 Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave This time it started with a kid hawking papers on Hollywood Boulevard and moved from there to a house full of hate on a quiet street a Blonde liar on ice skates and a corpse in a burned-out shack And it all wound up right where it really began in the heart of the kid on the corner From the Pan of Raymond transfer outstanding author of crime fiction comes his most famous character in the adventures of Philip Marlowe Now with Gerald Moore starred as Philip Marlowe. We bring you tonight's exciting story the kid on the corner After a day jam full of heat waves in December Actresses who passed mascara and long A's off as talent And produces with glossy convertibles and holes in their shoes The world looked as phony as a $7 bill And when I finally closed my office stepped out on a Hollywood Boulevard into the glare from miles of sheet iron Christmas trees on lamppost trunks And watched a loud speaker Santa Claus neon reindeer trundle by in a cloud of artificial snow I'd have gladly traded all of Hollywood California for one quiet Vermont hillside And thrown my license into boot All of which convinced me that what Marlowe needed most was a martini in his own apartment a good book and a night's sleep in that order So I started home after them but only got as far as the middle of the street It was the kid who sold papers on the corner Okay, Tommy let's get out of the street first, huh? I'm not so good at dodging fenders Oh yeah, sure What's on your mind kid? That's about my uncle Bert, Bert Larson He's gone, Mr. Marlowe What about your family Tommy? Don't they know where he is? No, I don't have no family I've been living with Uncle Bert in a flat down in Van Ness Hey, if you haven't had your dinner yet, maybe you'd eat with me in the cafeteria, huh? It's real important to me, Mr. Marlowe Anything that's important to you kid is important to me, let's go in Oh, it's well I should have known something was wrong when I heard him walking around Late last night, you know, I said he was after a drink of water But he's got those metal plates, kind of like caps on his shoes I knew he was all dressed, only I was too sleepy to think anything about it then Maybe he just got an early start and he's been busy today, huh? It's not like that, Mr. Marlowe, something's wrong Well, you have gentlemen, the park's nice tonight Stu's the best deal for the money, Mr. Marlowe I'll have the stew, please Yeah, you better make it two, Miss Okay, a couple of stews coming up See, when I got up this morning, I found this envelope on the dresser It was 200 bucks inside and this was written on the front Let's see it Dear Tommy, must leave town on business, I'll send more money soon Be a good kid and take care of yourself, Uncle Bert Yeah, see what you mean Yeah, spent all day trying to find out where he went I checked everything but the airport I know he wouldn't take a plane, he gets dizzy just standing on a curb No luck though Milk, Mr. Marlowe? No, I'll have coffee, Tommy, I feel rugged And there's a table over in the corner, come on, huh? Okay What really makes it fishy is that Uncle Bert's got no out of town business Besides, he's never been out in front more than 20 bucks in his life I can't figure it Now look, Tommy, if you're really worried, you don't want me or to go to the police right away Cops? No, I can't Why not? Well, Uncle Bert's been awful good to me but Well, I guess he's really kind of a bum You see, he's a gambler, Mr. Marlowe, I'm booking Just a harmless small time is sure but I'd get him in an awful jam if I called the cops Would you try to find him for me? I got to, I'll pay you whatever you charge Don't worry about the money, Tommy I got one lead for you This name here in the back of the envelope, see? Yeah, Lester Carney And the number three thousand four and a half Does that mean anything to your kid? No, I don't look that guy at my cell phone You know how far a kid could get Mr. Marlowe, I'm sure my uncle didn't leave town It's something else, it's got to be He's in some kind of trouble Now, Tommy, you know that he might be on the wrong end of it, don't you? Yeah Well, if that's right, I want to find it out fast, Mr. Marlowe Here's a picture of him Scared, son Me scared? Nah, not for myself anyway Yeah Yeah, I guess I am kind of Okay, Tommy, eat your dinner and get back to work I'll see what I can find out, huh? I padded my new client on the shoulder And left the cafeteria But I was sure of one thing That dry rot that gets to most people in Hollywood Wouldn't touch a hard working kid named Tommy Lawson Was already smarter at fifteen And a lot of citizens get at fifteen I stopped in a phone booth And found the name Lester Carney Listed in the book at 8110 Cherokee Street That turned out to be an oversized California Spanish model, is it? And lots of old fashioned wealth