# The Big Story: Murder and the Frustrated Father (EP4957)

An episode of [The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/335549005), 21 Apr 2026, 33 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/997ffb/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71508137/gd4957.mp3

Today's Mystery: A jealous father's response to his daughter's surprise engagement leads to tragedy. Original Radio Broadcast: January 4, 1950 Originating from New York Starring: Grant Richards as Sam Melnick; Melba Rae; Ethel Remey; Kathleen Nidday; Humphrey Davis; Bill Smith; Beryl Firestone Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Patreon Supporter of the Day: Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net. Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715 Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net Give us a call at 208-991-4783 Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives 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 Graham. In a moment, we're
[0:39] Speaker 1: going to bring you this week's episode of the Big Story.
[0:45] Speaker 1: But first I do want to encourage you. If you're
[0:47] Speaker 1: enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
[0:52] Speaker 1: And I also want to encourage you to check out
[0:55] Speaker 1: our other podcast and today I am highlighting the Great
[0:58] Speaker 1: Adventurers of Old Radio, where we are kicking off a
[1:02] Speaker 1: new Tarzan cereal today and that's a great jumping on point,
[1:06] Speaker 1: and of course where we are also playing Counterspy. So
[1:10] Speaker 1: I do encourage you to follow that. You can find
[1:12] Speaker 1: the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio wherever you get
[1:15] Speaker 1: your podcast from or at Great Adventures dot info. Now
[1:20] Speaker 1: from January fourth, nineteen fifty, here is Murder and the
[1:26] Speaker 1: Frustrated Father.
[1:31] Speaker 2: The Big Story.
[1:42] Speaker 3: This do not noose sit down.
[1:44] Speaker 4: I'm sure doctor Parrish will be coming out of the
[1:46] Speaker 4: maternity board any moment.
[1:48] Speaker 1: Now.
[1:49] Speaker 5: Yes, I wish you'd having this.
[1:51] Speaker 3: I never saw our prospective father yet.
[1:53] Speaker 4: It wasn't a bundle of news.
[1:55] Speaker 3: Now if you go calm, it's to not o.
[1:58] Speaker 4: Hey, it's the doctor now.
[2:00] Speaker 6: Well, congratulations, mister Norton, the father of a healthy eight
[2:03] Speaker 6: pound baby girl.
[2:06] Speaker 2: Girl.
[2:06] Speaker 6: That's right, and you may go in and see your wife.
[2:09] Speaker 6: Now do you like?
[2:11] Speaker 5: No, what, I won't see her.
[2:15] Speaker 4: Don't want to see your wife, mister Norton.
[2:17] Speaker 7: That's what I said, I don't want to see her.
[2:31] Speaker 8: Kansas City, Missouri, From the wires of the United Press.
[2:35] Speaker 8: The Story of murder and a frustrated father, Kansas City, Missouri.
[2:46] Speaker 8: The story is it actually happened, Sam Melnick story as
[2:50] Speaker 8: he lived it.
[3:03] Speaker 7: You were Sam Melnick, a police reporter for the United Press,
[3:07] Speaker 7: operating out of the Kansas City Bureau. It's been a
[3:11] Speaker 7: long day, a dull day, and finally your stomach tells
[3:16] Speaker 7: you it's dinner time.
[3:17] Speaker 2: There's one place you always go for.
[3:19] Speaker 7: Dinner, and for your money, it's the best meal in
[3:22] Speaker 7: Kansas City. So you get on the phone and make
[3:26] Speaker 7: a reservation. Hello, Hello'm Sam.
[3:30] Speaker 3: Oh Sam?
[3:31] Speaker 4: What time will you be home?
[3:32] Speaker 7: In an hour?
[3:33] Speaker 5: Hey?
[3:33] Speaker 7: What's for dinner?
[3:34] Speaker 4: Pot roast?
[3:35] Speaker 3: Pot ROAs with potato pancakes and apple sauce.
[3:39] Speaker 7: Tell me more. What's for dessert?
[3:41] Speaker 4: Your favorite?
[3:42] Speaker 7: You don't mean lemon meringue pie?
[3:44] Speaker 3: I do, and I'll Sam, you have to excuse me.
[3:47] Speaker 4: I've got to get back to the kitchen.
[3:49] Speaker 3: I'll expect you in an hour.
[3:50] Speaker 7: Oh Mom, wait a minute, Yes, I've changed my mind.
[3:53] Speaker 4: You better make that.
[3:54] Speaker 7: A half hour. On your way home, you're stopping at
[4:05] Speaker 7: Frank's Bar, next to the City National Bank building and
[4:09] Speaker 7: across the street from the Kansas City Start, just for
[4:12] Speaker 7: a quick one. And you don't know it at the time,
[4:15] Speaker 7: but while you're there gabbing with the other newspaper boys,
[4:19] Speaker 7: your big story is just beginning to break over on
[4:23] Speaker 7: twenty seventh Street.
