Big Guy - The Case of the Villainous Friend

Summary

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Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Big Guy - The Case of the Villainous Friend

Date: March 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

Theme:
In this episode, "The Case of the Villainous Friend," Joshua Sharp—known as the Big Guy—narrates a tale that mirrors Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, focusing on friendship, betrayal, and the consequences of misplaced trust. The story explores the intertwining of personal and professional obligations, centering on the escape of Frank Gollard from prison, and the subsequent tragic events that unfold due to deception and misunderstanding.

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Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. The Power of Storytelling

• Joshua Sharp’s Family Life: The episode opens with Joshua (the Big Guy) reading bedtime stories to his children and reflecting on the value of storytelling for bonding and imparting lessons.

  • Quote:
    “A man alone, trying to bring up a pair of youngsters runs into a lot of unexpected problems...I'd reached that point with Josh and Debbie, and they were getting so bored with witches and sleeping beauties that finally...I tried tapping a new source. I bought a copy of Tales from Shakespeare. It was an immediate hit.” (01:04)

• Shakespeare and Othello:
  The episode sets up its theme by introducing Othello, highlighting how betrayal by a trusted friend leads to tragedy—a motif echoed in the crime story that follows.

  • Joshua summarizes Othello for his children:
    “Well, he was married to a woman named Desdemona who loved him very much...The tragedy came about because he had a friend, a friend named Iago...And Iago came to Othello and told him that Desdemona didn’t love him at all. He said she loved somebody else.” (02:55–03:07)

2. Frank Gollard’s Incarceration and Escape

• Frank’s Background:
  Joshua Sharp had previously helped put Frank away for armed robbery, under contract with an insurance company. Frank’s relationship with his wife Lila and friendship with his cellmate Hap McLean is introduced.

• Prison Scene:
  Inside the penitentiary, Frank’s doubts about Lila's fidelity and his festering mistrust are stoked by rumors, echoing Othello’s growing jealousy.

  • Quote:
    “While I took the ride to this pile of stinking stones, while I prayed for every night she was selling me out. Midnight till morning, night after night.” (07:12)

• Hap McLean’s Betrayal:
  Hap aids Frank’s escape with a smuggled gun and an arranged route out of the prison, only to later betray him—revealing the "villainous friend" motif.

  • “You gotta move loose from this place...Hap’s got it all fixed.” (08:01–08:27)

3. The Citywide Manhunt

• Joshua Sharp and Police Respond:
  News of Frank’s escape prompts Sharp and rookie cop Tom Saunders to join the ensuing search, with Lila potentially in danger.

• Deceptive Phone Call:
  A phone call, supposedly from Lila, tips off Sharp—though it's later revealed to be a manipulation orchestrated by Esther Moody (an associate of Hap), not Lila herself.

  • Quote:
    “The call I got came from a woman named Esther Moody, who made it to help weave this net you're caught in.” (24:25)

• Botched Apprehension:
  Frank eludes the police during a confrontation at his home, intensifying the manhunt.

4. Emotional Confrontations and Tragic Consequences

• Frank and Lila’s Final Meeting:
  Frank confronts Lila, accusing her of betrayal based on misinformation. Despite her pleas of innocence and loyalty, he is unconvinced, blinded by rage and hurt.

  • Quote:
    Frank: “You called the cops and told them where they could pick me up.” (21:40)
    Lila: “Frank, do you honestly believe I’d do that?” (21:57)

• Revelation and Irreversible Acts:
  Sharp attempts to intervene but arrives too late. In a spiral of violence and confusion, Frank shoots Lila, only to learn afterward that she’d almost secured his parole and had not betrayed him.

  • Sharp: “Such as, did you know this cheat here had just about arranged to get you paroled at the next meeting of the board?...Your wife didn't call me and inform on you today, Gollard.” (24:07–24:15)

5. Hap McLean’s Downfall

• The Final Betrayal:
  Hap, previously positioned as Frank’s confidant and helper, orchestrates events to his own potential benefit (securing a pardon), but is ultimately revealed as self-serving and duplicitous.

