Ann of the Airlanes 35-xx-xx (08) Aunt Hattie Stows Away

Summary

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Ann of the Airlanes 35-xx-xx (08) Aunt Hattie Stows Away
Release Date: April 27, 2025

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Introduction

In this riveting installment of Ann of the Airlanes, listeners are plunged deeper into the high-stakes world of aviation, espionage, and family loyalty. Set against the backdrop of the Everglades in Florida, the episode masterfully intertwines suspense, character development, and unexpected twists that keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Plot Overview

The episode kicks off with an urgent situation unfolding at a secret landing field near Miami. Ann Burton, a pivotal character believed to be escaping the clutches of diamond smugglers in the Everglades, has mysteriously disappeared after delivering a crucial message. Art Morrison, a dedicated radio inspector, and Aunt Hattie Jackson anxiously await her safe arrival. Their plans take an unexpected turn with the arrival of Zebulon Abercrombie, an old acquaintance with a troubled past connected to diamond mining in Africa.

Zeb, having fled Africa due to threats from the smuggling leader Doc, offers his expertise to the government secret service. His knowledge about the diamond mines, which are the source of the smugglers' illicit activities, becomes invaluable. However, just as the trio begins strategizing, a radio alert disrupts their meeting: Ann's voice has been intercepted on the smugglers' aircraft transmitter, indicating that she might still be onboard.

Meanwhile, aboard the smugglers' ship, tensions rise among the crew. Jack Baker, the pilot posing as a collaborator, discusses logistic concerns about fuel and the perilous journey to Africa with his unscrupulous colleagues, Vic and Joe. As they debate the feasibility of their mission, Ann Burton covertly strives to send a message of her own, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation.

Character Dynamics

• Ann Burton: The enigmatic protagonist whose actions drive the narrative. Her determination to evade the smugglers showcases her resilience and resourcefulness.

• Art Morrison: A steadfast radio inspector committed to uncovering the truth behind Ann's disappearance and the smuggling operations.

• Aunt Hattie Jackson: Art's trusted ally, whose familial bond with Ann adds emotional depth to the storyline.

• Zebulon Abercrombie (Zeb): A former diamond mine discoverer with intimate knowledge of the smuggling network. His alliance with the secret service brings hope to Morrison and Jackson.

• Jack Baker: The conflicted pilot caught between his duty and the deceit of the smugglers. His interactions hint at underlying tensions and doubt.

• Vic and Joe Morgan: The antagonistic smugglers whose warped sense of loyalty and greed propel the conflict forward.

Key Scenes and Discussions

1. Strategizing with Zebulon Abercrombie (00:40 - 03:25):

   • Zeb divulges critical information about the diamond mines and agrees to aid the government in dismantling the smuggling ring.
   • Notable Quote: Zebulon says, “...show Morrison the exact location of the mines” (00:55), highlighting his commitment to combating the smugglers.

2. Tense Conversations Aboard the Smugglers' Ship (03:25 - 12:24):

   • Vic and Joe discuss the logistics of their transatlantic journey, emphasizing fuel efficiency and route planning.
   • Notable Quote: Jack Baker explains the fuel dynamics, “...our gas mileage stepped up about one third” (04:22), showcasing his technical acumen.
   • The discovery of an automatic pencil engraved with “Ann” by Joey Morgan introduces a pivotal clue, fueling the suspense.
   • Notable Quote: Joey Morgan cryptically mentions, “...maybe you wouldn't want him to know about it. Maybe” (12:04), hinting at impending revelations.

3. Ann Burton’s Covert Efforts (09:03 - 12:14):

   • Ann attempts to send a hidden message using the ship's radio equipment, demonstrating her ingenuity.
   • Her observations and actions create a sense of urgency and anticipation for her fate.
   • Notable Quote: Ann muses, “If it was Ann again, she wouldn't be making another trip back here” (11:39), underscoring her desperation to escape unnoticed.

4. Climactic Takeoff and Suspicion (10:49 - 12:24):

   • A suspicious parachute drop alerts Vic and Joe to potential threats, prompting an immediate departure.
   • The rapid unfolding of events leads to heightened tension as secrets surface.
   • Notable Quote: Vic asserts, “We're not taking any chances” (11:03), reflecting his paranoia and urgency.

Insights and Themes

• Loyalty and Betrayal: The episode intricately explores the complexities of trust, especially within family and team dynamics. Ann's reliance on Art and Aunt Hattie contrasts sharply with the deceit exhibited by Vic and Joe.

• Resourcefulness and Survival: Ann's attempts to communicate and escape highlight themes of resilience and the human spirit's capacity to overcome dire circumstances.

• Good vs. Evil: The clear delineation between the protagonists and antagonists serves to heighten the moral stakes, making the audience root for Ann and her allies.

