Broadway's My Beat: The Ben Elliot Murder Case (EP4601)

Summary

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Broadway's My Beat: The Ben Elliot Murder Case (EP4601)
Release Date: January 15, 2025
Host: Adam Graham
Featured Drama: Broadway's My Beat
Main Characters:

• Detective Danny Clover (Larry Thor)
• Sergeant Zattaglia
• Rhoda Lynn
• Ben Elliot (Private Investigator)
• Mildred Burke (Rhoda’s Mother)

---

Introduction

In this gripping episode of The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio, host Adam Graham delves into the shadowy streets of Broadway with Broadway's My Beat, featuring Detective Danny Clover's investigation into a complex murder case. Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, the story intertwines family secrets, suspected poisonings, and unexpected betrayals.

---

Plot Overview

The episode centers around Detective Danny Clover as he grapples with Rhoda Lynn's persistent claims that her father, Robert Lynn, was murdered by poisoning—contrary to the official reports indicating natural causes. As Danny navigates through conflicting testimonies and mysterious characters, the investigation uncovers a web of deceit involving Rhoda's stepfather, Dr. Mildred Burke, and the enigmatic private investigator, Ben Elliot.

---

Detailed Plot Progression

Opening Investigations

Detective Danny Clover is approached by Rhoda Lynn, a distressed young woman convinced that her father was poisoned. Despite prior exhumations revealing no evidence of foul play, Rhoda remains adamant:

Rhoda Lynn ([03:55]): "My father was poisoned and I'm being poisoned and I'm going to die."

Frustrated yet determined, Danny, alongside Sergeant Zattaglia, decides to re-examine the case, delving deeper into Rhoda's troubled home life.

Encounter with Ben Elliot

During his investigation, Danny bumps into Ben Elliot, a fellow private investigator with a murky past:

Ben Elliot ([07:02]): "Ben Elliot, the private investigator. You're... You're a civilian competition."

Ben's presence raises suspicions, especially when Danny learns about Elliot's extensive gold deposits:

Ben Elliot ([10:39]): "He liked gold. Gold meaning money in any shape, size or form. As a matter of fact, he deposited same in banks. 3,000 here, 2,000 there, 1,000 here and there."

Interrogation of Mildred Burke

Danny confronts Mildred Burke, Rhoda’s mother and Dr. Burke’s wife, suspecting her involvement in the alleged poisoning:

Mildred Burke ([09:04]): "That I murdered my first husband, her father? That I'll murder her? That I."

Mildred's evasive responses only deepen Danny's resolve to uncover the truth, hinting at possible motives rooted in family dynamics and financial strains.

Unraveling the Mystery

As the investigation progresses, Danny pieces together a scenario where Mildred Burke may have orchestrated the deaths to secure her position and financial stability. The plot thickens when Rhoda accuses her mother directly:

Rhoda Lynn ([23:04]): "You killed him. You killed him just the way you killed him."

In a climactic confrontation, Danny theorizes that Mildred manipulated circumstances to make the murders appear as suicides, ensuring minimal suspicion.

Climactic Resolution

The tension culminates in a dramatic sequence where Danny and Ben Elliot uncover the truth behind the poisonings. Rhoda's deteriorating health and her confrontations with her mother reveal the extent of the family's dark secrets. Despite threats and attempts to obfuscate the truth, Danny's relentless pursuit leads to the resolution of the case, exposing Mildred Burke's culpability.

---

Notable Quotes

• Detective Danny Clover ([03:55]): "My father was poisoned and I'm being poisoned and I'm going to die."

• Ben Elliot ([07:02]): "Ben Elliot, the private investigator. You're... You're a civilian competition."

• Mildred Burke ([09:04]): "That I murdered my first husband, her father? That I'll murder her? That I."

• Rhoda Lynn ([23:04]): "You killed him. You killed him just the way you killed him."

---

Insights and Commentary

After the dramatic conclusion of the murder case, host Adam Graham provides insightful commentary on the episode's emotional depth and narrative structure:

Adam Graham ([32:35]): "A highly dramatic episode with a lot of emotion that, given the nature of the crime, is understandable."

Graham highlights the grounded and believable portrayal of the characters, contrasting it with more fantastical renditions from other series. He also notes the reutilization of the storyline in another radio series, emphasizing its compelling nature.

Additionally, Graham engages with listener feedback, addressing comments from various platforms like Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube. Discussions range from character analyses to actor performances, showcasing the podcast's active and interactive community.

---

Production and Cast Highlights

• Starring:

  • Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
  • Charles Calvert as Sergeant Zattaglia
  • Joyce McCluskey, Betty Lou Gerson, Jack Edwards, Howard McNear, Jack Crucian, and Blue Merrill in supporting roles.

• Production Credits:

  • Writers: Morton Fine and David Friedkin
  • Director: Elliot Lewis
  • Musical Score: Alexander Curry

The episode exemplifies the Golden Age of Radio's storytelling prowess, with meticulous attention to character development and atmospheric soundscapes.

