 from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Diller. George Reed here. Oh hi George, how are things at Floyd's of England? Very good as a matter of fact. Very good. Well now it can't all be good he wouldn't be calling me. Well to tell the truth I do have a small problem. Figures. No figures the word singular. A small figure, a statuette belonging to Mrs. Dora Harkness Ballon down in New York. Ballon? Yeah it's terribly wealthy but a relic So what's happened? The little statue I mentioned it's gone disappeared. Oh what's it worth? Insured value is $26.50. Wow. $26.50. Huh? 26 bucks and a half wouldn't even cover my expense account. Oh it just happens that she carries hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of personal property insurance with us. But for some reason or other she attaches particular value to this statuette. Oh I get it. You're afraid that if we don't go into the motions of trying to find it she might take her insurance elsewhere. Precisely. Real important to you huh? Very. Then I take it I won't have to be chintzy with the old expense account. Well now Johnny. Okay George I'll be in touch. Making adventures of a man with the action-pact expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Goes truly Johnny Dollar. Act one of yours truly Johnny Dollar. Fence account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar. Deployed of England North American office Hartford Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Doting Dowager matter. Expense account item one seven ninety taxi train fairness and handles Hartford to New York. Item two a dollar even for a cab from Grand Central Station to the address of Mrs. Dora Harkness Ballon over on East 73rd Street. It turned out to be one of New York's famous old brownstone houses well preserved and reeking of an era long history gone by. A uniform butler rushed me into a large high ceiling drawing room and I could hardly believe my eyes ornate pre-Victorian furnishings heavy red velvet draperies huge lamps and crystal chandeliers oil paintings all over the place and gilded mirrors. Pretty fabulous. If you will be kind enough to wait here Mr. Dollar I shall tell Mrs. Ballon that you have arrived. Thank you. I know that you'll want to see you. Excellent. Yes good idea. You know how I'm here to see Mrs. Ballon. That's right I'm Johnny Dollar. I'm Hal Winters her nephew. Hi. Say tell me something. Yes. About this little statue that's missing. You mean that little chunk of pot metal that's disappeared. Oh is that what it is. Yes just a piece of junk. But a couple of months ago Adora decided it looked like her grandfather when he was a general back in the Civil War. Oh why does she value it so highly. I expect the general was the only ballon who had guts enough to do anything on his own. What do you mean. I mean instead of just living off the family shipping fortune so when she suddenly decided the statue looked like the general Johnny Dollar did you say that's right. The insurance investigator. Yes. Well now why should she bother you with it. I don't know. Truly Mr. Dollar is not worth it if I were you I'd forget it. Now if you'll excuse me I'd better see if the morning mail has arrived. Hal just when did the statue disappear and from where. Donna discovered it missing from the reception room yesterday morning now if you'll pardon me. Was the house broken into possibly but there was no sign of it. No we haven't had guests for a week or more. How many servants are there. Mr. Dollar perhaps there's something I'd better tell you about that statue. The statue of the general I tell you Mr. Dollar you are Mr. Dollar aren't you. Yes I tell you that if you don't find out who stole it and get it back I'll cancel every bit of my insurance sit down. Thank you Harold my dear ring for Higgins and have him see if the morning mail has come I was about to go out and look for it myself to let Higgins do it it's quite all right I don't mind I said let Higgins do it well I would. All right but if you'll excuse me now. Why I'd like to go up to my room for a moment to call up that girlfriend of yours again. Sit down. Yes Donna you and that girl that Nancy Gavin. She'd like to take you away from me wouldn't she Dora where would you go what would you live on and what would I do darling I hardly think this is the much as I like Nancy Gavin I see no reason why I should better take you away from me do you know. Mrs. Ballan about the statue yes yes of course Mr. Dollar you are to leave no stone unturned now tell me I beg your pardon. Oh Higgins why do you sneak in on us this way well what is it the mail just arrived and knowing you'd want to see it give it to Harold well no postmark but and it's so badly scrolled in pencil well don't bother at Dora with it now but it's marked personal so yes Donna you may go now Higgins yes here Donna I suppose you let me see what it's all about be quiet Harold now Mr. Dollar well first of all I'd like you to tell me what's the matter Mrs. Ballan Dora what is it this letter yes it's