 First of all notice, dangerous my stock and trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Standard Oil Company of California invites you to let George do it. In just a moment we'll begin tonight's adventure of George Valentine. Did you know that you can be wasting one out of every ten gallons of gasoline you buy due to worn spark plugs? It's true. 30 worn plugs can also rob your engine of power and pickup. To avoid this waste, let car savers check your spark plugs. They'll clean them and reset the gap, or if necessary, they'll be glad to install new Atlas Champion spark plugs to give you more get up and go. It takes just a few moments to check the condition of the spark plugs in your car, so stop in soon for a car saver spark plug check at any independent gas station or standard station where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. Tonight's story, Human Nature, a transcribed adventure of George Valentine. Dear Mr. Valentine, if there's one thing I learned in all the years I lived, it's human nature, especially when it comes to men. You, for instance, I know I don't have to go into a lot of detail, except to say that another man, a very fine man, needs help, real bad, and only you can give it to him. Right? Okay then. I'll meet you tonight here at the Club Bim Bam after the last show is over and the people go home. We'll have the club all to ourselves. And I'll be very grateful for your trouble. Yours very truly, Ruby Devlin. I guess Ruby knows human nature all right, Bruxy. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. Off Bim Bam, the best looking chorus in town. Three sizzling shows a night. I know human nature too, my friend. Why, angel? Mine. Unless I were right there, I'd worry about you losing your beauty sleeper. Well, just working too hard. So... Yes, ma'am. Maybe we came too late, George. Yeah, everybody seems to have gone, including Ruby Devlin. Well, I guess we could ask that cleaning woman over there. Oh, I beg your pardon. Yes, sir. We were looking for a lady. I believe she's one of the girls in the floor show. All gone, mister. So I see. We thought she might have left a message or something. Her name is Ruby Devlin. I am Ruby Devlin. Why? Oh, I know I'm not as pretty as those painted hussies, but I didn't mean to scare you, mister. Oh, well, I... I expected you alone, Mr. Valentine, so I... Well, my assistant, Miss Brooks, is the worrying type. Yes, that's right. Well, I am glad you're along, dearie. Here, let's go and sit down. Yeah, sure, go. No, not here. Might as well take the best table in the house, right near the dance floor. We have plenty to choose from. I'm the choosy type. That's why I like this job. I don't follow. Here, this one's okay. Well, nobody telling me how I should work. I'm my own boss. And I can make myself feel as good as anybody who comes here. See this thermos bottle of coffee, dearie? Well, yes. Every night I put it in a champagne bucket, like this. High class. And the sandwich I bring from home tastes as good as the one they soak you a buck and a half for. And I can imagine a better floor show than they put on. Oh, it's all in the way you look at things. And I understand human nature. Which reminds me, Miss Devlin. Ruby. Ruby. That letter. It said something about somebody being in real trouble. That's right. Ben Cullum. As fine a man as you'd want to meet. I worked as cleaning woman for him once, so I ought to know. Us girls can tell best about people. Well, what sort of trouble is he in? You wouldn't think a man as sweet and trusting as Ben would be in his sort of business. And what business is that? He runs a pawn shop on Lower Forest Street. Oh, no. In that hole? And he's sweet and trusting? Well, I told you it's hard to believe. But I know human nature and hen he is. Besides, he proved it to me. You want to know how, dearie? I wouldn't miss it for the world. Well, I had a little ring I was always crazy about. My mother's. And one day I needed some money. So I told Ben Cullum. Well, he was real sweet. Just loan me the money and let me keep the ring, too. $15. Of course you were right there, working for him. No, it wasn't that at all. Anyway, I know Mr. Cullum is in trouble now because I heard somebody say he's a fence. Oh, now there's something a lot more in character with the neighborhood. Who uttered those words of wisdom, Ruby? Well, it was two nights ago after the club closed. A skinny guy, I think his name is Joey Krieger, was a little drunk and nobody pays any attention to a cleaning woman. And he was talking to another guy and he said he pulled a heist. And he said he had a real good fence and he said it was Ben Cullum. That's something for the police, isn't it? No, because it's got to be a lie. Oh, I read psychology books all the time and magazines. I got nothing else to do with my time. And so, Ruby, you're sure Ben's good name has been besmirched. I think that guy was lying. But