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John Lang
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@ChoiceClassicRadio.com
Announcer
the Adventures of Michael Shane, Private Detective. The people who make 76 gasoline and Triton motor oil. Union Oil Company present. The adventures of michael shane, private detective. Starring wally mayer and kathy lewis. Excitement and danger are the salt and
Narrator
pepper in Mike Shane's recipe for life. But at this particular moment, Mike seems fresh out of spice and seasoning. Life is very dull for our detective friend. So dull, in fact, he almost yawns right in the very pretty face of his secretary, Phyllis Knight.
Michael Shane
Ten minutes to four. You've had that poetry book propped under your nose since lunch.
Phyllis Knight
Well, certainly. If I'm going to write poetry reviews, I've got to read them.
Michael Shane
Exactly three people have walked through that door today. One bill collector and two guys asking where they could mike where they could comb their hair.
Phyllis Knight
Three plus one equals four.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
You, sir, are Mr. Michael Shane, the private detective.
Michael Shane
If it's all right with you, ma',
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
am, I am mad. Once again, Madame Gerlaine Tolo. But of course, I shouldn't expect a detective to know.
Phyllis Knight
And the opera star, of course. Won't you have a chair, please?
Michael Shane
The other one, Phil. It's strong, more comfortable.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Young man, I weigh 230 pounds. If this chair won't hold me, I'll let you know.
Michael Shane
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
A big voice means a big body. Did you ever hear a voice from one of those little musical comedy whippets?
Phyllis Knight
No.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
No more voice than a sick grasshopper.
Phyllis Knight
Madame Tiller, you wish to see Mr. Shane about some problem? A case, of course.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
What did I come here for? It's in my purse. Here. Read this letter.
Michael Shane
Thank you, Madam. This is your last warning. If the book is published, you will not be here to enjoy the pain it causes. That's all. It's unsigned.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
This is the second one I have received in the past two weeks.
Phyllis Knight
What on earth does it mean? The book?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
My memoirs. Everybody knows I am writing them. A lot of famous people will lose sleep when they read what I. Madame, Je Laine Torlo has told about them. But I want to live to enjoy it.
Michael Shane
You. You wish me to investigate who's sending you these notes?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
I do.
Michael Shane
I'm sorry, madam, I'm not a press agent. Writers have tried this publicity stunt before.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Why, you young caution.
Leonora Burrell
Very well.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
I'll go to a good detective.
Michael Shane
I wish you luck, madam.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
I like you, young man, you talk back to me and don't apologize.
Michael Shane
Only in months, spelt with an R.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
I admit I like publicity, Mr. Shane. I love to see my name in print, but not in the obituary.
Phyllis Knight
If you will take the case, I'll
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
give you the names of the people that might have written these notes.
Phyllis Knight
Go ahead, Mike. We wouldn't want anything to really happen to Madame Tullot.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Thank you, my dear. What is your name?
Phyllis Knight
Phyllis. Phyllis Knight. I remember hearing you sing Carmen when I was a little girl.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
You're older than I thought. You like opera? I love it.
Phyllis Knight
Yes, I've got record albums at home of Aida and Carmen. Rigoletto, Cavalier, Arista Cana. Wait a minute. Didn't I see in the papers that you were singing that tonight? The. The benefit series.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Yes, my fifth farewell appearance.
Michael Shane
Coming back to business, madam. You were going to give me some names.
Leonora Burrell
Yes.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
The first one is Roderick MacKenzie of the Newport. MacKenzie's an old suitor of mine.
Michael Shane
Would he threaten to kill you?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
He's come clear out to the coast just to keep his name out of my memoirs. He wants to buy his letters back from me. My dear Ghislaine, he says I was wild, a wild and foolish boy.
Phyllis Knight
But that was long ago.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
There is my family, my circle you're
Michael Shane
writing this down on.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Then there's my ex husband, Edwin Buck. He's got political ambitions, which my book might sour. And Leonora Barille. Madame Barille. To think I have to sing tonight with that Hungarian woot owl. Oh, and one other. Savadal, Our Maestro.
Phyllis Knight
They're all in your memoirs.
Michael Shane
Any others?
Phyllis Knight
Yes.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Savadel, our maestro. E8. It's the air I breathe. Because I won't let Helen marry him.
Phyllis Knight
Helen?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
My secretary, Helen Smith. Oh, the girl thinks she's in love with him. She's too young, too good for him.
Michael Shane
Oh, you might add the secretary to the list, honey.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Helen. I'm possible.
Maestro Sabadel
She couldn't.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
She's no, never.
Michael Shane
Well, we've got four names here. Now, where do I find these people?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Come to the opera tonight. The Figueroa Theater. I will have them all there for you.
