Episode 674 - Double Duty Detectives: Bob Bailey (Let George Do It & Johnny Dollar)

Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives) - Mean Streets Podcasts

Bob Bailey stars as George Valentine and Johnny Dollar in classic old-time radio detective episodes. This episode highlights his dual roles, featuring suspenseful stories from 'Let George Do It' and 'Johnny Dollar'.

Key takeaways

• Bailey portrayed both George Valentine and Johnny Dollar
• Episodes showcase early radio detective storytelling
• Themes include mistaken identity and moral ambiguity

Transcript preview

Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave. The story you're about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective. The Adventures of the Saints, starring Vincent Prize. Bob Bailey, in the exciting adventures of the man, with the action-packed expensive. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yours truly, Johnny Deller. more old time radio detectives and crime solvers. Today we wrap up our month-long series of actors who played multiple detectives on the air and we're closing things out with Bob Bailey. He's probably best remembered today for his long run as Johnny Dollar, where he's generally accepted to be the best actor to play the insurance investigator. But before he had an action-packed expense account, Bailey starred for several years as George Valentine. a private eye who found his clients through a newspaper classified ad in the series Let George Do It. Today we'll hear him as both Valentine and Dollar, beginning with a pair of episodes from Let George Do It. Come and Get Me from May 16, 1949, and The Silent Waterfall from January 9, 1950. Both episodes feature Radio Veteran Wally Mayor as Police Lieutenant Riley. In the first episode, Girl Friday, Claire Brooks is played by Francis Robinson, and in the second episode she's played by Virginia Greg. The two actresses also shared the role of Helen Asher opposite Dick Powell on Richard Diamond. Then Bob Bailey is Johnny Dollar in the five-part mystery The Shady Lane Matter, a story that aired on CBS between July 9th and 13th, 1956. From George to Johnny, Bob Bailey is on the case, and will kick things off right after these messages. 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So enjoy Raleigh's rich tobacco, that's smoother, more satisfying Raleigh flavor. Remember, medical science now offers you proof, positive. No other cigarette is safer to smoke because no other gives you less nicotine less throat irritating tires than the new smoother better tasting Raleigh inflation can work the same way in peace that it did in war Prices rise when goods are scarce and people have money instead of making your daughters shrink by spending them needlessly when prices are high Why not make them grow with interest by investing in United States savings bonds? Here's the way it works invested now each month in U.S. savings e-bonds will in 10 years turn into an income of $100 each month for as long a period as you bought the bond. It's as simple and as sure as that, and easiest when you use the payroll savings plan. Without missing a dollar, you'll be amazed how savings grow the e-bond way, $4 for every free. I dedicate this program to the fight against crime. Not merely crimes of violence and crimes of dishonesty, but crimes of discrimination and bad citizenship crimes against America. to let George do it. Come and get me another adventure of George Valentine. Personal notice, dangers my stock and trade. If wine's got you in a spin and you need someone to pull you out of it, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. yet fear you will betray that trust. To look for intelligence in this morass of idiocy known as contemporary civilization is to embark on a search much less likely to succeed than the one pursued by diogenes. However, let me state my difficulty. I have committed a perfect crime. Alas, too perfect, because I now find it necessary to confess my guilt, but no one will believe me. If you do happen to have enough sense to comprehend the possibility of my being a murderer, I should like to engage you to help me prove it to the proper authority. Awaiting an early reply, I am Winslow Barker. Oh, George, don't be so smug. Didn't you hear me? The man want you to prove he's a murderer. Well, no accounting for taste, angel. Oh, he must be crazy. May be. Well, no sane person would write a letter like that. Still, he raised an interesting question. He wants to know if I'm an imbercil. What do you think, book, see? Are you? Are you? Are you? Are you? Are you The answer to his question is yes. Good of you to come Valentine and you