• The Climax—Retribution and Fallout:
  In the closing confrontation at the wharf by Banner’s Tavern, Frank and Hap’s relationship culminates in mutual destruction—mirroring the tragic outcomes of Othello. Frank is fatally shot but manages to confront his betrayer before dying.

  • “How much blood do you want on your hands, baby?...Just a little more. Just a little more. You greasy, crummy stool pigeon.” (26:21–26:24)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “He also lost his friends.” – Joshua Sharp (29:10)
  On why tragedy befalls Othello—echoing Frank’s fate.

• “You trusted a villainous friend, baby. That’s all. That’s all it took.” – Implied through narrative, paralleling Othello and Frank’s stories.

• “Maybe he didn’t want to [go on], honey.” – Joshua Sharp, on Othello’s demise and, by extension, Frank’s. (28:53)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:00–03:07: Introduction of Othello and setup for the parallel story
• 06:22–08:27: Prison drama and escape plan between Frank and Hap
• 10:01–10:49: The escape—Frank flees the prison
• 13:23–14:39: Frank’s home stakeout and failed police capture
• 15:02–15:58: Hap brokers a deal with the warden for his temporary liberty
• 18:44–19:46: Joshua Sharp goes undercover at Banner’s Tavern; discovers the deception
• 21:28–23:17: Frank’s tragic confrontation with Lila
• 24:07–24:25: Sharp reveals the truth about Lila’s innocence and Hap’s betrayal
• 26:21–27:26: Final confrontation and deaths of Frank and Hap
• 28:33–29:10: Return to family, retelling the lessons of Othello, and emotional closure

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a classic noir sensibility with a blend of warmth (in the family segments) and gritty fatalism (in the crime narrative). Dialogue is terse, emotionally charged, and often layered with metaphor, especially in linking the crime story to the earlier Shakespearean tale.

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Final Reflections

"Big Guy - The Case of the Villainous Friend" artfully weaves together the themes of loyalty and betrayal via both a detective story and a Shakespearean tragedy. It serves as both a cautionary tale and a meditation on how easily trust can be manipulated—with tragic consequences for all involved. The closing moments, in which Joshua reads Othello to his children and grapples with the evening’s events, offer a poignant resonance that underscores the enduring relevance of such stories.

Recommended as a compelling example of golden age radio drama, rich with moral complexity and narrative depth.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

From number one New York Times best selling author, James Rollins, comes a shocking new standalone thriller framed for murder. A group of university students are forced into a treacherous chase across Europe. Hunted by a powerful cabal and the police, their only hope, a centuries old encrypted diary with a deadly secret worth killing for. Trust no one, the new blockbuster novel from James Rollins, available now wherever books are sold.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Tell us again, Daddy.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Tell us again. Oh, no, not again.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Please, Daddy. How tall are you? Tell us how tall.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

I'm 20 foot 5 in my stocking feet.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

How big are your shoes? What size do you wear?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Size 902 in a triple Z.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

That's our daddy. The Big Guy.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

NBC presents the Big Guy, another in the series of adventures of a very unusual detective, Joshua Sharp. Joshua Sharp works for his clients on a strictly cash basis to provide for the needs of his nearest and dearest, Josh Jr. And his daughter, Debbie. To these two, Sharp is both father and mother. To his clients, he is a good detective. To Josh and Debbie, he's the friendly magician, the fabulous hero, the giant among giants. The Big Guy. Tonight's adventure with the Big Guy, the Case of the Villainous Friend. A man alone, trying to bring up a pair of youngsters runs into a lot of unexpected problems. One of my most unexpected was a sudden shortage of bedtime stories. After all, you can read Grimm's Fairy Tales only a few hundred times before the kids begin to tire of them. And that goes for Hans Christian Andersen and all the rest of the Once Upon a Timers. I'd reached that point with Josh and Debbie, and they were getting so bored with witches and sleeping beauties that finally, for all our sakes, I tried tapping a new source. I bought a copy of Tales from Shakespeare. It was an immediate hit. In fact, it was too big a hit. That first night I read the Tempest and Two Gentlemen from Verona, and still they didn't want me to stop.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

What's the next one, Daddy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Well, we'll let the next one wait, baby. You. You and Debbie have to go to sleep.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

But what's the name of it? Is this the name of it?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