Michael Shane
Figueroa Theater. Okay.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
It's a double bill. Pagliacci, then Cavallaria. I sing in the second half.
Phyllis Knight
Oh.
Leonora Burrell
Oh.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Let us meet in my dressing room during the intermission.
Michael Shane
One thing more, madam. Do we have to listen to the opera itself?
Leonora Burrell
Of course.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Someday you can tell your children you heard Madame Ghilaine Tourlo. You will never forget tonight.
Michael Shane
Uh huh. That's what I'm afraid of,
Phyllis Knight
Mike. I wanted to hear the end of Pagliachi.
Michael Shane
Yeah, so do I. It can't end quick enough.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, you're just being childish. You like music and singing.
Michael Shane
Yeah, sure, darling, but when guys get up on the stage and insult each other, I want to enjoy it in English.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, my.
Maestro Sabadel
Yes. Oh. Oh.
Michael Shane
We thought this was Madame Turlo's dressing room. I'm sorry.
Maestro Sabadel
It is. Madam is no come here yet.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, well, we were to meet her here in her dressing room. Can we come in and wait?
Maestro Sabadel
I am waiting to see her.
Michael Shane
Okay, we'll make it a threesome. The names are Ms. Knight and Mike Shane.
Maestro Sabadel
So I am Savadel the Maestro.
Phyllis Knight
But I thought you were conducting Cavallaria.
Maestro Sabadel
Only, madame. Oh, Diavolo, she is late. Late. Excuse me. Hello? Hello, Madame, the time I wait and wait and wait. So, see, they are here.
Narrator
You.
Maestro Sabadel
Mr. Shane, she want to talk. Oh, thank you.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Hello, Monsieur Shane. I am going to be late. A certain person has been here at the house trying to tear up my memoirs.
Michael Shane
What? Who?
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
I'll tell you when I get to the theater. Come back to the dressing room after the performance of where?
Michael Shane
Goodbye.
Maestro Sabadel
I want to talk to her.
Michael Shane
I'm sorry, Maestro. She hung up.
Maestro Sabadel
Oh, that woman. That big girl will not stand to this. I warn her. No, we're doing it. Do what?
Michael Shane
Hey, hey, just a second.
Phyllis Knight
There. That, my dear, is what we artists call temperament. Fortissimo.
Michael Shane
Yeah, well, I've got a plainer name for it. Come on, darling, let's go back to our seats and join the other sufferers.
Phyllis Knight
Mike. Hey, that man conducting the orchestra, he doesn't look like Sabadel.
Michael Shane
You're right. It's the same bald head who umpired the first opera.
Phyllis Knight
Yeah, but Sabadel said he would wonder what it means.
Michael Shane
Don't ask me, darling. The only thing I know about grand opera is the price of our tickets.
Phyllis Knight
Hey, that's. That's awfully funny. Well, this is the last part of the prelude, and right now the tenor's supposed to be singing off stage.
Michael Shane
The curtain's going up.
Phyllis Knight
There's nobody on the stage.
Michael Shane
Somebody's coming out from the wings.
Edwin Buck
Now.
Phyllis Knight
It's Sabadel.
Maestro Sabadel
Ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, please. I am regret to announce there will be tonight no Cavalleria.
Michael Shane
Bruce Stakhan.
Maestro Sabadel
I have to announce there is a tragedy. Our soprano, Madame Turlo, is dead.
Narrator
We'll return to Mike and Phyllis in just a moment. Many motorists blame poor mileage, sluggish pickup and inferior engine performance on wartime gasoline. Now it's true that all civilian gasoline must be restricted in quantity and quality due to government regulations. But if you've been having trouble with a rough motor or your gas coupons don't seem to go quite as far as they used to, ask yourself this. How long has it been since my spark plugs were checked? You see, spark plugs have a lot to do with engine performance. If they're old or burned or dirty, they won't fire properly and they waste gasoline. In fact, engineering tests show that defective plugs can waste one tankful of gasoline out of 10. Now there's no reason why anyone should put up with this condition when it's so easy to have your Union Oil Minuteman check your spark plugs. Union Oil spark plug inspection is scientifically performed. The condition of each plug is carefully measured on a special machine and you can see the results for yourself. If your plugs are dirty, the minuteman will clean and adjust them. The cost of this service is only a few cents per plug and you'll soon save that in extra mileage. You'll find Union Oil minuteman ready to serve you wherever you see the sign of the big orange and blue 76. The sudden death of Madame Turlo has been announced from the opera stage. It's a few minutes later. Mike and Phyllis are at the home of the dead singer. As they hurry through the entrance hall, Inspector Faraday is explaining.
