The Ghost To Ghost Matter - Johnny Dollar | 05/18/1958 (Ep589)
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama which aired between 1949 and 1962. "The man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Of the eight different actors who played Johnny Dollar, Bob Bailey is likely considered the most popular. Bailey's interpretation presented a tough, streetwise character, but also sensitive and thoughtful. During it's time, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood, including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman, Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield.
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Speaker 1: From Hollywood at time now for.
Speaker 2: Johnny Dollar.
Speaker 3: Ah right, Johnny the Art Prize International Press Service.
Speaker 2: Oh holy smoke, guard, what are you doing of at
this hour of the morning.
Speaker 4: I'm on the night desk.
Speaker 3: And I'm sorry to have to wake you up. Oh listen,
I just gonna call a real frantic.
Speaker 4: One from a guy who insisted on having your phone number.
Speaker 2: Well, did you give it to him?
Speaker 4: He said he's an insurance man, that it was about
some insurance matter. So yes, I did.
Speaker 2: Oh why did he called you?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 4: That doesn't me too, But he was so excited, said
will so frantic? Well, he probably called the first person
he could think of, and he said it was a
big emergency.
Speaker 2: Oh did he give you any details? No?
Speaker 3: And Johnny gets aroused my curiosity.
Speaker 4: Let me know what it's all about.
Speaker 5: Will you promise?
Speaker 2: Okay, I promise.
Speaker 1: Bob Bailey and the Exciting Adventures of the Man with
the Action Pact expense to out America's Fabulous Freelance Insurldren's
investigator because.
Speaker 2: Truly Johnny Dollar expense account submitted by a special investigator
Johnny Dollar, the State Unity Life Insurance Company Home Office, Hartford, Connecticut.
Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation
of the ghost to ghost matter. I'd no sooner rolled
over in the hope of getting back to sleep when
the phone beside my bed started jangling again. Oh nuts,
Johnny Dollar, This is Oscar extremely mister Dollar.
Speaker 4: I represent State Unity, live here in Lake City.
Speaker 2: New Jersey. Oh look, are you the man who called
our price over an international press service?
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, I did to.
Speaker 6: Get your phone number right, and you knew he'd have it.
You're being such your famous investigator.
Speaker 7: And all that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well you could also have got it from Universal
Adjustment Girl, your insurance directory, the long distance operator.
Speaker 3: Oh dear, I I.
Speaker 6: Guess I've been so upset over this whole thing that
has never occurred to me. But uh, can you come
down here to Lake City mister Dollar right away?
Speaker 2: Well it depends. What's this all about Ian mcandrew's. Who's
Ian McAndrews.
Speaker 3: Oh, don't you know?
Speaker 4: He's the man who founded Lake City?
Speaker 2: So what's happened to him?
Speaker 3: He's dead, mister Dollar, or rather he isn't.
Speaker 6: Well that is to say, he died, mister Dollar about
five years ago.
Speaker 3: And well, in due time.
Speaker 6: Of course, we paid off the claim on his life
insurance policy fifty five thousand dollars.
Speaker 4: Everything in order and perfectly all right? Well, and but now,
oh oh no, mister dollar.
Speaker 3: You you just won't.
Speaker 4: Believe it unless you come here and.
Speaker 3: See for yourself.
Speaker 2: Oh won't believe what.
Speaker 4: Ian mcandrew's has come back.
Speaker 3: Huh either he or his his ghost has come back here.
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, it's true.
Speaker 4: It's absolutely true, sir, Ian.
Speaker 3: Mcandrew's is haunting Lake City.
Speaker 4: So please come as quickly as you can.
Speaker 2: I uh, I'll think about it.
Speaker 4: Oh dear, is that the best answer you can give me?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm afraid so until I see how things line
up for me these next couple of days. Goodbye, mister Timley,
think about it. I can hardly wait to grab a train.
But I didn't want to ask a Trimley to know that,
because I had a strong suspicion that if you can
catch a ghost off guard, you'll be one up on it.
Expencer con I'd have won the promised phone called the
Art Price and International Press. Are you kidding, Johnny, No,
I'm deadly serious, Arty, New Jersey. Yeah, yep, I'll keep
in touch. Then I remembered Nancy Nancy Turner an old flame,
or rather a young old flame. She'd said something one
time about taking up investigation of the supernatural. So expense
acount item too, another dime for another call, you old rascal.
