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Johnny Dollar
Johnny Deller.
Red Barrett
Johnny, you better come flying out here just about as fast as you can.
Johnny Dollar
Ah, who's that?
Red Barrett
Johnny, this is Red.
Narrator
Yeah?
Johnny Dollar
Red who?
Red Barrett
Well, you know your favorite fishing guide, Red Barrett. That's right.
Johnny Dollar
Lake Mojave Resort out in Arizona.
Red Barrett
Yes, sir.
Johnny Dollar
Well, Red, you old scalawag, how are you? And how's the fishing?
Red Barrett
Just great. That is, if you know where the good holes are.
Johnny Dollar
And believe me, you do.
Red Barrett
Now that's really fact, Johnny. I really do. I guess I'm the best fishing guide this country ever saw.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, and I suppose you think it's time I made another trip out there and tangled with some of those beautiful lunker bass.
Red Barrett
Well, now, John.
Johnny Dollar
It's no good, Red. I just can't do it.
Red Barrett
Now, you.
Johnny Dollar
The way the work is piled up on. I'm just about going crazy. I've been trying to get away for some kind of a vacation for weeks now, but I just can't do it.
Red Barrett
Sounds to me like you need it, too.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, it's been a tough year. No let up at all. Pat McCracken over at Universal Adjustment Bureau. Half a dozen of my other contacts, they've been begging me to take some time off, but I. I just can't, Red. I'm not on a regular payroll. I'm a freelance. So I have to take on every assignment that's handed me whether I like it or not. Look, you mentioned Mr. No use, Red. So don't make me feel any worse by talking about it. Me?
Red Barrett
That was your idea, huh? Did I say anything about fishing until you did?
Johnny Dollar
Oh, now, wait. You mean there's some insurance matter I ought to look into out there?
Red Barrett
It Was this Pat McCracken you mentioned that said I better call you.
Buster Favor
Oh, great.
Johnny Dollar
And he's the one who's been after me to take a rest. So what's happened out there?
Red Barrett
That's the thing. It ain't what has, but what's going to happen. Yeah?
Johnny Dollar
Like what? Come on, get to the point, Red.
Red Barrett
Well, Johnny, when it does happen, well, it's going to be pretty tragic for Lake Mojave Resort.
Johnny Dollar
You mean somebody's trying to wreck the place? Something like that.
Red Barrett
Much worse, Johnny. Much worse.
Johnny Dollar
Well, what is it?
Red Barrett
Well, I just don't think I ought to tell you over the phone.
Johnny Dollar
But, Red, unless I know if somebody
Red Barrett
was to hear Me talking to you this way, Red.
Johnny Dollar
Look.
Red Barrett
And anyhow, you'll find out soon enough when you get here, Johnny, and you won't like it. No, sir.
Johnny Dollar
Red, quit stalling, will ya?
Red Barrett
Of course, if you just want to sit around up there in Hartford and let a terrible thing like this happen without even raising the finger, well, I just can't believe you do that.
Johnny Dollar
Look, will you stop beating around the bush? Red.
Red Barrett
Red, I can't tell you over the phone. It's too often.
Johnny Dollar
Now listen, you old ghost.
Red Barrett
But Johnny, they say this airplane leaves New York city just about 12 o' clock noon.
Johnny Dollar
So what?
Red Barrett
So it'll get you in Las Vegas about 9:45 tonight. Okay?
Johnny Dollar
What do you mean, okay?
Red Barrett
I mean yes, you'd be sure and be on it, and I know you will.
Johnny Dollar
Oh, now look, I can't.
Red Barrett
Goodbye, Johnny.
Buster Favor
Red.
Johnny Dollar
Ah, if that crazy old coat thinks I'm gonna fly all the way out there just because he. And yet, if he was serious.
Narrator
CBS radio brings you Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action packed expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.
