 Time now for Edmund O'Brien as Johnny dollar dollar thank goodness. I found you why what's up You've got to leave for New York dollar immediately a policy holder. He's afraid for his life here We go again. Who's he afraid of well? He wouldn't say over the telephone all I know is to us He's worth a hundred thousand dollars alive. Well, that makes it simple. He must be afraid of somebody to whom he's worth a hundred thousand dollars dead Edmund O'Brien in a transcribed adventure of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to home office American continental life insurance company Hartford, Connecticut the following is an accounting of my expenditures fulfilling your assignment as a Well as a bodyguard the body being that of your late policy holder Robert W. Perry Expense account item one fair on night train Hartford to New York 365 expense account item to a dollar 80 taxi to lower Manhattan following morning to officers Perry and Van Bruton Importers arriving as promised at exactly 9 a.m. Can I help you? Yes, you certainly can my name is Johnny dollar I have an appointment with mr. Perry for nine o'clock. Oh, yes from the insurance company Well, you're right on time. Yes, they told me I better be and I'm glad that I am Mr. Perry just came in. He's alone and waiting for you. I'll buzz him that you're here. Thanks Left of your policy holder mr. Perry was just sliding out of a swivel chair as I hit the room The top of his desk had erupted and splinters of mahogany pointed their sharp fingers upward through lazy circles of smoke Swirling toward the ceiling the buzzer from his secretary's desk had been rigged to a booby trap Mr. Perry stay away from him. Come on. There's nothing you can do. He's dead Whatever There's a doctor on the third floor. Shall I call him? Never mind the doctor. Go call the police Nobody gets in here lay a ride Now the rest of you go on run along and have the building superintendent turn off that alarm. Okay, miss. I'll take it easy It was also sudden. Well, that's not hard to figure out Somebody wanted to give you a boss mr. Perry a shortcut through life So whoever it was figured out that a secretary would never buzz a boss Unless he was at his desk They rigged up a bomb somewhere in his desk that would go off when you buzzed him No, no, wait a minute. Will you wait a minute? Don't go hysterical. I mean Excitement enough and there'll be more when the police get here so you keep cool But I did it you saw me do it look honey the way you put it I killed him by coming in here and giving you my name so you would buzz him and I was here to protect him So drop it will you? I'm sorry and tell me what about yesterday was Perry here. Yes All day what time was it when you last used the buzzer? Oh, I right up to the last minute about 530 who left the office first. Oh, mr. Perry. He always leaves first. I lock up And the looks of things you should have used more locks last night somebody got in here to do some wiring Oh, I forgot that fire alarm. Look before the police arrived. Do you know why I was sent here? Oh, yes, mr. Perry felt that his life was in danger He thought that well with a hundred thousand dollar policy the Insurance company would do everything they could to help keep him alive. Oh, he didn't have much of a chance. Did we? What was he afraid of? I don't know Okay Tell me what were his other appointments for today? He only had to His partner mr. Van Bruton at 11 and later. No one at a time, please and Bruton Anything special about them eating? Oh, yes, mr. Van Bruton arrived just yesterday from Holland. Oh You mean there was a branch of this firm in Holland. Yes Mr. Perry was buying out Van Bruton's interest They had a final meeting at Van Bruton's hotel last night. I say Van Bruton was coming by this morning To pick up his money cash No, a cashier's check the bank is to deliver it here at 10 30. Perry's other appointment. Who is that? Christine his wife Now she tells me Christine the beneficiary. Yes, she wouldn't have been the beneficiary and about another two weeks They were getting a divorce Thanks for the motive You don't like her. Well, I Didn't mean it that way How about Perry? Did you like him? Okay, here's an easy one. What's your name Susan? Susan Gates Now isn't that about enough? Okay, Susan. You better save your voice during the next few hours. You're gonna have to do a lot of talking Where else is the fire in here? Well, you'll have to stick around when the cops get here somebody will get burned The fireman should have stuck around because the cops arrived in a blaze of glory It was a very high-class investigation to lieutenants Finally after about an hour the police photographer ran out of flash bulbs the office of the deceased ran out of fingerprints and The lieutenants ran out of questions. So the on-the-scene phase of the investigation was closed At about five minutes of 11 I left the police packing up their notebooks their clues and the body and went into the outer office Susan looked like she could use a big broad shoulder to weep on but unfortunately. I was wearing my light gray suit About then a dark blue suit and a deep green voice entered the room from the car There's a fellow here says he belongs here His name is Van Bruton. What do you think his name is on the door you just opened Well, now my name happens to be a Murphy and it's a bitch all over the country But that don't mean I'm stuffed with feathers. Does it never cross tongues with an