---

Conclusion

Broadway's My Beat: The Ben Elliot Murder Case offers a captivating blend of suspense, drama, and intricate plotting. Through Detective Danny Clover's unwavering quest for truth, listeners are immersed in a tale of familial betrayal and relentless investigation. Adam Graham's adept narration and the stellar cast's performances make this episode a standout installment in The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio series.

For those who relish timeless detective stories filled with emotional depth and classic radio charm, this episode is a must-listen.

---

Explore More:
Subscribe to The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio on your favorite podcast platform or visit greatdetectives.net to delve into over 1,000 episodes spanning fifteen seasons of riveting mystery dramas.

Transcript

[Grammarly Advertiser]

Professionals spend nearly half the workweek on written communication, so focus is important. With Grammarly as your AI writing partner, focus and quickly get through work with relevant real time suggestions and it works across 500,000 apps and websites so you can sound more confident and persuasive wherever you write. 93% of professionals report that Grammarly helps them get more work done. Download Grammarly for [e-mail] podcast that's Grammarly.com podcast new year same Great savings All in the Fred meyer app get 10 for $10 on select varieties of Kroger pasta, Starkist tuna pouches or Powerade with your card. Then get three pound packs of flavorful 93% lean ground beef for $3.49 a pound with your card and a digital coupon. Shop these deals at your local Kroger today or click the screen now to download the Fred Meyer app to save big today. Fred Meyer Fresh for everyone. Prices and product availability subject to change. Restrictions apply. See site for.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment we're going to bring you this week's episode of Broadway's My Bait, but I do want to encourage you if you are enjoying the podcast to follow us using your favorite podcast software. Today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis using the Zell app to box [e-mail] and I want to thank Benjamin and Karen for supporting the podcast that way. You can also Support us through [e-mail] thank you to John for supporting the podcast that way and you can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. And I want to welcome Formula Bruce as our latest Patreon supporter at the Detective Sergeant level of $7.14 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support. Now, from February 24, 1950, here's the Ben Elliot murder case.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway's My beat From Times Square to Columbus Circle the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway's My Beat With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover Broadway where the fury of the night races against the time of dawn it needs those hours to prove itself the mob, the grinning faces, the voice that whispers but hurry times at your heels in the night lasts only so long that's the word on Broadway, my peak It's a system they worked out Long ago. The darkness is reserved for those who break the law. So that the police can write out their reports in the daytime. That's what I was doing, writing out reports, when Sergeant Zattaglia nudged his head through the doorway.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Good morning to you, my lieutenant.

[Larry Thor]

Hello, Totaglia. What's in your mind?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

She's here again, Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. I had a feeling she'd be here. She'll never give up, will she?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

You know, I got a theory about that, Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Sure. Him?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Yeah, sure.

[Larry Thor]

Danny. This way, miss.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Are you going to help me, Mr. Colbert? Are you send me away again?

[Larry Thor]

The girl who crossed the room and placed her fingers on my desk was slender. Her face seemed about to grow suddenly old. Her skin was pale, unveiled, dead white.

[Rhoda Lynn]

I've come back to ask you again, Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

Sit down, Rhoda. No.

[Rhoda Lynn]

A beggar who stands can keep some dignity. I like to think that. Anyhow, maybe it's a lie.

[Larry Thor]

Rhoda.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Did you say my name gently to show me you pity me? I don't want to be pitied.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Now, look, Ms. Lynn. Danny was only proud.

[Larry Thor]

Rhoda, listen to me.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Listen.

[Larry Thor]

Yes.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Yes, I'll listen. Say a kind word to me, Rhoda.

[Larry Thor]

You've come to ask me to have your father's body exhumed.

[Rhoda Lynn]

I know that, you know that.

[Larry Thor]

But we've already done that. Two months ago, four months after your father died, we exhumed his body. He wasn't poisoned, Roly. In spite of what you say, he wasn't poisoned.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Poisoned. That's how my father died. Robert Lynn. My father was murdered. That's a simple sentence.

[Larry Thor]

Understand it.

[Rhoda Lynn]

My father was poisoned and I'm being poisoned and I'm going to die. And you'll sit there and say my dying meets all the requirements for dying because there'll be a death certificate. No. Nothing. Bye, Mr. Cope.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Annie, that girl needs attention of some sort or another.

[Larry Thor]

Talking to by a doctor, by a parent, by somebody. Where does she live, Detective?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

In the combination dentist office and living quarters on 147th Street. 1612. With her mother and stepfather.

[Larry Thor]

Stepfather? Yeah. Yeah.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Her mother got married again. This mother must like dentists. The husband who died was a dentist. Now husband number two, one Bernard Burt, turns up also to have a talent with the drill. Hey, you going up there, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

Like I said, Rhoda Lynn needs talking to by somebody. The place where Rhoda lived was a soot crusted, five story apartment building of yellow and pock marked brick. It stood on 147th street, just around the corner from where Broadway tries to be suburban. And it had two things. An open court to grab onto whatever light and air that was left over. And the kids, the kids bouncing a ball against a brand new gilt lettered sign that said Bernard Burke, dentist. Five flights up. Gas, no pain. As I rounded the turn on the fourth floor, I heard a door close above me and steps starting down. Then the steps became a voice that said it knew me.