Johnny Dollar
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
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Narrator
And now, act one of yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
Johnny Dollar
Expense account submitted by Special investigator Johnny Dollar to the Universal adjustment bureau, Hartford, Connecticut. Attention, Mr. Pat McCracken. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Red mystery matter. That crazy phone call from Red Barrett. I know that wild old character pretty well. I'm fully aware of his faculty for stretching the truth. Making a couple of mountains out of a molehill or two. And once or twice before, I'd wound up making the trip across the country just to wet a fishing line with him. And yet, those other times I'd fallen for his gag, I'd run headlong into serious insurance matters. Trouble with a capital T. And if he really meant what he said about something terrible impending at Lake Mojave Resort, well, there was one way to find out. Expense account item 1, $153 plain fare Hartford to New York to Las Vegas, Nevada. The awesome beauty of the clear night sky over the desert with its billions of stars twinkling in the black sky above. It's something I'll never tire of. The stars seem close enough to reach out and touch them. As the plane hit the glide path down to the landing strip at the south end of Las Vegas. The myriad many colored lights of the city winked and sparkled like the lights on a gigantic Christmas tree. Yeah, from the air, Las Vegas, the fabulous city of chance, is just plain beautiful. I'd like to have stuck around Vegas for a while and tried my hand at some of the casinos and clubs along the gambler's alley they call the Strip. But I had other things to do. So item two was 50 bucks deposit on a rental car. And within minutes after the plane landed, I was heading south and east across the desert down toward Davis Dam, down to Lake Mojave Resort. The desert. Mile after mile of nothing but sand and sagebrush and Joshua trees, of tumbleweed and cactus, of high plateaus and broad windswept mesas. Here and there, the skeleton of some animals perished in the remorse terrible summer sun. And then suddenly, in the middle of it, the life giving waters of Lake Mojave. At the south end of the lake, just above Davis Dam, is the resort with its clean, comfortable motel, a good restaurant, tackle shop and dock. Everything to warm the heart of a fisherman. Yeah. And in the bright light of the moon, I could see the lake itself, calm as a mill pond. That meant that unlike the cold and snow I'd left back east here it was warm and perfect weather for fishing. Took a bit of self control to keep from driving right on down to the doc. Instead, I circled the driveway to the office. As I pulled up to a stop in spite of the hour, someone came out to greet me. It was my old friend Buster Favor, general factotum at the resort.
Buster Favor
Yes, sir, can I help you?
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, Buster, I think you can.
Buster Favor
What? Why, it's Johnny. Dolly.
Johnny Dollar
Now that. Hi, Buster.
Buster Favor
Johnny, it's a miracle.
Johnny Dollar
I don't see why. When I get word there's trouble around here.
Buster Favor
Oh, then you know, huh, Buster?
Johnny Dollar
I only know that something is about
Buster Favor
the police haven't had a chance to get over here yet.
Narrator
The police?
Buster Favor
Johnny, I sure hope he's all right that you can find him.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah. Find who?
Buster Favor
Why, Red.
Johnny Dollar
Red Barrett.
Buster Favor
You mean you didn't know?
Johnny Dollar
Buster, what's happened to him?
Buster Favor
Johnny Red has.
Johnny Dollar
Well, he's disappeared.
Buster Favor
Oh, and I could be awfully wrong. But from the looks of things, Johnny, wait a minute.
Johnny Dollar
You think somebody could have murdered him?
Buster Favor
Come on, take you over to his room. You can see for yourself.
Johnny Dollar
Look, Red phoned me in Hartford, Buster.
Buster Favor
He told me he had some premonition that something was gonna happen to him.
Johnny Dollar
Well, that's just it. He didn't seem worried about himself. All he would say was, well, it
Buster Favor
sure looks like he should have been worried, Johnny. You know.
Johnny Dollar
Holy.
Buster Favor
Yeah.
Johnny Dollar
The room, a housekeeping unit was a shambles. Clothing pulled out of the drawers and closet as though somebody had ransacked the place looking for something.
Buster Favor
That stuff's all part of the uniforms he was wearing while he was working, Johnny. How much personal clothing stuff he had, I don't exactly know.
Johnny Dollar
So if anything, the furniture, though none of it was actually broken, was overturned and cluttering up the floor on the electric range in the kitchenette were the pots and pans he'd apparently used to cook his dinner. Some fish bones lay on a plate on the table.
