Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Philo Vance: Blackjack Murder Case 11/30/1948
13 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the premise of the Blackjack Murder Case?
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I'm sorry, Miss Westcott. What you ask is impossible. I cannot release your aunt.
But there's nothing wrong with her. There's no reason for her to be locked up in your... whatever you call this place.
It's a rest home, Miss Westcott. The finest in the East. Our patients have every comfort, every care.
Maybe. And if they're ill, maybe that's what they need. But not my aunt. There's nothing wrong with her. She's a wealthy woman, and her family had her put here so that they could get her money.
I'm sorry. That may be so, but your aunt has never said she was unhappy here. Never asked to be released. Apparently, she's quite content. The only person making trouble, as far as I can see, is you. Oh, excuse me. Yes? Yes, I'll see him. Send him right in. I'm sorry, Miss Westcott. I'll have to ask you to leave. To leave this building and these grounds.
I have an appointment with my chief assistant.
With your chief guard, you mean? I've seen the way he treats Aunt Alice. Mr. Ward, believe me, I'm going to do something about this place and about you.
You got company, I see.
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Chapter 2: Who are the main suspects in the murder investigation?
Maybe?
What do you mean, maybe? You'll pay me that dough. Believe me, you'll pay it.
Please, please, gentlemen. You're giving me a headache with all that arguing. I'd much rather you didn't argue.
It ain't making Al very happy either. Just to make him just a little bit more unhappy, take your time about eating. He'll wait. I'll make him wait for his dough...
You make him wait, too. Now, look, just because you work here, too, Bill, don't give you any license to hold me up for my money or try to run this floor. Maybe I ought to... You won't.
You ain't got the guts. You wouldn't take a chance of taking a poke at me. After all, I ain't an old lady.
Aunt Alice, please wake up.
Aunt Alice. Joan. Joan, dear, what are you doing here at this time of night? Let me in quickly. Of course.
Aunt Alice, get your clothes together. I'm going to get you out of here.
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Chapter 3: What clues are found at the scene of the murder?
You see now why I didn't want you to call Vance, Mr. Markham? How can I miss solving this case myself?
I don't know how you can. I just hope you don't. And I did phone Vance Heath, only he wasn't in. Now, let's see. The dead man was killed by a blunt instrument. Blackjack, probably. And in his hand, you found three black hairs.
Yeah, he probably yanked them out of his murderer's head when he was struggling with them. Now, I talked to everybody in this joint that's got any sense. And there are three suspects. And all of them got black hair. First, that Joan Wescott. The young damon got locked in Mr. Ward's private office there. She's a brunette. Quite attractive one, I'd say. It all depends on how old you think she is.
On the contrary. It all depends on how old you think you are. Oh, well, maybe. Well, my second suspect, anyhow, is her aunt. She's a little touched, I think. She's a patient here, and she's old, but her hair is pitch black. Yes, I saw that. And the hair of Bill Williams, the guard you suspect, is black, too. Sure.
So, all I have to do is take samples of their hair, send them down to the police lab with the samples taken from the dead guy's hand. Whichever checks, well, that's our killer.
Somehow I'm sure that Vance would have another theory.
Mr. Markham. Mr. Markham.
Yes, what is it, Mr. Ward?
There's a Mr. Philo Vance outside. He says you're expecting him, or rather, that you should be expecting him. I'll go out.
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Chapter 4: How does Vance plan to solve the murder case?
Now grab that towel and cram it in his mouth. Get that towel, hurry, or I'll take care of you, too.
Oh, here, here it is.
Good. Here. Now get that roll of wire from the top drawer in Ward's desk and step on it. We'll tie him up good and get out of here.
I don't want to get out of here. Not this way.
Do what I tell you. Get that wire. Well... Make it quick.
Okay.
That's better.
I don't like doing this.
Who cares what you like? Do what I tell you so I can get out of here. You want to stay? Stay. I'll tie Vance up and then go to work on that window.
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Chapter 5: What does Joan Westcott reveal about her aunt's situation?
