 Raise my beat from Plains Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Raise my beat with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Cover. November night holds for another instant, then slips out of Broadway's embrace, picks up its whispering, its promises, its shadows, drifts the street to the place of its dying. And this November night will never be again, never will be touched again, but the feel of it, remembered, somewhere in it the sudden laugh of a woman and the quick spasm dancing at a diamond throw and for the diary for the memory book, what's left of it, the tracery of frost on pavement, the lurch into subway, the southern room, sleep it off, forget it, it never happened. And in another place downtown west toward river toward end of night, another quality, room where party had been, litter of bottles of cigarettes crushed branded at the bare floor, room where a man lay dead on velvet draped bed, room of knife wounds and a host. They just walked out on me, party could have gone on and on and on, I begged them, I got on my knees, not a kiss, just split it away, and lonesome and sad, I'm just about everything there is. Tell me about it. Tell me how a man was murdered at your party, Mr. Rinfo. Real beautiful party. I just sent out the word. Maybe the music gets in your way, huh, Mr. Rinfo? Now maybe you couldn't tell me, huh? I told you, they walked out on me, leave me with nothing but to sleep. So I go to my dolly and who's this boy, this fellow, I try to push him over the other side of the bed to make room, I don't have the strength, he's heavy. He's dead. He came to me like a flash, that's why I called you, I got to have some sleep, Mr. Man. You know him? He isn't dead, he blows a horn, musician, Kenny Perdue, poor old Kenny Perdue, Kenny, Kenny boy, you shouldn't have died in my bed, you shouldn't do things like that. Get away from him. Well, I didn't mean to scold, I just, whoa, what was I doing? You know where he lived? Live? Room, room on West 18. Ah, ha, ha, ha, hand-handle apartments, that's where I called him to make up a party. Who was at your party, Mr. Rinfo? Him. Kenny. Who else? Well, loads, loads, girls, boys, girls. Kenny gave the word and they blew in from off the avenue, I don't know who will. Could this man come in with anyone? Do you come alone? I don't know, Honest. I've got to get some sleep, but... Hey, look! Party isn't over! They're coming back! Hey, hey, lookie, lookie, lookie, hey! Party time! Forget it, Mr. Remboff. Come on in, boys. Then the man whose trade it was to walk through strange doorways made their entrance, the men from technical. Standard operating procedure, varied as to the size of the room and the location of the body. Death measured on a steel tape, noted as a symbol, photographed with the best of equipment. Result, Kenny Perdue's dying recorded precisely in space. So leave there, up the flight of stairs again, and home again, and bed again. Three hours of it, then up again, and coffee against the rest of the sleep that didn't happen. Call headquarters, give my routine for the morning, and go now to the address of the dead man. You're the cop? That's right. So, enter, please do. I got a call from your shop a few hours ago telling me Kenny quit. Phone told me to stick around for a caller. That's you, huh? Name's Danny Clover. Ray Brady. You lived here with Mr. Perdue? Used to. Five months running. No more. Gotta get me another. Tell me something about your roommate. Well, blew a horn, not great, not bad. Reefed up, he was at his best, which was just about pretty good. Marijuana, huh? Said reefed up, didn't I? What about you? I play the vibe. Oh, you mean about... Listen, my daddy caught me with corn silk wrapped up in a Chicago Tribune when I was 10. A week later when I could move, I took a note. I smoke nothing with or without printing on it. Who killed your roommate? I don't know. He was at a party last night at the apartment of a man named Harry Rimpal. Were you there? Last night I played an engagement, a wedding job. Lasted till 4 a.m. Had chances hard, you can check. Me, I was up to my neck in Cated Kisker till 4. Got home just when the phone rang, telling me to stay put because Kenny quit. Did you know any of his friends? I can give you a name, might be some help. All right. A Mildred. You know how Mildreds are? This was a Mildred named Daniels. Lived up West 60th, you can check the directory. What about her? He phoned me once from there, asked me to deliver it to him there as horn. And that's all, huh? I caught a look at this type, Mildred. What Kenny wanted a horn for, I'll never figure. Now you got it all. Because for me, that's all. Kenny? With a knife in him? Let me tell you something, mister. What? The way I wanted Kenny lots of times. Thought about it, dreamed about it even. Now... Go on, Miss Daniels. Now I don't know. Make a wish comes true all of a sudden, you don't know. It's all mixed up how you felt about Kenny Purdue, is that it? Kenny. Heel, blouse, trumpet blower. Be careful of the lippie, he used to say to me. Look, it's a fact, imagine. You threw? No. For days and days I could go on about that boy. You