 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar hi Johnny who that George Reed well Merry Christmas George is it? No, it's a matter you ever hear of Jedi Aguilas Excentric owns about half of Rhode Island. That's the boy a couple of weeks ago We wrote a special policy on an item. He wanted insured and it's up and disappeared, huh? Oh just a wild guess. What did he lose? I hope you're sitting down. Yeah. Why because the insured item is House What? Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of a man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yes, truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to Floyd's of England American branch office for 43 North 15 Street Hartford, Connecticut The following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the missing mouse matter Expense account item one eighty five cents taxi from my apartment at George Reed's office He was on his feet waiting for me his Ivy League suit looked as though it had been slept in and he needed to shave Yeah, sure Johnny I'm gonna level with you this thing has me going well It serves you right anybody who'd insure a mouse deserves what he gets. Yeah, but it isn't an ordinary mouse No, not according to mr. Gillis's original application Take a look Item to be insured one unusually talented grayish brown mouse Unusually talented like how I don't know what I tried to find out but Gillis wouldn't tell me and still you issued the policy You know our company Johnny We have a reputation for ensuring almost anything but we have to draw the line occasionally and we would have here except for one Thing what's that and believe me it better be good It is Gillis carries all of his insurance with us Yeah, but even so just one of his several policies is a straight life for 350,000 wow way King size premiums on exactly so when he called asking us to ensure this fall as mouse for a few weeks Wait a minute. Gillis doesn't own it. No, well who does it belongs to a friend of his a man named Glaser He's spending the holidays with Gillis Gillis didn't want to be responsible or something happened to Glaser's mouse while he's there So he asked us to write the policy how much did you insure it for all the company would allow? 5,000 oh George you think I want to get all worked up over a lousy five grand laws What kind of a commission can I possibly make look give me a chance to finish? We all right, but only because it's Christmas All right Late last night. I received a call from Gillis He wanted to know whom we considered the best investigator in this part of the country When I told him he told me about the mouse and insisted I send you up to help look for now George I'm sorry, but I'm gonna pass. I've handled some screwy cases in my time at this is please wait till I finish Told Gillis you wouldn't be interested That's when he started putting on the squeeze squeeze. How do you mean? He said if I didn't get you he'd cancel his policy Oh, come on. You don't believe that me. I don't know what to believe Gillis is a screwball of the first water We've known that for a long time and frankly I'd rather not take a chance. Well, you've got to Maybe not hmm. I've received an okay from upstairs on this one. You can write your own ticket Well, why didn't you say so on the first place? You didn't give me a chance Look, there's a train for Providence at 330 here's Gillis's address. He wants you to stay with him That'll cost more Georgie that figures Merry Christmas, John. Same to you Santa Claus Expense account item 285 cents cab fare back to my apartment. I Was intrigued by what George had told me and by what his company was going to add to my bank account So I didn't really mind changing my plans for the holidays Expense account item $3.18 and 90 cents transportation including a round-trip ticket Hartford of Providence and cab fare out to the Gillis residence Palace would be a better word for it It stood in the middle of a large wooded park must have been half a dozen acres all of it surrounded by an old-fashioned iron fence. I Dismissed the cab and had started toward the front door when it opened and standing against the light watching me was a tall beautiful girl Why? Thanks We've been expecting you mr. Dollar. Hi well Hi, mr. Glaser and father in the library. Would you like to meet him now or wait till after you're settled? I'm I'm afraid I'd better see them right away Miss Gillis Marion Johnny Well come along You know for the first time I'm glad I came home for the holidays home from where New York here. We are You'll have to come visit me Johnny. Maybe I'll do something drastic like losing a mouse to guarantee it Mary I told you keep that door