 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents this is your FBI This is your FBI The official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Presenter transcribed as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community A shrewd psychologist who has had contacts with numerous leaders of American business once remarked Success and self-confidence go hand-in-hand Men who have a strong conviction that they are going to succeed are the ones that rise to the top in every field For people of this type people who have this feeling of certainty about themselves The Equitable Life Assurance Society has created its famous life insurance plan for men and women on the way up Do those words describe you? Then you'll be interested in about 14 minutes when I give full details of the equitable plan for men and women on the way up Tonight the subject of our FBI file extortion its title the Hollywood Shakedown Tonight's case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been chosen for two important reasons One will develop as the story unfolds The second reason is to point out to you that there are times when being what is known as a good sport and get a person into very serious trouble Figuring out just what makes people become criminals is a tough job even for experts in this field But they do know that some of us have a deep psychological need to be liked and FBI records show that this desire for the approval of others can often lead to crime In the beginning the favor asked may seem only just a bit shady to those who can't say no at the right time But it may lead them on far deeper than they first thought possible Soon they find themselves involved with criminals and unable to get out from under Tonight's case from the official files of the FBI shows what happens to a person who takes the first step into crime Motivated by nothing more than a weak good nature Tonight's FBI file opens in the foothills of a western mountain range Across the landscape are clusters of people in costume Somewhere suits of armor some leather buskins and others plumbed hats or yellow lace a motion picture company is on location And these are the players a blonde girl dressed in the outfit of a lady-in-waiting Sits in the shade of a tree resting while the cameras are set up a young man dressed in full armor approaches Hi, Katie. Hi, Slim mine company, of course not sit on Potter and a prairie fire in it must be great in that tin soup got any cigarettes in there. Sorry. I got the early model no pockets My girl. Oh, hello, Mr. Stone. I thought you were coming by my trailer to cool off Well, I got this for and couldn't walk another step. Oh, that's too bad. I I had a martini chilled Well, I am sorry. Oh, don't feel too badly. It didn't go to waste Katie I understand this celluloid chamber of horrors is not shooting tonight. So if you'll join me in a nice quiet dinner We don't I can't but I found a charming in by the lake I promised myself. I'd rest after work. Oh, we could eat early and you could see you to me like the lady said no Young man. I was not issuing a mass invitation Katie you want to go with him? I Can't You heard her mr. Now scat I'll be in my trailer dear if you decide to improve the quality of your companions Hope you don't mind me button in don't be silly Thought he was such a big married fellow. Oh, pardon me slim. I've got to talk to someone go ahead. I'll see you later Hello, Katie. I haven't seen you all day. I know honey. I've been busy busy reading the racing for look I got to get over and load this stuff in the camera. I'll come by later Maybe I made a mistake what Grandson stone invited me to dinner and I turned him down. I thought you'd want to see me. I do Well, I'm tired of running second door camera. Look, honey I'm in trouble. What is it? I'm stuck a thousand dollars to a bookie and he sent me word this morning I pay when we get back to the studio or else. Oh, that's why I haven't been around to see you Ladies and waiting front and center. That's me. I gotta run. Yeah, go ahead. I'll meet you later We must reach the castle before dark And we must be inside by midnight We can do these things if we take the bridge if I fall when the battle starts I want only one promise from you who follow me a promise that you'll carry on for the king All these folks looks like stampede Working westerns. I ain't used to crowds We kind of think of mob scenes where they got more than one guitar Remember a picture one time we rode this way mornings and that way afternoons wearing different costumes But the whole battle of the Alamo using eight men. Oh, no, just sure And last year Right, excuse me, Sam. Sure. I'll catch up to you later Katie, I think I got it. You've got what a way to get the thousand bucks for the bookmaker But you got to help me. Yeah, go have dinner with stone tonight. What? Well, you said he invited you I couldn't ask him for any money. You don't have to he's got his car up here with him He'll take you someplace where they serve grog get him mowed and after dinner say you want to drive But I don't drive down to the lake I'll be parked in back of a tree with a camera and tomorrow we sell him the pictures for 5,000 you mean Bill are you serious? Of course. I am That would be awful honey save that look for the camera. I couldn't do a thing like that. I'm in a box, baby Oh, no, look How about if I made you a partner? What do you mean give you half the loot? I only need a G to pay the bookmaker. So 2,500 would go to you Does that break down your scruples? Go load your camera. We'll be at the lake at 1030 Nearby at a local FBI field office special agent Jim Taylor greets agent Vic Brown in the teletype room Vic have you ever worked