don't want to listen, I'll find someone else. I'll hit me a bar and I'll pick me an innocent bystander and I'll tell him what it was with Kenny. Bend his ear about Kenny. Did you go with him to the party last night? Party? The one last night, the one where he was killed. Must have been a blast, that party. Where are you with him? No. Other parties though. When? Ah, I met him. You know when I first saw the boy? It was a jazz joint on 52nd, I went there with a fella. I don't even remember the fella. I danced with him. Danced right by Kenny and his horn. About to myself. But the boy on the bandstand melted. That's all you need for the dance. How long ago was that? Seven, eight months. Kenny received my message. Mental telepathy, he called it. After that a blast. Four months blast. Four months. To the day. There I get a good deed. I helped the girl across the street. Took her to the club where Kenny was playing. Party over. Never was with Kenny again. Let me tell you, mister, it's been a long, long morning after. Who is the girl? Down the street around the corner, two houses. Karen Marlin. And you introduced her to Kenny and then she and Kenny? Yeah. And you know what? What? I'm happy about it. I'm glad for the girl a man like Kenny happened in her life. Every girl deserves a Kenny produce somewhere in her life. The thing to fall back on when she's by herself. Well? Well, what? I mean, that's all. Just, army. And outside now into the afternoon streets. It's coming home from school time in the city. Red cheeks and scraped knee time. And duck the forward passes of the boy who takes his football to school. And dodge the boy who doesn't see it because he's carrying her books home today. And the girl who skips the length of the block without touching a line in the pavement. Around the corner and down two houses, the address you're looking for. The name Karen Marlin, Mrs. in parenthesis, under apartment four. Down the corridor, rug runner thick and flower pattern, doorways newly barnished. And at the end of it in the hallway, a woman and the thing that she's nailing to the door below the metal number four, a shroud. It's done now, the shroud's hung. Dad! Dad! Dad! Stop it. Stop it. Shroud's hung, you can see that. Dad, because of me, because... Let me go! Don't touch me! I always knew I'd do this. Hang a shroud for him. Listen. Wait. I'll be happy to speak with you. Later. When I'm finished. Well, listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Freakin, and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. One evening comes to Broadway. It sifts through speckled lights before it scatters the street. And the beginning shadows dance before they're blown away into corners. And November crowd gathers the tribe of twilight to dawn. Roar that coils upon itself before it floods the chill darkness. Walk it. And the puffs of music from winking doorways brush against you. And swirl of bright laughter and perfume touches your lips, pulls at your memory. Walk it. Watch it change to night wind and drift away. And in the place where I was, where evening comes sooner than any place, headquarters was the evening elf, Sergeant Geno Tatanglia. Danny? What is it, Jim? Pardon me, Danny. Now, just go right on. Oh, it's just that a very funny thing happened yesterday at the Feeds. At the where? The Feeds. Charlie Foot was there, and Barry Foot and all the little feet. Seems like Charlie was having trouble with his shoes. Geno. And Barry said, why don't you put Dr. Scholl's foot pads on the foot? And the feet stamped their feet and laughed. And Charlie said... Please, Geno, later, huh? Tomorrow morning, maybe, huh? Sometimes you're hard to reach, Danny. Well, to the work of a world, shall we? Thank you. According to the report from Dr. Sinski, Mrs. Karen Marlin is under medical observation at her home. So far, not a clear word except babbling have we gotten. However, some letters were found from Korea, from her husband. Anything in the letters? Letters of a soldier to a wife that he loves, that's all. Last one dated two weeks ago. That's about it. In eruptions, in eruptions. Oh, well, Danny Clover speaking. My name's Paul Russell, Mr. Clover. Yes? My sister is Karen Marlin. She's sick. Every half hour, the police call and want to know whether she can be spoken with. Why? Well, I'll be happy to tell you, Mr. Russell. Where can I find you? At my home, 1214 West 16th. I know it's late, but would you mind coming right away, Mr. Clover? Right away. And you think what you told me means that my sister had anything to do with killing that bum? I didn't say she had anything to do with anything, Mr. Russell. I'm merely telling you she knew Kenny Perdue. A jazz musician. What would my sister have to do with a murdered jazz musician? Before he was murdered, she knew him. Listen, my sister wouldn't be within nine blocks of a tramp like that. What would she want with it? Do you know whether your sister ever smoked marijuana? My sister is a kid who used to come up here and listen to my records. The stuff that's on now, for instance. My wife and I would have her and her husband over to- What about him? Mickey, her husband? Yeah. Dead? I