 Standard of California, on behalf of independent chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the west, invites you to let George do it. Mr. Karoski, American, a transcribed adventure of George Valentine. Personal notice, dangers my stock and trade. If you're in trouble and need confidential help, call on me, George Valentine. Write full details. Dear Mr. Valentine, ten years now I work hard to be a good American, soon I get citizen papers. But maybe I don't get them. Maybe the judge will say what I'm doing is wrong. But just the same I cannot keep quiet, because inside I am already American citizen. You've got to help me, because it is my whole life to be American citizen. I live at 82 Barrow Street. I am yours respectfully, Stepan Karoski. Well, Mr. Karoski, we got your letter. I do not write so good, eh? Well, you've got to cross what you wanted to say, and that's all that matters. Please, sit down. Here, lady, sit. It takes off. Oh, thank you. I am just bachelor, but I make very good cup of tea almost like married mrs. No, thanks. Don't bother, Mr. Karoski. Now, in the letter you said something was worrying you. Well, what seems to be the trouble? I saw, but you put in newspaper. Well, maybe I don't have enough money to pay you. Hell, that's my tough luck. Okay, let's have it. All right, I tell you the best I know. A couple of months ago, a man came to me and said, Karoski, you are an important man in this neighborhood. Oh, I'm sure you are. Yes, I am. Jonathan, young lady. Pipe leaks. Karoski. Husband beats up wife. Karoski. Anything in the house go wrong. Karoski. Okay, so you're a big man. Just like on other side, I was mayor in my village, so people trust me. Like this man said, he said, my company collects money from many people in this part of town. Every month they will bring the money to you and we will send somebody to get it from you. And you will get a few dollars, Karoski. But money for what? Man did not say. So I thought it was for furniture, radios, things like that. You know, people down here buy most time on installing plants. Yes. So people start coming with envelopes and the money inside. They also look at me like they want to kill me. Some don't even talk to me on the street no more. And that made you think something was wrong. That's why you got in touch with me. No, Mr. Valentine, something happened very bad, very bad. Mrs. Andelo, I know her long time. She said to me, this month I have no money. And she began to cry. I said, don't worry, you pay next month. Then what happened? Next day, I found out Mrs. Andelo go in kitchen, turn on gas. How dreadful. Well, maybe she had other troubles. No, this is why she killed herself. I know it. Maybe I'm helping break the law. When this man comes around, why don't you just tell him you don't want to play anymore? They will just get somebody else to do the same thing. As good American, I cannot let that happen. But that is where I am stuck. Oh, I get it, Mr. Koroski. If you go to the police, they'll find out you were mixed up in this. And I don't get my citizen papers. I try so hard to do everything right so judges proud to make Koroski citizen. Well, this is some kind of a racket, George. Mr. Koroski isn't a spot award. No, it's a racket, sure enough. No collection agency would work this way. When does this man come around the next time? The man only came first time after that, this young lady. She knows nothing either. She gives money to somebody else. Oh, sure. He gives it to somebody else so nobody knows who's at the top. Okay, then when does this gal come around? She comes tomorrow, one o'clock. Only one good thing comes from all this. What's that? I meet fine woman. Soon we get married. Well, good for you. Wait a minute, wait a minute. You mean she pays off two each month and won't even tell you what it's all about? No, and that makes me even more worried. When I talk about it, she just looks at me and says nothing. Anna make me promise to never ask her again. Okay, Mr. Koroski, let me have her name. I'll talk to her. Maybe she'll open up for me. Mrs. Anna Fader, widow lady, just around the corner over Baker's shop. Okay, you just sit tight. How can I thank you? Skip it. Let's just say I'm trying to be as good a citizen as you, Mr. Koroski. I tell you nothing. Mrs. Fader, what are you afraid of? You get out now. Go. Don't you see what this means to Mr. Koroski? We have to clear this thing up for his sake. Always the same thing. Steffan, the good citizen. He doesn't know what kind of trouble he's making. Now get down. Mrs. Fader, listen, please. Crawley, what did we get into here, George? That woman is scared to death. Yeah, and I wonder how many more there are like here. Well, maybe we'll find out tomorrow when that girl makes a collection of Koroski's. How are you, Mr. Koroski? Oh, fine, fine, fine. Well, you look better today. Not so worried like always. What's the