 Box 13 with the star of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd, as Dan Holliday. Dear Box 13, care of the star times. If that their head of yours is on the level, if you'll go anyplace, do anything, I'll be waiting for your three tomorrow afternoon in the park. I'll be sitting on one of the benches near the lake. I'll be sitting on one of the benches near the lake. And you'll know me because I got read here. That was the letter written on the back of an old handbill. Poor Red. I wonder if he would have written a letter had he known what was going to happen. You know, I think maybe he would have. And now back to Box 13 and Dan Holliday's newest adventure, The Philanthropist. It's sure dirty and all full of finger marks. Ah, Susie, don't be a snob. I'm not, Mr. Holliday, but it's very evident that this person isn't too particular. Why, Susie, you went through a whole sentence without shifting gears. Oh, I can be careful of my renunciation if I want to be. Oh, Susie had to spoil it. Never mind, it's a fine day, so I'll be in the park by three o'clock to see what Red has on his mind. It was just three when I turned into the park. The benches by the lake were pretty well filled, and I looked around for one that was being held down by a person with red hair. And I saw him. Susie must have been psychic, only she wouldn't have pronounced it that way. Red was dressed in a suit that must have had a tentative date with a pressing arm, maybe ten years before, and didn't keep it. If he had ever shaved, the shock had been too great for his face, and he had stopped. His red hair bounced out of his head like wires, and he was eating peanuts. Good afternoon, Red. Huh? Oh, hiya, Chum. Mind if I sit down? Felt it's a democracy, ain't it? Drop, Chum. You, uh, you wrote to Box 13, didn't you? Oh, yeah, yeah. He gave me the ones over, but good, he seemed to be satisfying himself that he'd want to talk to me. He must have checked an OK because... Uh, that had to be yours. Was it on the level? On the level, Red. How'd you know my name? Hunch. I have an intuitive sense for names. Oh, yeah, sure. OK, uh, peanut? Oh, thanks. Gotta pick them up first before the pigeons snag them. Sonata. Nothing. Say, uh, how comes a guy like you sticks that air in the paper? Uh, adventure. I use the plots for my fiction if they're any good. Oh, you're right, huh? Well, that's my bread and butter. Tough racket? Uh, sometimes. Yeah, I guess. But you make a lot of dough? It all depends. How about you? Hehe, I'm retired. Oh. What's on your mind, Red? Uh, what's your name? Dan, Dan Holiday. Uh-huh. OK, Dan. Uh, peanut? No thanks. OK. Dan, I want to know where my pal is. Your pal? Is he missing? Yeah. Uh, we left shy together. Then the yard boys caught a fast clip on us and we'd do a split. In other words, you were separated by railroad detectives? Yeah. Best way to keep him being jugged upon a bag of charge? Well, anyway, we're supposed to meet him in town. And he didn't show up? Yeah. I got in late. Had to stop off in Indianapolis. So I go to the place where Suki told me to... Suki? Is that his name? I guess. I ain't never had him say no other one. All right, and then what? Well, we was going to meet here at the Hope Rescue Mission. Yeah, know where it is? I think so. At least I know the neighborhood. Yeah. Well, I wait one, two, three, well, five days. But no Suki. I get worried. I ask around. But nobody's seen Suki. Well, maybe he changed his plans, Red. Without consulting me? Mr. Suki wouldn't leave without me. We're pals, buddies. We've been hitting roads for five years together. Something's happened to Suki. Well, what do you want me to do? Well, I thought maybe you could help me look for him. Well, look, Red, the police could... You kidding? But if he's missing, they can locate him for you. One bag missing ain't nothing, Mr. Something bad's happened to Suki. Or how do you know him? Because one of the bows in the jungle said Suki was talking about a job. That funny, mister? Look, Red, maybe Suki did get the job and... Then why didn't I heard from him? Maybe you will sooner or later. You ain't gonna help me then. But what can I possibly do, Red? In a city this size... Yeah, yeah, I get it. In a city this size, nobody cares none about a guy like Suki. Except maybe a guy like me. He pulled me out from under a freight once. Almost got it himself by doing it. I like Suki. We're buddies. Red stared out over the lake, and somehow a little lump came into my throat. Certainly, Red was no pillar of society, but he was a man, a human being, and Suki was his friend. For a minute, neither of us said