Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
Johnny Dollar - The Starlet Matter
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Daily Yours Truly Johnny Dollar offers a unique spin on the beloved old-time radio detective series. Tune in every day to follow the intelligent and daring Johnny Dollar as he solves complex cases involving insurance scams and more. This daily podcast blends nostalgia with gripping story arcs, perfect for detective genre enthusiasts and those who love a good mystery.
- Duration:
- 30m
- Broadcast on:
- 17 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
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Date for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From Hollywood, it's time now for John Lund as... Johnny Daller. Ken Rhodes and Johnny. Oh, hi Ken. How's Kansas City? I don't take my word in Hollywood, it's better. Oh? You always liked Hollywood, didn't you, Johnny? You want me to? There's a man there named Phil Gardner. It's up to here in Starlets. In what? Starlets. Young girls with big careers in front of them. Phil Gardner's an agent for them. So he needs me? Oh, we do, Johnny. Twin state insurance. Gardner's been calling me every half hour. It's like this, Johnny. Gardner's insured a few of these Starlets with us, one in particular for 50 grand. So? So, mostly, Gardner's been babbling. He says this starlet in particular might not live. Babbles, somebody wants her dead any second. Do you like Hollywood, Johnny? Commissions? Fat. Real fat. Hollywood. I like it. John Lund in a transcribed adventure of the man with the action-packed Expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Here's Julie. Johnny Dollar. Submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar, two twin state insurance company, Kansas City, Missouri. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Starlet matter. Expense account item 1, $227.70, airfare, round trip on coach out of LaGuardia Flight 601, line west. Some 3,000 bumpy miles later, the plain circle Los Angeles in a part of the Pacific Ocean and taxi down the runway at international airport. It was 3.20 of a dirty afternoon. Expense account item 2, $440, cab fare to Sunset, Ruxton Hotel, my home away from home in Hollywood. Where I checked in, renewed all the acquaintances with Julie, the telephone girl, put my pale cheek against her suntan and told her I'd see her later. Expense account item 3, $2.00 even, to Beverly Hill's office of Phil Gardner, agent. He was not in. The receptionist and silver hair pointed a silver fingertip across the street and said that's where, Shea Scotty's restaurant. And Mr. Gardner would be dressed with two vents in the back, a tattersol vest, and blue suede sandals. And you know, he was. So you're the boy they sent from Casey, huh? Wait, I'll scooch over Lillian, sit down. Thanks. What's your name? Dollar, Johnny Dollar. Hi. You want to see a picture, Johnny? Here, take a look. That's Toby. Toby? Toby Drake. You've seen her in pictures? I have. You're living. You must have seen her in pictures. Loyal moviegoers like you're going to make a star out of Toby. Well, I'm happy for both of you. If she lives, somebody's going to kill her, Johnny, murder her den. She's a sweet kid. It shouldn't happen to her to die from these anonymous threats. Look, why don't you give it to your presentation? Johnny, believe me. On my knees, I tell you, if I want publicity, I give it to the cops. I'm not kidding, Johnny. The kid's scared. She's in a lot of trouble. Don't go here, Mr. Gardner. I'll plug it in here. Oh, thanks, Johnny. Right this way. Gardner's speaking. Snap it out. I'm busy. Huh? No. Yeah, huh. No. Yeah. No. Yeah. Skipped it. Huh? I just called you a skeptic. What's that mean? Toby's dead. Her boyfriend called, "I should be the first to know." I'm sorry. Look, I will drive you over there, you. You'll want to see for insurance purposes, huh? I'll use the jag. I'll put the top down. Sure. You wouldn't go to a funeral any other way, would you, Phil? I'll get you a little. I'll get you a little. I'll get you a little. I'll get you a little. I'll drink of water or something like that. The place is swarming with things. Shint's curtains, pump upholstery, and Beverly Hills Oriental knickknacks puttering the Grand Rapid Highboy. I walked over to the three-piece sectional. Toby Drake was lying there, her hand trailing down to the floor. I couldn't see her face until the big man stood up. Somebody wrapped that black silk stockin' too tight around her neck. You wrapped the stockin'? Look, Buster. A call came to headquarters and said, "Get here," because there was a dead girl named Toby Drake. There is. All of a sudden, you're here. Why? Something they have around this town. An agent. He's Toby's. Agent? Oh, well, talk to me, Agent. Yeah, sure, Lieutenant. Uh-uh. Just Detective Costco. Lieutenant, I'll never make. Go ahead. Well, it was like this. Johnny and me sit there at Scotty's Jew on Fat and the phone was brought over, and the man on the other end says it's Mr. Fulton. And he says his girlfriend's