It's.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

See, it's the Tragedy of Othello. Now, you just close your eyes and.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh. What about him, Daddy?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Yes.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Daddy, who was he?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Well, he was a man, Josh.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh. And what was the tragedy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Well, he was married to a woman named Desdemona who loved him very much.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Is that a tragedy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

No. The tragedy came about because he had a friend, a friend named Iago.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Yeah.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

And Iago came to Othello and Told him that Desdemona didn't love him at all. He said she loved somebody else.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

He was bad, wasn't he, Daddy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Oh, very.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

And what happens next?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Well, next he next a couple of shrewd articles who are trying to worm another story out of their hard working father, give him a kiss and say good night. And it was a good night under my roof. But elsewhere, things were happening that were fated finally to intrude on my routine and make a shambles of it. The center of these events was a boy. A boy named Frank Gollard. I'd snagged the lad in question two years ago after he'd assisted in the armed robbery of a filling station and committed assault and battery, resisting arrest. My action in the matter came as part of my contract with the Mutual Indemnity Insurance Company. And I had been in the courtroom the day the judge passed passed a 10 year sentence on Frank Gollard. And then the same evening, while I was telling Josh and Debbie about Othello, inside the drab gray walls of the upstate penitentiary. 1, 2, 3,

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Number 4021 the number

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

5, 6 or 4 separate the Stealth lock.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

E.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Number 5645 the number 6059 separate the cell lock. Speed.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

You're hitting your wife lately, Frank? Yeah, I got a letter from Lila last week. Now let's turn in, Hap. What do you say? Yeah, sure, kid. In a minute. Lila. Oh, that's. That's a pretty name. Hap, huh? How come you asked me that? Oh, I heard you tossing around last night. I knew you wasn't sleeping. And I've been thinking about all the guys in this place who got somebody waiting for them and wondering where all them somebodies are tonight. Wondering who she's dancing with and wondering who she's drinking with. Wonder who's they kissing. Shut up. Oh, kid. I told you once, Hap, I was only wondering. She's a clean kid. Clean and sweet and straight. Oh, sure, there's a few good Wrens in the world. Maybe you got yourself one of them. You couldn't expect me to guess that, now, could you, Frank? Man never knows about a thing like that. Man just never knows. Good night, Hap. You ain't sore army, are you, Frank? I said good night. I don't want you to be sore on me, you hear? You hear me, Frank? Okay. I'm not sure about you. Okay, Hap. Good night, baby.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Hap was his cellmate and Hap was his big, slow, paternal half. Maclean in for life and not a man to talk much about the way he was to spend the rest of his natural days. It was mutual friendship and the two found a degree of peace in each other's companionship. It was a piece, however, that was ripped to shreds with the suddenness of a thunderclap one hot night in early August. Pap had smuggled a newspaper from the prison library into the cell and young Gollard was lying on his bunk turning the pages.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Hey, Hat, what's the matter? What's eating you, Fred? Hey, listen to this.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Cute, lovely, whose maid is doing a 10 year stretch for armed robbery, is now seeing the town inside out with more than one slick haired Romeo. Even while I was on trial, she was rocking me. Oh no, kid. Take it.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

She was, she was.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

While I took the ride to this pile of stinking stones, while I prayed for every night she was selling me out. Midnight till morning, night after night.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Shut up.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Shut up.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Shut up.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Listen to me.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Will you please listen to Habeanese off, baby. But he had no choice about taking it. With his friend Hap's help, he calmed down and went on with a monotonous routine of his daily life behind the walls of the prison. And then late one night, weeks later, in the cell he shared with Hap McLean, he found that he didn't have to take it anymore.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Frank. Hey, kid, wake up and listen. Listen to what will happen. Listen good. You better get out of here, okay? You're eating yourself alive. You gotta move loose from this place. Oh, but I can't. I can't. I'm gonna put over, get the parole. Baby. Hap's got it all fixed. Fine. You got it fixed? Yeah. Take a look, kid.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Where'd you get the gun?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Out of the arsenal, baby. It took me three months and a lot of doing, but I got it. And the trustee, the one in the laundry office, he's gonna leave the laundry door unlocked for 20 minutes tomorrow night. There'll be a truck just outside. How did you do this, Hap? Oh, look, I've been in this can 12 years. There are ways, baby. There are always ways. You come with me. Nah, nah. I got nothing with the outside world, kid. Hap will rest easy right here. You go on out. You can still hate and that means you can still live. Enjoy yourself. Don't get yourself stuck. Nag, baby.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

