 Box 13, with the star of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd as Dan Holliday. To Box 13, care the star times. I am desperately in danger, I'm sure. I'm afraid to go to the police right now. So if you'll really go any place and do anything like your ad says. If you really go any place and do anything like your ad says. Please meet me tomorrow at six in the evening at the corner of Gateway and Lakeview Boulevards. Constance McClain. You didn't know it then, but this was one time, Holliday, you had your work cut out for you. Back to Box 13, and Dan Holliday's newest adventure. I guess I was asking for it when I put that ad in the star times. But I wasn't asking for what happened this time, and I don't want it again. You see, it was, well, might as well start from the beginning and Susie saying... Constance McClain. That's a pretty name, Mr. Holliday. But what do you make of the letter, Susie? Make of it? What do you mean? Well, take this line. I'm desperately in danger, I'm sure. What about it? No, it sounds like something from an old melodrama. But it's thrilling. Maybe she is desperately in danger, Mr. Holliday. Why don't you find out? You think I should, huh? Sure. You'll be just like one of the old night irritants. Night's errands, Susie. What's the difference? They both hunted for trouble, didn't they? Well, what's good enough for a night errand is good enough for me. I'm sorry I can't oblige you by dashing off on a white charge and wearing a tin suit. But it's long anyway, Susie. The intersection of Gateway and Lakeview Boulevard was in the fashionable suburb of the city. The kind of a neighborhood where money is the root of the most important family trees. I looked at my watch, it was six exactly. Then I heard someone coming. I waited. It was about dark. The shadows of the trees kept me from seeing who it was whispering. But a couple of seconds later... I... Oh, good evening. Your, uh, Constance McLean. Oh, no. No, my name's Barbara Rodney. Constance is over there. Oh, I see. Well, I'm, I'm box 13. Oh, what's the matter? You're different. From what? From what we thought. You mean to tell me you got me all the way out here to see what I look like? Oh, no, not at all, Mr. 13. I mean... Well, what is your name? Dan Holiday. Oh, that's nice. Wait a minute. He's right up here. Mr. Holiday, this is Constance. How do you do? How are you? She stared at me and I stared back. She was about 17, not pretty, but kind of a hungry face and eyes. I smiled at her and she smiled back. It's awfully nice of you to come, Mr. Holiday. Well, not at all. I think anyone would come on the strength of your letter, Connie. Can we go someplace and talk? I mean, we can't stand here on the corner, can we? We could, but sitting would be better. What do you suggest? How about... how about Smudgy Mary's? I beg your pardon. Connie means Smudgy Mary's place. Oh, oh, I thought for a moment you said Smudgy Mary's. We can sit down there. They have tables and we can talk. I've got to talk to you, Mr. Holiday. Just a minute, Connie. What kind of a place is this Smudgy Mary's? It's nice. They serve ice cream and sundies and malts. Oh, well, well, let's go. Is it within walking distance, or do we go in my car? We can walk, can't we, Connie? Well, if you think it's safe for me. Safe? What's the matter? We'll go in your car, Mr. Holiday. On the way to Smudgy Mary's, I tried to draw Connie out, but she was determined to wait until we got to that paradise of ice cream and malts. The two kids chattered away and I gathered they both went to a fashionable and ultra-ultra-finishing school in the neighborhood. Then I found myself in Smudgy Mary's. Kids were all over. Nice-looking kids. And the usual jukebox. Connie and Barbara guided me to a table in the back and we sat down. What'll you have, Mr. Holiday? What's especially of Smudgy Mary's. You want one? If you do, Connie. I... No, don't think so. Just a lemonade. Barbara? A double malt with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream on top. I'll go over and tell Mary. We call her Smudgy because she's always got a smudge on her nose. I'll be right back. All right, Connie. Want to talk now? I... Here. Here, read this. She took a crumpled piece of paper from a handbag, shoved it across the table to me. I opened it. There was a message that read, if you don't get $1,000 from your