dead. Honest to me, I'm broken up about this, sir. Well, well, you wrapped the stockin', Agent? Johnny, he's Johnny Dollar. He's from the insurance. Well, well, well, you been hired, Dollar? Yeah. Twin City insurance. And for me too, Johnny. All the way, find out for me who killed Toby. All right, huh? These guys employ, eh? Well, well, little balls there. You carry a gun, too. Oh, well, well. Yeah. Where's our boyfriend? In the bedroom. Named Roy Fulton. Hardly says a word to me. Go talk to him, Dollar. Go tell him it's OK. He's a doctor. Who are you? Johnny Dollar. I'm an insurance investigator. Toby's dead. She was murdered, Mr. Fulton. I'm trying to find out who did it. We had a date. And came here. I saw her. I didn't lose my head. I called her Agent, and then I called her police. Did you kill her? No. No. But you should have been more careful. Girls like her. What kind of girl did you think she was? Very pretty. She's beautiful. Now the boy told me. That you will tell me. Mr. Fulton. A lot. Forever. Mr. Fulton. I will be nowhere to be. Beautiful. I couldn't get through to him any more. I gave him back to Costco and I got out of there. A few thoughts on Toby Drake. Toby. A kid who'd once maybe won a beauty contest. Expenses paid to Hollywood. Shake hands with the stars. A nice kid. Pretty kid. On her way. Now dead. I bought a paper and went back to my hotel. The lobby desk came first. Hi, Mr. Dollar. And he calls for me. He's got a call with a message. You want me? Why don't you come over here and give it to me, Judy? I've never seen you standing up. I'm taller. The message came in ten minutes ago. You want to reach for it till I read it to you? Read it. Girls like this. First Toby. Then Stella Martin. You can't stop at Stella. First Toby. Then Stella Martin. You had living this, Judy? Says right here. Who left the message? I told you. Who left the message? I took the call. The man said it and hung up. What's Stella Martin's name mean, Mr. Dollar? I wish I knew, baby. You think maybe the starlet Stella Martin used to be a starlet? She's not around much anymore. Starlet, huh? Yes. How would I get in touch with a starlet, Judy? Oh, I know. Hand me that phone book. Come on. Come on. Come on. We are. A man who knows starlets past and present. Agent Phil Gardner. Not in her. Why don't you try Hollywood casting with her, d'aller? They know. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks a lot. [MUSIC PLAYING] Stella Martin dropped from our ready file, non-pamed dudes. Well, I must be in the room. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Stella Martin dropped from our ready file, non-pamed dudes. I can drop from our ready file, non-pimmed dues. - But I must be in address where you're done, there. - 2001, now you're Evan and Westchester. (dramatic music) - You want what, Mr. Stella Martin? - Did you live here? - Uh-huh. - You're who? - Johnny Dollar. - Investigation. - You got a card that says that? - Let's go inside, huh? - Just you got a card, just show me. - Miss Martin here? - No card, huh? - Suppose I say yes, she's here. - And what happened? - I said inside. - Mm-hmm. - Brad, you did that, Sonny. Now I got a reason. - Now, I'm coming out. - I just want to-- - You're smaller than you look? - For trimming! (dramatic music) (tense music) - Later, when I opened my eyes, it was gone. I got to my feet, fell down, and finally made it over to the hallway, where there should have been a bathroom, and a towel, and some water. The thing that stopped me was the girl in the necklage, she was sitting on the floor against the wall. She was blonde, and her head was turned to one side as if she was wondering about me. There was a stocking tied around her throat, and she was dead. (dramatic music) We'll return to your truly Johnny Dollar in just a moment. (dramatic music) Now, with our star, John Lund, we bring you the second act of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. (dramatic music) I'd seen the dead girl a couple times, in the jungle picture, spliced between the main feature and the news video, the girl in the South Sea Apron who gets chased by the gorilla. I stopped trying to convince myself it wasn't real. It was real, all right. I didn't need the pounding on the door to knock it into my head. I didn't need Detective Kosker either. - What is this, Dollar? You want a rampage? - You want to know what happened, or you want to be a big man? - Just be gentle with me. That's all I want you to do. 15 minutes ago, I was in a warm bed. I was just be gentle. - I got slugged, a man seven feet tall in a black leather jacket. - Well, I spent five hours questioning Roy quoting about the murder of this girlfriend to his Toby. Nothing, I let him go. Then I climb into this warm bed and I was sleeping fine, then Sergeant Heard called. Seems someone phoned in this address to Sergeant Heard. You were saying what, Dollar? - She's in the hallway propped against the wall. - She's filming. - Say a deep sigh about the warm bed, Kosker. She's young and she's strangled, and her name's Stella Martin. - You