to boon Halfway up the curving walk to the already open front door I heard the voices All right, so that's the way you feel I don't want to end it half another night Well, I'm sorry, mom, but I don't think it's fine In telling lies, it's a part of the main thing I'm leaving But I would like to know about my back salary first You will come get your back salary, my girl Don't worry about that, now get out Very well, mom Excuse me, sir Oh, yeah, sure It is not Would you mind telling me where I can locate him? I don't know And I don't care anymore Just a minute, just a minute Is he with Bert Lawson, maybe? I don't know what you're talking about Now get out of here And good night to you too, Mrs. Carney Hey, hey, Susan Just a minute, baby Who are you calling, baby? I call anybody baby when they're as cute as you are You're not survived yourself? Well, now that that's established Oh, there's going to be trouble in that house Well, good night, Mr. Carney Wait a minute, I'll give you a lift in the car Let me have your bag Well, all right Thank you Say, what about that trouble you spoke of, Susan? What did you mean? It's Mrs. Carney Julie, she isn't as pretty as she used to be She's turned a rancid She's driven that poor husband of hers out of his mind He almost never comes home nowadays Isn't he studio? Studio? What kind? Photography It's way up in the Hollywood Hills some place Susan, did you ever hear either of them mention of Bert Lawson? No Why, who's he? A gambler I gather from Julie that Carney's blowing the family fortune Sure he is And that's not our sister in him too No, what else? What do you think? Another woman, of course Did he show? Yeah, I've been there, does Mrs. Carney know? Oh, she suspects That's why she wants me to spy on But I wouldn't because I don't blame him one bit Not with Julie, you feel like she is Yeah, maybe you're right, Susan Then again, maybe you've got your cause in effect backward, huh? Yes I don't know anything about that But that poor man's been driven so crazy He's threatened to kill her Well, here's what I get out And stay out Susan offered the car stop and headed out Sunset Boulevard for westward in the club called the Igloo which looked more like a down-at-the-heel Taj Mahal than an Eskimo's bedroom Inside a line of fast-moving ostrich plumes with rye-crisp waistlines and imitation sabers zipped over a short sheet of tinted ice toward the climax of chorus numbers while I bluffed my way backstage and intimidated the callboy into sending over one Carol King She turned out to be left in in the lineup out front so I sat down on a cold trunk and felt and I got up to greet an athletic blonde with more than healthy face Lucidal dubiously taught me ice skates and all and I introduced myself and told her I was looking for Bert Lawson Why are you looking for Bert Lawson, Mahalo? Well, because people say he's disappeared Now, I know he's a bookie you don't have to protect him on that score and I'm no cop Just want to know where he's gone Okay Here he made a real killing yesterday the first one in his life I'm going to make a book for you from now on Nobody, I never play the voices My friends do Oh, friends like Lester Carney Well, now we get down to business You smell like you're working for a wife, Shamas Yes, again, sugar I'm after Bert Lawson, nothing else That's why I want to talk to your friend Where is he? Lester Carney is no friend of mine You know you should be smart enough to know you're just wasting your time with that picture Look, bud, he was my friend, sure but that's all off as of an hour ago Why, do you run out of blank checks? I ought to bust your shin wide open for that Keep those gates on the floor, honey They skip the cracks I threw him out because I got sick and tired of waiting He kept me on the string for months with nothing but promises Said he hated his wife but when it comes down to cases he refused to leave her I don't know I got some hold over and he hasn't nerve enough to break So I wrapped him up in a neat little bundle and sent him home That was a mess Now, Bert, between you and Julia he must be in a great frame of mind tonight That's his problem now, brother, not mine What is yours? How to keep your life on ice? No, I guide For your information, I'm quitting this show I'm gonna make a clean break all along Happy landings But look, what's the connection between Lawson and Carney? Why, Mr. Marlowe, I have no idea Isn't that wonderful? Okay, sugar, that's where we'll leave it for now But in making that clean break I had nothing tangible to base it on but as I left the igloo and drove back to Hollywood for some reason I kept thinking that Tommy Lawson was right that his uncle was still in town and in some kind of trouble and I was sure that at least half of Carol King's story had been lies but why I couldn't forget and another idea hit me and hit me hard I