Yours Truly Johnny Dollar - "29 the Matter of Reasonable Doubt Part 2" (Old Time Radio)

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar presents “The Matter of Reasonable Doubt, Part 2,” originally broadcast on CBS on May 29, 1956. Episode 5605 is part of the weekday five-part serial starring Bob Bailey as freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar.

Dollar continues his investigation into a proposed trust involving the Flintrock Ranch family outside Las Vegas, where a banker’s unease raises troubling questions. Written by Les Crutchfield and directed by Jack Johnstone, this installment follows Johnny’s search for answers as an older death may hold an important clue.

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
01:02 Original Broadcast
15:45 Closing

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Speaker 1: At Flint Rock Ranch outside Las Vegas, a proposed trust

would transfer an elderly ranch owner's holdings to her teenage granddaughter,

and the local banker has begun to question the arrangement.

Speaker 2: On May twenty ninth, nineteen.

Speaker 1: Fifty six, CBS presented part two of the weekday five

part serial Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Episode number five thousand,

six hundred five, The Matter of Reasonable Doubt, Part two.

Bob Bailey is Johnny Dollar, the freelance insurance investigator, as

his inquiry takes him from the ranch and local bank

to a morgue where an older death may bear on

the doubts at hand. Les Crutchfield wrote this installment directed

by Jack Johnstone, with Susan Whitney, Richard Crenna, Jeanette Nolan,

and Forrest Lewis in the cast. Now back to the

golden age of radio, Follow Yours Truly Johnny Dollar for

more classic broadcasts from Hollywood.

Speaker 2: It's time now for Johnny Dollar.

Speaker 3: Jonas Parks, mister Dollar the Flint Rock Bank.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I know the man who warned me.

Speaker 4: How's that You said it would be tough to get

into the Gramley Ranch When I got rained on shot at, threatened,

outsmarted by a sixteen year old girl. And I still

didn't see missus Gramley. You aiming to give up for

the night. Yes, I'm busy trying to dry out my

bones over the heat from a triple brandy. Hell.

Speaker 3: I'm going out to see missus Bramley in the morning.

I'll try to pick something up.

Speaker 2: Yeah, do that, will you? And something else? Mister Parks.

Speaker 4: That auto accident three years ago when Susan's parents were killed.

Speaker 3: What about it, mister Dollar?

Speaker 2: You know what about it?

Speaker 3: I mean, the dead past has always with us. You

go see Will Connors there in Las Vegas, he runs

the Fort County Weekly Tribune, and tell him I sent you.

Speaker 4: And be careful once again, mister Park's careful of what

I still.

Speaker 3: Don't know.

Speaker 5: Tonight and every weekday night. Bob Bailey in the Transcribed

Adventures of the Man with the Action Packed Expenser Coud

America's Fabulous Freelance Insurance Investigator.

Speaker 2: US Truly Johnny Dollar.

Speaker 4: From Special Investigator Johnny Dollar, location in Las Vegas, Nevada,

to the home office American Northern Trust Company, Hartford, Connecticut.

Assignment a matter of reasonable doubts expense account continued, Item

four seven dollars in a quarter A triple wasn't enough,

so I bought the whole bottle and took it up

to my room. I was pushed, and not just from

being caught out in a desert cloudburst. Missus Gramley, elderly

widow owner of the Flint Rock Ranch, wanted to set

up an insurance trust and convey all her holdings over

to her sixteen year old granddaughter, Susan. Her only other

heirs were her nephew, Walter, who managed the ranch, and

his wife, Hilda. Jason Parks, my client's local representative and

respected president of the Flint Rock Bank, had started proceedings,

then got cold feet and dropped them. Why. He didn't know,

just a hunch something was wrong. He'd call for help,

and I was that help. Total results so far zero.

I put the cork in the brandy bottle and went

to bed.

Speaker 2: I'll be with you in a minute, John Fellow.

Speaker 3: I'll hurry.

Speaker 4: The Weekly Tribune, like a thousand other weekly tribunes across

the country, not competing with the big daily, is not

even trying to printing the little things, homie things and

hanging on one man office their publisher, reporter, proofreader and

at the moment Lina type operator. I guess, of course,

but the man at the line of type looked as

Thowa's name just had to be Will Connor.

Speaker 2: My name is Will Connor. What can I do for you?

Speaker 4: I'm Johnny Dollar, mister Connors. Jonas Parks out at Flint

Rock suggest Oh yeah. Jonas called me this morning, said

you'd probably be in glad to.

