Broadway's My Beat: The Macklin and John Howard Murder Case (EP4948)

Summary

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The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio:

Broadway’s My Beat – The Macklin and John Howard Murder Case (EP4948)
Original Air Date: April 8, 2026
Host: Adam Graham
Featured Drama: "Broadway's My Beat: The Macklin and John Howard Murder Case"
Main Cast: Larry Thor (Detective Danny Clover), Charles Calvert (Tartaglia), Jack Crucian (Mugavan), Irene Tedro (Lila Howard), Lou Merrill (Frank Clifton), Leo Cleary (Benny Fane), Steve Roberts (Mickey Thomas)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio features the gritty radio detective drama "Broadway’s My Beat," specifically the episode "The Macklin and John Howard Murder Case." Detective Danny Clover investigates the mysterious deaths of two men found dead from alcohol poisoning, a crime that weaves together the glamour of high society, the destitution of Skid Row, and long-buried secrets from World War II. Adam Graham hosts, providing his usual insightful and nostalgic commentary for fans of vintage crime drama.

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Major Points & Key Insights

1. The Morgue: Discovery of the Bodies

• [03:13 – 04:40]
  • Two bodies are brought to the morgue: Joey Macklin, a known Bowery vagrant, and a second, unidentified, curiously well-groomed man.
  • Initial theory is alcohol poisoning from illicit liquor.
  • The second man doesn't fit the "bum" profile, wearing ragged outer clothes but silk underwear beneath—a clue to his true identity.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “A couple other things. This. Found this crumpled mask in his pocket. Take a look at his clothes. Really raggy, huh? Underneath, he’s wearing silk underwear.” – Detective Danny Clover (04:46)

2. Identification and Tracing the Victim

• [07:03 – 08:33]
  • FBI fingerprint ID reveals the second man as John Howard, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and current bond salesman.
  • Mrs. Lila Howard, his wife, is called in for identification, experiencing a moving scene upon confirming her husband's death.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “This man is my husband.” – Mrs. Lila Howard (09:13)
• Notable Moment:
  • Mrs. Howard’s grief is handled with a mix of procedure and compassion, highlighting the emotional toll of the job.

3. Unraveling Why Howard Was on Skid Row

• [14:56 – 17:32]
  • Mrs. Howard reveals Howard left home after a Halloween party, wearing a “tramp suit” as part of a bet—to go to Skid Row incognito and survive a week without outside help.
  • The bet was made with Frank Clifton, Howard’s old army adjutant.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “He made… a bet that he could go to Skid row dressed as he was and live there for a week and never call on any of us for anything…” – Mrs. Lila Howard (16:11)

4. Frank Clifton: The Army Connection

• [18:04 – 20:27]
  • Frank Clifton, scheduled to travel to Europe with Mrs. Howard, explains the bet and characterizes Howard’s penchant for risk.
  • Both Howard and Clifton were part of an army intelligence team post-WWII, operating in Germany, specifically Essen, searching for loot.
• Critical Insight:
  • The army background provides a plausible motive: unresolved business involving hidden wartime loot.

5. The Vagrant Witness and Vital Clue

• [20:58 – 22:19]
  • Mickey Thomas, a blind vagrant, is questioned. He admits to stealing and drinking the leftover booze, nearly dying himself, and also presents a pawn ticket for a valuable, engraved cigarette case.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Nothing I could wish more to get the guy… I don’t know where the booze came from. All I know is I waited till Joey Macklin and that other character ran out of their room and I crossed the hall and snitched me what was left from their bottle. They died from it, huh? Lucky boys. Lucky, lucky boys.” – Mickey Thomas (21:53–22:02)

6. Pawnshop and Closing In on a Motive

• [22:46 – 23:51]
  • At the pawn shop, the cigarette case is traced back to the army unit insignia—connecting Howard, Clifton, Macklin, and the war loot.
  • Adam Graham points out the dry humor in the pawnbroker's lowballing of the case, a moment of levity amid the intensity.

7. The Confrontation and Confession

• [25:33 – 28:12]
  • Detective Clover confronts Clifton and Mrs. Howard just before they’re set to leave for Europe.
  • The theory: Howard had resigned a lucrative job to return to Europe for hidden loot from post-WWII Germany.
  • Clover dramatically reveals the cigarette case as evidence—Howard never smoked; thus, the case had to belong to his murderer, Clifton.
  • Clifton is accused of poisoning Howard with tainted alcohol, using Macklin as an unwitting accomplice.
• Memorable Exchange:
  • “Frank murdered your husband… With poison alcohol. He found your husband, found out where he was staying. Found a bum named Joey Macklin who he was living with. Gave Joey a jug of poison alcohol. He knew your husband would drink it.” – Detective Clover (28:09–28:27)
  • Mrs. Howard’s stunned: “Did you, Frank?”
  • Clifton, defensively: “Keith comes up with a lousy cigarette case and says murder.”