parents, they'll never see you again. The letters were cut from magazine and newspaper print. I read it twice, then asked, how did you get this, Connie? It... it came to the school for me. When? Yesterday, just before I wrote the letter to you, Mr. Holiday. Who knows about this? Just Barbara. She's my best friend. And how are you? All right, Connie. As soon as we leave here, we're going to the police. Oh, no, please. Please, Mr. Holiday, we mustn't. Why not? Well, if I did, well, mother would have to know. Don't you think she should? No, she mustn't. Why not? Well, she... she isn't well, Mr. Holiday. Well, something like this would probably make her worse. But this is very serious, Connie. Then you help me. Now, look, Connie, you're not helping other girls who may be in your position someday. Let the person who wrote this get away with it this time, and you'll try it again. Mr. Holiday, if you go to the police, I'll... I'll kill myself. I stared hard at her. Her face was more hungry than ever, and her eyes were scared. Then Barbara came back with the orders. Well, here we are. I brought you a specialty, Mr. Holiday. Uh, thanks, Barbara. Babs, Mr. Holiday wants to go to the police. Sit down, Barbara. Yes, sir. Now, Connie, have you anything else to tell me? Uh, I... Today, someone called me on the phone. It was a man's voice. He said, I should have the money by the day after tomorrow, or I'd be sorry. That's right, Mr. Holiday. I was there when the man called. Did you recognize his voice, Connie? No, I never heard it before. I'm sure. It... it had kind of an accent. Do you know anyone that speaks like that? No, I... I said I didn't recognize him. Where are your father and mother? They're... they're away. Where? In... in Michigan. For how long? They'll be gone about two months. I see. This man said you'd have to get the money by the day after tomorrow. Is that right? Yes. For Mr. Holiday, I'm scared. Why are you afraid to go to the police, Connie? I'm afraid of what will happen if I do. To you? Yes. To me. Yes, she was scared all right. She didn't touch a lemonade, and I couldn't touch the specialty of the house. You see, I want her to be alive the next day. A little while later, we left Smudgy Marys. We didn't say much. Connie, because she was scared. Barbara, because she was scared. And I? Because, well, I had an idea. It was after eight when we pulled up in front of the school where they lived in the dormitory. Connie and Barbara got out of the car. What should I do, Mr. Holiday? You sure that man said, day after tomorrow? Oh, yes, I know he did. All right, Connie, I'll do what I can. You'll help her, Mr. Holiday. Of course I will, Barbara. Now you two run along. I'll wait till you get inside. Go on now. I don't know how to thank you. Don't try. Just take it easy and don't worry. All right. Good night, Mr. Holiday. Good night, Connie. Barbara. Good night. I watched them until they went in. I was about to close the car door and drive away. Oh, Mr. Holiday! That was Connie. It didn't take long to cover the distance to the dormitory entrance. Connie! Barbara! I adore this. Another letter. Give it to me quick. Here comes Miss Ogilby. She's had Miss Chris. Oh, please, Mr. Holiday, don't show her that letter. Please, don't tell. I don't know why I stuck that letter in my pocket. Maybe it was Connie's face. Absolute terror on it. But I rammed the letter in my pocket just to... And what does this mean? Please, Miss Ogilby, answer who are you? She looked at me and I remembered my fifth grade school teacher. The one who didn't like me. I looked at Connie. There was a desperate, please don't tell look on her face. Barbara was as white as a sheet. I decided to be hung for a sheep as well as a lamb as Ogilby repeated. Well, sir, if you please. Girls, into your rooms. Yes, ma'am. I'm waiting, sir. I'm in the wrong house. Really? And for which house were you looking? The, uh, the smiths. Really? Where do they live? Not here, I guess. I hope you have an explanation. Well, I'm afraid I don't. All right, I'm waiting for a streetcar. Will that do? May I have your name? If you just forget all about this, I'll go quietly home and lie down for a while. I'm afraid I shall have to ask you to stay. That's very kind of you, Miss Ogilby, but I have a previous engagement. If you try to leave, I shall ring the alarm and the caretakers