaw]

Help?

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's about a coat. A woman's coat.

[Robert Shaw]

I've been lucky. I've found an honest job. I don't have to steal.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I didn't say anything about stealing.

[Robert Shaw]

No, no, you didn't. You just said it was about a woman's coat.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The coat that belonged to a murdered girl.

[Robert Shaw]

Mary Gilbert.

[Detective Danny Clover]

That's right. Where's that coat?

[Robert Shaw]

Her father gave it to me. I didn't ask him. He said, here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Here, Robert. Here's a coat.

[Robert Shaw]

He said, maybe I could use it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

But a coat for a woman?

[Robert Shaw]

Yeah, for a woman. For my sister, Ethel. I gave it to her.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Where does your sister live?

[Robert Shaw]

1115 West 138th Street, Apartment 3. But you won't find her there.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Where is she?

[Robert Shaw]

Well, try the Harlem Hospital. Mister, I got word this morning, early, that. That's where my sister was. In the hospital.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Saturday afternoon, 3pm you walk slowly up the worn sandstone steps. Slowly, because somehow you never hurry when you can walk into a hospital and a nun accepts your question quietly and tells you to wait because the girl's asleep. And you wait. And your eyes dart through open doorways in the hospital corridor. And you wait. And it's 4:00 and it's 5. And still you wait. And the smell of the hospital melts into the furtive sounds and the quiet footsteps. And you doze. And then there's a gentle tap on your shoulder. And it's 8:00. And you're shown a ward and a numbered bed and a tired girl who tries not to be frightened.

[Ethel Shaw]

But I've already been questioned by the police, Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I know. This will only take a moment.

[Ethel Shaw]

What do you want to know?

[Detective Danny Clover]

About the coat, Ethel. About the coat your brother gave you.

[Ethel Shaw]

I told him.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

I told him all about it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell me.

[Ethel Shaw]

I was walking home, Mr. Clover. It was late.

[Detective Danny Clover]

When?

[Ethel Shaw]

Last night. It was very late. About midnight. That's when it was.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell me just what happened, Ethel.

[Ethel Shaw]

As soon as I stepped down from the curb, the alley curb, Mr. Clover. He came out of the. It was dark.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Then you don't know who he was?

[Ethel Shaw]

I still don't, Mr. Clover. He stood close to me and whispered in my ear. He said he would give me $10 for the coat I was wearing.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The coat?

[Ethel Shaw]

Yes. Then he hit me. He started to tear the coat, tried to tear it off of me. But he screamed and the man ran. And a policeman was standing over me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I see. Where's the coat now?

[Ethel Shaw]

It's over there, Mr. Clover. It's in the closet.

[Detective Danny Clover]

This one?

[Ethel Shaw]

Yes. Take it, Mr. Clover. Take it. The dead girl's coat. I don't want it anymore.

[Detective Danny Clover]

9:00, Tartaglia brings the dressmaker's dummy into my office, drapes it with the dead girl's blouse, puts the coat over it. The bullet hole in the blouse matches the sewn up bullet hole in the coat. Right on the same line. 10:00, it still matches. 10:30, Tataglia sends out for spudnuts and coffee. 11:00, we've torn the coat apart. Nothing there. 11:30, we've got a torn up coat. Nothing else. 12:00, a boy's life. A boy's life. And it's Sunday.

[Larry Thor]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. May as well face it. A lot of your conversation during the Course of a week is about the shows on CBS on Sunday nights. Charlie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Corliss Archer, and Eve Arden as the romantic high school teacher, our Ms. Brooks drama lovers next week will surely be discussing Irene Dunn's performance in the Barretts of Wimpole street this Sunday night on the Family Hour. And everybody will be talking about Margaret Whiting's songs on the contented hour and Horace Heights newest finds on his Youth Opportunity program. All of these great shows will be heard this Sunday night on most of these same CBS stations with Jack Benny being heard on them all.