anything, then... Okay, mister, forget the whole thing. Sorry, I got you out of bed. Oh, wait a minute, Red. Come back here and sit down. Huh? What for? I... I want to help you. Why? Well, I guess I like Suki, too. But you ain't never seen him. I don't have to. He saved your life, risked his own. Now, what do you want me to do? You're a top of Dan, a good guy. Suki liked it, too. Well, now what's your idea? Well, Red had an idea that we could find out what became of Suki by going to the mission. But as Red put it, I'd have to dress differently. So that night I wore my oldest suit. I helped it along a little by dipping it in water and letting it dry. Oh, yes, and I forgot to shave. I had something to eat, and then went to meet Red at the Hope Mission, who was typical of the missions of doing a great job helping well men who needed it. It was clean, neat. And when I got there, the men were just sitting down to supper at a long wooden table. I was looking over the room when... Good evening. How are you today? Oh, uh, fine, thanks. You're just in time for supper. Sit down, won't you? Well, you see, I... Now, now, this is your first time here, isn't it? Well, yes, it is. That's perfectly all right. Don't you feel embarrassed or ashamed? Now, you come and sit down to a nice, hot meal. Well, that's very nice of you. My name is Work. Mrs. Work. I superintend the mission here. My name's Dan. Very well, Dan. Now, just come with me. I followed her to the table. She made me sit down and put a bowl of soup in front of me. I wasn't hungry. I just ate and... There you are, Dan. Now, just you go to it and you'll feel better in a jiffy. A gentleman is Dan. Dan, these are my boys. Hello, fellas. Glad to see you. It's Manny. Huh? What'd you say? Something to Manny? No, why? Eat the soup, then. Well, I don't... You want to hurt her feelings? Well, of course not. But I... Then eat the soup, bub. Look, I don't see how I can eat it when I just got... Look, look, look. You gotta eat the soup, bub. And I'll show you how. Like this. It's easy, see? Now, eat it. Okay, okay. You start and I'll find the right key. There. Good, ain't it? Swell. Little here, huh? Yeah. Where'd you pull in from? Uh, shy. Good town. All swells. You ain't eating the soup, bub. It's hot. Blow on it. Okay, okay. Uh, see Red this evening? Red? Yeah, Red. Oh, Red. Yeah, he was here. Was? You mean he left? Yeah, he picked up a letter that was here for him. A letter? He picked up a letter? What are you, a spy or something? I'm a friend of Red's. Oh, well, he was here, like I said. He picked up a letter and beat it. Did you, uh, did you see where the letter was from? What am I, the postmaster? Shut up and eat your soup. Okay, okay, but it's still hot. Well, I ate the soup and I stayed in the mission until 10 o'clock. Red didn't show up and that worried me because I knew that for all his toughness he was anxious and worried about Suki. Then when I decided not to wait any longer... All right, General, she's on the chair. Well, I'll see you later. Where you going? I got a date. You heard what Mrs. Work said. You're going to sing. But I've got to leave now. You're going to sing. You ate the soup and you're going to sing. What's the matter? You don't appreciate this, huh? Of course I do. I think it's a wonderful thing, but I... Well, then sing. Here's a song she didn't do. Now, we're going to have a sheet. Can you sing loud? Definitely at times. That's good enough. And keep on key. I don't like sour notes. Oh, I'll try to be operatic about the whole thing. Well, here, hold our sheet up. Until we can do the best we can. All right, here's the first note. Now, one, two... Sing, bub. Sing. Right to drive. I sang, then I left. I wondered about red and wondered about that letter. Was it from Suzy? And it wasn't until the next day that I got the joke. I was in the office when Suzy brought me the morning paper. Morning paper, Mr. Holiday. And the mail from box 13. Oh, thanks, Suzy. What's it do in the world? Not much. And only three letters for box 13. One from a lady who wants to know if you take baby 30. Oh, that's too much of an adventure. And one from a man who wants you to leave your brain to science. Oh, great. It's great. Then here's one from a woman who wants you... Hey. Hey. What's the matter, Mr. Holiday? This item in the paper here. Accident. Rail yards. Vagrant. Kill. Description. Hair red. Suzy, I've got to leave for a while. I'll see you later. The bag gets killed. But look, Kling, I told you about Sukey. Sukey, Smokey. His pal of yours was hitting the rods and he got killed. I know, I know. It happens a dozen times a year. Sure. Now, look. So red got