Buster Favor
Probably one of the bass he caught this afternoon. Poor old fella went out fishing as usual, not realizing what was gonna happen to him after he came back here and had to suffer.
Johnny Dollar
Now, wait. Wait a minute, Buster.
Buster Favor
Yeah, Johnny.
Johnny Dollar
That he left here in a hurry is pretty obvious.
Buster Favor
Or his body was hauled out of.
Johnny Dollar
But I still don't see anything to indicate he was murdered or even badly hurt.
Buster Favor
Look here.
Johnny Dollar
Then look, Buster, you know as well as I do how unpredictable Red is. Always getting restless. Always talking about going somewhere else, doing something else.
Buster Favor
I know.
Johnny Dollar
Look, he's told me a dozen times about a gold mine he hoped to go to back there and work someday 50 or 60 miles north of here, up near Lake Mead. He's told me about offers to work as a guide for other fishing spots. Johnny. So what makes you think he didn't just pack up and leave for some other place, some other job, without letting us know?
Buster Favor
And leaving things this way, Fred.
Johnny Dollar
Sure. Sure, he was. So unless you can show me some good.
Buster Favor
Oh, yeah, Johnny, it's blood there on the floor. I'm sure of it.
Johnny Dollar
It's blood, all right.
Buster Favor
It still hasn't even dried either.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, I see. All right, when did you find he was missing?
Buster Favor
When? Ham Pratt. What?
Johnny Dollar
Do you remember Ham, the manager of this place? Sure.
Buster Favor
Well, after supper, Ham came over here to talk to him. And, well, this is what he found.
Johnny Dollar
Do you know of any enemies he may have had, Red?
Buster Favor
Oh, no, sir. Of course, all of us used to get out of patience with him now and then. Some of the crazy things he'd do the wild stories he'd tell. But there wasn't one of us didn't love the crusty old coot. Same thing applied to everybody else who knew him.
Johnny Dollar
Then why? Why would anybody want to do him in?
Buster Favor
I don't know. I can't figure it out. But it sure looks like somebody did.
Johnny Dollar
Johnny.
Buster Favor
You can see the evidence yourself.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, maybe.
Buster Favor
What do you mean by that?
Johnny Dollar
Red's phone call that brought me out here. If he'd thought that he himself was in danger, don't you think he would have said so?
Buster Favor
Yeah, I guess Red would have built it up too. Would have made it sound real dramatic.
Narrator
Sure he would. Sure he would.
Johnny Dollar
But instead he told me something tragic was gonna happen to the resort. Like what, Buster?
Buster Favor
Like nothing I can possibly think of. But now. Johnny, there's blood on the floor.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah. Hey, they'd. Red have a car?
Buster Favor
Yeah.
Johnny Dollar
Where is it?
Buster Favor
It's gone, Johnny. Whoever did. Well, did. Whatever they did to him must have used it to carry away his body.
Johnny Dollar
If they.
Buster Favor
Poor old Buster.
Ham Pratt
I've just got a lead on it.
Johnny Dollar
Oh, I am.
Buster Favor
Come in.
Ham Pratt
You see, I phoned everybody up and
Johnny Dollar
down the lake to look out for Johnny. Sam, how are you?
Ham Pratt
Buster's told you about Red.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah. And in spite of this so called evidence around here, I still don't.
Buster Favor
John, he simply doesn't believe that Red was murdered.
Ham Pratt
But there's blood on the floor. The way things were left around or. Johnny, have you some reason for thinking he wasn't?
Johnny Dollar
First, I want some definite reason why he was. If you want the truth, I think you've both gone overboard about this.
Ham Pratt
Are you kidding?
Johnny Dollar
Give me a reason. A reason? For killing him? For anybody killing him. Just one good reason.
Ham Pratt
Well, now, Johnny.
Buster Favor
Johnny, there's blood on the floor.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah? Yeah, this. Hmm.
Buster Favor
What?
Ham Pratt
What is it?
Buster Favor
Johnny?
Johnny Dollar
Johnny, you haven't called in the police yet.