want to clear it up for me? - I got worried about her. I came here and a guy clobbered me. I woke up a few minutes ago. - Nobody gives me words, why you? - I don't know why, if I knew why, I'd know who. You want to listen about a guy in a black leather jacket? - Seven feet tall. - Yeah, about brown felt hat. Find him, that oughtn't to be tough for a big man like you. - I don't wish I were a majority, it took some lump. You see this kid? - What? - He told me something about her hand. - Hmm, well, well, well, read it, Johnny. Read what it says, there'll be another one tomorrow. - Tell another one tomorrow, darling. - Well, now, what makes me so popular, Kosker? Why doesn't it say your name? - Because it says darling, because it says the name of a guy I stumble over when I get out of a warm bed. What am I gonna do with you? Take you downtown and switch it. Get outta here, darling, get out. (dramatic music) - Then, back into the rose-centered air, and the suburban lawn, now littered with friends and neighbors, and under the bright neon of the corner cut-rate drugs and sundries, the night-blooming hack stand. I took a cab to my hotel. No more messages, so I went to sleep. (dramatic music) - The next morning, the sound of the telephone screaming the name of Phil Gardner, agent. Get here, it said. So I got there. - Girls drop like flies where you walked, dollar. I read the papers this morning, and you were there, and another one dropped. - Now, what's the matter, Phil? Only yesterday, we were in love, you and I. - And don't ask me, Kat, we even be friends. It's a tired line from a tired diet. I don't like tired. - Let me tell you something, Phil. I'm glad you called. You were gonna be my first stop. Now, look, you were hired to maybe prevent Toby Drake's dying, and this you were a flop of a stinkaroo. Then you stay on, maybe you could come up with why. Toby, a talented girl, had to die. Well, like I said, stinkaroo. - On your feet, Phil. - Now, keep away from me, Johnny. - On your feet. - Now. - Now we talk. - I'm talkin', I'm talkin'. - You killed Toby, Phil. - Well, then, you're on, Johnny. - Toby was on her way, maybe a star soon. Also with insurance, $50,000. Beneficiary, are you? - I'm on. - And why you killed her? - And all this big talk on the phone this morning. Get down here, cover up, dog, Phil. All right. And we'll try the name Stella Martin. - A little bit. Just let go, my arm. Stella Martin, three months ago, pick up. From Dorca's driving on Santa Monica, a guy gets lonesome for a car hop like Stella. A friendly pick up so help me. - You did lovely, Phil. Now, one thing more. You know a man who wears a leather jacket who's seven feet tall? - Somebody help me. I got a madman loose. - Goodbye, Phil. You've made the morning even worse. (dramatic music) I got to the drive-in on Santa Monica. A cowgirl with a menu and a pair of heavy-duty sheer dungarees through a car on my windshield that said "Philis" on it. Dorca, she asked back? Well, that's Old Melv over that way. I'm mosey-dung over to Old Melv. - Yeah, howdy. - Johnny Dollar and Sheriff's Investigations. - Yeah, Milton Dorca's. Shout out to Stella. - Howdy. - Howdy. - You the manager of this place, Melv? - Yeah. Top hand. - Oh, what else? - Huh? - Oh, a tenderfoot talk, don't let us throw you. I need some information, Melv. - And there'll be gravel kick, sir, and speak up. What's on your mind? - No, a girl named Toby Drake, Melv. - No, dear. Used to work here. - One named Stella Martin. - Yup. Do the work this evening. She ain't gonna make it, though. She's dead. She ain't Toby. Chute. Steamed it like a zit. - I need your help, Melv. - Dippy-dais me. Yeah, I don't know. I just don't know. - If you don't help, there's liable to be another dead girl. - Peggy. - Who? - Snowy, sir, and you got the monkey's ears. It's Peggy. Peggy Bray and a kind of them three girls were thinking about cuts to you. - To tell. - Yeah, it's bigger than that even. They used to work here, too. Took to work, you know, Toby Zotto. - You know where I can find Peggy? - No, Hollywood, she lives in. Yeah, you eat a bit, though. Bigger for your dress. You want to eat, son, or you gotta be right, none? - I'll wait, Melv. - Get away from me, whoever you are, I can get away. - Listen to me, Miss Brian, I've come to help you. - I'll kill you, I'll kill you, before you hear me. - Don't be crazy, give me that gun. - Hey, that's better. - Don't kill her, that's why you come to kill me. - Now, let's scream inside, so we don't want to make talk to the neighbors inside, Peggy. Now, hush, hush, baby girl, hush, you see, I let you go, it's nothing to be scared of. I'm here to help you, to keep it from happening. Like I did to Stella, Toby. You understand what I'm saying, Peggy? - No, Toby, there, man. A lot of me, me. - Why does it have to be you, Peggy? - You don't know? You're killing, you don't know why. - Try to understand, I'm an insurance investigator. A lot of times, I'm around when people die. Sometimes I get there sooner, now help me, help me, Peggy, so I can help you. - The way we'll save