Speaker 4: Johnny, you haven't.
Speaker 3: Called me in ages.
Speaker 2: Wow, honey, you know how it is. Look, Nancy, did
you ever go ahead with your study of psychic investigations?
Speaker 4: Psychic? Oh? No, Johnny. I found I'd have to read
a couple of hundred musty old books, so I gave
it up.
Speaker 2: Oh wow, that's too bad. Oh, why well, I've got
to run over to Jersey to investigate a haunted.
Speaker 3: Town, a hanted town.
Speaker 2: How thrilling accepted such a thing as impossible? Oh it is, sure,
But I kind of thought that maybe you were still well.
I guess we better forget it.
Speaker 4: Forget it nothing, I'm going with you.
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, wait, I excuses.
Speaker 6: I'll put on my face and another dress and be
waiting for the time.
Speaker 2: You can get Yeah, but look, honey, I Johnny, Okay, Nancy,
I'll pick you up. I had them three ten eighty
five taxian train two to New York, had him four
fifty bucks deposit on a rental car when we got
into Grand Central Station, we crossed over into Jersey and
hit Route twenty two for some of ill and points west,
and every mile of the way, Nancy chatted away like
a magpie. She kept up holding some of the stuff
she had read on the subject. A lot of authorities
who decided that some of the reports on haunted towns
and houses and people things like that, had decided there
was something really supernatural about them. And you know, after
a while, I began to wonder. Yep, I began to wonder.
Speaker 1: Act two of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment.
Our flag now numbers fifty stars, and behind each star
there stands yet another flag representing one.
Speaker 2: Of the fifty states.
Speaker 1: Kansas state flag is dark blue, and in the center
is the state's seal, surmounted by a large sunflower, the
official state flower. The seal reflects the history of Kansas.
The train of ox wagons going west for most of
the great roads passed through Kansas and Indian is depicted
chasing a herd of buffalo, recalling the words of the
official state song, or give me a home where the
buffalo roamed, For this truly was the home of the buffalo,
and Indian. The east is represented by a rising sun,
and the promise of future prosperity is indicated by the
steamboat on the river and the farmer plowing the field.
Above a mountain range are thirty four stars, where Kansas
was the thirty fourth state admitted to the Union. Overall
is the state motto ad Astra per aspera to the
Stars through difficulties. Kansas state flag, the flag of the
thirty fourth state to enter the Union, was adopted good
on March twenty third, nineteen twenty seven, and now Act
two of Yours Truly. Johnny Dollar and the Ghost to
Ghost Matter.
Speaker 2: Lake City, nestled in among the soft rolling North Jersey Hills.
What kind of has been town? I saw the reason
for that in the abandoned mill, the all mc andrew's
cotton miller, one side of the lake, the same old story.
I guess when a town's main industry closes down, it
kind of goes to put. Nonetheless, it was a charming
little place, population all maybe four or five hundred. When
we finally located ask at Termley's insurance office, we found
a bit of a gathering there and mister Dollar, that
is Miss Turner and mister dollar.
Speaker 3: This is Charlie Reed Foster and.
Speaker 2: Are Tony Gray. We're sort of local businessmen's club. Johnny,
you know, okay, and let's get to the point. Thank you, Johnny.
I thought over the phone that you were turning us down.
Well I changed my mind. And when I thought of
Nancy and her knowledge of the supernatural good, that's what
we need here.
Speaker 5: Well, I am interested in the subject.
Speaker 7: We're all a little worried about it.
Speaker 5: Tony isn't kidding.
Speaker 7: I think we're a pretty level headed bunch. But well,
this thing.
Speaker 2: Has us scared. That's putting it in my little If
it really is his ghost that's plaguing you, don't seriously
believe in ghosts. I'll tell you this. I never did before.
Speaker 3: But now, well wait and you'll see.
Speaker 2: Gee, Johnny, Well suppose you tell me what's going on?
Well no, no, no, no, Johnny, you'll have to see
for yourself. And here, yes, Charlie and here, and that
means waiting until midnight, midnight, sure, mister dollars, Well just
why Bill, you'll see, yes, And meantime you can look herround. Say,
aren't you quite a fisherman, Johnny? Rather fish than eat?