closed. Oh, mr. Dollar's here father. Oh, well have them come in See you later Johnny Well dollar glad you finally got here. Yes, indeed. Thank you, sir And this is my friend and associate Bert Glaser. Hi, mr. Glaser Bertie and his pals mr. Dollar Big bread my dog act you investigators are supposed to have good memories I hoped you might have caught us at some time or other. No afraid not. Yeah, would you like to have a drink with the dollar? No, thanks. I suppose I got anything you want to drink. I got an egg now hot by the room Well, maybe later right now. I'd like to hear the details of your loss You mean that insurance agents didn't give you all the information. He didn't know at all, mr. Gillis All he didn't know was that a so-called Talented mouse has disappeared so cold. He hasn't disappeared either not at all. He's been kidnapped. That's what kidnapped Yes, sir, and we know who did it and why we know why too and it's your job to get him back Oh now wait a minute, and I'm not gonna pay one red sin for ransom not one cent not one Okay, okay, but what makes you so sure the mouse was kidnapped I'm afraid I can't tell you that without Bert's permission Well, mr. Glazer Well, if we tell you we must have your solemn promise. You won't repeat it to anybody until Christmas Day Well, I I'm not sure I can do that if you can't we don't open our mouth, right? Well Okay till Christmas Day good good Suppose I told you gulliver was worth at least $50,000 the missing mouse. Oh you be surprised if I said it was worth that much depends You claim he's talented Does that have something to do with this valuation you put on something? It has everything to do with it. Yes, sir Well, what does gulliver do that other mice can't nothing But it's how he does it that counts. How he does what? Sings what can't you hear the man was delicate to him? Gulliver sings he carries a tune You know with the clarity of a clarion the fervor of a female opera star and the tone of a tenor That's how we plan to bill him I am I see you well, uh But He doesn't believe us Oh, no wait. I didn't say there's no need to we can tell by your face Can't we burt But a mouse it is a scientific fact that mice sing mice Sing well-known magazines have published articles proving it Unfortunately, most of them sing in a scale too high for human hearing. Oh, but not gulliver or not gulliver. Yeah, that's right He's a busso a busso that by mousy standards. That is No, no No bird. He still doesn't believe us very well, jediah. There is only one thing to do only one thing to do You follow us dollar we'll erase the doubt in your mind forever I took a good look at bird blazer then reluctantly followed the two of them out of the library and down a long haul At the moment this thing had all the earmarks of a good old-fashioned con game Or better still a benefit on behalf of bird blazer with jodiagillus and floyds of england as the soul cash contributors We wondered for what seemed like blocks through the old mansion and finally reached a large playroom On top of one of the billiard tables was a small brass cage In it were two small grayish brown mice Plays are open the cage and let them out Mr. Dollar allow me to present hecuba and esmeralda. Oh, how do you do? I mean, uh I suppose they sing too. Oh, they certainly do But not nearly as well as gulliver. Just don't have the instrument, you know instrument the voice the voice down at the voice the vocal oh, yeah, I see but uh Now where did you keep gulliver in here with the others bird didn't want to separate that's right I originally started to make the three of them into a singing You know trio like the andrew's sisters, but gulliver advanced so rapidly. I decided he should be a soloist Oh, sure. You aren't afraid of mice. Mr. Danner. No, well, that's fine. Nice sensitive. You are, you know It upsets them. It upsets them. All right now. Hecuba move over a bit give esmeralda some room That's it now up on your hunches There we are Now what would you like to hear mr. Dollar? Oh anything at all? Oh, bird. How about my favorite over the way? Good. Good. Good Hey, you got it esmeralda over the waves That's it. Hecuba already then That'll be fine ready now one two three one two three Oh, that's it. Oh beautiful esmeralda beautiful Well, I won't say I was convinced But I won't say I wasn't But I will say those mice were singing something For giving a mighty good imitation of it We returned to the library and this time I sampled the eggnog liberally Is that all right? Oh fine, thanks Well dollar, you know now why we believe gulliver was kidnapped? Well, I'm not sure To exploit him what else exactly you have any idea who did it harry mcqueen. That's