us both a lot of pain. - So frightened, because I'm so frightened. - Whoever killed Toby and Stella, why would they want to kill you? - I, I know why, I think I know. - Well, tell me, Peggy, the woman was killed, we killed her. - Tell me about her. - She was three years ago, told me so, and I, in her little car. We used to take a trip, three summers ago. We took a trip to Oregon, one day. - One day one? - This woman crashed into us. - What's her fault? Honest, it was her fault. - And she was killed? - Married woman. Young and pretty and married. Police said it wasn't our fault, and let us go. Only me, why else would anyone want us dead? - It's, uh, Saturday, Peggy. What do you do with yourself on Saturdays? - A shop, a grocery, a new dress, I'm done. I'll go buy you a new one, you and me. And tonight, what do we do tonight? - When you're asking me for a date? - Uh-huh, what do we do tonight? - Saturday nights, I usually go to Ocean Park. It's fun, right, with people, it's fun. - Sure it is. Saturday night, Ocean Park, we'll have fun. - So I made a lot of phone calls. To my hotel, to tell Judy, I was going to Ocean Park with a girl named Peggy Bryan, in case anyone inquired. And I called Agent Phil Gardner and let him know where I was going. Finally, I called Roy Fulton, Toby's boyfriend, and let him know all about my plans for the evening. And then I went shopping with Peggy Bryan, and then took her to Ocean Park. Peggy Bryan, pigeon. - Let's just walk for a while, Johnny. - Whatever you say. - You hungry, Peggy? - Uh-uh. - Let's go on the rollercoaster. - Sure. Peggy. - Why? - Just stand still, come on. Look around here, do you see anybody you know? - No, I know what you're doing, Johnny. - Well, sure. I'm on a Saturday night date with a nice girl. - You think you'll find me here, Johnny? - You want me to level, aren't you? - Is he going to kill me? - I'm going to try to stop him, Peggy. Come on, let's eat. - Two tickets, please. Thanks. Let's go, Peggy. - Stay close to me, Johnny. Girl can get lost in the funhouse. Johnny. Oh, Johnny. - What's the matter, Peggy? - Nothing, I'm having such a good time. - Ever been through that spinning barrel? - Oh, I always fall down. - I'll hold you, Anne. - Johnny. - What? - That man, that man over there. He watched us buy our tickets. - Which man? - The tall one. - Yeah, I see him. Peggy, walk through that spinning barrel. Fall down if you have to, but get right up and get out on the other side. - Is he the one? - Go on, I'm right in the back of you. - He's following us. - Get out of this thing fast, I'm staying. I've been tearing you, Seamus. I've been wetting. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. - I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. - I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. - I'm trying to find her. - I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. I'm trying to find her. - Man, you came in. I went crazy. I wanted to kill something to get even. - And why are you following me? - Because you're a shameless. - If you get to the killer, I want a piece of him. I didn't kill Stella. I was in love with him. You've got to believe me. You've got to believe me. You've got to believe me. - Hey, what's the matter? - The mirror! - Look the mirror! - He was in the mirror, all right. Roy Fulton's reflection. Boyfriend at Toby. Long and thin as if he'd been squeezed together. Which included the gun he was holding. I pulled Peggy down on the floor with me and grabbed her my gun. Something happened to him. Something rad that splintered in the front of his shirt. But he kept coming. Then something caught up with him. I told him, I told him. I told him, I told him. - Hey, are you? - They killed my wife. - Yeah. - They killed her. - Yeah. - They killed her. - Expense account item four. Nineteen ninety-five to dress a pigeon named Peggy Bryant. Item five, one hundred and twelve dollars miscellaneous. Hotels, meals, rollercoaster ride, funhouse, et cetera. Expense account total, three hundred and sixty-six dollars and five cents. Remarks, pay fill gardener, agent, face value of fifty thousand dollar policy on Toby Drake. Well, all in all, from your point of view, my trip to Hollywood was a failure. From my point of view, I kept one girl out of three alive, and I was lucky at that. Luckier than you usually get in Hollywood. Yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. Yours, truly, Johnny Dollar stars John Lund in the title role and was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin with music by Eddie Dunsteady. John Lund can currently be seen in the Universal International Picture just across the street. Featured in tonight's cast were Raymond Burr, Dick Ryan, John McIntyre, Sidney Miller, Victor Perron, Virginia Gregg, and Jeanette Nolan. Yours, truly, Johnny Dollar is transcribed in Hollywood by Jaime Delvaier. This is Dan Coverley inviting you to join us next week at this time when John Lund returns as... Yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. 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