 Johnny dollar New Orleans, Louisiana. That's right. Still down here, New Orleans. How are you Don? I'm just fine Johnny. Boxing? Yes Seems to me I won a fast 20 bucks from you that night on an Italian kid who called himself touchy Tarantino That's right. That boy was a fighter with a real future Not anymore Johnny. This is why you covered your losses by selling him a $25,000 policy What was that crack about his future? Now what's that supposed to mean? What happened to him? Nothing Johnny. Not yet. But you think something will? Like I said, well which and why? Okay, Don. I'm on my way CBS radio network brings you Bob Reddick in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the surety mutual insurance company, New Orleans office Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the ring of death matter Expense account item one four seventy five for a cab to Bradley Field Item two eighty seven forty for a flight to New Orleans It was early evening by the time the plane sat down at Moisand and National Airport and item three is 550 for a cab into the Roosevelt Hotel From there knowing that Don Pinkley would be long gone from his office. I set out to explore the town Most interesting city in the United States. It's called and with good reason The famous old French quarter is one of the most beautiful spots that I know I'll have to dock the deafening din from the nightclubs along Bourbon Street home of the real original Dixieland jazz item for if I can get away with it is $15 for Well, call it refreshment or maybe midnight lunch after a haul I did put away a sandwich at the old absent house on the corner of Bourbon and the end row and Then at 9 30 the next morning I barged in on Don Pinkley at his office on St. Charles Avenue. Sure Don, whatever you say Sit down, sir. Thanks Here for a little drink at this hour of the morning most of you northern boys seem to expect it when you get down this part of the Country. No, thanks. Okay I'll get right to the point touchy Tarantino Only his first name is really Tony Antonio Tarantino, and you've ensured him for $25,000. So what goes with him Johnny? When you were down here before He was one of our most promising young fighters. We certainly looked at when I saw him. Yes, and he married a nice little girl named Angie She's his beneficiary. I see. Yes, Tony did very well for himself Except financially. What do you mean? I mean his manager a Crooked promoter by the name of Raul Martinez So touchy took all the wallops and Martinez took all the dough That's right. They're not in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago. Tony fell out of the ring and busted his head That's too bad. Did Martinez stick around helping with his hospital bill and so on he did not he left him flat But now Don and what happens as soon as Tony and his wife are able to work their way back home I don't know what happens Martinez has latched on to him again and set up a fight for him and He'll be murdered Johnny. You mean that bang on the head. Of course The doctor out in LA told Angie that for him to step into the ring again Would be nothing shorter suicide one hard blow above his left ear and he's dead Madonna for the takes of the word of a doctor to keep him from fighting somewhere in Mexico Mexico and the fight is tomorrow night Where in Mexico? Well, that's the trouble. I have the least idea But if you can find out Well Johnny I Can try Finding out where Martinez had taken Tony. He wasn't nearly as hard as I'd expected My pal Johnny Ortiz a police headquarters gave me the name of a stooley in the Mexican section whose name was Miguel Andrade Andrade for 50 bucks. That's item five Gave me the name of a small town not far across the Texas border in Mexico And I'm not naming that town say for diplomatic reasons Item six is five dollars for a cab to the airport and then 43 oh five plane fare to Brownsville, Texas Item seven is $21 for a taxi to that portable town in Mexico. I Arrived about 9 a.m. The town consisted of a main street mostly full of souvenir shops and lined with tourist cars from the US At one end was a small sports arena Closed but there were billboards all over the place advertising the fights including Tony's with poncho Gutierrez So I tried the one so-called hotel there along the main street and in a set of rooms on the second floor Found his wife. Yes. Yes. So I found out to the way you did mr. Dollar and I followed them down here I found out that they were staying here, but what can I do Angie? So please if you can keep my Antonio from fighting tonight. Where is he Angie is he here? No, this Raul Martinez has him locked up in the dressing room in the in what they call the Coliseum where the fight will be Okay, because per carita. He knows that I would stop him that I would not let my Antonio go into that ring tonight So what can I do? What do you mean? What can you do? You know the Tony might be killed to be fights? I know I know But since the accident to his head my Antonio is not the same He believes anything this Martinez he tells him He tells him that he can beat this Pancho Gutierrez and Antonio believes now listen Angie I have seen Tony fight and I've seen Pancho Gutierrez fight I've seen him in Boston, New York all over the place And what do you see even if Tony were in shape and I don't see how he can be after what happened to him in Los Angeles Well, I would hate to bet on him, but they tell me that all of these what you call the odds are on on my Antonio Oh, so that's it That's why Martinez brought him down here where they don't know what happened to Tony Sure the odds are on him, but Martinez money is on Pancho but You mean that Martinez he he bets against his own boy my my Antonio knowing what he does about him Why else would he let him fight? Then he wants him kill all right Angie come on we're going over to the Coliseum, but I can't why not because of Jose Who's Jose because that Martinez it Because I am not alone here That is right, sir. No No You stay where you are, sir Because if you get up from that chair, I will blow your head off. Now. That's a