[4:26] Speaker 3: Yeah, you better stop the car here, but we're.
[4:30] Speaker 4: Still a couple of blocks from your house.
[4:31] Speaker 2: Jackie.
[4:32] Speaker 9: I know that you're afraid to let me take your home.
[4:37] Speaker 4: You're afraid your father will see.
[4:39] Speaker 10: Yeah, please, let's not talk about it anymore.
[4:42] Speaker 9: We've got to talk about it, honey. Here and now
[4:45] Speaker 9: I'm sick of meeting you on street corners away from
[4:47] Speaker 9: the house. I bet up with seeing you only in
[4:49] Speaker 9: the daytime in your pathers at the office. Tired of
[4:53] Speaker 9: dodging them and hiding from them. What are we criminals
[4:56] Speaker 9: or something?
[4:57] Speaker 3: You don't understand?
[4:58] Speaker 2: Yes, I.
[5:00] Speaker 9: I understand. Well, maybe you're afraid of your father, Jackie.
[5:03] Speaker 9: But I'm not What right has he got to run
[5:06] Speaker 9: your life like this?
[5:07] Speaker 4: What kind of a man is he?
[5:08] Speaker 10: Anyway, He's been good to me, He's been a good
[5:12] Speaker 10: father to me ever since I can remember.
[5:14] Speaker 3: Only only what only Willie. He has some funny ideas.
[5:22] Speaker 4: I'll see.
[5:24] Speaker 9: Here you are, Jackie, nineteen, nineteen years old, and he's
[5:29] Speaker 9: never let you go out with boys. I'm the first
[5:31] Speaker 9: boyfriend you ever had, and I have to meet you secretly.
[5:34] Speaker 3: Why I don't know yet. I don't know.
[5:40] Speaker 9: Either or why, but I'm going to find out tonight tonight. Yeah,
[5:46] Speaker 9: you and I are going to have a date tonight.
[5:48] Speaker 9: Yet And what's more, I'm coming to the house.
[5:50] Speaker 2: To get you.
[5:50] Speaker 3: No wad you can't dab would be hard.
[5:52] Speaker 4: That's just the point. We'll stand up to him together.
[5:54] Speaker 3: No, no, And I'm afraid can't gather dad.
[5:57] Speaker 11: Dad, Okay, You're going to have to make a choice. Choice,
[6:08] Speaker 11: what choice, either your father or me?
[6:16] Speaker 9: Either I come to your house tonight or we're all
[6:18] Speaker 9: washed out. That's the way it's.
[6:23] Speaker 4: Got to be.
[6:24] Speaker 2: Honey.
[6:25] Speaker 9: You've got to stop being afraid of your father sometimes
[6:28] Speaker 9: as long as he owns you're like this, there's no
[6:30] Speaker 9: place for me.
[6:34] Speaker 4: Well, Jackie, shall I call for you tonight or not?
[6:39] Speaker 4: All right?
[6:40] Speaker 3: It all right?
[6:43] Speaker 10: You come to the house and I'll be waiting for you.
[6:48] Speaker 10: M mother. I'm afraid ever be here in half an
[7:04] Speaker 10: hour and.
[7:05] Speaker 12: Dad yes, yes, he'll be home any minutes.
[7:07] Speaker 4: Now.
[7:08] Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know. I shouldn't have let
[7:10] Speaker 3: ed come. What will Dad say?
[7:11] Speaker 12: Will I tell him this time, Jacqueline, I'll talk to
[7:15] Speaker 12: your father.
[7:16] Speaker 3: You mother, I know, for years, ever since you.
[7:20] Speaker 12: Were born, I've never dared stand up to it. But
[7:24] Speaker 12: now it's time I did.
[7:28] Speaker 4: You're a grown girl.
[7:29] Speaker 12: You deserve a life of your own, a young man
[7:32] Speaker 12: of your own.
[7:32] Speaker 3: Mother, Mother, I've asked you one hundred times, and you've
[7:37] Speaker 3: never told me. Why does Dad let Edna and Ruthie
[7:41] Speaker 3: have all the dates they want? But when it comes
[7:43] Speaker 3: to me?
[7:43] Speaker 4: Who?
[7:45] Speaker 3: Why am I different from my sisters?
[7:48] Speaker 12: It's a long story, Jacqueline goes way back. Someday I'll
[7:52] Speaker 12: tell you, mother, mother's daddy.
[7:55] Speaker 4: Just give in the front door, jain room, Jackie.
[8:01] Speaker 5: I oh it's you.
[8:04] Speaker 12: Martha, Yes, Albert, where Jackie upstairs?
[8:10] Speaker 5: Dressing?
[8:11] Speaker 4: But what she's got a date tonight?