on tracking down the 16 millimeter prints? No Seems like a couple of studios made for the army was stolen somebody's runoff duplicate prints another copyright case, huh? That's it. I've been tracing the print of a picture called memories of tomorrow And I think I've come up with a lead on it Yeah, what is it? Well the studio record show one print was borrowed two weeks ago by an actor named Grantland Ston So they wanted to run it at home. There's no record of it ever being returned been in touch with him No, not yet. He's making a picture up at Warrensburg. Hey, we better go up there, huh? Yeah, I think so I'll ask the garage to have a car ready for his first thing tomorrow morning See what you think of this Dear mr. Stone, I have three pictures of you and Miss Katie knocks embracing each other in your car I'm willing to give you the pictures for five thousand dollars if you don't pay your life won't be worth five thousand cents Leave the lights burning on your trailer if you're willing to do business How's it sound? Love something out what part about how he'll pay well first We got to find out if you'll go for it Maybe you ought to send him one of the pictures honey We don't give away free samples if he wants him he's got to come up with some green Anything else you think we ought to say no Let me have one of your envelopes, okay Here thanks Well See you later. Where are you going into Warrensburg and mail this that way he'll get it in the morning And all we got to do is wait and Collect pardon me. Yeah, partner. Where can we find Grant on stone that there's his trailer? Oh, thanks very much. Come on I never thought I'd see that why King Arthur's Knights playing gin rummy About that pair and plume hats over there working on a hot rod. It might be better off shooting this instead of the picture This is it every morning mr. Stone I thought it was my press relations man. No, sir. I'm special agent Taylor of the FBI This is agent Brown. Oh, just sit down, please. Thank you. Thanks. I always heard you men worked fast, but I never thought you were this quick How did you ever find out? I checked the studio records that this letter wasn't open till I got it Mr. Stone, I don't think we're talking about the same thing We came here because you're supposed to have borrowed a print of memories of tomorrow from the studio. Oh Did you borrow the print? Yes, I always get the ones I'm in you remember what you did with it. Well, I returned it naturally Not according to the studio records gentlemen I had trouble about a print once before my secretary now gets a receipt each time from messenger Did you get one for this? She must have if you'll call her at the studio. I'm sure she'll show it to you fine Thank you, mr. Stone a gentleman just a moment as you noticed I was rather confused about the purpose of your visit when you arrived. Yes, sir before I tell you the reason let me ask Can I discuss a matter with you in confidence? Of course Well, I'm a married man. I'm not making excuses mind you But on a trip like this away from home my well I I get so I want some female companionship last night. I took one of the extras to dinner afterward she asked to drive we went to the lake I You well, I I probably kissed her. I'm not a memory expert after a few drinks, but I don't guess anybody Mr. Stone, I don't like to interrupt but why tell all of this to us when the mail was delivered this morning this This blackmail letter was in it. I'm to pay five thousand dollars for pictures of the young lady and myself or Or I'll be killed Surely thank you Mr. Stone do you recognize the handwriting? I've never seen it before This girl you say you went out with last night. What what is her name Katie Knox? Not a very long. Oh, she's done some extra work in a few of my pictures, but I Can't really say I know her Like this is definitely an extortion case. What would you advise me to do mr. Taylor turn on your lights? But that's what the note says exactly from here on mr. Stone you follow every instruction When they trumpets blow again the men on horses right across camera left to right you ladies and waiting Curtsy toward the castle and the camera swings to the left again picks up the man dragging the cannons When the horses reach the castle fire the cannons. All right places everybody What happened to your suit of armor nothing my horse got sick so they grounded me Only one on the racket fit me You're hoping none of my friends get to see in me and all this lace Guess I'm supposed to curtsy to you lady waiting. Don't rightly know where Now what's wrong you met on the cannons you're supposed to fire together You also to keep dragging them toward the castle you get opposite the reflectors. Oh, let's go back and try to get it right this time No, I was a young girl when they started shooting this scene Okay You're gonna look silly in the scene. We're out of camera range Yeah, I just saw stone he was talking to the unit manager about the letter No stone wanted to take his check for 5,000 in the town and get it cashed work. Yeah What do we do now? I'm writing him another letter right after lunch Where are you going to have him leave the money? Well, you remember that cave? We shot the scenes in last week. We'll have him stay shit there. Then how do we collect it? What do you mean? Well, I suppose he has a spotter and finds out that it's not that all figured With a little help from you, baby. We get the dough and still stay in the clear He will return shortly to tonight's case from the official files of your FBI Now for a moment. Let's consider an entirely different type of case The case of John McDonald a man who's proved that life does begin at 40 as a youngster John loved to fool around