 For another Proudly We Hail, one of Radio's outstanding traumatic half-hours, starring Lee Tracy and presented transcribed by your army and your air force. From Radio City, New York, here is your host and star on Proudly We Hail, the distinguished Broadway stage, screen and radio star, Lee Tracy. Thank you, Kenneth Banghart, and hello everyone. Welcome again to Proudly We Hail. You're really going to enjoy this program. It's all about a private eye. You know, I'm anxious to begin the play, so I'll be back in just a moment after a few words from Ken Banghart. Highly important words too, Lee. Your army and your air force need men and women right now, and if you volunteer, you'll have your own choice of a number of fields. So why don't you visit your nearest army and air force recruiting station today? And now, Lee, our audience is eager to hear what a private eye does. How we operate? Believe me, Ken, this particular investigator certainly gets into some mighty tight spots. But, well, you know us private eyes. Never a dull moment in our lives. With our star, Lee Tracy, in the role of Clint Flint, your army and your air force present the Proudly We Hail production of...Follow That Man. Clint Flint's the name, occupation, private eye. Midland City is my beat. The city is peaceful and quiet and dull as a rainy, Monday afternoon. My office is in the cellar of the Parker building. Looks out on a panoramic view of the furnace. I never get tired of that view. It means something to me. Only I've never been able to figure out what. My girl, Friday, is Myrtle Lush. You just heard her sweet-spirited laughter a couple seconds ago. Myrtle's a cute kid. Plenty smart. I wouldn't be in business without her. Like I said, cute kid. The case I'm going to tell you about I call the Blue Goose Caper. It all started the day she showed up. I remember I was sitting in my office looking out at the furnace thinking things over when Myrtle gently intruded upon my thoughts. Myrtle, how many times have I told you not to use the cold shoot? There wouldn't be someone out there to see me, would there? Yes. It's a woman and she said she had to see you right away. What does she look like? All right. Send her in. After Myrtle went out, I sat there alone for a moment thinking about things. My eyes on the furnace. That's how it was when she walked into my life. In my business, you meet a lot of people, all kinds. I was used to that sort of thing, but when our eyes found each other and locked, everything changed for me. Skin like curdled yogurt. Tawny hair with the faint smell of burn ashes. Eyes pink and searching. It's difficult to describe those first impressions. They seared their way deep into me. Time stood there and waited for us to catch up. Strange maddening creature that she was, she was the first to break the silence. Hey, are you one of them, see a noise? I'm Clint Flint, private operator at your service. Won't you sit down, Miss... The flamrod McGee is the name. You got quite a layout here. It serves. Nice view, too. I can see that we understand each other. That's the way I am. Understanding. How can I help you, Miss McGee? Call me flam, Clint. All right, flam. Now what's the caper? You make it hard for a girl to breathe, Clint. My brother, Ram, is missing. I'm scared. I'm scared way down deep inside. I have a feeling. Suppose you just give me the whole thing right from the beginning. Well, it's kind of hard to know where to start. Ram is not a bad boy. High strung, I guess you'd call him. He had a run-in with the law a few years back with throwing an old lady down a flight of stairs. He was just at that age, you know. Sure. You can't help boys' enthusiasm. Well, Ram learned his lesson. And when he got off for good behavior, you never saw such a sweet guy. He didn't try to throw anybody downstairs for a long time. But then, then he got mixed up with the crowd. The crowd, flam? Yeah, the big boys at that classy nightclub, La Rucary Charmont. The place out on Grove and Vine? Yeah, that's the joint. Anyhow, big Nick Splotch took a liken to Ram. Nick runs the place. Well, to make it short, it wasn't long before Ram was a part of the crowd. Over night, he changed. He threw another old lady downstairs and went out to live at the racetrack. I heard he was doing a lot of gambling and losing heavy. And one of the boys told me he owed big Nick 10 Gs, and Nick was kind of sore. Well, that crowd at the Rucary, place for keeps, and something Ram said that night made me feel like they were going out to get him. What was that, flam? He said, big Nick's going to ventilate me if I don't pay up the dough I owe him. Flam, have you gone to the police? No, what could they do? Smart girl. I don't like it. I don't like any of it. Now, think hard. What time was it, Tuesday night, that you saw him? Eight o'clock on the button. Are you sure? Yeah, sure. Don't lie to me, flam. I can't do anything for you if you try to hide things. Now, what time was it? Well, all right. It was 10 a.m. to eight. That's better. If you want me to find your brother, don't try to cover up for him. I know, but it's not easy to say these things. Listen, flam, I want you to go home and get a good night's sleep. You'll feel a whole lot better tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll do a little nosing around. You mean you'll take the case? Yeah, that's just what I mean. But I'm broke. Never mind about that now. Just leave your address and phone number with Myrtle. I'll get in touch with you as soon as I can track down a