 Personal notice, dangerous my stock and trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Standard Oil Company of California, on behalf of independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the west, invites you to let George do it. DEF begins at 45, another adventure of George Valentine. My dear Mr. Valentine, you have never seen my name, Wendell Mason, as a byline on stories or articles, unless it's been in a garden magazine or perhaps a filler in the newspaper. You see, I am a writer, but I've never found a big enough story, until now. But Mr. Valentine, I have run across a grain of pepper in the midst of sugar, a black icicle in the midst of sunshine, in the midst of one of our most exclusive quietest suburbs, what have I found? A criminal, one of the blackest criminals in all America. What is he doing in River Vista? Of course, he might only be visiting there, and yet, in that case, why should I, a mere observer of the scene, be struck from behind and left for dead? Oh yes, it happened to be only this morning. Well, Mr. Valentine, that is my chance at a big story. That's for me to find out with your help. Well, Brooksy, this is where the character said to me, the city limits, there's the sign across the highway. Just about as fancy as everything else in River Vista. And as sleepy. Some lovely homes, though, I guess, farther upstream. I'm happy right here. Flowers and sunshine. George, look at all the trees and blossom down by the bank. Yeah. Should have brought a radio. Yeah. I could listen to a ball game. Oh, there are other things to do in the spring besides baseball, aren't there? Track season's getting underway. All right, stick to business. No, Angel, it's just that the, well, this is the craziest rendezvous point I have ever heard of. And it's two o'clock, like the letter said, only what do we see? Just the big outdoors. You and me. Yes, George. Oh, look the other way. One of the paths there. Hello. Ah, oh, good morning. Good afternoon. It's pleasant day, isn't it? Yes, it certainly is. After a walk, are you, you young people? Look, my name's Valentine. Oh, well, you haven't seen any barges, have you? Ah, on the river, I mean, freight barges. Well, there's so many trees you can't get a view of. Oh, yes, yes, of course. I thought perhaps you'd been further up, you know, up by the bend, yeah? Well, there aren't any, apparently. Anyway, now, well, pleasant day. Yeah, yeah. Interesting conversation. George, that man's awfully well-dressed to be just out taking a walk in the woods or looking for barges. Hey, and look at that car he's getting into. Custom job Cadillac convertible. Hey, hey, now who's working too hard? Bruxy, I think you had the right idea about today in the first place. It's spring and the heck with this. It's the heck with all this. All right, Choutoute. Break it up. Go on, get out of here. Get off this property, your trespassing. Well, what? Find someplace else for your smooching. Go on. Hey, now wait a minute, Buster. Wait for what? Oh, a rifle. Yes, that's right. A rifle. I'll just climb back in your car and drive someplace else. Suppose I argue. What's down that trail anyway that makes it cough up such different kinds of people? Such what? That other guy. The pinstripe and the Cadillac. He wasn't exactly your general type. His fuse wasn't so short. I don't know what you're talking about. Was it somebody else here who was it? Well, we don't know. Who are you, Wendell Mason? What's that, a gag? Now, listen, both of you. The name is Tim McNeil. I'm leaving and I want to see you get out of here first. Do it. Or I promise you'll be trampled to death by cops. McNeil's car has turned now, hasn't it? Heading into town? I think so, George. He's going awfully fast. George! Relax. We're just going back to see the birds and the bees. That's all. Trampled to death by cops, huh? We're going to find out what that guy McNeil was talking about. Houseboat! Sure. We parked in the wrong place before. Wrong side of the sign to see it. Welcome to River Vista. It's tied up there. There's a regular pier. Yeah. Oh, it's a pretty fancy houseboat, Brooksie. Yeah. Somebody likes the good life. Here, around this side, I guess. Then, somebody? The good death. Who is it, George? Just lying there. Wendell Mason, it must be. It's not Mason. Haven't you ever seen this face before? Rocco Banyan. Rocco Banyan. Yeah, he's big, all right. One of the biggest criminals in America. I guess he's been dead since yesterday. Huh? Excuse me. Did I keep you waiting, Mr. Valentine? I... I'm your client. Mason, so now you show up. Yes, yes, it's quite a story, isn't it? I told you it was quite a story. Well, aren't you glad you came? Banyan died from a 45. Not from a rifle, Lieutenant Devlin? No, a 45 automatic. Here are the bullets, two of them. And the examiner says he