8. Resolution and Closing Reflections

• [28:39 – 30:06]
  • Clover explains that Macklin (the pickpocket) accidentally sealed his own fate by stealing both the case and the poisoned booze, dying alongside Howard. Clifton is arrested.
  • The final monologue is vintage Broadway’s My Beat, filled with poetic bleakness:
    • “On Broadway, there’s always a vision that stands in a doorway at the end of night. You run after it, but a hand at your sleeve tugs your back…”

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Adam Graham’s Commentary & Listener Feedback

Adam’s Remarks – [33:28 – 34:54]

• Notes the dry humor and tension in the scene at the pawn shop.
• Praises the episode’s handling of dark characters, saying even “horrible people” are interesting enough to make a compelling listen:
  • “Doing it in a dramatic way, as Broadway's My Beat did with making the characters interesting enough, even though they are horrible, it still made for a compelling episode.”
• Shares listener feedback—nostalgic recollections from Dan and Betsy, with appreciation for the escape into radio drama.

Memorable Listener Quote

• “What a collection of horror people. Good episode.” – Betsy (YouTube Feedback)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “John was a man of whimsical. Let’s only say of him that he indulged his last one. Shall we?” – Mrs. Lila Howard (17:24)
• “There must have been something in Europe worth a lot more than $20,000. And it had to be something he couldn’t bring back into this country. So John Howard wasn’t coming back.” – Danny Clover (26:40)
• “You’re calling me a liar, Clover. That’s no way to get to a party.” – Frank Clifton (27:28)
• “It’s John's. How do you think it makes Lila feel to see something that belongs to… and how do you think it makes me feel remembering the times?” – Clifton (27:52)
• “Frank, it’s not his case. John never smoked. He never did.” – Lila Howard (28:05)

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Important Segments and Timestamps

• [03:08–04:40] — Discovery of bodies and initial clues.
• [07:03–09:23] — Identification of John Howard and his wife’s grief.
• [14:56–17:32] — Howard’s backstory and revelation of the Skid Row bet.
• [18:04–20:27] — Frank Clifton’s military background and possible motive.
• [21:04–22:19] — Interview with Mickey Thomas—the vagrant witness—and discovery of the pawn ticket.
• [22:46–23:51] — Cigarette case and pawnshop scene; the army loot connection.
• [25:33–28:12] — Final confrontation, accusation, and confession.

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Episode Tone & Style

“Broadway’s My Beat” delivers its tale in a hard-boiled, poetic noir style, blending sharp detective work with atmospheric reflections on the loneliness and violence of city life. The episode’s emotional weight is balanced with occasional dry humor, particularly in dealings with side characters like Benny Fane (encyclopedia salesman/barfly) and Mr. Fring (pawn broker).

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Summary

Broadway’s My Beat: The Macklin and John Howard Murder Case is a classic, methodical whodunit blending the glamour and vice of postwar New York with personal tragedy and the literal ghosts of war. Through Danny Clover’s dogged interrogation, the façade of noble Army heroes unravels to expose greed and betrayal, tragically ending in murder hidden beneath a bet and a Bowery disguise. The real treasure is the intricate narrative that keeps listeners—and the detective—guessing until the end.

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Transcript

[Detective Danny Clover]

This week on a special episode of WebMD's Health Discovered podcast, we're taking a

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

closer look at a common form of lung cancer that accounts for 85% of all cases.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

When I first heard the words you have lung cancer, I was in shock. It's a diagnosis that changes everything.

[Bill Gardner]

So what does it really mean to

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

advocate for yourself when you're living with

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

non small cell lung cancer? Listen to Health discovered on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big Game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Sam.