[8:14] Speaker 5: A date?
[8:17] Speaker 12: You mean, I mean with a young man, Albert.
[8:21] Speaker 5: I see well, I soon put a stop to.
[8:26] Speaker 3: That, Albert, justinn.
[8:30] Speaker 4: You're going to leave that girl alone?
[8:33] Speaker 5: Oh am, I you're taking a lot for granted.
[8:37] Speaker 7: An't your mother.
[8:37] Speaker 12: I'm trying to stop you from ruining Jacqueline's.
[8:39] Speaker 3: Life, that's all.
[8:40] Speaker 5: What are you talking about?
[8:42] Speaker 3: Why?
[8:42] Speaker 12: I know what's going on in your mind, Albert, I've
[8:45] Speaker 12: known it ever since Jaqueline was born.
[8:48] Speaker 4: He wanted a boy. You wanted a boy.
[8:50] Speaker 12: Desperately, and you hated me because I bore you a
[8:53] Speaker 12: third daughter.
[8:54] Speaker 5: And all these years you yes, Martha, what about all
[8:58] Speaker 5: these years you've.
[9:00] Speaker 12: Tried to bring her up as a boy. You've always
[9:03] Speaker 12: called her Jackie, never jackal You've never let her live
[9:05] Speaker 12: a girl's life.
[9:07] Speaker 3: She never even had.
[9:08] Speaker 5: A doll, Albert.
[9:09] Speaker 12: You wouldn't let her have one. She never had a
[9:12] Speaker 12: party dresser, go, a pair of dancing shoes and a
[9:14] Speaker 12: string of beads.
[9:15] Speaker 5: I'm going mother, you interested me.
[9:18] Speaker 12: You never let her join a sorority now have girlfriends
[9:21] Speaker 12: here at the house or go out with boys. Instead,
[9:25] Speaker 12: you took her fishing, a bowling, her to baseball and
[9:26] Speaker 12: hockey games. Yes, Albert, all these years to satisfy your
[9:32] Speaker 12: own frustration. You've tried to bring her up as a boy,
[9:35] Speaker 12: and now now you fail. I have, yes, Salbert, you have.
[9:43] Speaker 12: She's a lovely, mature girl. Now she's in love with
[9:46] Speaker 12: a young man, and she's going to leave her own life,
[9:48] Speaker 12: and neither you nor anyone oflse in this world can
[9:50] Speaker 12: stop it.
[9:50] Speaker 5: Oh I can't. Well, we'll see about that.
[9:53] Speaker 4: But you let that girl alone.
[9:56] Speaker 2: Way.
[9:56] Speaker 13: He's my child, your hair, and no one else is
[9:59] Speaker 13: going to tell me how to bring her up.
[10:18] Speaker 5: Jackie. Your mother tells me that you've got a date
[10:21] Speaker 5: with a young fellow and he's coming here tonight. Yes, Dad,
[10:26] Speaker 5: now you know my wishes in the matter.
[10:29] Speaker 3: But I'm nineteen. Now, I'm not a child anymore.
[10:31] Speaker 5: I'm still your father, and I still know what's best
[10:34] Speaker 5: for you. Have I been a bad father to your jaal?
[10:36] Speaker 3: No, No, Dad, you have.
[10:37] Speaker 5: Haven't we always been well pals, gone everywhere together and
[10:42] Speaker 5: everything together?
[10:43] Speaker 2: Yes?
[10:44] Speaker 5: Why we've been almost.
[10:45] Speaker 3: Like father and son. Dad?
[10:49] Speaker 5: Why did you say that? Has your mother been talking
[10:51] Speaker 5: to you?
[10:52] Speaker 6: No?
[10:52] Speaker 3: No, Dad, why.
[10:55] Speaker 5: Nothing? Only I forbid you to go out with this boy.
[11:02] Speaker 10: I'm sorry, Dad, I'm going out with him anyway. I
[11:08] Speaker 10: love him and I'm going to marry him, and.
[11:12] Speaker 5: I see then I'm we're going to lose you.
[11:20] Speaker 10: Oh dead.
[11:21] Speaker 3: Yeah, Please try to understand.
[11:23] Speaker 5: I do understand. What's this boy's name?
[11:28] Speaker 3: Jackie, Ed, Ed Carlyle, Ed Carlyle?
[11:33] Speaker 5: And what time will you be here.
[11:37] Speaker 3: To have dad? You won't raise any fuss, you'll talk
[11:40] Speaker 3: to Ed need.
[11:41] Speaker 5: Him, Yes, under the circumstances, I'm looking forward to meeting.
[11:45] Speaker 2: Him, Jackie.
[11:46] Speaker 3: Oh Dad, Dad, I know you'd see it my way.
[11:52] Speaker 3: Only only one thing. Yes, Please don't call me Jackie anymore.