didn't know. What do you think that shroud's on her door for? Why do you think she's lying there, jib- When did her husband die? Telegram yesterday morning. Killed in action. I didn't know. Why do you think she went out of her mind? How long had her husband been away from her? Nearly a year, I guess. What about Karen? What-what has she been doing? Well... Well, what? She used to come over here for dinner quite often. Listen to music? Like before Mickey went away. Who used to? I mean recently. Movies, I guess. A lot. Blown some kid, after all. You'd better face it, Mr. Russell. From what we've been able to find out, she was running around with Kenny- No liar. Listen. Uh-huh. You don't know what you're talking about. Karen's a good kid and decent. Hmm. What's the matter? I found her in an alley once drunk. But she was lonesome. I remember when I used to drink. Before I was married. That's so lonely, I- Tell me about the time she was drunk. The man called me said she was in the alley. That's all. What then? From the club he said. Quincy Club uptown, 143rd Street. Karen was backfittin' in the alley. But look, y'all. That was the only time. You believe me, don't you? Karen's a real good girl. So she got drunk once. What does that mean? And leave the man who was brother to violence. Leave him. And uptown now to where night spills and washes and rages against crag of tenement. Lagoon's of darkness. The area way littered with refuse. And the quick, phosphorescent gleam of neon on the back of some scurrying thing. Past the scarred doorways. Past the street corner clusters of laughter that spilled on your approach. Began to bubble again as you moved away. North to 143rd. And between Bright Avenue and Knight River, the doorway. The Quincy Club, a key club for members only for holders of the key. So show the badge. Bevote at the temporary membership. And walk into it. The whole place empty. And the man who lets you in trails his hand on your sleeve. You see, please? I run a quiet place. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor. But I got his quiet. Who are you? Flick. FLIX. Flick. That's all? The beginning, the middle, the very end. That's all you need to get to me, Flick. You on this place? Live it. I live it. So you look around at it, tasting it with your eyes. Any part of it's yours, if you want. Just this. Can he produce? Can I tell you? You'll understand? Tell me. They had a funeral dance when we had he died. Members took a vote. Geneanimous, there was a way to handle it. You come here often. What's often? It's one thing we don't allow through our door, police. Time. That's each member's own secret. How long he's been here, when he's been here. How many times he's walked through that door, only he knew. He brought a girl here once. More than once. Took a while to get with it, but... Finally, she understood. Quiet like... She was founder of the club. Karen Marlon. Sure. One night, she was up there. Right in the middle of the dance floor, very alone. Did alone kind of things. Kenny took out his horn and made a music he never made before. I bet never since, either. Karen, only once. Only once she got loud. Drunk. Finally, phone number on it, called it. In a little while, she wasn't here. Next day, they closed the joint. Left me the only active member. For listening to my records alone. Another question, Vlex. Were you at the party where Kenny got a knife? Well, tell me. I'll tell you, please. This. All this I live. Where do I need to go to somebody else's party? This is where I live and die. Nightly. Here. Have fun. Come in, Dr. Sinskri. Hey, your thoughts, your stillness. I have no wish to intrude, eh? Oh, it's all right. Close the door. Come in. I'm tired, Danny. I'm beat up. Pused up. Don't worry about it, Danny. A matter of chemistry, biological, emotional... What's on your mind, Dr....? Uh, that girl. That sick, anguished girl. Karen Marlin? Karen Marlin. Only this far from a child is she, Danny. Yeah, she's a murder suspect. You never get with her, do you, Doctor? No. And you? You see her? How is she? Better. She talked with me and with Dr. Lorenzo, a young psychiatrist. And she made sense. Her own kind. You want to tell me about it? Well, Lorenz can give you the technical verbiage. Guilt transfer and guilt acceptance. Once I eavesdropped on such terminology... Oh, look, guys. Patience, Danny. Patience. The girl confessed to murder. What? Yeah, she did. Without tears. Now without hysterics, she told Dr. Lorenzo me. She told us she killed her. She confessed to the murder of Kenny Perdue. And you told her... No, not to his murder, Danny. To her husband's. To the murder of that boy in Korea. This is what she confessed to. Dr. Center. Her fault, she said. Her husband's death was by her own hands. She said, she was a killer. She said, a murderous. And on her cheek, no tears. And her pulse, even quiet. Yeah, Danny. Give me a squad card, Dino. Tell Margaret when they'll meet me downstairs. Yes? What is it? Don't you remember me, Mrs. Marlon? No. Please go away. I-I'm not feeling well. Where from the police, Mrs. Marlon? We want to talk to you. What about? What's been said? All right. But