if it's true, then it must be the first time and Mr. Cullum must be in trouble to have to do it. What can I do? Find out if this man Krieger was telling the truth and stop Ben Cullum from getting into real trouble. That's quite an assignment. Oh, I've got to help. I never forget a favor. You won't turn me down, will you, Mr. Valentine? No. No, I guess I'm a little curious about human nature myself, Ruby. And especially about a sweet, trusting man running a four-street hot shop. I clerk told you this room was private, Mr. Valentine? Yeah, Mr. Cullum. And I told him I had to talk to you, not to him. Well, you excuse the appearance of the room, Miss. As you see, I live here in Transac Business up front. It saves car fare. It saves trouble. Besides, I'm a bachelor. It does fine for me. Now, about your business, Mr. Valentine? Well, as I told you, Miss Devlin thinks you're in trouble. And because you're in trouble, you might be tempted to turn crooked and fence some good. Yeah, I did Ruby a favor once. Now I'm sorry. She's imagining things. A big, cheap safe in the front, and a real fancy one back here. And so many bars on the windows, you'd think this was Fort Knox. I have valuable things. Yes, the window in the front is full of them, ukuleles and second-hand cameras. Yeah, I'm a poor man. I worry about the things I have. Uh-huh. And about this Joey Krieger character. Yeah, there's your answer. I couldn't have timed it better. One of the things I like, Miss, and I would never want to lose. My cuckoo clock. The cuckoo's off pitch. And so is Ruby Devlin. So now get out, both of you. Sure, Buster, sure. Hey, Gibby, come here. Yes, Mr. Cullum. You show these people out. And if ever they want to pawn anything here, it's no go. Understand? Yes, sir. You know something, Mr. Cullum. You're making me more and more curious. So long. It's Valentine, but I checked. Thanks, Johnson. What's the verdict, Lieutenant? The boys in robbery have had their eyes on Cullum for a long time. He's much too slick. They've never found any evidence against him. Maybe this is their lucky break. Just because some cleaning woman heard a drunk blab about fencing some goods. Did you ask the robbery squad of his Joey Krieger character was involved in any cute stunts lately? No, soap. He's a specialist in his kind of work. That particular kind of robbery's been conspicuous by its absence. Joey could have changed his style of work just for laughs. I told you he's a specialist and proud of it. Guys like that stay in the groove. Well, George, there isn't much we can do. As long as the police already have their eye on Mr. Cullum and apparently he isn't a sweet innocent man being forced into a life of crime as Ruby seems to think he's... Excuse me. Yeah? Okay, put him on. Sergeant Lay in the robbery squad. Oh? Yeah, Lay, I... What? Well, you did. When? I see. You couldn't, huh? Sure, sure, okay. Okay, thanks. Anything new? Yeah, Sergeant Lay was out to lunch and the other guy I spoke to just didn't know. That there was a Joey Krieger type of robbery? Is that it, Lieutenant? Over $5,000 worth of jewelry. They brought Joey in but couldn't get anywhere with him and believe me, they tried. Then there is something to what Ruby told us. I'm afraid so. As long as Sergeant Lay and his playmates have already talked to Joey Krieger could you get me his address, Johnson? I guess so. I'd like to talk to him. Sure, but I know the kind. He'll say nothing. I got no secrets, Valentine. I'd like to talk. Johnson's no good as a judge of human nature, either. Talk can say nothing, eh, Joey? You know, your friend's got a suspicious nature, Miss. That's no good for a guy that eats you up from the inside, you know? You should ought to have a talk with him. At the moment, he prefers conversation with you. Yeah. Okay. Waltz me around again, Matilda. I had nothing to do with that heist. I don't know no Ben Cullum and I'm liable to say anything when I'm drinking. The Waltz is over. Come on, Brooksy. He's getting late. Okay, okay. There's some respect for the hour. Hello. Come on, come on, Valentine. Rise and shine. No, Johnson, it's only a little after six. Your energy is almost a decent. Call me later, will you? You might can be up so can you, especially in this case. What are you talking about? I'm on my way to Cullum's pawn shop, friend, to check up on Ben Cullum's murder. Somebody made him open that fancy safe, then made sure Cullum would never tell us who it was. Yeah, easy enough to tell what Cullum's last thought must have been. The way his hands still reach him for that empty safe. And this other clerk, the one who called the police. Chick Brinnell. Sergeant Malloy's got him up front until we're ready for him. You know what bothers me most, Johnson? As I'll be darned if I see any way the murderer could have come in here. He was here. Look, exhibit A, as big as life. I mean death. But you saw the alarm. It works from a switch