[11:59] Speaker 3: It sounds too my. It's like a boy's name, and
[12:01] Speaker 3: I'm well, I'm grown up. Just call me Jacqueline.
[12:06] Speaker 2: Dad, Come in.
[12:26] Speaker 4: My name's Ed Carlyle is Jackie's in her room.
[12:30] Speaker 5: She'll be down in a minute.
[12:32] Speaker 4: Oh, mister Norton, I wanted to talk.
[12:36] Speaker 5: I'll do all the talking around here, Carlyle. My daughter
[12:40] Speaker 5: tells me you two are in love, yes, that you
[12:42] Speaker 5: plan to marry her and take her away from here
[12:45] Speaker 5: from me.
[12:46] Speaker 4: That's right, sir, with your permission.
[12:48] Speaker 5: You don't have my permission.
[12:52] Speaker 4: I'm sorry, mister, but in that case, I guess we'll
[12:56] Speaker 4: have to get married without it.
[12:57] Speaker 5: You try anything like that. You're young, mister. She belongs
[13:03] Speaker 5: to me.
[13:03] Speaker 13: You understand, she's my child and nobody's going to steal
[13:05] Speaker 13: it from I don't get out of this house, I know.
[13:10] Speaker 9: Oh I won't, not until I say what I came
[13:13] Speaker 9: to say. You might as well face it, mister Morton.
[13:16] Speaker 9: Jackie's nineteen, she's a grown woman.
[13:20] Speaker 4: We're in love.
[13:20] Speaker 9: When you're going to lose her, you know you're going
[13:22] Speaker 9: to lose why. She's gonna freed him just like any
[13:25] Speaker 9: other person. Mister Norton, put down that gun.
[13:32] Speaker 5: Nobody's going to steal Jackie from me. Nobody's going to
[13:35] Speaker 5: take her from me.
[13:36] Speaker 4: Mister Norton, put down that gun.
[13:39] Speaker 2: If I can Jackie, nobody else will.
[13:42] Speaker 6: I know.
[13:49] Speaker 7: It's a little after dinner time when you, Sam mel
[13:52] Speaker 7: Nake of the United Press, get your mother's house. You
[13:57] Speaker 7: sniff the odors coming from the kitchen. You raise your
[14:00] Speaker 7: eyes to heaven and your mouth against the water, and
[14:04] Speaker 7: do you think life can be beautiful in Kansas City
[14:07] Speaker 7: or anywhere else for cooking like that?
[14:10] Speaker 5: And then your mother.
[14:11] Speaker 3: Comes in, samn, where have you been?
[14:14] Speaker 7: Just down to Frank's place across from the Star Man.
[14:16] Speaker 4: Oh I wondered what happened to you? Well, I've got
[14:19] Speaker 4: everything already.
[14:20] Speaker 3: You better get washed up. And oh no, Sam, don't
[14:24] Speaker 3: answer better. It's probably that night manager down at the
[14:28] Speaker 3: bureau again. And if that horrible man thinks he's going
[14:31] Speaker 3: to take you away from my dinner again.
[14:33] Speaker 4: Just because of the story, I'll forget it.
[14:34] Speaker 7: Mom, don't worry, it's been a very dull day. I'll
[14:37] Speaker 7: just brush him off and sit down to dinner. Melie talking.
[14:42] Speaker 7: Oh hello, Bill, what on twenty seven street? Yeah, sure,
[14:48] Speaker 7: I'll get right on it. On the way.
[14:49] Speaker 4: No, oh, I got a rush.
[14:52] Speaker 3: What about my pot roast and pancakes?
[14:54] Speaker 7: Keep it warm, mom, I'll be back as soon as
[14:55] Speaker 7: I can. A big story is breaking?
[14:57] Speaker 3: What big story?
[14:59] Speaker 7: A father just murdered his daughter. You, Sam Melnick of
[15:16] Speaker 7: the United Press have just been tipped off. But a
[15:20] Speaker 7: sensational murder has taken place on your beat, Kansas City.
[15:25] Speaker 7: So you leave your mother's dinner table and rush down
[15:28] Speaker 7: to police headquarters and get yourself a few facts. Luckily
[15:33] Speaker 7: you're the first reporter there. Would you know the rest
[15:35] Speaker 7: of the wolves are on their way, And the first
[15:38] Speaker 7: thing you do is corne Lieutenant John Brackett in charge
[15:42] Speaker 7: of the investigation. So this Albert Norton will killed his
[15:45] Speaker 7: own daughter.
[15:47] Speaker 2: It's right.
[15:47] Speaker 6: Sim started to go for her boyfriend first. When the
[15:51] Speaker 6: girl came downstairs, he split her ond let her have it,
[15:53] Speaker 6: and he broke away. And no tracer, no trace. We
[15:57] Speaker 6: blocked all the highways, railroad, air and bus terminals.