[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 Beat. But first, I do want to encourage you. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. And you can send a donation to AdamGraham, P.O. box 1 5, Boise, Idaho 83715. And I want to thank Aaron and Carolyn for supporting the podcast. That way, you can also become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. Just go to patreon.greatdetives.net and I want to welcome Dan coming on at the a detective Sergeant level of $7.14 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support. Here is the Macklin and John Howard murder case.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Broadway's my beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Broadway is my beat with larry thor as detective danny clover.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

When November settles down over Broadway, everybody's got a lot to cheer about. It's the time of the hot dog. It's the season of the rackety racks and the split t Formation and the coaches, left hand on the pigskin, who swear their boys aren't being brutal out there in the field. Just eager. It's the month of the old grad. The coed, the bottle, the blanket, and what is known as the nippy Tang. It's a time to be alive. And there's a place just off of Broadway. A room sealed off from every other place in the world. Structurally designed to keep out everything but pain. The police morgue where I was, where Detective Mugavan was. And the slabs that held two men newly dead.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Alcohol poisoning. Dann. They were shipped here from the emergency hospital for identification.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You know who they are?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. This one. Joey Macklin. Bowery pickpocket, bum, panhandler, rummy.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

This one. You know him?

[Detective Danny Clover]

No. He's the reason why I called you down here, though. Notice anything, Danny?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Looks pretty well fed. Fingernails looked like they'd been manicured not too long ago.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Uh huh. A couple other things. This. Found this crumpled mask in his pocket. Take a look at his clothes. Really raggy, huh? Underneath, he's wearing silk underwear.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You taking prints?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Last night, soon as they came in. Code number sent to Washington right away.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You say the emergency hospital sent them over?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. They staggered in there practically blind from the bamboos, screaming. We couldn't help them, Danny. They were too far gone.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

They have the liquor on them? Nope.

[Detective Danny Clover]

There's.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

L'll be a lot more of it someplace. Mugman. Methyl alcohol and peach juice and beating oil. How could you seen him.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Brought in after they've strained paint through a piece of bread. I've seen him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You're right about this one. Mugman. He looks too patently a bum. That's why he looks out of place.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I figure that too little. Strange, huh?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

And then it closes in on you, this place of the derelict dead. The windows are high on the moist walls, high so that dead fingers can't reach open. Let the sobbing of death be heard in the autumn air. The sunlight feels along the windows webbed with threads of steel. And the warmth is taken and held before it can touch the people of a room that is forever cold. All of it has been yours countless times. And still the shudder comes. You try not to let them see it. Then you take Detective Mugaman's comment that it's strange. Take it with you into a long corridor, up a flight of stairs, drop it on a sergeant's desk for an immediate checking. Fill the time of waiting in the official ways provided for such intervals, and a door opens. It's being brought back to you. Cheerily by Sergeant Tartaglia.

[Benny Fane]

Danny, I want you should do something for me. The please is implied.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What, Gino?

[Benny Fane]

I want you should stick your nose out the window.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Why?

[Benny Fane]

To partake with me of the nippy tang that is there for everyone's nose.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I've had mine, Gino.

[Benny Fane]

Then you will agree with me that it is both nippy and tangy. That it makes the vitality surge in the world.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Is it surge enough for you to hand me whatever you're holding in back of you?

[Benny Fane]

Which hand, Danny?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Gino.

[Benny Fane]

The fellow wants to play a little game. Takes a second. Brings a little happiness.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What have you got, Gino?

[Benny Fane]

In this envelope is contained a telegraph report from the FBI. And meant the request Detective Mugavan made of them concerning the fingerprints of the deceased vagrant who is now in armor.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Give it to me. Identified. They've identified him, Gino.

[Benny Fane]

Those FBI's quiz him a question and lickety split they give you an answer.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

John Howard, Lieutenant Colonel, retired from the

[Benny Fane]

army of the U.S. present address, 3212 Park Avenue. Occupation, bond salesman. I peep. Then I also took a liberty. Oh, yeah? I took the liberty of falling to the domicile of said deceased. Spoke to a Mrs. John Howard. Ask her politely to come hither to.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

When will she be here?

[Benny Fane]

Any minute, Danny. In a nonce she had but to find a suitable outfit for an outing. The police had

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

this liberty I took, is it? You did good, Gino. Real good. And wait. Then pick a window and stand there and watch the street below. The eddy of crowd, the cars impatient of those stupid enough to be pedestrians. Watch the first shadows drift in. Pick a place and shed a layer to find another place. Finally see a car drop to the curb. A long car and black and expensive. And a woman get out of it. Stand on the pavement and look at a doorway marked Police Headquarters. Hesitate, then walk toward it. Then leave the window and hurry downstairs. Pick up the woman at the information desk. Ask her a question.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Yeah, kind. Mrs. Holland?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

My name's Clover. Will you come with me, please?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Of course. Would you mind telling me why I'm

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

here through this door? Not at all. In cases like this, we're not really sure. So sure about what? A man died last night. There's a possibility you might be able to identify him.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

A man died?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

From methyl alcohol poisoning.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