Conclusion

Ann of the Airlanes 35-xx-xx (08) Aunt Hattie Stows Away expertly weaves a tale of suspense, intrigue, and familial bonds. The episode culminates in a cliffhanger, leaving listeners eagerly anticipating the next chapter. As Jack Baker and the smugglers embark on their perilous journey to South Africa, questions linger: Will Ann be discovered aboard the ship? Can Morrison and Aunt Hattie locate the secret landing field in time? The intricate plot and dynamic character interactions promise an exhilarating continuation in the next episode of Ann of the Airlanes.

Highlighted Quotes

• Zebulon Abercrombie: “...show Morrison the exact location of the mines.” (00:55)

• Jack Baker: “Our gas mileage stepped up about one third.” (04:22)

• Joey Morgan: “Maybe you wouldn't want him to know about it. Maybe.” (12:04)

• Vic: “We're not taking any chances.” (11:03)

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements and non-content sections to focus solely on the narrative and character developments within the episode.

Transcript

[Styles MacKenzie]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Styles MacKenzie helping you make those rooms sing. Today's style tip when it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com this has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior. Wayfair Every style, every home.

[Jack Baker]

Over valley and mountain, river and plain.

[Narrator]

Through wind and storm ride Zan of the airline. Having dropped out of sight completely after delivering an important message, Ann Burton is thought to be trying to make her way out of the Everglades of Florida. Art Morrison, radio inspector, and Aunt Hattie Jackson await her arrival at an emergency landing field near Miami when they are joined rather unceremoniously by an old fellow who gives the name of Zebulon Abercrombie. Zeb, as he prefers to be called, was the original discoverer of the diamond mines from which the illicit diamond smugglers are obtaining their rough stones. And he was forced to leave Africa by the leader of the smugglers, known as Doc, who now menaces the future of Ann and pilot Jack Baker. Zeb agrees to join the government Secret service in ferreting out the members of the gang and to show Morrison the exact location of the mines. They are interrupted in their plans by the reception of a radio call from Secret Service headquarters telling that the voice of Ann has been heard over the transmitter of the plane that is to be used by the smugglers in their projected flight to Africa. From the same source, it is learned that Jack Baker, who is piloting the ship while he pretends to join the smugglers, is about ready to take off. But has Ann been able to leave the seclusion of the transport cabin, or will she be found there by the two gangsters, Vic and Joe, before Jack learns she has not escaped, let's go to the secret landing field in the heart of the Everglades and learn what we can.

[Joey Morgan]

Gee whiz, 3,100 gallons of gas and all that oil. I don't see how them trucks made it through that road.

[Vic]

Those drivers are just better at it than you are, Joey. Which is no compliment to them either. You think there's enough gas, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

Talking to me, Morgan, cut your motor.

[Vic]

So you can hear me, will you? That's better. I said, you think that's enough gas for the trip?

[Jack Baker]

Well, if it isn't, I don't know just where you'd put anymore We've got every drop these tanks will hold. And getting this ship off a field of this size is not going to be a snap, I can tell you, with all that gas. Well, we'd better make it the first time, that's all.

[Joey Morgan]

Gee, I wish there was a fire department to sort of stand by. I'd feel a lot safer.

[Vic]

Are you getting cold feet, Joey? You haven't answered my question yet, Baker. You think that's enough gas to take us across?

[Jack Baker]

Well, at 300 miles an hour and flying at 20,000ft, or maybe just a little higher, we'll burn the same fuel that we would at 10,000, doing 200, that is, in the same time. In other words, we'll save about one third by taking the higher altitudes.

[Joey Morgan]

20,000Ft. Boy, we won't be able to breathe at all unless we got those oxygen things they wear.

[Jack Baker]

Well, sure we will. This job has a sealed cabin, and the air we get is supercharged. Like the air that goes into the carburetor when we reach the higher altitudes. You get it?

[Joey Morgan]

No, but go on. I'll probably get it after a while.

[Vic]

Joey don't catch on fast, that's all. How much gas will it take to get us to Africa? I'll put it that way.

[Jack Baker]

That's what I was trying to get at Morgan. At 200 miles an hour, these motors have been tested to use up about 200 gallons an hour.

[Vic]

Which roughly puts us somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean if we try it nonstop. Is that it?

[Jack Baker]

Joey isn't the only one that doesn't quite understand the theory of substratosphere flying. It seems that 200 gallons at 200 an hour was at 10,000ft. Now, by flying higher, we remove part of the resistance. Because the air pressure on the ship is about one half what it is at the lower levels. And so, allowing for a bit of efficiency that is lost by the lower pressure, we find our gas mileage stepped up about one third. Which means that our 3,100 gallons should take us something better than 4,200 miles.