Inspector Faraday
Well, for once, Mike, I beat you to the scene. The old lady started to phone the police but never completed the call. One of our operators heard gunshots over
Michael Shane
the phone, so you hightailed it right over.
Inspector Faraday
Yeah, when somebody at the opera phoned for her, I gave him the news. This is the living room. The bodies. Well, you can see for yourself.
Phyllis Knight
But. But Inspector, there are two of them.
Michael Shane
Yeah, as bloody as grand Opera itself. Oh, and when she came to our office, I thought it was a publicity stunts. Mike. Shane, you were here.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, Mike, you couldn't possibly know.
Inspector Faraday
I haven't had time to identify the other body. It's a woman of, I'd say 25 or 26.
Phyllis Knight
That's probably Helen Smith, the secretary. Only we knew who was here with Madame Tullo. And she telephoned you at the theater.
Michael Shane
Yeah, there's somebody who had just tried to destroy her manuscript.
Inspector Faraday
So that's what it was.
Michael Shane
A manuscript.
Inspector Faraday
One of my boys found a pile of paper over there in the fireplace. A lot of it is burned up.
Michael Shane
Uh huh. Looks like some old photographs and letters too.
Inspector Faraday
Oh, maybe that's the corner. Be right back, kids.
Michael Shane
Okay.
Phyllis Knight
Look at these, Mike. Here. These pages didn't burn.
Michael Shane
Chapter five. My husband. There never was a more dashing, gallant figure of a man than Edwin Buck. There's something screwy here. She's giving him a gold plated Oscar. Unless it's supposed to be sarcasm.
Phyllis Knight
Her desk looks as if she'd been working on a manuscript, Mike. A lot of typewriter paper and carbon sheets. Only used a couple of times.
Michael Shane
Good, good. You know what to do with them, Mike.
Phyllis Knight
What are you staring at?
Michael Shane
Blood stains on the carpet. They trail from the phone over here to the piano where she dies.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, she must have clutched at the music rack as she fell. There's music all over the floor.
Michael Shane
Uh huh. She's got a couple of sheets crumpled in her hand. Looks like they were torn out of something.
Phyllis Knight
I see. That's part of an opera score. An aria from Rigoletto.
Inspector Faraday
Court.
Michael Shane
I G on I Vow Ra Z Mike.
Phyllis Knight
Cosciane vill rotsi Saberton aria.
Michael Shane
I thought she was a soprano.
Maestro Sabadel
Mamma Mia.
Michael Shane
Hello, Sabadel.
Maestro Sabadel
No, don't touch her.
Inspector Faraday
I don't know who these men are, but they all insist they're special friends of Mad Turlo. What's your name, sir?
Edwin Buck
Edwin Buck. I was once her husband.
Inspector Faraday
And you?
Roderick MacKenzie
Roderick McKenzie. I've known Shane for. Well, a long time.
Michael Shane
I was supposed to meet all three of you gentlemen this evening about certain threatening letters sent to Madame Turlo.
Narrator
So I understand.
Inspector Faraday
Have you got those letters, Mike?
Phyllis Knight
I have one, Inspector. Here in my purse.
Michael Shane
Maestro Sa. When we were in the dressing room with you, you blew your top about madam. You said you had warned her and now you would do it. Do what, Maestro?
Maestro Sabadel
I was. I was meaning for Helen.
Michael Shane
Madam.
Maestro Sabadel
She said we cannot marry. I'm say Madame Turlo have no right to stop us. Tonight I'm at a side. No more talk. We do it.
Michael Shane
And where did you go when you slammed out?
Maestro Sabadel
First I go for a walk. Get over my temper. Then I phone Madame. She's a very late.
Michael Shane
Let's say she's a dead. Just a bug. You came here for some reason, but you're very quiet.
Edwin Buck
Yes, I. It's so horrible.
Michael Shane
And how long ago were you divorced from Madame Turlow?
Edwin Buck
About 18 years.
Michael Shane
I understand you have political ambitions. Is that right?
Edwin Buck
I hope to run for congress.
Michael Shane
And what your ex wife wrote about you might do your opponents more good than you.
Edwin Buck
Why no. From all Ghislaine told me, she wrote rather well of me.
Phyllis Knight
From all she told us. That wasn't her idea.
Inspector Faraday
Can you tell us, Mr. Buck, where you were during the past hour.
Edwin Buck
Why, certainly. At the opera.
Michael Shane
De. Here's your lane, Mr. Mackenzie. I believe you made a special trip here from New York to keep your name out of these memoirs.
Roderick MacKenzie
There's no crime in that.
