# Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Doting Dowager Matter (EP4925)

An episode of [The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/335549005), 6 Mar 2026, 36 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/997ffb/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70434315/gd4925.mp3

Today's Mystery: Johnny is called in to find an inexpensive statue that's held in high emotional value by an eccentric elderly woman who would pay a $75,000 ransom. Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 18, 1959 Originating from Hollywood Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Virginia Gregg; Eleanor Audley; G. Stanley Jones; Eric Snowden; Sam Edwards When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com Become one of our Patreon Supporters at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Thank you to our Patreon Supporters of the Day: David, mcf, Colleen, Patreon supporters since March 2021. Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net Give us a call at 208-991-4783 Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

## Transcript

[0:28] Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
[0:35] Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graat. In a moment, we're
[0:39] Speaker 1: going to bring you this week's episode of Yours Truly
[0:42] Speaker 1: Johnny Dollar.
[0:43] Speaker 2: But first I want to encourage you.
[0:45] Speaker 1: If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
[0:49] Speaker 1: favorite podcast software, And remember, as you're making your travel plans,
[0:54] Speaker 1: check Johnny Dollar air dot com first. Johnny Dollar air
[0:58] Speaker 1: dot com is a cross Lawne affiliate link, so part
[1:02] Speaker 1: of your purchase prize supports the great Detectives of Old
[1:07] Speaker 1: Time Radio at no additional cost to you. So remember
[1:11] Speaker 1: when making your travel plans, check Johny Dollar air dot
[1:14] Speaker 1: com first. But now from January twenty fifth, nineteen fifty nine,
[1:21] Speaker 1: here is the doting Dowager.
[1:23] Speaker 3: Matter from Hollywood. It's time now for.
[1:33] Speaker 4: Johnny Dollar. George Reed here, Oh hi George. How are
[1:37] Speaker 4: things at Floyd's of England?
[1:38] Speaker 3: Very good? As a matter of fact, very good?
[1:40] Speaker 4: Well, now, it can't all be good. He wouldn't be calling.
[1:42] Speaker 5: Me well, to tell the truth, I do have a
[1:45] Speaker 5: small problem.
[1:46] Speaker 6: Figures no figures the word singular a small figure statuett
[1:51] Speaker 6: belonging to missus Dora Harkness.
[1:53] Speaker 3: Ballin down in New York.
[1:54] Speaker 6: Allen, Yeah, it's terribly wealthy, but a real ex centric.
[1:57] Speaker 6: So what's happened a little statue I mentioned? It's gone disappeared?
[2:01] Speaker 4: Oh what's it worth?
[2:02] Speaker 5: Insured value is twenty six fifty twenty six dollars and
[2:07] Speaker 5: fifty cents.
[2:08] Speaker 4: Huh, twenty six bucks and a half wouldn't even cover
[2:11] Speaker 4: my expense account.
[2:12] Speaker 5: How it just happens that she carries hundreds of thousands
[2:14] Speaker 5: of dollars worth of personal property insurance with us, but
[2:17] Speaker 5: for some reason or other, she attaches particular value to
[2:20] Speaker 5: this statuette.
[2:21] Speaker 4: Oh, I get it. You're afraid that if we don't
[2:24] Speaker 4: go through the motions of trying to find that, she
[2:25] Speaker 4: might take her insurance elsewhere precisely real important to you.
[2:29] Speaker 4: Huh Very then I take it I won't have to
[2:33] Speaker 4: be Chinsey with the old expense account. Well now, John, okay, George,
[2:36] Speaker 4: I'll be in touch. Bob Bailey and the Intriguing Adventures
[2:48] Speaker 4: of a Man with the Action Packed Expense Account America's
[2:51] Speaker 4: fabulous freelance insurance investigator, of course, truly Johnny Dollar, now
[3:01] Speaker 4: act one of yours, Truly, Johnny Dollar, expense account submitted
[3:19] Speaker 4: by special Investigator Johnny Dollar to Floyd's of England, North
[3:23] Speaker 4: American Office, Hartford, Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses
[3:27] Speaker 4: incurred during my investigation of the Doting Dowager Matter expense
[3:38] Speaker 4: account Adam one seven ninety taxi trained fair in inc
[3:41] Speaker 4: in Ental's Hartford to New York item to a dollar
[3:44] Speaker 4: even for a cab from Grand Central Station to the
[3:46] Speaker 4: address of Missus Dora Harkness ballen Over on East seventy
[3:49] Speaker 4: third Street. It turned out to be one of New
[3:55] Speaker 4: York's famous old brownstone houses, well preserved and reeking of
[3:59] Speaker 4: an era long gone by A uniform butler rushed me
[4:02] Speaker 4: into a large, high ceiling drawing room, and I can
[4:05] Speaker 4: highly believe my eyes ornate pre Victorian furnishings, heavy red
[4:09] Speaker 4: velvet draperies, huge lamps and crystal chandeliers, oil paintings all
[4:14] Speaker 4: over the place, and gilded mirrors. Pretty fabulous. If you
[4:18] Speaker 4: will be kind enough to wait here, mister Dollar, ration
[4:20] Speaker 4: will tell Missus Ballin that.
