Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - Stolen Portrait

I'm now for yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. The next half hour has its baggage fact to take a trip with America's fabulous Britance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar. At insurance investigation, He's just an expert at making out his expense account. He's an absolute feat.

Expense accounts submitted by a special investigator Johnny Dollar to Frederick Kimball, General manager of Fine Arts of Tours Incorporated in New York Arts.

The following is an accounting of my.

Expenditures and the investigation of the stolen portrait of the Duke of masson Or who opened the season on canvas.

Back to.

Expense account out of one three hundred and fifty dollars plane fair, New York to London. Item two one hundred and twenty five dollars replacement brand new light tan topcoat borrowed and not returned by fellow passenger. During flight we cleared Yander Nupman living were four hours out flying at twenty thousand feet over the Atlantic with a ninth in the weather, fighting it out to see which could dark

Oh thanks, I'm sorry to beat, said to bother.

Oh, I think I'll try a drink of water.

Okay, I'll post of the steward public.

He's up forward.

Maybe they walked back too far. He stepped out for a breath of fresh air. I didn't think anybody't sick enough to do that. By the time I got to the back of the ship, the rear sleep.

Passengers from milling around the aisle to know anything about what had happened, I didn't by that, But if my ex friend hadn't jumped out of the plane.

He's been pushed. And that was this pantalizing question. If he's been pushed, and since he'd been.

Wearing my light tan topcoat, was I the one who was supposed to be taking that twenty thousand.

Foot swan dive into the Atlantic. I looked over the passengers, and to me, they all looked guilty, but I really couldn't be.

I also knew I had no chance of finding out which one was something to shettled down. Everybody started asking the stewardess for senatives to help him get back to sleep.

I asked her for some black company to keep awake. By four o'clock the next afternoon.

I was in good health in London and in the office of your policyholder next to Morley.

Yes, I've been expecting you to a company cable that you were coming. Very generous of him to send you all.

The way over here to help.

Way, I have to pad my expense accounts to make an honest living. Don't ever accuse my clients of generosity. Uh oh no, they aren't very soft hearted benefactors. They're being hard head of business man. If that painting stays lost, it'll cost them two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Well, i'd better brief you from the beginning. Oh, why you're wondering your story.

Morning, don't mind, I'm just sleeping.

I see very well. I'll make a brief dollar. Well. During my lifetime I have.

Developed an overwhelmed appreciation for fine paintings. Unfortunately, I have not been able to develop the fortune that should go with As a result, I haven't only not been able to buy any great paintings. I've not been able to afford to travel to the museums around the world where the great masterpieces hanging.

I guess there must be a lot of people stuck in the same fix exactly, And that's what gave birth to my plan.

I have organized what you might call the Masterpiece of the Month Club. Its members are twelve of the top museums and galleries in the world. This plan calls for them to rotate their most famous paintings.

In other words, if the people can't of to come.

To the pictures, my schemes to the pictures to the people, and you work every month.

Well, it's very interesting, miss Morley. But let's talk about the one that got away.

Oh yes, of course, I was merely outlining the background of this case to dolineate my responsibility in the matter.

Well, so now we know that you feel personally responsible for the loss of the painting.

Even though it's well, in short, mister Dollar, no amount of money can get that picture repainted by the man who originally painted it.

The artist Bonnet has been dead for more than three hundred years, a.

Real gone guy. You know.

If we fail to recover Brenet's masterpiece, The Duke of Masson. It would not only be a tremendous shot, but has lost to the word about further. It would ruined my reputations. The very first thing to be loaned arrives here in London from Paris four days ago, and the first night after I delivered in the museum, it has stolen off their wall.

Oh jers the morning. So much to the story was the museum.

It's the new art ellery at Coventry. Here's the address.

I won't be able to accompany myself as I am flying across the channel immediately to try to calm the official parish, the ones who loans the stolen painting.

They've been calling incessiantry.

I'll phone my assistant, Miss Harding, to meet you the main entrance in the museum.

Let's say forty five minutes. Okay, kill her.

I'll be the man asleep on the step. Fan's accounts. I him three sixpence hapen.

London papers to read while waiting for Miss Harding at museum entrance. No matter what I told mister Morley, I was afraid to go to sleep. Page one of each newspaper referred to my reason the misadventure which had occurred on the plane the night before, a possible attempt on my life.