a letter from Sukey. Sukey told him where he was. They're pals. Red takes off to find him, gets tangled with... You're forgetting one thing, Kling. And that's... Red had a lump on his head. So? I think he was slugged. All right, he was slugged. Got a fright in the yards. Uh-uh, Dan. You're looking at box 13 imagination. Whip your round on a merry-go-round. This is just one of those things. Now I've got to go to work. Suppose I turn up something, Kling. Something that proves red was killed by somebody who wanted that letter. Then I'll be glad to fill out your dance card. Until then, rumble by yourself. Okay, but I've got a hunch that red was killed because Sukey told him where he was. And I'm going to find out where. And why. And now back to the philanthropist. Another box 13 adventure with Alan Land as Dan Holliday. Sure, I was going to find out where and why. Sounded a lot easier than it turned out. But I still believe the place I started looking was a rescue mission. I haunted it. Went back night after night. Day after day until finally my face was as familiar there as the surface of the floor. Then one evening... Good evening, Dan. How are you? Oh, fine, Miss Work. How are you? Splendid. Do you like it here, Dan? Yes, I do. I've been watching you. Somehow you don't seem like the others. Why not? I'm no different from them. No, not in so many words. But, well... What's the matter? Dan, wouldn't you like to help yourself? How do you mean that? Oh, get a job. Rehabilitate yourself. Do you think I need it? All of us do, more or less. Now, there's a gentleman who's done so very much for the mission here. Here, contributions, furniture, lots of things. I am. He's done quite a bit for other missions, too, I understand. I want to send you to him, Dan. Why? What can he do for me? I've sent other men to him. The ones I think are worth the effort. And you think I am, is that it? Yes. And what'll he do for me? He likes you. He may give you a job if you want one. Uh, you say he gives jobs to other men from other missions, too? Yes, I believe so. Oh. Okay, Mrs. Work. I'll give him a whirl. Fine, Dan, splendid. I'll give you his name and address, and you go see him the first thing in the morning. Maybe this was the lead I'd been waiting for. Reddit's spoken about Suki going to get a job. Okay. I looked at the name on the stick of paper Mrs. Work gave me. It was Philip G. Rockman. And the next morning, found me sitting across from him in his office. Well, so Mrs. Work sent you, did she? Yes, sir. Mm-hmm. Fine, woman, splendid. Magnificent work she's doing down there. Yes, sir, it is. In my own little way, I try to help as much as I can. Yes, that's what she said. Mm-hmm. Uh, how old are you, Dan? Uh, 32. I see. Somehow you don't seem like the usual type she sends to me. What is the usual type, Mr. Rockman? Oh, it's no matter. But do you really want a job, Dan? Yes, sir, I do. Mm-hmm. For the wife and kiddies, eh? No, I'm not married. Oh, too bad. And then it's because you want to show your relatives that you can make a comeback. I have no relatives. Mm-hmm. That's what I wanted to hear. What? Well, you see, I never give jobs to men who have relatives. I feel as though I should be helping those who are out all alone in the world. I want to reach out and make men feel well that there is someone who cares. Do you see that, Dan? Uh, yes, I do. It's very generous of you, Mr. Rockman. Oh, nothing, nothing at all. My own little contribution toward making this a better world. Well, Dan, I think we have just the job for you, but you'll have to leave town. Leave town? You mean the jobs in a different city? Well, yes, it is. But don't you worry. I pay your transportation. They're not first-class, but you'll get there. And it just so happens that you'll be the last one to take this kind of job. It's all I have. I didn't like the way he said I'd be the last. Mm-hmm. This was a racket. What kind was it? What was Rockman's angle? There was no way to find out, so I went to the city he sent me to. It was far enough away from Rockman to be safe and close enough so that Rockman could keep his eye on it. It was the next afternoon that I walked to the address Rockman had given me and knocked on the door. Yeah? Uh, Mr. Rockman sent me. Okay, come on in. Let me see the letter. Here. Here it is. Mm-hmm. Okay, follow me, bud. I followed him down the hallway and I took a good look at the place while I was doing it. I noticed something. It was one of those old brownstone houses and every window was barred. The bars weren't new. They'd been put there by the original owner. Mm-hmm. Why should Rockman pick a place like