use of worrying? You got the umbrellas? Yeah, they are right here. Good. I'll see you next time. Viola, wait, please. Yes? Don't you know even a little bit who gets this money? And why do you look frightened like the others? Worried? Frightened? Why do you keep saying things like that, Mr. Koroski? How many times must I tell you? I don't know any more about this than you do. And I don't care to know. Viola, we might be doing something wrong. Is it wrong to make a little money when you need it? You know I can't work much. Certainly delivering some envelopes can't hurt anybody. I am sorry. So am I. Mr. Koroski would be better for all of us if you don't ask questions. Much better. Goodbye. Goodbye, Viola. Well, that certainly didn't tell us very much. She sounded as though she's in the same boat as Mrs. Fader. You see what I mean, Mr. Valentine? Yes, I do. Come on, Bruxy. Let's make sure we don't lose her. She's headed right for the Vondome Apartments. Mmm, pretty swanky. Pretty strange, too. Wait a minute, George. She's going into the servant centers. Okay, then. So are you. Find out where she's going, Bruxy. But how? Oh, may believe you're a maid, hairdresser or anything. Get going. Just a minute going up. I'll wait for you any day, sister. I'll even bring my lunch if I have to. Oh, you're cute. Oh, hello. You work for someone in the building, too? Sometimes. This is my first day on a new job, and I'm just a bundle. You're so right. I meant a bundle of nerves. As I was saying, the first day, you were always nervous. That's just natural, isn't it? I suppose so. But it wears off the second day, and that's just natural, too. And what floor when you get a man? Because being a personal maid, you get to know your people personal like. If you know what I mean. Look, beautiful. We're almost to the penthouse where this lady wants to go. Well, imagine that. What could I have been doing passing my floor like that? Gabbing. You're cute. George, Viola might be doing housework in the Armstrong penthouse, and won't be down for hours yet. Well, I don't intend to wait for hours. Besides, it won't hurt to find out just who Maurice Armstrong is. And who are you going to be? Oh, I'll think of something on the way up. I represent Mrs. Swenson's employment agency. I'd like to speak to Mr. Armstrong about one of our clients. I'm Mr. Armstrong's secretary. Is it important he's busy at the moment? Yes, indeed, it's important. It concerns Viola Cober and some fees which are very much past due. Miss Cober? What's this about Viola? Who is this man, Miss Rosalind? He's from an employment agency, Mr. Armstrong. No. It seems Viola... owes us some money. And if I could talk to the young lady, I'm sure I could make her understand Mrs. Swenson doesn't run her business as a hobby. Oh, I see. I have Miss Cober in now and then to do my special laundry. You know things I don't dare trust to the commercial establishment. Yes. Well, if I could just see her for hours... Miss Wilson, will you ask Viola to come in? Well, she left some time ago, Mr. Armstrong. Oh, but that's impossible. I was waiting outside the service entrance. Oh, she wasn't feeling very well, so I had the house man take her down in Mr. Armstrong's private elevator. Oh, come now. How much did she owe you, sir? $19.80. But it isn't just the money, you understand. It's the principle of the thing. And if I could have her address... Take this and forget about it. Oh, thank you, sir. You're very kind. But I still have to make my report out for the Employment Agency's credit association. It won't hurt the poor girl, you understand. Just routine. So if I could have the address... Very well, Miss Wilson. I believe I have it somewhere on my desk here. Oh, here it is. 340 Tomorrow Street. Thank you very much. I'm sorry to inconvenience you, folks, but you'd be surprised the things I have to do in my job. This is strange, Bruxy. You mean Viola's not being home? Yeah. If you were that sick, where would you head for? Home. If I could make it. That's what I mean, Angel. There's no use hanging around here. We'll get back here later. Where are we bound for? Another blind alley? Oh, you're a pessimist, sweetheart. Blind alley? Oh, you made a lot of progress today. We found out that one Maurice Armstrong is a big tub of lard who buys and sells rare books and has his dandies laundered by hand. Oh, I know how you feel, darling. So we're going to talk to Mr. Koroski some more. I mean, let him do the talking. He might say something which seems unimportant to him, but maybe just what we need to see some light in this case. Hey, the door's unlocked. Yeah, wait, Angel. I'll put the light on. Okay. George! They couldn't have done a better job if they used a bulldozer. Mr. Koroski? Mr. Koroski? Don't be naive, Bruxy. They didn't make rubble out of this place just for the exercise. They gave Koroski this little party and took the guest of honor away