who mcqueen Who's mcqueen used to be my agent theatrical agent. He's been snooping around here lately, jenny We figure he's gotten wind of our mice. What do you mean by snooping around mr. Gillis? No, you know, he's been out here twice this week wanting to see me had to kick him out of here Yesterday morning. How'd he get in? Well, my daughter answered the door. Yes She didn't know mcqueen from adam So when he asked for me she figured he belonged in here rehearsing the show with the rest of us rehearsing what show mr. Gillis What show the show for the children's hospital? Dodaya puts one on for the sick kids every christmas eve Of course, you know dollar variety acts of santa claus this year though. We got a radio hookup Go all over the state and gulliver Uh Well, he was going to headline and that's why i sent for you dollar I figured you can get him back by tomorrow afternoon if anybody can how long was mcqueen in here before you noticed Long enough to lift gulliver. This was our dress rehearsal darling We'd asked some of the kids from around the neighborhood in to watch so it was pretty crowded What were the mice during the rehearsal? Well, that's where I made my mistake. What do you mean? We were keeping them a secret till the real show. Oh, where were they in their cage over there on the mantle Now we were using this part of the room for the stage So mcqueen could have just reached in and taken gulliver without a scene Now what makes you so sure mcqueen did it? We told you besides who else had wanted who else? And it was right after I kicked him out here that I discovered gulliver was missing. Why'd you do that? I called off the rehearsal and started searching for him mcqueen big gulliver And I put in a telephone call the providence house where mcqueen was staying. Did you talk to him? Nope They said he checked out After questioning them for a while I finally had a nightcap with judia and then went to the phone in the hall and made some calls Including one to george reed. Oh, how's it going johnny? It's not. That's why I'm calling. Look They think a theatrical agent named harry mcqueen stole the mouse. He has offices in boston and new york I've placed a person a person called at both offices, but with tomorrow christmas evening might not get the message So what do you want me to do? Find out his home number. Ask him to call me here Yeah And so is a cat what? A big yellow cat. What's so unusual about that? Oh nothing Except he's got a grayish brown mouse between his two front paws Act two of yours truly johnny dollar in just a moment You can't buy happiness by the pound or the yard But you can have it by the hour with no strings attached every monday through friday evening And each saturday in the daytime when the robber kula was show is on the air Join him and his fun-loving gang five nights a week and saturdays in the daytime on most of these same stations Now act two of yours truly johnny dollar and the missing mouse matter I was standing in the hall of judia gillis's home looking at a big yellow cat that had a mouse between its two front paws As far as I was concerned a mouse is a mouse and this one could be gulliver I cut short my phone conversation with george reed and then started toward the cat Here kitty here kitty kitty Nice kitty That's a good kitty. Ah kitty. Let me have the little mouse This cannibal belong to you marion. Yes, I promised father. I What do you mean cannibal? Take a look Oh, no. Oh, yes, and he's very very dead Oh You don't think it's gulliver. Do you almost a glazer will have to identify him and if he is Well, that's sad. Oh, no, no johnny. What do you mean? Oh johnny, please? You don't have to tell him do you? Well, sure if it's gulliver this thing's cleared up If it's not your rama gets a reward for being a good mouse here johnny, please That almost had a fit when I arrived here with rama. He made me promise to keep him in my room This the only time he's been out Well, no He was out for a little while yesterday while they were rehearsing. I didn't notice he was gone till after lunch Then the corpse could be gullivers Oh, johnny, if it is there's nothing we can do about it now and if you tell my father besides making him angry It'll break his heart All right I won't say anything until tomorrow night Thanks, johnny night good night Christmas Eve morning came cold crisp and clear The gillis grounds were covered with new fallen snow and the trees were heavy with icicles giving the whole place the look of a winter wonderland I dressed and went down to join gillis and bird blazer at breakfast I was on my third strawberry when the phone started to ring you expecting a cold Yeah, matter of fact, I