John. My husband. It was John.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

In here, Ms. Howard.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

You haven't answered me. Is it John?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'm afraid that's what you'll have to tell us.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Oh. Oh, no. Oh, no,

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mrs. Howard.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Oh, I want to see. I want to see. This man is my husband.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'm sorry. Mrs. Howard. If you. And again the attendance on grief, the futile offering of the tried and true solaces that have never worked, not against the sobbing, anguished deep. Then finally the whispered cry of some remembered thing they had shared. And the resigning to it. The remembrance will never come again. The woman is quiet now. You detail a man to drive her home. Restrain the questions that must be asked for another when the sudden anguish has become old familiar thing to be lived with. Strip a picture of John Howard from a file to take with you to a man who is an expert on the whys of derelicts. The man you look for find in a 3rd Avenue bar.

[Benny Fane]

Embarrassed you embarrassed me before my friends. Danny, truly, it is well known what you are and what I am. I'm now trying to demonstrate to these companions.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What are you now, Benny?

[Benny Fane]

A member of one of the honorable and oldest professions.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Which profession now, Benny?

[Benny Fane]

Knowledge, Danny. Look on the new Benny Fane. Pimple of culture, seller of encyclopedias.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You, Benny.

[Benny Fane]

Me, Benny. Gays aren't a brochure. I got it here somewhere. Here it is. An encyclopedia of worthwhile facts on the kingle sport of racing.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You sell those with a biannual appendix

[Benny Fane]

to bookies to fill in the long hours while looking for a tax free dodge. Me? I found mine. No longer at the market police, am I?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Yes you are, Benny. Uh huh. Take a look at this picture.

[Benny Fane]

Danny, how can you. That picture of that dead. You gotta show me now. Not till the papers printed him in. All but that I know him when I see him. Around where? Not Bowie. Skid row, you know.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

That's where you were selling encyclopedias, Danny.

[Benny Fane]

I was calling on an old friend, Mickey Thomas. While cutting up a few reminiscences, I yapped in a glance across the hall. There was this guy. This picture you showed me boozing up with another guy named Joey Macklin. I waved a toast on him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I went back to there.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Huh?

[Benny Fane]

Where?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

To Mickey Thomas, the man you visited across the hall. Take me, Benny.

[Benny Fane]

Danny, I. I was. I was about to close a sale.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

We could go by way of headquarters. Benny.

[Benny Fane]

I know a shortcut.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Come on, Danny.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

The walk. Then south into the Bowery and east past Lexington and past the row houses where there's always room for one more tenant. And the street where garbage cans are used for first and third base. The man with you points out an interesting fact.

[Benny Fane]

I was. I was born there, Danny.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Right in that house and hit third Avenue.

[Benny Fane]

You wouldn't believe how us kids used to ran across the street over. Never mind, Danny. It wasn't important. The place I was telling you about is right there. Let me. Let me open it up for you. Danny, you better watch this. This floorboard right here. Say this. Oh, I know these places. I really know he.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

That's it.

[Benny Fane]

That's Mickey. Always raising the roof. Mickey.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Help me. Help me.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What's the matter? What happened to you?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I drank it. Liquor. Now I can't see. I'm blind. I can't. Blind. Help me.

[Benny Fane]

Help me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Broadway approaches the new November day softly, politely. You've got to do that, kid. Treat the morning nice. Maybe that way you'll still be on your feet when day is done. So set the loudspeakers to music guaranteed to absorb shock. Climb the spectaculars. Remove and replace the Mazdas that died in the night. Polish the neon. Wash the night dust off the mannequin's face. Tighten the bolt. Tilt her body more forward, her head nearer to the shop window so that her lips are closer to the promise of a good morning kiss. Having made way for another day, find the quiet place to read the papers and read of the death of retired colonels and pickpockets from lethal alcohol and of the blindness of a skid row vagrant, name of Mickey Thomas. From the same and skim through to the comics. There, kid, lies happiness. But where I was, the new day fell on the sightless eyes of Mickey Thomas, on the fleeting figure that worked against his pain. Finally whispered, you'd better come back, Lieutenant, later. And leave to another place to ask questions about the dead. The woman tries to answer them for you.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

The last time I saw him. John. Last time I saw him was Halloween night. We'd been invited to a party. We wore funny clothes. That tramp suit you found John in? It was the funniest thing he could think of.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mrs. Howard, you.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