with them. George! Blood. Oh, they couldn't wait, could they? They started working him over right here. But he's such a... a little man. Bruxy were up against a racket that thrives on little people. But what kind of a racket? What do they do to scare people dumb? Well, we'll keep running up those blind alleys till we find out. We'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine in just a moment. Summer weather means sunburn weather, but luckily there are lots of ways you can keep from getting to sunburn. But what about those hot spots inside your car's engine, like upper cylinder walls that have to operate in blowtorch temperatures the year round? You'll be glad to know there's a sure way to protect those precision-made parts, a way to keep them lubricated in extreme heat. That's by using compounded RPM motor oil. One of the compounds in RPM is an adhering agent that keeps a smooth film of oil on moving parts at all times. Where ordinary motor oils would give up, leaving hot spots bare and exposed to wear, RPM does almost the impossible. It stays on those vital hot spots, helps your car get more mileage with fewer repair bills. No wonder RPM motor oils first choice in the West. You get it at a standard station or independent Chevron gas station, where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. Now back to tonight's adventure of George Valentine. You meet a little man with one dream, to become an American citizen. You hear a fantastic story about being innocently involved in what looks like a vicious racket, and you find your client has been beaten and kidnapped, so you start swinging in all directions, like sending Claire down to headquarters to Lieutenant Riley, and you end up talking to that strange girl, Viola Cooper. You took a long time to get home after you left Mr. Armstrong's. It was my day to work for him, but why should I tell you anything? Well, it's better to tell it to me than to the police. Okay, you know the information I want. There's nothing to tell. Once a month I get that money from Mr. Karaski and I hand it to a man who's always waiting at the entrance to Hannibal Park. Now we're getting somewhere. What man? It's a different man every time. Oh, sure, that's pretty slick. They know what you look like, but you don't know them. I'm not doing anything wrong, and I need whatever money I can make. You see, I'm not well, and I can't keep a steady job. I take it you met this Mr. Rex on the way home from the Vantome. Yes. Viola, I think you're holding out on me. I won't tell you anymore. I won't tell anybody. I have reasons. What's that supposed to mean? Whatever you wanted to. They're not going to do to me what they did to Mr. Karaski. Now please leave me alone, please. How's it going, Bennett? Besides pictures of the old man's place, Lieutenant, there's nothing. Well, I see what you can find on the stairs going up to the street. I don't know what's keeping George, Lieutenant Roddy. He said he be... No, I don't want to see it. No, no. Are you afraid it might make you talk, Mrs. Fader? Valentine, what the devil... Go on, go on, take a good look at the room, Mrs. Fader. Oh, yeah? And everything was always so nice. So nice. Oh, Steppan. Steppan. Over here, Mrs. Fader. There's something that's not so nice. Oh, God! Yeah, Mr. Pahn's blood. Where is he? What are they doing to him? If you want to find out and if you love him, you'll loosen up. Who are you paying that money to every month, Mrs. Fader? All right. All right, I'll tell everything. Oh, forgive the dramatic entrance, Lieutenant. Go on, Mrs. Fader. Here, you'd better sit down here. Heaven on earth. That's the American expression, isn't it? Yeah. To a foreigner like me, it's more than that. It's a real heaven on earth, this country. You can't blame me if I would do anything to stay here. What are you trying to say, Mrs. Fader? I... I am not a citizen. Well, neither is Mr. Karowski, yet. But I can never be one. I paid to get across the border. I have no right to be here. That's pretty serious, Mrs. Fader. I know, and they know it. That's why they make me and the others pay. All my life, I would have to pay, or they would tell on me. Well, there's our racket, Lieutenant. It's hard to believe. This is getting to be bigger than us, Valentine. It calls for a trip to the federal building. Please. Please, you must find Stepan. It don't matter about me now. We'll do everything we can, Madam. Well, you can carry the ball from here, Lieutenant. I've still got a client named Stepan Karowski. Bruxy, I'm going to stay right here in this office all night till I think of something. So go on home, get some rest. I can't hear a word you're saying. Thanks, Angel. Oh, darling, you mustn't blame yourself. No, I know, but I keep thinking of that little guy. Pipe gets a leak of Karowski. Anything goes wrong, Karowski. Oh, Bruxy, why don't I draw anything with blanks? Well, good evening. I