 The Irene Dunn, Fred McMurray Show. Starring Irene Dunn as Susan and Fred McMurray as George. Together in the gay new exciting comedy adventure, Bright Star. The Irene Dunn, Fred McMurray Show. The gay exciting romantic adventures that take place around the Hillsdale Morning Star. Yes, things are happening at the star, and as usual, they concern Irene Dunn and Fred McMurray as Susan Armstrong and George Harvey respectively. And it must be exciting because, well, let's listen. Report, Miss Armstrong. Gee, we went up 1500 yesterday. Yes, I know. That's pretty good, huh? Maybe. Boy, those articles Mr. Harvey's writing on Joe Mantellier. Well, they're selling like hotcakes. Sammy, you want to be a newspaper man yourself someday? Sure. Then try to avoid such old cliches as selling like hotcakes. Gee, Miss Armstrong, I don't know any new cliches. All cliches are bad style, Sammy. It's not a good habit to get into. Okay, Miss Armstrong. All I want to do is follow in Mr. Harvey's footsteps. And Mr. Harvey's footsteps. That's another cliché. Don't you see how trite and old-fashioned they sound? Well, maybe you're right. Well, to me, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Gee, Miss Armstrong, you must be a mind reader. Well, go and ask Mr. Harvey to come in here, will you? Well, you see, he must have gone down to the press room. You mean he hasn't come in yet? Well, Sammy, why do you always try to cover up for Mr. Harvey? Oh, I just hate to see him get fired. Yes, he's a wonderful reporter, isn't he? Oh, it isn't that. He usually owes me anywhere from two to eight bucks, and I've got to protect my interest. All right, Sammy. Send him in as soon as he gets here. Yes, ma'am. Good morning, you little monster. See, Mr. Harvey, I never know whether you really hate me or you're just kidding. Sammy, I'm as puzzled about it as you are. I admire you as a man, but I load you as a creditor. The boss wants to see you right away. Well, that hardly merits such an extremely grave tone. Two more mentally articles, and the whole world will want to see me. I might, if I feel like it. On the other hand, I might not. Okay, Sammy, you cleared it all up for me. I hate you. This is a fine hour to be getting him. That's what I love about the newspaper game, the directness. No good morning, no how do you feel, no greetings of any kind, just bang right out with a complaint. Good morning. Good morning. This is a fine hour to be getting in. I never win, and I've given up hoping to, but once in a while I would like to run a respectable second. Hey, what's this? Print run went up 1,500 yesterday. Pretty good, huh? I wish you wouldn't read the things on my desk. Okay, but you know what's selling those extra pages, don't you? Yes, I know. Your article's on Mantelli. Well? George, I'm worried about them. Worried about them? Here we're setting the town and fact the whole state right on its ear with facts and figures on the Mantelli mob, and you're worried about it. Yes, well that's just it, George. The facts and the figures are too pat, they're too accurate. You couldn't possibly get this information from anybody except a member of Mantelli's own staff. So what? George, who's your source of information? You know I won't tell you that. Okay, then I'm going to have to stop running the article. Oh, now Susan, have a heart. I've got a real chance with that series. Mantelli's the real big shot of crime in this state, and I can prove it. No, I just can't take a chance on running any more of that stuff, unless you're willing to prove it's accurate. That's final? That's final. Then I quit. Waiting for anything? Why don't you ever believe me when I quit? I used to, every week. You still won't run the stuff, huh? Nope, not until I'm convinced. Well, and I guess you've got to meet Charlie Collins. Charlie Collins? He's my source. I ran into him one day and I was sitting at a soda fountain. George, this is supposed to be convincing. Okay, so I was at Clancy sitting in a booth when this little nervous kind of guy sort of eases up to the table. He sits down opposite me and... Mr. Harvey? Yeah? I'm ready to talk. Ready to talk? You are George Harvey of the Star, aren't you? Yeah. Okay. I'm ready to talk. Well, look, my friend, I don't feel like talking. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone. You don't get it. I don't mean just talk. I'm ready to spill. What have you got to spill? You've heard of Joe Mantelli, haven't you? Yeah, yeah, of course. I work for him. I'm in the mob. Oh. What's the angle? I want to go straight. I figure if you do one of them exposies on Mantelli, that'll take care of him. Okay. Start talking. Race tracks. Race tracks? Race tracks. That's how I got the dope for the first article. What does that prove? Collins could be making the whole thing up? Sure he could, but be reasonable. Why would he? I don't know. He'd be sticking his neck out a mile. I'd like to meet your Charlie, Collins. Well, he certainly won't come here. Mantelli's smart enough to have this place watched. Well, why don't you bring him out to the house? Or you come out for dinner and then have him meet you there. Of all the unreasonable, suspicious females, I... Well, now is it unreasonable to ask you for dinner? Okay. I'll try to contact Collins and get him out there. Good. And thanks for the invitation. You're welcome. George. Yeah? Why did you want to be alone in Clarencies? I wanted to think. Just to think or... Or to think of someone. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of someone. Who? I was thinking about Richard Harding Davis. He was a great man and a great reporter. You know, some of that stuff of his is... Susan, what's the matter? You're not listening. See you at dinner, George. I don't get it. You ask a question. I tell you the answer, then you're angry. I'm not angry, George. Just a little hurt. Just a... So that's where Sammy gets those cliches. Why you... Susan! You could kill a man throwing a paperweight like that at him. George, go! So you got him coming out to dinner again. Well, this is partly business, Patience. Business. You lay more traps for that man than Daniel Boone on a busy day. Somehow he always eases out of them. It's because you fight with him too much. Did you ever try fainting? Fainting? A woman I once used to cook for was trying to catch a certain fella, and every time an argument started, she'd go into a faint. Did it work? No. But by the end of an evening, she was certainly well rested. I get it. He's never late when you ask him for dinner, is he? Hello, George. Hi. Collins will be here any minute. Collins? Charlie Collins. My source on the mentally stuff. That's why I'm out here, isn't it? Oh, Charlie Collins! What other Collins do you know? Oh, George, now let's not argue. I feel a trifle faint. You faint? That's a laugh you're as strong as a horse. Well, so much for that. Huh? No, nothing. Go and sit down, George. Dinner will be ready soon. That was an awkward kind of thing to say about you being as strong as a horse. I didn't exactly mean it the way it sounded. It was quite all right. No, no, it's just that... Well, I see you around the office all day, and I forget what a charming, lovely gal you really are. Well, George, what a nice thing to say. And I see you out here looking like an illustration in one of those slick paper magazines. Yes. And I forget what a stubborn, quarrelsome dame you can be around the office. I give up. Let's fight. What's the matter now? I thought I was paying you a compliment. Oh, never mind. George. Hmm? Somebody's raising that window behind you. No, it's probably Charlie. He's foxy, never uses the door. Come on in, Charlie. Right on time. Charlie, this is Miss Armstrong, the owner of the paper. How do you do, Mr. Collins? How do? Miss Armstrong wanted to talk to you herself because that stuff we've been running is pretty strong. Okay. I wondered why you've been giving Mr. Harvey this information. Because when the time is right, when we busted up the mob and wiped them out, the chief is going to publish the name of the man who helped him. The chief? Well, George, am I learning for the first time that in your youth you were a papoose? Well, Charlie sort of got in the habit of calling me chief. It's just an expression. Oh. And I'm number seven. Number seven. But there are only two of you. In an operation like this, you always use numbers instead of names. Oh. Chief, I got news. Big news. What's happening, Charlie? Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh. Chief, Joe Mantelli is planning to take over Pittsburgh. No. I know the answer to that. Yes. Susan, please. All right. I'll be quiet. Are you sure of that, Charlie? The plans are almost set. I'll give you the full details as soon as I get them. Right. I better be going now. Mantelli is keeping a close watch on everybody. Good work, Charlie. Thanks, chief. Oh, number seven. Yeah? Don't slam the window on the way out. OK. Well, what have you got to say now? George, I'm still worried. Well, you asked to meet the man. I had him come out here. What more can I do? Get Mantelli to dictate the story? Of course not, but I just hate to run a sensational series on the word of a man like that. Well, you don't get crime material from society, people. I know, but I just wish you'd consider dropping the series. Drop the series? That does it. Now, don't quit before dinner. Patience is cooked something that you like. Very funny. And goodbye. George. Yeah? Just because Mr. Collins left by the window, you don't have to leave by the window. Oh. Thank you. I guess I got excited. Ah, please stay. I'm asking it as a favor. Well, why is it I can't say so at you? I wish I knew. I'd use it more often. Mrs. Gilhooly, prices are terrible. Oh, they are, Mrs. Heritage, they are. And where will it end? Oh, I don't know, I'm sure. It is the economic stabilization we'll do for us all. Good evening, Mr. Collins. Good evening, Mrs. Heritage. Any messages for me? None tonight. Thank you. Good night, lady. Good night. Good night, Mr. Collins. Ah, if only all the other boarders were like him. He's a pleasant-spoken man indeed. And never a bit of trouble. Though lately, he's been acting odd. Odd? Yes. Oh. You know, he's always subscribed to every one of them detective story and gangster magazines. Yes, he gives them to me, Timmy, after he's through with them. Yesterday morning, I was cleaning the hall outside his room and I heard him reading one of them gangster stories out loud. And then, well, a little later, I heard him telling the same story over again with a few changers in it, just as if he was practicing telling it to someone else. Why would the man be doing that? Do you think he could be planning to turn into a writer, maybe? No, why would Mr. Collins want to turn into a writer and him with his fine job as head cashier for the transit company these 20 years? Don't sound very likely. Just remember this, boys. I'm taking over. Reach for that rat-rocky and it's the last move you'll ever make. Oh, Saints Preservice, what's that? Oh, just Mr. Collins, right into himself. The new crime magazine came today. Would you have another cup, Mrs. Gilhooly? I don't mind if I do, Mrs. Hervey. Our two stars, Irene Dunn and Brett McMurray and the second act of our story. Well, it's only natural that all those newspaper stories George has been writing about big Joe Mantelli should have repercussions. And right now, Joe seems to be taking some action. What's the sense of you having a private wire if you let her ring that long? Who is it? Joe Mantelli. You cheesy lawyers get enough money from me every year. You should recognize my voice. Oh, good morning, Joe. You read the papers? You see what that Harvey had today? Huh? Now, what you're going to do about it? What do you want me to do about it? Sit down on the curb stone and have a nice cry. You're a lawyer, you know what to do. Right, or what a truth in what Harvey's writing. Soon for libel. If you do that, they'll put you on the witness stand, Joe. So they'll put me on the stand. What of it? I'm a respectable businessman now. They're likely to ask you about those horse wires. All right. Horse wires is illegal, but they ain't a real crime. What about the warehouse deal? How can they ask me about that? Texas sent it. Or dad? And how about the... But those are just sidelines. They can ask about them. Well, all I got to say is it's a fine state of affairs when a guy like Harvey can print them things about a respectable businessman and get away with it. Ah! And don't you send me no bill for that kind of advice. Justice. When you don't want it, they stuff it down your throat. When you do want to try and get it. Yeah? Who? Well, send her in. Mr. Mantelli. Yeah. So, uh, you're Miss Armstrong, huh? Yes. Well, I was just getting ready to sue you for libel. Oh, were you? Well, then perhaps it's a good thing I'm here. You're going to print a retraction? No, I can hardly do that. Then I'll sue. Well, in the whole, I'd rather doubt that you will. What makes you think that? Well, if you were going to sue, you'd have started already. Ah, got it all figured out, haven't ya? I'm trying to. Just why'd you come here? I wanted to make up my mind about something. The best way to do that seemed to be to come and have a talk with you. Oh, you got your