Michael Shane
You tried to buy your letters back for madam.
Maestro Sabadel
I did.
Roderick MacKenzie
I have my family to think of my social standing. Some of my letters were, well, full of youthful enthusiasm. I was afraid Ghislaine would distort them.
Inspector Faraday
Mr. MacKenzie, where were you during the past hour?
Roderick MacKenzie
I was at the opera.
Maestro Sabadel
No, no, that is one a lie. He was here. I'm see him.
Inspector Faraday
All right, Mackenzie dropped the innocent act. What were you doing here?
Roderick MacKenzie
Well, if you must know, I. I came to talk to Ghislaine's secretary. And I was going to bribe her to steal my letters for me. But nobody answered the door. I never got in. You can't prove anything on me except
Michael Shane
that you're a poor liar, sir. That goes for all of you. Any one of you three could have sneaked up here from the opera and killed these women. Inspector.
Inspector Faraday
Yes, Mike?
Michael Shane
Madam has some. Some of the musical score in her right hand. I want to borrow it for an hour or so. But, Mike, that's evident. Nothing's going to happen to an inspector. And honey, if you'll give me the keys to your apartment, please.
Phyllis Knight
What? I'll go with you.
Michael Shane
No, no, no. I want you here to sort of observe the proceedings. Mr. Shannon, please, I want to talk with you.
Maestro Sabadel
It must be private.
Michael Shane
Inspector Faraday will be glad to hear anything you have to say. Maestro. I'll be seeing you, children. Oh, angel, you dropped your handkerchief.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, thanks.
Inspector Faraday
All right, Mr. Sabadel, what was it you wanted to tell Mike?
Maestro Sabadel
Oh, it's like I say, it's a private.
Inspector Faraday
Okay, I suppose it's private. Why? You came here earlier and saw Mackenzie.
Maestro Sabadel
I'm already telling. I come to see Helen and say to madam that we get married. But nobody's. Open the front door. They're already dead, Inspector.
Michael Shane
Now what?
Phyllis Knight
This isn't my handkerchief. It's got the initials LB of course. Leonor Beryl, the singer. Her name was on our list, too.
Inspector Faraday
Then she must have been here.
Michael Shane
We're knee deep in suspects.
Phyllis Knight
Well, maybe this one is the fish we're really after. See you later, Inspector.
Michael Shane
Hey, Phil, where you going?
Phyllis Knight
Where do you suppose? Right.
Leonora Burrell
Inspector, I. I hope you will excuse my appearance. But I will. I am sworn strung from this shock.
Phyllis Knight
Yes, yes, I understand. Ms. Barrera, she leaning that way.
Leonora Burrell
We were such good friends. She was Like a mother to me.
Phyllis Knight
Yes, yes. Did you see it today?
Leonora Burrell
Today? Oh, no, no. Oh, my eyes. Mascara.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, here. Here, use this.
Leonora Burrell
Oh, thank you.
Phyllis Knight
You buy very expensive handkerchiefs, Ms. Burrell.
Leonora Burrell
What?
Phyllis Knight
That handkerchief. It's yours. You dropped it in the living room. Ghislaine to Lowe's living room. Oh, you did see her today, didn't you? In fact, this evening. How did you know? I didn't. There's a shot in the dark. I see you use a typewriter.
Leonora Burrell
What are you doing?
Phyllis Knight
Just checking something.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Will not be.
Phyllis Knight
Yep, it's the same. It is the same. What? The letter E on your typewriter. Exactly like the E in the note threatening the life of Ghislaine Tallott. All right. I was trying to scare her.
Leonora Burrell
She had me in her memoirs. I am trying to get my husband back. But if Salvador reads the malicious way she twisted things.
Phyllis Knight
He's your husband.
Leonora Burrell
And our divorce became final last month. But I am going to get him back.
Phyllis Knight
He was going to elope with Helen. So you got rid of the girl. Then you had to kill the other woman.
Leonora Burrell
I kill. Get out of here.
Phyllis Knight
Get out of here. Gladly. Gladly. I think you've told me all we
Maestro Sabadel
need to do with women. They tell her too much.
Phyllis Knight
How did you get here?
Maestro Sabadel
The inspector. He's a turn loose. Everybody but Mr. McKenzie. Now I talk to you.
Phyllis Knight
No, you don't.
Maestro Sabadel
You stay, sir. But I want to talk.
Leonora Burrell
You let go of me.
Phyllis Knight
Stop it.
Maestro Sabadel
Stop it.
Leonora Burrell
She's getting away.
Phyllis Knight
Sister. I am away. Mike, she was lying every minute of the time. Because everything that she said.
