 The Anchor Hawking Glass Corporation brings you crime photographer. Mr. Mervin and me have been wondering what happened to you. Hello, Ethelbert. Hi, Tony. Hey, say, Casey, I haven't seen you around the last few days. Oh, I've been cheering myself hoarse for the Dodgers this week. Hmm, you're a Brooklyn boy. No, but the Dodgers, they're a national institution. Oh, you don't tell me about a national institution. I'd share for one, too, every week. Which one? The Yankees? Oh, come, Casey. So what other institution would I be referring but Anchor Hawking? The most famous name in glass. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Tony Mervin. Every week at this time, the Anchor Hawking Glass Corporation of Lancaster, Ohio, and its more than 10,000 employees bring you another adventure of Casey crime photographer. Ace Cameraman, who covers the crime news of a great city. Written by Alonzo Dean Cole. Our adventure for tonight. Loaded dice. Six o'clock in the morning. A grim gray hour when many of us regretfully leave comfortable beds to begin the day's work. Ah, but Casey's work ended only a few hours ago, so he has a long sleep ahead of him. Ah, but... Casey. Huh? Is that you, Casey? Yeah, it's me. This is Steve Drake. Who? Steve Drake. Oh, hello, Steve. I was gonna phone you last week to see if you had any tip. Hey, what's the big idea of waking me up at this hour of the morning? You got a lousy nerve to call... Hold it, Casey. Now, listen to me. Who do you want? You and I want to fool together. We used to be parents. Well, there's no excuse for calling... I need help, Casey. No guy is a pal of mine who wakes me up. You need help, Steve. Plenty, I think. Oh, excuse me for yelling at your fellow. I would still have to sleep. Well, you come to my apartment right away. I'm living in Adlin Gardens at Barkley House 4A. As soon as I can throw on my clothes if you're in a jam, what's wrong? I think I'm in a bad jam. You think? Yeah, I haven't the guts to find out by myself. It'd be too dangerous if I tried. Hurry over here, Casey. Hurry. Coming, Casey. Thanks for getting here so quickly. Oh, Casey. Well, it's a swell joint you have here. Casey. It's a big trouble. Come here. Look down the floor. A knife. Covered with dried blood. Yeah, the blood was fresh when I first saw that knife. When you first saw it? About 15 minutes before I phoned you. It was right where it is now. I had sense enough not to touch it. Go on. Well, I had been asleep. I was awakened by... Well, I thought I heard my door close. So, I got up to investigate. Well, someone had gone out the door, all right, because the door hadn't been locked, like I left it. Whoever was here left that shift. Yeah. None of you looked around your apartment? Well, naturally. No one has been stabbed here. Nothing has been disturbed in the place. I don't get it. I'm afraid I do. That's why I asked for your help. All right, Steve. Give me the answers. Well, there are only two apartments to a floor in these garden houses. Foster Blassett is the other tenant on this floor. Foster Blassett? You know who he is. Oh, sure I do. A millionaire fat guy who tried to be a wolf of Playboy. 300 pounds plus on the hoof. He also bucks my rag at heart. Yeah, he lost a lot of dough to you, didn't he? I heard he didn't pay off. You're getting the picture. Now, look, Casey, I brought you here this morning because you've known me ever since we were kids. We haven't played in the same league for years. I'm a professional gambler. In the dough today broke tomorrow while you stayed legitimate. But you know me. You know I'm not chomping up the knife a guy because he whilst on a bet. Now, you may have to convince the cops of that. The cops will know and trust you. Keep on talking, Steve. Hello. This door in my living room leads to an outside terrace. Yeah, I see. Now, on the other side of that high dividing wall, Blassett's apartment has a similar terrace. Yeah? I found a small blood stain on top of the wall. Blood from that knife, I think. Well, you climbed to the top of that wall? Yes, and looked over before I phoned you. A table with a chair on top of it is against Blassett's side of the wall. Well, did you go over the wall? No, no, I was afraid. Afraid