right near the door from the street. There's fine an alarm as money can buy? Yeah. To protect not the junk in the store, but whatever was here in the safe. A great alarm. But it didn't do Cullum any good. Now, if the wires were cut, if anybody even went fooling with the lock, the protective service gang would have been here. Well, it's a cinch. No one could have come in from the back. Look at the bars on those windows. I noticed them before. Cullum must have been in bed after the very minute they came in on him. Or they have something on besides that nightshade. That's right. See, slippers there at the foot of the bed. Didn't even have time to get into them. Eight. What? Eight. That bird said cuckoo eight times. Good. You can count. It's only 7.20. So what? All those fancy clocks go cock-eyed after a while? I guess so. I still wish I knew how the murderer got in here. There must be an answer to that. Yeah, there's only one explanation. Cullum must have made a date for somebody to come when there wouldn't be any clerk around for a witness. And whoever that was is the guy we want. Uh-uh. Ah, it's easy enough to dope out. Cullum was in a big deal in Hot Stones. Maybe there was an argument about the price. Uh-uh. Stop saying that. That's a good theory, but it won't work. Why? Well, you yourself pointed out Cullum's bare feet. Wouldn't he have had more than a nightshade on if he was letting in company? Yeah. Yeah, I guess you would. No, Jensen, I'm afraid this is a mystery that will take a lot of solving. In just a moment we'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine. If you're like most motorists here in the West, you use heavy-duty RPM motor oil in your car. So I'm sure that you'll be interested in these outstanding performance records turned in by heavy-duty RPM. 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It's just one more reason why the folks at standard stations and independent chevron gas stations say and mean, we take better care of your car. When a man is murdered in a room that's guarded by stout bars at the windows and a very efficient burglar alarm at the door, you really have a mystery. Especially when the murder is complicated by such hard-to-explain things as a cuckoo clock that keeps atrocious time. A cleaning woman who spends her time reading psychology books, and a specialist in the field of robbery who talks too much when he's been drinking. Even if your name is George Valentine, you find this combination of factors, shall we say, challenging? Let me get this straight for now. You walked in, found Mr. Cullum's body in that back bedroom and called the police. That's right, Mr. Valentine. And you got here about five minutes to six. It's cold and nasty this morning, too. Wasn't that kind of early for a pawnbroker's clerk to be coming to work? Well, Mr. Cullum paid us well, so we worked the way he wanted us to. And didn't ask any questions. We? Kibby and I. Oh, yeah, I met him yesterday. You see, we changed our shifts around twice a month. Go on. This is a day and night pawn shop. It's right for the neighborhood. Open from seven in the morning till midnight. Well, today, like always, I was supposed to come at six, sweep up the store and move the trays out of that big safe, and then I'd work till six at night. And Kibby? Then he comes in at noon, closes at midnight. Real long hours. You're telling me. Anyway, then, it's only from midnight until six that Cullum was always alone here. And that's when he'd have that burglar alarm set, huh? Right. The last thing at night, he'd turn it on. First thing in the morning, he'd turn it off. Six hours a night. Not too much, isn't it? Cullum must have done some of his sleeping in the daytime, huh? No, no, he'd go in and lie down every evening at nine o'clock. Sort of had himself trained. He'd sleep from nine until twelve. I see. Then the last thing before he went home, the night man would call him. The boss would get up and come here to this curtain and his slippers, and after the clerk had gone out, Mr. Cullum would reach around the partition like this and put on the switch. I don't suppose that he ever forgot. With maybe forty or fifty thousand dollars in that little safe inside there, would you forget? Forty or fifty thousand dollars? Well, of course, I was just guessing. Oh. I suppose you don't know anything about any business that was done back there. How would I? Sometimes people would come in and ask for Mr. Cullum personally, and then we'd call him. And Mr. Cullum would take them in the back? Sure. Nobody but Mr. Cullum had the combination to the little safe. I'll get the report from the medical examiner. Oh, good. What's the story, Johnson? He put the time of Cullum's death at five o'clock this morning. Half hour one way or the other, but not more. He's positive. Well, I didn't get here until five minutes to six, and the alarm was turned off, so you see, I didn't have anything to do