 Box 13 with the star of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd, as Dan Holiday. To Box 13, care of star times. Dear Dan, if this is the way you want it, okay. If a pal and buddy has to reach you the hard way, alright. Enclosed is a ticket to my fight with Brennan tomorrow night. I'd like to see your mug at ringside. If I don't, I'll make it a point to mess it up for you. If I don't, I'll make it a point to mess it up for you. Johnny Capelli. Johnny Capelli, a kid when I first met him fighting in a different way at Anzio. And maybe, just maybe, Anzio wasn't as hard for him to take as what happened right here. Now back to Box 13, and Dan Holiday's newest adventure, Double Right Cross. Johnny Capelli. Contender for the middleweight crowd. A big overgrown kid with a smile full of white teeth and a heart full of kindness for everybody. Johnny Capelli? I never heard of him, Mr. Holiday. Well, you don't read the sport pages, Susie. But you know him, huh? Uh-huh. We played duck on a rock on the beach at Anzio for keeps. I saw him a little while ago. Told him my Box 13 idea, and I guess he saw the ad in the start time. And you're going to fight, huh? Yes, that's it, Susie. Did he send you a bedside seat? Ah, yeah. There's nothing I can do with that one. So long, Susie. In the driving rain, I headed for the stadium, and my cab ran fenders first into a traffic jam. There was no use trying to get through, so I paid off the cabbie and started to plow the rest of the way to the stadium. I looked at my watch two minutes after 10. First round of the fight was underway. By the time I hit ringside, people were already on their feet leaving. And there was booing. And talk. Capelli knocked out. Capelli acted like a fourth raider. Johnny Capelli laid down. I pushed my way back to the dressing rooms of the little knot of people around one door, and the girl was rattling the knob and calling, Johnny, Johnny, please open the door. Johnny. What's the matter? What's going on? Huh? How are you? We pulled up beat it. No, I'm a friend of Johnny's. Who are you? His manager. I mean, I was, but not after tonight. He loses one fight and you're quitting. Yeah, like he did. When he comes out of there, tell him he can take this contract and tell him. You're Helen, aren't you? Yes. Please go away. Johnny can't see any reporters now. Please go, will you? I looked at it. So this was Helen. The girl Johnny dreamed about, talked about, raved about, and talked some more about. All the while he and I were trying to miss the casualty list in Italy. The girl he sent a diamond brooch bought with a year's pay he hoarded like a miser. Well, if looks counted, she was worth it. She rattled the knob again and... Please, Johnny, it's Helen. Johnny. May I try? Johnny. Johnny, this is Dan. Dan Holiday. Dan Holiday. Oh, yes, you recognize the name? Oh, yes. Johnny spoke of you. He... What's the matter with Johnny? He won't come out, Holiday. Oh, who are you? Helen's brother. You see if you can get Johnny out of there, Holiday. Johnny. Johnny. Johnny Capelli. It's Dan, Johnny. Is there any other way out of this dressing room? Yeah, the window. This is the ground floor. He could have got out of the window. Look, both of you, Helen and... Name's Eddie. Yeah, all right, Eddie. Get somebody with the key to open this door. Go ahead, Eddie. Step on it. Okay, be back in a minute. Now, what's all this about, Helen? I don't know. Soon the fight was over. It came... He was conscious? Yes, he walked, but we got the door here. He broke ahead of me and ran in and locked the door, and I don't... All right, Helen. All right. Now, take it easy. We'll find out what's happened. When we got into the dressing room, Johnny was gone, and Eddie was right. The window was open. I couldn't figure it. Johnny Capelli, a kid whose courage was A-plus. A kid who went through Anzio's Salerno Casino. Sure, he was scared, just like the rest of us. But he didn't whimper, and he didn't run out ever. He just didn't figure it, and Helen didn't make it any more clear. No, I don't know. I don't know why he ran away. Take it easy, sis. Johnny must have had a reason. Yes, he must have. Now, listen, where'd he go? Well, if he's not at his hotel, I don't know. Well, he called there. That's no good. Any other place, think. I don't know of any. All right. Where can I get in touch with you later? 