[4:22] Speaker 3: You have arrived.
[4:22] Speaker 4: Thank you. I know that you'll want to see you.
[4:27] Speaker 2: Oh excuse me, Master Harold, It's all right against me.
[4:30] Speaker 4: Has the male would you like me to check. Yes,
[4:34] Speaker 4: good idea. You know how Dora likes to see at
[4:37] Speaker 4: the minute it gets here. Yes, yes, the mail common
[4:41] Speaker 4: every day. You're here to see missus Ballin. That's right.
[4:46] Speaker 4: I'm Johnny Dollar. I'm Hali Winters, her nephew. Hi, say
[4:50] Speaker 4: tell me something, Yes, about this little statue that's missing?
[4:54] Speaker 4: You mean that little chunk of pot metal that's disappeared.
[4:57] Speaker 4: Oh it is, Oh, yes, just a piece of junk.
[5:00] Speaker 4: But a couple of months ago at Dora decided it
[5:02] Speaker 4: looked like her grandfather when he was a general back
[5:04] Speaker 4: in the Civil War. Oh why does she value it
[5:07] Speaker 4: so highly? I expect the general was the only Ballon
[5:10] Speaker 4: who had guts enough to do anything on his own.
[5:12] Speaker 4: What do you mean, I mean, instead of just living
[5:14] Speaker 4: off the family shipping fortune. So when she suddenly decided
[5:18] Speaker 4: the statue looked like the general, Johnny Dollar, did you say?
[5:24] Speaker 4: That's right? The insurance investigated. Yes. Well, Now why should
[5:31] Speaker 4: she bother.
[5:31] Speaker 3: You with it?
[5:32] Speaker 4: I don't know, truly, mister Dollar. It's not worth it.
[5:35] Speaker 4: If I were you, i'd forget it. And now, if
[5:37] Speaker 4: you'll excuse me, i'd better see if the morning mail
[5:39] Speaker 4: has arrived. Hell, just when did the statue disappear? And
[5:43] Speaker 4: from where kinda discovered it missing? From the reception room
[5:47] Speaker 4: yesterday morning? Now, if you'll pardon me, was the house
[5:49] Speaker 4: broken into? Possibly, but there was no sign of it.
[5:52] Speaker 4: How about guests, No, we haven't had guests for a
[5:54] Speaker 4: week or more. How many servants are there, mister dollar?
[5:58] Speaker 4: Perhaps there's something i'd better tell you about that statue.
[6:01] Speaker 2: The statue of the General, I tell you, mister Dolla.
[6:06] Speaker 2: You are mister dollar, aren't you? Yes, ma'am, I tell
[6:09] Speaker 2: you that if you don't find out who stole it
[6:11] Speaker 2: and get it back, I'll cancel every bit of my insurance.
[6:15] Speaker 2: Sit down, thank you, Harold my dear ring for Higgins,
[6:18] Speaker 2: and have him see if the morning mail has come.
[6:20] Speaker 4: I was about to go out and look for it myself.
[6:22] Speaker 2: Tanah, let Higgins do it. It's quite all right, I
[6:25] Speaker 2: don't mind, I said, Let Higgins do it?
[6:27] Speaker 4: Well, all right, But if you'll excuse me now, oh
[6:33] Speaker 4: why why, I'd like to go up to my room
[6:35] Speaker 4: for a moment to.
[6:36] Speaker 2: Call up that that girlfriend of yours again. Sit down, yes, Tana,
[6:44] Speaker 2: you and that girl, that Nancy Gavin, she'd like to
[6:47] Speaker 2: take you away from me.
[6:49] Speaker 4: Wouldn't she and Dora?
[6:50] Speaker 2: Where would you go? What would you live on? And
[6:53] Speaker 2: what would I do?
[6:54] Speaker 4: Darling? I hardly think this is the much.
[6:56] Speaker 2: As I like Nancy Gavin, I see no reason why
[6:58] Speaker 2: I should let her take you away from me.
[7:01] Speaker 4: Do you, Missus Ballin about the statue?
[7:07] Speaker 2: Yes, yes, of course, mister Dollar. You are to leave
[7:11] Speaker 2: no stone unturned.
[7:13] Speaker 4: Well not tell me.
[7:14] Speaker 3: I beg your pardon.
[7:15] Speaker 2: Oh, Higgins, why do you sneak in on us this way? Well?
[7:20] Speaker 2: What is this? Male? Just arrived and knowing you'd want
[7:22] Speaker 2: to see it?
[7:23] Speaker 1: Harold?
[7:24] Speaker 4: Care of it?
[7:27] Speaker 3: Well?
[7:28] Speaker 2: What letter?
[7:29] Speaker 4: No postmark? And it's so badly scrawled and pencil? Well,
[7:33] Speaker 4: don't bother at Dora with it now?
[7:35] Speaker 2: But personal, then let me have it. Yes, Tanta, you
[7:39] Speaker 2: may go now, Higgins.
[7:42] Speaker 4: Here, Tara, I suppose you let me see what it's
[7:44] Speaker 4: all about.
[7:44] Speaker 2: He quiet, Harold.
