
Today's Mystery: The Saint becomes inovlved when everyone wants to buy an old junker of a car from an elderly man. Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 14, 1949 Originating from Hollywood Starring: Vincent Price as Simon Templar,Lurene Tuttle, Dan...
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Vincent Price (as The Saint)
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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 the Saint. But first, I want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast, to please follow us using your favorite podcast software. Today's program is also brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis. Support.greatdetectives.net which is our PayPal link. And I want to thank listeners who support the show there. Thank you to ra. In addition, you can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. Just go to patreon great detectives.net well, now, from August 14, 1949, here is greed Causes Murder.
Vincent Price (as The Saint)
Adventures of the Saint starring Vincent Price. The Saint. Based on characters created by Leslie Charteris unknown to millions from books, magazines and motion pictures, the Robin Hood of modern crime is now transcribed for radio. Starring Hollywood's brilliant and talented actor, Vincent Price as the Saint. No, no, no. Hey, what's going on here? This is my car here. No, no, no. Stop it. Hey, cut it out. What's the idea? Now let that man alone. Look, you keep out of this, buddy, or I'll. Well, it ain't the same. It's euphonic but slightly ungrammatical. Mac. Now what's the disturbance? They drew up alongside of my car. Him and the other fella. They said get out. We're taking Your car? Why, Mac wouldn't do a thing like that, now, would you, Mac? Nah, of course not. The old man's nuts. What Mack would do if he coveted his neighbor's jalopy is slug him with a piece of lead pipe and drive off. Yeah. So? Good night. I get business now. Wait, Mac. You could satisfy my curiosity a little. Why should you want to steal this gentleman's old automobile when you've got nicer, newer ones to choose from? Yes, ask him, mister. Ask him. Yeah, ask me, Saint. Go ahead. I'm gonna satisfy a little curiosity of my own. I didn't think you had any, Mack. What shape does it take? I always wondered how you'd look dead. Good night, all. Good night, Mac. Be seeing you. You. You let him go? Yes. He convinced me that I should. For now. There's nothing like a.32 in the pocket of a known thug for winning an argument. Did you say there was another fellow in him? Yes. Run off when he heard you coming. It was the same fella tried to buy my car yesterday. Someone tried to buy this. This car? Why, sure. This fella tried to buy it. And there was a woman made a offer, too. You mean you actually refused? I ain't selling until I find out why they want to buy it so bad. This fellow who tried to buy the car, do you know his name? No.
Adam Graham
He.
Vincent Price (as The Saint)
He looked like a gentleman until. Until you found him consorting with felon is intent with our just departed. Tell me, was he well dressed? An annoying little mustache placed just over the sneer he wears for a mouth? Well, yes. Say, how did you. That's easy. Our friend Mac does piece work for him. Fancy Dan Turner is his current alias. And. But I see you don't keep up with such things. You're going to tell the police? Later, perhaps, when there's something to tell them. Right now, I've got a great thirst that needs quenching. Thirst for knowledge, huh? Yeah. What's your name and where do you live? Collins. 302 E. 8th St. Mm. Now, put your car in cold storage, old timer, and take care of yourself. Something tells me this is Rat's night out. Hello, Smitty. Back making book, I see. You got the wrong joint, Saint. Take a look around. I run a pool room. You interested in a horse? No, no, A man. Well, like I said, Saint, you got the wrong joint. His name's Mac. He hangs out here. Where is he? In the back room. I'm the Three Monkeys, Saint. Deep, dumb and blind. The only Mac I know is a truck. Oh, Then if you don't mind, I'd like to look in your back room and see if he's parked there. I mind, but you won't even know Smitty. You're deef dumb and blind. Oh, have a heart, Saint. I ain't got no back room. Besides, last time you dropped in my place, a lot of my customers started patronizing elsewhere. Including you, Smitty. Remember, I've only been back from the gray place a