Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Hidden Truth (AU) 67-12-10 "The Denture" (aka Stewart Hall)
Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Source Show: Hidden Truth

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Hidden Truth delves into a real-life-inspired mystery from the files of Leonard Keeler, famed inventor of the polygraph. The case centers on the puzzling disappearance of Henrietta Hall, a 46-year-old woman from Burbank, California. Through the lens of midcentury radio drama—with brisk detective exchanges, family tensions, and the promise of "nothing but the truth"—listeners are taken through the unfolding investigation, from initial suspicions of foul play to a final, tragic resolution.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Case

• Narrator introduces Stewart Hall, a shaken husband reporting the mysterious disappearance of his wife Henrietta (01:02).
  • Hall is described as "considerably shaken," unable to explain her vanishing.
• Key details: Henrietta left without luggage, only a purse with a small sum, and her car was left behind.

2. Establishing Family Dynamics

• Detective Sam Drake questions Hall, notes his distress, and advises him to go home while the investigation proceeds (02:27-03:33).
  • “Only 96 pounds, eh, Mr. Hall? Why she might have just evaporated.” (02:27 - Detective Sam Drake)
• Hall confesses he delayed reporting for fear of scandal (03:02).

3. Susan Hall's Testimony

• Susan, Stewart and Henrietta’s daughter, arrives independently to report her mother missing (05:14).
  • She is convinced her mother wouldn't have left willingly, especially with her brother Ralph due home from postwar Japan.
• Susan mentions longstanding arguments between her parents, mostly over child-rearing, but dismisses any suggestion of infidelity or recent intent to split up (06:29-07:48).

4. Lie Detector Enters the Scene

• Detective Drake consults Keeler, inventor of the polygraph, to confirm Stewart Hall’s account (08:22), given mounting inconsistencies.
  • “It would help to be sure her husband’s telling the truth, now, wouldn’t it?” (09:44 - Leonard Keeler)
• Plans are laid to test Hall, but he is too ill and upset at first, possibly skewing test accuracy (11:31-12:38).

5. The Clue: The Denture

• Susan finds and presents a vital clue: her mother’s denture, left behind in her room—something Henrietta would never leave the house without (12:42).
  • Raises the question: Did Henrietta ever intend to go out at all?
  • Dentist Dr. Coles confirms she had only one upper plate made (14:00).

6. Mounting Suspicion and Property Search

• Drake becomes convinced Henrietta was likely murdered, but with no body or evidence, arrest is impossible.
  • “Nard, it’s a lead pipe cinch that Henrietta Hall has been murdered.” (14:55 - Detective Sam Drake)
• The police begin a methodical search of the Hall ranch, but find nothing on the first day (16:38-17:45).

7. Lie Detector Tests on Family

• Hall is pressured to take the polygraph; he delays citing illness. Susan is given the test first (19:04).
  • She becomes distraught, and the polygraph shows deception—she’s hiding information.
  • “But you’re lying, Susan. The polygraph shows you’re lying. You do know, don’t you, Susan?” (19:37 - Keeler)

8. Ralph Hall Returns: The Hidden Truth Emerges

• Ralph returns unexpectedly from Japan (20:03). Under pressure, he admits to what happened:
  • In a flashback, Ralph reveals he married a Japanese woman and came home to break the news to his mother.
  • Henrietta reacts with shock and collapse upon hearing the news; Ralph believes she died from the shock, not violence (21:07-23:34).
  • He confesses to burying her in the greenhouse, not wanting his father to know or be overwhelmed by further grief.

9. Resolution

• Polygraph confirms Ralph’s account; the autopsy supports no foul play—death is ruled from natural causes (24:51).
  • The narrative closes on the enduring emotional toll for the Hall family, underscoring the bittersweet, sometimes ambiguous truths behind closed doors.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Detective Drake quips on the case's oddity:
  “There’s something here that doesn’t meet the eye.” (04:31)

• Susan affirms her loyalty to her mother’s character:
  “She was deathly afraid of the dark...she never left the ranch alone at night unless she drove. She has her own car, but it’s still in the driveway.” (07:15)

• Keeler underscores the value of the polygraph:
  “It would help to be sure her husband’s telling the truth, now, wouldn’t it?” (09:44)

• Susan, under duress from the lie detector:
  “I'm not hiding anything. I'm not.” (19:29)

• Ralph’s emotional confession:
  “I could never live with it anyway. Nobody could live with. Keeps coming back to me. Won’t go away. Keeps coming back to me.” (20:36)

• The final note of tragedy:
  “But in the hearts of all of them dwells human tragedy. Tragedy that years cannot erase.” (24:51)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:02-04:00]: Introduction of the case by narrator, setup of Stewart Hall's distress
• [05:14-07:48]: Susan Hall's detailed statement and background of family tensions
• [08:22-10:05]: Decision to use lie detector, Keeler brought in
• [12:42-13:02]: Discovery of the denture in Henrietta’s room
• [14:00-14:47]: Dentist confirms only one denture was ever made
• [16:38-16:55]: Police openly begin search for a body, Hall is notified of murder suspicions
• [19:04-19:47]: Susan's failed polygraph, suspicions mount
• [20:03-21:07]: Ralph’s confession and the actual sequence of events revealed
• [24:51]: Case closed—the truth and its aftermath for the family

Tone & Language

The drama maintains a classic, brisk detective tone. Dialogue is crisp, emotions understated but clear, in the tradition of radio mysteries. Key moments linger in tension and moral ambiguity, especially in the family's conversations about loyalty, guilt, and tragic miscommunication.

Summary

Hidden Truth’s "The Denture" unfolds a densely layered, emotionally fraught mystery that uses the polygraph as both a literal and symbolic tool for uncovering repressed truths. The episode is a potent exploration of family secrets, cultural tensions in postwar America, and the sad reality that even "the whole truth" can leave lasting pain.