Irish woman. All right, send him in officer All right, you can coin It's a policeman out there It's our trouble here. I am brainless and Bruton There's mr. Perry. What? He is waiting for me. No, no, but my boy. He's not keeping any Dead, this is not possible last night. I saw him. He was well What happened? He was hit by a buzzbomb Push bomb. Oh, please you you mean that there was foul play. Yes. Yes. It was very foul. Oh, please I Missed it on My first visit in all these years since before the war it was to be so happy But now tragedy like this he was a good man or a good partner. I Understand that as of last night you were no longer partners. Yeah, yeah I am glad you mentioned that I realized of course that it is Indelicate to speak of such things as money at a time like this, but That is why I am here To receive my payment just because Perry got his there's no reason for you not getting yours Oh, but you miss understand me. I am deeply grieve but Well since the transaction was consummated What is there to do our delay would be a neat needless waste of money I have already paid for passage back to unfurl tomorrow. You're your check is here, mr. Van Booth. Oh Here you are Thank you All of my years of business this is indeed the saddest moment Yeah Well, if I didn't have some work to do I'd sit down with you and we'd all have a good cry Expense account item three ninety cents phone call to the whole office Look honey, this is Johnny dollar. I want to speak to mr. Gordon While I'm telling him what I've got to tell him and maybe you'd better sit there in his lap with some smelling sauce We're making out out about a hundred thousand dollars What's that? Yeah, you know you should have sent me earlier. Somebody turn mr. Perry into a firecracker just after I got here He's dead. Oh, oh, that's bad news big policy Yeah, what I want to know is shall I stay on the case? Well certainly done it by all means. Oh Is there a chance of Proving suicide. There's a non-payment clause. Yeah to make this one a suicide. I'd have to be a Santa Claus Nobody could hate himself enough to do it this way What are the fraud possibilities fair there's an estranged wife She's the beneficiary, but she wouldn't have been in the couple of weeks divorce coming up. I'll start with her All right dollar. Good luck, but watch those expenses my Gordon. I'm surprised I think an insurance man would be the first to want to see a fellow live a little Christine Perry's apartment was on certain place overlooking the East River I took the elevator up to the 24th floor and there I discovered that our garden fresh widow was living high in more ways than one Everything about the place was French the maid who led me into the living room through a long fire the decor and the perfume Which reminded you that breathing can be fun. I Looked up from enjoying my nose to see Mrs. Perry looking down hers Mrs. Perry I Believe we can dispense with the social amenities You're an insurance investigator Interested in the death of my husband So naturally you're here because you've jumped to the conclusion that I killed him You're the one that's jumping to conclusions lady and careful. You don't break your leg What do you want the policies in order? Premiums are fully paid. You know, I'm not quite sure what I want I know that you've got a great motive so far the only motive I found You haven't had much time to look at you check. This is my first stop. Maybe you can help me Do you know anyone who would be happier with your husband out of the way? I? Know very little about my husband's friends for that matter is activities for the past six months That's when I left him Well, that's not much help for either of us, you know without someone else to suspect I may just have to concentrate on you Mr. Dollar, I picked the men I want to concentrate on me I hope you're as long on alibis as you are short on temper Where were you last night with a friend? Al Donovan For the while the same place my husband was But I have witnesses to prove who was with him Anybody at the clover club can tell you saved me a trip. I can't afford the prices. They get over there certainly a pleasure My husband was with his beautiful little secretary Susan Gates well I Wouldn't be more surprised if your late husband walked through that door and said all right, mister. That's enough how yeah How much did you hear? I'm a big guy, baby six foot four. I've got big ears to match Oh, please would this be mr. Donovan your companion of last evening. I'm getting you out of here Chris Oh, you don't know what you're saying you lie to me. How can I help you if you lie to me? You call me stupid The way you're playing this you'll alibi yourself right into a cell now. I'm getting you out of here She's right you are stupid Donovan. She was doing just fine till you dropped in mr. You've been asking a lot of questions Now I'm gonna give you one answer All right, Christine so much for the wise guy Now about you and your alibi You wasn't with me at the clover club last night And if it's so easy to prove that your husband was there with his secretary Who were you there with? Remember, baby You told me you were going to be with your husband When Al measured me for that swing I measured my chances with him To me he looked like one of those corporate assets of murder incorporated So I rolled with a punch and kept my eyes closed and ears open What I heard was Christine's alibi flying out the window mr. Donovan giving her a few