you'll do me a favor, won't you? What? Don't stay long. I'm... I'm not feeling well. Yeah, you said that. But if you don't believe me, you ask your own doctor. He told us you were a lot better, Mrs. Marlon. I'll never be better. Not after what's happened. What's happened? I've lost my husband. I'm sorry. He was a soldier. Killed in Korea. Had you been married long? Almost two years. Well, that's not very long. Hardly enough time to get to know your husband. I only tell you that, Mrs. Marlon, because I'm a man who's been married... Who cares how long you've been married? You don't know what we had, my husband and I. You don't know what we had in that year before he left. That's one of the reasons why we're here. We want to know. Why? Because we need to fill in some things about you. Why am I so important? Because a man's dead. I told you he was. My husband. You loved him very much, didn't you? You don't know. You don't know. You had a wonderful year with him and now he's gone. Well, how could you know how wonderful it was? It was the secret things we had. The walks around the city? Yes. Nickel fairy rides? Yes. Always late at night. And seeing the things that no one else sees. And feeling them. Yeah. Yeah, my wife and I had the same thing 15 years ago. You've had a lot. Mrs. Marlon. What? What happened to all these things? What do you mean? Your husband had to go away. What happened to the memories of all these things? It's funny. What is? Thinking about all those things. I save them. I don't remember them. For a while I did. And then you got real lonely, huh, Mrs. Marlon? For a while I'd even go to the same places I used to go with my husband. But I don't know. Just lonely, huh? Yes. Yes, it was. Them, what did you do? I used to go to my brother's house and be with him and his wife and listen to music. It was terrible. Yeah, it's real rough for a girl to have to do. Be with a family while her husband's in the army. And last, well, when I was away my wife had to stay home and knit. When I came home she was wearing glasses. I never forgave myself. What do you want of me? But we're just trying to understand you, Mrs. Marlon. And why a girl like you should forget the important things so quickly? Did Myra want to help you to remember or forget? Did a man like Kenny Purdue help you? No, you don't understand. We understand real good, Mrs. Marlon. You'd be surprised to know how good we understand. Kenny, Kenny was... What was it? Someone I knew. When I got lonesome he was there. When I felt I was going to start to cry. Suddenly Kenny was... He was always there. Did you like him? No. Then you hated him, is that it? No, that isn't it. Well, I don't know. Sometimes I hated him, I guess. When you woke up from the binge, huh? I got news for you, Mrs. Marlon. You hated yourself. Yes, I did. Let's talk about the day before yesterday, Mrs. Marlon. When? The day you got the wire, your husband was dead. Yes, I wept. And I got a shroud and I nailed it to the door. That's not quite right. You hung the shroud yesterday. You got the wire the day before. And that's when you went to a party with Kenny Purdue. That wire must hit you real hard. Read that your husband's dead, but on the dancing pumps light up and celebrate. I told you. All of a sudden Kenny was there. So all you didn't cry. I want to tell you something else, Mrs. Marlon. The first time I saw you was yesterday. You were hanging the shroud and you were hysterical. And you were saying that somebody was dead because of you. You were talking about your husband, weren't you? You must have been because the shroud was for him. You blamed your husband's death on yourself, didn't you? For the kind of life you were leading, the kind of life you were having with Kenny Purdue. The good times. The bad times that were good. Yes. The strange places, the strange people. Yes, I wanted to behave myself, but he wouldn't have met me. He made me go to these places and... And you liked them. Yes, my husband died. And it was my fault because of what I did. If I'd stayed home, it wouldn't have happened. Your fault and Kenny's fault. Yes, of course it was. He made me do those things. So you see... What? You see, when I got that telegram, everything became very clear. Everybody pays for what they do. And I paid for becoming a widow. And Kenny had to pay too. So I killed him. You understand, don't you? Broadway's sleeping now. And the street people have gone home. Only the sleepwalkers are there. The dream seekers, the shadow dwellers. It's limbo time when the derelicts dance to no music. And the saddened, hugged close, nothing at all. It's Broadway. The Gaudiest. The most violent. The lonesomeest mile in the world. Broadway. My Beat. Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover, with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia, and Jack Krushen as Muggevin. The program is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. In tonight's story, Sammy Hill was heard as Karen. Featured in the cast were Whitfield Conner, Charlotte Lawrence, Paul Fries, and Jerry Hausner, Bill Anders speaking. View through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.