[Ben Elliot]

Danny. Danny Clover. I know you, Danny. You know me? I'm sorry, I. Ah, you don't know me. Here, I'll lean my face over in the light. A familiar face, huh, Danny? Repulsive, but familiar, huh?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, yeah, but I don't quite play.

[Ben Elliot]

Elliot. Ben Elliot, the private investigator. You're. You're a civilian competition. Remember the axe murder case where I was positively useless to you? You remember that, don't you, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

Sure, sure. How are you, Ben?

[Ben Elliot]

Happy as a fago.

[Larry Thor]

Glad to hear it. What are you doing here, Ben? Competing.

[Ben Elliot]

Ah, you. You deduced this just because I just came out of a dentist's office? Nah, nah, Danny, you got it all wrong. Bert, the no pain dentist has just made some alterations on a bridge I suffer in my mouth. Here I take a look.

[Larry Thor]

Stunning. I hope you and the bridge are very happy together.

[Ben Elliot]

You kill me, Danny. Just with you, Danny. What's with you? You also got sorrows in your teeth?

[Larry Thor]

In every one. So long, Ben. See you around. Yeah, Danny. Take care. I recommend it from the heart.

[Adam Graham]

Yes?

[Mildred Burke]

You had an appointment with Dr. Burke. You'll have to wait.

[Larry Thor]

I'll wait.

[Mildred Burke]

You can amuse yourself with some Euro, National Geographic, or this brochure from a dental supply house with illustrations in color. Or you could talk to me.

[Larry Thor]

That last thing. Let's do that.

[Mildred Burke]

You've made such a wise choice. And now do you begin or shall I?

[Larry Thor]

You're Rhoda's mother, aren't you, Mrs. Burke?

[Mildred Burke]

Men are such babies. About clean, aren't they? And my husband is such a dental vendor.

[Larry Thor]

You're Rhoda's mother?

[Mildred Burke]

Yes, I'm rhoda's mother and Dr. Burke's assistant and wife. And you? One of Rhoda's numerous and nameless boyfriends.

[Larry Thor]

I'm Danny Clover of the police, Mrs. Burke. Rhoda was in to see me again.

[Mildred Burke]

To ask you to have her father's body torn out of its grave again.

[Larry Thor]

Then you know about it? About her coming to me?

[Mildred Burke]

Of course I know. A girl's best friend is her mother, isn't she, Mr. Clover? Rhoda adores me. She Tells me everything. But not in a whisper, in a scream.

[Larry Thor]

Like what? What does she tell you, Mrs. Burke?

[Mildred Burke]

That I murdered my first husband, her father? That I'll murder her? That I. Oh, she's such a sick little girl. So sick. We try to help her, but we can't. She won't let us. Sickness that drains all the sweetness out of her. Sick, she's not like a mother's child at all.

[Larry Thor]

She's always so pale. Mrs. Burke. Have you had her to a doctor?

[Mildred Burke]

Rhoda, do you think she would let me take her anywhere? Do things for her. Tell her what she should do when she thinks that terrible, ugly thing about me. Answer me, Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

I just ran into a man, Ben Elliott, a private investigator. What was he doing here, Mrs. Burke?

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, you just go on home, Mr. Raymond, with a nice pack on. And here's some sample aspirin. Take two every two hours. And a hot and cold application is during the night. Ah, you feel like a new. Oh, well, what have we here? Mildred, New patient. You're next, sir.

[Mildred Burke]

Not a patient, Bernard. A policeman. Danny Clover. He's concerned about Rhoda. Do you think we can help him?

[Ben Elliot]

I'm GLAD you're here, Mr. Clover. Will you step into my office, please?

[Mildred Burke]

Bernard?

[Ben Elliot]

Please, Mildred, we should have handled it this way in the first place. Will you go in, Mr. Clover?

[Mildred Burke]

Bernard, I advise you to let it alone.

[Ben Elliot]

Mildred, will you take care of those X ray negatives during office hours? You are my assistant. Thank you. After you, Mr. Clover. Sit in the dentist chair, Mr. Clover. Very comfortable. Almost paid for it. Yeah, I'll adjust it. Yeah. Isn't that right?

[Larry Thor]

Never had it better. Now, Dr. Burke, what is it that you should have handled this way? I only ask because I'm curious.

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, yes, of course. The theft of the gold. The gold I use to fill my client's teeth. Most durable. 14 karat, very expensive. Shines when brushed. Does that move beautifully? I'm reporting it to you because you're a policeman and the only proper authority to handle it. Mildred tried to convince me otherwise.

[Larry Thor]

She did too. Oh, yeah.

