Boston Blackie - The Congdon Ransom

0:00Dad, where are you? In here, my dreams, in the library. Oh, Dad, I'm going out for a little while. This time of nine, my dream, I don't think you should. I'm a big girl now, father. I won't be long. Oh, alright. But you go to bed. You're not as young as you used to be. No, I'll wait up for you. Oh, alright. Just don't make you any happier. And don't be too late, dear, please. No, no, I'm just going down to the village center. Well, don't have too many eyes, please, so do I. I promise. Okay, ladies, just stand still. You've got a yep, shut me, you just got in my head, or what? What do you want? You, lady. You take a little trip of it. Nice short trip. Maybe a nice long stay. I'll handle this jacket. I'll handle it fast. The lady looks nervous. Look, look, my money or jewelry, you want? You can have them. We don't want Joa's, lady. We want $50,000 and exchange for you. And now meet Dick Colmer as Boston Blackie. Enemy to those who make him an enemy. Friend to those who have no friends.

1:00Oh, Blackie, hurry up, we'll be late for the party. You know, you were supposed to be all ready when I said, you know, you're not going to be late. You know, you're not going to be late. You're not going to be late. You're not going to be late. You're not going to be late. Hurry up, we'll be late for the party. You know, you were supposed to be all ready when I came to pick you up. It's a late party, isn't Mary? So, doesn't that mean everybody should be late? Now, darling, if you're going to make jokes like that, maybe we'll better not go. I'll behave. How do I look? Beautiful. I'll settle for handsome. All right, handsome. You're beautiful. Let's go. Uh-uh. The doll doll. I might have known. Don't worry, Mary. This can't be trouble. Come in. You shouldn't have said that. This Boston Blackie's apartment. Yes, and he's just sleeping. With me. I'd like to speak to you for just a minute. That's about all the time I have right now. You see, we were just serious, Mikey. I'm Harry Condon. John White's Sunday long. Is that very serious? It's not serious. I have to make a say for that party, darling. We can't this way till morning, Condon. Whatever it is. No, it can't. Our father-in-law found a note about an hour ago.

2:01Our wife has been kidnapped. I need your help and quick. Oh. So, then, Carmen? Oh, that's off. Mary, but I call your friends and tell them that their party will have to do with our estimate. Yes, it certainly will. I'll call them right away. Carmen, let's have the facts. Well, it certainly doesn't expect to get your help this quickly. I don't usually offer the help this quickly. But to me, there's no crime in the world worse than kidnapping. When did you first discover your wife was missing? About an hour ago. I just come back from Philadelphia. Her dad met me at the door with the ransom note. When did your father-in-law last see his door? He said, Marjorie, you went out of the house at about 11 o'clock. That's the last you saw of her. Or how did he happen to find the ransom note? We thought he heard a noise outside the front door a few minutes after she left. He went out to investigate and the note was hanging from the door knob. I suppose the note said, don't recall the police. Yes, and a whole lot more. But we did call the police just the same. It wasn't until we calmed down a little that we thought of contacting you. Well, maybe if we worked fast, we can get your wife back. How much ransom did the kid that was asked? About 50,000.

3:01Do you have it? I don't, but Marjorie's dad has it. And a lot more besides, as you probably know. To whom was the ransom note addressed? You or your wife's father? To Marjorie's father. And it's proof the kidnap is new, which of you two had money. And that may help in tracing them. Dad wants you to come to the house right away, if you will. You know I will. It's all set, Maggie. I've got to try to go into that party and no damage done. Well, I'm going to another kind of party. With the expressed purpose of doing as much damage as I can. I can't let you go through with your plans in spectroferatid. This ransom note says specifically not to notify the police. And you did the right thing and calling us in, Mr. Went. We not have worked in cases like this. Do you have a holiday? I got it. Lucky. What are you doing here? I'm knowing you. Would you withdraw? He's here on my invitation in spectroferatid. Dad, this is Bob. I'm not going to withdraw. I'm going to withdraw. I'm going to withdraw. I'm going to withdraw. I'm going to withdraw. You're free, Faraday. Dad, this is Boston Blacki. How do you do? I do do, sir. Blacki, this is a serious thing.

4:01A girl's life is in danger. And I don't want you or any of your ideas around me. Mr. White, I can't do a good job of finding your daughter. I have to keep one eye and half the police force on Blacki. But you can work together on this. I'm sure I told my son-in-law to ask for Blacki's help. Because I know how successfully he has adored your police before. Hear that, Faraday? I heard that. But I don't want to hear anything from you. All right, Mr. White. We'll work this thing anyway you like. Thank you, Inspector. Now, first I think you'd better familiarize Blacky with the conditions of the kidnapping and the contents of the rents and no. I know under what conditions she was kidnapped, Mr. White. Now, look, where was your son-in-law during this kidnapping? You've been gone all day, haven't you, Harry? Yes, I was in Philadelphia on business. I didn't get home until about two hours after Dad discovered Marjorie was gone. Oh, went to Philadelphia. Field and today? Yes. I sent you down there yesterday. I went yesterday? And today? When I got to the office this morning, there was a letter from a firm down there saying they wanted to see me right away. Well, let's skip that for now. May I see the ransom, Mr. White?

