 Ladies and gentlemen, the American Broadcasting Company brings to its entire network one of radio's most unusual program Pat Novak for hire Says Pat Foghorn for hire is to say it but down on the waterfront in San Francisco You got to put your best foot forward, especially if you want to trip up a friend Down here a friend is anybody who's been dead more than 10 years And then it pays to watch out because if you relax somebody will come along and knock you on the back of your stomach Works out. All right, so I rent boats and do anything else you can hide in the dark It's about all you can ask because along the embarked arrow nothing is perfect except the heels. I Found that out Wednesday afternoon She was a lovely girl the sort of person you'd expect to see in a choir loft about three hours after choir practice Her hair was red Her eyes were as cold as rigor mortis You knew the first time you met her that you've been seeing her too often Must have been about five o'clock in the afternoon I was walking down toward pier 19 when she pulled up alongside of me in a cream convertible Can I give you a lift you already have well is that love a reflex action? What's on your mind? You are Mr. Novak, but don't put on your tracksuit. It's a business matter. Well in that case. You've got a name I'm con Regan. I went by your office a few minutes ago, but you were out. I'm in now go ahead. It won't take me long to know back Stay away from Rory Malone. I'm doing all right so far. Who is he? He's important to me I don't want to lose him. It's not back. So please stay away. Go tell her girl. I don't even know the guy You will you're not lying now He's a prize fighter and someone's gonna try and hurt him and you'd rather hurt him first I'm willing to pay you to stay away from him. I suppose I'm gonna see him a lot. Will you pay a lot? I'll give you three hundred dollars All right, Mr. Novak, you know, you're not smart angel if you're pressing that hard the other team's gonna bid to the answers no I'm afraid that's up to you, but I'm warning you don't do it. Please don't do it Yeah, that's what mother used to say. I'm still all right. Maybe mother liked you better. Mr. Novak See you later Well, I watched her for a minute as she brushed your hair back and started the car was nice hair in the dress Helped to it was dark blue and had a V neck, but the designer believed in big letters She pulled away and gave me a look you could take on a safari Was enough to tell me that she was as safe as a tap dancer on a floor full of dynamite caps. I Walked up and turned in the pair 19 when I reached the door of the office. I could see the old man sitting with the desk He looked tired and a year older than the Bible His hands were shaking and his skin was coarse in the color of an old razor strap When I walked in he glanced up at me and looked about as happy as a Cocker Spaniel with a stomach ache I Could talk to you please mr. Novak. You'll try it once go ahead. I'm an old man You want to argue or go on? I'm too old, so I must come to someone for help My name is Hans new Maya. I Would like you to watch someone for me someone like Rory Malone. Yeah But you do not what is this save Rory Malone week. What's he to you? I am his manager. Oh, you don't ever hear of me because I'm old and Not a very good manager. I guess After this fight Rory find new manager, maybe yeah, what's when's this fight tonight? Oh, you don't know Rory. He's a good boy. He's a very good boy. Oh, yeah Well good boys don't need watching is he got some bad coming out something funny about this fight He meets with bad people and Rory is good boy. Yeah, I just met one. How deep do they run at the worst? It's a fellow named Joe Slegal He's a bad man a gambler Please mr. Novak, you just watch Rory tonight and see he's all right. Are you that rich? please I don't have much money just $300 maybe what I got from the fight Maybe 300. I don't know. I just got a little money It's a tie pop you win the toss Please you you don't help me you win you win pop When do I look at him tonight? You come before the fight in the dressing room. I show you to Rory and you see he's all right Yeah, but nine. Yeah, please mr. Novak. I Thank you all my life. You watch for you. I thank you all my life Yeah, well, I'm getting short shift on that, but I suppose it's not your fault pop. See you at nine I felt sorry for him when he turned and walked out of there I Could afford it 300 bucks. You can buy a lot of crying towels At the door he turned and smiled once before he shuffled out He moved down the pier with a nervous uncertain motion like a flower petal in a warm wind When he disappeared I took a cab and rode up to the press club Oh, I found out a lot about Rory Malone and most of it was good He was a lightweight and hands new Meyer had picked him up and brought him through the prelims up to main events stuff He was fighting tonight against a Cleveland boy named George Zarek him a betting was even I Ran into a chronicle man whose wife divorced him and