[Vic]

You see, Joey, that 4,200 miles gives us plenty of leeway, so there's nothing to be afraid of.

[Joey Morgan]

Unless maybe we should happen to hit a wind which ain't blowing our direction.

[Jack Baker]

That's right, Joe. Any headwind we hit will just knock that many miles off our gas mileage. And a tailwind will add to it.

[Joey Morgan]

Yeah, I remember reading in the papers a few years ago about a French fellow that tried to fly to America. And he had to Fight a wind all the way. And so when he got just a little over halfway across the ocean, he found that he didn't have gas enough to make it. So he just turned around and went back.

[Vic]

He flew over halfway across and didn't have enough gas to make it, so he flew back. Joey, listen, I think the Everglades have been too much for you. Now quit trying to tell us fairy stories and start getting that stuff in the shack down here to the ship. Now, see that you don't let it fall in the water. Get it?

[Joey Morgan]

Okay, Vic. I ain't telling stories. You can ask Chad.

[Vic]

The idea of telling stuff like that. You see, that's what I was telling you. Baker Joe was all right sometimes. Only he's, well, sort of weak above the eyes, that's all.

[Jack Baker]

Joe's absolutely right about that story. It actually happened. You see, the tailwind added enough mileage. For instance, if it was a 40 mile an hour wind, it added 40 miles every hour to his mileage. While it was taking that away from the mileage on his way out. Or a difference of 80 miles every hour and the miles covered on the same amount of gas. How do you see?

[Vic]

Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I do. Now, what do you think of our chances with this ship?

[Jack Baker]

I think we'll make it if that stuff that came in on that truck isn't too heavy. Just what was that anyway?

[Vic]

Supplies, Baker, supplies.

[Jack Baker]

I get it. Okay. Well, this transport is built to carry about 40 passengers in ordinary service. But the weight of the extra gas naturally cuts that down quite a bit. So the weight of those, well, supplies, as you call them, means quite a bit, especially on the takeoff.

[Vic]

Well, I can tell you this much. Those two fellows on the truck had quite a time loading this stuff into the baggage compartment.

[Jack Baker]

In other words, it's heavy. And that means that we won't be able to get as much altitude and save as much gas as we would if we were flying light.

[Vic]

Well, maybe I can relieve your mind a little with this bit of news. The reason we picked on this new transport ship, which is a little bigger than anything else, is because we're kind of pioneering a new airline, see? In other words, we're fixing it. So this flying diamonds back here and sending supplies back over to Africa is going to be put on a regular schedule. Just like the transatlantic and the Trans Pacific passenger planes. Only we don't have the custom officials nosing into our business.

[Jack Baker]

All very interesting, Morgan, except that you don't pick up planes every day that will fly the Atlantic non stop. With a load. And keeping preparations for such a flight under cover for any length of time will be quite a job in itself. And once the suspicion leaks out, it won't be long until the government starts to work.

[Vic]

And then, Baker, you just tend to flying this ship for us. And we'll take care of the government. Now, here's how we keep this whole thing in the dark. We don't try any nonstop flights, see? That is, just at present. We're going to establish bases and make flights in short hops and from secluded points. That won't create any publicity, you see.

[Jack Baker]

Very clever. But a plane leaving the United States and later showing up in, say, Cape Town, South Africa. Well, no one will be foolish enough to believe that someone trundled that plane across the Atlantic in a rowboat.

[Vic]

A little paint, a little change of license numbers now and then. Won't leave any holes like that. So here's where we come in. With this ship, we're stopping at several places and leaving some of these supplies so that the people that are already there can start to work.

[Jack Baker]

You don't mind telling me the first stop then, do you?

[Vic]

Of course not. The first place we head for will be a little place just south of the. That cape that sticks out there in South America.

[Jack Baker]

Oh, you mean Cape St. Roque?

[Vic]

Yeah, that's it. Well, that's where we stop first. Say, what's that noise I've been hearing all this time? That kind of buzzing?

[Jack Baker]

Well, that's the radio transmitter. I just wanted to see how it was acting since we sent that message to Springfield a while ago. We never got an answer from them, by the way.

[Vic]

Of course we didn't. You don't suppose that the doc is foolish enough to do any sending, do you? Till they can find out where we are.

[Jack Baker]

Oh, that's right. I never thought of them.

[Vic]

Well, it just shows you the doc is a pretty wise guy. And that's just a warning to anybody that might get ideas about sending messages from airplanes. The doc has a few stations himself. And his operators know how to locate transmitters, too.

[Jack Baker]

I get it, Morgan. You don't have to worry about that.

[Vic]

I wasn't worrying. I was just reminding, that's all. Say, we better go up and give Joe a lift of that stuff. We should have had the guy with the truck do that.