[16:02] Speaker 7: You know, John, he could be right here in casey
[16:04] Speaker 7: who could be.
[16:06] Speaker 6: Called this right after he shot the daughter, So wherever
[16:09] Speaker 6: he is, he didn't have time to get very far.
[16:13] Speaker 6: Speaking of Norton's wife, where is she not keeping her
[16:16] Speaker 6: and the two daughters and the boy ed Carlyle down here.
[16:19] Speaker 7: At headquarters protective custody. Yeah, and you figure this Norton
[16:23] Speaker 7: is still dangerous, that he might come back and try
[16:26] Speaker 7: something else.
[16:27] Speaker 6: Can't afford to think otherwise, Sam Man, who do a
[16:30] Speaker 6: job like this is more than a killer.
[16:33] Speaker 5: He's a maniac.
[16:39] Speaker 7: By this time, everyone and his cousin in Kansas City
[16:43] Speaker 7: are swamping the switchboards claiming they've seen Albert Norton. You
[16:48] Speaker 7: check a few leads, Fonny, You talk to Norton's sister
[16:51] Speaker 7: and missus Anna Regal. He hasn't heard a thing. You're
[16:54] Speaker 7: right with the prowl cap for a while and draw blank. Finally,
[16:59] Speaker 7: in deep discus, you ask the police to spatch you
[17:01] Speaker 7: to call you in case anything breaks. You phone your
[17:04] Speaker 7: mother that you're coming home for that dinner and when
[17:08] Speaker 7: do you get there?
[17:09] Speaker 5: Hello?
[17:09] Speaker 12: Mom?
[17:10] Speaker 4: Don't you hello me? Sam Melni?
[17:12] Speaker 7: Oh listen, Mom, I couldn't help it. I had to
[17:14] Speaker 7: go out on the story.
[17:15] Speaker 4: Now, how about that pot ROAs?
[17:18] Speaker 5: Eh?
[17:18] Speaker 4: Did you get that story?
[17:20] Speaker 14: Then?
[17:21] Speaker 4: No? Well you're not going to get that pot roast either,
[17:24] Speaker 4: I'm not.
[17:24] Speaker 14: No.
[17:25] Speaker 4: I kept it waiting for you so long.
[17:26] Speaker 3: It's all right out.
[17:28] Speaker 4: Now you'd have to eat meat loads.
[17:31] Speaker 7: What's wrong with that?
[17:32] Speaker 2: I like meatload.
[17:34] Speaker 5: I know it is done.
[17:35] Speaker 3: I've got it sizzling on the pan now.
[17:37] Speaker 15: And then humans, Oh no, don't you dare at that phone,
[17:42] Speaker 15: Sam Melani, Mom, I've.
[17:43] Speaker 7: Got you, Melie chugging.
[17:46] Speaker 4: Sam's a sergeant playing down at headquarters. Yes, Urgent, I
[17:49] Speaker 4: just wanted to tip you off that the killer just
[17:51] Speaker 4: phoned his sister, missus Regal.
[17:53] Speaker 3: What.
[17:54] Speaker 7: Yeah, and I got out and see her before the
[17:56] Speaker 7: rest of the worlds get wise on my way, Sergeant. Thanks,
[18:00] Speaker 7: I've got to rush see you later.
[18:01] Speaker 3: But them, what about my knee flow.
[18:12] Speaker 7: Missus Rigel, just what did your brother say when he falls?
[18:16] Speaker 15: Well, first of all, he wanted to make sure that
[18:19] Speaker 15: that Jackie was dead.
[18:20] Speaker 7: Yes, and he.
[18:22] Speaker 15: Wanted to know where his wife was. Then the far
[18:25] Speaker 15: could say anything else, he hung up. I see, just
[18:29] Speaker 15: gave me a good swish just to listen to him.
[18:32] Speaker 15: Albert's always been a little peculiar, but his voice over
[18:35] Speaker 15: the phone sounded crazy.
[18:38] Speaker 7: Missus Riegel. Did you ask him where he was calling from?
[18:41] Speaker 15: Yes, yes, I asked him right off that he was
[18:44] Speaker 15: coming from a restaurant.
[18:46] Speaker 7: Rest at this time of find what he said, Missus Wrigl.
[18:51] Speaker 7: While you were listening, did you hear anything over the
[18:53] Speaker 7: phone that might suggest a restaurant, you know, dishes, rattling
[18:56] Speaker 7: pots and pans. No, and he sounded street cars going by.
[19:01] Speaker 15: Oh no, Now, there's nothing out of the phone except
[19:04] Speaker 15: Albert's voice. I guess there haven't been much of a help,
[19:08] Speaker 15: mister Melnick.