named a fight club as correspondent and he said not to worry about Joe Slagle that Rory Malone fought for purses and that's all He knew about the girl Con Regan, but he didn't want to say much just that she was a fast five gated horse trying for seven Well, I had some dinner and I went over to the arena about 830 when I walked into Rory Malone's dressing room hands new Meyer wasn't anywhere around I Stood over in a corner and watched him get ready for the fight There was enough liniment being thrown around to keep an old lady's home spry for years The other handlers were in watching him tape up Malone and put on the gloves most of the people cleared out them Malone shadow boxed a minute before a second threw a robe around his shoulders and shoved him toward the door as he passed I fell in beside him and we started walking under the arena a few feet down. I bumped up against him Sorry about what hands new Meyer Who are you? Where's new Meyer? What do you care? My name's Novak? I'm supposed to meet him here. Do you know where he is? No, he didn't show up He's probably out drunk. Does he drink? No, well, that's a funny answer. I don't know where he is All I know is I need him tonight. I gotta get up to the ring. I'll go with you. So just so You're gonna win tonight. You never know sometimes you do mister. You're either too smart or too dumb What's the difference? You can't fight twice in one night I want to talk to you Rory not now kitty at the fight please Rory talk to me now kitty You're crazy. This guy's standing around a lot of other people. What do you want to do? Put him on the radio Where's hon? He hasn't been around where is he Rory? I don't know kitty if I know I'd get him Something wrong Rory. I've been watching. I know there's something wrong about this fight Yeah, yeah, there's only gonna be one guy fighting if you don't let me out. He's worried. Don't brush me off like a dumb fly I I know there's something wrong I don't want you to get into trouble. All right. Don't say all right when you know how I feel Let's talk about you and Joe slagal Please Rory, you don't know what it's like to see somebody in love go crazy your dough is safe You know that doesn't count Rory little money I've saved doesn't count next to you Please Rory don't do anything wrong I die I die of terrible heartbreak It hurts me all my life. Stop it when you're kidding us. Stop crying. Don't worry. I'll win Just don't let anything happen. I won't I'll see you after the fight Coming over. Yeah You're real good with your women Malone after this fight. I want to match with you No, back. I've met two of them and they both have you and their dream books right on the fly link I'll remember talk some more I'll talk enough to tell you to being followed about 12 inches behind That's right Malone keep walking turn in the next door. Yeah, wait a minute You better walk Malone unless you cannot run a bullet. You'd so missed it. I agreed an hour ago Open the door for a minute You stand over here. I'm alone take off your glove. I'm gonna need it. You're gonna be eating teeth take off your glove help a minute Hold them on the other side stairs Put his hand on the table I give me the block you can cry Malone It's gonna hurt I Keep his hand out there ready The glove back on the long it's too smashed up. It'll hold the pieces put it on you better put it on Malone. You're overmatched I go on up there and look good. Yeah, why don't you load them the gun and he'll win in two rounds Look mr. I don't know who you are, but I'm sick of your mouth. It's a big ploy so stretch out Two hours they either moved me or the arena because I woke up in an alley down near the Golden Gate Theater Was in back of a restaurant and I was lying there trying to look good in a mixed green salad My head was about the size of a diving bell and my clothes were so rumbled and dirty I looked like a leg man for the hobo news. I Tried to get to my feet once but it wasn't easy. It was like trying to push a basketball through a stove pipe. I Think it was close to 11 when I got out to the street I didn't even buy a paper to find out about the fight. I grabbed a cabin went up to my apartment iron out my spine It was a good idea, but the girl at the desk had a message from Hans Neumeier He was out at the California General Hospital. He wanted to see me right away When I got there he was at the end of a ward on the third floor, but the duty nurse wouldn't let me buy Oh, she was a real pretty nurse if you like pure mammal Somebody buzzed and when she oozed down the hall I ducked into the ward and started looking for Hans Neumeier. It was dark and he was away down at the end behind a white screen He looked tired and his eyes were moist and soft like a ripe fruit. That's just been squeezed too hard Please Mr. Novak you come to see me. Yeah, just so as I got your message you make mistake with hunts I don't send message somebody wants to be your secretary What happened to you in my room? I just go to my room. Somebody's there. I don't know