loving cuffs and finally the pair of them flying out the door Just then the noon whistle blew somewhere in New York and I decided to allow myself the luxury of one full minute for lunch Returned to the second act of Johnny dollar, but first And now we return to the second act of yours truly Johnny dollars starring Edmond O'Brien I spent the minute I took out for lunch eating a handful of Mrs. Perry's bonbons on the run I hit the street just in time to see Donovan pushing Christine Perry into a cream-colored convertible when they got rolling I piled into an even yellower vehicle with a meter on it and started off Crosstown playing tag through traffic At 57th and Broadway things got complicated My cab was three cars behind them when a red light flashed them to a stop Then the door of their car flew open Christine dashed out across the street and melted into the river of humanity flowing down into the subway Since Al Donovan didn't follow her I followed him when he finally pulled to a stop He took two chances. He parked in a low parking zone and walked straight into the building beside it a police station This is mr. Dollar lieutenant. He's been waiting for you Well, my name is Johnny dollar lieutenant here are my credentials Insurance, huh? Yeah. Yeah, the Perry murder in particular. You've come to the right place dollar A man named Donovan just walked in here and made a full confession. He what that's right My clerk's just typing it up in the meantime the gentleman is down in the tank having a bite of lunch on the city He confessed Well, does his story add up as far as I know and I haven't heard too much about the keys myself It's not in my precinct. Yeah, but what did he use for a motive jealousy says he's in love wanted to marry Perry's wife Did he say how he managed it? Yeah, he stole a key to the office from the wife's apartment Entered the building last night and wired the bomb to the buzzer system. Yeah Yes guys do a lot of strange things in the name of love. It looks like Donovan did Yeah, he either killed a man or he's trying to cover up for someone who did Say lieutenant don't execute him for a couple of days with it I spent the rest of the afternoon downtown and the offices of Perry and van Bruten importers the partners correspondence told me two things They had been extremely friendly and van Bruten was extremely bold Perry had been sending him two pays from a famous Hollywood makeup firm At 430 I got to the employment files which rocked me with two minor explosions of their own First I learned that Al Donovan had been employed over a period of years as Perry's bodyguard And that he had been canned the day before the murder That confession of his which had been a little hard to swallow was suddenly more digestible On top of this came blast number two the employment application of Perry secretary in a Susan Gates Inform me that during the war She had worked in a munitions plant her specialty wiring bomb When the Susan Gates reached home at 830 she found a visitor me professional secret It scared me What do you want? Why did you come here this way? I want to bring you the good news I heard on the radio that Al Donovan confessed to Perry's murder. Oh, I Can't believe it. Why not? Who do you like for the spot? Christine Al is coming up for Well, I'd like to agree with you if it turns out that Christine wound up her husband's life with a bang the company that hired me saves A hundred thousand dollars, but I don't know she claims she has all kinds of alibis One of them is you me. Yeah, did you see her at the clover club last night? Yes, I Yeah, I know who you were with your boss. There's nothing wrong with that. Oh, I'm not preaching a sermon I I want to know who she was with I don't know Man, I'd never seen before mr. Perry knew him, but he wouldn't tell me who he was Why not? I don't know he said I might get the wrong idea about what I don't know We didn't sit there and talk about it all night. So Why should we sit here and talk about it all night? All right. All right Good heavens when a census taker shows up and asks a lot of questions people answer them When an investigator tries to do his job they they make the proverbial clam look like a blabbermouth look Look, mr. Dollar, believe me. This has been a greater shock to me than to anyone else Yes, accepting of course your late employer mr. Perry How long did you work for him for years? Why'd you work before then? Well, I work. Let me help you Bombs, huh wiring fuses remember? All right. I remember good Maybe you'll remember a little more. Let's go back the last night the guy with Christine Perry. Who is he? I tell you I don't know was it Van Bruton? No, just make sure you don't keep going Susan Susan snapped the spring lock to open the door the gun outside opened up the first slug quarter in the left shoulder Spinning her out of the way of the rest of them. It was getting monotonous every time a buzzer went off things started booming Susan was sprawled out on the floor in front of the door and open it I had a mover by the time I did the hallway outside was empty. Okay. Okay now take it easy Come on won't start hurting for a couple of minutes. We'll have a doctor here by then. He'll give you something Please please try to keep calm Throw my coat over here No, try not to move You're gonna ruin this rod never mind the rug what we want to worry about is who tried to ruin you What do they do to me? What'll who do to you? They'll arrest me. They