Then along came another good reason for my lids drooping.

Miss Harding was at the opener, speaking in artistic turns. No painter could completely capture her dimensions.

A sculptor could come closer, as far as I was concerned, could see, and she did what mister du it wouldn't need I, miss.

Heart, mister Morning indicated that I might find you asleep. I say, that must be a shocking experience on the way over.

Not only shocking but frustrating. Yes, there was nothing much that could be done.

We shirt a long enough to drop a few life rafts, some players, and a big blob of yellow oil to help mark the spot.

Then all the pilot could do was call for the air, see recue boys and hope.

Yes, it's singing all the papers the whole day. Court chat.

Yeah, it could be that there but for the grace of a light sands top coat. Go on, what was that? Oh? Nothing? Well, shall we go museum prowling? Yes, of course, there.

Isn't much to see, just a black place on the wall.

Well, let's take a look at it.

Hey, did you see a blank space on the wall? You mean they stole the painting frame and oil and they did? All right, thieves are doing things the hard way these days. Usually they just cut the painting out of the frames, they got out of the coat and make a getaway.

Yes, mister, I know, but perhaps this job was done by the beginner. Or perhaps the bird was in prop and hap need to run for it.

Frame and all.

There are infinite possibility.

Infinite mister Dollar.

Thank you. I sin distood here at the museum.

It is an utter waste of time.

I've gone over the whole situation where a gentleman's stop in the yard.

It wasn't so much as a single finger Please, miss Harding, I have yet to solve the case with a fingerprints.

Sorry, I forgot. Men just can't stand to be any show woman.

Oh I wouldn't say that. It's according to what they are applying their afficiency.

I am speaking of business the dollar. I'm sure that I can send you a great deal of trouble. I've already done an extraordinar amount of research.

On this case.

I'll be careful what you tell me, Miss Harting. At this point, I confuse easily.

The Dollar child could understand what I have to tell you.

Sometimes a wide awake child is better than a sleepy man. But go ahead, well, my this is the.

Place right here there you see a blank wall, now, mister Dollar. Of the twelve Foremouth arts in London, I have discovered that nine are currently in prison, while is in hospital after falling four stories off a roof, and the other two are at large and maybe sound the driving at the addresses I have.

Here, the youth sound more like a patron of the criminal courts than you do.

Of the arts.

The entire fascinates me. Now have you seen enough of your blank wall?

Yeah? Things are blank enough. Give me those addressers and why you're right? I thank you? Better give me yours, mister Dollar.

Don't I know suspicious?

No delicious?

Spencer cow Out'm four five shillings camp fair to Scotland Yard tip the drummer too, Bob. When it comes to money, I speak all languages. Scalon Yards from the outside looked like big public schools. Well that has taught a lot of lessons to a lot of people. Inside it was teacher and quie for the officer in charge of the robbery, with which I was concerned.

I was led to an inspector carew First he gave me a cup of tea, Then they gave me my lumps.

Mister Dollar, you sit here and ask me why we haven't done something.

Believe me.

Third, the yard is not as archaic as it's architecture. There's a simple legal procedure which must occur before we can make either an investigation or an arrest. Well, a complaint must be lodged by the legal owners of any stolen property.

At that point, and.

At that point only, are we allowed to act.

You mean nobody called for help.

Well, naturally, when the museum discovered the painting gown, they immediately rang us up. We went to court to gather primary evidence. Unfortunately there was none.

Well, what about the owners of the painting the museum in Paris? As yet we've heard nothing. We expect to momentarily inspector just out of curiosity. What about this girl, miss Harding.

I'd say, she's well a jolly fine time. I mean, do you know anything about her?

I say, didn't you Yanks carry off enough of our.

Girls after the war. I'm not in the imform business. I mean, is she known to you?

Professionally what you suspect her? Not particularly, but she did give me this list. In her opinion, this is the who's who and where they are of your city's light fingered eyed lovers.

Let me see it.

Well, quite complete and protect it had was the work of an amateur. When the world would a young lady like miss Hardy come into such information?

That Inspector Carew is exactly what I'm driving at. Back in a taxi headed from Scotland Yard on my way to check into the Mount Royal Hotel, I gave my eyes a rest at the risk of missing the sights thing, but my mind refused to follow suits that now had three blank walls to stare into the one of the museums, the one at Scotland Yard, and the most provocative of the three, to look at the girl who knew too much,

Plane the night before? Where I've at the Mount Royal Hotel? I got my answers. Here we are, that's the Mountain Oil right head on a two way. You taught me, okay, what's the bild he that'll be off at that? How much till it takes sex? Oh you figured it out.