died early yesterday morning, huh? Devlin, didn't the police have any idea at all that Rocco Banyan was in this part of the country? They did not? Why would they? None of his enterprises were out here, Midwestern boys. St. Louis, last I heard of. Oh, but they come to California to die. Sure, it's a climate. Oh, now don't be bitter. Why not? There's only about 10,000 people in the world who might have killed Banyan who have a reason for killing him. Yeah, but how many of them live in River Vista? I know. None. This town is clean, my friend. It's a trouble. That's what makes it hard. Be right back. Mason, come here, will you? Of course, Mr. Valentine, I've only been waiting... Why didn't you meet us on time? Where were you this afternoon? Well, I told you I'd been struck on the head. I had to have the bandage changed here. You see, they're taking... Okay, skip it, skip it. Now, what are you doing in this burg anyway? You don't exactly look like the country club said. Well, I was just here to do some articles or try to on gardens. The beautiful gardens of River Vista for the gardening magazines. But now, holy smoke, do you know that just while you've been talking, I phoned in the story. I beat the local paper by five minutes. My story will be sold to the wire services with a byline. I said, what are you doing here? Well, two days ago, on my way into town, I saw this man for just a moment getting off the train. And, of course, I recognized Banyan, anybody would. All his publicity, it's a face you can't forget. Actually, the idea of the story occurred to me, so I tried and tried to locate him. And you did, yesterday morning. That's when you got slugged or claimed you did. And a medical examiner says that's when Banyan died. Yes, I was out here. I just walked out here. I just walked out here from the hotel, but the minute I got on the path there, well, I never even knew what hit me. A blunt instrument the hospital said. Hey, hey, hold it there. Yesterday morning, eh? Valentine, this guy must have come here just when the murderer was here. Maybe it was the other end of the same 45 that parted Mason's hair. Well, of course, of course, that's what I deduced. I've already put that in my story. Yeah, wouldn't you know. Say, Mason, what do you know about Tim McNeil? And watching Banyan out here, have you seen him? Who is Tim McNeil? Save it, Valentine. McNeil is the man who reported this thing to the police. He's also the man who owns his houseboat. The guy's supposed to be all right. Sure, a nice fellow, friendly, too. I'm only saying what I've heard. He's made some money on a bearing works, building a palace out here in River Vista and living on a houseboat in the meantime. What did he have to say about Racco Banyan being here on his houseboat? That's what he won't talk about. Just to make you happy, McNeil claims he has an alibi for yesterday. Oh, I see. Now, my friends, this case isn't going to be that simple. This is the big-time kind. If Mason could spot Banyan, he'd go away from St. Louis. A hundred people could have come out here to call on him or been here with him. Who would know about it? Oh, yes, we would, Lieutenant. We'd know about one. What says she? Because I know. I was out here the night before he was killed. Well, the story of yours gets better and better all the time. Oh, Mr. Valentine, please. Now, I was out walking. I had just found out that Banyan was living aboard this houseboat. I was on my way back to town, down the path from the highway. Well, for Pete's sake, who was it? Well, he was dark. I didn't come back to sea. A middle-aged man, I guess. He's very well-dressed. Oh, yes. I noticed back up on the highway a man had driven up in a Cadillac convertible. A custom job. Oh, if it's our car. Now, wasn't it clever of you to remember the license plates, Mr. Valentine? I'd like to use your telephone, Mrs. Ray. It's right there in the library, Lieutenant. The maid will show you. Have a mind. I'll get it. Thanks. Go on, go on. Tell me the rest of it. This is the most exciting thing I ever heard of. Imagine a murder right here in our own sleepy hollow. We don't know much more yet, Mrs. Reed. Oh, darling, you do too. We hope you do, Mrs. Reed. That's the idea coming here, you know. But what was this Rocco Banyan doing in River Vista? Mrs. Reed, that is a portrait of your husband up there, isn't it? Oh, yes. Of course, Huntley's really a little fatter than that, and not quite so impressive-looking. Well, that's the same man we saw, all right? And the same one whom Mason saw the night before. You say your husband's a doctor? Oh, I thought everyone knew that. There's nothing else he ever talks about. The Huntley Reed Hospital. That's what we have instead of children. But, oh, it's very exclusive. I can't preach him in his office, Mrs. Reed. Well, did you try the