doubts about that stuff. Harvey's been writing, huh? Yes, I have. Well, there ain't a word of truth in it. Are you willing to prove that? Sure. Well, if you do, the articles will stop immediately. Well, you can't quite figure out how to go about proving it to you, but I could show you the books, but anybody can make up a set of books. Yes, that's true. Well, I guess the best way is if you got the time for you to stick around and watch me conduct my business. Just what is your business? Oh, investments of different kinds. All right. As a matter of fact, while I'm here, I might do a straight article on you myself. It might make up for the others we ran. Hey, that's a good idea. You're a pretty smart little lady. Thank you. Hey, you know, when someone like you did tell me the right forks to use and stuff like that, there's no telling where I might wind up. Yeah, first ex mobster ever to become president. It's not so impossible. He's called the chief executive, ain't he? So what's an executive? A fellow who people does what he tells them. Well, people do what I tell them. Let me have a little on account, huh? Out of my way, Junior. Well, gee, what are you so sore about? Why isn't my mantelli article in today's paper? No, George, don't get it. I'm not getting angry. I am angry. Why wasn't my stuff in? Because I told him to hold it. You told him to hold it? Why? Well, we just might be on the wrong track. I thought we'd settle that last night. Listen, I went to see Mr. Mantelli this morning. You went to see him? Yes, and as nearly as I can tell, he's conducting a legitimate business. Ah, women. George, now, I know it's a disappointment to you, but we've got to be more certain of our ground before we go on with this series. That's a woman every time. You go to see him. He flashes your big smile, pays you a couple of phony compliments, and you're ready to believe anything. All right. I started to do a straight article on Mantelli, but he's leaving for Mexico on business. He invited me to go along all expenses paid. I said I couldn't. Yeah, very nice offer, though. Mr. Mantelli said he can tell the difference between a dame what's a lady and a dame what's a dame. Well, how do you make out? I'm going, and I'm going to do a whole series on him. Oh, Susan, you can't be seen around with a man like that. Can't I just? You watch me. I got some big news for you. Yeah, I've got some big news for you. Miss Armstrong went to see Mantelli this morning. How come you didn't know about it? She went to see Mantelli? Yes. Why didn't you know it? Why, I knew it. As soon as I heard of it, I figured I'd better stay out of the way. Why, if she'd give one flicker of recognition, we'd both have been rubbed out. Well, you've got a point there. But listen, Chief, this new angle, it's about the dance halls that have been... Never mind the new angle, and don't call me Chief. Oh, gee, gee. He's got to convince that he's legit. She's even going to cover a business trip of his. Then we just got to prove to her that he's still in the rackets. Yeah, but how? The way you prove a crook is a crook is to frame him. Everybody knows that. Oh, Charlie, don't try to be funny. I'm not. Where's he going? Mexico. Well, look, suppose he was going to smuggle back a load of diamonds. Suppose he was going to smuggle them back in a secret compartment, in her bag. Oh, great. All we have to do is get Mantelli to put a secret compartment in her suitcase, and... Oh, you mean we do it? Right. That might work at that. Let's see, maybe we could get patience to help us. Do you think she would? She might, if I eat enough lemon pie. Lemon pie? Patience is one of the best cooks in the world, and one thing she's proud of is her lemon pies. And they're terrible. Maybe you'd better see her alone. Oh, no, you don't, little man. We're in this together. Well, it seems kind of crazy to me. But if this Joe Mantelli is what you say he is, I guess I'd better help you keep Miss Susan home. You're sure you've got this straightened out, Patience. Tomorrow morning, you send her bag over to his place. If she asks you about it, tell her he sent for it. Why would he do that? Well, to make sure it would get to the airport in time. Well, okay. Well, say, Patience, this is mighty tasty pie. It surely is. If there's anything I love, it's a good piece of custard pie. Oh, it's lemon. Yeah, that's what I meant to say, lemon. Well, we'll take the suitcase, fix it up, and