turned on the Cherokee again and drove up to Carney's house at 8110 Park and went in There the vague hunch began to shape because the front door was wide open and spilling a pale glow from the one light in the house, the hall lamp I saw the note propped under the lamp even before I went in I left it where it was It said to whom it may concern I have paid all my just debts my affairs are in order and since life has been made intolerable for me I have destroyed that which made it so my wife, Julia I was nothing left to dispose of myself nor am I sorry less to come I looked at the other note and saw her lying at the edge of the circle of light from the lamp Julia had been strangled by a silk cord that was still embedded in her swollen throat I turned and started to the poem There we are I got here a little too late, huh? Or is it too soon? My wife said what's the difference? I stand still because I'll shoot fast Who are you and what are you doing here? Name's Marlowe and I assume you're Carney Alright, I'm a private detective trying to find Bert Lawson I got mixed up in your little fiasco from one end to the other Bert Lawson That's a cheap book, Nigger One of the very few people who ever gave me a fair break Where is he, Carney? Do you know? No, it doesn't matter You better do it in here just now I'm gonna do what I've decided to do with the most personal private affair It's your party Maybe you better take it all over again I've already thought it over thoroughly Turn around and walk to that door to the kitchen Go on Sure, sure Alright, stop there Now, open that door and you're right This one? Yes Years ago that cellar was filled with the best wines the world had door What happens? You pull too many cocks? Find out for yourself Marlowe! In just a moment the second act to fill up Marlowe But first, will Tyrone Power listen to Jack Benny's siren song? Will Ty consent to portray CBS's great Sunday Night musician and lover in the movie The Life of Jack Benny? Tune in tomorrow and find out No, there's never a question about the quality and quantity of comedy and sheer entertainment on CBS on Sunday Night And remember, the Jack Benny show has heard on all of these CBS stations Now with our star Gerald Moore we return to the second act to fill up Marlowe and tonight's story, The Kid on the Corner Lester Connie, bouncing the private detective down the cellar's stairs had been rough on both the inner and outer man and my Joe was bleeding where his heavy signatory had connected I was back on my feet through the dusty jumble of barrels and boxes over to a grimy side window and finally, out onto the street I found neither confessed killer nor car any place in sight which made my next step a return trip into the house and I called Lieutenant Matthews Alright, honey, to that ice skater I mean now that I follow but the why I don't Where's the connection between the news boys uncle and this guy who say is on the way out Lester Connie Matthews, I don't know You don't know, you're not saying which Phil Well, maybe it's a little of each Now look, Lieutenant, I Just a second What is it, Marlowe? All the wire, will you Matthews? Okay, but make it snappy, will you Phil? Three thousand four and a half, look last month Three thousand four and a half I can't hear you, Phil I've got an address on it the same address that was on the back of the envelope tell me it's uncle left for him Well, this address could be the connection I asked you about Yeah, the hook between Uncle Bert and the Connie's Well, we'll get right over there And Matthews, wait a minute, let me try it alone first Well, yeah, I think it will play better that way And keep the kids uncle out of the police line up that way Uh-uh, Marlowe, I can't Now, wait a minute, Matthews, please I'm thinking of the kid Okay, just don't make it too long until I hear from you Three thousand block on North Rossmore wasn't even close to the Hollywood Hills which meant that the address couldn't be the dilettante photographer studio that the Connie's ex made it described And twenty minutes later when I was out of my car and standing next to the doorbell mark three thousand four and a half I knew something else because the name underneath was Carol King A light showed from someplace deep inside and my leaning on the doorbell only proved that it worked There was no answer at three thousand four and a half but three thousand four, the other twin to the duplex was different It featured a sweet old lady who shattered the illusion the second she opened her mouth I suppose you're just another one of that king girl's friends, eh? Why do I look the type, Granny? There is no type, young man Miss Carol King entertains all sorts Oh, which might include a recent someone who's gray at the temple's short and maybe talks a lot about the ponies Huh? How would I know what I guess to talk about? Oh, you gotta be