[19:09] Speaker 7: On the contrary, Missus Wriggl, you have. You've been a
[19:11] Speaker 7: mighty big help. In fact, you've just given me an idea.
[19:26] Speaker 6: So you've got a hunch on where the killer is.
[19:29] Speaker 2: Sam.
[19:29] Speaker 7: That's right. Hell, look, John, let's have this thing up.
[19:31] Speaker 5: Okay, go ahead and ad.
[19:33] Speaker 7: The killer calls his sister at one am and says
[19:35] Speaker 7: he's calling from a restaurant. So there aren't very many
[19:38] Speaker 7: restaurants in Casey open at that time of night. Some sure,
[19:44] Speaker 7: they're mostly on the main streets, and you've got power
[19:46] Speaker 7: cars patrolling them. It stands the reason that Norton wouldn't
[19:50] Speaker 7: take a chance exposing himself and missus Wrigle heard no
[19:53] Speaker 7: street cars or anything like that. In other words, In
[19:56] Speaker 7: other words, John, the killer wasn't calling from a restaurant
[19:58] Speaker 7: at all. He was from a private home.
[20:02] Speaker 6: Hey, that's interesting, Sam Very, You know how many private
[20:07] Speaker 6: homes there are in Kansas City.
[20:09] Speaker 7: Sure, but my hunch is that the killer was calling
[20:13] Speaker 7: from his own home.
[20:13] Speaker 6: Oh not that old cliche about the killer returning to
[20:16] Speaker 6: the scene of his crime.
[20:17] Speaker 16: I know, I said it was only a hunch. I
[20:20] Speaker 16: can't back it up with anything concrete. Still, Still, what
[20:24] Speaker 16: he might have gone back to his own house. You're
[20:27] Speaker 16: holding the rest of his family down here under protective custody,
[20:30] Speaker 16: and the house was empty. Anyway, I'm going to have
[20:33] Speaker 16: a look. Gotta come along time.
[20:38] Speaker 6: Maybe i'd better your hunch turned up right and I
[20:42] Speaker 6: wasn't there. I'd never forgive myself, and neither would the
[20:45] Speaker 6: police commissioner.
[20:46] Speaker 7: Okay, John, let's go all right here.
[20:49] Speaker 6: Oh oh oh, before we leave, Sam, there's something I
[20:51] Speaker 6: forgot to tell you.
[20:53] Speaker 5: What is that?
[20:53] Speaker 6: Your mother phoned headquarters here a little while ago, wanted
[20:56] Speaker 6: to talk to you real bad Eh.
[20:58] Speaker 7: What didn't you say?
[20:59] Speaker 6: Well, she was so upset over the phone. I didn't
[21:01] Speaker 6: quite get what she was saying, but it was something
[21:03] Speaker 6: about meat loads.
[21:11] Speaker 7: The Naughton house is dog or the shades drawn ew
[21:16] Speaker 7: and Lieutenant Bracket try the front door.
[21:19] Speaker 2: It's locked.
[21:21] Speaker 7: Then in the moonlight you notice a car standing in
[21:25] Speaker 7: the backyard. You follow Bracket into the yard, the shivers
[21:31] Speaker 7: running up and down your spine as you reflect on
[21:34] Speaker 7: what a beautiful target you make there in the moonlight.
[21:38] Speaker 7: Just in case the killer is home, you'll both go
[21:42] Speaker 7: to the back door, find it locked. Bracket tries a
[21:46] Speaker 7: couple of pass keys, and then.
[21:49] Speaker 5: It's it's him.
[21:51] Speaker 2: It works.
[21:52] Speaker 5: The door's open.
[21:53] Speaker 6: Okay, that's going Look on second thought, Sam, maybe i'd
[21:57] Speaker 6: better go in in corner this rapid myself.
[21:59] Speaker 5: If he's there.
[22:00] Speaker 6: Oh no, I'm going in with Look, you don't have
[22:02] Speaker 6: to Sam, you're a reporter, but I'm a police officer.
[22:05] Speaker 6: I've got to go in. It's my duty, it's my story.
[22:08] Speaker 6: Might be dangerous, okay.
[22:12] Speaker 5: Oh, before we go in, you got a gun? Uh no,
[22:17] Speaker 5: I'll keep my gun ready. Yeah, you carry this slash light?
[22:21] Speaker 5: All right, let's go.
[22:28] Speaker 2: See anything.
[22:32] Speaker 3: Let's go out.
[22:38] Speaker 5: Yeah, I spelled what stay in a coffee?
[22:48] Speaker 6: Yeah, you're right, Sae fresh light over here, stable, See
[22:57] Speaker 6: what I see?
[22:59] Speaker 5: Yeah, a cup of cold coffee and some sickertte.
[23:03] Speaker 7: But looks like our friend is somewhere around sea.
