Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Rocky Fortune 1953-11-17 (006) Some Cat's Killed the Canary
Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Main Star: Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune

Episode Overview

This episode features a gripping installment of the classic Rocky Fortune radio series, brought to life by Frank Sinatra. Rocky, a streetwise everyman, stumbles into a deadly jazz-club mystery involving broken hearts, murder, and musical mayhem. Listeners are transported back to the heyday of radio drama, indulging in colorful, hardboiled dialogue and a noir-soaked storyline that unfolds in the sleazy Hotel Zanzibar.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Rocky Gets a Gig (02:12 - 06:05)

• Rocky Fortune, low on funds, accepts a last-minute stint as a bass player at the Hotel Zanzibar.
• Bugsy Barton, an old jazz buddy, recruits Rocky, needing cover for the regular bassist, Johnny Lament, who is too drunk and heartbroken to play.
  • “All you gotta do is stand up there and wallop the Willitzer. I just want to cover the boy to keep the hotel manager from blowing his top.” – Bugsy (04:40)
• The club hosts a motley group of musicians, with tensions simmering over a recent breakup between Johnny and his girlfriend, Evie Johnson.

2. Meeting the Players (06:05 - 13:20)

• Rocky fetches Johnny’s bass from his room, encountering:
  • Dolores Kane, a sharp-tongued singer and Johnny's ex-wife.
  • A heavily drunk and distraught Johnny Lament.
  • Intrusive club manager, Mr. Quaid, whose impatience signals deeper trouble.
• Dolores and Rocky share some snappy flirtation. Dolores points out the unloaded gun, subtly hinting at danger to come.
  • “I already threw the bullets out the window. Clever girl.” – Dolores & Rocky (11:30)

3. The Gig & a Grizzly Discovery (13:20 - 20:11)

• Rocky “plays” the gig, faking his musical prowess as the club gets lively.
  • “Half the time I'm in two different keys, but nobody cares. And the fans figure I'm another Eddie Safranski ‘cause I'm playing notes that don’t even exist.” – Rocky (16:55)
• After the show, Rocky heads upstairs and stumbles onto a horrific scene in Dolores’s room: Evie Johnson is found dead – stabbed; Dolores is in shock, knife in hand.

4. Framed for Murder? (20:12 - 27:11)

• Dolores, dazed and possibly drugged, swears innocence. Rocky concludes she was set up.
  • “Somebody slipped your mickey. Your pupils are contracted. It was the drink. I know it.” – Rocky (21:45)
• As Rocky tries to stage a cover-up and move the body, Detective Sergeant Hamilton Finger arrives on a tip. The elevator is empty – someone has already stolen the corpse.

5. Shifting Suspicions (27:12 - 38:00)

• Rocky and Dolores realize the body was likely taken by someone stopping the elevator on the second floor.
• While searching for clues and Dolores, Rocky overhears a heated confrontation: Johnny accuses Dolores of killing Evie, revealing their fraught marital past.
  • “We was married once, you and me, remember? Now, let's have it. What'd you do to Eve?” – Johnny Lament (32:10)
• Rocky, feeling used, almost turns himself in, but stumbles on the solution in the band room: the missing body is hidden inside the bass fiddle case.

6. The Murderer Unmasked (38:01 - 47:10)

• Rocky is confronted by Johnny in the band room and realizes Johnny killed Evie to cover up his drug dealing, framing Dolores to cover his tracks.
  • “She found out I was pushing dope and threatened to go to the cops. I had to killer.” – Johnny Lament (40:10)
• Sheer jazz-club chaos ensues as Rocky calls Quaid, only to realize Quaid is also involved (“How did Quaid know she was stabbed? And how did he know it was a man?” – Rocky, 42:07).

7. Classic Radio Hijinks & Resolution (47:11 - 53:50)

• Rocky hides in the bass case to escape but is almost dumped in the river by Bugsy and Quaid, revealing Bugsy’s involvement in the criminal scheme.
• Saved at the last moment by the arrival of Sergeant Finger and the police, Rocky emerges to reveal the evidence: the corpse in the closet.
  • “You won’t believe this, Sergeant, but I just climbed out of a fiddle case.” – Rocky (53:01)
• Case closed: Johnny, Quaid, and Bugsy are implicated. Rocky ends with a wisecrack about the twisted adventure.
  • “Man, dig that crazy bass fidd.” – Rocky (54:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Plant you now and dig you later.” – Bugsy (03:10)
• “I'm just playing along when up he comes, boogerty, boogerty, open horn and every note, it looked like it was greased and stuffed...” – Rocky, inventing his musical past for Quaid (09:50)
• “If you didn’t, who did? ... Why should anyone? Somebody did, baby.” – Rocky assuring Dolores she was framed (21:50)
• “You say you’ve got the man who stabbed it stretched out like a Harry. That’s just fine, Fortune.” – Quaid, accidentally revealing inside knowledge (42:15)
• “You think you can lift that case with me in it? ... Atta boy, muscle man.” – Rocky and Bugsy during the attempted escape (46:00)
• “You won’t believe this, Sergeant, but I just climbed out of a fiddle case.” – Rocky, after a harrowing (and ridiculous) escape (53:01)
• “Man, dig that crazy bass fidd.” – Rocky’s closing zinger (54:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:12 – Rocky gets the call about the gig.
• 06:05 – Encounter with Dolores and introduction of Johnny.
• 13:20 – Rocky’s performance at the Zanzibar.
• 20:12 – Discovery of Evie’s body.
• 27:12 – Elevator switcheroo; body missing.
• 32:10 – Johnny’s confrontation with Dolores.
• 38:01 – Rocky finds the body in the fiddle case.
• 40:10 – Johnny’s confession.
• 42:07 – Rocky realizes Quaid’s involvement.
• 46:00 – The escape plan: Rocky hides in the bass case.
• 53:01 – Rocky escapes and reveals all to the police.
• 54:20 – Rocky’s closing pun.

Tone & Style

As is characteristic of Golden Age radio, the script brims with jazzy lingo, hardboiled wisecracks, and noir flavor. Sinatra delivers as the quick-talking, charming protagonist, blending suspense with wry humor and some self-deprecation.

Conclusion

“Some Cat’s Killed the Canary” is a quintessential Rocky Fortune adventure—fast-paced, witty, and packed with crime drama. Through clever banter and a twisty plot, listeners are treated to a classic radio whodunit, complete with jazz-club intrigue and a memorable turn from Frank Sinatra.