corny line. Jose, please So you would keep Tarantino from fighting tonight. I'd keep him from getting killed and There's juice and your me. What do you mean me if you do not wish to be killed? You will forget Tarantino and you will go back to their state. Sorry, mr. No Oh put that thing down Like this Repeat after me, please What do you want when you need brand what do you want when you need brand reliability? Now what do you get in Kellogg's all brand Right hi, this is Dennis James to explain why Kellogg's way is the reliable way to get the effectiveness You want from brand with just half a cup a day See Kellogg's all brand is the real Battle Creek formula the one that millions of people depend on and They depend on it because Kellogg's all brand contains more vital brand bulk to help you keep regular It's low in calories and it's mighty pleasant eating to Kellogg's all brand comes in crisp toasted shreds that have a wholesome brand muffin taste I think you like it So be sure you remember for the effectiveness you want from brand get reliable Kellogg's all brand Martina's little pal Jose, whatever his name was Had suggested there in that hotel room that I mind my own business go back to the States And that's exactly where I found myself when I came to On top of a rubber sheep somewhere on the outskirts of Brownsville, Texas minus my gun, of course How he smuggled me back across the border. I'll never know but at this point I didn't care Item eight is another 21 bucks for another cab that little unnamed Mexican town And this time I went straight to the so-called Coliseum a little sports arena Five bucks American got me in through the janitor's entrance into Tarantino's dressing room And I suddenly realized what a blow on the head had done to this Formerly clean alert ambitious young fighter. What do you mean? You'll stop the fight dollar What's the matter with you, Tony? Don't you realize that if Pancho Gutierrez hands you one over that left ear You'll never get up out the canvas alive. Oh, you don't know my penis. Oh, I don't know You think he ain't fixed it up so I don't get hit that way kid. Are you out of your mind? Don't you talk like that? I'm all right Martinez says I'm all right now. Listen to me Tony Martinez doesn't care how you get hit And he doesn't care what happens to you when you do you think that crook is betting on you tonight No, I don't think for one minute that What was that? So the fire is fixed So I take a dive in the port so everything's okay You throw a fight why not so I'll clean up keep that word clean out of it What do you mean? I mean that bang on the head has done more damage than you think if you still can't Now listen somebody suggest you throw a fight a couple of years ago. You would have slugged it. So what? So it's now I got to think of my wife. You're a good boy, then you're a good fighter. You're a clean fighter That's why Angie marriage isn't it? You'll keep her out. Listen to me, Tony So what if I can't fight a genie anymore and up in the States? I throw a fight for Martinez like this one here in this town where nobody cares He'll give me enough dough to get back on my feet Maybe start a business something like that believe that why not? Why didn't he give you an honest share of the purses that you won for him before because I was only starting out. Oh sure fine That old line or why didn't he help you after you busted your head in LA? Well, why didn't he I? Don't know I Don't care. He's helping me now. He's helping you get killed What's the matter with you Tony when you got back from LA you went to Martinez because you didn't know where else to go, right? So I was broke And I told him after the way that he left me there He had to help me had to get you more fights that he had to help me is all So he said he would and now we you dumb ox. I don't you talk like that to talk And when you came begging to him all he saw was that if he didn't get you out of his hair He'd have you tagging after him the rest of his life So why not down here in a place? Nobody ever heard of except a lot of gamblers out for a fast buck Why not let you fight why not let you kill yourself? Not only make a pile of money on you, but he'd be rid of you once and for all you're a real crazy dollar He wants me to go out there and get killed. You think he fixed the fight you think he'd tell me take a dive Yeah Yeah, maybe that's it Tony maybe watch it. Do you know for sure that this fight is fixed sure? I know my finish it all sure he told you because he knew you wouldn't dare to fight if you thought you might be killed You no doubt fix things with whoever passes for a doctor in this dump and then set you up on the promise that you wouldn't be heard And you believed him you sucker You know what I don't believe What you Now get out of here sure Sure Tony anything you say yeah But have you told Angie that this fight is to be a setup She don't even know where I am. Oh, she doesn't anyhow I said leave your hands off and listen you tell Angie you tell Angie anything or tell you no need to I'm sure that when she sees you in the ring tonight. Do you mean she's down here? Well, I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna do it, but when I bring her to the arena tonight. Oh, no, no no, uh Because if I Angie Look listen she she knows me the way I fight and if she sees I take If she sees yeah Think it over Tony Get out Get out of here. I'll have the police stop this fight. Don't be funny Martinez he owns this town the fights the cock fights the gambling the police everything. Yeah. Yeah Now get out So you came back here, sir. Oh say Martinez he wouldn't like this dollar and so he should know about it. Oh, no, you don't This time I was ready for when I ducked in his roundhouse sweat over my head I leaned into his knees and then rose and slammed the edge of my hand across the back of his neck and again some strange reason Suddenly gave up He was dead to the world when I hauled him into a cleaning closet at the far end of the corridor and gagged and tied him down with some Old rags rolled up lengthwise to make