downtown club, Lieutenant? His nurse did. I also asked her if your husband had ever had Rocco Banyan as a patient. She asked me how long have I been crazy. Oh, oh, wait till the Gothins get this one. Well, maybe Huntley's gone out to the country. Our other place is up the river at such a beautiful day. The number's right there, Lieutenant. The riverside number. Okay, thanks. I'll call him. Mrs. Reed, couldn't you just tell us in one sentence what your husband did say about Rocco Banyan? Well, here. Here. This is all it was. A crime story in the picture magazine. There's Banyan someplace. Oh, there, there, you see? Well, Huntley said he saw him. We know that. We were on our way out to the country place to party the other night, and Huntley had to stop to see a patient, some other doctor's patient. Huntley doesn't usually do that sort of emergency business at all, but he said we'd be driving past there anyway. It was somebody with an infected leg or something on one of the river barges. But did you say barge, Mrs. Reed? Yes. Isn't that preposterous? It was tied up right there at that same pier. Well, anyway, I sat in the car and Huntley went down a path, but I guess he got the wrong boat or something, because he bumped into a man and had to ask directions. Later, when he came back up, he said, guess who I saw? Rockle Banyan. Just as if he went into a drugstore and saw Hitler or somebody. Uh-huh. Beginning to get the idea. But today, your husband was out there today. Well, you said he was looking for a barge. I, I suppose he was just being conscientious. That's his sweetest virtue, blessing. Just paying a return call on the patient. Yeah, maybe. And the barge wasn't there anymore. Well, I can't imagine why else, unless it was curiosity. Or unless he's been holding on to me all these years. Dr. Huntley Reed, secret associate of the notorious Rockle Banyan. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful. Little stuffy old river vista suddenly jumping into the headlines with its most correct citizens. Oh, Lieutenant, now we can find out. What did Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have to say? What's the secret nefarious connection between my husband and... Mrs. Reed, I, I only talked to a servant out there and a highway patrolman. Of what? I, I'm sorry, but I'll, I'll say it fast. They just found the doctor's body out in the woods. Your husband's dead. He's been murdered, shot to death by a 45. We'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine in just a moment. There aren't many of us who can say, tomorrow morning I'll go out and buy a brand new car. Just like that. But it's so easy for you to get and keep that new car feeling with the car you're driving now. How do you do it? Just by using chevron supreme gasoline. 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Because now the police have located that barge at the next town down the river and the last thing it seems to carry is information. Murder, no, that's bad. Yeah, that's too bad, really. Read it to him, Bruce. All right, George. And the police have definitely proved that it was the same gun, the same caliber 45 automatic that must have been used to kill both men. Oh, so that's too bad. Well, that's been right in the newspaper for the past half hour. Here's the rest. According to Mrs. Reed's account her husband only saw Rocco Bagnan for a short moment. As she sat in the car that night before the first murder, Dr. Reed walked down towards the pier. How about that part, friend? What was your barge doing at that pier that night anyway? Oh, well, that's an easy place to tie up. My leg here was infected and it was an easy place for the deckhand to go on the shore and telephone for the doctor. You came back to see her again a day later and you were gone. Oh, sure, sure. I go to the car, go to think about it and my leg, she's better so we go the same night. Come on, Valentine. It's a waste of time. No luck with the deckhand? No positive connection here with Bagnan. All we do is confirm Mrs. Reed's story about her husband that night. Yeah, I know. So there's only one thing to do, isn't there? McNeil? Yeah, McNeil. And Devlin, how about letting me have a try at the rising businessman by myself? I've got an alibi, Valentine. I wasn't even out here those two or three days. Not so perfect an alibi, McNeil. Staying in town in a hotel, partying with friends. You still might have had a chance to get out here and kill Bagnan. There was somebody with me all the time. I said all the time every minute. Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure, I saw the list. You were with various respected citizens all the time. But a guy isn't normally that sociable, is he? Unless he sets it up that well. Oh, you're crazy. Why are you so nervous? Who'd you expect? Nothing. I wasn't. Why is Rocco Bagnan staying in your houseboat? Okay, shall I do a little guessing? Shall I talk about a rising businessman who's made a little money and come out to build a home where the rich people live? It's a nice place out here. The climate is good. I notice you can't take your eyes off the newspapers over there. You don't like being mixed up in all this, do you, Mike? Well, look at that stuff. The big shot gangster. And the doctor. How does he tie him? He's respectful. How should I know? Punks who write that stuff, this beagle-nosed mason, whoever he is. Let's get back to Rocco Bagnan. Let's see what makes you so touchy about the publicity. Why are you so... He's my brother. That's why. Your brother? Yeah. Brother to be proud of. To love. I haven't seen him for years, Valentine. You saw him last week. He just showed up in town. He knew I had the houseboat. Why did he come here? How should I know? Take a rest, he said. He wasn't actually a fugitive or anything. What could I do? Give him the keys and move out yourself. Throw him out. What would happen then? I haven't liked the guy for years. I hate him. I even changed my name not to be mixed up with him. Sure, I was with people, but it wasn't a setup in the alibis. Rocco said he'd just stay a few days. He wanted to rest while it'd be quiet. Or he could be alone. Or he could be alone, huh? Alone. Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Where are you going? To put this together fast, McNeil. What? Yeah, put it together before somebody else gets hurt. Hurry up and connect me with that number, will you, operator? Valentine, will you please? Hello? Hello, Mrs. Reid, this is George Valentine. I'm so glad you called. Have you found anything else? Mrs. Reid, look, please listen. The other night when you were with your husband and you waited for him and your car parked under that brightly lighted sign, did you see anyone at all? No, of course not. Well, did your husband, did he mention seeing anybody besides Banyan? Aside from his patient and the deckhand or whatever it was. That's right on the houseboat. Let me see. I don't remember exactly. I don't think so, but Mr. Valentine, naturally at the time we didn't think anything was important. All right, never mind, Mrs. Reid. I think your husband may have been killed because he saw someone besides Banyan there. Or at least because that someone thought your husband saw him there. I don't understand. Mrs. Reid, are you alone in your house now? Well, yes. The servants went to the movies. If your husband was killed because he'd been a witness to something, you must be on the list too. So lock the windows, will you, lady? We're coming right out. George. Will you buy it, gentlemen? Yep. Only brother, you left out something. Story in the paper. I know. A murderer thinks in a straight line, one, two, first kill Rocco Banyan, then knock over the doctor because he might have seen you. Yes, it's the only way it makes sense. A murderer didn't notice Mrs. Reid waiting in her car. This newspaper told him she might be another witness. Practically told, he'd better play safe and get rid of her too. All right. What are we waiting for? Let's go. Oh, fancy spurt, isn't it? Yeah, I guess the front door is this way. So dark, you can't talk. Hey, George. There's somebody up there at the door. Hey, that's Mason. Come on. Yeah. Come on. All right, you. Got him, Devlin? Yeah, I got him. Come on. Mrs. Reid. Open the door. Mrs. Reid. Oh, Mr. Ballant. Mr. Ballant. Man, I'll take it easy. You're all right. I was, I was. Come on, come on. Back inside. He's been pounding there on the door. Is anybody else here, Mrs. Reid? Oh, no, there wasn't. After you telephoned, I began to realize what it all meant. To realize I was in danger too. Here, you'd better sit down. Leave an occurred to me. It's so simple. He explains everything. Puffy was killed because he saw. People would think that I saw too. Well, you don't have to worry anymore, Mrs. Reid. Oh, it's so hard to get used to the idea that somebody might want to kill you. You never even think such people exist. Okay, Valentine. Here's our man. Oh, Mr. Ballant and I, I didn't mean it. They tried to get in. It's the stories. That's all. Just my stories. What do you mean? Well, Mr. Ballant and I wrote too much. I said too much in my stories. So I came out here to warn Mrs. Reid. Now, listen, my friend. I ain't written it. It was so obvious and yet I hadn't seen it myself. It's been in the paper since noon. Mrs. Reid's name. About being out there with her husband that night. I was afraid my writing might have got her killed. You, you mean... Yeah, Devlin. It's turning into a chorus, isn't it? We're all catching on at once. All solving at the same way. But all our figuring of the how and why of the murders doesn't help us with a who, does it? Oh. Come on, Mason. I