[Detective Danny Clover]

There's this about Broadway. It's a place of waiting. It's a place of clocks. Because you're nothing if you don't know what time it is. The clocks are in shop windows and hotel lobbies. Spectaculars. And at the very top are very high buildings because pigeons have to stay on schedule. And no matter how you figure it, it still comes out. 10 o'clock Sunday morning. It still comes out. 15 hours between you and the execution for murder of a boy named Maury Brandeis. And what you've got to save his life is a girl's coat with a bullet hole in it. And it makes no sense. So you make a Sunday call on a man and a woman who saw Maury kill a girl.

[Phil Alexander]

I was just reading the Sunday funnies to Nikki, Mr. Clover. She likes you when I do that, don't you, Nikki?

[Ethel Shaw]

Sure.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Sure, I like it, Phil, I.

[Phil Alexander]

Sure you do, honey.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I have much time. Mr. Alexander, I'm trying.

[Phil Alexander]

Yeah, sure, I understand. You're trying to save a killer's life. This is a twist for a cop, isn't it, Mr. Clove?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Phil, please.

[Phil Alexander]

It's all right, Mickey. Clove understands. I'm only kidding.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Don't you, Chloe? I want you to tell me exactly what you did and what you saw the night of the holdup.

[Phil Alexander]

Well, this is on the record. You didn't look it up.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I want to hear you tell me.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

We were at a dance. We were walking home.

[Phil Alexander]

Mr. Clover wants me to tell him. Honey, it's still the same Clover, like on the record. We're at a dance, Nikki and me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What dance?

[Phil Alexander]

Well, I don't like to repeat myself, but the dance was the same dance like I testified.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What dance?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

The Cruiser Social Club on Grand Street, Nikki.

[Phil Alexander]

I'll tell him.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Sorry.

[Phil Alexander]

The Cruiser Social Club on Grand Street. I was walking Nikki home because that's romantic to walk with your best girl. And then we see through the window Maury holding up the girl in the jewelry store.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How could you tell it was a hold up?

[Phil Alexander]

Such a simple question, Mr. Clover of the police department. The girl had her hands up in the air.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How did you know it was Maury?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Because we saw a car parked at the curb with a motor running. When we heard the shop, we took the license number and called the police. It was only the next morning we knew it was Maury.

[Phil Alexander]

I marry a girl and now I find out she likes to talk.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mrs. Alexander, was the girl wearing a coat when she was shot?

[Phil Alexander]

May I? The girl was wearing a coat. Anything else, Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

No, Phil, that's all. Phil. Now you can go on reading the funny paper, Phil. Sunday afternoon, 2pm on a short run like the one from New York to Austin. Engine are always on schedule. Then the automobile ride to the prison. The warden's tight greeting. And finally the walk into the prison yard. Maury Brandeis would be there. The warden said. Maury's request. He wanted to be outside on a Sunday afternoon before he died. Request granted, complete with chaperone. A guard sitting on an orange crate holding a shotgun and sucking on a matchstick. Maury. Maury.

[Maury Brandeis]

I'm Maury. I'm Maury Brandeis.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Danny Clover. Maury, you remember me?

[Maury Brandeis]

What do you want? What do you want me to say?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Did you kill that girl, Maury?

[Maury Brandeis]

They say I killed a girl. They say I shot her.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Did you?

[Maury Brandeis]

Yes, I killed her. I believe I did. They told me I did. They keep telling me I did. I believe it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You went into the jewelry shop to Robert. When Mary Gilbert came downstairs, you made her turn around and you shot her in the back. Is that what you did, Maury?

[Maury Brandeis]

What?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Listen to me.

[Maury Brandeis]

Yeah.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're sure of it then? That you murdered Mary Gilbert?

[Maury Brandeis]

I was drunk. I was at the dance and I got drunk.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why did you get drunk, Maury?

[Maury Brandeis]

I did it before. I liked it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Maury, I'm trying to help you. I promised your mother I'd help you and there's not much time.

