Michael Shayne: The Return to Huxley College 11/05/1946

Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

In this 1946 old-time radio detective episode, private investigator Michael Shane and his assistant Phyllis Knight are hired by Huxley College to investigate a series of harassing incidents targeting

Key takeaways

• Michael Shane is hired by Professor Brill to investigate reports of a peeping tom at Huxley College affecting female student morale.
• The case turns deadly when Agnes Carter is found strangled with unlaced football laces, implicating star athlete Gil Packard before he is cleared.

Main topics

• Private detective investigation
• College campus mystery

Notable quotes

"A detective without a murder case is like flapjacks without syrup."

Conclusion

The episode delivers a classic noir-style resolution where deductive reasoning and careful

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. Speaker 4 (0:16) Oh, why, yes, of course. I don't Speaker 5 (0:18) speak English. Will you be quiet? I will take no college stuff, and that's final. Speaker 4 (0:22) Mr. Shane says he'll be delighted to take the case. Speaker 3 (0:30) The Hastings Manufacturing Company and the K-Site Corporation present Michael Shane, Private Detective, starring Wally Mayer and Kathy Lewis. Speaker 3 (0:48) A detective without a murder case is like flapjacks without syrup. Yet that is just the predicament of our friend Michael Shane. In fact, things are so dull that we find Michael and his blonde assistant Phyllis Knight not at the office, not at police headquarters, not at the morgue, but squirming uncomfortably in the seat of higher learning. In other words, the office of the president of Huxley College. Professor Brill is explaining the situation to our friend. As Speaker 6 (1:15) I say, Mr. Shane, I decided to ask for your help because Phyllis Knight graduated from Huxley and is now, as I understand it, your amanuensis. Speaker 5 (1:23) My... Oh, no, Professor. Speaker 6 (1:25) She's just my secretary. Speaker 4 (1:27) Amanuensis means secretary, my pet. Speaker 5 (1:29) Oh, excuse me. Speaker 6 (1:30) Yes, quite so. You see, Mr. Shane, we don't want to take our problem to the town police. Unfavorable publicity, you know. But something must be done about it immediately. It's affecting the morale of our girls. Speaker 5 (1:41) The girls? I thought this place was co-educational. It Speaker 6 (1:44) is, Mr. Shane, but our feminine students seem to be more affected by it. Oh, a bad rash of Speaker 4 (1:50) Frank Sinatra? Speaker 6 (1:51) Oh, no, no. That is no more than usual. You'll understand after talking with the victims. I have two of them waiting now in the outer office. Just a moment, please. Oh, Miss Brown, you step in here, please. Speaker 8 (2:02) Yes, Professor. Speaker 6 (2:04) Very good. Just step right in here, Miss Brown. This is Mr. Shane, Miss Brown. Speaker 8 (2:09) How do you do? Speaker 6 (2:11) Hello. And Miss Knight, a Mr. Shane's associate and one of our former alumni. How do you do, Miss Speaker 4 (2:16) Brown? I Speaker 6 (2:16) should explain, Miss Brown, that Mr. Shane is a private investigator whom we have employed to solve the embarrassments which have been occurring here recently. Now, if you'll just repeat your story. Speaker 8 (2:27) Well, if you say so, Professor Brill. It's a little embarrassing. Speaker 5 (2:35) Oh, well, go right ahead, Miss Brown. Oh, Speaker 8 (2:37) well, it... It happened last Monday night. I was in my room in the sorority getting ready for bed. I was getting into bed when I heard a sound like somebody giggling. Speaker 5 (2:52) And an echo, maybe? Speaker 8 (2:54) Oh, no, sir. More like a mad laugh. It came from the window. It was open, but there was a scream. Somebody was trying to pry it off. Speaker 5 (3:03) And then? Speaker 8 (3:04) I screamed. That's the usual Speaker 4 (3:07) procedure, I believe. Speaker 5 (3:08) Go on, Miss Brown. Speaker 8 (3:10) Well, he ran away. Speaker 8 (3:14) That's all Speaker 5 (3:16) Do I understand, Professor Brill, that you brought us all the way down here just because of some peeping Tom? No, no, Speaker 6 (3:21) no, no, you don't appreciate the situation, Mr. Shane. In the