week and I ain't forgetting it. Oh, come on, Saint, be a good guy. Beat it, huh? No, no, Smitty. Let him stay a while. Hello, Mac. I was hoping you were smart enough to go home and get some sleep. How could I sleep with you out roaming the streets, Mac, you know how I worry. Yeah, yeah, too much. What does he want, Snake? You. Why, Saint? I want to talk with Fancy Dan, Turner. What about? Now, let's not be coy, Mac. It doesn't become you. I want to ask Turner why he's trying to steal a jalopy from an old man. Well, what do you know? I got a surprise for you, Saint. I'll take it to him. The boys say you're looking for me, Saint. The boys are right. So you found me. So I understand you're interested in a certain old car. So what? Probably the smiling Irishman is too. A broken down 1929 sedan. Seems a little slow for a fast man like you, Fancy Dan. Well, maybe I like to go slow enough to read the billboards when I drive. What's it to you, Saint? It depends on what it is to you, Turner. What's on the farm? You are. There's a handle with care sign on this deal and I don't want just anybody cutting in. You're a Fowler upper. You've been stepping high and fancy free too long, Turner. You're beginning to irritate me. The feeling's likewise, Saint. Only I got more than fingers in my fist and you haven't. That's a nice gun you're so bravely wearing, Turner. It must be a pretty big pot to change a small time con artist like you into a fire breathing gunman. Big potatoes, huh? Yeah, plenty big, Saint. So big I wouldn't hesitate to shoot at the slightest move. Am I clear? You couldn't be clearer if you were a day ordered by the Chamber of Commerce. Good. Now it ain't a palace, Saint. It's just the back room of a pool parlor. But please stay and be my guest. Oh, very well. For a little while anyway. Where are the boys? Out. They're wasting their time. Collins won't sell his old wreck. Some old men are stubborn, and Collins seems like a hard man to intimidate. It all depends on who's doing the intimidating Saint. Now, Max at Chowderhead and Smitty's even worse. But put the two boys together and you'll get a job of work done. Dan, I've adopted old man Collins as a friend. Ah. How big are you? Yes. You know how I feel about people who push other people around tennis. Especially when the guy getting the shoving is a friend. You know, if I had a glass of beer, I'd cry into it. Sit back and relax, Saint. The boys will be back with what they want after soon enough. And maybe then I'll let you go home. You mean they're coming back with a car? Well, maybe not the whole car. Sit back and relax. Hey, relax. Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing? Sitting back with my chair to the wall. Turner. You want me to relax, don't you? Yeah. Hey. Let go that. As my old grandmother used to say, Turner, there's nothing as relaxing as a game of pool. Particularly with a hoodlum's head as the cue ball. Collins. Open up. You. You wouldn't be from the police now, would you? No, no. I'm no more a policeman than you are, old man Collins. Come in and be welcome. Dad, where's Collins? The old man? He's here. Where? Behind the sofa. But if you have a mind to look at him. Make it a quick look, Dan. Very. How? Every way. Beaten, stabbed and tortured. Maybe even shot, for all I know. Yes, and for all I know, maybe you've got a gun with an empty chamber, for all I know. Bless me, no. Me business doesn't allow it. Just what sort of business are you in? Irish. The name's o'. Brien. When a job is pulled and the police go after the boys who pull it, I make an end run and go after the swag. Or at least part of it. Oh, I see. What's the swag here? Colin's wallet. Nothing less. There's 400 grand in it. 400 grand? Oh, no. I'm afraid you'll find the old man a few cents short. Who killed him? Not I. How do I know? You don't. You're right. What brought you here? Why, I'm here about the old tar, of course. You want to buy it? Certainly. Don't you? Say, maybe you're not being cute. Maybe you really don't know about the. About what? No. I'm greatly relieved when I first saw you come through that door, I said to myself, o', Brien, here comes some more competition. They see you're not. I'm relieved, laddie. Greatly relieved. Turner is competition enough, eh? Yes, but Turner and his ugly ducklings are nothing compared to who in time. I got here just a minute before you, laddie. The old man was dead when I arrived. Beyond that, I know nothing.