kidding Look, honey, a woman's been murdered tonight Murdered? I knew it I knew it, she had to come to a bad end Well, hold it, hold it, Granny Carol is not the one who's dead Oh, eh Well, I'm glad Sticks out all over you Now, look, what about that man? Well, he was here about 30 minutes ago just the two of them drinking that hard liquor like it was water and making enough noise to raise the devil itself a farewell party, they called it Oh, did you see him leave? No, no, Henry made me come in then and I, well, I mean I know what you mean, you missed it Okay, Granny, now look Come on, sweetheart, it's important There may be a body inside A body? Oh, well, how awful, here Over here, behind the sledge Always kept a spare key Yes, yes, there it is You do it, I'm too shaky It shouldn't be I was thinking, tomorrow, Granny, in the news you'll have for one and all The light switches is on your right there See anything? How many rooms here? Bedroom, kitchen, and bath No You suspect foul play, all right, don't you? The foulest Don't let it worry you because Hey, those photos there on the wall They're taken from Mulholland Drive, aren't they? One by day, one by night both in the same spot, the Hollywood Hill Sure, sure, that's where he has a studio That's Lester Fellow Granny, do you know where it is? I mean Mulholland Drive and where? You know, that street runs for miles along the top of the mountain and raised here in Los Angeles Granny, where? Mulholland and where? Mulholland, the Laurel Canyon Boulevard Just out of the intersection Thank you, sweetheart, and goodbye Wait, one moment now, you please What's your name, officer? I know my right, your name and your division Granny, dear, I'm no cop I said I'm no cop Oh, not a police officer, well Then who are you? Just a passerby A stranger in the night Good night, Granny He did at least worrying about the matter which way things played But when I was on the strip of McCatham that twists its way upward toward Mulholland Drive like a snake writhing from a long, long belly ache I forgot about both client and relatives alike because at the top and a little to the south where Granny had said it would be was Lester County's studio, all right but burned to the ground You like my way to go fast, don't you? Yeah, it wasn't 20 minutes on this one Hey, mister, where are you going? Some of that metal stuff's still pretty hot Who are you, with a lock? Oh, chief, I'm a private detective named Mulholland I was wondering if Lester County was caught in there He owned this shack I know, was your friend of yours? No, it's strictly business, he's wanted for murder Yeah, he was wanted for murder, Phil He was burnt to a crisp in there Hello, Matthews Well, what's your guess, he started on purpose? Oh, suicides hardly ever burn themselves to death No, no, he probably took some sleeping pills or poison and then a cigarette he left going did this, you know And tonight you think he might recognize him? He's over there There isn't much, oh, see you, Casey Right, Matthews Hey, you tied Connie and this fire together kind of fast, didn't you, Lieutenant? I just found out about this place Yeah, but you work alone, Mulholland I got help Oh, there it is See anything? Yeah, that ring, I noticed it earlier And the watch? I'm not sure, I don't remember what kind of... Hey, Matthews What are you staring at, Phil? Come on over here, come on See this little piece of metal? Don't watch, oh, Phil You know, fire makes things hot Yeah, yeah, hot things burn Milo, what is it? It's an idea Like this isn't suicide after all, like it's murder, Matthews Come on, we're gonna get to our phone quick Look, miss, this is important I'm calling for Detective Lieutenant Matthews What passenger flights have left in the last half hour? passenger flights? Nothing out of the country Wait a minute, Matthews Yeah, hurry, will you please? Hey, Matthews, that's maybe it I'm glad for you Look, your 10-10 flight from Manila Is it going out on schedule? Oh, then tell me this Is there a passenger aboard named Bert Larson? Hurry, will you? Will you hold it, Matthews? Oh, good Keep in there and don't let that plane get up in the air Do you hear? The man's wanted for murder But don't do anything else either Just let him sit and wait for us, you got that? Yes, sir, I understand Fine, we'll be there as soon as we can, goodbye Come on, Matthews, it's your show from here on in Sirens included Okay, Milo, okay, enough So we're on our way to the airport We're gonna catch her, kill everything is great But first, how do things add up? Mooney, take it easy Five seconds more or less, never yet turn the trick Okay, Lieutenant Were you saying something, Matthews? Yeah, yeah, I'm saying Look, Lester Connie killed his wife, right? Right, why? Because he wanted her out of the way So that he and a cheap little monster named Carol King Can live happily ever