It was at 11 o' clock the next night that the guard changed. Two minutes before this chosen hour, Hap McLean stood crucial guard for the appearance of any official and the boy prepared for his venture.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Where'll you make for her apartment. You figure lilo show. I'll wait till she does. What, and get nabbed off waiting? Forget it. Now look, I'll get the grapevine and let her know that you're coming. And tell her to stand by for you. There it is. 11 o' clock kid. Okay, play it cagey now baby. Hap won't be around, look out for you. No point in saying thank you Hap. Go on your punk. I'll brain you.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

The boy was halfway across the prison yard when. The shaft of a giant searchlight struck him like the lunge of an angry lion darting out of its glare. He took cover behind an angle of the wall. Come out of the office. Come out with your hands up. The boy fired at the guard on the watchtower. He made a dash for the laundry building and found the door unlocked.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

As schedule,

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

The truck roared along the back roads on the all night drive to the city while the state was springing into action to retake Frank Gollard. Retake him? Dead or alive.

[Narrator/Announcer]

From number one New York Times best selling author James Rollins comes a shocking new standalone thriller framed for murder. A group of university students are forced into a treacherous chase across Europe. Hunted by a powerful cabal and the police their only hope a centuries old encrypted diary with a deadly secret worth killing for. Trust no one. The new blockbuster novel from James Rollins. Available now. Wherever books are sold with verbo care,

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

help is always ready before, during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twist so

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Next morning when I walked into my place of business, my own personal private eye, Risky Skinner was waiting for me as usual. But today Risky wasn't alone. A young city cop, Tom Saunders by name, had dropped in to tell me about the Gollard escape. He was little more than a rookie. This copy green but enterprising.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

So knowing you were the man who put the finger on him in the first place two years ago, Sharp, it occurred to a few of the boys at precinct headquarters that you might have ideas about retaking Frank Gollard.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

They figure you dig up a few angles about the punk that could be maybe useful. Commander, I'll be glad to do all I can. Tell me how much action is underway now.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Well, the state's being dragged from end to end. Even the Coast Guard's been alerted on this one.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Any results yet?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

So far we've drawn a goose egg.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Just a second. Yell Sharp speaking.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

This is Lila Goddard, Mr. Sharp.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What? Frank Garlett's wife, Where are you?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I'm not calling from home, Mr. Sharp. I'm afraid to go there.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Why?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I'll tell you why. I got a call last night from the grapevine at Golfville Prison.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yeah?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Frank is on his way to my place.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

On the way to his own home. Hello? Hello? Mrs. Gollet? Mrs. Gollet? Hello? Hello? The wire was dead, but the news had been sensational, leaving risky to try to check back on the call. I found Mrs. Gollard's address in the city listings, latched onto Patrolman Saunders and headed for Gollard's home. By 25 of 10, we were in his apartment. I was at the window and Saunders by the door.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Hey, Sharp.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Okay, okay, I see him.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

He's coming in.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Great. Get ready for business.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Let's wait for him in the hall.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

All right. Easy with that door, Saunders.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Here he comes.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Let him get to the first landing. And for Pete's sake, stop shaking.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

There he is. He's carrying a gun.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Hey, Saunders. No, wait. But I was too late. The green rookie, firing in panic, missed and Frank Gard went crashing back down the stairs, through the door and out into the street. I didn't have to be told that once loose, Gollard would head for his wife. After all, Lila had tipped me off, and he probably knew that she was the only person on earth who had been wise to his whereabouts. The immediate deal, therefore, was to contact her without delay. It was just about this time there came a knock on the door of Warden Jamison's office at the state penitentiary, and the cell block guard by the name of Spears walked in with the announcement that somebody wanted to talk to the warden.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Who is it, Spears? It's prisoner from Cell Block A. He yammered till I went to see what was wrong. Yes, bears. Then he told me could retake garlic for it's nothing flat and I can help me. Now, I'm not kidding.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