Adam Graham
Get down,
Vincent Price (as The Saint)
o'. Brien. O'. Brien. Competition. Getting worse all the time. Call the doctor. No, no, no. Thanks, laddie. Lay lay off this frolic. He'll get you next. You're gonna die, mister. You're gonna. Bran. Bran. The old man's car. What? Well, I guess I'll have to try another angle. This one's pretty dead. I awakened Mr. Ritchie as you requested, Mr. Templar. He'll be right down. Oh, thank you. I hope the fire isn't too serious. Well, it's serious enough to awaken Mr. Ritchie. Oh. Oh, here he is now, sir. Well? Well, which plant is the fire in? Who's responsible? How big is the damage? Oh, the fire isn't in any plant, Mr. Ritchie. What's that, then? Where is it? It's inside of me. I'm burning up, and I need your help. How dare you sneak your way in here three o' clock in the morning by telling me there's a fire? Look here. Who are you? Simon Templar. Oh, yes, the saint. I've heard of you. If you have business with me, Mr. Templar, I suggest you phone my secretary for an appointment. Meanwhile, there's no subject on earth can keep me from going back to bed. Not even the subject of $400,000, Mr. Ritchie. What do you know about it? Nothing, other than that it was stolen from you, Mr. Ritchie, that happened seven years ago. The criminal, John Quailey, was caught, tried and convicted. Now, if you'll pardon me. Quealy worked for you, I believe. He was my head accountant. And the money was never found? No. Queli drew 20 years in the penitentiary. He never revealed where the money was hidden until the day he died. Died? Yes, two weeks ago in prison. And now, Mr. Temploon, if you don't mind, I need my rest. I won't detain you much longer, Mr. Ritchie. Just one or two more questions. Well, did Quailey have a wife? Yes, he did. If he knew he were dying in prison, it's quite possible he made an attempt to get word to her, to tell her where the money was hidden. He may have made the attempt, but he couldn't possibly have succeeded. He was too closely watched. After all, $400,000 is a lot of money. A lot of money? Yes. You could almost buy a secondhand car with it. If I hadn't been fully covered by insurance, my firm would have gone under in the face of a loss that large. And now, Mr. Templer, if I might ask a question? Certainly. Why this sudden urgency, this three o' clock in the morning business? An old man was tortured to death. Then a fellow named o', Brien, who came calling on the old man, was shot to death. But before he was killed, O' Brien told me he was tracking down $400,000 that had been stolen. I see. The irons. I'm checking back over. How many people have ever had that amount stuck, Stolen from. Led you to me? Yes. I wonder what I've led you to, Mr. Templer. I wonder. Mr. Richie. I wonder. Yes, what is it, Mrs. Quailey? What do you want? Several things, Mrs. Quailey. Like what? A murderer. You've got the wrong apartment, mister. An old automobile. No sale. Anything else? Maybe you'll buy this, Mrs. Quailing. Collins was murdered a little while ago. Collins? Oh, the old man. Why? Someone wanted his car. Someone who evidently couldn't wait any longer for the newer model. So? So I saw Collins car in your garage, Mrs. Quail. Maybe you better come in after all, mister. Come in. Careful. Careful enough. Keep those hands high. I don't like you, mistress. You're knitting together a frame and you're trying to put my picture into it. Collins sold me that car. When? Tonight. I could have bought a Cadillac for cheaper, mister, but I wasn't in any position to haggle. Yes, I know. What do you know? That's what I want to find out. I know that Collins car is. A car is worth about $20. But it's something else. It's worth in the neighborhood of $400,000. And you know, that's an awfully nice neighborhood. Nice and exclusive. Chiselers aren't invited to move in. I've been gathering that impression all evening. Well, what have we here? You name it. An acetylene torch, welder's mask, a few chisels, a hammer, steel wire. Either you've gone to work for Henry Kaiser, or the hand that customarily rocks the cradle is going in for rocking a safe. I had to go into a hardware store to make a phone call, and I just couldn't leave without buying a few things. How fortunate you didn't make your call in an establishment that sell steamrollers. I see you have a set of license plates. You See? Too much from Collins jalopy. Aren't they? These license plates? So that's how Quaily smuggled out his message. You're getting awfully close to a bullet in your head, mister. Give me those plates. There should be someone at the door. Stay where you are. I'll see you with it. Better not take the license plates with you. Yes, this is Quaily. Hello. This is the devil. The devil. He. He got the planes? Yes, yes, he got them. Don't let him. Oh, catch him there. Where? Where, Johnny? Work shaft. Top worth it. This is Qualy, Collins o'. Brien. And now. Now I have three reasons for wanting to meet a certain party. Tax. Hey. Hey. Taxi. Taxi. They don't stop sometimes when it's so early in the morning, Saint, because they're on the way back to the garage. Well, what brings you out so early, Mac? Looking for a drunk to roll? Just looking for you, Saint. Just looking for you. See here what I got in my hand? Oh, there goes that coy streak in you again, Mac. All right, so it's a gun. Well, what does he want me to do? Come, go, turn hamstrings, quote Shelley, play the bassoon? You have to speak for it, Mac. Very funny. Look out. It shouldn't speak for itself, Saint. I and the gun warn you should get in that there car. And you have a most persuasive way of offering a fellow a lift, Mack. Yeah, yeah, lift. Right now it's a lift. Later on, it may grow into a ride. Come on. Where are we going, Mac? Back to our little gray home in the rear of the pool room, Saint. Fancy Dan Turner wants he should thank you for showing him a new trick. Oh, it really isn't necessary. He feels like it is, Saint. He feels like it is. He's got a couple of tricks