[Maury Brandeis]

I know. I know. I know that I'm going to be electrocuted. They say it won't hurt. You know that. Did you know they can electrocute a man, kill him and it's painless.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I can't help you when you talk like that. Think, Maury. Think of something to tell me. Something I can go on some place it'll take me. Someone I can talk to. What happened that night? When you were drunk, why did you leave the dance?

[Maury Brandeis]

I was drunk.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Did you have the gun when you left the Dance drunk. Why did you tell her to turn around before you shot her?

[Maury Brandeis]

Almost the way I feel right now. Drunk.

[Detective Danny Clover]

And you really don't remember? You don't remember a thing.

[Maury Brandeis]

I killed her. They keep asking me to say so. They say a man always confesses before he's electrocuted. It makes a man feel better. So I'm saying it. I killed her. And I don't feel anything at all.

[Detective Danny Clover]

4:45 on a Sunday afternoon and all I had was a hatful of dried leaves and back to the opposite headquarters and staring at a headless dressmaker's dummy draped in a blouse and a torn tweed coat. Staring at it until it grew ahead and laughed at me. Laughed at me when I asked it why anyone would walk. I want that coat. And not tasting the cigarettes and the coffee and feeling time run through your fingers like dust in that rotten clock.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Why don't you go home now, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Well, because it's getting late. It's almost 9:00.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You read and reread the records and the reports, the impersonal data, the typewritten words on municipally furnished station. The reason why a man must walk to his death in a few short hours. And the dressmaker's dummy puts her hand on her hip and winks at you.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny. Danny. I brought you some more coffee.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tartaglia, huh? You think Maury killed that girl?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

You want an honest answer or an answer that'll make you feel good?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Just an answer.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Okay, Danny. Yeah. I think Maury Brandeis killed Mary Gilbert. I think no matter what personal reasons you got for going through all this, Maury Brandeis will still die at 1 o'clock tomorrow morning because he killed that Gilbert girl.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You through talking?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, Danny, I'm through.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why did someone beat up a girl to get their coat back? I don't know. How did they know about the coat the same time I did?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

I don't know how you jostled your coffee, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How did they know about the coat the same time I did?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

I told you, Danny, I don't know.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Call up Gilbert's Jewelry Shop. Get me Gilbert.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny, look, it's 11:30 o'clock at night. Let the poor guy alone. Let him sleep.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Call him up.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Okay, okay, Danny. Let me find the number. Ah, here it is.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Give me that phone.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Okay, Danny. Don't bite my head off for a lousy phone. Here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come on, come on. Hello, Mr. Gilbert?

[Charles Gilbert]

Yes, this is Mr. Gilbert.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Who is this? This is Danny Clover, Mr. Gilbert.

[Charles Gilbert]

Have you no consideration at all? Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

One question, Mr. Gilbert. Who was in your shop when I was talking to you. Really, Mr. Clover, who was in your shop? Let me think.

[Charles Gilbert]

I remember now. It was Phil and Nikki Alexander.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Thanks, Mr. Gilbert.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Something, Danny, something.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Give me a squad car to tag. Midnight and Sunday was over. And in one hour, Monday would be over for Maury Brandeis. The siren gouges a path through the city swiftly like a wild sob twailing across the dark. And you ride it inside of you. You're screaming with it. There's a light in the window of the house you're looking for. And the odds get better From a million to one to a thousand to one. Stop a minute. Come on, come on.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

We'll be ready in Justice.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Going someplace, Nikki? I asked you. Going someplace.

[Phil Alexander]

At the cab, Nikki.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

No, no, it's not the cab.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's not the cab, Phil. It's Danny Clover.

[Phil Alexander]

Something you want, Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Relax, Phil. I'm talking to Nikki. Going someplace, Nikki? While the bag's packed.

[Phil Alexander]

It's simple.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I'm talking to Nikki. Well, Nikki, it's our second honeymoon.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Every six months we take our second honeymoon.

[Detective Danny Clover]

When did you get married, Nikki?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

In May. May 23rd. The date's right here inside my ring. Here, I'll show you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The day after Mary Gilbert was murdered, wasn't it, Nikki?