[23:09] Speaker 5: Put out that flashlight. He's in the other room. Ye, Sam,
[23:16] Speaker 5: you moved to one side away from that door. John,
[23:18] Speaker 5: do what I say.
[23:20] Speaker 6: Okay, all right, Norton, come out, come out with your
[23:25] Speaker 6: hands up.
[23:28] Speaker 4: Okay, Norton.
[23:29] Speaker 6: If you don't come out, we'll have to come in
[23:31] Speaker 6: after you.
[23:34] Speaker 7: Come on, Sam, we're going in.
[23:37] Speaker 4: Got that gun, Norton before right?
[23:39] Speaker 7: Give you this.
[23:43] Speaker 4: John, John, you're all right?
[23:45] Speaker 6: Yeah?
[23:46] Speaker 5: Oh?
[23:47] Speaker 4: Any?
[23:47] Speaker 6: Thanks? Sam? Or what you hadn't flashed that light in
[23:50] Speaker 6: his face when you did, you'd killed me. Sure from
[23:53] Speaker 6: where I was standing, I was looking right down the
[23:56] Speaker 6: mouth of his gun.
[24:02] Speaker 7: And you Sam Melnick very tired and very hungry, phoning
[24:07] Speaker 7: your story to the up bureau. Finally, at four o'clock
[24:11] Speaker 7: in the morning, you come home.
[24:14] Speaker 4: Hello, Sam, you still left.
[24:16] Speaker 3: I'm still waiting for you to come home for dinner.
[24:18] Speaker 7: Son, Jim, I'm sorry I had to cover a big story.
[24:21] Speaker 7: Your father killed his daughter because well because he wanted
[24:24] Speaker 7: a boy in the first place.
[24:26] Speaker 5: Here, eat your dinner.
[24:27] Speaker 7: Well this is just pie and milk.
[24:29] Speaker 3: So all I got left the meat loaf cooked ryer,
[24:32] Speaker 3: just like the pot roast.
[24:34] Speaker 12: And do you know what, sammm, I wish you had
[24:38] Speaker 12: been born a girl.
[25:01] Speaker 8: Now we read you that telegram from Sam Melnick of
[25:03] Speaker 8: the United Press.
[25:04] Speaker 7: As it turned out, Killer in Tonight's Big Story had
[25:07] Speaker 7: tried to commit suicide in his bedroom. The lieutenant had
[25:11] Speaker 7: winged him in the arm so that he dropped his gun.
[25:14] Speaker 7: Killer died from self inflicted wound just before the ambulance
[25:17] Speaker 7: came to her husband. To the bitter end, widow declared that,
[25:21] Speaker 7: except for insanely jealous rages, he was a good father.
[25:32] Speaker 17: In order to protect the names of people actually involved
[25:35] Speaker 17: in the Knight's athout the Big Story, the names of
[25:37] Speaker 17: all characters in his dramization were changed, with the exception
[25:40] Speaker 17: of the newspaper Reporter. A big story has been a
[25:48] Speaker 17: presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, the
[25:51] Speaker 17: Voice of Information and Education.
[26:19] Speaker 1: And Welcome Back. Well, as usual with the FRS recordings,
[27:10] Speaker 1: we don't get the cast list, so let's go ahead
[27:13] Speaker 1: and go through that. Starred as mister Melnick was Grant Richards.
[27:21] Speaker 1: Also in the cast Melville Ray, Ethel Raimi, Kathleen Niday,
[27:28] Speaker 1: I think is how it's pronounced, Humphrey Davis, Bill Smith,
[27:32] Speaker 1: and Burrel Firestone. This is a story where, unfortunately, the
[27:37] Speaker 1: underlying incident could happen with some variation today. Now, the
[27:42] Speaker 1: basic idea of this story that a father who tried
[27:47] Speaker 1: to control his daughter's life killed her when she was
[27:53] Speaker 1: trying to go on the date. But most of the
[27:56] Speaker 1: other details or different. It did happen in Kansas City,
[28:04] Speaker 1: and the name of the young lady was killed was
[28:08] Speaker 1: Lula made Davis, who was killed by her father Ray.
[28:12] Speaker 1: But in real life it was a situation where she
[28:15] Speaker 1: got between the boyfriend and her father and that's when
[28:23] Speaker 1: she got shot. And he actually it's somewhat of a
[28:29] Speaker 1: different situation in terms of how why he called in.
[28:33] Speaker 1: He initially believed in real life that he had not
[28:37] Speaker 1: killed her, and the final confrontation was not anything involving Melnick.
[28:44] Speaker 1: Davis was surrounded by police in his last call to
[28:50] Speaker 1: his family, stating that he's not going to put any
[28:54] Speaker 1: more disgrace on the family and requested to be bare
[29:00] Speaker 1: eat at the same time and place as his daughter.
