Podcast Summary: “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Mei-Ling Buddha Matter” (06/28/1959)

Episode Date: November 24, 2025
Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio

Overview

This episode of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" features insurance investigator Johnny Dollar as he unravels the mysterious disappearance of the Mei-Ling Buddha, one of the world’s most valuable jade statues. The investigation takes Dollar from an insurance office in Hartford to Boston and across the ocean to the shadowy antique shops of Paris. As he digs deeper, Johnny uncovers a web of betrayal and deception hidden beneath a layer of dust and loyalty.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Progression

1. The Case Emerges: The Mei-Ling Buddha

[01:18–02:54]

• Marty Bruce of Worldwide Mutual contacts Johnny Dollar after hearing that the Mei-Ling Buddha—insured for $40,000—may have surfaced in a Paris antique shop.
• The Buddha was believed to be securely locked in the Boston home of its late owner, Darryl Harcourt.
• Quote:
  “It's probably the most valuable piece of jade there is. A little statue not more than three, three and a half inches high, made during the Meiling dynasty.”—Marty Bruce [01:26]

2. Tracking a Lead in Paris

[03:14–05:14]

• Johnny contacts his Parisian informant, De Marsal (the Gray Cat), who confirms seeing the Buddha at Monsieur Dubuisson's shop on the Rue de Pas de la Mo.
• The Buddha is priced at 32 million francs (~$80,000), implying it’s authentic and highly desired on the international market.
• Quote:
  “Yes, I know it well… I saw it only this morning here in Paris.”—De Marsal [04:37]

3. The Locked Study in Boston

[07:00–09:51]

• Johnny visits Mrs. Mary Haskell, Harcourt’s devoted housekeeper, to inspect the study where the Buddha should be. She insists the room has been locked since Harcourt’s death, and no one else has a key.
• The study appears undisturbed, with thick layers of dust reinforcing her claim.
• Quote:
  “I locked the door and it hasn't been opened since. Except that…”—Mrs. Haskell [07:46]

4. The Study is Empty

[10:19–12:33]

• The Buddha is missing from its casket, despite the apparent dust and neglect. Johnny examines possible suspects and questions Mrs. Haskell about who else may have entered the room.
• The only recent visitors were the federal tax man and the estate’s attorney, but both were accompanied.
• Johnny sets out to interview Harcourt’s nephew Charles Curtis and attorney Howard Bancroft.

5. Motives and Red Herrings

[13:17–14:56]

• Bancroft assures Johnny that neither Mrs. Haskell nor Charles Curtis have motive—Curtis is wealthy, a model student, and planned to donate the Buddha to a museum.
• Suspicion is briefly cast on all who had access, but no direct evidence appears.
• Quote:
  “He's an excellent, hardworking student… he's planned to donate the Mei Ling Buddha to a museum when it comes into his possession.”—Howard Bancroft [14:39–14:56]

6. The Puzzle of the "Dust"

[15:18–17:41]

• Johnny becomes suspicious of the dust itself. He notices the electric fan in the study is clean, unlike the rest of the room.
• He deduces someone could have used fuller’s earth (a cleaning powder used for tapestries) distributed via the fan to fake years of dust, concealing recent entry.
• Quote:
  “I was blind, blind as a bat when I knocked over this electric fan that didn't have any dust on it. Because it's what you used to spread the dust, the fine particles of fuller's earth, all over this room.”—Johnny Dollar [17:26]

7. The Culprit Revealed

[16:01–18:41]

• Investigating Mrs. Haskell’s private quarters, Johnny finds a recent bank deposit of $21,000—far more than her historic balance.
• Pressed, Mrs. Haskell confesses—a mix of resentment for years of low pay and a belief she deserved more led her to steal and fence the Buddha.
• She tries to bribe Johnny; he refuses.
• Quote:
  “No, Mr. Darva. I deserved far more from Mr. Harcourt for my years of service... now I have money. Plenty.”—Mrs. Haskell [17:51]

8. Resolution

[18:41–19:32]

• Johnny brings Mrs. Haskell to justice and notes the Buddha still needs to be recovered from Paris.
• The episode closes as Johnny reflects on the case and his expense report.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On professional intuition:
  “After handling more or less straight insurance cases for so many years, I almost instinctively suspect anyone close to the… well, to the problem at hand.”—Johnny Dollar [14:56]
• On misplaced trust:
  “You simply can't think that he… And anyhow, no one could have gotten here without leaving a trail.”—Mrs. Haskell [12:23]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------| | 01:18 | Introduction of the Mei-Ling Buddha case | | 04:16 | Johnny bargains with De Marsal | | 07:00 | Johnny visits Mrs. Haskell in Boston | | 09:51 | The Buddha is discovered missing | | 13:17 | Interview with attorney Bancroft | | 15:18 | Johnny re-examines the “dust” | | 16:01 | Johnny searches Mrs. Haskell’s quarters | | 17:26 | The fuller's earth trick is revealed | | 17:51 | Mrs. Haskell confesses | | 19:32 | Case closed, Johnny’s reflections |

Tone and Atmosphere

• Wry, perceptive, and procedural: The narration and dialogue preserve Johnny Dollar’s cool professionalism, laced with the era’s characteristic hardboiled wit.
• Atmospheric details: The episode evokes the faded elegance of an old Boston mansion, the intrigue of Paris’s antique underworld, and the low, resigned desperation of Mrs. Haskell.

Conclusion

In classic “Johnny Dollar” fashion, a simple insurance query snowballs into an international caper hiding betrayal behind a façade of loyalty—proving even locked rooms and years of dust might be just another cover for human greed. Johnny’s sharp eye for detail, especially the clean fan amid the dust, clinches the case and brings the episode to its satisfying, old-radio close.