You will make it brief, won't you? You see, I'm packing. I'm going away. And the boat?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You're leaving the country?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Europe. There's a plan. John and I had Europe. All the gay places he'd been while he was in the war. A couple of weeks ago, out of nowhere, he said, I'd love him. Let's go, Lila. I've just given up my 20,000 a year position so I can show you to Europe. Lila. Maybe you'll like it so much. Lila will never Leave?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

This is Howard. Perhaps it might be.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

You're not going to stop me from going, you know. John said it would be fun. I'll just have to have fun alone now. You're not going to stop me?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

No. We have no reason to now.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Good. I'll sleep on the boat tonight. If I slept here, the boat sails in the morning. You said now. Would there ever be a time you could stop me?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I don't know yet, Mrs. Howard. All I know now is that your husband, a rich man, died of poison liquor that he came in off a skid roll.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Well, that's easy to explain.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

It is.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Of course, John got feeling good at that Halloween party. High, you know. High and gay. Whenever he got like that, he'd make bets.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

He made one that night, crazy one.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

The kind he liked. That he could go to Skid row dressed as he was and live there for a week and never call on any of us for anything. When he thought of it, he grabbed Frank and said.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Frank, too?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Frank Clifton. Frankie was John's adjutant during the war. He grabbed Frankie and made the bet.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

And you never saw your husband after that until.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Till you showed him to me in the morgue. Frankie and I went looking for him one night because I was worried. We didn't find him. I came home. Frankie kept looking. He didn't find him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You have Mr. Clifton's address?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

It's in the phone book. Sutton Place. For a minute there, Mr. Clover, you actually considered not letting me go on this trip. Tell me why.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mrs. Howard, I.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Something about John's death is. The word troubles. John's death troubles you?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Well, in the way. I told you, Mrs. Howard, that a wealthy man, an intelligent man, would find his dying in poison booze.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

John was a man of whimsical. Let's only say of him that he indulged his last one. Shall we?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'll check, Mrs. Howard. I'll check on what you've told me.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Do that, Mr. Clover. Let me know before nightfall. In any event, call me to wish me bon voyage. I'm gonna have fun. Like John said, I.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Hold your horses. What do you want?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Are you Frank Clifton?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come on, mister. The rest of me, behind the doors, in a towel. What do you want?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'm from the police. Danny Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, I'm in the.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I know. In a towel. I want to talk to you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Sure, sure. Come in. Ten minutes ago, you wouldn't have caught me. Been doing my laps around the lake on the bicycle. Gonna miss that old Columbia bike when I'm in Europe.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You're Going to Europe too, Mr. Clifton?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah, tonight. What do you mean, too?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mrs. Howard is going.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Wish news to me. I figured it'd be decent if she grieved till the next boat. Hey, just why are you here?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'm trying to find out why John Howard is dead.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come on, come on. You know as well as I do why John's dead. Poison, booze, Alky.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I want you to tell me what happened at that Halloween party.

[Detective Danny Clover]

All right, all right. Don't rub it in. So it was my fault you made

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

that bet with Mr. Howard, didn't you? About going down into the Bowery and living for a week?

[Detective Danny Clover]

That's your job, isn't it? To rub salt an old wound?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

How come you made a bet like that, Mr. Clifford?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I didn't want to if you knew John like I did. How do you argue with a man like that, Clover?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What kind of man was he?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Everything was a bet. Could be walking along, he'd pick any stranger in a crowd, make you wonder about him or her, and then bet you were wrong. He'd find a way to prove it too. I was his adjutant all through the war. That's how I spent the war, making book for him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I want to know exactly what that bet was you made with Mr. Howard.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, first you gotta understand I didn't want to make it.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

All right, I understand.

[Detective Danny Clover]

He bet me on account if he was dressed like a tramp, he could go down to the Bowery and live like one for a week. He could do it longer, he said, except he had to catch that boat. Eat anything a tramp does. Drink anything, you know, the works for 100 bucks.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mrs. Howard said she got worried a few days ago. She hadn't heard from him. That she went down to the Bowery

[Detective Danny Clover]

looking for him with me. We looked, couldn't find, hide her hair. Got late. I sent her home and kept looking. Nothing. Couldn't find her.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Then Mr. Howard is a pretty good friend of yours, huh?

[Detective Danny Clover]

My CO From Amsterdam to Essen to Cologne to Mannheim to Berlin.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

And that's why you're going to Europe? Hunt. To take another look, close places.