with it. Yeah, yeah, sure. It's a mystery, all right. A dead man turns off the alarm. And for the time being, all we could do is wait. Wait! Hello, Johnson. I sent Miss Brooks to get Ruby Devlin. Sergeant Malloy is out rambling up Joey Krieger in the nightclub kibby. There's one thing I don't think you noticed, though, Johnson. Huh? The clock here in the store. Look at it. Like the cuckoo clock, it too is 40 minutes fast. I know human nature. Mr. Cullum was a sweet, gentle man. Now he's dead. Yes, Miss Devlin, and we're trying to find out who killed him. We thought you might be able to help us. You want to, don't you? Well, yes, anything I can do, Mr. Valentine. All right. You used to work here at the pawn shop. Almost a year ago. Well, now it's just a hunch, but do you notice anything different about the store? No. Please, Ruby, look around carefully. You must be sure. Everything's the same, Miss Brooks, just like everything's the same back there. Oh, great. Well, I really didn't know what I expected. The phone. What's that? The phone. It used to be connected way over there, near the hall. So it'd be near the store in the bedroom. And now it's been moved close to the front door. So what? You asked me to tell you what's different, Lieutenant. I told you. Grinnell, can we see a minute? Sure, Mr. Valentine. Well, it's telephone. It was moved recently, wasn't it? Yeah, a couple of weeks ago. Why? Kibbie. His feet bother him, so he asked Mr. Cullum to save him steps. Kibbie and I always had to stand near the door. Oh. Like I said, Mr. Cullum was a nice, considerate man. Kibbie saw him a bill of goods, told him that when he had to go away from the door and phone somebody from the street, he might swipe something and run. Young man? Never mind. Never mind. What do we do now, George? Well, it's beginning to sound like a refrain, Bruxy, but we wait. Excited? What am I supposed to do? Have hysterics? No. Nothing as violent as that, Kibbie. Of course, I knew something must be wrong when the cop came and asked me to come here to the store. Could have been a robbery or something. It could do. But you were here with this gentleman yesterday, Miss. Yes? You saw how violent Mr. Cullum could be, didn't you? Well... Besides, he was mixed up with some pretty hard people. You knew he was operating as a fence? No, don't get me wrong, Lieutenant. I wasn't in on any of that stuff myself. Clarice, the thought. But you can't work for two years for a man in this business without, well, without getting a pretty good idea what's going on. Maybe it's just a gas now, see, but maybe Mr. Cullum double-cost one of his customers and... That was the first thing we thought of, but it's no go. Yeah. Hey, Kibbie. Yes? Now, it's funny that the burglar alarm didn't work, wasn't it? Yes, that is funny. You saw Mr. Cullum turn on the switch when you left last night at midnight, didn't you? Sure. Like always. Oh, how could you see it? He closed the door after you. The door closes behind me with a snap-lock, Miss. And when Mr. Cullum hears it click, I see his arm coming through the curtain. The nightlight I leave on in the store is right over the burglar alarm switch and shows me that it's closed. Oh, yeah. So the mystery gets darker and darker. All right, Kibbie, thanks a lot. Wait out there with the sergeant. Anything you say, Lieutenant? What do we do now, Valentine? Wait some more? No, no. Now we go to work. Hallelujah. There's a desk in Cullum's bedroom, not far from the safe. There's something in that desk I want. A blank envelope. Uh-huh. That's a part of it. What can that do? A world of good, I hope. Now I need something with Cullum's writing on it. Ah. Here we are. Valentine, if you don't tell me what you... Take it easy, Johnson. I want you to send the two clerks, Miss Devlin and Joey Krieger inside. While you and Brooksie stay outside with your ear glued to the keyhole. An uncomfortable position if I ever heard one. Cut out, though, horseplay, Valentine. Tell me what you're going to do. I'm going to ride a sink. I'm going to write a single word and what I hope will pass for Cullum's handwriting. All right, folks. All right. Quiet, quiet, please. I know this may sound like a dirty trick, but what Lieutenant Johnson and I didn't tell you, people, is that Mr. Cullum didn't die immediately. Oh, that's right. He was able to reach a pencil and a piece of paper and put down a name, a single name. Oh. It must be the murderer. Yes. Who was it? That's why we didn't mention it before, Joey. What? You got me, but... Are you Grinnell? I wouldn't know, Mr. Valentine. We didn't because it really was no proof. Mr. Cullum might have been writing a message to the person whose name we have and not about him accusing him. But now we have additional proof. Who was it? I'm your client, Mr. Valentine. You've got to tell me. Yeah, Ruby, I think I do. The name is Grinnell. Oh, me? Oh, here. Look for yourself. You know