he wants to show you. Sounds like fun. Into the cart. Turn is waiting. He's got very little patience. Nice to have you back with this, Saint. I missed you. From the looks of that bandage on your skull, Turner, I'll bet you wished I'd missed you. Not now, I don't, Saint. It's a nice feeling having you here, knowing that I owe you something. I pay my debt, Saint. I pay off. Yes, I know. O' Brien was paid off. So was Mrs. Qualy. Paid off with lead checks. They're dead. Oh, now, save that innocent expression for the jury to. You'll need everything you've got. When were they killed, Saint? Okay, I'll stooge for you. They were killed an hour or two After I so abruptly left you before. Oh, well, I'll have to find another pigeon, Saint. My alibi's fat. How fat, Turner? City Hospital having, remember the saint embroidered where a cue stick hit me. And Smitty and Mac were there too, to see me through it. Hospitals have records, Saint. We're clean. We're clean. Then you've got a competitor you don't know about, Turner. Yeah, looks that way. For a job that was supposed to be as simple as this one, I got too many competitors. Wonder how come who fingered the job for you, Turner? Who told you? Quealy got word out to his wife about where the money was. I got nothing for you, Saint. Smitty, wasn't it? Smitty just finished a stretch up the creek. My guess is he ran into Quale. Maybe shared a cell with him. No, within the jail hospital. They met. Smitty worked there. Quaily was dying off his nut. Smitty made him talk. Yeah, and Smitty, not being mentally suited for solo work, spilled the pitch to you, Turner. For a price, of course. For money on the line. Yeah. 10 GS to buy in on a 400,000 job. Well, what are you driving at? What are you picking Smitty's bones for? I was just wondering, Turner, how much o' Brien paid Smitty for his slice of this extra exclusive information. And how much your other competitors shelled out the one who happily goes around killing people. What do you mean? Yes. Me. Turner, your pal Smitty is the sort of rat that even rats on rats. He sold Quailey's secret three times that we know of. Thanks for a handicapping it for me, Saint. If you're really grateful, Turner, you can return the favor by telling me. What time is it? It's 5:15 in the morning, Saint, but you ain't going nowhere. I have a date to keep. Before 6, Turner. With your competitors? Yes. Ain't that's what you think? Maybe not. Turner, what do you say we play a little pool while we're waiting for the board? Get away from that pool table. I ain't playing any games with you, Saint. Maybe pool was the wrong game. How about a game of pitch and catch? What? Yeah, I pitch like this and you catch it like that. Hate to leave you all by yourself there in the side pocket, but like I said, I have a date to keep. Well, Mr. Ritchie, get enough sleep despite my interruption? I wasn't really asleep when you called on me, Mr. Templer. I know, Mr. Richie. Your hair was a little too carefully combed. For a man who's been suddenly awakened and told he's having a fire. You're very clever, mister. But not clever enough to catch you before you committed three murders. So you're Smitty's silent partner, huh? See what low company's gotten you into, Richie? Yes, I see $400,000 buried in the siding of this elevator shaft. And with the help of this acetylene torch, it'll be all mine. A very ingenious fellow, Quaily. And to think the money never left this building. The place where Johnny worked. Yes, he was ingenious. It was very smart of him to use his prison job making automobile license plates as a means of smuggling out the information to his wife. How did he do it, Richie? Very simple, Templar. There's an extra piece of thin metal in this particular plate forming a sort of pocket. And inside the pocket, a note on cigarette paper telling poor Mrs. Qualy how to get the money. Of course, once he managed to tell her the number of the license plate, well, the rest was easy, wasn't it? Yes. All poor Mrs. Qualy had to do was ask the Motor Vehicle Bureau to whom the plate was assigned. Mr. Collins, in this instance. Poor old fellow. Mr. Templer, would you mind joining me here in the shaft, please? Yes, right on top of the elevator. I'd like to keep an eye on you while I finish burning out this metal partition. You see, I've only until 6 o' clock when this elevator is switched on downstairs. Oh, well, I. Come, come in the shaft, please. Well, really, I. I have a gun, Mr. Templar. Oh, well, that makes it official then. There we are. Careful, Mr. Templar. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Anything accidental, that is. You know, it's funny. I've known you such a short time and I have exactly the same sentiments towards you. I've never been astride the top of an elevator before, Richie. And we're right near the top of the shaft. Yes. I don't mean to worry you, Templar, but when this elevator power turns on in a few minutes it will rise to the top before it descends. How's your treasure hunt coming, Richie? Almost finished. One last strip of metal to cut away and the partition will come off. Then we'll decide your fate, Mr. Templar. Your future. Here goes. A last blow. It's there. It's there. I see it. $400,000 in currency, Templar. Think of it. Think of it. You think of it, Richie. And also think of how much blood was spilled on it. Preaching, Templar, you. I never thought what's that the elevator, Richie? Maybe it came to work a little early today. My. My money. My money. Come on, Richie. Come on. Get off. No, no. There's still some money left here. I want it. I want it all. All. Come on, we've got to get off. Jump, Richie, jump. No. No. My money. I must save the money. Richie, you fool. All right, I. Yes, Richie, you saved your money. And you saved the state some money, too. I'm sure you didn't plan on saving the cost of your execution. You have been listening to another adventure of the Saint. The Robin Hood of modern crime. Now here is our star, Vincent Price. These immortal words of Ovid, translated from the Latin, express quite well indeed the justice of our Mr. Ritchie's fate. Nor is there any juster law than that the contrivers of death should perish by their own contrivances. This is Vincent Price inviting you to join us again next week at this same time for another exciting adventure of the Saint. Good night. Tonight's script of the Saint was written by Michael Cramway. Our cast included Laureen Tuttle, Barney Phillips, Tony Barrett, Fred Howard and Dan o'. Herlihy. The music was composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman. The Saint is a James L. Sapphire production and was transcribed and directed by Thomas A. McEvity. All you saint fans will be glad to know that the Saint comic books are on sale at all newsstands. Your announcer, Merrill Ross. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System. Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing. Game night's fun until someone spends five minutes lining up one shot. Chalk. Breathe. Rechalk. Still aiming. While they figure it out, I fire up Champa Casino. I can spin anywhere, anytime. And there's always a new social casino game every week. Spins happen way faster than that shot. Play now@chumbacasino.com let's Chumbo. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law. 21/ terms and conditions apply.
Adam Graham
Welcome back. A solid story and a good outing for the Saints. You got a nice mixture in this episode with a lot of the Saint's humor and his playful handling of the criminals in some cases. But also a little bit of that sense of righteous indignation which I think is a part of that character in his overall valuing of justice. There were, I think, a couple points to call out. One is the implausibility of not one, but two people being murdered in the same room as him and him not seeing the killer. And of course, the other thing is that in terms of fair play the fact that the killer was standing there with his hair combed too well to have been lying in bed and awakened for a fire, that was something we had no way of seeing. So it doesn't really feel like fair play. But beyond that, I think a really fun episode. Now the ST comic books are worth discussing. They were published by Avon Comics and those comics are actually in the public domain because the copyright was never renewed. There were a total of 12 issues of the Saint comics published over a course of five years between 1947 and 1952. A variety of writers worked on them, including some stories that were written by Leslie Charteris, and because they are in the public domain, you can actually find them over at digital comic museum.com now. Listener Comments and feedback and we start over on Spotify where mechanic 66 comments Regarding the episode Mr. Important the Saint with Roger Moore is on Amazon and I've watched a few episodes so far. This is a serious crime show. This not so much. It's about as serious and believable as Adam west era Batman. I've heard others with Vincent Price and I recall being better. The deal with the professor hallucinating insects was way too over the top for me and the let me reach this chandelier was cartoonish. Maybe that was exactly what they were going for though. First of all, I do want to go ahead and say Saint with Roger Moore is a fantastic series. I enjoy it quite a bit and I heartily recommend it. Now as to the Saint radio version, I would say this was one episode. It is the only surviving episode from the CBS run of the series, and I think with the NBC run it does become a bit more developed as we go further along. I think that what they are trying to tap into here is the ideal of the Saint as he was portrayed in the early novels, minus the thievery. He's like Robin Hood but doesn't steal from anybody. And so the ideas that come through are him having a sense of humor, him being a trickster, and also having a sense of justice that is at the core of what he does. And it's reflecting what people loved about the early take on the Saint as well as the type of thing that people would want to listen to. I mean, with all the depressing stuff we have in the news today and all the worries and fears, there is something refreshing about having the Saint merrily set the ungodly to rights in 25 minutes. I think the 60s series reflects a different sensibility. It also reflects the fact that the Saint had become a more serious character. I think the turning point for him as a character was after the book the Saint Plays with Fire, where he encountered an enemy in organized fascism that was coming to Great Britain prior to the start of World War II. And after that he became a bit more serious, a bit more conning, and also just stopped messing around with law enforcement, became a whole lot less anti establishment, although he was never someone who would just follow orders without question. And by the time the Saint TV series premiered, that sort of evolution of the character that Charteris wrote had been being published for 20 years plus. It fit the mood of the times. And of course the big difference is that the TV series adapted actual novels and short stories written by Leslie Charteris, and even some of those early stories were changed substantially to fit the more modern take on the Saint. Myself, I love them both, but in different ways and for different reasons. Then a comment from YouTube from James regarding the Miracle Tea Party. Leslie Charteris was 33 years old in 1940. The recording is remarkably good for being that old. Well, thanks so much. Appreciate the comment. Now it's time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the Day. I want to go ahead and thank Chris patreon supporter since February 2019, currently supporting the podcast at the Psalmist level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Chris. That will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Monday with another episode of the Saint, but join us back here tomorrow for the big story where say, boss.
