Broadway's My Beat: The Ruth Larson Murder Case (EP4863)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Broadway’s My Beat: The Ruth Larson Murder Case

Podcast: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Host: Adam Graham
Episode: Broadway’s My Beat: The Ruth Larson Murder Case (EP4863)
Date Released: December 10, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Broadway’s My Beat centers around a string of violent murders, beginning with the killing of a 14-year-old girl named Ruth Larson. Detective Danny Clover unravels a case that unearths themes of senseless urban violence, psychological motives, and the hidden turmoil within seemingly quiet families. The narrative takes listeners through post-war Broadway, blending crime procedural with psychological drama, ultimately arriving at a startling twist about the true motive behind the murders.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Highlights

1. Setting and Introduction

• The program opens with Adam Graham’s introduction, followed by a vintage CBS news bulletin that immerses listeners in the early 1950s (03:34).
• The moody, noir atmosphere is established: “Broadway’s My Beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.” (Narrator, 04:17)

2. Discovery of Ruth Larson’s Body

• Detective Clover meets Mr. Larson at the city morgue, who must identify the body of his teenage daughter.
• Mr. Larson’s heartbreak is palpable; his description of Ruth highlights her innocence and family aspirations (06:00).
• Memorable Moment: Mr. Larson, overcome with emotion, exclaims, “Who did it? What monster? Who did it to you?” (Mr. Larson, 07:22)

3. Police Investigation & Psychological Despair

• Danny deals with the difficulty—and routine—of urban violence (“...the basic ingredient of the city morgue. Though not to be found on blueprints or bills of specifications, it was something new to the man walking…”, 05:44).
• The autopsy reveals Ruth was beaten and killed with a gun butt, but with no apparent motive (09:17).
• The theme of senseless violence emerges—there is no sexual assault, robbery, or obvious motive.

4. Further Murders: The Pattern Emerges

• While investigating, Clover is called to another scene: Beatrice Murray, a childless, respected charitable woman, is found murdered in her backyard. Her husband, Paul Murray, is perplexed, as is the listener, at the apparent randomness (10:06–12:26).
• The police try to find psychological underpinnings:
  • Dr. Sinski: “This violence...has been committed by what is called a paranoid.” (14:10)
  • Clover’s frustration is evident (“Tell me why... I’ll go out and buy my own pack of cigarettes.”, 13:50).

5. Third Murder and Connection

• A third victim, Alma Russell, a young housemaid, is found in an alley (17:28).
• The only clue: a sales slip for a $200 teapot found in her purse (18:11–18:45).
• Tartaglia speculates about a “mad killer...with a grudge against women, even if they’re a kid” (18:05).
• Investigating Alma’s room, Danny finds a modest life; her landlady Ethel provides a wry, melancholy commentary on loneliness and urban detachment (21:15–23:05).

6. Break in the Case: The Teapot

• The teapot clue leads Clover to a chinaware store (25:39).
  • The clerk explains Alma broke her employer’s valuable teapot, replaced it out of fear, and bought it from them—paying nearly all her savings.
  • The store’s regular clients include the Murrays—tying her fate to victim Beatrice Murray (26:12–27:29).

7. Confrontation and Solution

• Danny confronts Paul Murray with the deduction: the first and third murders were cover-ups for his real target—his wife (28:17–30:46).
  • Clover: “The way we figure it, Mr. Murray, is that the killer was really only interested in killing one person. He killed the other two to make it look like...indiscriminate killings.” (29:11)
  • Motive: Paul’s wife resented caring for his deaf sister, fueling marital discord. Paul killed her and staged two more murders to mask the crime.
  • Murray’s confrontation with Clover: “You broke it deliberately...I’ll kill you!” (Paul Murray, 30:30), revealing his breakdown and guilt.

8. Conclusion: Broadway Noir

• The episode ends with a poetic, somber reflection on the violence and loneliness of city life:
  • “Broadway leaps against the night. The sound it makes is the crash of life deep inside the earth...The sound you get is shock. There’s another sound, the teardrop. But no one listens. No one hears.” (Danny Clover, 31:27)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mr. Larson (Ruth’s father): “Who did it? What monster? Who did it to you?” (07:22)
• Dr. Sinski: “This violence...has been committed by what is called a paranoid.” (14:10)
• Ethel Perdon (the landlady): “Somebody’s got to cry for her.” (23:05)
• Detective Clover: “The way we figure it, Mr. Murray, is that the killer was really only interested in killing one person...He killed the other two to make it look like...indiscriminate killings.” (29:11)
• Paul Murray: “You broke it deliberately...I’ll kill you!” (30:30)
• Detective Clover (closing): “The gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My beat.” (31:47)