387 Christopher Place. Good. You wait there. I'll find Johnny. It was tough, but I finally tracked on a cab driver, and remembered picking up a man back at the stadium. Seemed, well, drunk, he said. Took him to a little hotel on the other side of town. It could be Johnny, so I went there and... Go away. Johnny. Get out. Listen to me, Johnny. This is Dan. Dan Holiday. Dan? Yeah, let me in, Johnny. No, go away. Just go away, will you? What are you trying to do, Johnny? Nothing. Please, will you go away? Look, kid, let me in, or I'll break in. Johnny. How are you, Dan? Where's the light? Don't turn it on. Don't, Dan. Okay, Johnny. No light. Close the door. Why'd you come? Why do you think... Listen, nobody else knows where I am, do they? No, nobody. Helen? No. Where is she? Home, waiting. Waiting for me to call her. But you're not going to. What's the matter, Johnny? Dan, I... I'm sick. What do you mean? I don't know. Look, Dan, it was swell of you to come. There's nobody I'd want to see any more than you, but not now, Dan. Some other time, but not tonight. You gotta tell me what's wrong, Johnny. All right. Turn on the light and take a look. Johnny. Yeah. Better with the light off, isn't it? Now, listen, you took a beating, you're a hurt kid. Hurt badly, I've got to get a doctor. No. I said yes. No, you get a doctor and so help me, Dan. I'll kill you. I'll... Johnny. Hello, desk clerk. Listen, get a doctor to room 10 right away. And that means right now. All right, Mr. Holliday. He'll sleep for a while now. How long before he wakes up, doctor? Five, six hours, maybe longer. How badly is he hurt? Well, it's hard to tell. He took quite a beating. Who is he? A friend of mine. I see. Fight? Yes, sort of. Well, I... Look, doctor, as long as there's no gunshot wound, you don't have to report this to you. No, but... Well, let's leave it that way then, huh? You'll be back in the morning? Yes. I'll make a more thorough examination then. He was too hysterical to do much with tonight. But I think it'll be calmer when he awakens. Then there's nothing... nothing too bad. I don't think so. Bruises, contusions, and his eyes. I... What's wrong with his eyes? I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Mr. Holliday. Good night. Thanks, doctor. I sat by Johnny's bed and watched him. I didn't call Helen because... Well, for some reason, Johnny didn't want anybody to know. To know what? Maybe I'd find out when Johnny came too. Maybe he wouldn't tell me. But I just couldn't see Johnny running out on anything. There had to be something wrong. Something big. I sat in a chair alongside the bed and thought about it. I guess I fell asleep because the next thing I knew, I... Huh? Oh, oh, just a minute. Good morning. Good morning, doctor. Is he still sleeping? Yeah. Maybe for another hour or so. But I'll wait. Thanks. You'll be all right? Well, I'd like to ask him a few questions when he awakens. I don't think there's anything seriously wrong, but, uh... Well, I'll wait. What are you getting at? I don't know. You'll have to wait, too. Okay. Meanwhile, I'll go and get some coffee. You can use some, too, can't you? Yes, thanks. I'll be right back. I thought I'd be right back. But when I got down to the street, something changed my plans. There was a newsstand, and the first thing that hit my eye was a sub-headline. It said Boxing Commission holds up Capelli Purse. Capelli disappears after a fight fiasco. I hurried to a phone, called the Star Times, got a few strings pulled, and a half hour later, I was sitting across from the commissioner at his home. Just exactly what interest do you have in this, Mr. Holiday? I'm a friend of Johnny's. I see. You must have something important to tell me, this early in the morning. I want you to tell me something, commissioner. What? Why is the commission holding up Johnny's purse? Because we believe the fight was not quite on the level. Meaning you think Johnny threw it? We don't know. We're going to look at the movies this morning. Johnny didn't throw that fight. Did you see it? No, I didn't, but I... Then how do you know? Well, because I know Johnny. That's your only reason? I think it's enough, commissioner. Look, Mr. Holiday, we have one job to do. Keep the boxing game fair and square as a service to the fans who pay their money to see good, clean sport. Capelle was a ten-to-one favorite last night. A big bet placed on Brennan would bring a lot of money to anyone. Meaning Johnny might have bet on Brennan? It's been done. And the commission is in business to see that it doesn't happen anymore. Until