[Ben Elliot]

She looked in the classified and found the name of a private investigator, Ben Elliot. Had him up here. Told him all. I tried to tell her we should report it to the police, but she wouldn't have it. And that's why I'm glad you're here. Because now both Mildred and I have had our way.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, I'm glad. I'll turn it over to the burglary detail, Dr. Burger.

[Ben Elliot]

I'd appreciate it, Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

That's nothing. Now, talk to me about Rova, Dr. Burke.

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, I can't tell you much about her. She never confides in me. I'm her stepfather. You know, sometimes it's very painful.

[Larry Thor]

Who does she confide in?

[Ben Elliot]

Well, there's a boy, Frank Norman. Rhoda was always with him. Matter of fact, I had to go bring her home one night because they were both too. Too drunk, Mr. Carver, to maneuver by themselves.

[Larry Thor]

Where was that?

[Ben Elliot]

It's a bar somewhere on 52nd Street. That street is home for that bar. You'll find my gold, Mr. Carver. It's very important in my business.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, yeah. It's a promise, Dr. Burke. The bar is a 52nd Street Wink at you.

[Ben Elliot]

It's a.

[Larry Thor]

A special kind of wink. Mechanized in chrome, and the tubular neon offers a variety of colors. The decor is sleek. The price is pegged to suit your individual needs, and the invitations are. But irresistible. So I bar hopped, looking for a kindred spirit named Frank Norman. It took quite a while. Then, near 10th Avenue, there was a place where the decor had crumbled just a bit, where a jukebox sold background music to emotion, also crumbling. The bartender waved me to the back of the room, saw the boy sitting there considering what dreams are to be found in the bottom of a shot glass. I touched his shoulder.

[Ben Elliot]

Hi. Hi. Hi. And I don't know you.

[Larry Thor]

I'm Danny Clover. Mind us sit down.

[Ben Elliot]

Goes like this, Danny. As a tyke, I was unloved and unwatered. I was left to consider the forever moon and the howling wind. Garbage. Mm. That's it, Danny. Precisely. And with poetic embellishments. My life for a drink. All right, Danny, go ahead. Fighter.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. Waiter. Yours, Frank.

[Ben Elliot]

And I have another version also. For the price of a gin and a brandy version that stools me to think about, but I'll sell it, too.

[Larry Thor]

That one. It includes Rhoda Lynn. Huh?

[Ben Elliot]

Who are you? What do you want?

[Larry Thor]

I said it once. Danny Clover, Police.

[Ben Elliot]

You didn't say the last part. All you said was Danny Clover. All you did was buy me a drink.

[Larry Thor]

Police.

[Ben Elliot]

I'm pure Danny Clover.

[Larry Thor]

Police.

[Ben Elliot]

Law abiding, upright, unsullied by temptation. What about Rhona?

[Larry Thor]

What about Rona?

[Ben Elliot]

There's this. She died. She sent me away because she's dying. Sent me back to the garbage. She's dying.

[Larry Thor]

Dying. How do you know?

[Ben Elliot]

Death sits on her shoulder and whispers to her. Can't you tell? I can tell. I loved Rhoda when she wasn't dying.

[Rhoda Lynn]

That's how I Can tell.

[Larry Thor]

What about her mother? Does she know her mother? Mildred Burke. Yeah, what about her?

[Ben Elliot]

She married a man three months after her husband died. That's a complete biography of Mildred Burke. That explains her. It explains everything about her.

[Larry Thor]

That's her privilege.

[Ben Elliot]

There was even a brother of yours. You are a detective, aren't you, Danny? Cr.

[Larry Thor]

Another detective. Ben Elliott, maybe.

[Ben Elliot]

Ben Elliot. He was detecting for even when her first husband was alive. You look surprised. Don't look surprised. Go up to the bartender. Give him money. Tell him it's for me. Tell him my wish is his command.

[Larry Thor]

I stood there for a moment longer. Watched him. Watched until his voice blurred and his eyes sought something far away. Then I left. I looked up Ben Elliott in the classified, hailed a cab and went there. Up a flight of stairs and walked back. The sign on the door said come in. So I came in. The sound Rhoda made in her throat like somebody far away yelling horribly. She stood beside the desk, swaying a little, her face ash. And even where her fingertips clotted her skin, there was no color. I caught her before she toppled over.

[Rhoda Lynn]

I didn't do it.

[Larry Thor]

What didn't you do?

[Rhoda Lynn]

I swear I didn't. I wasn't in the room. I didn't kill him.

[Larry Thor]

Then I saw him. He was on the other side of the desk, crumpled in a dark space, dead from a bullet hole in his throat. Ben Elliot dead. And his hand squeezed around a clump of gold frozen around it. The hand of the gold trapped in a thin shaft of light. And the girl stirred in my arms. And the scream that was imprisoned there tore itself from her throat. You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. There are many things about Broadway. It has its own private set of values. For instance, it measures the essence of a man's life in terms of light and darkness. Big man, so many mass above so many yards of neon to scream his name into the screaming night. Little man is a portion share of darkness. Like a spectacular with burnt out bulbs whispering into nothing. Dan Elliot was a little Man. His only claim to distinction that he died holding a fistful of dentist's gold. There was another thing. His murder was attended by a girl pale and shrieking as death itself. I had to know a lot of things about her. Dr. Sinski filled in a few.