[Jack Baker]

If you don't mind, Morgan, I'll stay here and check these motors over a bit so that.

[Vic]

I'm afraid I mind, Baker. I already told you where we're heading, and I'm not going to Let you get out of my sight until we land in Africa.

[Jack Baker]

Okay. We might as well leave this cabin door open if we're coming back.

[Ann Burton]

My, I thought they'd never leave. Gosh, but it's stuffing in that baggage compartment. Now, if they'll just stay away long enough for me to get behind that shed. The radio is on. If I only knew how to work it, I might send some kind of a message. I could write Jack a note, but where could I leave it? The radio headphones. No one will use them but him. I can fold up a note and put it in one of the earphones. What did I do with my pencil? Oh, here it is. That scrap of paper will have to do. Let's see. Jack just left before you. Is that someone coming? Oh, it is. And I haven't a chance to get outside. I'll have to get back into that compartment and wait until they leave again.

[Joey Morgan]

Gee, I get all the heavy work to do, but I guess maybe it's. I don't know. What's this? Say, I wonder if.

[Vic]

I guess we can put that stuff in the baggage compartment, huh, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

Okay. Well, ought to just about get it. Hey, Joe, what are you doing up here in a cabin?

[Joey Morgan]

I was just throwing this grub away where we could get it. Right handy. You never know when you're going to get hungry.

[Vic]

How are those motors heading, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

All the motors are okay. I think that all we need now are some instructions from Doc.

[Vic]

I told you that Doc will not be using his radio station for a day or so, didn't I? Not while the government is trying to check him. And after that, they'll have to locate his new wavelength and start all over again. No, we got all the instructions we need, Baker.

[Joey Morgan]

Say, listen. Do you fellas hear anything?

[Vic]

Not a thing. Except. Say, that sounds like a plane to me.

[Jack Baker]

Probably just some of the boys from Pensacola on their way home.

[Vic]

Hey, there it is right over there. And it's an air cat. Looks like something dropping from it.

[Joey Morgan]

Gee, it's a guy with a parachute. See, it opened up, Baker?

[Vic]

I don't know, but that cat and that guy are jumping. Looking pretty fishy. Hey, what is that? Maybe you didn't have anything to do with it, but we're not taking any chances. We're taking off right now.

[Jack Baker]

Morgan, you know as well as I do I haven't had any opportunity to communicate with anybody even if I'd wanted to.

[Vic]

All right, all right. We're not taking any chances. Come on, get those motors warmed up. I'll run up to the shack and lock up. And, Joe, take care of Baker when I'm gone.

[Joey Morgan]

Okay. I guess I better get these shots out from under the wheel.

[Jack Baker]

All right, Joe. I'll climb in and head her around. The wind is okay for a takeoff from this end, so we'll just let her sit.

[Joey Morgan]

Okay, Baker? Okay.

[Jack Baker]

Wonder just what that air cat was doing over here. Who was in that parachute, I wonder? If it was Ann again, she wouldn't be making another trip back here.

[Joey Morgan]

Well, I guess that's all. Say, Jack, here's a little thing I found on the floor of the cabin a few minutes ago when I come back.

[Jack Baker]

An automatic pencil. And it's engraved. Ann, you say you found it just a few minutes ago here.

[Joey Morgan]

Yeah, and it wasn't near an hour ago because I looked all over the floor then for a quarter I dropped.

[Jack Baker]

I don't understand how it could be in here.

[Joey Morgan]

I don't either. Especially when I know that nobody has left this cabin. But you'd better put that pencil away, because here comes Vic. And maybe you wouldn't want him to know about it. Maybe.

[Jack Baker]

Joe, I don't know how to thank.

[Vic]

Vic or skip it.

[Joey Morgan]

Oh, here he is. All set, Vic.

[Vic]

Okay, all set. You ready, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

All set.

[Vic]

Then here's your chart on that course. Now let's get out of here quick.

[Jack Baker]

All right, we're on our way to Cape St. Roque.

[Narrator]

Jack Baker and the two gangsters off on the first leg of the trip that is to take them to South Africa. Can it be that Joe suspects that Ann Burton is concealed in the baggage compartment? And why did he not tell Vic instead of confiding to Jack, Will Morrison and Aunt Hattie locate the secret field now empty and land? Or will they proceed to Springfield in an effort to learn the secret of the Tyler Sanitarium? We're just as anxious as we know you are to learn the answers in the next thrilling episode of Anne of the Airline.

[Jack Baker]

It.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfarer message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip. When it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com.

[Styles MacKenzie]

Ooh. Fierce.

[Nicole Byer]

This has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Styles MacKenzie]

Wayfair Every style, every home.