a ransom note ransom for the return of the statuette the general they want seventy five thousand dollars what only Johnny dollar in a moment it's a ransom note demanding seventy five thousand dollars for the return of my statuette of the general seventy five thousand dollars yes Harold oh they can't be serious they must be out of their minds I beg your pardon what that statue means everything to me it happens to be a memento of my grandfather the famous general Horace Harkness Ballan at least it looks like him but good heavens at Dora seventy five thousand you object because it will mean that much less for you when I die Harold of course not I wasn't even thinking of such a thing well don't at your age with your lack of experience and getting along on your own money like that would only do you harm would it yes you'd probably leave me strike out on your own perhaps even marry and heaven only knows what would happen Mrs. Ballan are you really serious about paying this this ransom I have the money I have it right here in the safe and if it will bring back the general look why don't you let me see what I can do about it first and have it destroyed destroyed well here read the letter it was the usual sort of thing poorly written on sheet paper and scribbled in pencil and it simply said that the money in unmarked bills was to be turned over to her nephew Harold that instructions for its delivery would be given to him later secretly that if he then devolves the place and manner in which he was to make the payment his life would be in danger don't you see Mr. Dollar if we don't do as they say they might kill him it further said that if the police were brought in the statue would be destroyed I have no choice Mr. Dollar I'll pay the ransom Tata Harold you will take it to them whoever they are when you receive their instructions they threaten me only if we don't obey instructions alright now look Mrs. Ballan yes Tata listen to Mr. Dollar I have told you I must have the general back at any cost very well no one is to leave this house except Harold of course when he is told to by the the kidnapper Mrs. Ballan I won't let you do this it's utter nonsense for you to consider paying out that kind of money for a cheap little piece of junk that can't possibly be worth anything to whoever took it except perhaps for its effect on you I told you young man it's the one priceless memento I have of the great general Ballan you told me very well you are here on my orders are you not well yes alright then you will remain subject to my orders very well now Nancy what's everybody looking so glum about hi sweetie hello Mrs. Ballan Miss Gavin Mr. Dollar this is Nancy Gavin a friend of Harold Johnny dollars hi hey I know about you Nancy dear you come to find that watch Macaulay that Mrs. Ballan lost it was stolen okay stolen Nancy the kidnappers are demanding seventy five thousand dollars ransom that's easy pay it I shall and Nancy you ought to stay right here in this house until this whole thing is over with Auntie I don't mind that a bit do we have forward winch seriously Auntie when are you going to let Hal marry me get out on his own and leave me do you think for one minute that my precious Harold would do that why don't you answer that Hal Mr. Dollar this is none of your business it has nothing whatsoever to do with the reason for your being here you know something Mrs. Ballan I'm beginning to think you're wrong you came here to find the statue that was stolen from me that's right and maybe I'm on the track of it now so how about it Hal would you leave your aunt if you could guess but the more I thought about it the more I decided that Harold Winters answer might solve this case for me yeah and that Mrs. Ballan would be pretty shocked when I put my finger on the thief the writer of that ransom note but you know something I was dead wrong act three of yours truly Johnny Dollar in a moment and now act three of yours truly Johnny Dollar and the doting Dowager matter this is none of your business it has nothing whatsoever to do with the reason for your being here you know something Mrs. Ballan I'm beginning to think you're wrong so answer the question Hal would you leave your aunt if you could yes yes I would you bet he would Aunt Dora you know he would if you just break down that Mitty's no longer a child to be tied to your apron string give him a break and enough money to get by for a week or two and he'll show you to amount to anything of course I do well he can't as long as you keep him tied up to you this way but he needs me does he maybe he needs somebody like me somebody who loves him and will help him get somewhere help him to accomplish the things he can accomplish you do love him don't you you bet I do but so do I and he loves me he'd love you a lot more if he weren't so tied down to you Harold it's true Aunt Dora I never knew you even thought about leaving me about going out on your own as you put it because you never gave me a chance because you never thought of anyone but yourself hey