this, then? Sit down a minute. Oh, uh, your name's Dan, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right, Dan. Had anything to eat? No. Okay, supper's in 10 minutes. Go in and wash up. Uh, where? Straight ahead to your right. There's a big washroom. Then go in the room right across when you're finished. Sure, thanks. There are about seven other men in the room talking, washing their hands, smoking. One of them looked up when I entered. He seemed to be expecting someone else. Then when he saw me, he went back to washing his hands. I moved in next to him. Hiya, Bella. Hi. Just come, huh? Yeah. Hey, what is this joint? Softest touch in the world, guy. What's your name? Dan. Yours? Call me Suki. Suki. Yeah, why? You, you a pal of Reds? Red. Hey, where is he? Why didn't he come? I've been waiting for him. Red's got to get in on this thing. Red. Red was killed, Suki. What are you giving me? I told Suki about Red, but I didn't mention what I was doing in the game. When I finished. Red, Red killed. He was coming to meet me here. I sent him a letter telling him all about it. You sent him a letter from here? Yeah. We ain't supposed to do no right and tell anybody about this, but Red's my pal. I wrote the letter and snuck it out. Suki, I think Red was killed because you sent him that letter. Huh? What are you yapping about? What are you doing? All right, you guys. Supper's on. Come on. I'll talk to you later, Suki. Yeah, I have to supper in the sleeping room. Dan, you sleeping? No. Is that you, Suki? Yeah, I don't like no match. Now, what were you telling me in the washroom? Listen, Suki, first tell me what kind of a place this is. What do you do here? I just sort of touch how we do a certain old magazine and then we make a kind of... Well, we write down what's in each magazine and then... You mean all you do here is index magazines? Yeah. We get to live here, board and room. Grubb's pretty good on the... Only what, Suki? Well, we ain't allowed to leave. We gotta stay here. The only place we go out is in the backyard. I don't get it. I don't get it at all. Well, what's the difference? It's a soft touch. We each get a couple of bucks after we've fixed up ten magazines. What's the racket, Suki? What's the racket? There ain't none. But I... Hey, it's a nose counter to make sure we're all in. I gotta get back to my bunk. The same man who let me in came through and checked each bunk. What was the angle? I lay there watching, waiting, thinking. The moonlight filled it in through the bars at the windows and suddenly I remembered something else. The doors. Big, heavy, reinforced. Then the man came close to my bunk. I could feel him looking down at me. I must have looked as though I was sleeping like a baby. He walked on and out. And he locked the door after him. All of us were prisoners in that room. For five days I worked like the rest of the men, sorting magazines, indexing them. A boring job that made absolutely no sense. And we were watched, but good. No letters in or out. Doors locked at night, windows all barred, two men watching us, checking us. And then one day I was taken to an office. One I'd never been in before. Rockland was there. I've called you in, Dan, because there's a little formality to be gone through. Formality? Yes, the other men have gone through it. Workman's compensation policy. We'll take you to the physical examiner this afternoon. It'll be all over in a jiffy. Oh, I see. Do I have to sign anything? Oh, no, no, no, no. Everything's been taken care of. It's a matter of form, you understand. Oh, sure, sure. Excellent, excellent. At two this afternoon, then. So at two that afternoon I was given a physical examination. I passed, but I was beginning to get an idea. One that made me a little sick, scared. That evening after supper I got Suki to one side and told him what I thought. But you're crazy, Dan. You gotta be. They couldn't get away with anything like that. Listen to me, Suki. Every one of us here have been insured. Not one of us has any relatives. We've been screened, picked carefully for just that reason. But there's nine of us here. They can't kill nine guys to get that insurance. Suki, this looks like a legitimate business. Rockland hires us. We work here. We're insured for small amounts, sure. But nine men add up to $9,000 in policies. And how do we know how many more places there are like this? Oh, it's nuts. It don't make sense. They'd be on a murder rapture, a shooting, the insurance company had gone. What if it's an accident? What kind of an accident would kill nine guys at once? That's what we've got to find out. Don't you see? Red got that letter