will stop you. All right. What do you want me to do? Nothing. But I'm going to call the police. Holiday. All right. You were the wrong house. Why? I told you, Kling, I made a mistake. Couldn't you tell a girl's school from a private home? Besides, there's no one in the neighborhood named Smith. How do you like that? Three thousand Smiths in that phone directory, and I picked the wrong neighborhood. You should have worn a ribbon in your hair, but nobody would have noticed you. Thanks, dear. You're pretty too. Listen, Miss Ogilby preferred charges, trespassing, and a dozen other counts. She can make the mistake. Kling, what if I said I had a good reason for being there, but I couldn't tell what it was? What would you say? The same thing I said two hours ago. Why? I can't tell you. I promised. All right. You'll spend the night in the jug. Unless I put a bail, which I'll do. I could have told Kling, but I kept thinking about Connie. Maybe I believed her when she said she'd kill herself if I told the police. Anyway, I kept the whole thing to myself. The next morning, I went over the second letter she'd received. It read, you have one more day to get the money from your parents. One more day. That meant a day. And that was all. I did a lot of thinking, and it added up to something very, very strange. I was thinking about it when the phone rang, and Susie answered it. Hello? Yes, just a minute. Mr. Holliday, Lieutenant Kling wants to talk to you. Hello? Okay, Susie, thanks. Hello? Yeah? What? When did you hear that? Okay, I'll be right over. Mr. Holliday, what's the matter? You look scared. I am, Susie. Maybe I've made a mistake. Connie McClain's disappeared. Now back to Damsel in distress. Another box 13 adventure with Alan Ladd as Dan Holliday. When I drove out to the school, he pondered at me to find out what I knew. I told him about the letter then. I had to. He was mad. I guess he had a right to be at the school we sat across from Miss Ogilby and Barbara Rodney. All right, Miss Ogilby, let's hear what happened. Barbara, please tell us what you know. Well, I woke up this morning. Connie and I have the same room. We know that, Barbara. Yes, ma'am. Well, I looked across to Connie's bed. She wasn't there. What time was this, Barbara? When I woke up, about 7.30. And you looked everywhere for her. Oh, yes, Miss Ogilby. What makes you think Connie disappeared? Constance has never been tardy for a class, Mr. Holliday. And I might ask what you know about this. Your actions last night were not... Barbara, will you leave, please? I'll talk to you later. Hey, Holliday, what's the idea? Please, Clang, I want to learn something. Is it all right, Miss Ogilby? I, uh, I suppose so. I'll be in my room. Now, Mr. Holliday, shh. Clang, tiptoe to the door. She, she's there. Huh? Please. Okay, okay. Well, that's strange. I, I never suspected Barbara would do a thing like that. What's on your so-called mind, Holliday? Some questions. Miss Ogilby, do you know if Connie had any dates? Dates? Yes. Parties, dances. No, she didn't. Why? How about Barbara? Yes. They're very close to each other, aren't they? Inseparable. But what is this leading to? I don't know yet. Now about Connie's mother and father. Yes. Do they come to see her often? Not very. They do a great deal of travelling. Uh-huh. Thanks, Miss Ogilby. Now, Holliday, you through playing games? No, not yet. Miss Ogilby, isn't there some sort of dance coming up soon? I think I saw a notice on the bulletin board as I came through. Yes. Next week. But really, I don't see how questions like these are going to find constants. Oh, Kling. Yeah. What now? Are you going to ask me to the dance? Look, Kling, I'll get Connie back here. And no one will know anything's happened if Miss Ogilby will agree not to press the charges against me for last night. What? Miss Ogilby, you know it wouldn't be good for the school if this got in the papers, would it? Not at all. Oh, great. The poor kids disappeared. They got those letters and you're worrying about the school. The letters gave her until tomorrow to get the money. All right, I've got all day. But I want to do this my way. Believe me, it's for Connie's sake. Well? I...very well. I agree. All right, will you, Kling? Oh, it has to be. Good. If I'm not back in 12 hours, bury me anyway. I was playing a hunch all the way to the finish line. If it worked, OK. If