5:01Of course, Blacky. Here, it's rather long. It's long and probably too. The words were cut out of good news magazine and pasted Dad to make sentences. It took a long time, too. This thing was well planned. How do you know those words were cut out of the good news magazine? I recognize the type and the quality of the paper, Faraday. Say, I'm opening a detective school next week. Why don't you enroll? Let me have that note. I'll read it. Never mind showing you, Faraday. I'd better read it. It'll be less stumbling over the big words. Mr. White, you see now? I don't want this guy around. Really, Inspector? It's all right, Mr. White. We'll get down to business right now. Yeah, let's see. Let's see this ransom, not... The instructions for delivering the ransom money are simply given and great to tell. I'm glad they are. I want to give them the money and exactly the way they ask for it. How soon can you have it? Tomorrow morning. That's when they want it. Let's see. It says here, put $50,000 in denominations of five and ten dollar bills in a tin box.

6:02Get an airplane and fly due north from this city Wednesday morning until you were over there were Seacum Mountains. There were Seacum Mountains, cover an area of hundreds of miles. How are we going to know where to drop the money? Here's where they answer that question, Faraday. You will fly over the designated area with your radio set at 1780 kilo cycles. We will contact you by walkie-talkie and give you instructions as to the exact spot the money is to be dropped. Pike and tractor plane first thing in the morning. Do that. He's kidnapped as a clever. The Seacum Mountains cover a large territory. There are plenty of roads through them, but no towns. Look, the nearest town of any size at all is a good 50 miles from the edge of the mountains. The kidnappers will never come near a town or a village after they receive the money. I'll say they won't. We can usually catch kidnappers when we deliver the ransom money. But this time we can't. And at plenty clever. I understand that inspector, but I want that money delivered. All right. I'll deliver.

7:02No, no, no. I won't let you. You're a policeman and I promised not to call the police. Blacky, would you deliver the ransom money? Would I? Well, yes. I wouldn't I will, but under one condition. You can have any condition you like. Well, what I'd like is to be allowed to handle this all by myself. Now, wait a minute, Blacky. I'll do it. Sorry, sorry. But if I do this, I do it my way without any interference from the police. I'm quite agreed. How about you, son? I think Blacky should be the one to do it. And so do I. You have to see it our way, inspector. Well, I guess I do with that. All right, Blacky. It's all yours. But I'm going to put you under a time limit. That's all right with me, Faraday. You're under one yourself. You don't have the girl back in two days or rather two weeks. The FBI takes over from you. I suppose you'll find a girl in two days. Two days, Faraday? I don't know. This is something I've always wanted to do. Work on a case without having you to worry about. There's no telling how fast I'll work. We have to work fast. What time do you want the money?

8:03Get the money. Charter a plane for me. I'll leave the airport at 9.30 tomorrow morning. No! Blacky. Yes, Mary. I don't like the sound of that plane warming up. Be careful, will you, darling? Worried? You know I am. Please be careful. But it's all thanks to the pilot over there. He's in charge of the plane. I'm only his passenger. Now, that's what worries me. I have a guy of parachute. A parachute? What for? It incays something happens over the mountains and you have to come down. I think I'd rather come down in a plane than in a parachute, Mary. Hey, here comes Mr. White and the sun and the low with the money. Darling, the father of you flying over those mountains and their plane scares me to death. What do you want me to do, Mary? Fly over those mountains without us? Come up, Blacky. Sorry we're a little late, but it was a little difficulty getting the money. Then we were caught in a downtown traffic. Gentlemen, this is Mary Wesley. How do you do, Mrs. Wesley? Well, I don't think the kidnappers will mind waiting a few minutes for their money. You have it?

9:04Yes, here is. It's a heavy steel box just as they instructed. Only I mark each bill as Inspector Fett of the day. It's requested a tiny X in the corner. Here you take the box. Oh, Mr. White. Back it, Blacky. Bring my white back, please. I'll do what I can, Captain. Blacky, I'm still worried. Won't you please change your mind? Sorry, Mary, it's too late. The only thing I want to change now is the steel box for Marjorie Condon. Say, pilot, how far from the city are we now? About 100 miles, Blacky. Those are the Wiseka Mountains down below us now, I think. Most of the foothills. What hills, huh? Oh, yeah, I see the higher mountains up ahead. Sure, a slick place to wait for ransom money. I had taken an army of police to block off all the ways out. I think the kidnappers had that in mind. You're ready to tune to the frequency they wanted? Yep. 1780 kilopsychics. Good.