get it back to you this afternoon in time for you to pack. All right. We'll be back at four. Good. And by the way, just in case you think I'm doing this because you praised my pie, it was custard. How much time we got? 12 minutes. Where's the dame? Don't worry. A classy little lady like that never stands anybody up. Look, see? What'd they tell you? Hello, Mr. Mentally. Afraid I'd miss the plane? Not me. Dutch was a little nervous. This is Dutch Kraus, Miss Armstrong. Dutch is kind of a assistant of mine. How do you do, Mr. Kraus? Likewise. We can go on board the plane now, if you want to. Well, I'd rather wait here a few more minutes. Expecting anybody to see you off? No, I guess not. Well, OK with me. It's as easy waiting here as anyplace else. Thank you. Dutch, you better get the baggage weight in and put on the plane. Right. Just a minute there. I want to take a look at those bags. George! Who's this guy? I'm George Harvey. So you're the guy who's been riding that stuff, huh? That's right. Mentally, Miss Armstrong isn't getting on that plane. Well, I don't know that you've got anything to say about it, bud. It's up to the little lady. Susan, this guy is exactly what he always has been. Well, now, if this is some more information from your precious number seven, I'm not interested. He's even planning to use you, and I can prove it. Well, that's kind of interesting. Just how are you going to do that? He may have told you he's going to Mexico on business. But you know what that business is? It's diamond smuggling. People certainly know things about me that I never heard of myself. And he's planning to use you, Susan. Look. Hey, what are you doing with that bag? You keep out of this. There. Look at this. A false bottom in the suitcase. That's where the stones were going to be brought back and if anything went wrong, you'd be the one to be caught. Mr. Mantelli, how about this? Listen, little lady, I never argue. If you want to believe that, you go ahead and believe it. It's right here for you to see, isn't it? Buster, I said I don't argue. The way I happen to feel about you, if I ever got started, I couldn't stop. Well, anytime you're ready, let me know. I will. Well, Susan? No explanation, Mr. Mantelli? None. That's that, then. Well, you'd better take me home, George. Tough luck, Joe. Some you win, some you lose. I wonder how that secret compartment got there. That beats me. I wasn't planning to smuggle no diamonds in her suitcase. I was going to use her hat box. Well, the modern age is certainly on us if you got to Mexico and back in that time. She didn't leave. Chief, you got her. That's great. They can't beat old Charlie Collins. Oh, you think so, do you? Pittsburgh. Huh? Pittsburgh. Sloth machines. Race wires. What are you talking about, Susan? It's all here, George. Latest issue of Action Gangster magazine. Old Charlie Collins has been reading these stories and telling them back to you. Young Mr. Harvey. He's been... Charlie. Charlie, is that what you've been doing? Chief. I... And the issue before this had the story you gave us on crooked roulette. Chief, I... There's no use. I did it. Well, I guess this is goodbye, Chief. Charlie, how could you do a thing like that to me? I don't know. I guess it's just that danger attracts me. Boy, when we'd sit there and figure what Mintelli was gonna do next and how we'd expose him. Oh, that was real thrilling, Chief. Good grief. And you can stop calling me Chief. Well, Chief, I'll be going. Miss Armstrong, can I ask one last favor? What is it? This is the last time I'll be here. So do you mind if I leave by the window? Okay, number seven. Thanks. Our stars, Irene Dunn and Fred McMurray, will be back in a moment. There's something I've been wondering about. How did you happen to find out about Charlie Connors? You don't normally read things like action gangster magazine? No, but I ran across this whole stack of them the day I went to Mintelli's office. Oh, I don't get it. They were in his desk drawer, right next to his gun. Why would Mintelli read things like this? I don't know. I guess it reminds him of home. Don't touch that issue, George. It might go off. You mean you took the gun, too? Well, of course, George. Why? Because it seemed the sensible thing to do. Irene Dunn and Fred McMurray will be back next week in another exciting comedy adventure in the gay news series Bright Star. This is Harry Von Zell inviting you to join us then.