I know exactly what I'm talking. I told you to wait out. All right, all right, I'll talk to him.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Okay, Warden, you say you can recapture Frank Gollard and be back before morning?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Who are you?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Number 5200. I mean, your name. My name name is Hap McLean. I presume, McLean, that you can only

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

perform this remarkable feat if you allow

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

to be left out of the prison alone. Who wants alone? Send Spears with me with a gun, a dozen guns, who cares? Now, look, I'm only trying to do the right thing here, Mr. Warden. That's all I'm interested in. I See?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

All right, we'll send Spears with you and you won't regret it.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I'll tell you what. And I'm telling you something, McLean.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

If you succeed in this mission, I'll

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

see what can be done to secure

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

you a full and complete pardon. No.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

You mean it? Don't you think you deserve it? Well, I guess I did figure something like that.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

I imagined you did.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

McLean. Beard. Yes, sir. You'll take McLean into the city.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Let him do exactly as he thinks best. So, Hap McLean, informer and temporary public hero, passed out of the prison walls on his errand of black treachery. Meanwhile, we were still ransacking the city for Lila. And as it turned out, Frank Gollard was doing the same. In the phone booth of a Hole in the Wall cigar store on a side street.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

She must be that summer car to get rid of you. Yeah, that's it. Probably where she's hiding out. Give me Riverview, 534 River View.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

5, 3, 4. Thank you, sir. Hello?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Is this you, Lila?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh, Frank. How are you, Frank? Honey?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I'm fine.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

What's happening, Frank?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I'm looking for you, Lila.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh, honey, I just turned on the radio and heard the news. I just woke up. I'd been asleep.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Why did you go up to Riverview? To sleep, Lila?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

What's the matter, Frank?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Matter?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Nothing. I just wanted to see you.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Where are you? I'll come right into the city.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Stay where you are. I'll come to you.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

All right, sweetheart. You remember how to get here?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Yeah, I remember. You were alone, Lila?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Yes. A girlfriend was staying with me up until last night, but she had to get back to town. Oh, honey, I wish we could be together. I wish we never had to leave here.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Stay where you are till I get there, baby. Maybe you never will.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Feeling for the gun butt in his pocket, Frank Gollard ducked out onto the sidewalk and started the torturous journey toward his final, long sought vengeance. Later in the afternoon, back at the office, Saunders and I were checking the short wave room. You know, it.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

It baffles me a little sharp.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What does?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Gollard's wife turning him in.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Why, she's a gunman's doll, isn't she?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

No, no, no, not quite, anyway. She's not running through to form.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Why not?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

A word around has been that she's almost arranged for his parole. Strange, huh?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yeah, very.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Commander.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yeah, R. A little luck at last that we can use. I think I found out where Mrs. Goward phoned you from. Yeah, but I'm afraid it Won't help. And he seems she rang up from a phone booth. Phone booth, huh? Where? In a place called Banner's Tavern over on Tyne street, near the river. You know it?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I said, do you know it, Commander?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, I know it. Risky.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Yeah, Commander.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Go get me a cap and a sweater. Huh? A cap and a sweater.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

What do you want it for?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

To where? I'm going to Banner's Tavern. Risky. And I want to look like one of the boys. Banner's Tavern, at the foot of a wharf on the river, had never been what might be called a pride to the community, and tonight was no exception. The clientele I saw at once was entirely male, except for one blonde cutie who sat alone over a glass of beer, a bright red scar of a smile on her hard face.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Well, what are you looking at?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What do you think, honey?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Beat it. I got a boyfriend coming.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yeah? From where?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

That would be telling.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Well, how's about a little drink till he shows?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Well, I.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Go ahead. What'll you have?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

How about a gin and water?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Why not? What's your name, beautiful? Esther. That's all. Esther Moody. Moody.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Esther Moody.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

You ain't the doll used to kick around with half McLean, you know, hat like that. We used to operate together in North Jersey.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Well, what do you know.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

How's he doing these days?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

He's in stir. Didn't you know that?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