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Important Timestamps

• [03:34] – Period-accurate news bulletin sets the time and mood.
• [04:17–07:22] – Identification of Ruth Larson’s body—central emotional scene.
• [10:06–12:26] – Second murder: Beatrice Murray and interview with Paul Murray.
• [14:10] – Dr. Sinski suggests a psychological motive: “Paranoid.”
• [17:28–20:00] – Discovery and investigation of Alma Russell’s murder.
• [25:39–27:29] – Discovery of the $200 teapot clue; the link to the Murray household.
• [28:17–30:46] – Confrontation and solver's reveal with Paul Murray.
• [31:27] – Poetic closing reflection.

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Host Commentary (Adam Graham)

• Reflections on Series Evolution: Adam notes the show became more grounded and realistic over time, with Detective Clover developing restraint and emotional depth while retaining his classic noir sensibility. (From 33:50)
• Praise for Performances: Special mention of Harry Bartel’s moving portrayal as Ruth Larson’s father.
• Listener Feedback: Engages with listeners about recurring tropes—particularly Clover confronting killers alone—and gently mocks, but ultimately validates, this narrative device as part of the series’ charm.

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode is steeped in classic noir sensibility: moody, poetic narration; a city filled with darkness, tragedy, and fleeting moments of empathy. Detective Clover balances skepticism with emotional engagement, making for a more human and believable protagonist.

The storytelling retains the crisp, hardboiled dialogue of old radio dramas, but also lingers on the loneliness and pathos of its characters—a rarity among more formulaic Golden Age mysteries.

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Summary

In “The Ruth Larson Murder Case,” Broadway’s My Beat uses a seemingly random string of female murders to explore themes of hidden resentments, psychological instability, and the despair lurking just beneath urban respectability. Through sensitive characterization and poignant atmosphere, the episode delivers both a whodunit puzzle and a somber meditation on violence and alienation. The case’s resolution, hinging on a simple, broken teapot and a man’s secret marital hatred, highlights how mundane grievances can erupt into horror—a classic noir lesson that still resonates.

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Transcript

[Adam Graham]

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[Paul Murray]

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[Detective Danny Clover]

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[Paul Murray]

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[Detective Danny Clover]

Was after giving up the jacket in exchange for my life.

[Paul Murray]

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[Detective Danny Clover]

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[Detective Danny Clover]

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[Adam Graham]

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host Adam Graham. In a moment we're gonna bring you this week's episode of Broadway's My Bait. But first you if you are enjoying the PODC to please 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 also become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month at patreon.greatdetectives.net and I want to go ahead and welcome our latest Patreon support. I want to thank Jerome and Kayleen who both came on board supporting the podcast at the shamas level of $4 or more per month and also Dolly supporting the podcast at the rookie level of $2 or more per month. Again, thank you so much for your support. Well now from June 23, 1951. Here is the Ruth Larson murder case.

[Narrator/Announcer]

We delay the start of our scheduled program to bring you a bulletin from CBS News, Washington. The State Department has issued a statement in response to the proposal by Jacob Malik, the Soviet delegate to the United nations, for a ceasefire in Korea. The State Department said that if Malek's proposal is more than propaganda, adequate means for discussion and end to the conflict are available. The State Department said, we are ready to play our part. This bulletin has come to you from CBS News. We now resume our regular program.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Broadway's My Beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Narrator/Announcer]

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

[Detective Danny Clover]

The nighttime starts at the river. Before it closes over Broadway, a wind drifts in with the moistened shadows, flings them into the street, flattens them against the gutter, picks a man waiting for a bus and wraps darkness around him. And a light comes on. And another. And down the street there where the crowd is gathered against the traffic signal. High above them, a neon sputters, flames. The spectaculars dance. Somebody runs into the street and yells, come on. And everybody does. Night has come to Broadway.

And where I was, there was a wind. The built in wind. A thing composed of poor ventilation, tears shed and unshed, and bottled chemicals. It was the basic ingredient of the city morgue. Though not to be found on blueprints or bills of specifications, it was something new to the man walking. Besides this place.

[Mr. Larson]

This place.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Just take it easy, Mr. Larson.

[Mr. Larson]

I'll tell you something. I guess it'll sound funny. I've read about places like this and I've closed my mind to what I read. I guess I never wanted to visualize anything.

Right here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mr. Larson, what was your daughter wearing?

[Mr. Larson]

Mrs. Larson wrote it down for me. You see, I wasn't home when our daughter. When Ruth went to the movies, so. Mrs. Larson.