[7:46] Speaker 4: Now, mister Dollar, Well, uh, first of all, I'd like
[7:50] Speaker 4: you to tell me what's the matter, Missus.
[7:53] Speaker 3: Ballin and Dora?
[7:56] Speaker 4: What is it this letter?
[7:59] Speaker 2: Yes, it's it's a ransom note, ransom for the return
[8:04] Speaker 2: of the statuette the general. They want seventy five thousand dollars.
[8:12] Speaker 3: What Act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. In a moment.
[8:42] Speaker 4: This letter, mister Dollar, maybe you'd better let me see it,
[8:45] Speaker 4: missus Ballin.
[8:46] Speaker 2: It's a ransom note demanding seventy five thousand dollars for
[8:50] Speaker 2: the return of my statuette of the.
[8:52] Speaker 4: General seventy five thousand dollars. Yes, Oh, they can't be serious,
[8:58] Speaker 4: that little piece of potmet must be out of their mind.
[9:01] Speaker 2: I sag your pardon. What that statue means everything to me.
[9:06] Speaker 2: It happens to be a memento of my grandfather, the
[9:09] Speaker 2: famous General Horace Harkness Ballon. At least it looks like him.
[9:14] Speaker 4: But good Heaven's aunt Dora seventy five thousand.
[9:18] Speaker 2: Oh do you object because it will mean that much
[9:21] Speaker 2: less for you when I die?
[9:23] Speaker 1: Harold?
[9:24] Speaker 4: Of course not. I wasn't even thinking of such a thing.
[9:27] Speaker 2: Well don't, at your age, with your lack of experience
[9:30] Speaker 2: and getting along on your own money like that would
[9:32] Speaker 2: only do you.
[9:33] Speaker 4: Harm, would it.
[9:34] Speaker 2: Yes, you'd probably leave me strike out on your own,
[9:38] Speaker 2: perhaps even marry, and heaven only knows what.
[9:41] Speaker 4: Would happen, Missus Ballin, are you really serious about paying
[9:44] Speaker 4: this this ransom?
[9:45] Speaker 2: I have the money, I have it right here, in
[9:47] Speaker 2: the safe and if it will bring back the General.
[9:50] Speaker 4: Look, why don't you let me see what I can
[9:52] Speaker 4: do about it first and have it destroyed? Destroyed?
[9:55] Speaker 2: Well, here read the letter.
[10:00] Speaker 4: It was the usual sort of thing, poorly written on
[10:02] Speaker 4: sheep paper and scribble and pencil, and it simply said
[10:05] Speaker 4: that the money in unmarked bills was to be turned
[10:08] Speaker 4: over to her nephew Harold, that instructions for its delivery
[10:12] Speaker 4: would be given to him later. Secretly that if he
[10:15] Speaker 4: then devosed the place and manner in which he was
[10:17] Speaker 4: to make the payment, his life would be in danger.
[10:19] Speaker 2: Don't you see, mister Dolla. If we don't do as
[10:22] Speaker 2: they say, they might kill him.
[10:24] Speaker 4: It further said that if the police were brought in,
[10:26] Speaker 4: the statue would be destroyed.
[10:29] Speaker 2: I have no choice, mister Dolla. I'll pay the ransom.
[10:32] Speaker 4: Tanta Harold.
[10:33] Speaker 2: You will take it to them, whoever they are, when
[10:35] Speaker 2: you receive their instructions.
[10:38] Speaker 4: They've threatened me.
[10:39] Speaker 2: Only if we don't obey instruction.
[10:41] Speaker 4: All right, now, look, missus ballin, yes, Tanah, listen to
[10:43] Speaker 4: mister Dollar.
[10:44] Speaker 2: I have told you I must have the General back
[10:47] Speaker 2: at any cost. Very well, no one is to leave
[10:52] Speaker 2: this house except Harold, of course, when he is told
[10:55] Speaker 2: to by the kidnapper.
[10:57] Speaker 4: Missus Ballin, I won't let you do this. You, it's
[11:00] Speaker 4: other nonsense for you to consider paying out that kind
[11:02] Speaker 4: of money for a cheap little piece of junk that
[11:04] Speaker 4: can't possibly be worth anything to whoever took it, except
[11:08] Speaker 4: perhaps for its effect on you.
[11:09] Speaker 2: I told you, young man, it's the one priceless manento
[11:13] Speaker 2: I have of the Great General Ballot.
[11:14] Speaker 4: Yeah, you told me very well.
[11:17] Speaker 2: You are here on my orders, are you not?
[11:20] Speaker 3: Well?
[11:21] Speaker 2: Yes, all right, then you will remain subject to my
[11:24] Speaker 2: orders very well. Now, Hi, everybody, Nancy, what's everybody looking
[11:33] Speaker 2: so blammables? Hi? Sweetie, Oh, Missus Bell, Missus Gavin, mister Dollar.
[11:41] Speaker 2: This is Nancy Gavin, a friend of Harold Johnny Dalla.
[11:45] Speaker 4: Hi, Hey, I know about you, Nancy dear. You come
[11:48] Speaker 4: to find that Watchmacard, Missus bellon law.