with cars take him apart put them together But circumstances made John a bookkeeper for many years he worked at a job He didn't have his heart in but when he was 40 he traded in his pencil for a monkey wrench and opened his own service station Then what happened John? I began enjoying life and my income almost doubled overnight Yes, he knew deep inside that someday he do the work he loved to do and really go places He also learned from his equitable society representative that equitable had a special policy for people like him People who are bound and determined to get ahead It's called the equitable plan for men and women on the way up. It's big feature is Flexibility it keeps your income and insurance in perfect balance In other words as your income goes up your insurance program can keep pace with it when I started making more money I fixed up my insurance to fit my new needs by taking advantage of one of the options in my equitable plan another very important thing About this equitable plan is it's exceptionally low cost to start with yet while you're waiting for your ship to come in Your family gets the insurance protection they need. I was sure thankful for the low cost during the lean years Thing the premiums never put us in a hole. Why not take a leaf out of John McDonald's book? Ask your equitable society representative for full details of this plan for people like you Ambitious men and women on the way up or send a postcard care of this station to the equitable society That's a Q. Y. T. A. B. L. A. The equitable life assurance society of the United States And now back to the FBI file the Hollywood shakedown The crime of obtaining money from people by threats of exposure or violence is known as extortion This crime has been likened to an iceberg most of which is underwater on the same principle Students of criminology estimate that the majority of all extortion schemes are never reported to any police agency For that reason it is impossible to know exactly how much money the American people annually pay the criminals who ply this trade There is little doubt that it runs high in the millions This amount could be reduced to absolute zero almost overnight. It can be done very simply Every victim singled out by an extortionist should follow the example of Grant Lynn stone in tonight's file The fact should be reported immediately to the police if a local statute has been violated and to the FBI if a federal crime is indicated They will do everything in their power to keep you from receiving unwelcomed publicity They are experts in dealing with this type of criminal They are always eager to cooperate in taking the profit out of crime The night's FBI file continues later that day in the trailer dressing room of Gretland stone Special agents Taylor and Brown have just returned Mr. Stone, yes, I've received my instructions now. Where's the money to be left inside the mouth of Lancelot's cave Where a long narrow cave near here we used for a scene in the picture Jim that could mean the extortioners in the troop Y'all all mr. Stone may I see that second letter for you surely Thank you. Looks like the same writing as the other one You've been inside the cave only while we shot that scene Engage in Taylor and I could hide there without being seen no question about it This letter says to leave the money there before noon. Yes, it's all in this package Well, when you deliver it, please try to have as many people as possible notice you're going to the cave Mr. Taylor as many people as possible notice me wherever I go I'm sure we'll be there waiting for whoever comes I'm here Jim You don't have to see whoever come to them. I guess not You only be sure why All it come off with the light on him big What's going on in here special agents the FBI I'll take that package, please Sure, mr. Your hands in the air Go ahead big This some kind of stand still please no gun on him Jim now Why would I be carrying a gun so nobody'd rob you of that 5,000 mr. Just what are you talking about? What do you think is in that package got no notion how'd you happen to come for it then friend of mine asked me to Friend named Katie Knox. Let me put this envelope down where the money was pictures in Three of Katie Knox and Grantland stone in the car. You take those pictures. No, where'd you get them? Friend gave him to the same one. Mm-hmm. What's your friend's name? Maybe you'll tell us his name slim Franklin You mind answering something for me. No Just what are you doing here? We've been waiting for somebody to pick up that money now. Suppose you try answering that same question for us Franklin still denies everything like oh, did you get through to the office? Yeah a couple minutes ago Hmm. I said was no right down the line on everything Katie Knox has no record either has slim Franklin Handwriting on the notes doesn't match either sample Oh Franklin admits having some words with stone day before yesterday about what the Knox girl Oh, yeah, he says he was sitting with her when stone came up and asked for a date She refused when stone persisted Franklin chased him away. It didn't make sense. She did have dinner with him. Yeah, I know He said anything else about miss Knox plenty except when I asked if she's the one who sent him there Couldn't mean they're both in on it Vic I can't tell you why but I just don't think Franklin's mixed up as deep as it looks you haven't changed your mind about the girl No, she's my candidate. Hey, maybe Franklin will open up to you about her. Want me to try? Yeah, will you? I'll go see what she has to say about him Attention extras ready in 10 minutes for the battle scene be sure your costume has been checked Well, I have to talk to you if the eye