Mr. Dollar what I mean that you've had to become involved in a family fight well I'm not because now I think I know where to look for that statuette oh wish you luck come Nancy I want to talk now wait just a minute no Mr. Dollar let them go because I want to talk to you isn't it pretty obvious I knew that something was wrong when I first got here Hal hadn't known you were going to call me in so that when he saw me here you didn't know it was my kind thoughtful but the Higgins who called your insurance company and he shouldn't have the fact remains that when Hal saw me here he tried to stop that ransom note he planted in your mail now wait now about that ransom note it was badly written much too badly written by someone who is trying to hide his identity I'll wait you that paper was scribbled on came from right here in this house and I'll bet that if I accuse him of it Hal will break down and admit that he wrote it wait Mr. Dollar yeah I devoted many years to the care and upbringing of my nephew I realized that in the hope that he would someday go out on his own accomplish something himself well now listen I know perhaps over the years I made him too dependent I'd say yes to that but that's because I am as I am and I can't change but I kept hoping that he would change that somehow sometime he would make just one desperate move to break away from me but it would have to be of his own doing so for years people have called me eccentric and I've enjoyed the reputation so I made a fuss over that cheap little statuette that I picked up in Coney Island one time as a child huh of course that was the only sentimental value it had but according to her oh now should I have picked one of the valuable artworks paintings or sculptures that I really care about in my selfish way for this little experiment so you gave the worthless statuette the big builder yes and he fell for it he believed that if it was stolen I'd give almost anything to get it back and then finally he got up enough nerve to do something about it not just a minute just a minute what you're telling me is that you're tickled pink that you've made a thief out of I'm tickled pink that he's finally shown some guts and gumption and you can't call him a thief over that piece of junk but it has a price of 75,000 on it that's what he'll be stealing if you give him that money and let him walk out of here with it oh no he won't what else can you call it I'd like to be eccentric remember oh Mrs. Fallon so the note I'll enclose with it you know when he tells me he's received instructions about where and how it's to be delivered what note in it I'll say dear Harold the best of luck to you and Nancy I hope you'll be tremendously happy and I hope that now and then you'll drop in on your loving and now somewhat lonesome Aunt Dora I see I think I'll enclose a few extra thousand just in case and it's a kind of extra wedding present extra wedding present of course the statuette certainly don't want them to bring that atrocity back here oh no don't wait yes dear I just wondered if Mr. Dollar has decided how he wants to proceed with his investigation well Mr. Dollar how after getting what information I could from your aunt what little information I could yes well I've decided to give up the case yes Harold you may as well show Mr. Dollar to the door whatever you say daughter yeah goodbye Mrs. Fallon oh and maybe you'd better phone the insurance company about the extra fee I'm to get on this case I did right after Higgins told me he'd called them but if he's giving up the case dear show him to the door Harold yes this way Mr. Dollar yeah thanks are you listening how I can tell by your look that you've learned something Mr. Dollar I have perhaps even more than I know so look here huh do you think this will do for the sequel to the ransom note what you know the instructions about where I'm to take the money oh now wait a minute you mean to say you mean you knew are you kidding that's why I tried to discourage you in the beginning but will somebody please tell me tell me why Tata just being herself you don't think for a minute she'd have just handed me the money would have admitted she once Nancy and me to get hitched don't you see that would spoil her reputation for being an eccentric oh and if you like I'll send you the statuette and this is all over as a souvenir well I'll be I've handled some pretty wacky cases over the years but this was by long odds the wackiest and yet why complain when it's a good living expense account total including all the incidentals I could think of and fare back to Hartford what $17.80 homie yours truly Johnny dollar just a moment for star to tell you about next week story next week well if you've ever read the personal columns of your newspaper you'll surely want to hear it join us won't you yours truly Johnny dollar originates in Hollywood and is written produced and directed by Jack Johnstone heard in our cast were Virginia Greg Elvenor Audley G Stanley Jones Eric Snowden and Sam Edwards be sure to join us next week