him plenty strong That accomplished I started back to Tony's dressing room But the door that was a jar and by edging up close I could hear someone talking And you believe in me Tony this one is to this Johnny dollar Don't be silly boy. I see I don't know If you come around here you walk in here again Ken sabe who knows You see this. Hey, you You've got a silent son at gun see So nobody knows if I use it on him, eh? You would kill him. Oh, see Tony Just like punch you get there is will kill you. What if you do not take that dive tonight. Oh, no, listen Not worry boy. Don't worry In the fourth you take the dive that's all The cleaner the tobacco the better it tastes and in commander Vacuum clean Try new king size Philip Morris commanders made on a new machine the mark eight that takes rich full-flavored tobacco and Gently vacuum cleans it and the cleaner the tobacco the better it tastes noticeably better the cleaner the tobacco The better it tastes and in commander Back with vacuum clean commander Welcome aboard. I Tore on over to the tiny police headquarters and talk to the fat cellar-looking chief Who sat there in his rumple uniform sipping in a glass of tequila? But every time I mentioned the name of Martinez he shrugged as though he didn't understand English and stared blankly out the window And I tried to get tough with him. He spoke in order to a couple of his men who promptly tossed me out into the dusty streets It looked as though Tony was right Somehow Martinez did have this dirty little town under his thumb I went on over to the hotel again to look for Angie a suite of rooms was empty a Stupidly grinning clerk at the desk could tell me nothing except that she'd left a while before with Jose By the time I got through knocking on doors all over town finding no sign of her it was time for the fights I Knew there was no chance of getting a Tony in his dressing room again, so I bought myself a ticket and went in Every seat in that scrubby little stadium was taken people were crouching in the aisles But then I saw Angie standing at the rail in back of the last row of seats Angie Excuse me. Let me through here Angie Could you stop I don't know Angie. I don't know I do Feel this here against your side And so your father if you try anything anything at all I will pull this trigger Now shall we watch the fight? And so we stood there the three of us watching the final dull preliminary and then Tony's fight They look pretty good despite his lack of training physically that is mentally I Wondered if I didn't wonder about Martinez God was there against my ribs all the time Don't worry dollar you cannot last If he does not drop in the fourth bunch of right to the side of his head It will be all over In the first round Circling slowly in a half-prouch playing it safe and then backing away to make poncho lead Watching it watching doing all he could to keep the left side of his head away Couple of times he leaned in and flicked a hard left to poncho's mouth Poncho was plenty cagey to knowing that Tony would tire along before he would By the end of the second Tony was tired The Mexican boy was too fresh too fast for him and Tony's punch lacked the power it used to have In the third the lack of training really began to show it was obvious now that poncho was aiming deliberately aiming for only one place For a spot over Tony's left here In the fourth poncho danced easily around him trying to set him up. He drove a couple of right hook-back in the Turn him again With a half-rolling clinch along the ropes Tony's spine and slammed at the side of poncho's head with a looping overhand right But it left his own body wide open for jabs and almost broke his ribs And then in a series of clinches Tony lasted out the fatal round beside me Martinez began to mutter angrily And in the fifth poncho knew that Tony wasn't going to take that dive then or ever And when he tried for Tony's head over the left ear He telegraphed it every time and Tony was ready for him But Tony was tiring badly now and hanging on too much After an awkward fate he tried a looper to the head that missed by a mile Controletted breeze on by and then threw a short hard right to the tin as Tony sighed against the ropes the bell saved him But he was badly hurt. It was all too obvious that his seconds weren't giving him much help How he ever got up on his feet for the six I'll never know but somehow he did and then when poncho tore into him again Aiming for his head Tony turned almost as though he were falling But he came up all the way up from the canvas with everything he had So the right that caught poncho on the button that lifted him clear off the floor Poncho fell Tony crumpled his way almost blind me to a neutral corner and managed to stay on his feet only long enough to Hear the full count but the crowd went wild And then I felt a certain movement beside me and I saw that Martinez had raised the gun to lean against the post so that he couldn't miss Even at that range and his face was living I swung up with my left with everything I had and the gun whirling as he struck it against the post went off in his face It's all right Yes Martinez was dead and of course the police moved in And when they realized he was definitely finally out of the way I'm sure they all breathe the deep sincere sigh of relief And believe it or not Angie and Tony and I had a formal escort back to the border that was fit for royalty Expense account total including all the incidentals I could think of 389 dollars even yours truly Johnny dollar Now here is our star to tell you about next week story next week a trip to South Jersey and a murder To stop a murder Join us. Won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar fully Johnny dollar starring Bob Reddick is written by Jack Johnstone Produced and directed by Bruno Zerato Jr. musical supervision by Ethel Huber Her to now a cast were Robert Dryden as touchy Joan Loring as Angie Ralph Camargo as Martinez Mandel Kramer as Don Pringle and Danny Akko as Jose Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar. This is Art Hanna speaking