Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: The Silent Men 51-11-11 (05) "The Trans-Atlantic Push"

Air Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Original Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Supporting Cast
Episode Length: ~30 minutes

Overview

This episode takes listeners into a classic radio detective story from the Golden Age of Radio, featuring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in "The Silent Men." The case, "The Trans-Atlantic Push," explores an international counterfeit operation threatening the stability of the U.S. dollar, with agents traversing both Washington, D.C., and post-war Europe (France, Spain, Italy) to unravel the mystery and apprehend the culprits.

The drama highlights the tireless and often dangerous work of U.S. federal agents, their international cooperation with European police, and the personal cost involved for innocent victims.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Developments

1. The Stakes: Protecting the Integrity of Currency

• [01:25] Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (as Agent Ben Jarrett) opens by emphasizing the critical importance of a nation's currency:
  • "The wealth and the security of a nation depend not only on physical strength, but on the soundness and value of its currency."
• Dangerous counterfeiting threatens not just individuals but the nation’s financial stability.

2. Discovery of Counterfeit Bills

• [02:30] Agent Jarrett is tasked by Chief Maloney with a new case after a batch of foreign-origin counterfeit bills is detected.
  • They discuss technical errors in the fakes—color mismatches and out-of-line serial numbers—making them “not a bad job,” but still traceable.

3. The Human Cost

• [03:50] Mrs. Lenya Vronsky, a concentration camp survivor and immigrant, is detained after unknowingly using counterfeit currency she exchanged her life savings for in Paris.
  • “Not when the woman has a number tattooed on her arm. Concentration camps. One of the worst. Buchenwald. And that's the type of person being victimized.” — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [03:43]
• Her interrogation reveals the extent of victimization among vulnerable immigrants.

4. Tracing the Origin — International Collaboration

• [04:38] The investigation determines the paper and ink used in the counterfeits are from France, Spain, and Italy, confirming the international nature.
• Agents Jarrett and Al White travel to Paris, linking up with Inspector Poiret of the French Sureté for local intelligence.

5. Link to Wartime Counterfeiting

• [09:46] The agents theorize the current gang may have evolved from a wartime counterfeit ring specializing in ration certificate forgeries.
  • The group’s leader, Georges Corbin—a printer in Paris—becomes a person of interest.
  • "It could be a post war gang. But it's just as likely, one that started during the war, maybe before." — Al White [09:32]

6. A Wife in Fear — Mrs. Corbin

• [11:28] At Corbin’s house, his wife reports he’s been missing for five months, forcibly taken by mysterious men, feared dead or being coerced.
• The agents convince her to help as part of a sting operation to find her husband and the gang.

7. Undercover Stakeout

• [14:23] - [16:43] Mrs. Corbin, given a fake passport and funds, attempts to buy counterfeit dollars on the black market:
  • The operation nets a small pusher, but the task force uses this to track distribution—money is being mailed from Marseille under pseudonyms.

8. Marseille Pursuit & Showdown

• [18:23+] The team tracks postal activity to Marseille, shadowing a key courier (Antoine Ristore) to a seedy café owned by Andre Selvigny, who has recently acquired luxury property, arousing further suspicion.
• [22:44+] Final strategy: Allow primary suspects to believe they're escaping after a staged brawl at the café, then follow them to the real base.
• [24:49] Violent fight ensues; Al White is seriously injured and the prime suspects escape.

9. Final Raid and Resolution

• [26:20+] The agents and Inspector Poiret’s men surround a countryside chateau near Cabri, suspected as the counterfeit press location.
• A night raid ensues, resulting in the arrests of the counterfeiters, seizure of plates, and the closure of the transatlantic operation.
  • "Your government will be most happy. They'll be happy to see these counterfeit plates." — Inspector Poiret [27:39]
  • "The stopping of the transatlantic push closes another chapter in the distinguished chronicle of our Silent Men." — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [28:47]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Crime's Impact:

  "That their success has been small and limited is a blessing to us. A blessing guarded by a handful of men who have one major purpose in life—protection of this government and its citizens."
  — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [01:25]

• On the Human Tragedy:

  "If she knew the queer, she wouldn't go to a bank. You're right. She didn't know. She bought the bills in the black market in Europe. Her whole life savings."
  — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [03:20]

• On Undercover Strategy:

  "Mrs. Corbin, we may be able to help your husband if you help us."
  — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [14:14]

• Light Humor Amid Tension:

  "My high school teacher said no." [on his French abilities]
  — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [06:45]

• On Duty and Honor:

  "No, no, thanks, Inspector. You take them. We're well paid for our jobs. Well paid? ... I wasn't thinking of money, Inspector. No, not money."
  — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Inspector Poiret [28:33–28:47]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [01:25] – Setting up the gravity of counterfeiting
• [03:43] – Empathy for innocent victims (Mrs. Vronsky's situation)
• [04:38] – Establishing international scope and launching the overseas investigation
• [08:47]–[09:53] – Analyzing counterfeit samples with Parisian police, connecting to wartime activity
• [11:28]–[14:49] – Mrs. Corbin’s fearful cooperation, setting up the black market sting
• [16:17]–[17:19] – Surveillance and tracking the pusher in Paris
• [18:23]–[21:20] – The Marseille lead, identifying the café and wealthy suspect
• [22:44]–[25:15] – The staged fight at the café, agents injured, suspects escape
• [26:20]–[28:14] – Chateau raid and wrap-up; counterfeiters apprehended
• [28:47] – Closing reflection on the agents’ sacrifices

Tone & Style

True to mid-century crime drama, the language is brisk, earnest, and reverent toward the law enforcers. There’s a sense of camaraderie and dry humor among the agents, contrasting with the graver moments highlighting post-war European hardship and the real danger the agents and civilians face.

Conclusion

This episode of "The Silent Men" offers a suspenseful, international counterfeiting takedown, blending gritty realism with poignant social commentary. Listeners are drawn into the shadowy world of postwar Europe, the vulnerability of refugees, and the unsung heroism of federal agents. The case wraps with justice served, but not without cost, reminding listeners of the daily risks the “Silent Men” undertake for public safety.

Next week’s teaser:
Another globe-spanning case brings the agents to the Far East in search of a narcotics ring ("Heroin Source X").