[Detective Danny Clover]

And let us not forget Paris. My old man got over there in the first war. I didn't. He still holds it over me. Look, Clover. You mind if I soak the old body? Now hang. Thanks a lot. I'll drop your card.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Walk away from the man eager for the sightseeing of old sights. Walk away with the puzzle still yours. Why a man like John Howard should die of poisoned alcohol. Why a man like Howard would So quickly descend to a state where alcohol from whatever source was so needed that he challenged death for it and weigh against it the possibility of death cause premeditated murder. And let the thought take you back to a hospital room where a man lay with his eyes bandaged against light and another sat at his bedside talking quietly.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Hartman is doing what it can for you, Mickey. You're getting the best. Hi, Danny.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

How is it?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Better, I guess. Danny, he's been asking me. Tell him, Mickey. Who is he? Lieutenant Clover. He's the man that found you, Mickey. Got you here in a hurry. Oh, that makes me have to thank him, huh? Thanks, Lieutenant Clover.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Mickey, can you answer questions you feel up to?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I've been complaining in a loud voice to this other social worker here. Yeah, I guess I could answer a question or two.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Where'd you get the booze?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I got it.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Tell us where, Mickey. We'll bring them in for you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Nothing I could wish more to get the guy. That funny, huh?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What is?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I don't know where the boo's come from. Look, Mickey, you still.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I don't know where it come from.

[Detective Danny Clover]

All I know is I waited till Joey Macklin and that other character ran out of their room and I crossed the hall and snitched me what was

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

left from their bottle. They died from it, huh? Lucky boys. Lucky, lucky boys. You stole the alcohol, that's how.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Maybe Mickey stole something else. Danny found this in his clothes.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Oh. Palm ticket. What's it for, Mickey?

[Detective Danny Clover]

A personal belonging. That means it belonged to me. What's it for, Mickey? Me and my back. You'll find out anyway, won't you?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Yeah, Mickey, we will.

[Detective Danny Clover]

So go find out and do something else for me, huh, Lieutenant?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What? On your way back, pick up a

[Detective Danny Clover]

tin cup and a box of pencils. It'll be a favorite. Hello.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Hello, Sir. What can Mr. Fring do for you? Police.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mr. Fring is delighted to serve you. In what capacity does Mr. Fring do that?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

As a redeemer of pawn tickets. This one. Mr. Pring remembers it. Why shouldn't he? He wrote it only yesterday morning. It's being redeemed, Mr. Pring. Surely. A cigarette case. This looks like a pretty expensive item, Mr. Fring. How come you only lent $2 on us?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Because he who pawned it was one of our boys.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Why do you say our boy?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mr. Fring calls your attention to the

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

fact that all who serve are our boys.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I call your attention again. May I please do to the engraving on this case? A screaming eagle with a dagger. An obscuring Signal, however, I'm positive.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

An insignia of one of our doughty combat outfits.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I know because during unpleasantness number two,

[Benny Fane]

I sold our boy shoulder patches as a sideline.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I've just reordered Mr. Fring.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're taking it?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

There's $2 plus interest due on it. Yeah, can Mr. Fring whistle?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I got it, Danny.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Good. What did you find out?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, for one thing about that insignia was assigned to an army intelligence team.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Huh.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Well, where'd the team operate? Mostly in Germany, around Cologne and Essen. In Berlin?

[Benny Fane]

Yeah.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. Mannheim too.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Go on, Michael.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, the rest of it's John Howard's record. Civilian and army. Civilian, Not a whole lot. A good businessman. Resigned his position a few weeks ago. The reason he gave his employer was pretty vague.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Yeah, I know about that. What about the army?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Howard was the head of an army intelligence team to recover loot neur Essen in Germany. You know, confiscated treasure and stuff. They found some too. Belong to one of those rich German families. Worth a mint. Only the original owner screamed that some stuff was missing. Poor him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

And what else?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, Howard, he was a lieutenant colonel then. Had a couple more men on his team. A sergeant who died in Europe from pneumonia before he got home. And a major name of Frank Clip Clifton. You don't need much more, do you, Danny?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Nothing. Thanks for a motive. Be with you in a minute.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Oh, you come down and say goodbye to me, Clover.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Those people from the party next door, Frank, tell us.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

It's the police, Mrs. Howard. Danny Clover.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Who is it?

[Detective Danny Clover]

What do you want, Clover?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Let's go inside, huh?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why not? Come on in. It's not the next door people. Don't it?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Why, look who it is. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Well, don't look daggers at me. I'm just visiting. Frank.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I asked the question, Clover.