Michael Shane
Please, angel, please give it to me slow. I can't get it all at once.
Phyllis Knight
Well, listen, all right. Faraday has turned everybody loose except Mackenzie. He's holding the wrong man.
Michael Shane
It could be, but Inspector Faraday must have his reasons.
Phyllis Knight
But the handkerchief. Leonor Beryl admitted she was with Madame Tillot tonight. And she was married to Sabadel.
Michael Shane
Yeah, so you said.
Phyllis Knight
But doesn't all this mean anything to you? Sabadel tried to keep me in that apartment.
Michael Shane
Mm. Men try that occasionally. By the way, did you check madam's carbon paper?
Phyllis Knight
I did not. I found more important things to do.
Michael Shane
Phyllis.
Phyllis Knight
I told you, Mike, stop fiddling with that phonograph and listen to me. Leonor Barrel sent those threatening letters. She wanted Sabadel back, but he was going to elope with Helen. Don't you think Leonor would be mad enough to kill her? Angelaine to low.
Michael Shane
If you think that, why were you so scared of Sabadel?
Leonora Burrell
Because.
Phyllis Knight
Because they're in it together.
Edwin Buck
Mm.
Michael Shane
Oh, by the way, honey, have you got some extra phonograph needles? This one's getting scratchy.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, Mike, what's my.
Michael Shane
Something wrong?
Phyllis Knight
Yes, you. I beat my brains out trying to help you on this case. You just stand there gawking at sheet music and phonograph records.
Michael Shane
Excuse, please. Put the doorbell.
Phyllis Knight
That's the apartment phone, stupid. Down by the mailboxes.
Michael Shane
I'll get it. Probably. Inspector Faraday.
Announcer
Hello.
Maestro Sabadel
Please, Mr. Phyllis A. Knight.
Michael Shane
Well, who is it and what do you want?
Maestro Sabadel
Senor Sabadel. I must see her at once.
Michael Shane
Look, mister. Look, this is Mike Shane. If you come around here to Pastor Phyllis, I'll pin you.
Maestro Sabadel
Please, I want to talk to both of you. It's a secret. I have an idea. Hello?
Michael Shane
Hello?
Phyllis Knight
Hello?
Michael Shane
Hello?
Maestro Sabadel
Mr. Shan?
Michael Shane
Yeah?
Maestro Sabadel
The aria. The aria.
Michael Shane
Sabadel. Sabadel.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
What's wrong?
Michael Shane
Somerdale.
Narrator
In just a moment we'll return to
Announcer
Michael Shane and his adventures.
Narrator
A few minutes ago we mentioned some of the reasons why clean spark plugs are important to the efficient performance of an automobile engine. Now, while you're having your spark plugs checked, it's a good idea to ask the minuteman to look at your ignition cables too. These cables are the small fine wires which deliver electricity to the spark plugs if any of them are broken or frayed or the insulation damaged. Even brand new plugs won't help your driving. You see, old or damaged ignition cables leak electricity so that by the time the charge gets to the spark plug, the there isn't enough juice left for the rich spark needed for instant firing. So to get full power out of old engines, ask the Union Oil minuteman to check both spark plugs and ignition cables. Then you'll be sure of more power and better mileage. Just drive in wherever you see the
Announcer
sign of the big orange and blue
Narrator
76 and ask for Union Oil Ignition service. Thank you. For the second time tonight, a phone call has been ended suddenly by a revolver shot. It is minutes later, Mike and Phyllis are standing on the sidewalk outside Phil's apartment house. Two men in white are lifting a limp body onto an ambulance stretcher.
Phyllis Knight
Mike, do you think he'll live?
Michael Shane
Well, the doctor says he will if they get him to the hospital quick enough. Even so, we won't be able to question him for a days and that may be too late.
Phyllis Knight
Not a soul in this crowd saw who did it.
Michael Shane
Somebody decided Sabadel shouldn't talk to us.
Phyllis Knight
Yeah.
Michael Shane
Oh, if I had only listened to him when he tried to tell Me something at Madame Turlo's or you at Leonor Burrell's?
Phyllis Knight
Well, if we just knew what he wanted to tell us.
Michael Shane
I think I have a sneaking hunch, honey.
Phyllis Knight
You have?
Michael Shane
Yep. Well, come on, bright eyes. We're going to phone Inspector Faraday and send out the invitations.
Phyllis Knight
Invitations?
Michael Shane
To a midnight reunion at Madame Turlo's. The guest list will be very selective and slightly dangerous. Good evening, Inspector.
Phyllis Knight
Hello, Inspector.
Michael Shane
You round up everybody?