Ruth was wearing a skirt and blouse, pink bobby socks and saddle shoes. I guess you want to know this too. She was 5ft 1. She was 14 in May. She had brown hair and brown eyes.

And I want you to know, Mr. Clover, I guess all fathers feel the same way. My Ruth was. Well, our friend said she was a remarkable child. She's going to. We're gonna send it to.

Under that sheet.

[Detective Danny Clover]

This girl was found in a vacant lot between your home and the theater. Your wife mentioned when she called, how.

[Mr. Larson]

I mean, look. You know, beaten, fractured skull.

I have to look, don't I?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, if it's your Daughter Ruth's a nice girl.

[Mr. Larson]

She started to go to parties with boys and she always gets home by 11 o'. Clock. She's gonna be a dancer. When people come to the house, she dances for them.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mr. Larson.

[Mr. Larson]

You see, as I told you before.

Ruth.

Ruthie.

Oh, Ruthie.

Who did it? What monster? Who did it to you?

[Ethel Perdon]

Who?

[Paul Murray]

Who?

[Detective Danny Clover]

The fury took over the man, trembling with it, shivering with it. Scurried from wall to wall, enraged at the wound the death of his child had clawed across his heart, torn inside his throat the helpless, futile rage of the animal whose small range of understanding has been kicked, beaten, thrown against the barbed wall of violence.

Not once, not once more did he look at his child now, try only to wipe out the memory, try to strangle the long ago laughter and sobs that the child had let echo through him. Finally, the collapse, the heap on the concrete floor.

And you call quietly to the officer on duty to help you lift the man, carry him to a place where can sleep away the fury of his dead.

Then back to your office and close the door on it, stand at the window watching the squalls of the nighttime wash against it, beat against it. And then stare at the walls. Then hear the door open for it to let it all in.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Danny.

Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What do you want?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Dr. Sinski's report. He was busy on another. He asked me to bring it to you, sir.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Leave it on my desk.

[Ethel Perdon]

All right.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

You're not gonna look at it, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why? I know what's in it.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

I thought I did too, till I glanced it over on the way to your office. You better take a look at it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're so eager. I don't want to spoil it for you. Tell me about it, Muggerman. You tell me. A Mugavan. We've had other kids and this one's no different. That all, Mugavan?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

That's what I've been trying to tell you. This one is different. Just what you saw when you first found her. That's what's in the report. Beaten, skull fractured with the butt of a gun. Nothing else.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Then give me a motive. Give me another motive. Why a 14 year old child should.

Glover speaking.

[Officer]

Sergeant Tartaglia at this end. Homicide, Danny. Woman in backyard of House at 1845 West 11. People named Murray upstairs wants you on it. Should I tell him you're agreeable? Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell him I'm.

Bring me a motive. Mugaban upstairs wants me to run an errand.

[Paul Murray]

She's over here, Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Right here.

Dead, beaten. I'd say her skull had been fractured. Mr. Murray, I don't understand it.

[Paul Murray]

I just don't understand.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell me what happened.

[Paul Murray]

We were sitting in the library. A knock came on the back door. I wanted to answer it, but Beatrice said I looked so comfortable.

[Detective Danny Clover]

There was just you two in the library.

[Paul Murray]

You and your wife and Sis.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Sis?

[Paul Murray]

My sister Claudia. She can't hear anything. She's deaf. She never goes out of the house. I take care of her.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Who's in the house with her now? Who's playing that organ?

[Paul Murray]

Oh, Sis plays.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I see. Go ahead.

[Paul Murray]

Well, there was this knock on the door and Beatrice went to the door and I, I, I heard her talking to someone. At least I think I did. I want you to know I'm not sure about that. I kept reading, that's all. Sis was practicing.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Didn't your wife scream? Didn't you hear anything?

[Paul Murray]

No, no, no, no, I didn't. I, I happened to look up my book a little later after she went to the back door.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How much later?

[Paul Murray]

Well, I don't know. I looked up and she still wasn't there.

[Detective Danny Clover]

She hadn't come back yet from answering that knock on the door.

[Paul Murray]

That's right. So I went out back. The back door was still open, but there wasn't anybody there. I called to her and then I started toward the alley and I. I stumbled.

I stumbled over Beatrice lying.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Then what did you do?

[Paul Murray]

Well, I. I called the police. And then I told Sis what had happened.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You speak sign language?

[Paul Murray]

Yes. I learned it when I was very young so that I could speak with Sis. She's been with me all the time.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How long have you been married?

[Paul Murray]

14 years.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why?

[Paul Murray]

What's that got to do.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Happily, of course. Happily. You have any children?