don't arrest people for getting shot. You have any idea who it was? That man in the office this morning The one who picked up the check then Bruton. No, no, he wasn't then Bruton He was a phony. Yeah, and you still gave him that check Yes Well, I won't ask you why You gave him that check and then try to blackmail him. Is that right? They'll arrest me. I wouldn't be surprised. Who is this guy? Where can I find him? Come on don't pass out on me now his name quick. Come on, then Sam. Where's he live? Marsden hotel under his own name. No, I Don't blame you I could use a few moments of unconsciousness myself Marsden hotel didn't have a Dutch name on the register So I got a hold of the housekeeper and found out how many rooms her staff hadn't been able to make up all day Because of no disturbed signs on their doors, and then I went a calling at those particular rooms On the ninth floor. I awakened one old maid on the seventh I started a bunch of poker players who thought they were being raided and on the fourth I struck the door of 427 and the jackpot Sorry, I must have the wrong room I Started up the hall after the fire ax when I got to it. I changed my mind Out of the few things I learned about this guy Van sand Was that he loved to shoot people through doors? So I decided against trying to chop his down Then I remembered the way those people came pouring out of those offices earlier in the day when they heard that fire alarm So I picked up the little red hammer next to the big red fire ax broke the little glass window Pull the little brass hook and set off a big brassy noise, and then I rushed back to 427 There's a fire right here in my eyes By you come here you wish you don't never mind a dresser your true shooting gun What do you think man, son? You want to try some on you cannot make me stay here so fire We will all die. You look good barbecue that I'll make a deal with you And if I like what I hear I'll show you how to get out of here alive. Oh, I know this You don't think I'm gonna stay here and fry do you and if you don't start flapping that tongue of a hurry I'll probably just tie you to a chair and run So first where is the real van brook? You've been five minutes of bedroom. Yeah, you'd better be alive without cold. What's the matter with him? He would be all right It's under sedatives Where did this identity switch start come on hurry up talk? I smell smoke I knew then Bruton from Antwerp. I know about the sale of his entrance. I know the girl in the office here Never seen from Bruton Look we go now don't get up. Come on keep talking. I can feel it getting warm in here It's a firefighter's we really say don't be too sure they always start at the top floor and work their way down Come on. I can hear those flames crackling your nose arrest Last night when the transaction was all finished with parry I gave to van Bruton some sedative in this cocoa So you set up that bomb so Perry didn't get it before you showed up to pick up the check Yeah, I told you that how's the girl knows I am an imposter. I don't know let me tell you She's been sending old van Bruton to pays for the last four years gray ones my red-headed friend I can stand up now We go out from here. No We go out from here. No. Yes, I'll call Expense account item for a dollar forty night letter informing you that American Continental Would have to meet payment of claim to Mrs. Christine Perry Innocent widow of the insured The only thing she was guilty of was trying to stay on the right side of a hot-tempered boyfriend She lied about who she was with at the clover club not to fix herself an alibi But to keep al donovan from learning that she'd been out with another man That man being the real mr. Van Bruton who had only taken her out to try to talk her into reconciling with his friend her husband Expense account item five a hundred dollars fine for turning in a false alarm, which since you're paying it with me is just fine Expense account total $463 yours Truly Johnny dollar Yours truly Johnny dollars stars Edmond O'Brien in the title role and is written by Paul Dudley and gilded out with music composed and Conducted by Leith Stevens Featured in our cast where Walter Burke Jean Bates Joe Duvall Ted de Corsia Joyce McCluskey and Raymond Burr Yours truly Johnny dollar is produced and directed by Jaime del Valle Getting next week. We are moving to a new time and day And we hope you'll join us on Tuesday evenings when Edmond O'Brien returns in another transcribed adventure of yours truly Johnny dollar you who Mrs. Bloom Molly Goldberg's famous invitation to fun in the Bronx now echoes across the country each Saturday night on CBS It's the same fine brand of comedy mixed with a tear now and then that's made Molly and her whole family Jake Sammy Rosalie and the others favorites for many years CBS invite you to hear the Goldberg's on most of these same CBS stations this Saturday and every Saturday This is Roy Rowan speaking Disaster is no respecter of persons and it can strike any time but your Red Cross never sleeps It has to be ready constantly in case of an emergency. This is your protection Keep it strong now is the time to support Red Cross for your sake Remember for every dollar you gave before This year at a quarter more if you gave Red Cross ten dollars last year this year give it twelve dollars and a half Give gladly join Red Cross This is CBS where yours truly Johnny dollar meets adventure next Tuesday night the Columbia broadcasting system