[Ben Elliot]

A very sick girl, Danny. So sick I can't tell you.

[Larry Thor]

Try, doctor. Try to tell me anyway.

[Ben Elliot]

She's dying, Danny, of a rare type of pernicious anemia. So Rare. I had to call my old professor at Columbia to find out what it was. He called me a numbskull. Then the Latin word for schlemiel. And then he told me.

[Larry Thor]

What type is it?

[Ben Elliot]

You wouldn't understand. You're a fine type fella, Danny, but excuse the expression, you're also a layman. Some diseases are so mysterious, a doctor likes to keep them to himself.

[Larry Thor]

Now, wear them in good health. What about the poison? Did you find any evidence that she's been poisoned?

[Ben Elliot]

None whatsoever. Only the toxic condition that the anemia itself sets up. Can I be so bold as to offer you some advice, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

I've got my own doctor.

[Ben Elliot]

No, no, no. This isn't medical, Danny. It's. It's the milk of human kindness. If you've got nothing on this girl, this Rhoda Lynn, then let her go. Let her die in peace and dignity. Because she's dying, Danny. Take my word for it. Got Rhoda Lynn out here, Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Wanna talk to us tomorrow?

[Ben Elliot]

Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

Bring her in, McAven. Come on in, Roda. Sit down, Rhoda. Would you like a drink of water or anything else?

[Rhoda Lynn]

I just want to sleep. I just want to lie down somewhere and go to sleep. Can I go home, Mr. Clover? To my father's room? I've slept there ever since he died.

[Larry Thor]

Rhoda, why were you in Ben Elliot's office?

[Rhoda Lynn]

I told you. How many times do I have to tell you? I went there because I thought he knew something about my father's murder. I wanted him to help me.

[Larry Thor]

You still believe your father was murdered?

[Rhoda Lynn]

Yes. Yes. Oh, leave me alone. Leave me alone.

[Ben Elliot]

Please. Miss Lynn, please. Here. Here, take this. That's a good girl. Mr. Clover is only trying to find out the truth.

[Rhoda Lynn]

I told him so many times. He won't believe me.

[Larry Thor]

Try me again. Rhoda, when did you first think your father was being poisoned?

[Rhoda Lynn]

Right after Dr. Burke, Mildred's husband, my stepfather, became my father's partner. That's when she began to kill him. I. Peter. I. Peter.

[Ben Elliot]

Ms. Lynn. It is easy, Miss Lynn.

[Larry Thor]

And you went to Ben Elliot because you thought he knew your father had been poisoned or could help you find out.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Yes, I've told you.

[Larry Thor]

Then you killed him because he laughed at you. Because he'd have no part of what you were thinking.

[Rhoda Lynn]

No, I didn't kill him. I didn't.

[Larry Thor]

Where's the gun, Rhoda? Where's the gun you killed Ben Elliott with?

[Ben Elliot]

Danny.

[Larry Thor]

What do you want, Muggleman?

[Ben Elliot]

About the gun boys Went over every nook and cranny and hole in Elliot's office. No gun. We. We looked outside, in the street, in the alley. No gun. We even toyed with innocent bystanders. No gun. We checked. Ready sell guns. None were sold to Rhoda. No gun.

[Larry Thor]

Dr. Simsi.

[Ben Elliot]

Yes, Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

David. Rhoda gets home. Take care of her. Give her something to give her the sleep she wants.

[Ben Elliot]

Thanks, Danny. Come along, Ms. Lynn. You're in for a nice good rest.

[Larry Thor]

You'll enjoy it. You look like a fatuous puppy, Mugavan. Stop it before you lick my hand.

[Ben Elliot]

Hard hearted Danny of the police.

[Larry Thor]

What did you find on Elliot?

[Ben Elliot]

He liked gold. Gold meaning money in any shape, size or form. As a matter of fact, he deposited same in banks. 3,000 here, 2,000 there, 1,000 here and there.

[Larry Thor]

What do you know? The penniless Ben Elliot. Wish me luck, Mugavan.

[Ben Elliot]

For what?

[Larry Thor]

I got pain. So I'm calling on a painless dentist and.

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, let me compliment you, Ms. Clover. Where did you find the gold?

[Larry Thor]

In a dead man's hand, Dr. Burke.

[Ben Elliot]

What are you saying?

[Larry Thor]

Pay attention, Doctor, and you'll get the message. I said in a dead man's hand.

[Ben Elliot]

Well, what man? What man are you talking about?

[Larry Thor]

Ben Elliot. You're doing it again, Doctor. Ben Elliot. A dead man who tried to take it with him. A couple hundred bucks worth of gold.

[Ben Elliot]

But of course I know you're lying. You're trying to make of this petty theft something mysterious. I suppose you detectives must do that to justify.

[Larry Thor]

I don't understand you, Doctor. You didn't react when I said Ben Elliot.