[Paul Murray]

No. No. That's something Beatrice and I agreed on. Sis needs taken care of. And Beatrice is always so busy, busy.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Busy doing what?

[Paul Murray]

Clubs and auxiliaries, you know. She was well liked, got things done. She was admired and well liked.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Then who'd want to kill her?

[Paul Murray]

Nobody would want to kill Beatrice.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Nobody. Mr. Murray.

[Paul Murray]

She was a middle aged woman, Mr. Clover. Everybody she knew was her friends. She did charity work. People came with troubles. Anybody, she'd help them.

Why would anybody want to kill her? What motive would he have? What motive, Mr. Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

It was there again. What motive? A 14 year old girl, the loved child of a quiet, nameless father, family. Until a killer had taken the butt end of a gun, beaten their name and their dead child's name into the newspapers, that choked the trash bins supplied for the purpose by the Department of Sanitation. What motive for that? And for Mrs. Beatrice Murray, admired, liked, charitable, a woman to whom the trouble came. A childless woman who sat in the evening and sewed together the patchwork of her day while her husband read and his sister released the music she couldn't hear. What motive for that brutal death? Because you find no answer. Share it with Dr. Sinski. Ask the question of him. Burden the gentle doctor with it.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

You put me a question, Danny, that is not strictly in my department or in my education.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Mind if I bum another cigarette?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Well, here. Up south.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Thanks.

You've been with us a long time, doctor. Some of it must have rubbed off, Danny.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

I deal only in known quantities. You boys bring me the wounds you find. I wash them, bandage them. You bring me the dead. I perform autopsies. Known quantities, Danny. Like I know. Like I know my name. Your name. That this Mrs. Murray was murdered by the butt of the same gun that hammered away the life of the child, Ruth.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Why? Tell me why. I'll go out and buy my own pack of cigarettes.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

If I had gold. You could have it, Danny. No strings to it?

No. For the question you ask, go consult a specialist. A man who puts the microscope of his training to the emotions.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The department psychiatrist.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Yes. To him, perhaps he will agree with me. And I'm only an amateur, a dabbler, mind you, Danny, that this violence, this ugly, bestial violence, has been committed by what is called a paranoid.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I've read about them. Had them screaming in my office. They dream up hates against themselves.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

For this, they kill an animal. A child.

[Store Clerk]

A woman.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Excuse me, Danny. Come in, please.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Looking for me, Gino?

[Officer]

Yeah, Danny. Fresh Homicide Alley on West 10th. Bucketman's got a squad call.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Let me finish my cigarette, huh? Tartaglia.

[Officer]

Sure, Danny, sure.

[Detective Danny Clover]

If you want.

It's finished.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

A woman, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. Put your flash on her. Hold it. Hold it right there. Where's that music coming from?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Apartment upstairs.

Danny. The back of her head.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's, uh.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Huh.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Keep your flash still.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

We've seen it two times already in a short space. This makes three.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It made three. The woman staring into the beam of the flashlight Muguman held close to her face, staring in the final disbelief that this had happened to her in this place, in this time. She lay in awkwardness, her dress disarranged, her hand where it had frozen, trying to straighten the wisp of blood, clotted hair under her black straw hat. The alley wind found the white lace at her throat, riffled it, and the murdered woman made three.

[Narrator/Announcer]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written By Morton Fine and David Friedkin with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. The Peggy Lee show bowed in over most of these same CBS stations last Sunday night. Folks who heard it will be back tomorrow for more of Peggy's charm, Peggy's vocals, Peggy's previews of coming popular musical events. Enjoy the Peggy Lee show for light hearted summer listening at the stars address.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The night music of summer spills into Broadway from the scarred throats of the loudspeakers hanging over the records. And this summer's kids in the off the shoulder cottons and the transparent California sports shirts squeeze each other into the doorways and lap it up. And then someone shrills a new diversion in a new shop window on a new corner, and Broadway's youth rebops on down to it. It's an old ceremony on Broadway, this dancing in the streets. And the sweating barker with a fistful of passes to happy upstairs lands. Just the price of the amusement tax, kid. That's old too. The girl in the swimsuit lying on the billboard beach, never aging but old. And the touch of summer's night on your eyelids. That's familiar too. It's all happened to you before.

And where I was, where Mugavin was. It had happened before too. To a 14 year old girl named Ruth. To Mrs. Baiters Murray. And now to the woman lying dead in an alley, not feeling the touch of the man who at first timidly and then with effort, twisted the purse out of her hand.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

She was holding onto it so tight, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Open it.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

So tight. Yeah.