couple of leads. Ah, gee, you may look like a dumb lug, but you sure got a good heart. After she'd gone, I sat there alone in the growing darkness looking out at the furnace. After a while, I got out of fifth the milk and poured myself four straight fingers. I took it neat. Well, I'd made my decision. I knew a lot of heads might fall before I was through. It might even mean curtains for Clint Flint. But this was my kind of case. I left my car at the corner of Congrave and walked slowly west toward Dickinson. It was a dark, muddy night with a smell of rain. With my snap brim hat full low over my eyes, I took the wrong turn and suddenly found myself back at my car again. I shrugged my wide shoulders and figured if it was going to be like that, all right, I can play it on the cuff too. Five minutes later, I walked into La Ruccaire-Shermah. Shermah's a barn-like place full of glass blocks with crony inflated cigarette girls. There's a lot of class caters to the disc staff side. I ambled up to the padded barn and quickly sized up the situation. There were only a couple there, but seated at the far end of the bar all by herself was Big Nick's girl, Straga. We'd known each other in the fourth grade. I walked over and sat down on the stool beside her. What'll it be, Mac? Double milk on the rocks. Well, what do you know? Little Clint Flint himself. Hi, Straga. Hi, Straga. I haven't seen him in months. And let's not get personal here. Hi, honey. This lug bothering you? Hi, Nicky. He's just buzzing through his ears. You got something on your mind, Flint, or is this a purely social visit? A little of both, Nick. If there was something on your mind, there would have to be little. Play it for laughs, Nick. That's what I like. Plenty of laughs all around. Shut up, Straga. All right, what do you want and make it fast? It'd be quieter in your office, wouldn't it? So now we've got to have quiet, eh? You know, as a matter of fact, it would be quieter, much quieter. Right this way, Mr. Flint. This was beginning to get interesting. There was tension in the air. I could see it flickering through Straga's long green hair. I could see it rippling in Big Nick's bulging shoulders as I followed him, cat-footing down a dimly-lit hallway. We came to a big heavy door on the left-hand side. It was marked private. Go carefully, Flint, a small voice warned. Go carefully. Go right in. Fats, killer, come in here. Fats and killer were two of the largest, ugliest torpedoes I'd ever set eyes on. They looked mean, too. I realized I'd have to soft-pedal my approach if I wanted to get out of this place in one piece, it wouldn't pay to be too direct now. The best attack would be a subtle flanking movement. You were saying, Mr. Flint? I wasn't saying. Nick, I was asking. What do you know about the disappearance of Ram McGee? Nothing. Who's Ram McGee? You're lying and I know it. Fats, killer, would you be so good as to take care of Mr. Flint for me? They led me down the narrow dimly lit hallway toward a door at the far end. I knew I'd have to play this one close to the chest. These babies were rough. They meant business. We came to the door. Fats opened it. And pushed me out ahead of him. I saw her on a back porch. Before me there was a long wooden stairway leading down into a courtyard filled with ash cans. This was no time to await developments. This was the time for action. I moved fast. Tore my arm away from Fats and grabbed for his neck. After a while I pulled myself out of an ash can. My head hurt. There was a taste of melon rind in my mouth. When I got the melon rind out, I felt much better. I brushed myself off, picked up my hat and pulled it low over my eyes. Then I went out to the street in a limp, slowly north on Gavin Road. No one had to tell me I was onto something big. The pieces were all there. True, some of them didn't quite fit. But the outline of the pattern was becoming clearer. It was big. Big and dirty. I tooled along on Sebastian, heading east. I kept working the whole thing over my mind. I knew despite everything I was making progress, I knew too I had to be awfully careful from here on in. Setting it up like a chest problem, I could see certain ramifications. When I came to Gramercy, I turned left onto the racetrack road. A few minutes later, dim lights pulled up a hundred feet away from the racetrack station. The stadium stood huge and silent and empty against the night sky. I got out of the car, sticking close to the shadows, made my way toward the main entrance all around the stadium. There ran a wire fence about ten feet high. I realized it could be only one way to get in. I backed off about twenty feet from the fence. I got set and spurred it forward. At the right instant, I leaped. After I'd gotten up, brushed myself off, I knew there had to be another way in. I limped on. In a few seconds, I came to the main entrance. Once inside, I stopped. Let my eyes become accustomed to the darkness. Suddenly, the hair went up on the back of my neck. I knew I wasn't alone. Someone was in the passageway with me. I stood motionless, frozen, not moving a muscle. The chips were down. I steeled myself to wait to keep calm. There was a vague, vague something moving ahead of me. I sprang forward in a dive. I got up and brushed myself off again. Already in my mind, there was a faint glimmer of light. Intangible, yes, but it was growing. Five minutes later, I found what I had known must be there. By the bedding windows, enough light came in so I could see him sitting in a chair, tilted against the