[11:51] Speaker 2: It was stolen, okay, stolen, and the the kidnappers are
[11:55] Speaker 2: demanding seventy five thousand dollars ransom. That's easy, pay it.
[11:59] Speaker 2: I sh well, and Nancy, you are to stay right
[12:03] Speaker 2: here in this house until this whole thing is over
[12:05] Speaker 2: with Auntie.
[12:06] Speaker 4: I don't mind that a bit do we have food winch? Seriously, Auntie,
[12:12] Speaker 4: when are you going to let Hew marry me, get
[12:14] Speaker 4: out on his own and leave me?
[12:17] Speaker 2: Do you think for one minute that my precious Harold
[12:20] Speaker 2: would do that?
[12:23] Speaker 4: Why don't you answer that?
[12:24] Speaker 2: How, mister Dallar, This is none of your business. It
[12:28] Speaker 2: has nothing whatsoever to do with the reason for your
[12:30] Speaker 2: being here.
[12:31] Speaker 4: You know something, Missus Ballan, I'm beginning to think you're wrong.
[12:35] Speaker 2: You came here to find the statue that was stolen
[12:38] Speaker 2: from me, that's right, and maybe I'm on the track
[12:40] Speaker 2: of it now.
[12:42] Speaker 4: So how about it? How would you leave your aunt
[12:46] Speaker 4: if you could? It was a wild guess, but the
[12:51] Speaker 4: more I thought about it, the more I decided that
[12:53] Speaker 4: Harold Winter's answer might solve this case for me. Yeah,
[12:57] Speaker 4: and that Missus Balin would be pretty shocked when I
[12:59] Speaker 4: put my anger on the thief, the writer of that
[13:01] Speaker 4: ransom note. But you know something, I was dead wrong.
[13:12] Speaker 4: Act three of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. In a moment, No,
[13:17] Speaker 4: Act three of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar, and the doting
[13:20] Speaker 4: dollars your matters. This is none of your business.
[13:34] Speaker 2: It has nothing whatsoever to do with the reason for
[13:36] Speaker 2: your being here.
[13:37] Speaker 4: You know something, missus Ballin, I'm beginning to think you're wrong.
[13:41] Speaker 4: So answer the question, how would you leave your aunt
[13:45] Speaker 4: if you could? Yes, yes I would.
[13:50] Speaker 2: What you bet he would?
[13:52] Speaker 6: Aunt Dora?
[13:52] Speaker 2: You know he would if you just break down, admit
[13:55] Speaker 2: he's no longer a child to be tied to your
[13:57] Speaker 2: apron string.
[13:59] Speaker 4: Give him a break and aneugh money to get by
[14:01] Speaker 4: for a week or two, and he'll show you. Don't
[14:03] Speaker 4: you want him tom on to anything? Of course I do. Well,
[14:06] Speaker 4: he can't as long as you keep him tied up
[14:08] Speaker 4: to you this way.
[14:09] Speaker 2: But he needs me, does he?
[14:12] Speaker 4: Maybe he needs somebody like me, somebody who.
[14:14] Speaker 5: Loves him and will help him get somewhere.
[14:17] Speaker 4: Help him to accomplish the things he can accomplish. You
[14:22] Speaker 4: do love him, don't you?
[14:23] Speaker 2: You bet I do? But so do I, and he
[14:27] Speaker 2: loves me.
[14:28] Speaker 4: He'd love you a lot more if he weren't so
[14:30] Speaker 4: tied down to you.
[14:32] Speaker 2: Hall. It's true, Aunt Dora, I never knew you even
[14:39] Speaker 2: thought about leaving me, about going out on your own,
[14:42] Speaker 2: as you put it.
[14:43] Speaker 4: Because you never gave me a chance, because you never
[14:45] Speaker 4: thought of anyone but yourself. I'm sorry, mister Dollar. What
[14:51] Speaker 4: I mean that you've had to become involved in a
[14:53] Speaker 4: family fight. Well I'm not because now I think I
[14:56] Speaker 4: know where to look for that statuette. Oh well, I
[15:03] Speaker 4: wish you luck come, Nancy. I want to talk to you.
[15:07] Speaker 4: I want to talk to you.
[15:08] Speaker 2: Now.
[15:08] Speaker 4: Wait just a minute, No, mister.
[15:09] Speaker 2: Dollar, let them go, because I want to talk to you.
[15:15] Speaker 4: Now. Look, isn't it pretty obvious? I knew that something
[15:19] Speaker 4: was wrong when I first got here. Hal hadn't known
[15:22] Speaker 4: you were going to call me in, so that when
[15:24] Speaker 4: he saw me here, you didn't know.
[15:28] Speaker 2: It was my kind, thoughtful Bata Higgins who called your
[15:31] Speaker 2: insurance company, and he shouldn't have.
[15:34] Speaker 4: The fact remains that when Hal saw me here, he
[15:37] Speaker 4: tried to stop that ransom note he'd planted in your mail. No, wait,
[15:40] Speaker 4: all about that ransom note. It was badly written, much
[15:43] Speaker 4: too badly written by someone who was trying to hide
[15:46] Speaker 4: his identity.
[15:47] Speaker 3: I'll wait you.