Killed the same way as the other two, wouldn't you say, Danny? Uh huh. Maybe our fair city's being honored with a mad killer, huh?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Maybe.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Sick man with a grudge against women, even if they're a kid.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Looks like it. How long does it take to go through the purse, Mugavan?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Just sorting the unnecessary stuff, Danny. Tissues, compact, change purse, bobby pins, sales slip for, let's see. Hold a flash a minute, Danny. Yeah, for chinaware. Tortoiseshell comb with silver edging.

[Detective Danny Clover]

That's all. No identification.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Well, I haven't tried this inside flap yet, Danny.

Yeah, here it is. New Social Security card made out to hold it again. Alma Russell, 4212 6th Avenue. That's around 8th Street, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Maybe she was on her way home. Took this alley, it cuts through the sixth. Killer knew she took it sometimes. Waited for her here, slugged her, made sure she was dead.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Got a confession, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

It puzzled you.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Alone in the world, three of them dead. That girl, that woman with her husband and the sister who plays the organ. Now this one, I could understand it if.

[Detective Danny Clover]

If what?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

There wasn't a mark on him, Danny, other than the beating from the gun, but not a mark.

[Detective Danny Clover]

And this girl's young, about 25, I'd.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Say pretty neat, clean. I bet she was attractive, sweet.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What are you building, Mugman?

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

We've had them before, Danny. The guys who wait in alleys go to moving picture houses, talk to little girls in the vacant lot. This kind we've had before. And in a way, I could understand it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

But the killer who you said he was sick. Dr. Sinski called him paranoid.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Whatever they call him, it scares me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

He's sick.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

I got a niece lives three blocks from me with my brother. She's funny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're trying to talk about her like the girl's father did.

Go call them, morgue McIver.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Danny, the thought that it could happen.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Go call them. I'll wait for you.

And in a little while, the young woman who had hugged death in an alley was attended to by gentle people, which is the miracle of violent death in a great city. The intern, the stranger in the white jacket, knelt beside her, shook his head and thought a thought that included both of them. And an ambulance driver looked at her and bit his lip when he put her on the stretcher.

Then the alley was no longer remarkable. It resolved back unto itself, a play of refuse, mewings, and the shortcut. It was the end of something or another.

For me. It was the end of the day. Home now, in bed. Adjust the mind not to dream. This can be done by a policeman assigned a homicide. Sleep the night through and wake and have the coffee and read the paper. Get to work. Go now to the address on 10th street because a girl named Alma Russell once lived there. Ring the bell. Adjust your mind again to the fact that you're going to talk about the murder of a young woman at 8:30 in the morning.

[Ethel Perdon]

You from the police?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, I am.

[Ethel Perdon]

Well, come in. In here? The kitchen. Sit down.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Thanks.

[Ethel Perdon]

What's your name?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Danny Clover.

[Ethel Perdon]

Mine's Perdon. Ethel Perdon. I'm mine host to the borders. Had your coffee yet, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Uh huh.

[Ethel Perdon]

Me too. You won't mind if I try making up this face of mine, do you? I say making up because that's the phrase that's used.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How is it that you're Expecting the police, Mrs. Purdon?

[Ethel Perdon]

Well, I read the morning papers, don't I? Alma got killed, didn't she? She lived here, didn't she? So who should I expect? Humphrey Bogart? Yeah. How does the lipstick look, Danny? Kissable or otherwise? Otherwise, huh?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Look, Mrs. Perdona, I want you to tell me everything you can about Alma Russell.

[Ethel Perdon]

Sure, sure. Can you reach that mascara, Danny? Yeah, right there on the shelf, see? Thanks. About Alma. A maid cleans, sweeps, dusts. A buck an hour.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Who'd she worked for?

[Ethel Perdon]

Well, she never said. Quit a job a couple of weeks ago. I think she got another one just the other day. Well, I guess that's the best I can do with my facial equipment. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Ah.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What else about her?

[Ethel Perdon]

I don't know what else. She paid, bored, kept to herself, was no trouble, didn't talk except a how do you do? And a very well, thank you. Nice table manners. Broke her bread, never left much crumbs. Nice girl.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What about boyfriends?

[Ethel Perdon]

None here in my establishment. All ladies. What happens in the street? I wouldn't know. Help me with my coat, will you, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

You going someplace?

[Ethel Perdon]

Well, sure I am.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I want to look at Alma's room.

[Ethel Perdon]

First landing, door on your right. You want to talk to me soon again, Danny?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Maybe after I look at Alma's room.

[Ethel Perdon]

I'll be easy to find. Your place, your morgue. I'm going down and cry for Alma Russell. Somebody's got to cry for her.