see you've changed your mind. Yes, Mr. Valentine. Ms. Kober, this is Ms. Brooks, my assistant. Hello. It doesn't make any difference now. I read the papers. Why those people were paying all that money. But I could not say anything because I was just like all the others. Okay, now we both know. So what? The immigration people will get to me soon now. So I may as well tell you everything. Perhaps you can still find Mr. Karowski before they... What's everything supposed to mean? I know who is the man at the top, George. Yeah, go on, go on. I lied about meeting those different men in the park. I always brought the money directly to Maurice Armstrong. Why, that... It's bigger than you think, Mr. Valentine. He takes all he can get to smuggle people into the country, then blackmailed them for the rest of their lives. It's anybody's case and how many other big cities that does the same thing. Call Lieutenant Riley, George. No, Brooksy. We'll pick him up on the way to the Vendome. It's his party, but I want the pleasure of making Armstrong tell me what he's done with Karowski. Mr. Valentine, I'm afraid of what they do to me. You'll be okay, Viola. We'll drop you off at your place first. Lock yourself in and stay put till you're here for me. Now come on, let's get down to headquarters. I feel so sorry for Viola, George. She doesn't even care how she looks. Her beautiful blonde hair is beginning to look like a wig. Isn't there anything that can be done for her? Besides sending her to a beauty parlor, I don't know, Brooksy. It's not her job. Hey, this is George Valentine. Let me speak to Lieutenant Riley. Out, where? Say that again. Found dead, huh? All right, thanks. What is it, George? Oh, another blind alley, Brooksy. Only this time there's a body at the end of it. Well, Valentine, there he is. Sprawled over his desk, the gun's still in his hand. No doubt about it, Armstrong killed himself. Yeah. After what you told me, my guess is he thought we were closing in on him. Well, there goes our last chance to find out what happened to Mr. Kuroski. Yeah. I've got the boys going through this penthouse with a fine-tooth comb, but no records at all on this alien racket. Oh, they'll find something because Viola put a finger right on him. Who reported the suicide, Lieutenant? Well, the houseman came in to say good night and found him like this. I remembered the name from what you told me yesterday, so I beat it right over here. I just heard about Mr. Armstrong, and I... Who are you? Louise Wilson, Mr. Armstrong's secretary. I mean, I was. The girl on the switchboard called my apartment and told me what happened. I see. Miss Wilson, just what were your duties as Mr. Armstrong's secretary? Did you notice anything strange about his activities? No, no. He was a very well-known rare book dealer. I kept records of his transactions, catalogued the volumes, went to dealers with him, but I did notice he was very nervous and irritable the last few days. How do you mean? Well, I don't know. He acted as though he were afraid of something. Was there anything, Miss Wilson, to make you suspect that he might have been interested in something else besides all books? Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Valentine, I've sometimes wondered about some of the people who came to see him, I mean. Yeah? They were practically all foreign-born, but, of course, so many book dealers are. Yeah. Okay, now we'd better get hold of that girl, Viola, so she can identify Armstrong before we take him down to the morgue. I'll pick her up, Lieutenant. Oh, I just thought of something else. Well, let's have it, Miss Wilson. About a week ago, Mr. Armstrong gave me a package to keep in my place. He told me if anything ever happened to him to mail it to a certain address he gave me. Well, for the love of heaven, why didn't you think of that before? I could have it here in half an hour. All right, all right, get going. Yes, Lieutenant. Well, what's the matter, George? Why don't we get going for Viola? Oh, there's no hurry, Booksy. What? What do you mean there's no hurry? We want to get through here tonight. You know, that's been the trouble with me up to now, Lieutenant. I've been trying to cover too much ground too fast. But I'm beginning to get a nice, clear picture of this to you. If you don't stop talking in riddles, I'll... See you in a little while, Lieutenant. And so, Miss Cobur, you absolutely identify this man as the one you've delivered the money to. Yes, sir. Mr. Armstrong. Well, that settles that. Now you can run along. Oh, just a minute, Viola. Yes, Mr. Valentine. Remember that first time I met you in your room? You said you didn't want them to do to you what they did to Mr. Karrowsky. Yes. How did you know that anything had happened to Mr. Karrowsky? Well, I... Miss Brooks and I were the only ones who knew that. You must have misunderstood what I said. Oh, maybe you did it that