Inspector Faraday
I did. They're in the living room. Come on in.
Michael Shane
Okay.
Inspector Faraday
That package under your arm, Mike, what is it?
Michael Shane
Patience. Mean I, patients, everything in due time.
Inspector Faraday
Mike, you tell me on the phone that Mackenzie was innocent and released him.
Maestro Sabadel
Well, I haven't.
Phyllis Knight
You mean you've got proof on him?
Inspector Faraday
Mackenzie came clear across the continent just to stop Madame Tolo from publishing that book. He admits he was going to bribe her secretary to steal the stuff for him. And Savadel placed him here at the house at or about the time of the killing.
Michael Shane
That's enough for me. There's just one hitch, Inspector. How about the killer trying to remove Sabadel, too, at the very time you had Mackenzie at headquarters.
Inspector Faraday
Say, that's right.
Phyllis Knight
Yeah, unless Savadel's ex wife did it in a fit of anger.
Inspector Faraday
Oh, Miss Burrittle, this is Mr. Shane.
Leonora Burrell
So I understand I have you to thank for dragging me out at this unearthly hour.
Michael Shane
Yes, Mr. Buck. How are you?
Edwin Buck
As well as could be expected.
Michael Shane
Phyllis, will you look up those carbon papers now?
Phyllis Knight
Yeah, yeah, right away.
Michael Shane
I believe Inspector Faraday has told you of the shooting of Maestro Sabadel. So the first thing we want to know from both of you is where were you during the past hour?
Edwin Buck
Well, I was at home reading the newspaper story about tonight.
Michael Shane
Oh, an incomplete story, I'm afraid.
Phyllis Knight
And you, Ms. Peru, also at home
Michael Shane
when Ms. Knight left you and Sabadel, or should I say escape from you. What happened?
Phyllis Knight
Nothing. You and Savadel had a fight. He accused you of killing Helen so he couldn't marry her.
Leonora Burrell
I told him I didn't and he said truth.
Michael Shane
All right, all right, all right. Now, honey, how about the carbons?
Phyllis Knight
All checked. Madame Turlo was still working on the chapter. My husband. And we were right the first time. She's anything but flattering to Mr. Buck.
Edwin Buck
Rubbish. She was very kind to me.
Phyllis Knight
Well, here's the carbon sheets. We found them on madam's desk. Never used, only twice. I just held them up in front of my vanity mirror and read what she typed. And it was not flattering.
Edwin Buck
How was I to Know that I thought it was all favorable to me.
Michael Shane
Well, that's a minor issue now. Anyway, the real key is Helen Smith. The secretary.
Inspector Faraday
How do you mean, Mike?
Michael Shane
Madame Turlo was against a marriage between Helen and Sabadel. She told us it would never happen. Now, doesn't that strike any of any of you as a little strange? Employers usually don't have such control over the lives of their secretaries. Okay, Mike, but get to the point. Ah, that is the point, Inspector. And now, you wanted to know what I have in this package.
Inspector Faraday
Yeah, yeah.
Michael Shane
First, the music score. We found in Madame Turlow's hand, a baritone aria from Rigoletto.
Phyllis Knight
The Cottagerne Villarazzi.
Michael Shane
Pronunciation by courtesy of Ms. Phyllis Knight. Thank you, darling. And next, we have Phil's record album of the same opera. Angel, will you warm up the madam's phonograph for me?
Leonora Burrell
If you ask me, this is all very cheap and dramatic.
Michael Shane
Operatic is the word, Ms. Poirot. You see, when Madame Turlo was shot, she made a dying effort to tell us who killed her. And Helen. Especially Helen. She tore a very special aria from the score of Rigoletto in a desperate gamble. Somebody would understand it.
Leonora Burrell
Mr. Shane, I don't believe you are the man to give us a course on opera appreciation.
Michael Shane
Well, we shall see.
Phyllis Knight
Ms. Perrier, photographs ready, Mike?
Michael Shane
Okay, darling. Now, do you people know the plot of Rigoletto and what this aria means?
Leonora Burrell
Well, of course, I have sung Rigoletto.
Edwin Buck
I'm afraid I have only a hazy idea.
Michael Shane
All right, this is the setup. A gang of the Duke's courtiers have just kidnapped a girl. Now, this guy Rigoletto was cursing them. Now he's begging them to give her up, and they won't. Now, he tells them a secret.
Maestro Sabadel
The girl is his own daughter.
Michael Shane
Well, does that mean anything to you, Miss Peril?
Leonora Burrell
Not a thing.
Michael Shane
You, Mr. Buck?
Edwin Buck
I can't say that it does.