[15:48] Speaker 4: That paper was scribbled on, came from right here in
[15:50] Speaker 4: this house. And I'll bet that if I accuse him
[15:52] Speaker 4: of it, how will break down and admit.
[15:54] Speaker 3: That he wrote it?
[15:55] Speaker 2: Wait, mister dolla. Yeah, I devoted many years to the
[15:59] Speaker 2: care and upbringing of my Neffy I realized that in
[16:02] Speaker 2: the hope that he would someday go out on his
[16:05] Speaker 2: own accomplish something himself. Well, now, listen, I know perhaps
[16:10] Speaker 2: over the years I made him too dependently.
[16:12] Speaker 4: I'd say yes to that, but that's because.
[16:14] Speaker 2: I am as I am, and I can't change. But
[16:18] Speaker 2: I kept hoping that he would change that somehow, sometime
[16:23] Speaker 2: he would make just one desperate move to break away
[16:26] Speaker 2: from me, but it would have to be of his
[16:28] Speaker 2: own doing so. For years people have called me eccentric,
[16:32] Speaker 2: and I've enjoyed the reputation. So I made a fuss
[16:36] Speaker 2: over that cheap little statuette that I picked up in
[16:39] Speaker 2: Coney Island one time as a child. Of course, that
[16:43] Speaker 2: was the only sentimental value it had.
[16:45] Speaker 4: But according to Herod, now should.
[16:47] Speaker 2: I have picked one of the valuable artworks, paintings or
[16:50] Speaker 2: sculptures that I really care about in my selfish way
[16:54] Speaker 2: for this little experiment.
[16:56] Speaker 4: So you gave the worthless statuette the big build up.
[16:59] Speaker 2: Yeah, and he fell for it. He believed that if
[17:02] Speaker 2: it were stolen, I'd give almost anything to get it back.
[17:06] Speaker 2: And then finally he got up enough nerve to do
[17:09] Speaker 2: something about it.
[17:10] Speaker 4: Not just a minute, just a minute. What you're telling
[17:13] Speaker 4: me is that your tickled pink that you've made a
[17:16] Speaker 4: thief on him.
[17:16] Speaker 2: I'm tickled pink that he's finally shown some guts and gumption.
[17:21] Speaker 2: And you can't call him a thief over that piece
[17:23] Speaker 2: of jump.
[17:23] Speaker 4: But it has a price of seventy five thousand on it.
[17:26] Speaker 4: That's what he'll be stealing if you give him that
[17:28] Speaker 4: money and let him walk out of here with it.
[17:29] Speaker 2: No, no, he won't.
[17:30] Speaker 4: What else can you call it? I like to be eccentric,
[17:33] Speaker 4: remember missus fowl.
[17:34] Speaker 2: So the note island clothes with it, you know. When
[17:37] Speaker 2: he tells me he's received instructions about where and how
[17:40] Speaker 2: it's to be delivered. What no in it? I'll say,
[17:43] Speaker 2: dear Harold, the best of luck to you and Nancy.
[17:46] Speaker 2: I hope you'll be tremendously happy. And I hope that
[17:49] Speaker 2: now and then you'll drop in on your loving and
[17:52] Speaker 2: now someone loves some Aunt Dora. I see, and I
[17:57] Speaker 2: think I'll en close a few extra thousand, just in
[18:00] Speaker 2: case it's a kind of extra wedding.
[18:02] Speaker 4: Press, extra wedding press.
[18:04] Speaker 3: Of course, the.
[18:05] Speaker 2: Statuette certainly don't want them to bring that atrocity back here.
[18:09] Speaker 2: Oh no, don't wait.
[18:13] Speaker 4: Yes, dear, I just wondered if mister Dollar has decided
[18:18] Speaker 4: how he wants to proceed with his investigation.
[18:21] Speaker 2: Well, mister Dollar, how.
[18:26] Speaker 4: After getting what information I could from your aunt, what
[18:30] Speaker 4: little information I could? Yes, well I've decided to give.
[18:35] Speaker 2: Up the case. Yes, Harold, you may as well show
[18:39] Speaker 2: mister Dollar to the door.
[18:41] Speaker 4: Whatever you say, Tom, Yeah, goodbye, missus ballin. Oh and
[18:47] Speaker 4: maybe you'd better phone the insurance company about the extra
[18:51] Speaker 4: fee I'm to get on this case.
[18:53] Speaker 2: Oh I did right after Higgins told me he'd call them.
[18:56] Speaker 4: But if he's giving up the case, do you show
[18:58] Speaker 4: him to the door? Yes, this Wayams the Dollar. Yeah, thanks,
[19:09] Speaker 4: Now you listen. Now I can tell by your look
[19:11] Speaker 4: that you've learned something, mister Dollar, I have, perhaps even
[19:14] Speaker 4: more than I know.
[19:16] Speaker 3: So look here.
[19:19] Speaker 4: Do you think this will do for the sequel to
[19:20] Speaker 4: the ransom note?
[19:22] Speaker 2: What you know?
[19:23] Speaker 4: All the instructions about where I'm to take the money?
[19:26] Speaker 2: Oh?