[Detective Danny Clover]

And watch her leave for a session of weeping through mascaraed eyelashes. The pastime, the protest against her being bitter and lonely and unwanted. And enter the dead woman's room, search it, note its primness. Handle the modest belongings of a girl who had washed, dusted, arranged the belongings of other women in other, richer rooms. The pile of old magazines carefully saved on the closet shelf. And on the bed stand, the new ones, the fan magazines, the romances truer than her own because they were printed on slick paper. The dresser lined with the thin layer of inexpensive underclothes. The wardrobe of the bargain flowered prints, the starched maid's uniform, the cloth coat and the moth proof bag. That was it. The sum of Alma Russell's life.

And then back to headquarters. And the concern of Sergeant Gino Tartaglia for your tiredness. For your paleness, Danny.

[Officer]

Not that it is mine to meddle, but. Well, you should exhibit yourself to the sunshine more. LOL on Far Rockaway on your day off, Gino, bring cheeks of tan to your cheeks. Bare your pale feet to the vitamin filled rays.

[Detective Danny Clover]

My pale feet bother you?

[Officer]

Nothing whatsoever about your personality bothers me, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's only that I know, Gino. You'd feel better if I got sunburned.

[Officer]

Well, it is the Fashion of the season.

[Detective Danny Clover]

There's a rumor murder is the fashion.

[Officer]

Yeah. This also three the members of the opposite sex.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Could be so simple. If only somewhere I could find where their lives had been touched by one man. By one killer.

[Officer]

Danny, don't whip yourself. I put the boys working on it like. Yes, they can't find it either. All they come up with is a reading on a sales slip.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Huh?

[Officer]

The sales slip you found in the purse of the deceased, Alma Russell. It seems the girl bought a teapot from a place called ivers. Paid $200 for it. And this makes a mishmash. Upsets your colleagues in the department.

[Detective Danny Clover]

200 for a teapot bought by a girl who makes a buck an hour? Doesn't it? Upset.

[Store Clerk]

Something we can do for you, sir?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, there is. I'm from the police. Good.

[Store Clerk]

Are we interested in some chinaware today?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, we are. I want you to take a look at this. This is a sales slip.

[Store Clerk]

What is it?

[Detective Danny Clover]

It's for a teapot. One that costs $200.

[Store Clerk]

I don't understand why we're lifting our eyebrows, sir. Of course it did. A Stratfordshire teapot on the current market is worth at least that.

[Detective Danny Clover]

This sales slip was found on a young lady. A young lady that's been murdered.

[Store Clerk]

I see.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The young lady happened to have purchased this teapot here.

[Store Clerk]

I see.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Her name was Alma Russell.

[Store Clerk]

I see.

[Detective Danny Clover]

How does a dollar an hour mate buy a $200 piece of china?

[Store Clerk]

By paying $200 for it. Ms. Russell paid exactly that much then.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You remember Ms. Russell?

[Store Clerk]

Oh, indeed, yes. We sold it to her ourselves about three weeks ago. I remember the transaction well. She'd called the day before to price the teapot. The next day. She came in with the money about midday on a Thursday.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Unless it was her day off. She was in uniform. Didn't it seem strange that a housemaid.

[Store Clerk]

Yes, it did. I might as well tell you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell me what?

[Store Clerk]

The sale slip says $200. She didn't pay that for it. She paid 195, tax included. We paid the difference out of our own pocket. In the trade, we are known as a sucker for hard luck. Stories about teapots. And Ms. Russell had one.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You want to tell me about it now or later?

[Store Clerk]

Miss Russell was dusting the china at the home of her employer. Broke a stradverture teapot. Hid the debris. Bought another one before the accident. Was discovered as a replacement.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Just one more thing. Did she say who this employer was?

[Store Clerk]

She did not. However. However, there are some regular clients of ours who eat off the stuff.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Like who?

[Store Clerk]

The Llewellyns, for example. The Crandalls, second and third. The Murrays, the West fourth.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Which Murrays?

[Store Clerk]

On West 11th. The Paul Murrays. Are we being helpful?

[Detective Danny Clover]

We'll never know how much.

[Store Clerk]

Oh.

[Paul Murray]

Oh, it's you. Mr. Clover. Please come in.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Thanks. Mr. Murray.

[Paul Murray]

You want to talk to me, don't you? This way, down the hall. Oh, Claudia, that is. Sis is practicing. We don't want to disturb her. Through this door. In here. The library.

Now, do you know the man who killed my wife?

[Detective Danny Clover]

We know the kind of man who killed your wife.

[Paul Murray]

Yes.

[Detective Danny Clover]

A paranoid.