Michael Shane
Okay, then I'll put on the other record. Now, this is the end of the opera. The payoff. Ms. Farrell, as an opera star, tell us what's happening on the stage right now.
Phyllis Knight
What?
Leonora Burrell
Rigoletto had planned to kill his enemy, the Duke.
Michael Shane
Right. He has the body in a sack, and then he makes a discovery. Now, listen carefully, Mr. Buck. Rigoletto opens the sack and sees a girl's body. He cries, speak. Oh, speak to me, my darling daughter.
Maestro Sabadel
Oh, awful fate.
Michael Shane
By my hand she hath fallen.
Phyllis Knight
What's what?
Maestro Sabadel
My. My child. Helen was my child.
Phyllis Knight
Helen was Ghislaine's daughter.
Maestro Sabadel
Then. Then Buck is her Father, I. I didn't know. I didn't know.
Michael Shane
Yes, her father and her murderer. There you are, my.
Phyllis Knight
Very well.
Michael Shane
Are you feeling better?
Maestro Sabadel
Ah, Mr. Shand, to you. Bigger. Congratulations. Your work. Bravo. She's the most brilliant.
Michael Shane
Well, thank you, maestro. I thought I was pretty good myself.
Maestro Sabadel
Good.
Inspector Faraday
Buck could hardly add anything to his confession. He hadn't seen his daughter Helen since she was 6 years old. Buck says he just wanted to scare the man him out of publishing a book. Helen tried to grab the gun. It went off. Then he had to shoot again.
Michael Shane
Mr. Savadel, you had something you wanted to tell me privately? Now? Can you talk now?
Maestro Sabadel
Yes, yes, I can. Tonight I see.
Michael Shane
Aria from Rigoletto in a madam's hand.
Maestro Sabadel
The ideas have come to me. Maybe Helen is a nut orphan, the
Michael Shane
way she should think.
Maestro Sabadel
Maybe she is the daughter of Madame and Mr. Buck. The same idea Mr. Shane have. But I must tell in private.
Phyllis Knight
Well, why under the sun would Ghislaine Telleau keep such a secret from her husband and her own daughter?
Maestro Sabadel
We in opera are stranger people. Madame Tello live and breathe opera. She's very dramatic. She's in a joyous secret, just like a storybook.
Michael Shane
Speaking of operas, angel, I noticed you got another record album up at your apartment. Maybe if I studied it, I might get the answer to another problem.
Phyllis Knight
Mike, not another crime.
Michael Shane
Well, a different sort. It's the Marriage of Figaro. Catch on, Miss Nick?
Maestro Sabadel
Then, Mr. Shay, you must have translated better than your Rigoletto.
Michael Shane
But just a minute ago you were complimenting me about.
Maestro Sabadel
See? Honor your thinking. But Yariel. No, I'll never hear such a bad translation.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, my theor. I was so proud of your learning and your culture.
Maestro Sabadel
Well, what about you?
Michael Shane
You didn't correct me. You're supposed to be the highbrow in this partnership.
Phyllis Knight
Oh, I am.
Michael Shane
Opera, music, books, poetry reviews.
Narrator
Climb down off that pedestal, you fake.
Phyllis Knight
Why, Michael Shane?
Inspector Faraday
Bill, there's only one book a man wants a woman to review.
Phyllis Knight
I know, I know. A cookbook.
Maestro Sabadel
Right.
Announcer
Tune in again next week at 8:30 for another adventure with Michael Shane. Private Detective. Starring Wally Mayer and Kathy Lewis. With Joe Forte as Inspector Faraday. Tonight's story was written by Richard Degrave and based on the character created by Brett Holiday. Music was composed and directed by Bernard Katz. This is John Lang saying good night for the people who make 76 gasoline and Triton motor oil. Union Oil Company. This is the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.
Madame Ghislaine Turlo
Ra.
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Michael Shayne: "Big Voice Means a Big Body" (Original Air Date: 05/07/1945)
This episode of Michael Shayne, Private Detective opens with a comedic lull in detective work before quickly launching into a high-drama case. Madame Ghislaine Turlo, a larger-than-life opera diva, seeks Mike Shane’s help after receiving threatening letters concerning her soon-to-be-published memoirs. What starts as a potential publicity stunt turns deadly, as Turlo is soon found murdered, her secretary Helen Smith dead beside her, and a convoluted web of suspects unfolds. The opera world’s rivalries, secrets, and a cryptic operatic clue set the stage for Shayne’s unraveling of the mystery.
[01:27] Madame Ghislaine Turlo bursts into Shane’s office, complaining of threats:
“A big voice means a big body. Did you ever hear a voice from one of those little musical comedy whippets? No more voice than a sick grasshopper.”