Capelle proves otherwise, we'll say he threw that fight. I didn't believe it. But Johnny lost. He lost badly. And he did run out and he wouldn't tell why. I went back to the little hotel and ran into the doctor who was just leaving. Oh, Mr. Holiday, that cup of coffee took a long time. It wasn't coffee. How's Johnny? He'll be all right. At all? No. Last night when I examined him, something puzzled me. What? His eyes. Pupils dilated. And? This morning when I examined him again, I asked a few questions. What about? Your friend had every symptom of Bellamine poisoning. Last night the pupils of his eyes were dilated and... Wait a minute, wait a minute. That would affect his sight, wouldn't it? Yes. Taken internally, Bellamine is poisonous. Quarter grain and up his fetal. And less than that? Dryness of throat, nervousness. In other words, if someone gave him Bellamine, he'd have a hard time seeing. Very difficult. And if he were a boxer? If he were a boxer and went in the ring with his eyes in that condition, he wouldn't be able to see his opponent. Now back to box 13 and double right cross with Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. So Johnny lost the fight because he couldn't see Brennan. But why did he run out? Why didn't he want anyone to see him? I thought I was going blind, Dan. Brennan was just a shadow that was beating me. Why didn't you quit? Why didn't you say something? Because I didn't want anybody to know. If it was going to be that way, I'd take it alone. Noble, huh? Look, Dan, I waited a long time for that fight. You meant to crack at the title. Helen waited with me. If I was going blind, I wasn't going to let her know and stick with me. Sure, sure, a kid like you would think that way. Now listen to me, Johnny. Somebody fed you the stuff to impair your sight. Somebody wanted you to lose that fight. Who? You're crazy, Dan. What did you eat yesterday? Eat. The day of the fight? Nothing. Just a little breakfast. And the rest of the day? Nothing. Liquids? Water? Milk? Of course not. No fighter fills himself up with liquids. Makes him logy, heavy on his feet. But Johnny, the bell of Maine had to be given to you just before you went into the ring. Any earlier in the day, the effect would have worn off before the fight. Look, why don't you lay off, Dan? I'm telling you, I didn't eat anything or drink anything, not for hours before the fight. But you had to. No, no, no. I know what I did. Look, maybe it was my eyes. Maybe it is what I thought. I got hit in Italy, Dan. Maybe... It's not that. The doctor knows what he's talking about, Johnny. Somebody fed you that stuff. Who? You tell me. No, buddy. I didn't eat, drink. Do I have to go over all that again? No. But I am. You wait here, Johnny. Johnny was a ten-to-one favorite over Brennan. And somebody played that for all it was worth. And it looked like it was worth a lot of money if the bet was big enough. A little while later, I was talking to Brennan. You're crazy, Holliday. Maybe the guy wasn't in shape. Look, Brennan, Johnny was in condition. So you're telling me that somebody doped him, meaning me? No, no, no. I'm just asking. And I'm telling. I got 120 fights on a clean sheet. None of them were shady. I don't play that way. I'm not saying that. I'm only trying to find out who could have given Johnny that drug. Well, I wasn't near his dressing room. I didn't even see him after we waited in that afternoon. All right. It had to be in his food. Food? No fighter's gonna eat right before a match. Or drink water? He just rinses his mouth. That's all. What else, Brennan? If he's training right, nothing else. But if he gets thirsty... I told you, he just rinses his mouth. He drinks water, makes him heavy. That's why a fighter chews gum all day. It gives him a more... Gum? Yeah, gum. Why? Gum. That's it, Brennan. That's it. Sure, I chewed gum all day. Before the fight in your dressing room? I must have been chewing gum. I remember the... Go ahead, Johnny. What were you gonna say? Nothing. Yes, you were. No, I wasn't. Look, there's only one way the drug could have been given to you. Now, you've got to think. Who gave you gum just before you went into that ring? I didn't have any. Johnny, what are you hiding? Nothing. You were going to say something a second ago. Did Baker your manager give you... No. Who else was with you? Just Baker. Where was Helen? Shut up, Dan. Did she give you any gum? Forget the whole thing. I'm going blind, that's