[Ben Elliot]

I reacted. You just weren't perceptive enough to catch my raising of the eyebrows slightly. I raised an eyebrow?

[Larry Thor]

I suppose if she were my wife.

[Ben Elliot]

You're cluttering the chin to the conversa. Wife?

[Larry Thor]

Your wife?

[Ben Elliot]

Milton, what's the move I've got to do with Ben Elliot?

[Larry Thor]

I don't know. Ask her, Doctor. Ask her how bloody she's been with Elliot and for how long. Rumor says it's been for a long time. Getting this message, Doctor.

[Ben Elliot]

You'll have to excuse me.

[Larry Thor]

Before you. Doctor, before you even knew Mildred, Ben Elliott was around. I've heard that, Doctor.

[Ben Elliot]

You'll have to excuse me. There's some X ray negatives I got to. We'll talk. We'll talk in just a few minutes.

[Larry Thor]

All right?

[Ben Elliot]

Please, in the waiting room. I'll meet you there.

[Larry Thor]

All right.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Mitch. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

Quickly.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

Rother, what's the matter?

[Rhoda Lynn]

Please, I've got to talk to you. Sure, Mr. Clover. You. You know, don't you? You know what I've been saying is true, what the doctor said.

[Ben Elliot]

Just that you're sick, that I'm dying.

[Larry Thor]

But you need some rest, Rover.

[Ben Elliot]

Being poisoned.

[Rhoda Lynn]

And I'll die the way my father died. In agony and drink to kill a pain that way. Mr. Culver.

[Larry Thor]

Come on.

[Rhoda Lynn]

He's dead. He's dead. Dead. Dr. Burke is dead, Mr. Clover. Everything dies. That mother touches you. Evil girl.

[Mildred Burke]

My daughter. An evil, rotten.

[Rhoda Lynn]

You killed him. You killed him just the way you killed him.

[Larry Thor]

Take it easy, Rhoda. I think you'd better get out of here.

[Rhoda Lynn]

All right. All right, I will. Mother killed him. You'll see.

[Larry Thor]

Tell me what happened, Mrs. Burke.

[Mildred Burke]

Well, I. I don't know. I don't know what happened.

[Larry Thor]

Did you kill your husband?

[Mildred Burke]

Are you mad? Like my daughter is mad? Look at him.

[Ben Elliot]

Dead.

[Mildred Burke]

My husband, dead. His weakness is death. The gun in his hand says that.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. Could have been suicidal, right? Potter burns, attitude of his body? Just this. How did you happen to get here before I did?

[Mildred Burke]

Because you were further away. You were down the hall. I was in the next room.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. What would Dr. Burke want to kill himself for?

[Mildred Burke]

Who knows the inner turnings of a man's mind, Mr. Clover.

[Larry Thor]

Maybe his wife.

[Mildred Burke]

I did. He was a weak man. I've said that.

[Larry Thor]

Yes, you did. Which means you've told me exactly nothing. You'll have to tell me a lot more, Mrs. Burke.

[Mildred Burke]

Ask me something.

[Larry Thor]

I will. First we gotta make this death official, Mrs. Burke. There'll be photographers and print men and a coroner cluttering up your house. But you won't mind that a woman like you doesn't mind anything, does she, Mrs. Burke? I was right. Mrs. Burke didn't mind the need. Efficient trampling over a little dentist's life and death. She didn't mind the questions like steel prongs that raked over her brain and her sorrows and her dreams. She didn't mind the fact that her answers added up to nothing. She minded least of all. At headquarters I slept until the reports and analyses and photographs have been cataloged and filed in the. Stacked and restacked and mulled over. Slept until Sargentino Tartaglia had watered them down.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Well, you may awake now, Danny. I have digested everything and watered it down to simple terms even a child could understand.

[Larry Thor]

Did a call come while I slept, Tataglia?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

No, Danny, no calls.

[Larry Thor]

You expecting one from Rhoda Lynn? I made a promise to call me. What have you got?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

A big pile of nothing, Danny. The technicians from Technical say it is Extremely possible that our dentist did indeed, and to wit, commit suicide. Oh, they were very smug about it, Danny.

[Larry Thor]

What else?

[Sergeant Zataglia]

That question you asked me. The question of Dr. Sinski. He answers it in the affirmative. He says the X ray thing is entirely possible. It happened here in New York two years ago. What happened here in New York two years ago? Danny?

[Larry Thor]

Danny Clover speaking.

[Rhoda Lynn]

This is Rhoda, Mr. Clover. I'm calling you just as you told me to do.

[Larry Thor]

Are you in your father's room?

[Rhoda Lynn]

Yes.

[Larry Thor]

You won't be going out again tonight?

[Rhoda Lynn]

No, I won't, Mr. Clover. Going right to sleep.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Hey, Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Danny.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

You can't leave me alone without.

[Larry Thor]

I know what happened in New York.

[Sergeant Zataglia]

Two years ago, Danny.