Buster Favor
Oh, I was just about to when you arrived.
Johnny Dollar
Don't you think I'd better call them then, right away?
Buster Favor
Yeah, Johnny, why don't you do that?
Ham Pratt
No, no, I've done something better, Johnny. I spread the word up and down the lake, all the way up the Colorado river by telephone. And listen, it's. It's paid off. That's what I came in here to tell you about. Well, I just got word that a car, same description as Red Barrett's, that it was seen pulling off Highway 93 about 33 miles this side of Boulder City.
Johnny Dollar
Hups.
Buster Favor
What? What, Johnny?
Johnny Dollar
You want me to find poor old Red, huh? Well, of course, if the police.
Buster Favor
Poor Old fella still alive.
Johnny Dollar
And maybe I will. And when I do, I have a sneaking suspicion I may have a score to settle with you two.
Ham Pratt
Now just a minute, Johnny. If you mean to imply that either of us did.
Narrator
Hear me.
Johnny Dollar
I didn't say that.
Buster Favor
Johnny.
Johnny Dollar
What do you mean you don't know, buster?
Buster Favor
Well, if you think you can find Red and if I can be of any help to you.
Johnny Dollar
No, no, no. That's exactly what I don't want.
Ham Pratt
Well, now, Johnny, just let me work
Johnny Dollar
out this little mystery myself. Well, of course. No help. No interference from either of you.
Buster Favor
Johnny, this isn't like you. I don't understand.
Johnny Dollar
You don't?
Buster Favor
I swear it.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, we'll see.
Narrator
Act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment.
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Welcome recording star, Mel Torme.
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Narrator
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Johnny Dollar
Four way.
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Narrator
Now here's a word about another fine product of Grove Laboratories. To get rid of embarrassing dandruff in three minutes, change to Fitch Dandruff Remover Shampoo. Three minutes with Fitch regularly is guaranteed to keep unsightly dandruff away forever. Apply Fitch before wetting hair. Rub in one minute. Add water, lather one minute, then rinse. One minute. Every trace of dandruff goes down the drain. Three minutes with Fitch and embarrassing dandruff's gone. At the same time, Fitch can brighten hair up to 35%. Get Fitch Dandruff Remover Shampoo today. And now act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar and the Red Mystery Matter.
Johnny Dollar
Suddenly things have begun to add up. Yeah, from right in the beginning, when Red had mentioned over the phone that he'd Talked with Pat McCracken at Universal Adjustment Bureau. Had Red called Pat or vice versa? And there was the lamp there in Red's room. Apparently knocked to the floor in a struggle. But not even the bulb was broken. The clothes that were left, only the uniforms he'd worn while at work. Was that supposed to mean that the only personal things he had were those he was wearing when he disappeared? Hardly. Then there was that spot of blood on the floor. A fish scale. A single scale in the middle of it. I had no microscope to Examine that blood. Probably wouldn't have known how to use it anyway. But I had a sneaking suspicion there was something very, very. Yeah. Knowing Red and Ham and buster and Pat McGraggin pretty well. Okay. The first thing I did after Ham and Buster left me alone was to look over the room again. And yes, one parcel of equipment that should have been there was conspicuously absent. I went down to the boat dock and found the old Arkansas Traveler that Red had always used to fish in. Uh huh. It was empty. Absolutely empty of the stuff I knew he always kept in it.
Ham Pratt
Johnny.
Johnny Dollar
Wow. What are you doing up and around this time of night, Ham?
Ham Pratt
Oh, just sort of checking up on things.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, or checking up on me.
Ham Pratt
Oh, now, Johnny, you hoping to find some lead on Red there and his boat?
Johnny Dollar
I found exactly what I expected.
Buster Favor
Ham?
Johnny Dollar
Nothing.
Ham Pratt
I don't understand. Don't you, Johnny? What goes with you? You've certainly been acting kind of feisty this trip.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, well, I'm sorry.
Ham Pratt
Now, if you feel you have some lead on Red, on what may have happened to him.
Johnny Dollar
Well, yeah. Yeah, I think I have. And you helped to give it to me.