Speaker 2: Know you NICs same here. He said, you'd most likely

be asking all sorts of crazy questions. I was to

well humor me, or you might put it that way,

said I was to answer them if I could. Did

mister Parks tell you who I am? Nope, didn't ask him.

Jones and me been friends for twenty years, and if

he says you're all right, then that's good enough for me. Wow,

thanks to both of you. It's for one thing, though,

mister Dollar, they're going to be a story in this

maybe any chance giving me a scoop on it? Scoop.

I haven't heard that word in years, and i'd had

one in years. In fact, I'd never had one. Always

have to get my front page story about reading me

here in Las Vegas Daily. Yeah, a bunch of smart

alecks getting telegraphs from Moscow and Paris and France and

all them places. Anybody can get scoops that way, but me,

I got to get out and scratch for what I print. Well,

it sure do me good to put one over on

them dudes. I'd get me out an extra, a big

banner headline on it. Got the type for two never

been used exclusive right across the top, and then knock

them back on their byline. And missus conn is all

right if there is a story, you get it. That's

a promise, A scoop, a living, breathing scoop gone. Yeah.

Speaker 4: How about the question, Yes, sir young fellow, what do

you want to know? Anything you can tell me about

Missus Gramley and the Flint Rock Ranch.

Speaker 2: Missus Gramley, Well, now there is a woman for you, son.

They don't make that kind these days. Noticed any change

in her lately? Well, I wouldn't want this to go

any farther, I understand, and I guess it depends on

what you mean by lately. I ain't seen her but

twice in the last year. You don't allow no visitors

out there anymore.

Speaker 4: I found out yesterday her nephew took a shot at

me with a rifle.

Speaker 2: You don't say they are getting clannish? Do you know

of any reason for him acting that way? Eh, there's

something funny going on out that ranch. What, for instance?

Couldn't say. But like I was telling you, I've only

seen her twice, and she was different somehow. It was

like she was well, breaking up, sort.

Speaker 4: Of scared of something. Maybe I don't know I have

a nephew by any chance, walder Well.

Speaker 2: I'd say he acts about as scared as she does,

or as upset at least. Maybe they're both scared of something.

What about the granddaughter Susan? Is she scared too?

Speaker 1: No?

Speaker 2: That one. Oh, she's strange enough, all right, But the

old nick himself wouldn't scare or none. What do he means?

Speaker 4: She's strange enough. You met her, mister Dollar, for about

three minutes yesterday afternoon.

Speaker 2: That's long enough. How'd she strike you?

Speaker 4: It was one of the most honest kids I've ever met,

or else the cleverest.

Speaker 2: Yeah, it's about the size of it. Which do you

think I've known her since the day she was born? Yes,

it's quite a family, including that fancy wife of Walter's Hilda.

What about her, Let's just say she's too much for him.

You follow me? Huh yeah, I think so. Ah. They're

all worried. They're on edge, either about the same thing

or different things. They're pushed, they're driven. You can you

can feel it. There's a pressure out there, and anything

can happen. Maybe it already has. M Maybe it happened

three years ago. What do you mean.

Speaker 4: There was an auto accident three years ago and missus

Greeley's son and his wife, Susan's parents, they were killed

in it.

Speaker 2: I've got the Morgan files here. I wrote it up

pretty complete when it happened. Yeah. I want to look

through those files later, but right now, you want the

story behind the story, if there is one. If there is,

I don't know it.

Speaker 4: I think you would, if anybody would, being a newsman,

fur as I know.

Speaker 2: Just an accident happened. Well, it was on the road

to the ranch up there where it winds through the bluffs.

It was raining pitch black. There'd been an argument back

at the house, and they had a lot of arguments,

I guess, But anyway, Hilda got mad and left and

took her car and headed for town, and a while

afterwards Ed had all he could take and he run

out too and jumped in his car.

Speaker 4: Susan tells me that was a habit of her father's

whenever he lost his temper in an argument.

Speaker 2: Yeah, he'd always get in his car and drive like

a demon until he got over.

Speaker 4: She also made it kind of a stranger mark. She

said they knew about it. What do you mean by that?

Speaker 2: I guess you'll have to ask Susan what she meant.

All right, So we had jumped in his car that night,

and then Mary went with him, trying to calm him down.

I guess. So he come around that curve. He must

have been doing sixty, skidding half out of control, and

there was Hilda's car parked on the curve, right square

in his headlights, just snice right into it at full speed.