[19:27] Speaker 4: Now, wait a minute, you mean to say you mean
[19:31] Speaker 4: you knew? Are you kidding? That's why I try to
[19:34] Speaker 4: discourage you in the beginning? But will somebody please tell
[19:38] Speaker 4: me tell me why Tata just being herself? You don't
[19:43] Speaker 4: think for a minute you'd have just handed me the money,
[19:45] Speaker 4: would have admitted she wants Nancy and me to get hitched.
[19:48] Speaker 3: Don't you see?
[19:48] Speaker 4: That would spoil her reputation for being an eccentric. Oh
[19:51] Speaker 4: and if you like, I'll send you the statuette when
[19:53] Speaker 4: this is all over as a souvenir. Believe me, I've
[20:03] Speaker 4: handled some pretty wanky cases over the years, but this was,
[20:07] Speaker 4: by long odds the wankiest. And yet why complain when
[20:11] Speaker 4: it's a good living expense account total including all the
[20:14] Speaker 4: incidentals I could think of, and fair back to Hartford?
[20:18] Speaker 4: What seventeen dollars and eighty cents? Amy, yours truly, Johnny Dollar,
[20:38] Speaker 4: our star will return in just a moment for star
[20:42] Speaker 4: to tell you about next week's story. Next week, Well,
[20:46] Speaker 4: if you've ever read the personal columns of your newspaper,
[20:49] Speaker 4: you'll surely want to hear it. Join us, won't you?
[20:53] Speaker 4: Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, Yours truly, Johnny Dollars, starring Bob Bailey,
[21:21] Speaker 4: originates in Hollywood and has written, produced and directed by
[21:25] Speaker 4: Jack Johnstone. Heard in our cast were Virginia Gregg Eleanor
[21:30] Speaker 4: Audley G. Stanley Jones, Eric Snowden and Sam Edwards be
[21:35] Speaker 4: sure to join us next.
[21:36] Speaker 1: Week Welcome back. Worth noting that this episode, even though
[21:47] Speaker 1: we played it right after last week's, there was another
[21:52] Speaker 1: episode in between that is missing, and the episode after
[21:56] Speaker 1: this is missing.
[21:57] Speaker 3: Now.
[21:57] Speaker 1: One thing I will confest is that when I heard
[22:02] Speaker 1: Johnny refer to this as his wildest case, my hackles
[22:07] Speaker 1: went up, because, in my mind, the wildest case Johnny
[22:11] Speaker 1: Dollar has ever done is the Glacier Ghost Matter newly recovered,
[22:20] Speaker 1: in which in order to dislodge a body from an
[22:25] Speaker 1: unreachable glacier, he threw dynamite onto the glacier from a
[22:32] Speaker 1: small plane. But Johnny said something in this episode that
[22:37] Speaker 1: gave me pause when he described it as his wackiest case,
[22:41] Speaker 1: And I don't feel the Glacier Ghost Matter was a
[22:44] Speaker 1: wacky story. So now I am distinguishing between the wacky
[22:49] Speaker 1: Johnny Dollar stories where Johnny finds himself the straight man
[22:54] Speaker 1: for eccentric people doing eccentric things like putting their money
[23:00] Speaker 1: through the laundry or managing the singing career of a mouse,
[23:06] Speaker 1: as opposed to wild cases where really strange, weird, implausible
[23:14] Speaker 1: things happen in a sort of action adventure way. That said,
[23:20] Speaker 1: I'm honestly not sure whether this actually does take the
[23:24] Speaker 1: cake for wackiest case, because there are a number of contenders.
[23:30] Speaker 1: I mean, we have heard Johnny deal with Alvin Cartwright
[23:35] Speaker 1: and his unusual animals and Durango Laramie washing cash and
[23:43] Speaker 1: selling people acres of his not oil land, so I
[23:48] Speaker 1: think in that way, it's kind of middle of the
[23:51] Speaker 1: road in terms of how ranks on the truly wacky meter.
[23:56] Speaker 1: I feel like stating that a Lloyd's of England client
[24:02] Speaker 1: is eccentric is one of those things that really just
[24:07] Speaker 1: be considered as red. I mean, nearly every client they
[24:12] Speaker 1: have is eccentric. Might have something to do with them
[24:16] Speaker 1: taking ads out in Eccentric's Weekly, but this is the
[24:21] Speaker 1: reason Johnny gets called in by them. I enjoyed eleanor Audleyan.
[24:27] Speaker 1: She was given a lot of work that just came
[24:30] Speaker 1: down to playing a snootie or snobbish, middle aged or
[24:39] Speaker 1: elderly woman depending on the stage of her career. However,
[24:44] Speaker 1: she could handle media roles. When this episode released, we
[24:49] Speaker 1: were four days away from the release of Sleeping Beauty
[24:53] Speaker 1: and audiences being introduced to Malufficent, and here she gets
[24:57] Speaker 1: to add some color to the character. And while this
[25:02] Speaker 1: is exaggerated, I think that there are many real life
[25:07] Speaker 1: relationships that can have elements where they know that the
[25:11] Speaker 1: way the relationship and here we could talk romantic or
[25:16] Speaker 1: in this case familiar. We know the way that this
[25:20] Speaker 1: is functioning is not good for one or both parties,
[25:24] Speaker 1: but we don't know really how to make it work. Now.