[Phil Alexander]

An impulse. Nikki and me were impetuous.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Impetuous or a wife can't testify against her husband. Tell me, Nikki, how did Phil kill Mary Gilbert?

[Phil Alexander]

Are you kidding?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Shut up, Phil. I asked Nikki, Phil, what was it like this, Nicky? You waited outside while Phil was robbing that store. Then Mary came in and surprised him. He held a gun on her, made her turn around and shot her in cold blood.

[Phil Alexander]

That's what Maury Brandeis did. Remember, Clover? That's why he's gonna burn you both got frightened.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Nikki, you saw Maury passed out in his car. Phil Plante and whatever he stole in the glove compartment. Was it like that, Nikki?

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Phil, please tell.

[Phil Alexander]

Keep quiet.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell me. Come on, Nikki, tell me.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

I'm tired, Mr. Clover. I'm so tired of.

[Phil Alexander]

Shut up. I told you to shut up.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Leave her alone. I said leave her alone. Stay out of this. Okay, Phil. Over there. Face the wall and put your hands up. What is this? Cop? Like I said, over against the wall and keep her hands high. I'm gonna book you for something, and it might as well be for wife beating.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Sergeant Tartaglia speaking.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Danny Clover. Send a wagon over to 1010 West 86.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, Danny, right away. What's up?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I got a wife beater. I got a Wait a minute now. Now I know I got a murder. Let's stay where you are, Phil.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Hey. What?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

What did you say?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Danny, hold on to Taglia. You did it, Phil. You killed Mary Gilbert Silver.

[Mrs. Brandeis]

Silly nose.

[Phil Alexander]

You don't know nothing. What are you talking about, Claude?

[Detective Danny Clover]

The coach you try to tear off a girl's back in Harlem proves it.

[Phil Alexander]

You're fishing. You don't know nothing.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You heard me talking to Mary Gilbert's father about the coat. So you knew it was important. Now I know why it's important.

[Phil Alexander]

I'm listening. I'm listening, but all I hear is noise.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Listen closer. The bullet hole in the coat was in line with the bullet hole in her blouse. That means her hands weren't in the air like you told us they were.

[Phil Alexander]

Listen to him, Nicky.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Any kick a colt rises when a person holds his hands in the air. Like yours is doing now. Phil, if I shot you in the back, the bullet hole in your coat will be a couple of inches lower than the one in your shirt. So? So you lied. So you committed murder. So you're both under arrest. Taglia.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Danny. Danny, are you all right?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. Get off the phone, Tateglia. I gotta put through a call to sing. I watched Nikki's face as I waited for the call to go through. And it was the face of a woman who was dead. Without tears, without bitterness. Only the final, the desperate rejection of life. Then I was talking to the warden. Then I hung up and made another call to Mr. Brandeis to tell him his son was back from a journey into shadows. To tell him he need no longer pray for the dead. Broadway looks good now it's wearing the funny mask or the funny nose and a great big toothy smile Painted pretty in scarlet Scarlet's a color you've known in other places and other times so you don't rip the mask off because you couldn't stand what you'd see. Because 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 and is written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The musical score was composed by Alexander Courage and conducted by Wilbur Hatch. And the program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. The cast tonight included Charles Calvert, Lillian Byeff, David Ellis, Parley Baer, Tony Barrett, Jester Hairston and Vivian Baber. Some people go to the Caribbean Some go to the Klondike Others who don't care for treasure diving or nugget hunting Just stay at home and latch on to Sing It Again. You don't have to barrel Barracuda. You don't have to grow a five foot beard with Sing It Again. All you have to do is tell Dan Seymour when he phones who owns the phantom voice. It's 53,000 in prizes and cold hard cash in that Sing It Again jackpot this week. Sing It Again follows immediately on most of these same CBS stations. This is cbs, where you find Broadway is my beat. Every Saturday night, the Columbia Broadcasting System.