miss Brooks. Not at all Mr. Barker this we had to hear. Well here we are. Long life, even though you don't happen to subscribe to that old-fashioned notion. Oh, it is delicious. Wholes. What's that? You will notice, I lifted my glass to my lips, but I did not drink. Yet you both went right ahead. How do you feel? How should we feel? Oh, never occurred to you that I'd poison you, did it? George. Wait a minute, buster. With pleasure. How Who knows? But this fact you do know. I am a confessed murderer. Yet you take not simplest precaution. Ah, Brooks, remind me to buy a portable stomach pump. Not the joking matter, Mr Valentine. You know, I may be quite mad. But don't try to tell me you really have poisoned us. Very well. Wait and see. Or have you? Yes, wait and see. The lady said, have you? No, Mr. Valentine. As a matter of fact, I haven't. You're perfectly all right. Perfectly. You just took 10 years off my life. Oh, no I haven't poisoned you but I have tested you Mr. Valentine. Yeah, how did I do, Professor? Your complete lack of caution indicates but two possibilities. One, you're like all the rest, you don't take me seriously, you don't believe I am a murderer, or two, you're fantastically stupid. In either case you're of little use to me now, good day. Not so fast, Parker. Let's ride with possibility. a man's presumed to be innocent blacker even if he presumes himself to be guilty well I'm willing to be shown who'd you kill Donald Anderson and I want you to prove it so the police will come and get me why did you kill it and as soon was ugly ugly in mind and in spirit so I removed him just like that yes just like that You think I'm mad? No. You don't. You must be crazy. All saying people think I'm a crackpot. Just why do you want the world to know you're a murderer? Well you see, Anderson's wife, Theresa, has been arrested for the murder. Now I didn't anticipate that the police would be so gullible. Oh, I don't want anyone else to have to pay for my deeds. I've confessed. The police laugh at me. They have their suspect. They don't want to admit they're wrong. Oh, oh, but they are wrong. Oh, but they are. Oh, but they are. Oh, but they are. Oh, but they are. And it's up to us to prove it. Well, Valentine, will you take the case? Well, what have I got to lose except my time and your money? And I have lots of time. And I have lots of money. Yes, perhaps you are worthy of the assignment after all. Thanks. Now, is there anything at all to prove that you killed Anderson? No, not a thing, that's the trouble. I was too brilliant, too disgustingly brilliant. of evidence. But don't you worry, Valentine, with your brawn and my brains, we'll find something. record by helping to convict the wrong man or in this case it's a woman isn't it Riley you know down well it's a woman oh okay what's your angle Valentine Winslow Parker huh oh no no not that slap happy lunatic yeah that slap happy lunatic what makes you so sure he didn't do the job because we happen to know Anderson's wife did it well how about briefing me on the reasons well okay motive mrs somebody else. Jonathan Gaines. But her husband wouldn't give her a divorce. Now opportunity she was in the house when it happened. Anything else? Plenty. A couple of days before the murder she buys a gun. Right after the murder she gives the gun to her boyfriend Mr. Gaines and when we try to get it from him he says he lost it. We're supposed to swallow that. He lost the gun. Ah. Why didn't she say she gave him the gun to hang it on his slave bracelet? She says she was afraid her husband was going to try to kill Gaines and she wanted him to be able to protect himself Claims she didn't know at the time her husband was already dead Riley Maybe she's telling the truth Come up with power will you? It's an open and shut case All We need is the gun to clinch it and I think we can hang it on her even without it Especially with Farnsworth testimony. Hey now wait a minute who's Farnsworth an added starter Anderson's valent? He over heard mrs and practically admitting she did the job. Well, satisfied yet? Not quite. What more do you want? Conversation, Riley, with a valid. I dearly love the sound of those bells but come on somebody come on answer the door come to think of it George will Farnsworth be here his master is dead the master's wife is in jail I understand the house is gonna be so brooks he servants are staying on to do the private minute I heard screams, she remarked right. Oh that miss, that was only Jesse. Only Jesse, who's Jesse? The upstairs maid. Well what happened to her? Nothing. Oh, just trying out for the metropolitan auditions. Well, if you must know, sir, she's a