Ham Pratt
I did.
Johnny Dollar
But there's no point in following it up till morning. What?
Ham Pratt
What is the lead?
Johnny Dollar
No help, no interference, remember?
Ham Pratt
Okay, Johnny, whatever you say. No use doing anything till morning.
Johnny Dollar
That's right.
Buster Favor
And you?
Johnny Dollar
Well. Well what?
Ham Pratt
I'm just thinking. Remember a couple of moonlight nights like this when you were here before? How you and I took the work boat, a couple of fishing rods, how we plugged those deep coves just above the dam.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, we took some nice fish out
Buster Favor
of there, didn't we?
Red Barrett
Yeah.
Ham Pratt
I'm going to be blunt with you, Johnny. You aren't yourself. You're a bundle of nerves. Been working too hard.
Johnny Dollar
Yeah, much too hard.
Ham Pratt
Well, one great cure for that. Why don't we go out there and pick us up a couple of nice baths?
Johnny Dollar
Okay? Why not?
Ham Pratt
Unless of course, you feel you ought to do something more about finding Red.
Johnny Dollar
I told you, no more until morning. I also told you I. Oh, I. I'm sorry. Let's go fishing.
Buster Favor
Sure, Johnny,
Johnny Dollar
I understand. Yeah, I. I guess you do. Maybe I had been a little feisty, as Hammond put it. And he was right about the fishing. Out there in the smooth black water with the bright moonlight overhead. When those two six pounders hit my lure and I carefully played them into the boat, believe me, they did more to bring me back to normal than anything else in the world.
Red Barrett
Could it.
Johnny Dollar
That night, for the first time in weeks, I slept like A baby. Then first thing in the morning. Well, the whole thing really wasn't too hard to figure out. Red was a fisherman every day of his life. But I'd found no sign of his tackle there in the rope or in the boat he'd always used. In other words, no matter how or why he'd left, he himself must have taken those things with him. Also his personal clothes and stuff. But naturally not. The uniforms that belong to the resort. The blood on the floor from one of the bass he'd had for dinner. Carefully put there after he turned the room inside out. As for his whereabouts, Ham had given me the clue. When he told me Red's car had been seen at the highway turn off. 33 miles south of Boulder City. That turnoff led to only one place. A fishing camp at the lower end of Lake Mead known as Temple Bar. And when I got there, sure enough, waiting for me in his outboard beside the dock. Red Barrett.
Red Barrett
All ready for you, Johnny.
Johnny Dollar
Why, Red, you rascal. Got a extra rod and reel and
Red Barrett
a bucket of live bait. You and me will go out there and slay him. Get in, Johnny. Get in.
Johnny Dollar
Sure, Red. Why not?
Red Barrett
Ah, it's a boy. Here we go. Yeah, I just knew a smart man like you could track me down.
Johnny Dollar
Hey, you're working here now, huh? Well, I got kind of restless and
Red Barrett
thought maybe I'd make a change. And as long as Ham Brat was willing.
Johnny Dollar
Then Ham was in on this plot to get me out here. Why, sure he was. And the terrible things to happen at Lake Mojave. Why, of course, Johnny. They've lost me, haven't they? Ah, you old son of a gun. Hey, Buster in on it too? No.
Red Barrett
Ham's probably telling him about it right now. Probably showing him the letter he got from Mr. McCracken.
Johnny Dollar
McCracken? Pat McCracken?
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Yeah.
Red Barrett
Now, maybe you better read this one that he wrote to me. First part. Just the usual how do's. But they're here.
Johnny Dollar
And, Red, I'm convinced a man can take only so much. Even Johnny Dollar. And I'm afraid that unless he gets some rest and relaxation, he'll crack up one of these days. So if you and Ham Pratt can somehow contrive to get him out there for some of that fishing he loves so much, go to it. If he catches on, if he starts worrying about the expense, tell him it's on the house.
Red Barrett
Tell him.
Johnny Dollar
Tell him. Merry Christmas.
Buster Favor
Sincerely yours.