[Ben Elliot]

Good enough. You, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, fine. You have much trouble getting the people in this apartment to go to the movies?

[Ben Elliot]

Well, some, but not much. Everybody likes free passes.

[Larry Thor]

Watch that room across the air shaft. Mug of them. That's Dr. Burke's office. Uh huh.

[Ben Elliot]

The dark room with the shade up.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. I got a theory, kid. The only way I'll know I'm right is if we see another murder tonight.

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, huh.

[Larry Thor]

Like this. Go on the premise that Dr. Lynn was murdered. Dr. Lin, the first husband of Mrs. Burke, the father abroad. Go on that theory, mugavin. Okay, let's. Dr. Lynn murdered because his wife wanted him out of the way so she could marry somebody else. Don't argue with women. My goodness. And then there's Ben Elliot, also dead. Yeah, dead too.

[Ben Elliot]

You know why I'm not a lieutenant, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

The deposits. Ben Elliot made the big, big deposits. And regularly for a small time operator.

[Ben Elliot]

Blackmail, huh? Ben was collecting, the theory says.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, the theory says he was bleeding Mildred Burke because he knew she killed her husband. Ben. Mildred Burke ran out of money.

[Ben Elliot]

This ganerka person, Danny. It happened to me.

[Larry Thor]

Mildred too. She tried to pay Ben with gold. A couple hundred bucks for she lifted from her husband. Ben sneered at it. Mildred killed him. A theory, huh?

[Ben Elliot]

Yeah, quite a one.

[Larry Thor]

Only it's lousy from me to you. I say it's lousy.

[Ben Elliot]

What?

[Larry Thor]

The original premise. Dr. Lynn was not murdered. The book say he died of anemia. Only I think the books are wrong.

[Ben Elliot]

I think. Hey, Dennis. Danny. The light just went on across the airshaft. It's Mrs. Burke, huh?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah.

[Ben Elliot]

What's she doing, Danny? Turning the X ray machine around. She X raying the wall.

[Larry Thor]

That. My goodness. A lesson on how to poison people without leaving a trace of how it was done. Duck. She's walking toward us. Going down the planes. Let's go.

[Ben Elliot]

Yeah. I still don't get it.

[Larry Thor]

X rays. It'll go through eight feet of concrete. Rhoda's sleeping on the other side of that wall. Wall? In the same room her father slept. Come on, hurry.

[Ben Elliot]

Here.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah. Don't knock, just enter.

[Ben Elliot]

This one's locked.

[Larry Thor]

I said enter.

[Ben Elliot]

Well, you did.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Who? Who is it? Who is it?

[Larry Thor]

I.

[Rhoda Lynn]

What is the meaning of this?

[Larry Thor]

Breaking that machine, Mugman. It's the thing that's killing Roa. Turn it off. Yeah, only I don't know how. Turn it off.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Oh, Are you both crazy? What are you doing in here?

[Larry Thor]

Well, the end of the theory, Mugaban Dr. Burke, was no suicide. Mildred killed him and made it look like one.

[Rhoda Lynn]

You're mad.

[Larry Thor]

Kill them. Because he finally found out about Ben Elliot and his wife. Because he would eventually learn everything. Take her mug. Yeah, run it.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Go to tell them I'm your mother.

[Ben Elliot]

Oh, to tell them.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Tell them what, Mildred? But they already know that you murdered my father and my stepfather and Ben Elliot and me. Tell them what?

[Larry Thor]