wall. His head dropped forward on his chest. Soundlessly, I edged closer to him. My reasoning had been right. Everything fitted into place. It was now or never. I got set and plunged forward. When I was over, I got to my feet slowly. We put up a terrific fight. Now he lay motionless. I reached down, I grabbed him by the shoulders, and I hauled him upright, got him onto my back and headed for the main entrance. I knew this wasn't a healthy place to stay, but I'd better get out and get out quick. There wasn't much time left. We're really getting a bang out of your portrayal of Clint Flint, the glint in all American private eyes. We'll be looking forward to the second act of follow that man in just a moment. Right now, however, I'd like all of our audience to join me for a brief but very serious message. It's to the men and women of the medical profession, as you've doubtless heard over the air before, your United States Army and your United States Air Force need physicians, dentists, nurses, and other medical personnel. And as we all know, both services always go all out to provide the very highest standards of care. So you doctors, dentists, nurses, dieticians, therapists, veterinarians who volunteer now will not only receive extra benefits, but at the same time will also be serving your country when needed most. Right or wire, the Surgeon General of the United States Army or the Surgeon General of the United States Air Force in Washington, D.C. today. You are listening to Proudly We Hail. And now for the second act with your star, Lee Tracy, as Clint Flint in the Proudly We Hail production of Follow That Man. All right, send her in. Doesn't that thing ever go home? Myrtle, no, she lives here. Sit down, Flam. What's it all about? Flam? Flam who? Your brother, Ram. All that luck. Look here, Flam. You did want me to find him, didn't you? Brace yourself, Flam. I've found your brother. Holy cow. Is he in one piece? More or less. He put up a terrific fight. Didn't want to come with me because he was scared, but I brought him along anyway. Well, where you got him? In that closet. Well, get him out. Let's have a look at him. Now sit right where you are and don't be afraid. Afraid of what? Of anything that frightens you. I'll see that no harm comes to you. Are you going to take Ram out of that closet? Patience, my dear. But time up and gag him. Now listen, Ram, your sister's here, so you can just relax. Nobody's going to hurt you. Hold still while I cut these cords. Ah, a gag. Okay, Phillip, come on out and say hello to Flam. Where? Who? Who's that? Well, it's your brother, Ram, of course. That ain't my brother, Ram. That ain't anybody's brother, Ram. I'm getting out of here, waking a girl up. Cut that out. I'm going to have you thrown in jail. I want a cop. What's your name, boy? You'll find out. Let me out of here. Sit still. Now what's your name? My name is Matt Weaver. Now you let me go. Quiet down. What were you doing out of that racetrack? What was I doing? What was I doing? Well, that's where I work. I'm the night watchman. You're lying. You're crazy. Help! Help! Don't you ever learn, I don't want to make this tough for you, but you're going to talk if I have to choke the life out of you. You understand? All right. Now, let's have it from the beginning. What? What do you want? Where's Ram McGee? Ram McGee. Where is he? How should I know? I never heard of him. You let me out of here. Not till you talk. I ain't done nothing wrong. I don't know no Ram McGee, and when I get out of here, I'm going to go to a cop and have you thrown in jail. Okay. If that's the way you want to play ball, scram. But just remember, I won't be responsible. You're hiding what you know, and when it catches up to you, I won't be there to give you a hand. It's too big for you to play alone. I could have made it worth your while. Now scram. Get out of here. If I ever see you around again, I'll forget about my gentlemen. I sat there alone in the office going over the whole thing from the very beginning. True elements of confusion still remain, but I knew with absolute certainty that only one major piece was missing from the puzzle. And when I had that, I had everything. I knew now where I would find it. The risk was doubled, but once committed, I could not retreat. La Rucquerie Charmont was my destination. Once again, I sat in a padded bar room. Strager next to me. Haven't I seen you around someplace? Yeah, Strager. I guess you have. I knew I couldn't forget a face like that. I couldn't get you anywhere. Strager, you're a pretty sharp tomato, but you can play it a little bit too close to the backboard. I can. Strager, I want you to answer me one question. Where's Ram McGee? I don't know. Where is he? Look, what do you got to gain by clamming up? You play straight with me, and I'll see that you get a break. Oh, that's wonderful, lover boy. Why don't you go home to bed? I don't have time to be nice about this. I'm sure you are. Just because you're one of the... Tell me you're back again. I get around, Nick. Maybe you'd like to go where it's quiet again. That might not be a bad idea. This time I think Strager'd better come along. Strager, you come too. We're all gone where we can be real nice and quiet. I followed them down the narrow dimly-lit hallway to the door marked private. There was something very familiar about the whole scene, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This, I realized, would be for high stakes. Winner take all. It was now or never. Come right in. I'm going to be