10:05How soon do you think we'll hear from them? Few miles, maybe. A walkie talkie doesn't have a terrific range. And that box of money, ready? All set. I saw you looking in at this $50,000 look like a lot of money. In Fies and Tans, it sure does. Hello, everything. Hello. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Over. There's our contact, Blacky. Good. I'll take the talk back now. Here. Here. Hello. Everything. Hello. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Over. Yes, we can hear you. Over. We can see you. Dread do not one mile. Do not one mile. Over. How are we heading, Johnny? Dread do not east the moment. I'll head do north right away. Hello. We'll head do north. Then what? Over. Dread, it is a high peak. A high peak. Lie directly over it. In the valley on the other side, you'll see a march right square on the front.

11:06Lie it 500 feet. Drop the money near the square and square. Over. All right, I'll do it. But when do you return the girl? Over. It's the way it's the money. You're crossing over the last mile. Do you see the white square? The white square. Over. I see it, Blacky. We see it. Here comes your money. Just open the window on the side of the colony and drop it. You don't have to be too accurate. I know. And I'd like to drop it on the head. There it goes. Thanks, go, everybody. I've just wanted pretty close to the square. Thanks for the ticket. You're welcome, pal. Just let's call it a present for the present. Oh, no. Oh, no. Box ought to be right over there, Bob. Right over there. None, Jack. Here it is right here. Swallow. Come on, let's open it. Oh, gee.

12:08I want to feel some of that money. You feel it, I'm going to spend it. Hey, Jack. There's no door in this box. It's empty. Look, there's nothing in it, but there's no. Wait, I'll open it. That guy in a plane double-crossed. Double-crosses is no word, by, Jack. Listen to what it says in his note. Can't pay her because you have nothing to deliver. We've already found the girl. And it's signed by Boston, Blacky. Oh, no. It's called in to deliver the ransom money in the kidnapping of the wealthy and Marjorie Condon, Blacky execs a promise from Faraday that there will be no interference from the police. Working alone, Blacky follows the kidnapper's instructions, but instead of delivering the money to the designated mountain country, Blacky delivers only a note, saying he has already found the girl. As we return to our story, the two kidnappers wait in the phone booth

13:09in a small country village or a report on the phone call they've made to the city. I don't like he find out where we were hiding. I don't think he did find it, Jack. I think he was just bluffing to keep us from getting the dough. Well, what should he do? He isn't his dough. Well, he owe me a white. Well, we'll know in a minute. Maybe this is our call. Get the dough, huh? No, sir. Hello? Is this the party calling city 7-7-6-10? Yeah? Is your pastor going in? Hello? Oh, Jim? Yeah, this is Jim. Who's this? Bob. Jim, is everything OK? Sure, everything's OK. What about you? You get the dough? You still have the condom, Dave? Sure, he's in right here. So Blacky's note was a gang, huh? Jim, lock up the joint. Good and tight. Don't let anybody in except us. We're coming back. Hey, what is this all about? We'll tell you when we get in. See you in a couple of hours. We've been crossed up. Now I'm going to cross out a couple of people just to get even.

14:19Thank you, Bob. What do you think, it is, Jim? Open up. OK. Boy, you sure got here quick, Bob. You must have blue. I did fly, and I'm not Bob. Hey, you're looking in here. Oh, you say I'm like a fish. No, I mean like a fish. And you're going up like a light. That's a scary you, you minute. You look like a light sleeper. Who's out there? Who's in there? Marjorie Kahnon? Yeah, who's there? Don't be afraid to come out, Miss Kahnon. I'm on your team. I can't come out. I'm not being. Well, I can take care of that with any trouble. Are you from the belief? Far from them, Mrs. Kahnon. I'm Boston Blacky. How in the world did it fly? How? I get this door open. I'd rather give you the details of that brilliant piece from Mr. Miley face to face. There, the likes end. And the door is open. Or am I seeing this? Hello. I'm seeing things all right. You? No.

15:20Never mind what I look like, let's get out of here. Oh, no. No, staying here till I call Faraday and have him send some men to take you home in the sleeping beauty. Headquarters. Then I'm going to wait here and welcome home the other two kidnappers. All right. Stand by your door, Bopey. All right. All right, then. It's us, Jim. Jack and Bob, open up. Good thing, Bob. Don't get all of the hide behind the door. When you open it for us, we ain't cops. No matter what you do, you get nerves. All right. Stand by your door, Bopey. What? Hey, Bob. Hey, Jim. I got a hunch. It's Boston Backing. You should play your hunches on the nose. Well, you're right. Where's the girl? At home. Who is Jim? In jail. And in a few minutes, you're going to be keeping him company. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good.