past week, I've had at least a dozen complaints similar to Miss Brown's. Oh, my, it's gotten so our girls never know when they're safe. Well, I don't think Speaker 4 (3:31) that's peculiar to Speaker 6 (3:32) Huxley College, Professor. Oh, really? Oh, yes, I see. Well, Mr. Shane, I think you should hear the newest turn of events. Miss Brown, will you ask Quincy Baldwin to step in here? Speaker 8 (3:44) It's all right if I leave, Professor? Speaker 6 (3:46) Oh, yes, of course, and thank you very much. Speaker 8 (3:48) Goodbye, Mr. Shane. Miss Knight. Goodbye. Speaker 1 (3:51) Until Speaker 6 (3:51) last night, Mr. Shane, none of the boys had been involved. But now, uh, well, I'll let Quincy tell you. Oh, come right in, Quincy. Oh, Speaker 7 (4:00) thank you, sir. Speaker 6 (4:01) Tall, blonde, Speaker 4 (4:02) and rugged. Speaker 6 (4:03) Mr. Shane, this is Quincy Baldwin, another of our students. Our most brilliant student, I might say. Oh, well, I'm glad to meet you. How do you do, sir? And Miss Knight. Charmed, Miss Knight. Thank you. Quincy, Mr. Speaker 7 (4:14) Shane would like you to tell him your unfortunate experience of last night. Oh. Well, Mr. Shane, about 10 o'clock last night, I was coming home from a lecture. And about a block from my fraternity, a masked man jumped out from behind a hedge and... Yes? Well, he conked me on the head. I see. Just a friendly gesture Speaker 5 (4:32) or some sort of college hazy? Hardly, sir. The man had a gun. Oh. Speaker 5 (4:38) Any way for you to recognize him again? No, no, sir. He got away. Speaker 6 (4:41) I should add, Mr. Shane, that this individual has been sending anonymous notes to my office. He boasts of his activities and promises more serious things to come. Now, believe me, sir, if it doesn't stop soon, a mass hysteria will break out among the student body. I hope you catch him, sir. I'm willing to do anything I can to help. Yes, that's an idea, Quincy. Perhaps you should go along with Mr. Shane. You can acquaint him with the campus and all our activities. Be glad to, sir. Speaker 5 (5:02) Well, for this afternoon, I'd like to work alone. If this peeping Tom performs only at night, well, suppose, Quincy, you meet us, say, about 9 Speaker 7 (5:13) or 9.30. Well, could you make it 10, sir? I have to attend a lecture tonight, and it's on the kinetic principles and thermal diffusion. Speaker 4 (5:22) Really? I must try that sometime. Speaker 5 (5:25) Yes, yes. Okay, Speaker 7 (5:27) okay, make Speaker 5 (5:27) it 10 o'clock. Where will we meet? Well, at the clock tower. Speaker 4 (5:30) Meanwhile, maybe this afternoon Quincy can show me around. Huh? You Speaker 5 (5:34) know, Speaker 4 (5:34) bring me up to date on things. Speaker 5 (5:35) Oh, I'm sorry, sugar. I'll want you. We've got to check those anonymous notes. Speaker 4 (5:40) You said you wanted to work alone. Speaker 5 (5:41) I've changed my mind, if you know what I mean. Speaker 5 (5:55) Well, that tower clock is five minutes slow, according to my watch. Speaker 4 (6:00) Mm-hmm. Our good-looking friend should be here now. Speaker 5 (6:03) Oh, good-looking bookend, if you ask me. Oh. Yeah. And since when do you go for blonde guys with curly hair? Speaker 4 (6:10) Well, you look who's talking. You've spent plenty of time wandering around the girls' gym this afternoon. Speaker 5 (6:16) Research, honey, research. It looks to me like this particular seat of learning has got quite a spread, baby. Know what I mean? Speaker 4 (6:24) I get it. Hey, here comes our blonde menace right now. Oh, hello Speaker 7 (6:29) there. Hello. Sorry to be late. The lecture was wonderful. I wish you could have heard the professor on the separation of the isotopes. Oh, Speaker 4 (6:37) no. Have they separated again? Oh, Speaker 7 (6:39) yes, Speaker 5 (6:40) yes, yes. All over town. Mrs. Isotope couldn't stand his drinking. Speaker 4 (6:43) Oh, well, I know it was causing talk. Speaker 5 (6:46) Well, anyway, Speaker 7 (6:47) it was a good lecture. Speaker 5 (6:48) You know, with all your Speaker 4 (6:49) enthusiasm, Quincy, I suspect there's a cute redhead at the desk in front of you. Oh, no, Speaker 7 (6:53) no, no. The feminine element doesn't fit into my program. Speaker 4