Jesus, God on everything, cabinet, Look down the.

H That was a close one. Thanks, you're right down there. Got me sins the cause of that.

On the street, it's more dangerous to walk around now than it was when them ready buzzbombs were dropping. Yeah, a couple of good things about the buzzbombs. Though nobody aims them at you personally, and nobody was at the wheel to steer them.

That made it official.

I had been set up for a pigeon, and it was me. Somebody had tried to turn into a seagull during that flight across the Atlantic. Expends the count that of five three pound ten to bell Boy for services rented?

How about that fourteen bucks for a bottle of Scotch? And I threw forty winks that felt like only twenty.

And I grabbed a shower, shave and a cab down Oxford Street and over to Soo expected count out of six five shillings the legal lemon on.

The price of dinner in England these days. I ate a nice place called Keetnits.

Dinner being a bit of chicken, three choices of vegetables, Brussels sprout spoiled, Brussels sprouts creamed, and Brussels sprout's roasted. But as there, I looked at the names and addresses of Miss Harding's two candidates for the boys most likely to have succeeded in swiping the missing portrait of the Duke of Masson.

I was in the right district for one of them. I found myself on a dark and lonely muse.

That may sound good to you, but in soho a muse is still only a place fit for ash cans and cats. I broke my way up the stairs of the address, the number one boorn on Miss Harding's list, and a top step. I was breathing hard and I wasn't all from the climb. Bunched my teeth, my knuckles and knocked on the door. Then I broke roll to the basic constructions for the working snoop.

I opened the door that flock number went to Yale. The door of a wood.

Burning stove across the room was open, the flames erratically painting the walls the orange light, then erasing them back into black darkness. I finally dared to breeze. Then I saw, when I was looking for, lying on a table, his edges curled upwards, an oil painting of a guy with short breeches and a long face. I started forward with something bred my foot. I stared down at the floor

It in the middle. I rushed across the room, slipping off the top of the stove. More light.

We look for a telephone. There was none in the room of the corps, so I tried the door of the next road, and the door I was trying started erupting.

In just a moment, we'll turn to the second act of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. But first we want to remind you that those delightful, charming neighbors, Ozzy and Harriet, are coming back home next Sunday night, coming back to CBS. You'll be able to join them on most of these same stations.

At six point thirty Eastern Standard time.

Just before the Jack Benny Show. Ozzie and Harriet now have their own sons, Ricky and David, playing themselves in place of the young actors who formerly portrayed them. So make it a party for your whole family when Ozzie and Harriet, Ricky and David come home with their fun and laughter to CBS next Sunday night, And now back to yours truly, Johnny Dollar. When those bullets came crashing through the door at me, I dropped to the floor. Still don't know whether my knees buckled or I meant

Where you needn't sound so annoyed at me. Who's I advised you to go there? But after all, it was your duty, and you did recover.

The picture and almost lost my health doing it for the third time.

Really, yes, really, First somebody tried to make a sea going paratrooper out of me, then they try to make part of the pavement by running me down with an auto, and now tonight somebody on the other side of the door tries to turn it into my personal copy of the Pearly Gates.

That's really enough for me.

Mister teller. Where is the painting?

Now?

Asked Scotland yard? And now let's change the subject back.

What's bothering me? Is bothering me plenty. I want to know who didn't want me to find that picture and why?

Well, how he seems elementary rank after watch the thief naturally.

Didn't want you to find it, Miss Harding, Please when I got shot at the apparentief was dead.

Well they do have hashman, you know if he was killed by.

An accomplice, why did the killer leave the patient?

I'd have no way of knowing of that.

I'm still not sure.

Oh man, and mister Dollar's top, did you hardly suspect me?

I suspect you less if you'd stop saying that at this point, I suspect everyone, even Dexter Morley, dreaming up this whole painting of the month's scheme to bring those paintings within stealing distance.

Oh but that's I know. I know if that was the plan, he'd wait until he had more than one picture on the road to steal. That's why I don't suspect him.

Well, frankly, I don't see why you continue to worry. After all, your part of the job is done, isn't it.