For how long?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Hard to say. Right now there's some kind of caper in the works. Yeah, I've been trying to figure it out all night.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What's the lowdown?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Well, lean over here. Yeah, about 11 o' clock last night, Hop sent me the word over the grapevine. And he tells me to call up a certain private eye this morning, announce myself as Mrs. Gollet and say that Frank is on his way to his wife's. What do you think?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What do you think?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I think I trusted you mighty fast, handsome.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

How about that little drink? How about better? Better? How about a little pinch? What Rough stuff, lady. I'm the private eye you handed that run around to this morning. I got her to headquarters, not, however, without a set of fingernail marks down my cheek, and walked in on a bit of exciting news. It seemed a postal clerk at a place called Riverview had phoned in, giving Lila Gollard's whereabouts the address 21 Canton Lane, at which street number Frank Gollard had just arrived.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Frank? Frank. He sounded like strange over the phone. I don't understand. What have I done?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

You really want me to tell you, Lila? You called the cops and told them where they could pick me up.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I did, Frank.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yeah, you, Frank.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Frank, how could I? I didn't even know you'd broken out.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

McLean got word to you at the apartment last night and told you where

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I'd be, but I wasn't there. I wasn't even there.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Ah, that's an easy out. You turn me in and then you run for the salt timber.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Frank. Frank, do you honestly believe I'd do that?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

I know you did it, you hypocritical swank.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

A darling.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Darling.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Yeah. Hello, kid. I lamed out myself, kid. I figured you needed somebody to look after you. You done business yet? Not all of it. I'm right here at home base, so I figured. Yeah, baby. You contacted my wife last night, didn't you? Well, sure. Sure thing. Why do you ask? I won't ask again. I gotta hang up now. Well, just a second, Frank. Look, I'm in the alley behind Banner's Tavern on the side by the river. You know where that is? Yeah, sure. Well, then beat it down to see me as soon as you can. I got a pal along who's gonna see you safe.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Safe?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Out of the States on a strictly credit basis. Okay. Yeah, thanks. Thanks a million. I'll see you, pal. You cheap, lying, rotten, deceitful tramp.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh, no. No, Frank. No. It's not a gun.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Shut up.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

This is beyond begging and no place for talk.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

If you got prayers to say, say them.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

There won't be any.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

I won't need time for prayers, Frank. I'd die before I hurt you. I don't mind losing my life, Frank. All I regret is I'll never see you again. Never. Never.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

It was at that moment that risk was, and I drove up in front of 21 Canton Lane and heard the shots as he ran up the path to the house. That was it, Commander. Yeah. Gollard.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Gard. You blasted fool.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

What did you do, you crazy punk?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I just killed a liar, a stoolie and a tit. Let's go.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Now.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Without questions, huh?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

First, there's got to be a few answers given, boy.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Such as?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Such as, did you know this cheat here had just about arranged to get you paroled at the next meeting of the board?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

You're a lion.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Too bad for your peace of mind. I'm not. Not when I said that. Nor when I say this. Your wife didn't call me and inform on you today, Gollard.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

She did.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

She did.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

No, she didn't. The call I got came from a woman named Esther Moody, who made it to help weave this net you're caught in. Moody.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Esther Moody.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Who's that? What's she got to do with me? She's got nothing to do with you. But I think maybe her boyfriend has a boyfriend. A guy by the name of Hap McLean. For a moment he stared at me like a wounded animal, and then his eyes closed slowly. He shook his head wearily, as if to come out of a sick dizziness. And neither risky nor I caught the movement of his hand as he blasted the globe dangling from the ceiling, punches punching us into blind blackness as he crashed out through the window. Nearer dawn in the alley behind Banner's Tavern.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

It's coming. Getting chilly waiting here, Mlan. Where's your boy? Easy, Spears. Take it easy. He's on his way to us. There he comes. You sure, Tim? Can't you see, Flathead? Hey, give me a gun. Let me take him in there. Thanks. Now duck behind the lamp post so we don't see you too soon. Here I am, kid. How you making his hat? I killed a hat. Yes, sure, sure. That's what you had to do. Come on, we'll go in Banners and have a few snorts. That'll set you up right, eh? Hey, Hap. Yeah? Where's the pal who was going to help me lamb out of the state? Oh, well, he had to go, Frank.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