Mr. Cullum's handwriting. Of course, it's a little shaky. He was dying. I don't know why he should write my name. I tell you, I don't know. Well, don't look at me like that. What's the matter with all of you? Tell me, Grinnell. Don't you have any idea of how a fella could beat that burglar alarm of Cullum's? No. All right, I suppose I tell you. You just see how closely we check. No. I work for Ben Cullum. And it burns me up that I've got to handle his money all day long with never a chance of a dollar of it sticking to my hands. What I could grab and run with wouldn't be worth it. You're wrong. I never... Don't leave him talk, punk. Gibby, you know I wouldn't do anything. Oh, shut up. Go ahead, Mr. Valentine. I keep thinking about that other safe that Cullum keeps back in his bedroom. Forty or fifty thousand in it. You said so yourself. Remember, Grinnell? Yeah, but I was just talking... I don't dare pulling anything while I'm on duty. If I fake a stick up, the cops are too likely to smell an inside job. Sure, I can have a key made. But that doesn't mean a thing. The burglar alarm. That's the problem to lick. Yeah, yeah. So what do you do, Valentine? What do you do? I get an idea. It's a foolproof. It's last night, nine o'clock. Cullum turns in. I've left alone in the store. When I go back to wake him up, I've already pulled my little stunt. I've set the cuckoo clock in his bedroom and the other one in the store forty minutes ahead. I was here last night, not Grinnell. Cullum lets me out and throws the switch. Then a few minutes after five in the morning, I go into a booth and call the store. Keep ringing until Cullum gets up and answers. Last night, I was here. I disguise my voice and tell Cullum it's a wrong number. He swears at me and looks at the clock. It's forty minutes fast, so he thinks there's only a couple of minutes left before he has to get up and turn off the alarm anyway. He's only human. Remember the phrase, Ruby? Yes, yes. He doesn't like the idea of getting up in the cold again. It's a raw, nasty morning. Why wait for Grinnell? Cullum figures he'll turn the switch off now. Shut up! Shut up! The phone was conveniently located now, wasn't it, Kibby? From where he stood, Cullum could reach the burglar alarm switch and after he did, you saw him through the door and you came in and made him open the safe and then... And killed him, yes. Like I'm going to kill you. Mr. Bell, do I look out? Try to kill you! Try to kill you! But Kibby isn't... He'll live. I got him in the arm. He'll die, but not from my bullet. You see, he did something very human, too. He forgot to set those two clocks back to the right time. Which one of these gasoline qualities do you think your car would do without? Full power, quick starting, fast warm-up, area blending, vapor lock prevention, anti-knock, smooth acceleration or economy mileage. Right. Your car needs all of these qualities and unlike a one-feature gas, Chevron Supreme Gasoline gives you all eight high-performance qualities in correct balance. So for better all-around performance from your car, stop in soon and fill up with Chevron Supreme Gasoline at any standard station or independent Chevron gas station where they say and mean, we take better care of your car. I understand why it had to be one of the two clerks, George, but why were you sure it was Kibby? Well, Grinnell left for home at six, Angel. He couldn't have set the two clocks back then. Callum would have called wise long before morning. Well, Kibby left at midnight when Callum was already half asleep, sure. And there was that business of changing the place where the telephone was connected. That too. George, if you suspected Kibby, why did you accuse Grinnell? Human nature, eh, Ruby? What? It's only human to let your guard drop when you think it's somebody else who's in danger. I'm a fine judge of human nature, I am. Ben Callum. He's been crooked for years. The police couldn't get wise to him either, Ruby, so don't blame yourself too much. Besides, it's a lot easier to predict what people will do than what they are. Kibby knew what Callum would do. You knew what Kibby would do. I know what you're going to do too, darling. You do? When I really set my mind to it, you're going to marry me. Want a bet? Transcribed adventure of George Valentine has been brought to you by Standard Oil Company of California on behalf of independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the west. Robert Bailey is starred as George with Virginia Gregg as Bruxy. Let George Do It was written by David Victor and directed by Kenneth Webb. Ken Christie was heard as Lieutenant Johnson, Noreen Gamill as Ruby, Larry Dobkin as Joey, Harry Bartel as Grinnell, and Griff Barnett as Kibby. Music by Gaylord Carter, your announcer, John Heaston. Listen again next week, same time, same station, to Let George Do It. Let George Do It is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.