to find out for sure. You moved this chair and table to your side of the wall when you climbed to look over there. Yeah, yeah. Hmm. Let's climb over the wall and see what's what. Well, you go first. Okay. Easy enough for these tables and chairs. Come on. I'm coming. Blassett's door to the terrace is open. Yeah, let's go in. Casey, that little stain on the rug. Looks like a blood stain, all right? You'll notice things, don't you, Steve? Look there. What? Across this living room. In the hall. I see. I want a close look. This Blassett. Slumped against the outside door of his apartment. Dead. And it was stabbed, Casey. My guess was right. Yeah. It's all right. I wonder if it was a guess. What do you mean? A little guy like you couldn't move Blassett after he fell against this outside door and blocked it. There was only one other way for you to get out of the apartment, the terrace, which led only to your place. And after piling up that furniture to get back over the dividing wall, you couldn't put it back where it belonged on this side. So you think I killed Blassett? If your positions were reversed, what would you think? And you're the guy I thought would help me. Stand by me. Well, I have no chance that we think stand now. And I'm not going to be railroaded on a lousy frame of it. Oh, so you pack a gun. And I'll use it if you make me. Open the closet door behind you, Casey. I'm locking you in there and I'm getting out of here. Locked me in that closet. You heard me. Open the door and get in. I don't think I will, Steve. I'm going to use Blassett's phone to call the cops. Keep away from that phone. No, no, no. Put that phone down. Why don't you shoot, Steve? All right. Better give me that rod, hadn't you? Here. Thank you. Thanks. You're a smart guy. Hello, headquarters. Give me Captain Logan. Homicide bureau. Yes, Steve, you're a very smart guy. I was... I just too yellow to shoot you. That's what you mean. Oh, I wasn't worried about that guy. You had my number. After you said you'd locked me in the closet, then I got your number, Steve. Before that, I wasn't sure. I was just too yellow. I've never known a killer who was too yellow to do another killing that might save him from the hot seat. Now, what are you driving at? Hello? Excuse me. Hello, Logan. Listen, the way you cops waste the taxpayers' money is a crime. You know, I've been holding onto this wire for half an hour here. What are you... Oh. Okay, pal. Hey, hey, Logan. Bring the ME and your tech squad up to the Adlon Garden Apartments. I've got a little case of murder for you. Yes, murder is what I said. And I've got a chief suspect right here in front of me. Uh-huh. Only I'm sure he's not guilty. Tasty. Yes, Logan. You see, he's a guy I know. Okay, Drake, we'll talk some more about your story later. Now, you'll stay here in the kitchen with his officer while I see what my men have dug up in the other rooms of the Blessed Department. All right, Captain. Hey, Casey, thanks for everything. Okay, Steve. Come on, Casey. Sure. Now, so you think your friend Steve Drake is on the level with that yarn of his, huh? Logan, I know how weak the yarn is. But I've told you how the guy reacted when he knew that I was against him. If he was a killer, he'd have shot me down. You sometimes reason like a schoolboy. Yeah? Because you're lucky and it's stumbled out of the answers to a few front-page crimes before we cops dug them up. You think you know it? Captain Logan. Yes, Sergeant? I'll take, man. Just finish the pictures and measurements. Can we go to work in the body now? Yeah, get at it. I want to see everything at Blessed's pockets. Right away, sir. Logan, when I examined the body after I phoned you, looked to me as though somebody had gone through Blessed's pockets. I noticed that when I came in here. Sure, you didn't touch anything? It's a fine thing. A few things I won't do in order to get exclusive pictures and messing up possible evidence is one of them. Yeah. Now, I believe that in this case because you're here without your camera. Oh, I got pictures, pal. Does it hurt? Yeah. Poor Blessed had a swell camera hanging in his bedroom, loaded with film. I got a whole pocket full of nice exclusives. He had no business to