[25:29] Speaker 1: While I suppose she could throw him out and do
[25:33] Speaker 1: a sort of sink or swim buddy approach, her idea
[25:38] Speaker 1: that in order for him to actually succeed in life
[25:42] Speaker 1: away from her is that he is going to have
[25:46] Speaker 1: to get some gumption and take some initiative. Now, is
[25:51] Speaker 1: inducing him to commit a jule theft the best way
[25:54] Speaker 1: to do this? Probably not, But this is the Floyd's
[25:58] Speaker 1: of England client, So that's about what you'd expect. All right, Well,
[26:04] Speaker 1: listener comments and feedback. Now we have some comments on
[26:08] Speaker 1: Spotify regarding the Hollywood Mystery matter, and we start with
[26:14] Speaker 1: Don who highlighted my comment this is a middle a
[26:19] Speaker 1: bookkeeper and not the Riddler. Very good, Adam, and thanks
[26:23] Speaker 1: for calling a guy in his sixties middle aged, Unlike
[26:27] Speaker 1: some other programs where anything over forty is played as
[26:30] Speaker 1: elderly looking at you dragging that well. I guess it's
[26:34] Speaker 1: somewhat of the modern perspective.
[26:37] Speaker 2: You know.
[26:37] Speaker 1: They do say that sixty is the new forty. They
[26:43] Speaker 1: also say that forty is the new thirties. But this
[26:47] Speaker 1: does not feel like my thirties. But thanks so much.
[26:50] Speaker 1: Appreciate the comment, don actor who done it rights normally,
[26:57] Speaker 1: Johnny Dowler is a four course meal this and seemed
[27:00] Speaker 1: all appetizer. They missed all the meat and potatoes. You know,
[27:05] Speaker 1: I think that's actually a really fair comparison. And this
[27:11] Speaker 1: tends to happen quite a bit because of the reduction
[27:16] Speaker 1: in episode run time. There's not as much opportunity to
[27:21] Speaker 1: fill the story and to do everything that you might
[27:25] Speaker 1: do if you had saken or twenty six minutes of
[27:30] Speaker 1: storytelling time, and so some stuff gets sacrificed in the process,
[27:37] Speaker 1: and Johnstone seems to on occasion sacrifice the wrong thing.
[27:42] Speaker 1: I mean, there are episodes which are twenty minutes and
[27:46] Speaker 1: half of it is Johnny talking to the insurance agent.
[27:50] Speaker 1: Harrison says, I was hoping for more Parly bear in
[27:57] Speaker 1: an episode featuring a character named Parley. That's not even
[28:02] Speaker 1: the most extreme underuse of Poorly Bear in one of
[28:08] Speaker 1: these stories. I think the Parly Baron matter, one of
[28:12] Speaker 1: the other episodes with a character named Parley, didn't even
[28:17] Speaker 1: have Harley Barron in at all. It's an unusual choice.
[28:22] Speaker 1: In most other episodes where Johnstone's naming a character after
[28:28] Speaker 1: an actor, that actor actually appears, like Eric Snowden, but
[28:33] Speaker 1: Parley Bear did not need to actually be in the
[28:37] Speaker 1: episode for a character to be named after him. Vicky writes, interesting,
[28:43] Speaker 1: and John says no expense account this time because he
[28:47] Speaker 1: took the bride from the Pretty and East. I don't
[28:50] Speaker 1: think that's in character at all. Also on the not
[28:56] Speaker 1: taking an expense account, not sure why Johnny had the
[29:00] Speaker 1: attitude he did when he was already told no prosecution
[29:04] Speaker 1: was the desire. This is from Mechanics sixty six. And
[29:08] Speaker 1: then why put the bill himself for a miser annually
[29:12] Speaker 1: around bad Boss? So I guess a couple of different
[29:17] Speaker 1: issues than those two comments. First of all, I think
[29:20] Speaker 1: that John misunderstood the end. Johnny did not take a bribe. Essentially,
[29:27] Speaker 1: what the niece offered to do was the money that
[29:30] Speaker 1: her uncle had already spent. She offered to make it
[29:33] Speaker 1: good and This pretty much resolved the issue in terms
[29:40] Speaker 1: of the client and in terms of the insurance company.
[29:44] Speaker 1: The boss would be repaid the full amount, the insurance
[29:49] Speaker 1: company would not have to provide anything, and while as
[29:54] Speaker 1: Mechanics sixty six pointed out, the owner did not want
[29:59] Speaker 1: to prosecute, but the thing is that really wasn't the
[30:03] Speaker 1: end of the matter. If they were only able to
[30:06] Speaker 1: make a partial recovery, the insurance company wasn't just going
[30:11] Speaker 1: to pay off, smile and walk away. Generally, insurance contracts
[30:17] Speaker 1: require if you're insured, you cooperate with the efforts of recovery,
[30:24] Speaker 1: and the insurance company had a number of tools available.
[30:28] Speaker 1: They could press for prosecution. They could also bring a
[30:32] Speaker 1: civil case, or they could some binding restitution arrangement. Regardless,
[30:39] Speaker 1: Parley wasn't just going to get off the hook scott free.