all. Oh, yeah, not. Beat it. Helen gave you that gum. She was in your dressing room before the fight, wasn't she? Cut it out, Dan. That's why you shut up before you remembered. And the chewing gum was the only way the drug could be given to you. Because you didn't eat, you didn't drink water, anything else before you went in that ring. But maybe 15 minutes before, Helen handed you the gum. Didn't... Shut up, Dan. Shut up and forget the whole thing. Come on, Johnny. She gave you the gum. Didn't she? Didn't she? You... You still got a good right, Johnny. I'm sorry, Dan. Sure. Sure, let's forget it. But I didn't want to forget it. I left Johnny and went to see Baker, his manager. I didn't tell him what I'd found out. I just listened. Sure, I brought the kid up from the Ham and Egg Palms. But after last night, we washed up. Johnny was a tender one-favorite, wasn't he? Yeah, a match with the champ next. Did you bet on Johnny? I never bet. Even if you thought Johnny was going to win? What are you driving at? At somebody who stood to make a killing if Johnny lost. You're asking for a cloud holiday? I just had one. What about Helen? What about her? All right, Baker, here are the cards. Johnny went in the ring last night. I sure bet to lose. What? Yeah, that's right. He was drugged. He couldn't see Brennan from the first bell until he was counted out. He was fighting on instinct and courage. Listen, what are you giving me? There was nobody in his dressing room but me and... And Helen? Yeah. Now, what about her? Nothing. Except once I walked in on the tour, and, well, there was heaven to fight. What about her? They clammed up when I walked in, but I heard something about a brooch. Brooch? Diamond brooch? The one Johnny sent her from Italy? Maybe. All I know is what I said. That's enough. Thanks, Baker. Maybe you'll have a champ on your hands yet. The next stop was to see Helen. I wasn't sure how to handle this. And all I had to go on was the fact that Johnny was covering for her. Why? And they'd had a fight over that brooch. Again, why? So, the big question was, did she or did she not double-cross Johnny? Her first words to me were... Dan, you found Johnny. Maybe. Maybe, but what do you mean? Sit down, Helen. What's the matter? Is he all right? He'll be all right. He's in a little hotel. Well, then take me there. I want to see him, Dan. Maybe he doesn't want to see you. What? Johnny... Did he say that? No. What are you doing? Why don't you take me to him? Why talking like this, Dan? How much did he win on the fight, Helen? What do you mean? I watched her face closely after I asked her. Either she was the new Sarah Bernhard or she was in the clear. For a couple of seconds, she stared at me and then... That's a filthy thing to say. Yes, I know, but I've got something to find out. What a joke to find out by asking me that. I hoped to find out who made a killing on the fight by making Johnny a setup for Brennan. He was ten to one good odds for somebody who'd lay a good-sized bet on Brennan. You mean you... You think I'd bet against Johnny? Did you? That's not worth answering. All right, look. Johnny was knocked out because he was drugged. He couldn't see. And he was drugged only a few minutes before he went into the ring. Baker? No, a manager who's bringing up a champion doesn't sell him out. And that leaves only me. Is that it? Maybe. And I bet everything I had on Brennan. Is that your story? What's yours, Helen? I have none. If that's what you believe, believe it. But tell me where Johnny is. I promised I wouldn't. You promised... Oh, no, Johnny can't believe I... Where's that brooch he sent you? Brooch. Yeah, that's right. The one he sent from Italy. A $3,000 brooch that bring about 1,500 in a pawn shop. And 1,500 at ten to one... Seems to be my day for taking it. I'm sorry. Didn't you give Johnny chewing gum just before he went into the ring? What did you say? Chewing gum. Johnny wouldn't tell me, but I know you gave it to him. I... Yes. You... You admit it? Yes. Huh. That was the only way he could have been drugged. And you admit it? Yes, I admit it. It doesn't make sense. All right, it doesn't make sense. You're so right, Mr. Holiday. Nothing makes sense. Nothing. Now go back and tell Johnny. Tell everybody, go on. Well, this I couldn't get. Two of them. Johnny and Helen knowing it must have been the gum and Johnny not wanting to tell me. Then Helen coming right out and saying she gave it to him. Okay, there was one answer and