 From Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny dollar Understand you've been trying to get in touch with me dollar. That's right. Okay. What's up? I got some news for you sergeant Mavis Gale was once married to a small-time movie actor named Tom Sanford Seems he was murdered during a hunting trip in the Sierra some 27 years ago. So Mavis Gale just identified Barney Slade as Tom Sanford watch same man sergeant. She's still at the mortuary Yeah, the manager's office. I'll be over in five minutes Tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar location Ocean Park, California The state unity life home office Hartford, Connecticut assignment the silent Queen matter Expense account continued item for 10 cents a cup of black coffee for Mavis Gale Queen of the silent flickers While she drank it I elbowed my way past Barney Slade's friends gathered in the hall just outside the mortuary office and Walked out to the street to do a little quiet thinking. I didn't have time Excuse me, mr. Dollar. Hmm. Oh Is it a fact about Mavis Gale? I mean she was Barney's wife What'd you pick that up? Well Mort thought he heard her say so Mort a manager of the funeral parlor You were in his office helped carry miss Gale there Is it a fact mr. Dollar? How do you know my name? I was gabin with twiler earlier tonight She's the girl at the change desk in the penny arcade. I know then I seen you and Sergeant McKay come out of Barney's apartment Who are you Frank Jessup? I run the mermaid bit over on the pier, you know Three baseballs for a quarter and you try to dunk the down on the water tank. Yeah, I Figure Mort heard right that Mavis Gale used to be Barney's wife Well, that's what the lady said. How do you like that old Barney married all this time and that Mavis Gale old-time movie star never breathed the word of it to any of us Sure can't get over it and him being a picture player in the old days, too Do you recall ever seeing her around the arcade mr. Jessup nope Think I would have recognized it tonight when she came in the mortuary Real handsome woman Can you think of anyone Barney might have told about his past? I don't think any of his friends knew mr. Dollar including twilight James. What do you ask that? Has she been with him long close to five years? What are you driving at mr. Dollar? Barney was still a pretty good-looking guy She liked him a lot and vice versa Barney never talked it over with me What did he talk about? Well fishing mostly and Pinnacle he was crazy about Pinnacle best ever played with you play off of average couple times a week and Barney's apartment Barney was kind of funny about that None of us ever set foot in his place most of the time we played over at my bungalow or on Sam's boat I see say you being an insurance investigator and all I was wondering was Mavis gay Oh, excuse me, mr. Jessup this Sergeant McKay Well, you said five minutes sergeant you made it three. She's still in their dollar Yeah, nice turn out of Barney's friends only they're all out in the hall Well, things got sort of frantic when Mavis took her nose dive They wanted to find out why I guess did they mm-hmm mort knows it around seen the office with her And a chauffeur his name's Ronald. I'll send him both out. I want to talk to Mavis gale alone I don't think you get much out of her. She really fell apart at the seams As it turned out I was right at least about McKay not getting much out of Mavis gale She came out of the office a minute or so later with McKay and the chauffeur on either side And I went along with the mourners into the street They helped her inside the big blue Cadillac and she slumped down as far as she could get in the back seat Covered her face with a handkerchief Then she was gone Okay, you people break it up. You came here to see Barney remember Sergeant what is a dollar? Would you happen to remember Mavis gale from the old days when she was a star I mean? Yeah, yeah, I guess so. Was she a pretty good actress? I'd say she was Do you think she still is? If you're referring to that fainting spell dollar you tell me you saw it I'd look pretty genuine So I just wondered is all just one Expense account items five and six four dollars sixty cents one morning newspaper and cab fare to Mavis gale's Bel Air home Now that Barney Slade had been identified as Tom Sanford husband of the old-time movie queen the affair was splattered all over the front pages There was also a complete account of the 27-year-old murder case in which this same Tom Sanford had presumably been killed with a shotgun blast during a hunting trip The big wide gates of the ex-movie Queens estate were locked when I got there, but there was a phone close by Picked it up leaned on the buzzer No answer nothing Then I saw the car coming down the drive. I recognized Sergeant McKay at the wheel Morning dollar. Hi, you have a special pass to this place if you're figuring on having to talk with Mavis gale You better put it off doctor's orders still suffering from shock. Yeah, and I figure she's leveling According to the newspaper she and Tom had a pretty stormy time of it during their brief marriage She was a star and he wasn't maybe that had something to do with it She was also pretty popular in the film colony Well Tom had a few buddies too at least for the men who went on that hunting trip with him the case was Investigated pretty thoroughly they came out of it clean You know it'd be interesting to find out who wanted Tom Sanford dead though, wouldn't it the fellow hunter who got his face Blown off by a shotgun blast wanted Sanford dead only apparently Sanford beat him to the draw, right? Do you think somebody might have hired that would be killer who instead became the victim? What are you getting at so the person who did the hiring thought the mission accomplished But then recently learned that Tom Sanford was still alive posing as Barney Slade You really have an imagination So this time he does the job himself or herself. It's possible look I know Mavis gale stands to collect 25,000 insurance unless oh sure unless you can hang it on her two attempts on hubby Tom Sanford I'm not trying to hang this on anybody Sergeant the insurance company hired me to turn in a report and they'll pay off according to that report I just want to be sure that's all okay Relax if you're going back to the beach get in oh thanks Why do you think he did it sergeant? Why do I think who did what Sanford? 