Podcast Summary: Dangerous Assignment – "Millionaire Murder Conspiracy"

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Dangerous Assignment: Millionaire Murder Conspiracy (08/06/1949)
Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Choice Classic Radio

Episode Overview

This episode features an installment from the classic radio detective series, Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy as government agent Steve Mitchell. The story plunges listeners into a high-stakes international murder conspiracy: a series of mysterious deaths among the world's elite businessmen threatens a global financial merger meant to aid industrial development in backward countries. Steve Mitchell is dispatched to Paris to protect the remaining partners and unmask the killer before the conspiracy claims more lives.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Case Begins: A String of "Accidents"

• [02:18] Steve Mitchell is summoned by the Commissioner who outlines the suspicious deaths of millionaire businessmen across the globe.
• Accidents in Bombay and Stockholm are revealed to be linked to a targeted murder in the south of France.
• The dead were all participants in a major industrial merger, believed to be under attack by hostile interests.
• Quote:

  "We thought they were accidents at first, but night before last, a third man was murdered in his villa in the south of France. Shot to death while sitting at his piano."
  — Commissioner ([02:46])

2. Mitchell's Undercover Arrival in Paris

• [04:44] Posing as a foreign correspondent, Steve checks into the Hotel Brevon, contacts Scott Wheeler’s secretary, Martha Vaughn, and meets Wheeler and Gordon Hemsley, two of the remaining three partners.
• Quote:

  "I'll let you know later. Right now I'd like the number of Scott Wheeler's room here."
  — Steve Mitchell ([04:50])

3. Retracing the Crime Scene and the “Squeaky Shoes” Suspect

• [07:04] Martha guides Steve to the bar where the last attack occurred. They encounter a suspicious man with squeaky shoes seen previously at the hotel.
• A chase leads to a medieval museum where Steve narrowly avoids a fatal “accident” with a falling battle axe.
• Quote:

  "Yeah, I almost got a haircut the hard way."
  — Steve Mitchell ([10:18])

4. The Hired Killer Unmasked and Murdered

• [12:13] Tracing “Squeaky Shoes” to a rooming house, Steve and Martha witness him die—stabbed before they can interrogate him.
• Police Inspector Brisac identifies the victim as Dominique, a notorious European hired killer.
• Quote:

  "Dominique was a hired killer."
  — Inspector Brisac ([14:51])

5. Suspicions and Mistrust Among the Partners

• [17:16] Tension surfaces as partners suspect each other. Steve learns from the Commissioner that Carl Voorhees, the third partner, has been in Paris longer than he admits.
• Quote:

  "You say you just got in, Mr. Voorhees?... That's funny. I heard you got in two days ago."
  — Steve Mitchell ([18:04])

6. More Attacks and the Killer's Clever Alibi

• [21:24] At Wheeler’s suite, Steve is knocked unconscious as Wheeler is shot in the shoulder. In almost the same time frame, Voorhees is found dead in his hotel with a bullet through the heart.
• Inspector Brisac is baffled by the seemingly impossible timing.
• Quote:

  "Our killer moves very fast. He shoots Monsieur Wheeler and kills Monsieur Folies. All in the space of 10 minutes."
  — Inspector Brisac ([24:26])

7. The Key Clue: The Ice Cube Trick

• [25:07] Steve recalls being knocked out as a clock struck nine and coming to while it was still striking. The absence of ice in his spilled drink, plus the merger contract terms (a dead partner's voting interest passing to the survivors), reveals the killer's trick and motive.
• Quote:

  "Actually, I was unconscious nearly 20 minutes. Long enough for the killer to get to Voorhees' hotel, kill him, come back, reset the clock and then shoot himself in the shoulder."
  — Steve Mitchell ([26:34])

8. The Killer Exposed

• [27:21] Steve accuses Wheeler of orchestrating the murders, explaining he faked his own injury and used a reset clock as an alibi. The clinching evidence is the melting rate of an ice cube, proving Steve was out much longer than Wheeler suggested.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Can anyone play that bad?" — Steve Mitchell’s trademark humor when told a victim was killed at the piano ([02:54])
• "You'd already knocked off four of your partners. That left only Voorhis and Hemsley in your way." — Steve Mitchell confronting Wheeler ([26:53])
• "You're wrong there. I can prove most of them with the help of just one ice cube." — Steve's signature reveal ([27:14])

Important Timestamps

• 01:09–03:35: Commissioner outlines the murders and merger backstory to Steve
• 04:44–06:07: Steve checks into Hotel Brevon and meets Martha and Wheeler
• 07:04–10:18: Visit to crime scene bar, encounter with “squeaky shoes,” battle axe escape
• 12:13–14:51: Discovery of Dominique’s murder and police involvement
• 17:16–19:20: Tensions and suspicions among survivors; Mitchell investigates Hemsley and Voorhees
• 21:24–22:59: Wheeler shot, Steve attacked, Voorhees murdered—fast-moving climax
• 24:26–27:33: The reveal: the melted ice cube and the murderer’s plot exposed

Tone & Style

As with classic radio detectives, the episode is brisk, witty, and suspenseful, featuring sharp-tongued dialogue, a fast-paced investigation, and noir-style atmosphere. Steve Mitchell’s dry humor and relentless questioning anchor the episode's tone.

Resolution

Steve reconstructs the killer's clever deception—the fake timeline engineered by resetting a clock and melting ice cubes. The motive: with each death, surviving partners gained more control of the lucrative merger. Wheeler is revealed as the murderer and taken into custody.

Final Moments

The case resolved, Steve and Martha share a playful banter about Parisian horse races, ending the episode with a light-hearted callback to Steve's earlier desire for leisure—another of the show's wry, human touches.

Quote:

"The horses are running in the wrong direction."
"Oh, that’s the way they do over here, Steve. The horses run clockwise instead of counterclockwise like in the States."
— Steve Mitchell & Martha Vaughn ([28:22])

For New Listeners

This summary captures a classic "locked room" intrigue with witty repartee and globe-trotting adventure. It’s a perfect example of the Dangerous Assignment formula: international stakes, deadly conspiracies, and the steady, sardonic charm of secret agent Steve Mitchell.