Yeah, I suppose you're right when I still have a yearning burning deep down inside.

I made a break somebody's neck. Why if I use your phone not help you?

So?

All right? This is defense.

Hello, I want to talk to New York. Don't worry, I'll call collect. My name is Johnny Dollar. I want to place a collect call in New York. Number is Plaza six nine one eight four.

Checks.

Please, sir, your name is John Dollar.

To your number. Your calling is Plazas six nine one eighty four. The call is collect, correct correct, collect your offer. We shall ring up immediately. If that's the circuit. Thank you, They'll call me. Well.

While you're waiting, you probably doing a brak. Is you care for what have we got j darling gin a lemon gen Italian or good friends?

Wish?

No thanks?

Well, come and sit down over here, yst much.

More RESTful in the eyes. Where I am here, I can have a better look at you.

However, when i'm mister doll, you can be charming. Do you mind if I changed mister Johnny? It sounds much more fun.

We'll swap your one Johnny for every murial you let me use It's a bargain.

Now tell me about yourself. You'll look about I'm an active bagro on criminology.

At the moment you're real that happens to be my unfavorite subjects. Let's talk about you.

Where should I begin?

Just after the age of twenty one?

You're a saucy chide. At the age of twenty one, I was singing the wear Huh. The Women's Air Force.

Oh, you must have had a lot of exciting adventures. Rather, what was the most exciting? Oh?

I think perhaps to night the young US Air Force.

Captain kiss Oh, one of the boys of the wild Blue Yonder. Maybe it was the blue of your eyes. It made him wild? Johnny, I know, Helen, you must have yourself.

He Johnny.

I'll be right back, all right, John, Hello, are you there? I of course I'm here. The dollar that's right. We're ready to do a call to New York signal at the end of Strey minute.

Are you ready to talk a minute?

You stop?

Got you offense?

Get me off?

Hello? Hello? Is this the Fine Arts Insurers? I want to talk to him at the Kimball Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dollah, I'm on the line. Go ahead. Well you can stop worrying, Kimball. I got the painting back.

You say you did get it back.

That's right, it's safe. Well, you'll have to pay is the price of a new frame. But what happened to the frame? Well, the guy who's swiped it took the painting out of the frame. I don't know where it is. Well, after the culprit, what he did with it, I'm sad he's dead.

Well, then look for it.

That bring it, Clint, that thousand dollars the slum paint. Okay, fred, don't flow out any bridgework. I'll look around for it. Everything you've come to until you're doing that already, okay, fred o'kayble here what happened? Goodbye? Well, Muriel Vacation's over. I just got put back to work, Gath and he'll come.

I wanted to send you shaking off into the night to look for the picture frame.

Yeah, that's it.

Oh, it's ridiculous.

These have probably already found it somewhere, and that fellow's flat.

We'll check that my work is personal service.

And must you go Johnny's any hot pots?

Ten?

Couldn't you put it off till morning?

There's nothing I'd like better?

But couldn't you stay even for a little pile?

Well, just long enough to calm my nerves? Big Ben was ringing up midnight on.

Times greedy cash registered when I finally cleared it with a bobby guying the back alley flat, but had not so long before given up one unprecious life and one very precious painting. The place was darker than then on my previous visit, and when I grope for the electric switch, I realized why there had been a brisk fire blazing before.

In the bottom grade of the stove.

I found enough unburned portions of the hot picture frame to justify my conclusions, and I found something else that.

Came under the category of hot rocks.

Spen's account out Am seven cabin their office of Dexter Morley.

The front door was not only locked, it was barred.

However, at the back of the building, I had better lock a loose window down to the basement. I just broken a law, but I didn't want to break my neg so snap on the lights. The basement was loaded with cabinet making equipment, but for my dough, they weren't making any cabinets. I was benched with a power drill, and on the floor below it a pile of sawdust and wood shavings.

That was normal enough, but the.

Sawdust pile was glimming with tiny specks of crystallized blue.

With what I had, now, all I had to find was Dexter Morley. He made that easy. He found me.

Stay down there, doll like where you were.

Well, welcome home from that trip to Paris. You didn't take that gun in your hands. Suggests that I'm right about one thing anyway, Yes, and that be that whoever took the shots earlier tonight was probably not an Englishman. The bobby's over here. I don't carry a gun, which makes most English smugs afraid to You're an American.