touch anything around here. I put the camera back exactly where I... Casey, someday I'm going to get... This stuff was in the guy's pockets, Captain. Now, let's have a... Yeah. A good drift. Two busted cigars, a key and a billfold. Billfold's empty. Empty. I see. But he may have a roll in his right pants pocket. The way the body lies against that door, we can't get at it. It's underneath him. Is it okay? Yeah, I'll turn him over. Now, give me a hand when you jump. And this fat guy weighed a ton. Now, I can get into that pocket now. I've only got a handful of change and a pair of dice. Dice? They were the tools of his trade, as much as he had a trade. Not all Blessed ever did was gamble and chase the dames. Yeah. Finding no big money on him may mean he lost his wad in some game last night. Yeah, I started my men in a checkup of Blessed's movements last night. Right after you phoned me, we got some reports soon. Sergeant, seal up this stuff from the dead man's pockets. Doesn't look very promising, but we'll have to go over it. Yes, sir. Has the examination of Steve Drake's apartment turned up anything yet? Nothing but the knife, those blood stains that he and Casey told us we'd find. No notebook or address book or letters that might have belonged to Blessed? No, sir. Such things are easily destroyed. Steve Drake didn't do this job, Logan. Says you with a very bum reason for you to say so. I go by evidence, not half-baked psychological theories. Sergeant, has the safe in Drake's apartment been opened? I had him give you the combination. Yes, Captain. They've contained only what he said we'd find. Oh, $20,000 in cash. $21,700. To be exact, sir. A lot of dough to keep an apartment. Not for a bookmaker. That's Steve's racket. I'll answer that, sir. Okay, sir. Hello. The Captain Logan speaking. Shoot, Martin. Yeah? Happ ever at this place, huh? Very interesting, Martin. Now, you've done a swell job. Now, find out anything else you can and phone me at headquarters. I'll be leaving here soon. Hey, goodbye. Something new, Logan? Only in a small way. Resuming our conversation, Casey, as you said, $21,700 is really small dough for a bookmaker who can afford to live in this swanky joint. Sure it is. And bookmakers sometimes take it on the chin. Their bankrolls get wiped out. Isn't that so, Casey? So I've heard, yeah. Sergeant, bring Steve Drake in here. Yes, sir. What are you gonna pull? A little bluff. Now, sit down and keep your mouth shut, Casey. And that's an order. Okay. Here I am, Captain. Drake, I hear you've taken a pretty hard beating in the races lately. Yeah, I've taken a beating. How bad? Well, frankly, the money in my apartment safe is all I've got. $21,700. About that. Exactly that. And until you killed Blessed, you had $20,000 left. I didn't kill Blessed. Oh, yes, you did. I just got a phone call from one of my men. He's learned that Blessed won close to 20 grand in a crap game and had ever its joint early this morning. And a dependable guard saw him safely home with it. You killed him, Drake. It's Blessed's dough that's in your safe. It isn't so, Casey. I swear. Casey, I'm putting this guy you know so well under formal arrest for murder. Our story will continue in just a moment. I like beer. I like ale. So you like ale. And you like beer. Hmm, but I'm fussy. I want my beer and a glass. Me too. I want that flavor that's brewery bright. Brewery bright. And that means glass. Definitely. Right. Because glass and glass alone brings you beer and ale as it ought to taste. Right. Glass bottles and glass bottles only can bring you beer and ale as it comes from the brewery, unaffected by any foreign taste or flavor. And now we have a new kind of bottle. The anchor glass one-way bottle. It requires no deposit. No return to the store. When it's empty, dispose of it as you would any food container. It saves space in the ice box. It's unnatural for picnics. Easy to open, easy to drink from. It's always in good taste and it protects that real brewery flavor. As only glass can protect it. Yes, the revolutionary new anchor glass one-way no deposit bottle is sweeping America. For perfect flavor, demand beer in glass bottles. For extra convenience, demand your favorite brand in the new