[Paul Murray]

Paranoid?

[Detective Danny Clover]

A person who's quick to find a reason to kill. And he doesn't need much of a reason. Just cross him.

[Paul Murray]

A crazy man?

[Detective Danny Clover]

You could say that.

[Paul Murray]

Well, they tell me a lot of crazies are clever.

[Store Clerk]

But why?

[Paul Murray]

Why come to tell me about it? You should be out looking for the man.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I just thought I'd stop by and let you know how we were progressing.

[Paul Murray]

I'm busy. Oh, my hobby. Model trains. I was assembling this engine. It's a diesel.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Careful work. Must take a lot of patience.

[Paul Murray]

Please put it down. It's fragile. I don't allow anyone to touch it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

All right. I said I stopped by to let you know how we were progressing.

[Paul Murray]

Come back when you can tell me the killer's name. And from what I've been reading, you'd better hurry up. Three killings indiscriminately. By the same man.

[Detective Danny Clover]

By the same man. The way we figure it, Mr. Murray, is that the killer was really only interested in killing one person. He killed the other two to make it look like what you said. Indiscriminate killings.

[Paul Murray]

I. I don't understand.

[Detective Danny Clover]

To make it look like murder without a motive, without plan. But there was motive.

[Paul Murray]

What motive for killing a 14 year old girl?

[Detective Danny Clover]

None. Part of the plan.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

And.

[Paul Murray]

And that housemaid?

[Detective Danny Clover]

None. But that was the killer's mistake. If he'd killed someone else, I wouldn't be here now.

[Officer]

You.

[Paul Murray]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Aren't you going to ask me why anyone should kill your wife?

[Paul Murray]

There was no motive like the others.

[Detective Danny Clover]

The killer had one. He had a wife. A wife who didn't want the burden of an afflicted sister in law. That's only a guess.

Did your wife ever complain about your sister?

[Paul Murray]

Get out of here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You said your wife was a warm and open hearted woman. She wanted children, didn't she?

[Paul Murray]

You're presumptuous. You're crude. Get out of Here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You already had a child in your house, Sis. Your sister. You never let her be anything but a child.

[Paul Murray]

I don't have to take these insults. And put that down. Put that train down. We go crazy.

[Officer]

Crazy.

[Paul Murray]

You broke it deliberately. All that work and you.

[Adam Graham]

I'll kill you.

[Paul Murray]

I'll kill you.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're a broken toy train. Now you're going to convince me you're a madman. Cop an insanity plea.

You're going to try harder than that. That's right. Settle down.

[Paul Murray]

Poke my train.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Cut it out, Murray. You're no more crazy than I am.

Oh, sis. Paranoid. Would have had reason to kill that maid. That 14 year old girl you killed to cover up your wife's murder.

She'll find out what happened. We'll let her know.

Oh, sis. Oh, God.

Broadway leaps against the night. The sound it makes is the crash of life deep inside the earth. And the hiss of neon. The laugh that screams. They melt together. The sound you get is shock. There's another sound, the teardrop. But no one listens. No one hears.

It's Broadway. The gaudiest, the most violent. The lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My beat.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. With Charles Calvert as Tartaglia and Jack Crucian as Mugaban. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. In tonight's story, Joseph Kearns was heard as Paul Murray. Featured in the cast were Charles Davis, Martha Wentworth and Harry Bartel.

Two styles of music, both tops in popularity, are heard every Sunday over most of these same CBS stations. Guy Lombardo's sweetest music, this side of Heaven is one. The others. The singing style of Mario Land, a new vocal sensation of the airwaves. Enjoy Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians and the Mario Lanza show tomorrow night. Stay tuned now for Sing It Again which follows immediately over most of these same CBS stations. Bill Anders speaking. This is CBS where you meet Adventure with Charlie Wild on Sundays on the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Paul Murray]

And Doug, here we have the Limu imu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us? Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Savings.

[Paul Murray]

Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. I think that Broadway's My Beat is a series that did become better as it went on. There are subtle ways in which the series has changed. There's of course the rhythm to most episodes of Mugavan being the one to guide Danny through the crime scene to some extent, which does a lot to make the series feel more like a police show rather than a PI show, as the series often did. It didn't quite feel like a police show. I think it does now. And there have also been some subtle refinements in Danny Clover's characterization. He's less likely to do something totally off the rails like beat up a suspect. Now, of course, he still has very strong feelings about these cases and can be very affected by his work, which I think makes him interesting, although perhaps a bit unusual. But there is this sense in which he is not giving full vent to his rage. In some of the earlier episodes there would be, you know, some punching up some suspects and some reactions that would be really, really over the top. I think Danny Clover is still the same character at his core as when Feynman Friedkin first wrote him, but there is a sense in which he feels a bit more grounded, a bit like he inhabits the same sort of world that people actually lived in. Now, that's not to say there aren't some tropey things about Broadway's My Beat and some odd things, one of which we'll kind of get into after the episode, but there is a sense where I think the drama is better because it's slightly more believable and realistic. And I thought that this was a particularly powerful story. Harry Bartel, as the father in this case, gave such a great performance. First, that sense of denial just then giving way to total rage and as he realized that this actually happened. Alright, well, listener comments and feedback now and we're going to go over To Spotify where mechanic 66 Comments I did not recognize Peggy Webber because I've mainly heard her play much older women like Joe Friday's mother, a landlady, etc. Why didn't Danny take Mugavan with him to arrest a killer? I get why she took the picture of the murder, but this should have only been used as a last resort. If the brother had no alibi and was about to be convicted, then she could have said when she got home she had her film developed and solved the murder. But all that being said, he already had the butler as an alibi. And that of course, is regarding the Earl Lawson murder case. And I think that's a fair point regarding the question of why he didn't bring Mugavin. That is one of the really odd tropes of this series is Danny choosing to confront the killer alone. I mean, why doesn't he ever bring Mugavin? 90 plus percent of the time he chooses to confront the killer on his own for reasons. And as much as I just talked about how Danny is a bit more grounded, that is one of the sillier parts of the program. But it doesn't interfere with the emotional realism of the program too much. I because it's just part of that suspension of disbelief you have to accept. Then we have a listener on YouTube who just posted a very nice thank you Adam on the Francesca Brown murder case. And then we turn to our listener survey where Larry writes love old radio shows. Keep them alive for generations to come. Well, thank you so much, Larry and I appreciate you filling out our listener survey. Well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporters of the day. Want to thank Jim and Rachel, who are joint patreon supporters since March 2016, currently supporting the podcast at the Showmas level of $4 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support. And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the notification bell. All those great things that help YouTube channels to grow. We'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of Broadway's My Beat. But join us back here tomorrow for Dragnet, where that's right.

[Ms. Palmer]

I ran one of those three day want ads over the weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I thought I'd get more for my car if I sold it myself. I mean, instead of selling it to a used car lot.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

How many answers did you get on your want ad?

[Ms. Palmer]

Well, just the one way it turned out. This man came out and looked at my car first thing in the morning. He offered to pay me exactly what I was asking for it. So I sold it to him. That's just the way it went.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Who was this man, Mrs. Palmer? Was he representing some auto company?

[Ms. Palmer]

Yes, he said he was anyway. Gave his name to Joseph Newhall. I've got his card inside. Said he was a buyer for Dan Barton Shoes car lot on South Cap Street. Nicely dressed man. He made it all seem so honest.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

How was the deal arranged? Could you tell us? I mean, transfer the car payment and so forth?

[Ms. Palmer]

Well, he gave me a check for $50, sort of a down payment to hold the car for him. It was a certified company check. I See, he told me he'd be back that afternoon with a certified check for the full amount of the car. $800.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Did he take your car with him then?

[Ms. Palmer]

No, he didn't. That's why I had no reason to be suspicious. He left me the check for $50 and said he'd be back later with the rest of the money. Said in the meantime, one of the employees from the used car lot might be along to pick up the car to save me the trouble of driving it downtown myself.

[Ethel Perdon]

Mm.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Same MO Joe, all the way?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah, looks like it.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Well, how did it go after that, Ms. Palmer?

[Ms. Palmer]

This worker from the used car lot came to the house to pick up the car about one o' clock that afternoon. Gave me a check for the full mount of the car, and I gave him the pink slip. Had a pair of white coveralls on, lettering on the back of them. Dan Barton Jew's Cars. Looked like a typical mechanic or something. I wasn't the least bit suspicious.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

How about the buyer, this Joseph Newhall, did he show up later in the day?

[Ms. Palmer]

No, he never came back. I've never seen him since. Haven't seen my car either. I call that Dan Barton Juice Car lot. The next morning, they told me they never heard of Joseph Newhall. Just made me sick, Officer. I can't afford to lose the money I had in that car.

[Sergeant Gino Tartaglia]

Yes, ma', am. We understand. The same things happen to a dozen people like you around the city.

[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 check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com/great detectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.

[Ms. Palmer]

Limu Game.

[Paul Murray]

And Doug, Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us? Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Liberty Savings Ferry.

[Paul Murray]

Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates.

[Detective Danny Clover]

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[Paul Murray]

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