Wally's all right. I limped a little mister. Your boy got his hand smashed Wally's a good boy. He's got a good girl. Who's kitty? She's go with Wally a long time Save money to marry this. Wait a minute. Keep still Something to matter. Yeah somebody coming Down this way coming up behind that curtain Maybe it will be comes to visit me Whoever came to visit him didn't stay long The old man leaned back in the bed and quit without any fanfare like a long summer coming to an end Well, I went out to get the nurse and I found her down at the end of the hall giving an intern some greedy talk She hadn't heard the shots and I hadn't seen anybody come out of the ward I told her as much as I couldn't then she wheeled the old man into another room and called homicide Now that called a homicide didn't help because from now on things weren't going to improve I was fighting a forest fire with a can of kerosene About 20 minutes later inspector helman showed up He was full of finesse and fury and he came charging over about as graceful as a lame lobster. Hello Novak. You're up late I had company most of the time. Yeah, and did he bore you somebody get tired of him It happened behind his screen down there in the ward. Who is he dive in the name of hands new Meyer He manages a fighter named Rory Malone. Yeah, the killings mixed up with a fight fix not the Zarek fight Yeah, that's right. They got to Rory Malone 10 minutes before ring time You got a thin story Novak look I got a fat one and I got all the gambling going down on my side The old man got it because Rory Malone was dumped in that fight I don't believe it. You don't have to believe it helman They smashed him up his right hand was as limp as an old piece of lettuce when he climbed into that ring They should have smashed both hands because Rory Malone won by a knockout in the fifth round trying to the page Novak Told me Rory Malone won that fight. I might as well. I handed him a feather. I Stood there feeling like a guy peddling dope at his sister's wedding How could Rory Malone a one night fight with a without a hand grenade? When I saw the hand it wasn't strong enough to flatten a piece of silk on an ivory table And yet he won by a knockout in the fifth round Pointed to one thing Zarek had taken a dive, but why the double fix? Why had they smashed Rory's hand? It was a goofy pitch like sending for a plumber to fix a hole in Boulder Dam I didn't have time to wrestle around with it because helman had talked on his mind You can't get a bookie in town to take bets on this one Novak. No not with you setting the odds They were that way when I got here So don't write up a clean bill of health the guy's dead and nobody else is volunteering you'd muff a confession anyway before you tumble They'd have to cut it and stone across the front of city hall What were you doing with the old man helping him over the rough spots or taking him over the hurdle He hired me to watch Rory Malone. They were stepping up the pace on his boy for instance For instance Joe slagal everybody says he had a stake in the fight You don't throw a fight by winning in the fifth round That's what the book says but sometimes the books wrong You better look up Joe slagal and on the same trip he can stop by and see a gal named Conor Egan Yeah, why she's Malone's new sparring partner a tall redhead with lots of dry cells She sounds nice I'll talk to her and slagal too But I'm gonna find out about you and Rory Malone first I'm gonna run down the stuff in this fight and I'll find out where you fit in Don't worry Novak. I'll dig out you could take the jelly out of an omelet helman Look up the girl and Joe slagal. They'll talk not about each other There's some connection there. I'll give even money their friends. They ought to be what they were married a month ago in Las Vegas Or don't you know about love? Helman stood there a moment and smiled like a guy who's just killed a landlord and then he turned around and walked out While I stayed until they wrapped up the old man after that I went with a chronicle officer pulled the clips on Joe slagal He'd been to three jails and gotten his masters at Alcatraz There was some pictures of him at the racetrack. He had a face any museum would buy an afford that was so low He must have had to look down to see his hairline It was one other thing about him. I noticed he was the same guy who'd smashed Rory Malone's hand I began to wonder about that friendship, but it was getting late and I had to work fast So I looked up the only honest guy I know an ex-doctor and a boozer by the name of Jocko Madigan He's a smart guy until he decided a head on your beer is worth more than a head on your shoulders I finally found him in a little joint down on Geary Street talking to some woman into giving up all men under 50 I've missed you in a rather trivial way. All right, I'm giving this woman a lecture on diminishing return Jocko, will you stop drinking long enough to listen? Patsy, you failed to understand my drinking Actually, I hate whiskey, but