—Madame Turlo, [01:55]
She hands Shane an unsigned threatening letter regarding her memoirs, which threaten to embarrass several high-profile associates.
Shane’s initial skepticism gives way when Madame Turlot lists suspects with plausible motives, including her ex-husband Edwin Buck, a former lover Roderick MacKenzie, rival singer Leonora Burrell, and conductor Maestro Sabadel.
“Yeah, sure, darling, but when guys get up on the stage and insult each other, I want to enjoy it in English.”
—Mike Shane, [05:54]
[08:14] During the opera, Sabadel announces Turlo’s sudden death from the stage, shocking the audience:
“Ladies and gentlemen, please. I am regret to announce there will be tonight no Cavalleria... Our soprano, Madame Turlo, is dead.”
—Maestro Sabadel, [08:14]
Mike and Phyllis rush to Turlo's home to find both her and her secretary Helen murdered, surrounded by evidence—a burned manuscript, scattered sheet music, and a torn aria from Rigoletto.
[11:06] Inspector Faraday investigates the scene and interviews suspects (Edwin Buck, Roderick MacKenzie, Maestro Sabadel, and later Leonora Burrell).
Key clues:
“The letter E on your typewriter. Exactly like the E in the note threatening the life of Ghislaine Tallott.”
—Phyllis Knight, [16:53]
[21:03] Shortly after arranging to meet, Sabadel is shot and critically injured in a seemingly targeted attack meant to silence him.
Shane realizes:
“Somebody decided Sabadel shouldn’t talk to us.”
—Michael Shane, [21:37]
[22:56-27:05] In a dramatic midnight confrontation at Turlo's home, Mike assembles the suspects.
He explains the clue left by Turlo: the aria from Rigoletto signifies the victim is "my child." Using an opera record, he prompts the truth:
“He hadn’t seen his daughter Helen since she was 6 years old. Buck says he just wanted to scare the madam out of publishing a book. Helen tried to grab the gun. It went off. Then he had to shoot again.”
—Inspector Faraday, [27:08]
Madame Turlo’s entrance and flamboyant self-awareness:
“A big voice means a big body.”
—Madame Turlo, [01:55]
Shane’s comic dread of the opera:
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
—Michael Shane, [05:31]
The chilling in-performance murder announcement:
“Our soprano, Madame Turlo, is dead.”
—Maestro Sabadel, [08:24]
Phyllis cleverly exposes the origin of the threats:
“Just checking something... the letter E on your typewriter. Exactly like the E in the note threatening the life of Ghislaine Tallott.”
—Phyllis Knight, [16:53]
Climax using the opera Rigoletto as a key to the murder:
“The girl is his own daughter.”
—Maestro Sabadel, [25:42]
The ultimate revelation:
“Helen was my child… Then Buck is her father… I didn't know.”
—Maestro Sabadel & Michael Shane, [26:24-26:38]
Finale’s banter about music, poetry, and cookbooks:
“Climb down off that pedestal, you fake.”
—Narrator, [28:33]
“There's only one book a man wants a woman to review.”
—Inspector Faraday, [28:37]
“A cookbook.”
—Phyllis Knight, [28:40]
| Timestamp | Key Event | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:27 | Madame Turlo hires Mike Shane | | 02:15 | Threatening note revealed | | 05:04 | Suspects named; opera meeting arranged | | 08:14 | Sabadel announces Turlo’s onstage death | | 10:28 | Mike & Phyllis discover two bodies at Turlo’s home | | 12:13 | Key clues: manuscript, sheet music, and blood trail | | 13:35 | Interrogations: Buck, Mackenzie, Sabadel | | 16:49 | Phyllis exposes Burrell’s typewriter as source of threats | | 21:03 | Sabadel shot before revealing key information | | 22:56 | Shane calls for a midnight confrontation of suspects | | 24:28 | Aria clue explained; Rigoletto's meaning unpacked | | 26:24 | Parentage—and murderer—revealed: Helen was Turlo & Buck’s daughter | | 27:08 | Buck confesses killing Helen and Turlo | | 28:03-end | Lighthearted coda and team banter |
The episode alternates between:
“Big Voice Means a Big Body” is a quintessential golden-age radio mystery, blending high-camp opera theatrics and witty detective repartee. Through ribbing and wit, Michael Shayne and Phyllis Knight dissect a deadly intrigue that revolves around the secrets of an operatic star, ultimately unmasking a crime entwined with motherhood, lost love, and fatal misunderstanding. The episode’s clever use of operatic motifs, puzzles, and dramatic misdirection make it both engaging and satisfying—a showcase of radio drama at its best.