anchor glass one-way no deposit bottle. A product of anchor hocking. The most famous name in glass. Go on telling me what happened after Steve Drake was arrested, Kenzie. Oh, nothing happened. Pal accepted he's been sitting under the bright lights ever since with cops firing questions at him. He sticks to his original story, huh? 100%. And, um, Casey still sold on that story. Hmm, it don't sound very good to me. Has the Doughday Pound and Drake Shape been identified by the joint glass at one of that? Oh, Apple Bird. Gamblers are very reluctant witnesses, you know. Half-Everett has been forced to admit that the glass had took one of his dice games for plenty this morning. Because the cops would have learned about it from the other players anyhow. And he admits he paid Blast it off. But he says he can't identify the dough he did it with. Half-Everett works for the big syndicate, don't he? They wouldn't operate if he didn't. They say the syndicate gets 50 cents of every dollar gambled around here. Yeah, or else. I never met Everett. He don't come here to the Blue Note. But a gal who works for him does sometimes a glossy little babe named Janice Russell. I think she's a stirrer for his joints. That's right, she is. He's also one of Blast's many gal friends, or what? That guy played the field, didn't he? Yeah. Well, Annie, let's get down to headquarters to see if Logan's dug up anything new, huh? I'm okay. I hope something's dug up that'll vindicate your belief in Steve Drake's innocence, Casey, but, uh, the way this sounds, I ain't got much hope. Thanks for the lift, pal. Pessimists like you always make me optimistic. I've dug up two little new items. Yeah, what are they, Logan? First, I've had a personal talk with a bodyguard who went home with Blast at this point. I wanted to know more about that bodyguard. It's okay, double-check that. The second of my new items may provide an answer. A lab just handed me a report on those dice, Blast had. Huh? Load it. Load it? They throw nothing but naturals, the kind that can't lose. Yeah, have a look. Look at that stuff. Need a pair of cheaters, huh? Yeah. Hey, I get it. Blast at one with those dice last night, then half Everett found out he'd been cheated and sent a strong arm, then... And, Annie, what you don't know about gambling would fill a five-foot bookshelf. The best crooked dice ever made. Wouldn't get by a professional for a 20 grand payoff. And these galloping dominoes are plain robbers. The dumbest stick man at Everett's joint would pick him up after a few passes. Oh, sure. Oh, huh. Guess I am a little ignorant about galloping dominoes. Hey, wait a minute. If the stick man in charge of the game was in on the play, Logan, and Blast had double-crossed him about sharing the winnings... Hey, the picture's there. Sure it is. And Steve Drake is not in it. And after he killed Blast, for refusing to divide the winnings, the stick man searched him for those dice, knowing they were a tip-off to the murderer... That's it, Annie. And he couldn't get them because 300-pound Blast fell on top of the dice when he was stabbed. Here. Come on. We're gonna pay Half Everett's joint a visit. Mr. Revit is in his office. I'll tell him you gentlemen and the lady are here. Yes, do, and right away. Yes, Captain Logan. Swanky set up Half Everett, yes. Big Seneca Half Works for goes in for class. The game rooms must be behind those big closed doors. Beautifully soundproofed, too. The offices and reception room out here with service quarters in Backham. Service quarters? Yeah. Equipment rooms and restrooms with the game operators. Hostesses. Hostess seeing the refined name for a come-on gal. There's one up now. Casey! Hello, Janice. What are you doing here? Oh, just smooching around. Miss Russell, Miss Williams. How do you do? How do you do? And Captain Logan. Hmm, Army or Navy, Captain? Police. Oh, about they forced to blast the thing? You knew blast it pretty well, didn't you, Janice? What galleron town didn't? Were you here when blast it went all that door last night? I work here, Captain. How did he pile up his winnings? The hard way or by throwing a whole lot of naturals? I don't remember. What he was. Curious. Mr. Revit will see you gentlemen and