But now look at you.
Speaker 1: I'd love to fish too.
Speaker 3: Oh, the ke's full of nice bass. Charlie.
Speaker 2: You can fix him up with a boat, cancher, Sure can't. Yes,
But if I'm going to Ny, you arrange for a
place for miss Turner to stay overnight. Be glad to night, Johnny.
You stay at my home? All right? Fine? But no, no,
I want you to see for yourself at midnight. Meantime,
good fishing. Right, I've got to get back to the
shop before missus Bisley starts screaming about her high fire.
Speaker 7: See you later, Yeah, I'll come back to the office
and the rain somewhere from his Turner to stay.
Speaker 5: See you later, see you, Tony. Now, if you folks
will come over to the print shop with me, we'll
pick up the keys to my boat and some tackle
and you can be on your way.
Speaker 2: Look, can't you at least give me some idea? Nope,
not a thing until midnight. Oh, and we'll all have
dinner together at the hotel. Mister Turnley, are you ready? Turner?
You fellas are the boss. I guess fishing, Nancy, I'd
love it.
Speaker 5: I'll even give you some of the fast strike hooks I.
Speaker 2: Use, Okay, then let's go. There was something slightly school
about the whole thing. And I don't mean just to
talk of a ghost. But when I go fishing and
a company spence, well, who's to complain? So Nancy and
I spent the rest of the day on the lake.
Matter of fact, she caught the big one. By dinner
time we were starved in the little hotel service not
only excellent cocktails, but a regular banquet completely champagne.
Speaker 3: Are you enjoying it?
Speaker 2: Miss Turner?
Speaker 4: I love it?
Speaker 2: Only why don't you call me Nancy? Sure?
Speaker 1: Why not, Charlie, I'll tell you why, Tony, you.
Speaker 2: Stay out of this trimly about this champagne you know
comes from the old Leland Stanford venue. Oh yes, and
it's fine, I know, But it's time we talk about
your coasts here you land any big ones out on
the lake, Yeah, belle Nancy got a four pounder. But
now listen with you another thing about this fine Californa.
Speaker 5: I see you navigating the boat and.
Speaker 2: Got one last your wait, six fellows going over here? Fellows?
Speaker 8: Please, will you tell me a little bit about all.
Speaker 3: I want to know?
Speaker 2: So I got nowhere. But then finally, after a lot
more food and wine and shadder. We drove off in
Tony's car.
Speaker 7: Now I'm stopping here in the middle of town, Johnny,
because it's the best place to be when things start.
Speaker 2: Popping, Like what hey, what are you fellas gonna stop
this run around and start making sense?
Speaker 3: You'll see you see.
Speaker 5: I'm all excited, Lord, Johnny.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Charnie.
Speaker 5: You see the old tower clock almost midnight?
Speaker 2: So what about it?
Speaker 5: Old mc andrew's passed away at the stroke of midnight?
Speaker 2: Johnny.
Speaker 5: Personally, I think that has something to do with this.
Speaker 2: You still haven't told me with what Wait, listen, there
goes the tower clock.
Speaker 5: Oh midnight, countum Johnny?
Speaker 4: There was four.
Speaker 3: Fine and Johnny, see.
Speaker 7: How all the lights are flickering along the streets.
Speaker 2: That happens every night and no reason for it.
Speaker 1: That ll set come out of that park tower.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I see him, but I don't what under
the sun is that? That's the ghost wailing? Oh now
wait on that cream fills the air comes from everywhere.
Mm's the horrible sound, Jerry Busy.
Speaker 5: No, listen, I didn't you hear that clock's got thirteen?
Speaker 2: Yes, Johnny, I yea.
Speaker 7: He asked me the.
Speaker 5: Devil's in Old mcandrew's ghost. That's why it comes out
of his house every night.
Speaker 7: Out of his house, right, Johnny, and waill you see
what's there?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 8: Act three of yours?
Speaker 1: Truly Johnny Dollar in a moment.