He'll be back.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

I figured he was back now. That's him behind the lamp post, ain't it, Hap? Gotta get him through. Kid. Kid.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

How much blood do you want on your hands, baby?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Just a little more. Just a little more. You greasy, crummy stool pigeon.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Hap McLean took a look into the empty, cold eyes of the boy and suddenly bolted down the alley. At the corner, McLean swung abruptly and fired. The bullet hit and he waited for Frank Dollar to go down, but he waited in vain. The boy came toward him, head lowered, staggering.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Baby, baby, don't be sore on me. I don't want you sore on me, Frank.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

As he spoke, McLean fired again and found himself with an empty gun in his hand. And he blinked unbelievingly as the boys swayed with the anguish of the shots. And then steadily he plowed forward, half crazy with fear. MacLean stumbled into the darkness until he came to World's End at the edge of the wharf behind the tavern.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Oh, baby.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Oh, Frank, you gotta listen to your Hap. You gotta listen to your happy. You can't be sore on me, baby. You honest. Oh, don't shoot, kid. Let's talk it out there. Frank Gollard Looking like a child asleep, was dead, stretched out on the rotten planking of the wharf when we found him. Josh and Debbie were in bed when I climbed the stairs to our flat. And knowing nothing of what was going on inside of me, they clamored for the next story in the book. The next story was Othello. And as I read the tale of the tragic death of Desdemona and Othello and the final undoing of Iago, I shuddered with a kind of recognition at the end of the narrative. There was silence then.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

And the fellow killed himself too?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yes, baby.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Gee, I don't see why he had to die. He didn't know what he was doing. Was all Iago's fault, wasn't it, Daddy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yes. Yes, essentially it was Iago's fault.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Then. Then why didn't he just explain and go on living?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Maybe he didn't want to, honey.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

Oh, you mean because he'd lost his Dimona, is that it?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

That's part of it.

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

What's the other part, Daddy?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Don't you know?

[Child 1 (Josh Jr.)]

You mean he'd lost Thiago too?

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Yes, baby, you get the point. He also lost his friends. Joshua Sharp, detective, works for his clients on a strictly cash basis to provide for the needs of his nearest and dearest, Josh Jr. And Debbie. To them, he's the friendly magician, the fabulous hero, the giant among giants, the Big Guy. NBC has presented another in a series of adventures of the Big Guy, played by Henry Calvin and featuring David Anderson as Josh Jr. And Joan Laser as Debbie. The script was written by Peter Barry and directed by Thomas Madigan. The music was composed and played by Jack Ward. Members of the cast were Jim Stevens, Merrill E. Joel, Peggy Lobbin, Bill Zuckert, Linda Watkins, Lyle Sudro and Sandy Strauss as Risky Skinner. Your announcer is Peter Roberts.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Three chimes mean good times on NBC. The American album of familiar music returns

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

tonight over most of these NBC stations,

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

presenting the finest in Sunday evening musical listening designed for the entire family.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

On Sunday, September 10, Theater Guild on the air will be back with more

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

hour long presentations from Broadway and Hollywood, featuring the most famous and talented artists of stage, screen and radio. Three times mean good times on NBC. I'm here on a job site with Tim, who owns his own electrical contracting business.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Three employees and two work trucks.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Tim traded up to Geico Commercial Auto Insurance. We're positively here where he needs us most. They sure are. With step by step help on all his insurance needs. All for shockingly low rates.

[Joshua Sharp (The Big Guy)]

Shockingly low, huh?

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

Just a little bit of electrician humor. Do you get it?

[Narrator/Announcer]

I got it.

[Hap McLean / Other Male Characters]

You know, it feels like we have a real connection.

[Narrator/Announcer]

All right, I'll stop, get a commercial auto insurance quote [e-mail] and see how much you could save. It feels good. To geico. I'm caught up in the game. My attention is on every play and every whistle, but what I'm missing is a signal coming from my kidneys. That signal isn't like a ref's whistle. It's more of a silent sos, which could be warning me of an increased risk for events like heart attack or stroke. And a way I can catch that signal a simple urine test called UACR. If you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about the UACR test. Detect the SOS. Visit detectthesos.com to learn more.