am and you'd better answer If it's somebody at the broadcast station for me, tell them i'll be at the children's hospital at noon right Hello johnny dollard speaking Look, I don't know what's going on down there or why you're gonna pester me about it. Who is this? Harry mcqueen, who did you think? Well, I wasn't sure Well, your friend read got me out of bed this morning dollard told me you wanted to ask me some questions about a mouse That's missing from judiah gillis's place. Hey, that's right. What do you know about it? me and seattle the bridgeport But I never had to stoop so low as to steal a mouse from any hotel garbage dump trap or field Do I make myself clear? Perfectly Except for one thing. Yeah This particular mouse was a performer He was trained did tricks still doesn't interest me Well, then why were you trying to see mr. Gillis? I get some of my people on his christmas show anything wrong with that That'll be a lot of publicity about it would have done him a lot of good And you're sure you weren't interested in the mouse look dollar when I went into this business 18 years ago I swore then I'd never handled kids belly dances or animal acts what you handle bird blazers dog act Is what dog egg birdie in his pal Somebody's feeding you all as a tummy glazes a top notch ventriloquist. He's a master. You hear me dollar Yeah, harry. I hear you fine I had to do some thinking so I put on my coat went outside for a walk around that wooded park What I had just learned about blazer confirmed what my instinct my common sense had been telling me all along except for one thing The performance given by hecuba and esmeralda the night before If glazer had been doing the singing for those two mice. He was a master ventriloquist Which was exactly what harry mcqueen said he was I'd started back toward the house wondering if I should get you die aside now and tell him or wait until after the show And something soft and cold hit me on the back of the head. Hey Anything new uh, well if you mean have I found gulliver the singing mouse No, dad told me to tell you if gulliver does turn up before 115 rush him over the hospital Yeah, sure, but I think that's extremely unlikely You think rama got him, don't you if he did he got a very ordinary mouse. He didn't get one that sings I'm afraid I lost you Oh, no, I wonder what he wants That boy on the porch Well, if this was hardford, I'd say he was the paper boy coming around to collect Well, it's not hard for him. He's not a paper boy because dad doesn't subscribe to anything but fortune. Oh, well, and he's selling something Well, if he is he's not going to give us a chance to buy any johnny looks looks like we scared him off That's funny. Hey Hey, come back. He sure tore out of here when he saw us I wonder what he wanted Do you suppose he was one of the kids they invited in to see the dress rehearsal? But if he was What would he be doing back here today? I don't know Let's take a look around We found it in the playroom near where gulliver's cage had been It was a round-ish metal clamp the kind of boy wraps around his trouser lake when he's riding a bike I was about to call the hospital and asked judia for a list of all the kids They'd invited to the rehearsal when the front doorbell rang Johnny, it's that boy again, but let me get in Hi Hi Uh I was over here to see the show the other day. Oh Yeah You see it. No, I uh, I wasn't here She sure is calling. Yeah sure is Oh, why don't you come in and get warm? Oh, no, that's okay. No, come on. Come on. Nobody's here. No Okay. Yeah, sure. Come on. I don't want to bother nobody. You know, I was Just riding by and I thought I'd stop and tell old man. Tell us what a swell show they put on you really liked it, huh? Yeah All except for that Santa Claus. Oh, what was wrong with him? Nothing just Well, who believes in all that smushy kid stuff? Kids I guess How old are you? Bobby, Bobby needs. How old are you Bobby? Almost 11 Well being that old I can understand why you weren't impressed with the Santa Claus all that other stuff too, you know like given presence and singing those hymns and junk like that You gotta cut it out when you When you start growing up, you sure do boy. Yeah You know You and my mom You get along just fine Oh Yeah She feels about Christmas She feels about Christmas just like you and me do All right. Yeah This long fire sure makes your eyes smart, don't Yeah, sure does What do you live Bobby? Cross towns gully, I don't know Well, how'd you happen to be over here the other day? Well, I I was riding my bike when I I saw this dog What he was Anyhow when I when I tried to catch me ran from me I followed the silly muckler over here. Uh-huh. You