[30:43] Speaker 1: By her going ahead and being willing to pay the difference,
[30:47] Speaker 1: it could close the matter without the insurance company making
[30:51] Speaker 1: any recovery at all. Though the talk about being a
[30:55] Speaker 1: necessory after the fact was just a bit of nonsense.
[30:59] Speaker 1: As to Johnny refusing the expense account, that tends to
[31:04] Speaker 1: be one of his more eccentric little quirks and it's
[31:10] Speaker 1: usually born out of an emotional reaction, either joy or
[31:14] Speaker 1: disgust or sadness. Here, I think it's an expression of
[31:19] Speaker 1: gratitude for the new year. It's an expression that he's
[31:24] Speaker 1: happy for Parley Baron because of the false diagnosis and
[31:30] Speaker 1: his niece's kindness, he actually gets a chance to start
[31:34] Speaker 1: his life over again and have some enjoyment rather than
[31:41] Speaker 1: working his life away at a job that doesn't care
[31:47] Speaker 1: for him or about him, and therefore have a much
[31:50] Speaker 1: better outlook on life. Now, I'll admit I don't totally
[31:55] Speaker 1: understand this instinct. I have had times to mean happy, grateful.
[32:01] Speaker 1: I have never felt so happy that I think I'm
[32:04] Speaker 1: gonna go ahead and not charge a large corporation money
[32:09] Speaker 1: they owe me. That is just not a level of
[32:12] Speaker 1: happiness I've achieved. But just as with our eccentric millionaires,
[32:19] Speaker 1: if that's how Johnny wants to spend his money, that's
[32:22] Speaker 1: his business, all right.
[32:25] Speaker 3: Then.
[32:25] Speaker 1: We have a comment on YouTube, this one from Mildred
[32:29] Speaker 1: regarding the recent function upgrades there. The hot button is
[32:35] Speaker 1: only available for the first six or seven days after
[32:38] Speaker 1: video has been uploaded, and you only get three hops
[32:41] Speaker 1: per week. Monday is the start of a new hop week. Well,
[32:46] Speaker 1: thanks so much, Mildred. That is not a feature I
[32:48] Speaker 1: have understood, so I appreciate the feedback. Now it is
[32:53] Speaker 1: time to think our Patreon supporters of the day, and
[32:57] Speaker 1: as this is the first Friday in februaryor we want
[33:01] Speaker 1: to thank those who've been supporting the podcast for five
[33:04] Speaker 1: years this month and I want to thank David supporting
[33:09] Speaker 1: the podcast at the Chief of Detective's level of thirty
[33:13] Speaker 1: dollars or more per month, MCF supporting us at the
[33:19] Speaker 1: Master Detective level of fifteen dollars or more per month,
[33:23] Speaker 1: Paul Laine supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level
[33:27] Speaker 1: of seven dollars and fourteen cents or more per month.
[33:29] Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your support and that will do
[33:32] Speaker 1: it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow
[33:36] Speaker 1: us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to
[33:42] Speaker 1: rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.
[33:46] Speaker 1: We will be back next Friday with another episode of
[33:50] Speaker 1: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. Join us next Monday as we
[33:55] Speaker 1: begin our second trip through the Saint but join us
[33:59] Speaker 1: back here tomorrow as we give way to the great
[34:01] Speaker 1: adventurers of old time radio.
[34:05] Speaker 3: Where.
[34:07] Speaker 7: Kenny see a mile. Sure, we're about four thousand feet up.
[34:12] Speaker 3: Look.
[34:13] Speaker 7: Look out, those clips drop right down from the side
[34:15] Speaker 7: of the road. Oh, I thought I'd turn and drive
[34:20] Speaker 7: right up to the edge. We can sit for a
[34:22] Speaker 7: few minutes and look out at the view.
[34:25] Speaker 4: Henry the first.
[34:29] Speaker 8: Head on here book of course, See how I can
[34:32] Speaker 8: handle a car. I didn't have a drink like you did. Exciting,
[34:39] Speaker 8: have another.
[34:40] Speaker 7: Drink, all right for I'm busy now.
[34:46] Speaker 4: Yeah, lean on my shoulders, Kenny, I'm sorry.
[34:52] Speaker 3: Oh, oh, it's all right now.
[34:59] Speaker 9: But doesn't Perhaps there was a pin or something in
[35:04] Speaker 9: the cushion. Hey what what how should I know?
[35:16] Speaker 2: You do know? It was you? You've done it. There
[35:20] Speaker 2: was a hypodemic needing new pidon you.
[35:21] Speaker 4: You gotting too dangerous to have around you, and you're jealous.
[35:24] Speaker 1: Street your head off.
[35:26] Speaker 3: Nobody ever hear you up here.
[35:28] Speaker 4: You're going over the cliffs just when they find your
[35:36] Speaker 4: body of the blood naturally and your stomach full of blicker.
[35:40] Speaker 1: In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at
[35:44] Speaker 1: Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter, Radio Detectives,
[35:47] Speaker 1: and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash
[35:51] Speaker 1: Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam
[35:56] Speaker 1: Graham signing off.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.