want to talk to you some more in there. Hey, would you take some notes, Miss Brooks? Oh, sure. I feel a lot safer now that you're here, Mr. Valentine. Yeah, okay. Mason had a point, don't you think, Mrs. Reid? The murderer must have seen a paper at noon. Well... Well, Mrs. Reid, it's night time now and you've been alone and accessible a lot of the time since noon. To the murderer, that is. Oh, don't remind me. So if it's true that the only reason for killing respectable people is because they had the misfortune to be near Rock-O-Banion once, well, then, uh, why aren't you dead? What? Why? Do you always say such charming things to people? Mrs. Reid, I know it's a shot in the dark, but why haven't you been shot in the dark in all this time? Why haven't you? Because Mr. Banyan's little friend with a 45 has such atrocious aim, perhaps, because he ran out of bullets. How should I know? It was plenty good aim that killed Banyan, lady, and then killed your husband the next day. Yes, my husband. For being very considerate. Sure, it was simple murder. One, two. A big-time gangster with a few thousand enemies and then the innocent only, why haven't you been killed too? Will you please stop? Will you let... Mrs. Reid, you cooked up a murder scheme that's 50 times as cold-blooded as anything Banyan's 10,000 enemies ever could think of. I don't know anything about Mr. Banyan. I only saw his picture in a magazine once. Yeah. Yeah, sure, you saw his picture in a magazine, all right? But your husband saw him. I guess that's what gave you the idea, wasn't it? I'm not filled with ideas like yours. And it would have worked so beautifully. The police could look at you for years for Banyan's killer. Only, why weren't you killed too? I... Unless you're the murder yourself, Mrs. Reid. Unless the whole thing is upside down, unless it isn't a one-two case. No, it's very neat, very neat. This time, two comes first. Rock old Banyan was killed a whole day before my husband. In order of importance. Now, suppose you wanted to get rid of your husband. And suppose one night he happened to see a famous gangster in town. Boy, what an opportunity. At least if you're cold-blooded enough to be able to go out and just shoot that gangster. No, I didn't. You're lying. It made a perfect murder, didn't it? Because then you can wait until the next day and kill your husband without anyone ever guessing that the chicken came first instead of the egg. I didn't do it. I didn't. I didn't. Okay, Mrs. Reid, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe if we go looking for evidence where you never expected this to, like in places where you must have bought the gun, places where we might find your fingerprints, lots of places like that. Oh, maybe we won't find anything. Well, only if I am wrong about all this, then why weren't you killed, too? Why weren't you killed, too? Mrs. Huntley Reid, member of all the best clubs, one of the wealthiest women in River Vista, charming hostess. And she talked too much, Brooksy. Maybe we should have caught on earlier. I don't know. The despairing way she rattled off about her husband. And now it seems she's been wanting for many years. Oh, but George, lots of women talk that way about their husbands. It doesn't necessarily mean... I know they do. I know they do. That's the trouble. What? Oh, you mean... well, lots of women don't, George. Depends on the personality, I suppose. Huh? Do you think I'm going to rise to that, babe? You're crazy. Do you think I'm going to say I wouldn't say nasty things about you? You're crazy. If you think, think who you are, sort of crazy. If you've already discovered that new car feeling by using super-refined chevron supreme gasoline, why not take it one easy step further for that new car look? You can't change the shape of your car, but it could be easier to keep it sparkling bright, clean, and shining. The car savers at standard stations and independent chevron gas stations know this. 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Let George do it as written by Jackson Gillis and directed by Don Clark. Pat McGeein was heard as Lieutenant Devlin, Bob Griffin as Mason, Bill Conrad as McNeil, Dara Singleton as Mrs. Reed and Larry Dobkin as Reed. The music is composed and presented by Eddie Dunstetter. It's a fact that anyone can develop cancer, but it's a fact too that we're not just going to sit back and do nothing about this serious disease. Join the 1950 Cancer Crusade. Help Science, help you. May let generous contribution today to cancer care of your local post office. Remember, we must all strike back. This is John Heaston reminding you that although daylight saving time will go into effect next week, you will hear Let George do it at the same time on this same station. This is the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.