sinner, and I don't like sin. Oh, great. But what did you do to Jesse? She'll be all right, sir. That's not what he asked. Very well, I struck her. Well, who are you to go around punishing Okay, where's Jesse now? In the kitchen. Hey, sir, go and look after the girl while I have a talk with this avenging angel. All right, Charlie. Now, Farnsworth, you are Farnsworth, aren't you? Yes, sir. Well, I'm coming in and ask you a few questions. You can close the door. Very well, sir. What do you wish to ask about? Mr. Anderson's murder? Ah, the murder. Unfortunate occurrence. But then, one? First thing you know you're dead. Ah yes. That's life. Oh brother, Charlie Chan, with a wrong accent. Now look, I understand you overheard Mrs. Anderson giving a gun to Mr. Gaines and asking him to get rid of it. Correct. However, I should like you to understand, sir. I'm not in the habit of eavesdropping. But when there has been a murder, one feels it once duty as it was. Yeah, here, far I'm worth you and your duty. I simply press the point because as a gentleman's gentleman's gentleman, I know how my fellow gentleman would feel, if it were thought that one of their fellow gentlemen's gentlemen was no gentleman. Do you follow? I think I lost you about two gentlemen back. But now look, what I want to know, Fansworth, you're absolutely sure you heard Mrs. Anderson tell Mr. Gaines to get rid of that gun. Quite so, sir. She said, and I quote, I've done something terrible, Jonathan. I've killed Donald. Here, take this gun and get rid of it for me before me, before the police get here. I'm court. You're sure she said that, absolutely, Am I to take it that you doubt my memory or my veracity? Well frankly, Finsworth, you're a doubtful character, name and all. You belong in a book. Oh, Brooky, how's the simmer? Oh, she's busy confining Fonsworth to the place he thinks she's going. Well, in that case, I guess there's nothing more for us to do around here. Come on, let's go. Where? Where? Police, Now, when you please look, lieutenant, you refuse to take my clients seriously because you've got a hotter suspect. But suppose I can toss a bucket of ice water on your hot suspect. All right, Valentine. Toss. Okay, the ballot, Farnsworth is one of your chief witnesses, right? So. So, did you know he's a religious fanatic, a one-man vice squad? Again, so? Now, Mrs. Anderson, has been, shall we say, wandering a bit. Now that's your big motive. And believe me, the way this Farnsworth is whacked up, it's just the sort of thing that would make him decide is his duty to punish her. Oh, you think Farnsworth is framing her for the murder as punishment for Walsing in two times? Oh, it's amazing how clear I make myself sometime. But we know part of his story is true. The Anderson woman admits giving games the gun and he admits getting the gun and he admits getting the gun and he admits getting a... Yeah, but she doesn't admit the murder. Now look, look, it's no use Valentine. Mrs. Anderson gave gains that gun for him to get rid of. Okay, now. Well, well, why should she, unless she committed the murder? Riley, I've been checking. Anderson didn't have any cash when he died. House was mortgage to the hilt. Everything he had was tied up in a heavy insurance policy. He bought a year and a half before he died. All right. All right. Well, don't you see? Barker could have killed Anderson, it thinks her husband has committed suicide. So she takes the gun away and tells Gain to get rid of it so she'll be convicted of murder. Ah, for the lover... She wanted it to look like murder instead of suicide. But she didn't count on fines worth pinning the murder on her. But why would she want... the policy was less than two years old. Well, stop floating Valentine, you could still be wrong. Stop griping, lieutenant, I still could be right. Okay, okay. I suppose I'd better look into it. Yeah, force yourself. I think I'll go report to my client. He'll be delighted to know I've practically got him at the door of the gas chamber. Well, I wonder what the little man who isn't all there will pull this time. My stomach is still doing nip-ups from that poison prank. Well, some suit. Wait a minute. Stand back, Angel. Somebody just came on a park, his apartment. What's too late he already saw? Yeah, and he covered his face to make sure we can't see him. Hey, you, just a minute. Stay back. I said, stay back. Oh, George, are you all right? Yeah, you okay, Angel. Oh, I'm fine, yeah. He didn't want to hit us. He aimed at the floor to make it stop. He took the back stairs. Oh, darling, did you see who it was? No, he kept one hand in front of his face. Well, let's get into Barkers and see what