I hunted for it in the shape of that brooch. I called Lieutenant Kling at headquarters and got him to do me a favor. It took almost the rest of the day, but late that afternoon. Brooch? Yes, yes, the police. But I assure you, I did not receive stolen goods in my shop. The police know that I don't handle it. So you're in the clear now, don't worry. Has the brooch been redeemed yet? No, no. Look, all I want to see is a slip and who signed the brooch in. Well, here, I have it ready. I thought it would be the police who would come. It's right here. Here. You are... There's no mistake about this. Oh, no, no, I let him have a thousand dollars on it. A thousand? And you're sure? Yes, yes, yes, there. There's where he signed his name. John... John Cappelli. No, that couldn't be right. Unless... Unless Johnny was afraid he couldn't make a fake fight look good and wanted to make sure. But where did Helen figure? And why? Why? Then it hit me. Johnny protects Helen. Helen admits she did it. It made so little sense it began to clear. I checked with betting agents and found one who took a bet on Brennan, a bet of a thousand dollars, a ten to one. He remembered who placed the bet, so... Well, I gave me one more call to make. Back I went to Helen's apartment. Hello? Yes. Oh, hi, holiday. Come on in. Oh, thanks, Eddie. Is sister home? No. Grab a chair. Haven't you seen her? Oh, yes, yes, earlier. Aren't you gonna ask me about Johnny? Oh, sure, sure. Where is he? I know. Well, what about him? I mean, he's okay, huh? Yeah, yeah, he's okay. Oh, that's swell. You know, holiday, I couldn't figure a guy like Johnny doing something like that. No, neither could I, Eddie. That's why I knew he didn't. What? Here, Eddie, have a stick of gum. Oh, no, I never use it. Good for the nerves. Yeah, that's what they say. Well, that's what you come to see me about, huh? Maybe. You like to gamble, don't you, Eddie? Gamble? Oh, sometimes, why? Ever get in so deep you had to, uh, steal to make yourself even? What kind of a crack is that? Oh, a nasty one. Just as nasty as stealing your sister's brooch? What did she tell you? Nothing. She had a fight with Johnny. Maybe he noticed she didn't have the brooch. Asked her about it. Maybe she had her ideas about where it was. Yeah? So what? So she knew and gave you a break. But you had different ideas, Eddie. You pawned the brooch, signed Johnny's name with a slip, then bet a thousand against Johnny. Ah, you're nuts, you're off your rocker. Tell you what, Eddie, if you and I take a trip to the pawnbroker, then we'll go to the betting agent where you placed the bet. Maybe I won't look so much off my rocker then, huh? All right. So what? I got a break. I'll redeem the brooch and... What... What are you looking at me like that for? I took two on the chin today. Maybe it's my turn now to give, Eddie. You lay off now. Sis won't prosecute and Johnny won't neither. She won't marry him if he didn't. It's not the brooch, Eddie. It's the chewing gum. The gum you gave your sister to give Johnny, the drug gum to ensure your bet. You can't prove nothing, you can't. Eddie, you and I are going to the boxing commission and you're going to talk. No, I ain't. Either that or I tell Johnny everything and leave him in the room, alone with you. Oh, uh, Eddie, get your top coat too. It's kind of chilly outside. Well, Susie, as they say in the books, all's well that ends well. Gee, it's so romantic. Johnny and Helen getting married, Johnny getting another crack at the championship, and I... What's the matter? What's the matter, Mr. Holiday? Oh, Susie, my jaw is really sore. Johnny hung a nice right cross on me. What's a right cross? Huh? Well, it's, um... Here, look, put up your hands. This way? Yeah. Now, look, I, uh, I leave it in my left like this and you... Like that? I... Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Holiday? Mr. Holiday? I... Oh, good night, Mr. Holiday. Next week, same time, Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday in Box 13. Alan Ladd appears through the courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Watch for him in his latest picture, Saigon. Box 13 is directed by Richard Sanville with an original story by E. Jack Newman and Russell Hughes. Original music is composed and conducted by Rudy Schrager. Susie is played by Sylvia Picker and the part of Johnny Capelli was played by John Beale. Production is supervised by Vern Carstensen. This is a Mayfair production from Hollywood.