That's interesting, but hardly valuable.

I've got some more. How valuable is this?

I think you're in on or at the head of a very high flat smuggling racket, and I think you set up that painting of the month scheme of yours to establish just about the neatest method of smuggling that.

I've ever heard of.

Very generous.

I know how I operate, So what you could tell me about it could do nothing more than for me.

What I want from you are the diamonds.

Maybe I can trade you some diamonds for some answers. You're in no.

Position at bargain. Give me the diamonds are out, shoot you and take them ocar.

No, wait a minute, I'd better explain my bargaining position. I think you admit it's not the worst, since you have to followed me here. You know I took a cab from the murder flat one without a tail light, so you don't have the number, but brother, I do, and the diamonds are jammed down behind its back seat.

Now let's bargain. Who you all right?

What do you want to know?

Just let me do the guessing and check me if I'm wrong. You set up a chain of famous paintings which would move around the world for your branch offices as each one passed through your hands. Here the frame was to be dismantled and holes bored in it at the joints for the purpose of smuggling diamonds.

Lights are far.

Yes, I'll have right, but remember the more you are right about, the worse it is for me, so naturally the worse it is for you.

We'll take care of that later. This scheme of you is fascinating.

The stuff moves around the world, and the picture frames under official armed god and enjoying virtual diplomatic community through customs.

It's great.

It would have been greatfu it hadn't been for that heavy handed.

Open oh that fills in a missing link from another night comes a.

Burglar steals your first loaded picture, shoves the frame into his stove to get rid of it. You arrive, creaming with your guns, and I arrive, interrupting you before you get what you want out of the burning frame.

And you saw what.

Happened to him when he resisted medella. No, you must realize that I won't hesitate a moment.

It works the other way, doesn't it.

You kill me who tells you the number of that taxi, and without it you'll never get your diamonds.

There are ways keep your hands behind you painful, I thought, so your head will wear us before this gun peril. Uh feel more like talking.

Just enough to tell you one more thing. You're until I blonde accomplice of yours. I was not, I heard from a start, Tony.

What do you mean?

What don't you.

I can't prepay you for those three tries you made or I had made on my life, Morley. But here's what it feels like being hit on the head with a gun. Rock a bye, booby Buriel.

Look out your fall.

I told you that's a very undignified way for a lady to went he a room through a basement window.

I was trying to help him.

There.

You were excusing me of being the countess after all those nice things you.

Said to me before WHOA wait a minute, I followed you.

I wanted to see how you were a great you and.

Your criminal ha. At least you might have stepped in before he hit me those he.

Oh, I'm sorry, Johnny, It's just that I love crime.

Oh, come on, get up. It would be a crime.

As mister Warley there woke up and I had to put him back to sleep again before the police got here.

What was it all about?

It was about these little black things. I've got a pocket full of them. There straight one of them with your fingernail. Oh funny. That's the kind of glass of fellow handss girl when he wants to be engaged to make here joy jo. Yes, I mean only that they're diamonds. Expense account Item eate three hundred and fifty dollars.

Plane fair out of attempted matrimony by the party of the second part. Item nine twenty five dollars gift to Muriel Harding two books, one on the art of crime, the other on the art of in the hopes that the latter might havettracted for the pursuits of a more womanly hobby. Item ten ten cents Bromo Seltzer, purchased upon landing at vander Newfoundland. The only thing still fighting me on this case were those Brussels sprouts I had at

Dollars and forty cents.

If you find any slight discrepancy in this amount in my favor, blame it on my confusion and lack of understanding of the international rate of exchange. The only thing I like to exchange at this point is my head with its two new lumps. Wishing you the same, yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

In just a moment more about Johnny Dollar, but first Academy Award winner Jane Wyman comes as guests to the Family Hour of Stars, and Ozzy and Harriet return in triumph to CBS. These are two headline making events for next Sunday Night. Add these two shows to the top comedy of Jack Bennet, the feminine charm and dramatic talents of Helen Hayes and Eve Arden, the East comedy teams of Amus and Andy and Lemon Abner, and CBS Sunday

Jack Benny, of course comes to you over them all.

Listening again next week when CBS brings you Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, with Charles Russell as Johnny Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.

Is written by Paul.

Dudley and Gil dah with music by Mark Warnow, and is produced and directed by Richard Sandville for CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System