[Bill Gardner]

What do you want?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I came down here to break some news to both of you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Look, Clover, we are due next door for a pre sailing party.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I know why you're going to Europe.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Sure you know I told you. I owe myself a sentimental journey.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Frank said he'll show me all the places John was going to show me.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

There's a place near Essen I don't know whether you'll get to, Mrs. Howard.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come on, Clover, get off it.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Your husband ever talked to you about a town in Germany called Essen, Mrs. Howard?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Of course. On account of that town John got a citation. Frank too. Didn't you, Frank?

[Benny Fane]

Sure.

[Detective Danny Clover]

We found some loot the Nazis buried. Turned it back to the rightful owner.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

That's right. John told me all about it. I Used to ask him, tease him, why he didn't hold out a little diamond lavalier for me.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I figure he did at that, Mrs. Howard.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How do you figure that, Clover?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

John Howard had a $20,000 a year job. He quit it. He quit it to go to Europe. There must have been something in Europe worth a lot more than $20,000. And it had to be something he couldn't bring back into this country. So John Howard wasn't coming back.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You don't know what he means, lad.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I mean, just one thing. Not all that loot was recovered. It makes a lot of sense that the reason John Howard gave up such a good job is because he'd hidden the missing part of that loot.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Imagine that.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

He knew where it was. So did a GI sergeant who died in Europe of pneumonia. So do you, Clifton. The three of you members of the team that found the loot in the first place.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Now John dead. Frank. Frank.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's a funny story, Lalo. Why aren't you laughing?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

You kept looking for John in the Bowery after I went home. Did you find him?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Told you I didn't find him.

[Detective Danny Clover]

That means I didn't find him.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You found him.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're calling me a liar, Clover. That's no way to get to a party.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

You want a cigarette, Clifton? Here, take one.

[Benny Fane]

Put that case away.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Why? What's the matter with it?

[Detective Danny Clover]

What kind of a man are you? A barge in? Can't you understand the situation, Clover? The champagne, the shipboard party.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Don't you see it?

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

For her?

[Detective Danny Clover]

For Lila. Try to make her smile again.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

What's the matter with the cigarette case, Clifton?

[Benny Fane]

Don't you understand?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

It's his case.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's John's. How do you think it makes Lila feel to see something that belongs to Bank? And how do you think it makes me feel remembering the times? Remembering his offering me a smoke from it.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Frank, it's not his case. John never smoked. He never did.

[Benny Fane]

Never.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Never. Why? What's going on here, Mr. Clover?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I'll tell you what's going on. Frank murdered your husband.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Did you, Frank?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Keith comes up with a lousy cigarette case and says murder.

[Mrs. Lila Howard]

Kill him, Frank.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

With poison alcohol. He found your husband, found out where he was staying. Found a bum named Joey Macklin who he was living with. Gave Joey a jug of poison alcohol. He knew your husband would drink it. That was part of the bet.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You coming to the party with me, Lila?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

But Joey Macklin was also a pickpocket. He stole this cigarette case from Clifton. Then he and your husband drank the Booze died from it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come on, Lila. They were. They're waiting for us.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

A man from across the hall, a man named Mickey Thomas, stole the booze that was left. He also stole the cigarette case Joey had lifted. Mickey Ponded. That's how I know you found John Howard Clifton. You're under arrest. On Broadway, there's always a vision that stands in a doorway at the end of night. You run after it, but a hand at your sleeve tugs your back. A grinning face whispers there's something better inside. But you keep running till the same voice whispers the odds you'll never make it and you never do. It's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My beat.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Broadway is My Beat. Stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. With Charles Calvert as Tartaglia and Jack Crucian as Mugavan. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. In tonight's story, Irene Tedro was heard as Lila Howard, Lou Merrill as Frank Clifton, Leo Cleary as Benny Fane, and Steve Roberts as Mickey Th.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Tonight on FEN Presents, you've been listening to some of the best in radio drama with Bibber McGee and Molly and Broadway is My Beats. Join us again Monday evening at the same time, 9:05, when Fen presents Dragnet and Escape.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. Mr. Fring in the pawn shop was really trying Danny's patience. And when you get to that point in the episode, Danny doesn't really have that much left to be begin with. And he just finished explaining to Danny that he priced the risk of it being stolen into the price he paid of just $2. So it's weird when people do that sort of stuff and expect Danny to be sympathetic. Well, listener comments and feedback now. And we start with the comment Dan wrote on patreon. I'll be 72 in April, and these shows remind me of my childhood. I was busy playing outside most of the time, but my mother had me convinced that Perry Como was down at the station singing to us. I thought she meant local. What a miracle it seemed then. Thanks for bringing it all back. Well, I appreciate your remarks and I also appreciate the perspective. I think it's wonderful when you're a kid and you can approach things as being full of wonder. And that was one of the real blessings with my son. He was so taken and fascinated by stuff that, you know, I think was great. But I've gotten to the point where I got used to it and took it for granted. Then moving on, a comment from YouTube regarding the Kurt Bauer murder case. Betsy says, what a collection of horror people. Good episode. Thank you. And that is a tough combination. Good episode, but horrible people all around. And it can be, you know, you do have the sort of the Hummert production of just going like all over the top in the performances, but otherwise it can be tough. Humor can help, too. One of my favorite Sam Spades was the Dry Martini Keeper, where the characters were horrible, but there was enough going on to keep the listeners interested. But for Sam Spade as the guy who was there, it got to be too much. And Sam is not one of the more, you know, like, overly optimistic or super virtuous detectives, but he's. He gets to a point where, okay, I, I just need a break from these people. They're all horrible, but doing it in a dramatic way, as Broadway's My Beat did with making the characters interesting enough, even though they are horrible, it still made for a compelling episode. Well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the Day. Thank you to Sean, Patreon supporter since June of 2021, currently supporting the podcast at the Psalmist level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support. That will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. Broadway's My Beat will return in two weeks. Join us back here next week for a special encore. But we will be back tomorrow with an episode of dragnetware.