Speaker 7: Famous words of wisdom spoken by great men of thought
never die, but are carried on through history by the
people who feel them and love them. When Benjamin Franklin said,
they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety, he was
speaking for all men in all countries. In May nineteen
forty five, when the first Marine Division was making an
assault in Okinawa, pharmacist's Nate William D. Halliburton, Junior, serving
with a Marine rifle company, left his place of safety
during a terrific counter attack by the enemy. In spite
of the deadly accuracy of the concentrated fire around him,
Haliburton unhesitatingly dashed across a draw and up a hill
into an open bombarded field to render first aid to
a fallen marine. When his patient was struck a second time,
Haliburton placed himself in the direct line of fire in
order that he might shield his patient and continue to
treat him. Though he could have sought safety until his
company advanced and covered him, his first thought was for
the wounded man. It was only when the slashing fury
of the shrapnel and bullets mortally wounded him that Halliburton
was unable to continue his duty. His unwavering code of
conduct in the fight for liberty earned him his grateful
country's highest award, the Medal of Honor.
Speaker 1: Now act free of yours truly, Johnny Dollar and the
ghost to ghost matters?
Speaker 2: Is the front door of this old house always left
wide open? Sure you want to go in? Sure?
Speaker 5: Come along, Nancy, I'm coming. It was more lighting.
Speaker 2: Oh that's nice, slam right in our faces. I knew yours.
I'm life though. I do me have that flashlight? Tony. Hmmm,
no sign of wires the strings on it.
Speaker 7: Come on, okay, come on tell us.
Speaker 2: Now, Johnny. Yeah, as you can see, there's just one
big room downstairs here, Johnny, Nancy, don't you see? I
admit this is all pretty strange. But a ghost or
what else? We've been over this house of the Flying Tooth?
Speaker 8: Cool?
Speaker 2: Listen you hear that somebody somebody's walking on the ceiling.
Speaker 1: Looking.
Speaker 5: Oh, that's the kind of stuff.
Speaker 7: You hear, poltergeys, noisy spirits. You can hear them, but
you can't.
Speaker 2: See him, don't you see, Johnny, It can't be anything
normal or natural? Is that the end?
Speaker 7: No, sir, the old ghost has a regular See hear
those shutters banging. There's no wind out there.
Speaker 5: Why why didn't you tell me it'd be like this, Johnny?
Speaker 7: Let's fuck here, lights moving around somewhere outside.
Speaker 3: You can see the reflection in the trees.
Speaker 4: They're green ghost lights.
Speaker 5: Johnny.
Speaker 2: Look a rocking chair.
Speaker 7: It's rocking in front of the window where old McAndrews
used to sit and look out on the town before
he died.
Speaker 2: Give me the flesh line here. No strings are wires
on this either. Well, well, that's the end of it,
The same crazy routine every night.
Speaker 5: It's the ghost of being McAndrews.
Speaker 2: That's all there is to it. Well, for what you
fellas have shown me the night, it kind of looks
that way it is, Johnny. But tomorrow I want to
investigate these things in broad daylight. I investigated all right,
the old house, the clock tower, everything I could find,
and thanks to the help of the boys, we covered
a lot of ground results nothing. Meantime, I noticed that
the town, the sleepy little town of Lake City, was
me mob people from all over streets jam with cars.
And as we sat down at lunch in the hotel.
Speaker 3: Miss wait, Chris, will you please bring.
Speaker 2: Me another company?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 2: Dear, she didn't hear me.
Speaker 8: Wait they all come fi.
Speaker 2: Yeah, business has certainly picked up around here.
Speaker 5: Yes, i'd noticed that.
Speaker 2: Any idea? Why Bill? Uh not the least? No wonder
if Tony couldn't be with us for lunch. And Charlie
is at his print shop getting out of next her. Hey,
excuse me, excuse me, aren't you Johnny Downard the investigator?
That's right, man, Can I use you? I'll just let
me get a picture and I'll wait, hold it, hold it,
hold it? Okay, Johnny, Thanks, thanks a lot. Hey that
photographers from one of the New York papers. No kidding.
Really listen if our price said international press gave out
the word about this ghost story. Oh now, Johnny, okay,
and answer you all finished an oscar? Bill, We're gonna
leave the check with you and pull out. You mean
leave town, yep, going back to the heart, Johnny. I've investigated,
I've come up with nothing, so there's no point in
staying around any lunch. Oh yeah, thanks Fellas and Oscar.
