Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Phony Phone Matter 05/08/1960
episode
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
24 min
3 speakers
4 chapters
transcribed 2 months ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What setup introduces Johnny Dollar and the mysterious 'phony phone' case?
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.
Johnny Deller. Art Angles, International Life and Casualty. How you doing, Artie? Hey, listen, Johnny, are you free to take something on for us? Arthur, my boy, as long as a nice, big, wealthy company like yours just can't wait to pay my expense account. Now, Johnny... Plus a sizable fee for my superlative services. Okay, what's it all about? Murder, fraud, arson? No. Okay, then what? I don't know. Oh, you want me, but you don't know what for. That's right, yeah. Well, that's a switch. Actually, Johnny, it's one of our very important clients, won't you?
Why does Art Engels bring Johnny to meet wealthy client J.R. Wendell?
Art, that's not a switch. He has demanded that you and only you be sent over to see him. But he hasn't told you why. That's right. Uh-oh. Now, what do you mean by that? Well, I mean, the last time I took on one of those I-don't-know-why matters, I got slug-shot at and thrown off a bridge.
Well, uh, Johnny... But okay, Art.
I'll run on over and see you.
THE END
CBS Radio brings you Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by Special Investigator Johnny Dollar to the International Life and Casualty Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut office. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the phony phone matter.
I don't really go for these vague assignments, but international has always paid off pretty well. So expense account item one, a dollar and a quarter for a taxi over to the office of Art Engels. He was waiting outside the building for me in his car. We took off and headed back across town again. Where to, Art? Mr. Wendell's office is in the clay building. Wendell? Jay Ransom Wendell, the important client I told you about who wants to see you right away. But who hasn't told you why he wants to see me? He hasn't told me. How important, Art? Well, he owns and runs the Crown Lithograph Operator. Never heard of him. When he inherited that plant, it must have been, oh, 40 years ago... It was just a small outfit, not worth more than $400,000 or $500,000.
Oh, you call that small? And now it's worth millions. Then Wendell is loaded. He certainly is, Johnny. And that means he carries a lot of insurance. One of our biggest accounts. Life insurance on himself. How much? Half a million. Wow. Insurance on his wife, the same figure. Policies on his home, his cars, plant, personnel. Well, I make no bones about it. Even if his calling for you is only to satisfy some sort of a whim, we can't afford to turn him down. Some sort of a whim? Yeah. You mean it could be? Yeah. Johnny, he's so used to having his own way. You know, because of all his money. Oh, wait now. Hold everything.
Yeah.
J.R. Wendell. Alimony Wendell?
That is our boy.
Married five, six, seven times? Had one. And always to some delectable dish he picked out of the chorus line of a nightclub on some Broadway show? That's the one, Johnny. Marries him, finds out all they want is his money, pays him off, then goes ahead and does the same thing all over again. Oh, brother. But according to the newspaper stories a couple of years ago, he swore he was through with those gold diggers, that he'd never again pay off another one of them. Mm-hmm. So what happened? What happens? Nine, ten months ago, he puts a ring on that dancer, LaVon LaVerne. Yikes. Whereupon she promptly puts a ring in his nose and starts making the usual dent in his bank account. Oh, now, you don't think his wanting to see me has anything to do with his trouble with this LaVon LaVerne.
Oh, now, Art, I... We'll soon find out, Johnny. Because this is his office building. Wendell's office was huge. The walls were paneled in rich mahogany hung with fine oil paintings. Wall-to-wall carpeting so thick you sank into it almost up to your ankles. Fine antique furniture, including his tremendous desk.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What setup introduces Johnny Dollar and the mysterious 'phony phone' case?
0:00–0:45
2
Why does Art Engels bring Johnny to meet wealthy client J.R. Wendell?
0:45–7:02
3
Who is LaVon LaVerne and what background makes her a suspect for danger?
7:02–14:52
4
What does Wendell reveal about his wife's fear of being murdered?
14:52–24:09