Dangerous Assignment: "Smash Alien Smuggling Ring" (08/13/1949)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

Host: Choice Classic Radio

Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Theme:

Steve Mitchell travels to Portugal to investigate his friend’s murder and to dismantle a ruthless alien smuggling ring sending illegal immigrants from Europe to the United States.

Episode Overview

This episode of "Dangerous Assignment" follows government agent Steve Mitchell (portrayed by Brian Donlevy) as he tracks the murder of his friend, Alan Prescott, whose investigation into an alien smuggling ring in Portugal led to his death. Posing undercover, Mitchell works with local police and navigates through deception, danger, and double-crosses to smash the ring and bring justice for his friend.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. The Assignment: Alan Prescott’s Death

• [02:07] – [02:52]
  • Steve Mitchell is called in by the Commissioner upon news that Alan Prescott, Steve’s old friend and fellow agent, was found dead—hung from a bell rope in a deserted Portuguese monastery.
  • Commissioner: "Alan Prescott is dead."
    Steve Mitchell (shocked): "Let me have that again." (02:20)
  • Prescott had been investigating rumors of a large-scale operation smuggling people from Europe to the U.S.
  • The Commissioner assigns Steve to go to Portugal, connect with a reliable local contact, Perez—a pet shop owner.

2. Arrival in Portugal: Mysterious Pet Shop Contact

• [03:57] – [05:54]
  • Steve meets "Perez" at the pet shop but immediately senses trouble: Perez is injured and claims attackers were after him.
  • “Two men came into my shop with knives. Tried to kill me. I got my gun and drove them off.” (Perez, 05:24)
  • Perez claims to have been working on the same smuggling ring case with Prescott and promises to deliver more info the next day.

3. Working with Lieutenant Vieira and Uncovering Victims

• [06:09] – [08:13]
  • Steve introduces himself to Lieutenant Vieira, sent from Lisbon, who has been observing new arrivals.
  • The chilling discovery: Five bodies are found under a wharf, hands and feet tied, possibly the latest victims of the smuggling ring.
  • One is identified—Luis Delgado, whose sister Maria lives in Vila Real.

4. Confronting Maria Delgada

• [09:20] – [11:10]
  • Steve and Vieira question Maria, who reveals her brother was trying to reach America to join their uncle Emilio.
  • Maria’s evasiveness and grief hint at deeper connections to the smuggling racket.

5. The U.S. Connection and Unfolding Plot

• [11:53] – [13:45]
  • Investigation reveals Emilio Delgada, the uncle in the Bronx, paid a travel bureau in New York $3,000 to help Luis enter the U.S.
  • “A small travel bureau in New York. Delgado gave them $3,000. They promised to smuggle his nephew into the United States.” (Commissioner, 15:14)

6. Steve’s Undercover Operation: Nick Grotto

• [15:00] – [17:45]
  • Steve initiates a sting: he will pose as deported mobster "Nick Grotto," arranging for his own illegal transport with the travel bureau.
  • U.S. agent Summers plays his brother in New York for the set-up.

7. Final Act: The Cliffside Cave Trap

• [17:45] – [23:38]
  • Steve meets a handler (Bogota) and, along with two others, Maria Delgada (undercover herself) and old man Pimentel, is led to a hidden cliffside cave to await the boat.
  • Steve realizes the operation leaders intend to kill them and take their money, as they have done before.
    • “Instead of a ticket to the United States, they get a ticket to the morgue.” (Steve Mitchell, 22:58)

8. Twists and Showdown

• [22:34] – [23:07]
  • The master villain is revealed: the "Perez" Steve met at the pet shop was an impostor who had already murdered the real Perez.
  • Steve’s identity is blown, and the smugglers prepare to dispose of all witnesses.
  • Pimentel heroically rushes the entrance to draw the smugglers' fire, hoping noise will attract the daily police launch.

9. Escape Through the Cave

• [24:26] – [27:18]
  • Steve deduces there must be a back entrance (evidenced by a draft).
  • In the confusion as the police launch approaches, Steve and Maria escape into the cave’s flooded tunnel.
  • The impostor Perez pursues them. In the darkness, Steve ambushes and overcomes the villain.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Steve’s Motivation:

  • “I'm thinking of Alan Prescott dangling at the end of that bell rope.” (Steve, 15:57)

• The Impostor's Revelation:

  • “The real Perez is dead, Mitchell... You assumed I was Perez. I played along with you... I threw his body in the bay.” (Impostor Perez, 22:46)

• Old Pimentel’s Sacrifice:

  • “What happens to me is not important. I'm old, sick. This way, perhaps I can prevent Perez from taking the dreams of others and ruining them as he did mine.” (Pimentel, 25:03)

• Steve’s Dry Humor (Final Scene):

  • “That was just a parrot, Commissioner.”
    “Parrot?”
    “Yeah, from Perez’s pet shop. He took a shine to me, I guess...”
    “‘Drop dead, Steve!’” (28:09–28:36)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:07] – Steve receives the assignment regarding Prescott’s death.
• [05:54] – Perez claims impending new information.
• [07:30] – Discovery of the five drowned bodies.
• [11:12] – Maria’s uncle Emilio Delgado identified in the U.S.
• [15:45] – Steve plans undercover operation as "Nick Grotto."
• [19:14] – Steve enters the hidden cliffside cave.
• [22:34] – Identity of the real smuggling ringleader (Impostor Perez) is revealed.
• [25:03] – Pimentel’s self-sacrifice to attract the police.
• [27:09] – Steve defeats the villain in the flooded cave tunnel.
• [28:09–28:36] – Closing comedic parrot exchange.

Tone & Style

• Direct, urgent, and hardboiled: Steve’s manner is gruff and quick-witted, but tinged with determination and loyalty to friends.
• Atmospheric suspense: Set in shadowy fishing villages and echoing caves, the sound design heightens danger and intrigue.
• Touches of humor: The recurring theme with Perez’s parrot provides levity after tense moments.

Summary

This episode encapsulates the essence of old-time radio detective drama: high-stakes international intrigue, ruthless criminal masterminds, clever deducing, and ultimate heroism. As Steve Mitchell unravels the layers of the smuggling operation, he faces betrayal, peril, and ultimately justice, with classic noir atmosphere and doses of dry wit.