after Oh, the boss wouldn't do that for him, huh? No, Mooney! Oh, I don't think so Probably because Julia Connie had a real tight grip On the purse strings Maybe something more like it's not very nice pass for a guest Yeah, yeah, but the purse strings, the money That's where Bert Larson figures in, huh? A bookie with a client Who knew about Connie and Carol King He must have stopped by once To pick up or pay off a bed at the right time Yeah, and from there, what? And from there, the team of Carol and Lester killed Lester's wife Yeah, which we've covered But not in detail, now listen You see, after the murder Lester planned to kill himself Yeah Or at least make it look like that A suicide note, the Mulholland studio burned down the works Yeah, yeah, on the body we found That's an added attraction Bert Larson included in the last minute What? The Whiteman and the Blackfielder? That's the way he thought That he was going to get paid off in money Head up to Mulholland Drive Ring watch and flames added Oh, and then out here at the airport headed for Manila Lester, Connie Hey, Mooney, we're getting close You better kill the siren Now, Phil, how do you know all this? I mean the switch, you know, what makes it so? That piece of metal I burned my fingers on, Matthew It was a tap from a shoe And Bert Larson wore taps The rest of it adds from there Yeah, including Connie Sure, who'd be looking for a beat up second rate book You decided to leave town Aside from a nephew, that is Yeah, aside from a nephew who tried every place but the airport Uncle Bert couldn't stand planes The brakes, Matthews Oh, here we are Yeah, just you and me and Mooney And a killer Aren't you coming, Phil? No, I think I'll wait here, Matthews I got some thinking to do About this scum you're sometimes meeting at night? No But the kind of a kid I almost never meet at night All right, come on, Mooney Maybe our boy will make a break for it, I hope Lester Connie didn't make a break for it And now a later when they picked up Carol, Kingen was the same thing Each of them was surly ugly, but they talked Someone I finally left police headquarters Where I tried as he would for Tommy's sake Matthews had found it impossible To skip over Bert Larson's connection as a blackmailer I was pushing midnight and I was dog tired I was something worse than that When I was back on the corner in my office Walking toward Tommy Larson Untying a stack of fresh newspapers Then the headline Read all about it Hollywood killer nav Blackmailing bookie jealous wife slain Hiya, kid Hiya, Mr. Marlowe Kind of Matthews tells me you had kind of a rough night Kind of? When'd you talk to him, Tommy? After the first edition hit the street I wanted to know if you were okay The story didn't say But, publicity no good for your business, huh? Not much But kid, did the lieutenant say anything about you? I mean, no They were the neighbor Friend of Uncle Bert's He had friends, you know He wasn't really bad at heart, Mr. Marlowe Not really I believe that So do I, Tommy He was just mixed up Yeah You know why? The way he thought the world owed him a living That's why I couldn't tell him otherwise Excuse me, Mr. Marlowe I gotta get going Thanks a lot You were swell Sure Extra Bookie and babe slain and Hollywood triangle Two dead and Hollywood slain Extra Extra There's nothing more pathetic than a kid The first time he's really slapped down by life We, the older ones The tired ones Learned to roll with a punch Because we've got time in our corner Watching us, counseling us Teaching us how to save ourselves So that the final gong we're Still on our feet But a kid A kid steps into life's arena Expecting to find his opponents All he was taught to believe they would be But instead he finds the old one, too Below the belt But if here he finds a good guy And there, a great girl The going suddenly becomes Not so well The fight becomes worth it If only to help the next generation of Tommy's Find their ring a little cleaner And the break's not quite so tough The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Bringing you Raymond Chandler's most famous character Star Gerald Moore And are produced and directed by Norman McDonald Script is by Robert Mitchell and Gene Levin Featured in the cast were Gil Stratton Jr. Virginia Gregg Wilms Herbert Detective Lieutenant Matthews is played by Larry Dubkin The special music is composed and conducted by Richard Oran Be sure and be with us again next week When Philip Marlowe says It started with laughter on a bright morning In a battle over a chicken And got better as it went along It could have lasted a lifetime But it didn't It stopped on a gray morning With a little wishbone broken Stay tuned now for Gangbusters Which follows immediately on most of these same CBS stations This is Roy Rowan speaking This is CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System