the lady. That's very kind of him. Captain Logan. How are you, Casey? Hello, Hap. And lovely charming Miss Williams. Annie, this big mug is a silky wolf. Don't trust that liner. I like Mr. Everett's line. Well, give it to my office and make yourself comfortable. Well, I'll be running along. Don't run far, Miss Russell. I may want to talk to you later. I'll be around, Captain. Please sit down. Thanks. Nice office you have, Everett. You guys do pretty well by yourselves. It's comfortable. And practical. Back door so you can avoid unwelcome company from the front. And people in both doors. Specialized professions demand specialized arrangements, Captain. Yeah. Say, who had charge of the table at which blast it nicked you for 20 grand this morning? Less Parker was the stick man. Oh, get him in here now. Very well. Yes, Mr. Everett. Bring Less Parker here, right away. Yes, sir. Why you're interest in my stick man, Captain? Just want to ask him a few routine questions. What time did he go off duty this morning? 4.30. According to the afternoon papers, Steve Drake is all wrapped up for the blasted killing. Anything happened to, uh, change things? No, but we'd have a much better case against Drake if you told us how you paid blasted his winnings. I'm sorry, I can't remember, Captain. We pay off so much money to so many people today. Come in. You want to see me, Captain? Captain Logan here wants to see you. Uh, this is Less Parker. Please, huh? Oh, will you leave us alone, Everett? Oh, certainly. I'll go up my back door. I have some checking to do in the equipment room. What's this about, Captain? The blasted murder. I, uh, I hear you've got Steve Drake dead to rights for the job. The case is far from closed. Yeah? You know Steve Drake, Parker? Why, uh, slightly. Ever been in his apartment? No. Ever been in the blasted apartment? No. Blasted was killed about 5.30 this morning. Where were you then? Home in bed. Can you prove it? Why should I have to prove it? The only contact I ever had with blasted was when he played at my table. I hardly knew the guy. Ever seen these before, Parker? I've seen lots of dice, Captain. Well, those are special dice. They throw only sevens. Cheaters, huh? They were responsible for Foster Blassett's winning streak. Weren't they, Parker? What do you think I am? No one could slip a pair of phonies like these in on me and get away with it? They could if you were sharing in the winnings. You had a deal with Blassett. No. When you went to collect this morning, he gave you the laugh. I didn't. No, no, no. You're under arrest. Wait, I'm not going to be a fool guy, not for a murder rap. There was a deal. But I didn't do all the Blassett's to collect. And if Steve Drake didn't steal that door, I'd been doubled-crossed and I'll tell you who... Shots! The lights have gone out. I saw a gun flash from the peephole in this back door, Logan. Stop you or I'll shoot! I heard gunshots, Captain, and the lights went out. I just came out of this equipment room to see you. I see, Everett. Stick your hands in the air. Okay, there's a switchbox by this door, Logan. Yeah. Now we've got the light on this pretty situation. Oh, Captain. Parker got two bullets through the head. Looks like he's done for. There's the gun that did it, Annie, on the floor. Come in here, Everett. I can guess what Parker was about to tell us. You and Eve been working together to beat the big syndicate. Certain players were allowed to win here with phony dice if you got a big share of their take. You let Blassett be one of those lucky players. But when you went to collect from him, he refused to fork over so you killed him and took the dough and framed Drake. You knew your stooge Parker was a weak sister so when I came here to question him, you listened outside and when he started to break, you shot him. Gentlemen, in the moment between those shots and the time the lights went out, I was out of that equipment room in time to get a glimpse of a woman. A woman? What? You will probably find her hiding in the hostess's restroom there. Not exactly her. Oh, Miss Russell, I was listening. Now I'll do some talking. That we want to hear. I ran into Mr. Everett here in the hall a few minutes ago. My boss never