this is all about. Okay. But aren't you being optimistic, darling, expecting Bark, d'Ar to make any sin? I'm just an old Polly, come on. and Mr. Broker. Barker, what happened? You look like you've gone 15 rounds with a gorilla. But I, I... of George Valentine in just a moment. To get the best out of your car and to get economy through longer mileage rely on Chevron Supreme Gasoline. This premium quality gasoline is specially blended to give your car all these advantages. Laster starts every time you press the starter. Speedy warm-ups, alert getaway and heavy traffic driving, and ping-free power that lifts your car over the hills. What's more is more than you're The Chevron is Climate Tailored, tailored to the season of the year and to different temperature and altitude zones in the West. So wherever you drive and the year round, you can't buy a better gasoline for today's high compression engine. Just try a tank full of Chevron supreme tomorrow. Get it at standard stations and at independent Chevron gas stations, where they say and mean, we take better care of your car. Now back to tonight's adventure of George Valentine. A man hires you to choose a man who to my to your client. In the due course of advance a 30 of character takes a few shots at you and a moment later your client himself comes to the door of the department and drops at your feet. Being like George Valentine, you don't rock all the way back on your heels because all along you've sniffed the proverbial rodent. He's coming too, George. If your eyes weren't swollen shut by the world or worked you over, I tell you to go look in a mirror. Now if that's your idea of nothing. I mean, I mean nothing to do with the murder. No. No, it was just a burglar. You don't sir. What did he take? Hey, Parker. He's passed out again. Yeah, he needs to get on the phone and call a doctor. Yes, right. Some boards in the floor have been fried up. Oh, factor must have had something hidden under here. Huh. Something was stolen after all. Come on, hurry over that phone, but see. I want to talk to Lieutenant Riley. Now what goes. Maybe you can tell me, Lieutenant. All right, George. The doctor needs to go out to question, Dr. Now, okay, looksy. Come on, Rolly. Right with it. Well, one thing's obvious, lieutenant. He's lying about this being just an ordinary robbery. Whatever was under that floor was tying him with a murder somehow. Well, maybe you're right. And who took it, knew as Baca. Had it, and who'd had it had it and beat him into telling where it. That's hidden? That. That's what? That's what? That's what? That's what? That's. I'm here under protest. I have some good news for you my friend. Oh what? Well I've convinced the good lieutenant that there's something to your story after all. And if we stick together and work hard enough we can make sure you die of an overdose of the gas chamber. That's right, Baca. You want me to believe you killed Anderson? Well I'm willing to go along. So suppose you give me the details and then we can go into what happened here. Therefore, I'd like to engage you for still another little task. I trust you be as successful. Oh, what now? Now I want you to prove that I did not kill Anderson. What did he say? Listen, you, I'll have you committed, I'll have you hungry. Don't shout back, I have a spitting headache. I give up. Very well, Lieutenant, you give up. How about you, Valentine? Are you as easily confounded? I can found it all right. Oh, you. Oh, you, you, you, you? Oh, you, you? Now look, Valentine, you just got through trying to prove this. Well, whatever he is is guilty. Now do you mean to tell me that you're going to turn right around... How can I do, Lieutenant? After all, the customer's always right. man I haven't got time to talk to a little bit this. You're as wacky as that quiet of yours. And humor me so I don't get violent. What do you want? The ballistics report on the bullets we dug out of the floor at Parker's place. Okay, Valentin I got the report right here. Those bullets came from the same gun that killed Anderson. Wow. Now we're getting somewhere. Yeah, we're always getting somewhere. I'd like to stay put for a change. Tell me something about that. Now we haven't been able to tie him to the actual murder we booked him for his shenanigans with the gun but he's out on bail Why I think I haven't talked with him now where is that gonna get you there's no telling Riley if I'm real lucky maybe somebody will try to kill me I'm going to get time Mr. Gaines. All right what do you want Valentine's? Some facts, make a few notes with the books. Yes, George. But look, Valentine, I told the police everything I know. I'm not the