it didn't, then Dan Holliday was cooked like a hot dog at a barbecue. I had a couple of stops to make. The first one was at the Star Times. There I asked Mona, the society editor, a few questions. The McLean? Are they the ones, Dan? Uh-huh. They got a daughter, Constance. That's right. And a hundred million or so. Where are they now? I can't tell offhand, but wait a minute. That file, she'll tell. The Riviera, not here. Nice, not here. Monte Carlo, not here. Mona, please drop the opera glasses and get to the McLean's. All right, Danny Boy. Let's see. Ah, here we are. Mr. and Mrs. Randolph McLean have left for an extended vacation in Florida. Florida? You sure that's not Michigan? Well, if it is, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is going to be awful mad. Did they return yet? No. You sure? Of course I'm sure. That's my job here, remember? Okay, Mona, thanks. I'll remember you at Christmas. Once a year is all I ask. So long. There was another stop to make. And strange as it may seem, it was to see a psychiatrist. Well, what he told me checked. But good. Then I made one more visit this time to a telegraph office. I sent a wire to county's parents to charter a plane and come home at once. When that was done, I was all set except for one more little item. A long talk with Barbara. I got Miss Ogilby's permission to take Barbara for a drive in my car. But Mr. Holiday, why do you want to talk to me? Oh, maybe I just like to, Barbara. Where are we going? Is smudging Mary's open in the afternoon now? Yes. Okay. Let's you and I drop in for a lemonade or a malt. How about it? Well, I really got to get back to school. Miss Ogilby said it was all right for you to come with me. Oh. You didn't hear Connie leave the room this morning, did you? No, I didn't. And you're sure you looked all over for her? Oh, yes, everywhere. Well, here's smudgy Mary's. You know, Barbara, a diet like this will ruin my health. Come on. All right. Well, practically deserted. Is that smudgy Mary's? Yes, that's she. Two specials, Mary, please. It's a holiday. I don't think I can eat any... Let's try the jukebox. Any particular number you'd like. No, anyone's all right. Okay. Come on, we'll take the stable over here. What do you want to talk about? Connie. What about her? Come on, Barbara. Why don't you tell me where she is? Well, because I don't know. I bet she's been kidnapped. Those awful letters, they said that she... Those letters wouldn't have fooled a baby, Barbara. No kidnapper's going to ask for $1,000, because not when the parents are worth millions. Well, maybe... maybe he was scared. Could be. But that second letter under the door last night, the kidnapper put it there? He must have. Well, how did he get in? I guess he sneaked in. Barbara, no kidnapper goes around in brightly lighted halls shoving threatening letters under doors. I don't know where she is. Barbara, please tell me. He won't tell anyone where you're Mr. Holliday, please. I'm afraid I'll have to, Barbara. But maybe everything will come out all right. Now we'll save those smudgy merry specials until later. Right now, we're going to pick up Connie. How about it? All right, Mr. Holliday. Barbara and I drove out of the country enough where the lake sits in the hills. There were a lot of cabins around. Barbara directed me to one and stopped the car. Is that it, Barbara? Yes. You wait here. I walked up the path, up the porch stairs, tried the door, it was unlocked. Who? Mr. Holliday. Hello, Connie. How are you? It's all right now, Connie. It's all right. Come on, we'll get back to town. Sure, everything was all right. We drove the two girls back into town. They didn't say a word. I dropped them at the school and then had a long talk with Miss Ogilby. It was later that night when Lieutenant Cling and I walked into the McLean home. Mr. and Mrs. McLean had called from the airport. They said they'd be home in a few minutes. Connie and Barbara were upstairs. Miss Ogilby, Cling and I sat in the big living room. All right, Holliday, how about the plot? Going to get with it? I think we'll wait for the McLean's, huh? There won't be anything in the papers, will there? That depends on Lieutenant Cling, Miss Ogilby. Why me? Listen, I still don't know who pulled the snatch. Cling? I beg your pardon, Miss Ogilby. What I mean is... By snatch, you mean kidnapping. Yeah, that's