quiet in the corner. Is that all right, Nick? Sure, you can be quiet any place you want. Can't she, Clint? That'll depend on a lot of things. Excuse me a second. That's a killer. Come on in here. Okay, boss. Now you were saying, Clint... What's this? I want you to come around with me. I think you've met bats and killer. Yeah. I've seen them around. Hiya. Ah, hi. Sure. Sit down, boys. Okay, Clint. We're listening. I don't want to take up too much of your time. I just want the answer to one question. Well, it doesn't seem too hard to take. What's the question? Don't make it difficult for all of us. Where's Ram McGee? You know, I swear you sat in that chair and kissed me that before. Don't hedge. I want it straight. That's the way I like it, too. Well, where is he? He ain't here. That's more like it. Go on. You know where he is? That's a no. You killer. I pass. Three hearts. Four no, Trump. Double. Great double. Well, you boys show Mr. Flint out. The game's over. Uh, they like it. A pleasure. I'll be seeing you, Nick. Anytime, boy. Anytime at all. Everything on the house. They let me down the narrow dimly door I knew I'd seen before. They pushed me out on the back porch. A long flight of wooden stairs dropped away before me to a courtyard filled with ash cans. I knew this scene. If only I could place it. This was no time for thought, however. This was a time to act and fast. I pulled back away from them, tore my arm free from killer's grasp, swung sharply on the balls of my feet, lashed out with my right with everything I had behind it. After a while, I pride myself loose from these ash cans I had somehow become tangled with. There was a taste of ashes in my mouth, but after I'd spit them out, I felt better. I picked up my snap brim hat, pulled it low over my eyes. After brushing myself off, I limped slowly out to the street. Dawn was just beginning to color the sky. A lot had happened this night. A lot I'd never forget. It had been a long night and a rough one, but everything fitted together. Everything was in its place. I had the answer at last. It was the next morning. I sat in my office looking out at the furnace, waiting for the hands of the clock to reach 10. I'd made up my mind. I wouldn't call her before that. She needed her sleep, and I needed to do some thinking. The whole thing was in one sense fantastically simple. In another, most complex. I worked it over in my mind, looking at it from all angles. Then it was 10 o'clock. I picked up the phone, dialed her number. Vanilli's bowling alley. Flam? Hi, Joe. This is Clint, Flam. Oh, Clint. Good morning, Clint. How are you feeling today? I'll do, Flam. I got some news for you. I don't want you to get excited, but I'm on to something big. Gee, that's swell, Clint. I always knew you'd make good. What's it all about? I don't think it'll be long before I know exactly where your brother is. You want to speak to him? Speak to who? My brother, Ram. He's right here. Showed up bright and early this morning. What? Where was he? Went down to Atlantic City for a few days. Said he had a nice time, too. I knew that was it. If he'd stayed there another day, I'd have found him sure. And when he's right here? Let's put all that behind us, Flam. We can forget if we try hard. We can? What? How about lunch? We'll talk it over. Gee, I'm sorry, Clint. I can't. I'm getting married today. How about tomorrow? Getting married? Who's a lucky guy? Big Nick Splotch. I'm going to be Mrs. Big Nick. Do you know him? He's an orphan. I sat there for a long, long time after that. Seeing nothing, not even the furnace. I felt like I'd been hitting the teeth with a load of cement. Nothing made any sense anymore. She'd meant everything, and now she was gone. Out of my life forever. Well, a guy in my business should know better than to fall for a dame. I always did learn the hard way, but I knew deep down things would never be quite the same. What is it, Myrtles? There's a woman. A woman? What does she look like? Send her in. Send her in. Lee, many thanks for making all of us laugh, and congratulations on being a real private eye. You know that Clint Flint was quite a boy. Well, it was a lot of fun, but I'm sure that all of us realize that the real-life private eyes do a wonderful job in service. And speaking of service, you have a message of real importance. Well, we've had our laugh with Clint Flint, ladies and gentlemen, but right now I'd like to get in a few serious words. Let's face it, building up the defense of our nation isn't an easy job. You can do your part by joining the United States Army. For instance, you young men can have a choice of several branches if you volunteer immediately. Engineers, armor, infantry, artillery, take your choice. Ask your nearest U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Recruiting Station for full details today. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented in cooperation with this station by Your Army and Your Air Force. Proudly We Hail stars Lee Tracy. Supporting Mr. Tracy in the cast were Miriam Wolff, Patricia Hosley, Helen Christian, Joe DeSantis, Jack Jason, and Bill Lipton. Follow That Man was written by Dewitt Cup. The music was composed and conducted by John Guaneri. Proudly We Hail is directed by Charles Wilkes. This is Kenneth Banghardt speaking, and here again is your host and star, Lee Tracy. We hope you'll be with us next week for another Proudly We Hail presentation. It's entitled Concerto, and it's a touching, romantic story together with some wonderful music. Goodbye.