misses a chance to paw gal when nobody's looking. So he grabbed me and smeared my lip makeup. Look at his mouth, he's still smeared. That has nothing to do with... It was a big mistake on your part, Hath. You'd kept your hands off me. I wouldn't have had to go in there to put fresh lipstick on. And I wouldn't have seen you shooting through the peephole. You saw it! Shut up, Everett. Go on, Miss Russell. I just opened the door to come out when he fired and turned out the lights. An experienced gal who stays undercover when they're shooting so I ducked back into the room and... She shot Parker, Captain. Check up on her. You'll find she and Parker were friends. Good enough friends to be partners in the deal to cheat my games, but not good enough to trust one another. And you were playing around blasted, Janice. Just a minute, Hath. That's your revolver on the floor. It isn't. My gun is right here. Don't reach inside your coat, Everett. I'll see. And your shoulder holster is empty. Empty? That's what I said. She took it. She lifted it from me when she had her arms around me. That's a pretty thin story. Isn't it, though? Maybe not. Huh? Hath likes the gals pretty well. He was worried about what Parker might tell us. I don't think he'd have taken time to give Janice that little squeeze. Oh, of course I wouldn't. I'd have gotten her out of this hall. You did get me out of the hall because I had to redo my makeup. You have pretty good answers, Janice. You're a quick thinker. But you make bad mistakes. The dice were in a pocket underneath Blasset's 300 pounds. Hap here is a big boy. He could have moved the fat man. You couldn't. Check, Logan. Check, Casey. You loaded the dice against yourself, Miss Tyler's Russell. You're under arrest. You've got nothing on me. Great kill, Blasset. Hath Everett killed Parker. We'll have plenty on you when we find the 20 grand you took from Blasset and tie it up to you. You can't identify money. I'll identify it. I'll give Captain Logan every serial number on the money. Mine, my Hap. How your memory's improved. Join the crowd at the blue note in just a moment. Here's real refreshment for you. A big frosty pitcher of ice-cold lemonade or iced tea or delicious fruit juices. How pleasing is the tinkle of the ice cubes and how good it tastes. And how wonderful it looks when poured from the new Sunburst Crystal Pitcher. The Sunburst Crystal Pitcher is a radiantly beautiful two-quart pitcher in the magnificent new kind of crystal the whole country is talking about and admiring. Why it picks up light like a diamond and scatters it in a thousand flashing rays. And here's the big surprise. You can buy one of these magnificent sparkling Sunburst Crystal Pitchers for only 50 cents. Yes, only 50 cents. Or slightly more in distant cities. And here is the kind of crystal that's an heirloom in homes all over America. Look for it tomorrow in the windows and on the counters of the retail stores of America. Sunburst Crystal is a product of anchor hawking. The most famous name in glass. Janice Russell's apartment, huh, Casey? Yeah, that's right, Applebird. She hadn't done a very good job of hiding. Well, she figured her frame of Steve Drake had been so good that'd be no suspicion of her. Even Parker, her partner in the loaded dive scheme, thought Drake had taken the money until Captain Lozen went to work on it. She's just what you call a all-around bad gal. I'll say. Well, takes all kinds to make a world. That's so, Casey. But as my sister Edna says, quote, the only thing rotten eggs are good for is to make a skunk jealous. And who wants to arouse the emotions of a skunk? Did you say I'm full? Oh, no, excuse me, I'm full. In photographer, starring Stotz Cotsworth as Casey, is brought to you each Thursday by the Anchor Hawking Glass Corporation. Makers of Fire King Oven Glass, Anchor Glass Containers, Anchor Caps and Closures of Anchor Hawking, the most phoenix in his effulgence. This is Tony Marvin saying good night for the Anchor Hawking Glass Corporation of Lancaster, Ohio, with offices in all principal cities of the United States and Canada. So stay tuned for exciting dramatizations on Read His Digest Radio Edition, which follows immediately over most of these...