right. You talk English. That'll be the McLean's. Miss Ogilby, would you mind getting the girls down here? Certainly, Mr. Holliday. Connie, I... Where is my daughter? Where is she? Mr. McLean, my name is Holliday. I sent you and your wife that wire this morning. Is she all right? Yeah, she's all right. She's coming down to... Connie, oh, darling. Oh, Mr. Holliday, we're so grateful. I can't tell you how much. Uh-huh, we'll see. Connie? Yes, Mr. Holliday. But you and Barbara wait outside. We'll only be a minute in here. Yes, sir. Come on, Barbara. Who did it? Who kidnapped her? You did. You and your wife. Why, Mr. Holliday? What are you talking about? You're insane. No, I'm not. I'm your daughter, but no one would ever know it. How often do you see her? I'll see here, Mr. Holliday. About once a year you put her in a school and forget about her. Except when you think something's happened. Holliday, you can't talk to me like that. I'm not finished, Mr. McLean. That kid's lonely. And because she's... Well, maybe you call it plain, she doesn't go out very much. Not many dates. I don't see what this is all about. You see, I talked with a psychiatrist today. Used a lot of fancy words, but they boiled down to this. Connie wants and needs attention and affection desperately. She didn't get them here. So she thought of this scheme. Pretend to be kidnapped. Get attention called to herself. Then she'd come back with a story. She'd be in the limelight. And Barbara helped her because... Well, because she's her best friend. Now, wait a minute, Holliday. We'd have torn holes in her story. She wouldn't have gotten away with it. I know, that's why I didn't tell you right away. That's why I wanted to handle it my way. If this had gone to the police, Connie would have been a newspaper story ridiculed for the girl. But this way... Well, let's give Connie a break. And Barbara, how about it, Clay? I... Sure, I'm willing. Thanks, Clay. You're a gentleman and a scholar. I'm a soft-hearted cop, Mr. Holliday. Yes, Mr. McClain? My wife and I didn't realize how selfish we really were. We thought we were giving Connie all she ever wanted. Yes, all but one thing. The one that really mattered, affection. I want to thank you and Lieutenant Klingon. Well, now I think I'll start what should have been started years ago. Sure. But you've got lots of time. Mind if I cut in first? What do you mean? You can start tomorrow. Meanwhile, I think I'll play this all the way. What are you up to now, Holliday? Practice what you preach, I always say. Connie. Oh, Connie. Yes, Mr. Holliday? Everything's all right in there. Nothing to worry about. For you, either, Barbara. Oh, you're wonderful, Mr. Holliday. Oh, Barbara. Well, will you excuse Connie and me for a moment? Huh? Oh, well, sure. Well, I'll be upstairs, Connie. Connie, about that dance. Got a date for it? Oh, sure. Sure, I have. Connie? Well, no, I have. Well, look, I'm just a little older than you are, and when I comb my hair and put on a tuxedo, I look like I've been in the stag line a bit too long, but do I get the date? You? Honest? We'll make a night of it. First to dance, then... even if it kills me, Smudgy Marys for a special. Did you have a good time at the dance, Mr. Holliday? I was the bell of the ball, Susie. Everybody cut in on me to dance with Connie. Uh-huh. But you didn't tell me one thing, Mr. Holliday. What's that, Susie? What's a Smudgy Marys special? Oh, well, three scoops of chocolate ice cream, three strawberry, two vanilla. Oh. I'm going to mix and embalm them in pineapple syrup and lay them out neatly alongside the ice cream. Pineapple. Strawberry. Uh, let's see now. Oh, pour on two ladles of chocolate syrup, a huge gob of whipped cream. Mr. Holliday, I... Uh, wait, no, wait, wait, wait. Then sprinkle with nuts with a few bits of shells left in, and... What's the matter, Susie? I ate an awful big lunch. Good night, Mr. Holliday. Ellen Ladd appears through the courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Watch for him in his latest picture, Saigon. Box 13 is directed by Richard Sanville, with original story by Russell Hughes, and original music composed and conducted by Rudy Schrager. The part of Susie is played by Sylvia Picker, and that of Lieutenant Kling by Edmund MacDonald. Production is supervised by Vern Carstensen. This is a Mayfair production from Hollywood.