ever catch him? No I was about to win this man holler and asked me if I wanted to see a free show So I I came in I see Well, you must like dogs a lot, huh? Sure. You got one used to have one When my pop was with us, but We can't have no pets where we're living now. Oh, that's rough. Yeah You know that poem Which one, you know about all through the house not a creature was stirring that Not even a mouse Yeah That fits our place Especially now How do you mean? Well I didn't think he'd miss it, you know, man with a house as big as this one and also Well, I saw this cute little fella up in that cake What really mean to take him on hold, but I don't even When he got under my sweat and was real quiet like he liked me. Well, you know what I mean Yeah, Bobby I know But I got the thinking Decided to bring him back So would you give me the old man to mr. Gellis for me, please? No, I think you'd better do that yourself. Oh, no, no, please. He might be awful mad at me by now No, Bobby In fact, you're gonna get a reward Yeah Word of honor Now, what do you say we get down where mr. Gillis is putting on that christmas show and see it? Okay. Sure Bobby Yeah Did you notice anything unusual about this mouse? Yeah, I sure did. What was it? He got some white on his right hind foot Expense account item four one dollar and sixty cents cab fare from the Gillis residence to the children's hospital for mary and bobby and myself Inside we followed the sound of children laughing and reached the auditorium Mary and found a seat among the nurses and I took bobby backstage When Jadiah saw gulliver his face lit up like Well, like one of the trees he'd had delivered to the wall I knew if anybody could do it you could dollar I didn't do a thing. Mr. Gillis all the credit goes to bobby Oh the bobby way a lot of speech you have to show you man. Yes, sir. Bert Bert look look he's back I don't know where to go my stop gulliver. Oh, I do declare. I have never been so glad to see a person before He's scheduled to go on in just a minute. He will he will now I go check on the microphone when everything being just so Now he wants bobby. Why don't you sit over there where you can see the stage? Yes, sir Um, bird You think gulliver will sing today? I think I know he will Oh That boy had gulliver all day and all night and he didn't sing once Did the boy ask him to Boys and girls for the first time in a way one of the wonders of the world gulliver that's singing mouse That is what we're gonna find out bobby Exciting isn't it dollar sure is mr. Gillis. All right. Thank you folks Thank you. Thank you Now for gulliver's first number. He'd like to sing with What that gulliver I see He's going to sing jingle bells, but he wants me to get off stage. So everybody will know It's really him doing it and not me. Thank you Is he all right bird? Oh fine. Find us feelings out. Oh, why doesn't he start? He's going to listen Well, I have seen Bird Glaser had a logical answer for having lied about his old vaudeville act He knew I wouldn't believe that mice could really sing if I'd known he was a ventriloquist and you know well after all yet sometimes ah Expense account total including camp fare hardford station in my apartment 38 dollars and 20 cents As for my separate and additional fee as a greedy pawn before I took this matter Well, there's a boy named bobby kneeves who lives on skelly avenue over in providence See that he gets it, huh yours truly Johnny dollar our star will tell you about next week's story in just a moment Meantime, I'll make a deal with you. Oh, let me have the mic for a second Then you can tell them about next week's story by all means be my guest. I knew I just don't want to pass up a chance to do two things first well Pam and Eric and friend mr. Mrs. Frohlich Helen will scotty Oh, all the rest of you nice people who've written in to tell us how much you like the program Thanks I really appreciate hearing from you and believe me. I'll answer your letters just as quickly as I can second Well, I'm sure you know what this is and I want you to know it comes from the heart Merry Christmas to you God bless you Now next week next week the case of a prize fighter who could win only by losing because his life depended on it Right join us want you yours truly Johnny dollar Yours truly Johnny dollars starring bob bailey originates in hollywood It is written by charles b smith and produced and directed by jack johnstone Heard in our cast were mary jane croft howard mcnear parley bear g stanley jones bill james laurence dubkin and richard bill's Musical supervision is by amarygo marino Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dolly damn coverley speaking