Both cars rolled over the bank, caught fire and burned up.

Him and Mary were dead before the car stopped. How

did Hill to get out him? He wasn't there, He

had a flat, left her car parked and started back

on foot.

Speaker 4: I see he was lucky, that's all she sure was.

Mister Connors were real lucky. I took a back file

of the Tribune into the outer office and one over

the news stories on the desks of Ed Grimley and

his wife. I found nothing that Will Connors hadn't already

told me shocking loss find people's sudden accidents. I kept

hanging up on that word accidents. I kept wanting to

put a question mark after him. I was so absorbed

I didn't even notice her come in until she spoke

to me, Well, well, are you following me, Susan?

Speaker 6: No, got some copy from mister Connor's I write articles

for him sometimes, you know, clever kid and all that

sort of h I.

Speaker 2: See you took me serious, rowdy figure.

Speaker 6: You didn't close that paper fast enough. Now, why would

an investigator from the Calman's Association be interested in an

auto accident three years back?

Speaker 3: Uh?

Speaker 2: Suppose you tell me?

Speaker 6: Because you're not an investigator for the Caleman's Association. Who

are you, mister Dollar.

Speaker 2: I've got half a notional level with you, Susan.

Speaker 6: Then I'll go the other half by leveling with you

and hill to call the Association office in Reno this morning.

They said they never heard of you.

Speaker 2: I imagine that mister.

Speaker 6: Parks was out at the ranch just before I left.

She asked him about you too. He said he'd never

sing or heard of you. I see he was lying, though.

I can always tell when people are lying, and they

know it too. That's why they're uncomfortable around me.

Speaker 4: Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, look, Susan, did

mister Parks talk to your grandmother?

Speaker 6: No?

Speaker 2: He was supposed to arrange for me to.

Speaker 6: See her about the accident.

Speaker 2: Maybe I'm not sure you I'm shooting in the dark.

Speaker 6: Oh, it's time somebody did. Where are you staying, mister.

Speaker 2: Dollar at the common manner?

Speaker 6: Okay, I'll get it set up and call you there later.

Speaker 2: Get it set up.

Speaker 6: Sure, fix things so that you can get in to

see my grandmother. That's what you wanted, doesn't it? Well?

Speaker 4: All right, I went back to my hotel room and

settled down to wait. If a sixteen year old kid

could manage what a bank president couldn't, then me for

the Juvenile League. What happened a couple of hours later, though,

wasn't exactly juvenile.

Speaker 2: Come in, Hello.

Speaker 7: You busy, mister Dollar, not.

Speaker 2: Too busy, Come in. Thanks. I don't believe you.

Speaker 7: I imagine you've heard of me during your cattle investigations.

Speaker 2: Oh, somehow you don't seem to fit with cattle A

compliment observation. What do I fit with?

Speaker 4: I don't know yet, missus Grimley Hilda. Now I'm beginning

to know cigarette.

Speaker 7: Thanks, I'll stick with my own brand.

Speaker 2: It usually works out better that way. Thanks, nice cigarette

case gift.

Speaker 7: I'm always getting gifts, including a wedding ring I've got.

Speaker 2: Wanted to run someplace just so you don't forget where

you left it. I couldn't if I wanted to.

Speaker 7: You wouldn't have a drink for a lady, would you?

Speaker 2: Brandy?

Speaker 7: I love brandy and gifts and a lot of other

things like money. Oh, money's real nice, it's next to

the best.

Speaker 2: And what's the best excitement? I see? Don't you think

it's best? Well, that depends.

Speaker 4: At least you're in the right spot for it, I hope.

So look, I haven't got any money, and I never

give gifts.

Speaker 7: You've got brandy, though, poor as a drink. Journey and

then we'll talk what about excitement?

Speaker 5: Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing

episode of this week's story.

Speaker 4: Tomorrow, A worried old lady shows her metal a gambler

shows his hand and the game gets tense, tight, and

a little bit frightening. Join us, won't you Yours Truly

Johnny Dollar.

Speaker 5: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar is starring Bob Bailey, is transcribed

in Hollywood, written by Less Crutchfield, It is produced and

directed by Jack Johnstone. Be sure to join Tomorrow and

night at the same time in station for the next exciting

episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Roy Rowan speaking.

Speaker 1: We close with CBS's nineteen fifty six presentation of Yours

Truly Johnny Dollar. Follow Yours Truly Johnny Dollar for more

classic broadcasts.