27 years ago on a hunting trip Why do you suppose he planted his identification and clothing on the man who tried to kill him and vanished who knows Maybe he was in a jam like the idea of letting the world believe he was dead And how about those question marks on Mavis gales photographs a tie in there, maybe we've been through that Barney could have made those marks himself Well, and here's a thought Barney or Sanford whichever you want to call them might have wondered Could his wife have hired the killer and is that why he drew those question marks? I thought you decided the killer drew them. All right assume the killer drew them. Why you tell me Well, it would certainly attract attention to Mavis gale wouldn't it? Eliminator is a possible suspect as far as Barney slates death is concerned. Yes You're really determined to go after this woman aren't you look McKee? I told you okay? Okay, assuming the killer drew those question marks to direct attention to Mavis gale. Why would he want to do that? I Can make a guess Can't you? Yeah Could be blackmail But why wait all these years for the simple reason he just picked up a little information recently Maybe he got it from one of the men who were on that hunting trip Think they're still around Expense account item seven ten dollars and fifty cents care-faring tips It took me that long to find Milo Martin actors agent one of the men who had been on that hunting trip 27 years ago He operated out of a plush suite of offices on the Sunset Strip He wasn't in but his secretary a friendly and inga little doll named Lana gave me a list of places where I might find him I finally did out in a ranch near Chatsworth where a movie company was filming an epic Yep Milo Martin was short and around he wore cowboy boots dungarees no shirt. He was sitting on a wide flat rock selling himself. Oh Yes, mr. Dollar. I read about it in the morning paper. It came as a tremendous shot Tom alive all these years It's incredible. It's fantastic. Well according to newspaper accounts You were the one who first discovered the body that day 27 years ago a horrible experience terrifying and never forget it We had been searching the hills all night and then in the coal gray of dawn There he was in the ravine Only it wasn't Tom for the police are certain I mean to say the scale positively identified the man known as Barney Slade to be Tom Sandler running a penny arcade in Ocean Park It's incredible. Well, then who was the man I found in that ravine. We don't know We may never and he wanted to kill Tom Why You have no idea why anyone would have wanted to do away with of course not Oh, I knew Tom was a wild sort. He never got along with most people but well to resort to murder you were zaging words you mr. Martin yes, yes, I was I must confess. I only took him on as a client of please mavestre Oh, you also represented this game. I did as she was and she still is a truly wonderful person. Mr. Dollar. I Understand the two of them weren't getting along That would be putting it mildly mr. Dollar was one frightful after another wild hysterical sort of row What are they quarreling? Well Tom was quite a gambler and he also drank rather heavily and he also fancied himself as quite a Ladies man and this made her so he was also extremely jealous. Oh May this ever give him good cause to be no, of course not No, he was always imagining all sorts of fantastic things about her actually. She was very much in love with him That was my impression at least tell me mr. Martin those other men who are on the honeydrape are they still around well, let me see now There's trev for one trev that's Francis Trevelyan used to be miss gales cameraman independent producer now His pictures aren't very good, but they make money. How about this Jarvis pocket jar? Let me think now. Oh Excuse me. Yeah, you ready doll? Okay, that's all the director. He's a friend look about you like stagecoach as mr. Dollar I can take him a lead. Look, what along they're finished up here. We'll ride the coach back to the ranch house It's only a few miles maybe five in this contract. Oh, you love it. All right now. Yeah, get aboard mr. Dollar It's not too roomy is it okay doll How do you like it mr. Dollar? I know how John Wayne feels let me see now you Oh expense account item eight anyone sense one bottle of rubbing alcohol It was late that afternoon when I got back to my hotel But before I could use the alcohol of my aching bones the phone rang Johnny dollar okay here this time. I got news for you dollies. Yeah, when I sit down. Oh On second thought maybe I'm old Okay, sorry, let's have it Mavis Gale said she didn't know that he was using the name Barney Slade running that arcade notion part so Maybe she didn't tell us the truth. What do you mean? We got a witness dollar someone who saw Mavis Gale hanging around the penny arcade two nights before the murder Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's episode of this week's story tomorrow a bowl of little soup And I almost wind up in a cemetery join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar Yours truly Johnny dollars starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood Written by Adrian John Doe. It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking