Podcast Summary: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Episode: The Big Story – The Case of the Final Curtain (EP4857)

Host: Adam Graham
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Adam Graham presents "The Case of the Final Curtain," an installment of the classic radio series "The Big Story." The drama is based on a true crime case from 1915, fictionalized for radio, involving mysterious deaths at a care home. The episode follows reporter Aubrey Maddock as he investigates suspicious events relating to the death of a former actor and uncovers a trail of poisonings, inspired by actual events that later inspired "Arsenic and Old Lace." Adam provides historical context and listener feedback after the drama.

Key Discussion Points & Story Arc

1. Introduction & Context

• [02:23] Host Adam Graham encourages listeners to subscribe and plugs another podcast but quickly transitions to the radio drama, giving the original airdate (December 7, 1947).

2. Dramatization: The Case of the Final Curtain

Story Premise

• Aubrey Maddock, Assistant City Editor, is visited by Lucy Wellington—a distraught woman convinced her father was murdered at a rest home ("home for the infirm").
• Lucy feels deep guilt for persuading her aging, actor father to enter the home, only to have him die under mysterious circumstances.

Lucy’s Account

• [05:19–10:04]
  • Lucy describes her strained relationship with her father, an aging thespian unable to move past his stage glory.
  • She persuades him to stay at Mrs. Taylor’s boarding home for the elderly, intended as a kindly gesture.
  • Notable quote:
    • Lucy’s father: “My life is over. I’ve taken all my bows and curtain calls and I’m just sitting in an empty theater waiting for my exit cue.” (09:00)
• [10:51–13:38]
  • At the home, Wellington befriends another boarder, Luke Briggs, who warns of suspicious deaths, always after the victim pays $1,000 up front.
  • Eerie events unfold: deaths occur at night, often preceded by “special” food or drink and bodies are secretly removed in the dead of night.
  • Memorable moment:
    • “Late at night I can hear horses’ hoofs coming clop, clop, clop up the dirt road. I can hear the creak of a wagon as they back it up against the porch… and then the horses’ hoofs start up the road again, softer and softer, till there’s nothing more to hear but the hoot owl.” – Luke Briggs (12:31)
• [15:06]
  • Wellington’s mysterious “indigestion” and Mrs. Taylor’s insistence he drinks a “sedative.”
• [17:00]
  • Lucy learns her father died, allegedly of gastric ulcers, but suspects poisoning.

The Investigation

• [17:49–21:10]
  • Maddock is skeptical but becomes intrigued by the pattern of deaths.
  • He investigates Mrs. Taylor’s poison purchases at the local drugstore—large volumes of arsenic.
  • Mrs. Taylor gives nonchalant, plausible explanations: “If you were setting out to poison somebody, would you buy the poison at a local drugstore? Wouldn’t you steal it?” (20:23)

Revelations & Confrontation

• [22:38]
  • Maddock reviews death certificates from the county clerk—finds 48 deaths in five years at the small home, a rate matching much larger institutions.
  • Crucially, deaths cluster among residents who paid the $1,000 upfront.
• [25:20–26:46]
  • Maddock and the police confront Mrs. Taylor, pressing her on poison purchases, nighttime body removals, and the suspicious payment-death pattern.
  • Mrs. Taylor remains evasive and calm—until she is informed that autopsies have proved poisoning:
    • “You did an autopsy?” – Mrs. Taylor, shocked (26:35)
    • “Come along, Mrs. Taylor. I have a warrant for your arrest.” – Police Chief (26:40)

Resolution

• [27:07]
  • Epilogue: Mrs. Taylor is convicted of first-degree murder, later appealed to second-degree, sentenced to life, and transferred to a hospital for the insane.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My life is over. I’ve taken all my bows and curtain calls and I’m just sitting in an empty theater waiting for my exit cue.”
  — Mr. Wellington, reflecting on his fate (09:00)
• “Late at night I can hear horses’ hoofs coming clop, clop, clop up the dirt road... and then the horses’ hoofs start up the road again, softer and softer...”
  — Luke Briggs, recounting the eerie pattern of deaths (12:31)
• “If you were setting out to poison somebody, would you buy the poison at a local drugstore? Wouldn’t you steal it...?”
  — Mrs. Taylor’s evasive logic (20:23)
• “You'll hang before I admit I did it.”
  — Mrs. Taylor’s chilling final words upon arrest (26:46)

Adam Graham’s Post-Episode Insights

1. Historical Background

• [29:32]
  • Adam reveals the real-life inspiration: the case of Amy Archer Gilligan (1915), whose crimes inspired both this radio play and the renowned dark comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace."
  • He notes that Gilligan used massive amounts of poison: “Enough poison in one of the victims to kill six men.”
  • Adam gives credit to researchers for establishing these factual links.

2. Dramatic Choices

• Lucy dramatically “imagines” her father’s death scene, showing her theatrical heritage and emotional trauma. “She’d gotten the gene for dramatics, although her hunch turned out to be right.” (29:40)

3. Listener Feedback

• [~31:00]
  • He reads thoughtful listener comments on the tone and social context of radio crime dramas, and shares a tangential discussion about journalist Dorothy Kilgallan.

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------| | 02:23 | Adam Graham intro and transition to drama | | 05:19 | Lucy explains her relationship with her father | | 10:51 | Ominous warnings at the rest home | | 12:31 | Luke’s chilling account of nighttime deaths | | 17:00 | Lucy learns of her father’s death | | 17:49 | Maddock begins his investigation | | 22:38 | Comparison of death statistics and escalation | | 25:20 | Confrontation and arrest of Mrs. Taylor | | 27:07 | Epilogue: outcome for Mrs. Taylor | | 29:32 | Adam Graham’s historical analysis and feedback |

Conclusion

This episode delivers a moody, atmospheric retelling of a notorious, real-life eldercare murder case and highlights classic detective-radio storytelling. Adam Graham enriches the experience with historical facts and listener community interactions, making this a rewarding episode for detective fiction and true-crime fans alike.

For more episodes or information, visit greatdetectives.net