Johnny Dollar
Well, God bless Pat McCracken. As for you, Red, you old reprobate. Johnny, there's a hole over near the
Red Barrett
Jip beds where there's old Ten Pounder laying under a rock. Just wait for you, me brother.
Narrator
Let's go.
Johnny Dollar
A very wise man once said that the time a man spends in fishing is never deducted from his lifespan. And you know something? I for one, am convinced that he was right. So, well, Merry Christmas to you all too. All of you. Yours truly, Johnny D.
Narrator
Our star will return in just a moment. Every year, some Christmas celebrations are ruined by fire. A little precaution can prevent a Christmas fire from happening in your home. First of all, make sure your tree is on a firm foundation so it can't fall over. Then be sure to use only approved lighting. Wiring that's frayed may be dangerous. Replace it. Never use lighted candles. Let all the glow of Christmas come from within, not from fire. With a safe Christmas plan, here's an idea for Christmas giving.
Buster Favor
Almost Christmas. No time to lose.
Johnny Dollar
Lots and lots of gifts to choose. Give him. Give her a gift set by Yardley for her.
Buster Favor
An array of all new Yeardley gifts. $1.50 to 13 cents a Yardley red roses, spray mist and soap set. $3 and 50 cents, all prices plus tax.
Johnny Dollar
Yardley, give him. Give her a gift set. My Yardley.
Narrator
Now here is our star to tell you about next week's story.
Johnny Dollar
Next week, a man, a girl and a gangster. That's right. They add up to trouble me. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
Narrator
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood and is written, produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in our cast were Forrest Lewis, Barney Phillips, Alan Reed Sr. And Lawrence Dobkin. Be sure to join us next week, say in time and station for another exciting story of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is Dan Coverley speaking.
Mel Torme
Now stay tuned for suspense, which follows next on the CBS Radio Network.
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Podcast Summary
Episode: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Red Mystery Matter (12/20/1959)
Date: March 23, 2026
In this engaging episode of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," the beloved freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar finds himself drawn out to Lake Mojave Resort in Arizona by a cryptic and urgent phone call from his old friend and fishing guide, Red Barrett. What initially appears to be an invitation for some well-deserved fishing turns into a puzzling disappearance, a ransacked room, and ominous hints of tragedy. However, as Johnny unravels the "Red Mystery Matter," listeners are taken on a classic rollercoaster of suspense, humor, and a heartwarming holiday twist—proving that sometimes, the only crime is not taking enough vacation.
Red Barrett (on getting Johnny to come out):
"If you just want to sit around up there in Hartford and let a terrible thing like this happen without even raising a finger, well, I just can't believe you do that." (02:26)
Johnny Dollar (skeptically weighing the evidence):
"If he'd thought that he himself was in danger, don't you think he would have said so?" (11:35)
Red Barrett (the reveal):
"Got a extra rod and reel and a bucket of live bait. You and me will go out there and slay 'em. Get in, Johnny. Get in." (20:32)
Pat McCracken (letter segment, read by Johnny):
"I'm convinced a man can take only so much. Even Johnny Dollar. And I'm afraid that unless he gets some rest and relaxation, he'll crack up one of these days. So if you and Ham Pratt can somehow contrive to get him out there for some of that fishing he loves so much, go to it." (21:33)
Narrator (Johnny’s closing reflection):
"A very wise man once said that the time a man spends in fishing is never deducted from his lifespan. And you know something? I, for one, am convinced that he was right. So, well, Merry Christmas to you all too. All of you. Yours truly, Johnny D." (22:30)
The episode maintains the witty, dry, tongue-in-cheek style characteristic of "Johnny Dollar"—balancing suspense with heartfelt camaraderie. Pacing alternates between laconic narration, brisk dialogue, and the warmth of old friends plotting a gentle deception for Johnny’s own good.
This episode of “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” delivers not only a classic mystery with comic misdirection but also a touching, festive message about the importance of friendship, rest, and stepping away from work—especially at Christmas. Red, Ham, and Pat’s elaborate plot to ensure Johnny gets his much-needed time off culminates in a joyful, memorable twist that’s sure to leave listeners smiling.