man came to see me when few minutes ago. They've got slim in jail Yeah, I heard about that. We've got to do something. I know if I don't get that thousand bucks for that bookmaker I mean about this. Oh look, honey, that deal's over but slim can tell him about me He won't not the all-american boy. He'd blow a seven-year contract without options to save a damn Besides, he's good and stuck on you not enough to want to stay in jail Katie if he was gonna talk he'd have done it when they pinched him. He didn't now. It's too late Why all you do is say it ain't true It's his word against yours and he got nailed in the cave You still know nothing I'm glad I found you miss Knox. Why well, I've checked as much as I can of what you told me and And I thought you'd want to know that so far everything you said is true No, not very much mr. Stone Miss Knox claims she barely knows Franklin. Did you expect a confession? No sir, but we checked her story We can't find any flaws in it. It seems to me that you're wasting a lot of time No, you found Franklin in the cave with the money in his hand make him tell you what he knows That's not the way we work Besides, I'm not sure he's guilty and why not for one thing our lab just reported traces of face powder on the envelope containing each note Oh, not on the notes themselves, but only on the envelopes. What does that mean? I would appear the powder was worn by whoever mailed the letters But not by the person who wrote them miss Knox uses that brand. Well, then arrest her It's not that conclusive mr. Stone Besides, she didn't work this alone. Somebody had to take those pictures. I still can't understand how they were taken I had a few drinks is true, but even so I've seen a flash bulb go off and you didn't know now This is quite important mr. Stone. You're sure you saw no flash at all. No none Right away promise to stone. I'll walk over. We did there's something I want to check To fight and personal glory for lying in the balance is our honor as a people Do we go to the struggle with your blessing? Katie I'm going what I'm leaving. Well, you can't we're not through shoes. Look the bookmaker called He won't wait. So I better hit the ever-loving road. No, you're not running out on me This was your idea Phil and you're not leaving me holding out Who's that the FBI guy's coming around the truck just a minute, please? See you later, Katie. Are you two Adams? What's wrong? We've checked the rest of your story miss Knox. Mr. Taylor. Could you wait till later to ask any more questions? We're all finished asking questions. This is the part where I give you some answers For example Adams here was your partner not slim Franklin. I was what you took those pictures at the lake Stone didn't see any flash bulb flare that meant one thing Infrared you signed up for a camera Wednesday night. Sure for my work You also signed out for some infrared film and bald. Shut up. We don't need any more information from her Adams Your signature in the book where you signed up for that camera and the equipment is a perfect match for the writing in the extortion letters Katie Knox and Phil Adams were convicted in federal court of violation of the extortion statute and sentenced to two and five years respectively With the arrest of Katie Knox and Phil Adams the two special agents were able to release the victim of their attempted frame up cowboy actor Slim Franklin and so not only was your FBI able to close another case But also to maintain its reputation for working as hard to free the innocent as to help convict the guilty Because of that policy the Federal Bureau of Investigation set a record last year of which it is justly proud Almost 98% of all people arrested by special agents were later found to be guilty when their cases came to court This record is convincing proof that your FBI never makes arrests unless there is overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing This is the American way in complete accord with our ancient tradition of safeguarding the rights and freedom of Every law abiding citizen Last word on the equitable society's plan for men and women on the way up a Plan made for the man who's looking forward to the day when his boss will say to him Ed You're getting Olson's job with a very substantial increase in salary Are you that kind of man? Then don't wait another day Ask your equitable society representative to work out your personal plan for a man on the way up Or send a postcard care of this station to the equitable life insurance society Next week we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation its subject Racketeering its title Success story The incidents used in tonight's equitable life insurance societies broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation However, all names used are fictitious and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental Tonight the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry D. Lewis Your narrator was William Woodson and special agent Taylor was played by Stacy Harris Others in the cast were Sam Edwards, JC Flippen, Lamont Johnson, Charlotte Lawrence and Herb Rawlinson This is your FBI is a Jerry divine production This is Larry Keating speaking for the equitable life insurance society of the United States and the equitable society is representative in your community and Inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time when the equitable life insurance society Will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Success story on this is your FBI Stay tuned for the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There's fun for the whole family when Ozzie and Harriet come your way next This program came to you from Hollywood