[Bill Gardner]

Well, what's behind it, Gardner?

[Detective Danny Clover]

I mean, the gang war that they're supposed to be planning.

[Bill Gardner]

A lot of factors enter into it. I guess it's my own idea. The Apache gang's doing most of the promoting.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What's the object anyway?

[Bill Gardner]

The usual big shot idea. Some high school kids get the Apaches Figure they're gonna run the whole east side. They've already scared the Happy Valley gang and the Blue Devils into joining up with them.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, how'd they manage that?

[Bill Gardner]

I'd like to find out myself.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, how about the other two crowds there?

[Bill Gardner]

Rose Hill and the Purple Heart bunch? The story I get is they won't come in with the Apaches. That's supposed to be the reason for the war. Either they join up with the Apaches or they fight them. That's the warning they got Pretty playing

[Detective Danny Clover]

it big time, huh?

[Bill Gardner]

All the way. 16, 17 year olds. They got gang lieutenants, they got their own cars, their own hideouts. Some of them even have their girlfriends running with them. Same age, none of them over 17. Where'd you get your information, Bill? Half a dozen kids. Most of them from the Blue Devils and the Happy Valley gang. They were mixed up in a couple of after school fights in Hollenbeck Park. The stories they gave us are enough to curl your hair. Yeah, I mean about the big war they're gonna have. One of the girls we picked up gave us most of it. 15 year old. Says her boyfriend's one of the big shots with the Blue Devils. What'd she have to say? Talked about it like it was some kind of a game they were playing. Said the Rose Hill and the Purple Heart gangs were teaming up so they could stand up against the other three. They've been getting ready for the war for six weeks. They're really organizing.

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

I don't get it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Who's doing the organizing? Who's promoting it?

[Bill Gardner]

I got an idea about that. Get to it in a minute. Take a look at these over here. Yeah. Samples of the different weapons the gangs are getting together for the big fight.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Crazy kids.

[Bill Gardner]

Brass knuckles, homemade saps. All kinds. What's this here? Garden?

[Detective Gino Tartaglia]

Have a look.

[Bill Gardner]

Homemade stiletto. Good six inch blade. Kids are supposed to have dozens of them. Another one here. Look at this. Ice pick. Anything you can think of. You name it, we got it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's gonna be wholesale murder if we can't find a way to stop it.

[Adam Graham]

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

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. You don't want to miss the annual beauty event for big savings on all your favorite beauty products now through April 28th. Spend $25 on participating products and save $5. Shop in store or online for items like Billie Women's Razors, Billi Body Buffer or Body Wash, Native Hand Soap, Neutrogena Makeup Remover towelets and Q Tips. And save $5 when you spend $25. Offer ends April 28. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details. It's tax season, and by now we're all a bit tired of numbers. But here's an important one you need to hear. $16 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud. But it's not all grim news. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply here's the truth. You could literally be adored by everyone and then come home and still get completely ignored by your own cat. It's classic cat behavior, but new Shiba Premium Puree is a lickable treat that changes all that. They're protein rich, made with bone broth, and have the smooth, creamy texture cats go crazy for, especially when it's hand fed. Yeah, it's more than a treat. It's a fast pass to favorite human status. So feed your cat Sheba and go from totally ignored to truly adored in just 12 days, guaranteed or your money back. Learn [e-mail].