I go on drinking is a sort of soft to Providence Yeah, because everyone knows the guardian angels take care of small children and tipplers and Since I passed the age where I look well in rompers This is a very clever dodge to get a little outside help. Jocko, are you ever gonna change? Patsy, don't you know what a Burton changes to a man as old as I am? Oh, yeah, it's not the change we mind. It's the way it happens by degrees Never giving you a chance to remember anything else or it's heartbreaking Patsy All right. All right. It's like visiting a half-forgotten neighborhood It hasn't changed completely just parts of it a few old houses and some human remnants is still around Enough to remind you of the change but never enough to make you happy It's that way with growing old will you listen? They don't allow you to grow old suddenly and leave they insist on this policy of having you dribble off into eternity It's undignified Patsy feeling like a bowl of old dishwater with the stopper pulled out. Jocko I want to talk to you. Why didn't you say so? What's the matter? An old guy with the name of hands new mire is dead Bless him. Homicides full of fever. They think I killed the old man. What did he do before he stopped doing it? A fight manager. He hired me to watch his fighter Rory Malone He should have hired a team because somebody got to him in the hospital tonight. How do you fit in? I was just passing through on the noise started and that was general Custer's problem It's tied up with tonight's fight new mire was afraid of a gamber named Joe slayle He was around tonight and smashed Malone's hand before ring time. That's a hard way to lose. Hell, it's a harder way to win Malone won by a knockout in the fifth. Was he fighting his father? I'm not getting any place. Jocko, and I'm doing it in a hurry. It's a bad fit all the way around They took two tries to get the old man and if slayle bought the fight, why'd he smash Malone's hand? Let's have a drink. Jocko, you've got to help me. It's the thirst that's confusing I want you to get up to Rory Malone's place. You can find it in a book Go through his stuff and try to pick up a lead, will you? Why don't you do it? I'm gonna look up a girlfriend named Conry and she's married to slayle, but she's trying to work Malone into the act Well, in that case, I'd be in the way. Look, I'm in a spot, Jocko. Now get up to that apartment, will you? What if Malone walks in and finds me going through his stuff? Stop worrying. He almost killed a man with one broken hand Suppose someone smashed the other one Well, I had to do something quick because the kettle was on to boil By the time Hellman got to him, slaygle had had an alibi and my story about the smashed hand wouldn't prove a thing I had to grope around and pretend like a guy on the second verse of the national anthem I decided to tag by slaygle's place and on the way I bought a paper to read about the fight Malone looked real bad for four rounds and then came out of the woods fast with a left hand and the fifth It was about midnight when I got to slaygle's apartment and Began to look more and more like it when Conry can open the door Though I could see Rory's point She was a sort of a woman you'd never give a second look because the first it paralyzed you Her red hair looked brighter now and Well legs like that are the reason silkworms are born She smiled and you knew if you never made Naples you could die happy with her But I guess she picked her friends. It's too late for the 300 now, Mr. Novak. I'm working free invite me in us. Sorry darling You look lonely where slaygle I agreed to marry him not following how about Malone somebody killed his manager I'd like to help you Mr. Novak, but I don't like you well enough. Well, you can make love later Give me answers now. Where you going? You're not welcome. I want to know what those bags are packed for I don't trust the drawers now get out of here, Mr. Novak calm down and put the gun away get out of here You came uninvited. I'll kill you the same way You're gonna lose an argument well it looks that way if she's yours call her off Malone You're too tough con let him walk up. He's deemed in here full of questions. That's a bad way to answer relax That's what your man new Myers doing somebody killed him tonight. I know that blow back your eyes. I'd very red I can't help it. No back all I can do is square his beef and you can start with your girlfriend She's leaving town or did you buy the tickets at your hurry come I want to leave I can't leave Rory I'll argue with you. You'll get the short end Rory because I'm leaving stay away from me. You're too close Someday they'll let you even Maybe it's a referee I'll get it Yeah You've got a deep voice miss Regan. What's on your mind Helman? Joe slaggle right now Cleaned up in tonight's fight not with a betting even wasn't after the first round Word got out the Malone broke his hand the betting chain and slaggle covered every bet in the house That's right only old man tumble before it