Vincent Price (as The Saint)
What is it, feller? Here's that story I've been working on. I I don't think you'll like it. Why not? Well, for one thing, I name the murderer in the lead. You name the what? The murderer. You haven't got a corpse, you haven't got an apparent crime. You don't even know there's been a murder and you name the murderer. Not in my paper, fella. Not in my paper.
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 greatdetectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham signing off.
Vincent Price (as The Saint)
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Release Date: March 30, 2026
Host: Adam Graham
Featured Drama Original Airdate: August 14, 1949
Starring: Vincent Price as "The Saint" (Simon Templar)
In this classic radio mystery, Simon Templar—better known as The Saint—finds himself embroiled in a deadly treasure hunt. When the attempted theft of a jalopy leads to murder, The Saint must unravel a tangled web of greed, secrets, and betrayal. At the core: a long-lost $400,000 heist, the coded clue hidden in an old car, and a series of increasingly desperate criminals. This episode is a showcase for Vincent Price’s mix of wit, charm, and righteous outrage, balancing humor and tension as Templar seeks justice among the ungodly.
[02:51] The episode opens with The Saint intervening when a crook named Mac tries to steal old man Collins's broken-down car, raising Templar’s suspicions.
Collins reveals several people have tried to buy the car, but he’s been holding out, suspecting there’s more to the interest than meets the eye.
[05:00–07:55] The Saint follows leads to a pool hall, confronting Mac, Smitty, and Fancy Dan Turner—criminals circling Collins's car for some unknown prize.
Templar is “invited” to remain as Turner and his thugs try to pressure Collins into giving up the car.
[10:45–12:05] Collins is murdered. O’Brien, a fellow “treasure hunter”, arrives—he specializes in finding stolen goods after the main criminals are caught.
O'Brien discloses the true motive: years before, $400,000 was stolen and never recovered, with hints now pointing to Collins's car.
Memorable Deathbed Dialogue:
O’Brien: “He’ll get you next. You’re gonna die, mister... Bran—Bran... the old man’s car...” (12:05)
O'Brien is fatally shot before divulging more, leaving The Saint with new clues and more suspects.
[13:40–16:30] The Saint wakes wealthy Mr. Ritchie, the original victim of the $400,000 theft, to probe for insight into the car’s importance.
The Saint theorizes that Quealy, the thief, may have smuggled clues out to his wife, Mrs. Quealy, before dying.
[17:45–19:50] The Saint confronts Mrs. Quealy, discovering she has bought Collins’s car at great cost, seemingly as an act of desperation.
The car’s license plates—produced in prison where the thief worked—are the key. They bear a concealed message leading to the hidden fortune.
The Saint deduces Quealy used his license plate job to encode the loot’s location and alert his wife through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Notable Quote:
The Saint: “I know Collins’s car is... worth in the neighborhood of $400,000. And you know, that’s an awfully nice neighborhood.” (18:40)
Mrs. Quealy is soon murdered, further raising the stakes.
Vincent Price's signature delivery:
Host Adam Graham’s Commentary [27:40]:
This lively episode—anchored by Vincent Price’s charismatic Saint—delivers clever banter, classic detective twists, and a sharp moral conclusion. Simon Templar, with a mix of humor, empathy, and cunning, navigates a maze of suspects, red herrings, and double-crosses to reveal a tale of greed that leads only to murder and ruin. The Saint ultimately ensures that justice, both poetic and practical, is served—reminding listeners that the wages of sin are never worth the price.
For listeners seeking classic detective drama, charismatic heroes, and a touch of nostalgia, this episode stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of old-time radio and its golden-age stars.