[29:03] Speaker 1: So a horrific situation with a few tweaks to reality
[29:08] Speaker 1: thrown in. One thing that most people would not think
[29:11] Speaker 1: would be any tie to reality was Sam Melnick's others
[29:17] Speaker 1: cooking being victimized. Although it's interesting to hear from this
[29:22] Speaker 1: era where you couldn't just put something in the stove
[29:25] Speaker 1: and expect that it would automatically warm, it could be
[29:30] Speaker 1: a problem. Although pot roast is such an unlikely victim
[29:35] Speaker 1: given that it tends to be slow cooked and often
[29:39] Speaker 1: is braised in liquid. Most moms who were good enough
[29:44] Speaker 1: cooks that their cookings raws the sun home could probably
[29:49] Speaker 1: fure out to add some liquid in order to prevent
[29:53] Speaker 1: this from happening, or you know, still figure a way
[29:57] Speaker 1: to preserve it for sandwiches or something. But they were
[30:00] Speaker 1: committed to the bat Well Listener comments and feedback, and
[30:03] Speaker 1: we have a comment on YouTube from Michael, who writes,
[30:07] Speaker 1: my grandmother, born in nineteen thirteen had quite a few
[30:11] Speaker 1: thirty three rpm records of old time radio shows. This
[30:16] Speaker 1: is very cool. Well, Michael, I'm glad you enjoy this
[30:20] Speaker 1: and the thirty three rpm the long play records were
[30:25] Speaker 1: some of the earliest ways of commercially mass distributing old
[30:32] Speaker 1: time radio programs because people had record players. Now, of
[30:38] Speaker 1: course there were real to real tapes that people call me,
[30:42] Speaker 1: but not everyone had a real to real player, and
[30:45] Speaker 1: so these were sold in record stores. I actually bought
[30:49] Speaker 1: one of these records off of the eBay of my
[30:53] Speaker 1: dad's favorite program from when he was growing up. He
[30:57] Speaker 1: continually evoked to me The Inner Sanctum, and it does
[31:01] Speaker 1: play really well. And if your grandmother was born in
[31:05] Speaker 1: nineteen thirteen, then she would have been of an age
[31:10] Speaker 1: where radio was a big part of her life, particularly
[31:15] Speaker 1: as an adult. And then see some of the commercial
[31:20] Speaker 1: records made of old radio programs in the sixties and seventies,
[31:25] Speaker 1: so that makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much,
[31:28] Speaker 1: appreciate you sharing and glad to bring back some good memories.
[31:33] Speaker 1: All right, Well, now it's time to thank our Patreon
[31:36] Speaker 1: supporter of the day. Thank you to Murph MCB Patreon
[31:40] Speaker 1: supporter since February twenty twenty one, currently supporting the podcast
[31:45] Speaker 1: at the Shawmus level of four dollars more per month.
[31:48] Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your support. That'll do it for today.
[31:50] Speaker 1: If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
[31:54] Speaker 1: favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review
[31:58] Speaker 1: the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back
[32:01] Speaker 1: next Tuesday with another episode of the Big Story, but
[32:04] Speaker 1: join us back here tomorrow for broadways.
[32:07] Speaker 14: My baitwear Raymond or Harper.
[32:09] Speaker 7: A little while ago, a man named Alex Raymond said,
[32:11] Speaker 7: your husband shot him.
[32:14] Speaker 14: Then Edwin Harper must be running or hiding too.
[32:17] Speaker 9: Do you mind telling me what you're talking about?
[32:20] Speaker 14: Raymond and Harper incorporated together. They employed my husband to
[32:25] Speaker 14: make them rich. In this my husband was successful that
[32:29] Speaker 14: he's made one of them dead. We'll give you some
[32:31] Speaker 14: idea of how important my husband was to the concern.
[32:34] Speaker 8: And you think your husband's going to kill Edwin Harper too?
[32:38] Speaker 14: My husband is what is known among educators, among partygoers,
[32:43] Speaker 14: among those who conversationally psychoanalyzed people as a plugger. The
[32:49] Speaker 14: fact that my husband has set his mind to wiping
[32:51] Speaker 14: out Raymond and Harper simply means that he had to
[32:54] Speaker 14: kill one of them first.
[32:55] Speaker 2: And none of this surprised.
[32:57] Speaker 5: Junis has lost me least of all.
[32:58] Speaker 14: I'm his wife. I attend his emotional moments. I know
[33:02] Speaker 14: about my husband.
[33:03] Speaker 9: Would you mind telling me why he killed Alex Raymond?
[33:06] Speaker 14: No?
[33:07] Speaker 1: No, I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
[33:10] Speaker 1: send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net,
[33:16] Speaker 1: follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
[33:19] Speaker 1: out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from
[33:24] Speaker 1: boy Sattaho. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.

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