happened That's what he was afraid of the shot killed him slaggle did you got a motive now Helman? You better look him up He couldn't be dead Because I knew they'd dummy up on me and I had nothing to go on It was like trying to build a wall out of jelly consomme Nothing added up now Whose side was Rory on him? Where did that other girl kitty fit him? My luck was on the black market tonight, and I knew it So I went by my place to check with Jaco. He was in the kitchen, and he looked worried Patsy you know I was going to break open the thermometer until I found this bottle in the closet All right, Jack. What'd you find out that it pays to know Joe slaggle? There's a $20,000 checking Malone's desk slaggle signed it He could afford it somebody killed him an hour ago where was Malone? I don't know, but that's not gratitude Maybe he'll wire regrets. You'd better get up there all his stuff's packed for a long trip Well a couple of trunks and all his bags does that sound like a weekend party? I don't know Jaco He's kind of fancy maybe he likes a lot of laundry Up to now it was like trying to melt a pound of diamonds But when the turn comes everything happens in a hurry and things began to fall faster than snow off a warm roof If Jaco was right it meant Rory and the girl fought but they did a lot of clinching between rounds Well, I got a hold of Hellman and brought him up to date and then I started for Rory Malone's apartment When I got there Hellman was outside the door listening as quiet as a washing machine full of pebbles They must be in the back room. I can't hear a thing. You couldn't hear a rifle shot in a box car. Hellman Let's get a better view Gonna miss your train Malone. I don't believe you. It's a chance to bet Mr. Novak This is inspector Hellman from homicide. Well, you guessed wrong inspector. I'm covered for Joe slagal Novak Here's alibi for miss Regan. We can check you scrape and bottom. Mr. We can start with that $20,000 check from Joe slagal That's where you'll stop to a 20,000 covered a sailor might contract the fight commission can beef but that's all you ready come I hope you are too because you're going downtown log fellow. You'll make us miss a train, but we'll catch the next one You're wishing now Roy Who's this a fast friend with a slow burn? Hello kitty your boyfriend's gonna leave say goodbye You're crazy to go with her. She makes me that way kitty. I'm sorry. Rory. I've done too much for you I kept loving you all this time Can't leave you can't leave now. I don't want to be alone by a dog. No, Rory No, I won't let you go You better take her helmet she's ain't I loved you too much for this Loved you enough to kill somebody or you can't leave me to myself when the guy comes tell him where the baggages What'll be come of you Rory Malone? What'll be come of you Rory Malone when you have to think about me when you hear the sound of me in your head? You're brave Rory. You're brave to leave me alone. Come on Con and the place like this. We're wasting you Come back long enough to fight them live at me You didn't love me for the full except the right kind of a heel can grant you into the dirt fast Well helmet piece most of the story together slagal and Malone planned the fight and it went off without a hitch Slagal bought off the other fighters so that Malone could win as soon as the bets had been covered Hands knew my I had an idea, but he liked Rory too much to believe it They found out he was coming to me and Con Regan tried to scare me off She looked too good to Rory and the scheme started to grow He lied to slagal after the fight about new Meyer so slagal went into the hospital and killed the old man That left slagal around to cloud things up. So Rory Malone told a phony story to his girlfriend kitty She loved him enough to kill slagal Was no way to stick Rory Malone. He could never fight again with that hand But he had a check for 20,000 bucks to start on it. That's enough to keep love in the living room Well Helman asked only one question Why would a smart gambler like slagal take a chance on giving Malone a check for 20,000 bucks I Guess Malone found out when he tried to cast that check because Joe slagal was big-hearted but broke Second broadcasting company has just brought you the sixth of a new series Pat Novak for hire starring Jack Webb Pat Novak is produced and directed by William P. Russo. Jocko Madigan is played by Tudor own Inspector Helman is played by Raymond Burr. Music was composed and conducted by Basil Adlum In our cast were Yvonne Patey, Steffen Schnabel, Frank Lovejoy, William Biaf and Ted DeCorsia This program is being released to our servicemen and women overseas through the worldwide facilities of the armed forces radio service Be with us again next week when over most of these same ABC stations We will bring you Pat Novak for hire This program came to you from Hollywood Listening reminder Don't miss Jean Arthur and Robert Morley when they star in the compelling drama yesterday's magic on Theater Guild on the air tonight