Well, then I'll take samples of every black-haired person in this place. Even you agreed it had to be somebody here who killed Durant. Yes, we're reasonably certain of that. Well, okay, then. One of them killed that guard, and that one's here will match the sample we got. Then we got our killer. As simple as that, eh, Heath? Sure.
How much longer are you going to keep me here, Sergeant Heath?
I don't know. Miss Westcott, you're a rather contrary person. As I understand it, you wouldn't leave this place before Mr. Durant's death. Now you're quite anxious to go.
Yes, yes, I am. I want to get out of here and take my aunt with me. I never want to see this awful place again.
Well, Miss Westcott, I wouldn't be so anxious to leave here if I were you. In the event that Sergeant Heath's hair test points to you, you'll be going to a much more uncomfortable place, I assure you.
This is District Attorney Markham. The Blackjack murder case began when Al Durant, a guard in the private sanitarium run by a Mr. Ward, was found dead. Suspects include Bill Williams, another guard, a patient, Alice Westcott, and her niece, Joan Westcott. Vance has one important clue. Three strands of human hair that have been found in the dead man's hand.
Vance told me he was on his way to interview Mrs. Westcott, and he should be there.
Sit down, Mr. Vance. Please do.
Thank you, Mrs. Westcott. I have a few questions to ask you.
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Chapter 6: What evidence suggests the identity of the murderer?
I'm gonna go looking for another black-haired guy. I'll see you later, Mr. Markham. Mr. Ward.
Right. How soon will the police leave here, Mr. Markham? They've spoiled my discipline, my routine. They've ruined this office.
How do they ruin it, sir? By using it? Look and see.
Papers helter-skelter, the desk moved, everything topsy-turvy. Nothing is in its proper place. Everything must be in its proper place, Mr. Markham.
Yes, I know. And the reason we've made such a mess out of your office, Mr. Ward, is because we're trying to put a murderer in his proper place. Behind bars.
Very well now, Mr. Vance. You may look through the microscope now, if you like.
Thank you, Doctor. It's very nice of you to allow me here in the police laboratory.
It is nothing. Mr. Markham phoned me and asked for me to let you come in. I was glad to have you. Sometimes even scientists like a little audience. Here. Here. Now look through the microscope, Mr. Vance.
All right. Tell me first, though, Doctor, your test showed that none of the hair samples from the three suspects match the hair found in the hand of Mr. Durant, the murdered man.
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Chapter 7: How does the investigation lead to a surprising conclusion?
The one thing missing from this case so far was a motive. I believe I have that now. You'd do all of us a great favor, Mr. Ward, if you'd cooperate with Sergeant Heath and me. I'd be glad to, Mr. Vance. How can I help? I'll get around to that in a moment. First of all, as I understand it, Mr. Durant, the murdered guard, wasn't too gentle with his patients.
Well, in this sort of institution, sometimes it's necessary to use force. Of course, Mr. Durant knew what kind of institution this was. What... I don't understand. I think you do, and I think he did. I think he knew you were operating this place as a wide-open racket, keeping certain people in it because of the convenience that might provide to others.
Mr. Vance, do you know what you're saying? Sergeant Heath... I don't know either. All I know is he generally does.
Thank you, Heath. Mr. Ward, this Durant came to you the night of his death. Probably came to your room and demanded money in return for keeping his mouth shut. What? You quarreled, and you killed him.
Oh,
then dumped his body outside Mrs. Westcott's door.
Ridiculous. This guy is the murderer, Vance?
That's right. Joan Westcott thought that perhaps her aunt had done it, so she wouldn't talk, and in fact, tried to keep me off the case. The aunt thought Joan had done it, so she pretended to be slightly insane and confessed. But I have proof that it was Ward.
Vance, the murderer is a black-haired guy, that much we know. Ward's hair is snow white.
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Chapter 8: What is the final resolution of the Blackjack Murder Case?
But like all rackets... Eventually, it backfired.
This one backfired very convenient for me. You got back here just at 5.30, right at the end of the day.
That's right, Miss Woods. And right at the end of the day, we're right at the end of the blackjack murder case.
Thank you.