I'll send you my expense account. Come on, Nancy, give
up hardly? Sure, Nancy and I hit the highway, but
for only a few miles. Then shortly after Doc we
drove back and for a couple of hours, for three
or four hours. Well, anyhow, shortly before midnight, Nancy and
I walked quietly up on the porch of Oscar Trembley's
insurance office.
Speaker 1: You mean you didn't leave a message in my office
to be here tonight?
Speaker 3: I certainly didn't. I found a message from Charlie. Are
you kidding?
Speaker 5: Somebody left a message at my print shop to be here.
Speaker 2: And I got one at my radio shop. Now, I
of course they couldn't know your handwriting. Wait a minute,
there's somebody outside. Huh Johnny, Good evening, gentlemen.
Speaker 3: Why I thought who'd left town?
Speaker 2: I wanted you to think so listen, the old tower
clock has started this striking midnight.
Speaker 3: So yeah, that's five.
Speaker 2: Well, as I suddenly realized that in all my investigation
this morning, I was being handicapped by what I thought
was help you happy, I had too much help. Two
or three of you were with me every second. Oh,
we wanted to be sure you wouldn't overlook it that
you wanted to be sure I would overlook a few things.
Speaker 5: Wait, that's eleven twelve, Hey, you know it struck twelve.
Speaker 2: No, ghostly whale tonight is there? I know, no, Fellas, No,
because the ghost is no more.
Speaker 5: You found the ghost, Johnny.
Speaker 2: I found out that he's one of you, maybe all
of you alone. Without your careful guidance, I finally located
that sub seller in the old mcandrew's house. You did,
and that mess a complicated electrical stuff that was making
the weird sound effects, the rocking chair, the banging shutters
and so on. Very clever your handiwork, Bill, Sure, sure,
mc johnny, Oh, Fellas, it was a wonderful publicity stunt,
especially after international press was notified. But you did not
only for your radio and electronics shop, Bill, for your
real estate business, Tony, your print shop of newspaper Charlie,
and your insurance business as well. Now, but the whole town.
It's gonna put Lake City on the map again, which
is to say the motive wasn't entirely selfish. No, of
course it was okay, okay, man, And because of that
and then alone, I won't give you away provided the
ghost of Ian mcandre's never walks the streets of Lake
City again. That I don't know. I suppose I ought
to really hits you over the head with this expense account.
But after all, the cause was a kind of worthy one,
so I'll be honest with it for a change. And
it was fun to have Nancy Turner expensive contoll including
manage on the rental car less deposit thirty one to fifty.
He is Turlean, Johnny Dollar.
Speaker 1: Our star will return in just a moment. Our flag
now numbers fifty stars, and behind each star there stands
yet another flag, representing one of the fifty states. North
Dakota's state flag consists of a field of blue bordered
with a knotted yellow fringe. Centered is a bird with
outspread wings and with open beak, the eagle, king of bird,
symbol of supreme authority, power, strength, and nobility.
Speaker 2: The left talon of.
Speaker 1: The eagle grasps a sheaf of arrows representing the Indians
of North Dakota. The right foot grasps an olive branch
signifying peace. On the breast of the eagle is a
shield with seven red and six white stripes, signifying protection
by the Union of the States. A scroll bearing the
word epluribus unum one out of many passes through the
eagle's beak. Thirteen stars for the original thirteen states are
over the scroll above the stars is a sunburst for
the continual sunshine in the state. North Dakota's state flag,
the flag of the thirty ninth state to enter the Union,
was adopted on March twenty sixth, nineteen twenty nine. Now
here's our star to tell you about next week's story.
Speaker 2: Next week the most dangerous, exciting incident in my whole career.
I break out in a cold sweat whenever I think
of it. So join us, won't you? Yours truly? Johnny Dollar?
Yours truly?
Speaker 1: Johnny Dollar is Storrying Bob Bailey Orit Nates in Hollywood
and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone, who also
wrote today's story. Heard in our cast were Virginia, Greg
Boris Lewis, Joseph Kerns, Russell Thorson, Sam Edwards, and Bob Bruce.
Be sure to join us next week, same time and
station for another exciting story of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar,
This is.
Speaker 2: Roy Rowan speaking.
Speaker 1: This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service,