way. Valentine. Lieutenant, I wonder why Miss Wilson isn't back yet. She's been gone more than an hour. Would you have any ideas on that, Viola? Of course not. Why should I? Oh. Isn't it a safe bet to say that Miss Wilson could never get back here until you've gone? George, you're trying the lieutenant's patience, and mine too. There's another question you might be able to help me with, Viola. I don't understand. Miss Wilson only knew me as the man from Mrs. Swenson's employment agency. Now, why wasn't she surprised when she saw me here tonight? And why did she call me Mr. Valentine? Lieutenant, what is his name? Remember, Brooks C., you remarked about Viola's hair? What a pity it was that such a beautiful blonde locks were beginning to look like a wig? Well, that's what it is. What the... She's a brunette. And if you took her handkerchief and rubbed some of this theatrical makeup off like this... Don't! Take your hands off of me! Underneath you'll find Miss Wilson. You're right. No. Yes. And not Mr. Armstrong. Secretary is boss. Well, Valentine, this tops them all. She's all yours, Riley. After she tells me where she's got Karolski. Oh, no, sir. May we see Mr. Karolski now? In a few minutes. If you'll just sit here, I'll call you. Okay, thanks. Oh, it's still hard to believe, George. What's that, Angel? Well, the whole elaborate plan. Viola or Miss Wilson killing Armstrong. They're making it look like suicide. Well, think of what she had at stake. A nationwide racket smuggling in aliens. Then bleeding them for the rest of their lives. And the silence of the victims almost guaranteed. Until Karolski's conscience began to bother him. She fooled me completely. Then she got rid of Armstrong. Who was just a figurehead. Everybody think the trail ended there. And with all the records nice and safe, she could go right on. Under any other name. You can go in and see Mr. Karolski now. Oh, good. Let's go, Proxy. How do you feel, Mr. Karolski? Outside not so good, Miss Brooks, but inside beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Valentine. Thank me. Coming from a guy who took the beating you did, that's a laugh. We spoke to Lieutenant Riley. And you don't have a thing to worry about, Mr. Karolski. You've practically got your citizenship papers now. I am very happy. Oh, yes, there's another thing. Yes. You know, there are a lot of things a new American citizen can do. For instance, if it's all right with a judge, the moment he gets his papers, he can be married. And if the lady isn't a citizen, she becomes one too. That is, after she spends a little time, say, in Canada, Mexico. You mean, Anna and me? Let me be the first to congratulate you, Mr. Karolski. Oh, my, my. This is a wonderful country. If you're about to take off on a vacation trip, I'll bet you've got most of your stopover places all figured out. There's just one thing I'd like to add to that. Along the highways and byways, stop at independent chevron gas stations and at standard stations for that great chevron supreme gasoline. You'll find it's terrific in traffic, gives your car speedy pickup, count on it for faster starts too and for ping-free power on hills. Wherever you motor in the west, you'll find chevron supreme gets the best out of your car. That's because this premium quality gasoline is climate tailored, tailored to the season and to the west's different altitude and temperature zones. In fact, you can't buy a better gasoline for today's high compression engines and for older cars that need new power. Get a tank full tomorrow at a standard station or an independent chevron gas station, where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. Next week, when George Valentine goes out to meet a client, only to find that said gentleman has been drowned in a boating accident, we'll hear Lieutenant Riley saying... But Valentine, there were two boats. Now how in the name of heaven did the killer know which boat Wadsworth would pick? Well... Well, Riley, this is quite a case you have on your hands. Oh, no you don't. Why should we stick around, Lieutenant? We don't have a client anymore. Oh, for once if I have to, I'm hiring you, Valentine. This time, you've got me. Tonight's transcribed adventure of George Valentine has been brought to you by Standard of California on behalf of independent chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the west. Robert Bailey is starred as George with Francis Robinson as Bruxy. Wally Mayer appears as Lieutenant Riley. Let George do it was written by David Victor and Herbert Little Jr. and directed by Don Clark. Also heard in the cast were Virginia Gregg as Viola, Robert Griffin as Kuroski, Olga Villalín as Mrs. Fader, Ken Christie as Armstrong, and Harry Bartel as the elevator boy. The music is composed and presented by Eddie Dunsteader, your announcer, John Heaston. Listen again next week, same time, same station, to let George do it.