from you. They found out about it. Red must have talked with the mission and to keep anyone from finding out where you were. Red was killed and your letter taken off of him. Dirty. What do you want me to do? You've got to look this place over. Tonight. That night, Suki and I got out of bed before the checker came around. We made a quick tour and found out it was a perfect setup for a fire. Sure. A fire. Locked doors, barred windows. Men trapped in there would be, it would be just an accident. What could anybody prove? Anybody who set up a gimmick as clever as this one would have all the angles covered and his tracks wiped out. But what are we going to do? We can't get out. We're watched every minute. We've got to get out soon. We don't. We're cooked. And I mean cooked. Tell the other guys there's nine of us. Only three of them. No, Suki. We've got to pretend we're still patches for them. Let them think we're not wise and don't tell anybody, Suki. Suki and I worked out a plan. The bars on the washroom windows. Was it coming to him? Pretty good. Chipping away the stone with the nails. Slow work. Just three bars. Get three bars loose. That's all we need. Well, Suki worked while I watched and I worked while he watched. We finally got three bars loose. Was working against time because I was sure the thing would happen any time now. And I was right. Dan, Dan, you awake? I haven't slept for three nights. What's up? It's after 12 and the checker ain't been around. Okay, then tonight's the night. Hey, wait a minute. Get out of the out and wait a minute. Smell that? Smoke. Come on, Suki. Get the other men up. This fire trap will burn like tinder in two minutes. Sorry. Hey, you guys. You guys, wake up. Come on, wake up. Listen, there's a fire. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. There's a fire, but we'll all get out of here if you'll keep your heads. Suki, open the door. It's locked, Dan. All right, everybody. We've got to break that door in. Then go to the washroom. Three bars are loose. And then take your time getting out and we'll all make it. All right, let's go. Out of the washroom. The other door is too heavy for us. Come on. We got out not too soon. The fire was eating that old trap as though it was a shoe box then. Hey, Dan, look. They're getting away. Don't let them. Hey, stop those men. Don't let them get in the car. Come on. They can't get away. Head them off at the garage. Head them off. Hold them, Suki. Okay. Now you're going to talk. About what? You'll see. Man, listen, man. This fire was deliberately set to trap us. Kill us. I'll tell you why later, but these are the men who did it. What do we do with them? Wait a minute. You want to talk? Yeah, I'll only keep them away from me. Suki, talk to the rest of them. But it wasn't over. There was still one thing to be done. Rockland couldn't know things had gone wrong, so I set up a little surprise party for him. Suki and I went to him. Yes, I... What are you doing here? Having fun? Yeah. Why aren't you at work? Let me move in on him, Dan. Let me get my... Hold it, Suki. Rockland, it didn't work. What's the matter with you? It didn't work, I said. Everyone got out. Fine, fine. Got out of what? The fire. And one of your men talked, Rockland. He talked plenty. Oh? Well, it doesn't matter, because you bums won't let them talk about it. Dan, look out! Oh! Hey, Dan. Yeah. Okay. But you can shoot straighter than that, Kling. A lot straighter. My hand. My hand. Yeah, I can shoot straighter. But this is one guy I want to save. See how he likes bars on windows. Do you mind if those men have escaped from that awful house? Sure, Susie, sure. But when he did, he'd end up in an accident like Red. Oh. What are you thinking about, Mr. Holiday? Hmm? Oh, nothing, Susie. I was just saying goodbye to a friend. Huh? Oh, Suki. He wouldn't stay? No, he wouldn't. Oh, and that reminds me, make out a check to the hope rescue mission. Okay. For how much? I don't see two weeks from when bored. I think that's what I owe. Oh, and Susie, tack on enough for a Malodian, wouldn't you? Uh-huh. Can I do it after lunch? Sure. Say, what are we having? Soup. Oh, good night, Susie. Weep. Same time, through the courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday in Box 13. Box 13 is directed by Richard Sanville with an original story by Russell Hughes. Original music is composed and conducted by Rudy Schrager. The part of Susie is played by Sylvia Picker and that of Lieutenant Kling by Edmund MacDonald. Production is supervised by Vern Carstensen. This is a Mayfair production from Hollywood. Watch for Alan Ladd in his latest Paramount Picture.