Oh, no.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Don't fight them, Mildred. That way they'll have to kill you quickly. Rhode is rudeus. Rhode Island.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway. It's the main track through the jungle city. The wilderness of laughter and trumpet and the rasping sound of life inside the earth. And the other sound, the sigh, the furtive sigh, the echo of a teardrop that no one hears. It's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent. The lonesome mile in the world. Broadway. My Feet. Broadway is My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. The musical score was composed and conducted by Alexander Curry. The cast tonight included Joyce McCluskey, Betty Lou Gerson, Jack Edwards, Howard McNear, Jack Crucian and Blue Merrill. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. It.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. A highly dramatic episode with a lot of emotion that, given the nature of the crime, is understandable. Now, even though, as I said, it's quite emotional, it's very different than the way this would be handled in a New York based production. Particularly if it was done by people like the Hummers, it seems a little bit more grounded and believable, which I think makes it more impactful to my ears. I also have to say, once Danny has settled on the idea that the wife is the murderer, you get some of the most acidic narration I've ever heard from Danny Clover. It's worth noting that the storyline in this episode was actually reused and places in an episode of the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall radio series Bullventure. Now, I will say that this is one of those episodes where I'm a little bit skeptical of the murder method. Now, it's not a situation where I'm skeptical of it in principle because there have been killings that have been the result of radiation exposure, accidental or otherwise. There was a case that was accidental with a machine called the Therac 25 that was used for radiation therapy in the 1980s and killed several patients and disabled others. But we're talking about the sort of machines that would be in a dentist office in 1950. If anyone knows how plausible this is, I would love to hear from you. Well, now we turn to listener comments and feedback. And we start out over on Facebook where Stephen comments on the Dion Hartley murder case. When you started this series, I commented that it ranged from procedural to soap opera based on random episodes. I'd heard you challenged the description soap opera. You have, however, I think used melodramatic to describe the show. This is the episode that I heard early on in my acquaintance with Broadway Is My Beat. And it felt less like a Cobb show and more like an emotional private eye. Having heard the episodes in order thus far, I think it's accurate to say I'm right. I would definitely agree with the descriptor of emotional private eye. And I think one thing that is challenging with this series is that Denny is supposed to have official status but really doesn't act like it. And so that makes it hard to pigeonhole which can be good or bad, depending on your perspective as to soap opera or not. That's. I guess that's a really tough and subjective question. I think that qualitatively, it is really different than something like Mr. Chameleon. And I think that makes it a bit hard for me to say it's a soap opera. Although after a plot like this week's, I think I don't want to get into an argument with somebody who says it is. But thank you so much. I do appreciate the comment. And then we go to Spotify, where we have a comment from Frankie, who writes, I think this is my favorite episode of Broadway's My Beat so far. The D on Hartley murder case is great. Then we go to YouTube where regarding Nick Norman, Santa Claus, Betsy writes, thank you. I enjoyed this episode. Then we have Some comments from Mechanic6682 regarding the Julie Dixon case. Virginia Gregg must be the most prolific actress in history. She probably was in Hollywood. It's kind of hard, particularly when it comes to radio, to be precise, because there were multiple cities and each had their own radio cultures. And I think that there's also far less of the New York and Chicago old time radio. Alice Frost, who plays Mrs. North, did a lot of work in New York radio. We just don't have very much of her credited appearances outside of Mr. And Mrs. North. And in Chicago, Betty Lou Gerson did quite a bit of work, most of which has been lost to the ages before she came to Hollywood. Regarding the Eugene Bullock murder case, Alan Reed is not really a guy who can play more than one part per episode because every character sounds like Fred. Fred Flintstone. I don't know about that. I think it does vary. It depends on how much Fred Flintstone's in your head. But there are gradations. I think that when Reed would play a more working class part that sounded like Fred Flintstone, but he often played higher powered roles which tended to sound like Fred Flintstone putting on airs. But it's a distinction. Distinctly different voice. And then of course, he does have some dialect skills, particularly when it comes to playing Italian characters, that you really have to be listening for Fred Flintstone to pick it up when he's doing something like Pasqually on Life with Luigi. Well, now it's time to go ahead and thank our Patreon supporter of the day. And I want to go ahead and thank Brian. Brian's been one of our Patreon supporters quarters since September 2022, currently supporting the podcast at the rookie level of $2 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Brian, and that will actually do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of Broadway's My Beat. But join us back here tomorrow for Mr. And Mrs. North where Jerry.

[Larry Thor]

Shut up.

[Rhoda Lynn]

I tell you, Jerry North. How dare you talk to me like that.

[Larry Thor]

I'm not talking, Pam. It's this manly looking gentleman who's just stepped up to the wagon. The one on your left with the scar on his face and the long nosed gun in his hand.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Oh, how do you do?

[Larry Thor]

If you trap, shut or you'll get hurt.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Where's the milk come that well, what milk?

[Larry Thor]

Come on, come on. Where are the cases that were piled up and back?

[Rhoda Lynn]

I don't know. We're strangers here.

[Larry Thor]

Push over. Let me look inside.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Yes, sir.

[Larry Thor]

Is that all the milk there is? Just these four bottles as far as we know, we haven't touched a drop.

[Rhoda Lynn]

No. We're coffee drinkers.

[Larry Thor]

Shut up. I ain't got time for polite conversation. Hey, what are you doing? That's somebody's milk. Mind your own business.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Oh, you can't do that. Think of all the trouble the cows went to.

[Larry Thor]

Sit down and keep out of the way, Jerry.

[Rhoda Lynn]

He's milk mad. He'll break all the bottles and we'll get the blame for it.

[Larry Thor]

That's it.

[Rhoda Lynn]

There's some cream over here in the corner.

[Larry Thor]

Never mind. Where's the milk route? The what? The list of places the milkman delivers to. It ought to be hanging up here somewhere.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Is this it?

[Ben Elliot]

That's what I want.

[Larry Thor]

Now wait a minute. You can't get away with this.

[Ben Elliot]

No?

[Larry Thor]

What are you gonna do? Pay for the milk? That's more like it. Just to make sure you don't get in my hair, I'm gonna send you two on a little buggy ride.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Bucky, here. Don't you dare take those reins.

[Larry Thor]

You'll get them back in a minute, lady. Give him a good ride. Hey, don't do that.

[Rhoda Lynn]

Gary, stop him. That bug's running away.

[Larry Thor]

Never mind him, Pam.

[Ben Elliot]

The horse is too.

[Adam Graham]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to Box 13, greatdetectives.net Follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com greatdetectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.