16:20Good. Good. Good. Well, Faraday, this is one time you can't throw me out of your office. Majory Condon is home again. And you have your three kidnappers in jail. Well, I guess this case is over. It gets again, pal. Those three kidnappers have to leave that. And he's still at large. What makes you think that? A few facts. Yeah. What? Well, I have a little surprise for you, Inspector. First guess who hired those three men to kidnapped Majory Condon. How can I guess? Tell me. All right. I'll talk to Adam. Harry Condon. Harry Condon, the husband. Blacky, maybe that airplane you took over the mountains went too high. No, Faraday, but the business trip Harry Condon took to Philadelphia. I went the way of all phony alibis. You saw the letter he claims to have gotten from Philadelphia. Sure I saw it. Your remember what company was from? Yeah, I think it was the, uh, the Realty Tool Company. Something like that. That's right. And Condon said he was away from home. The evening his wife was kidnapped because he was on a train

17:23coming back from paying a call on the Realty Tool Company. Well, sure. What's wrong with that? I found something wrong with it, Faraday. Before I left for the airport this morning, I called for Philadelphia. It was told that the Realty Tool Company has been out of business for 15 years. What? Faraday Condon paked that letter and mailed it to himself from Philadelphia the day before the kidnapping. It's an alibi for not being around when he planned to have his wife picked up. Sure sounds like a thing. Why would he do a crazy thing like that? Money, Faraday. But he got money from his father-in-law. He got money from his father-in-law, all right? But not in the one lump sum he needed and quick. He needed 50,000 fast, huh? What for? For something else I checked on when I knew we were just sitting around waiting for me to do things for him. He owes over 40,000 and gambling debts. How do you know? Never he found out for me. I put her to work from the hunch I had. She got to me with the information about an hour ago. So Condon had his wife kidnapped, huh?

18:23That makes him as guilty as the guys I have in jail. Justice guilty, yes. But not just as much in jail. Well, come on up to his father-in-law's house. We'll fix that right now. Thanks, Becky. Thanks for getting my daughter back. It was a pleasure, Mr. White. And I want to thank you for your part, too, Inspector Faraday. My part isn't over yet, Condon. And this is going to be a pleasure for me. Condon, you're under arrest. What? I'll give you me a price. I've been under arrest. I'll give you a price. A complicity in the kidnapping of his wife. Well, I hope you're trying to be funny, Inspector. This is ridiculous. More than matters alike. A lie, Condon. That business trip you said you took to Philadelphia. That's the lie around here. What do you mean, Inspector? I mean, that letter he got from the Realty Tour Company was a fawny. There's no such firm. Ah, no, don't play innocent with me, Condon. I know you've faked that letter. And I know a whole lot more about you, too.

19:24You asked for $50,000 ransom money, because you won't debt much in gambling debts. That's true. I owe that money. But part I wouldn't give it to you. You thought to be extorted from me. I might have expected this from you, Perry. Mr. White, you'd Condon here try to get the money for his debts from you? He certainly did. But I wouldn't give it to you. Yeah, but he got it, didn't he? I'm making you pay ransom for your daughter. Condon, you're fool enough to try to get away with a stunt like this. Maybe you're fool enough to have some of the ransom money on you. I don't have a dime of it. And I'll make you a bet that he doesn't, Faraday. Say, who side do you want, Blackie? You know, Faraday. You don't go to the park. I think Condon's guilty on the evidence you already have. But I know he doesn't have the ransom money on. Oh, you want a bet? I'm sure. Why not? Pretty sure he doesn't have a bunch of Blackie. But I'll show you how smart I am this time. Let me have your wallet, Condon. Sure. Here. Faraday, you're going to be pork. We'll be disappointed. I'm going to buy it, Maggie. Mm-hmm. Pretty thick stack of bills in here, Condon. Hey, Mr. White, how was that money marked? A small X in the right hand corner, Inspector.

20:27A lot of money in here. Here's a 10 right here, two five. Marked with a small X in the right hand corner. No, this is a frame for a lot. So this guy didn't have the ransom money on him, huh? Faraday, this is impossible. Impossible, nothing. Here's some of the marked money right here. So you were so smart, huh? Hey, my condom. You're going to jail. Just a minute, Faraday. What for? Don't say condom to jail. He can't possibly have any of the ransom money. Because I never delivered it. You never delivered it? No. It's all in my apartment right now. Every last dollar of it. But if you have the 50,000 in your apartment, where does money come from? It's marked like the ransom money. I think it came from Mr. White here. What? The mark of few extra bills in the addition to the 50,000 and planted them in Condon's wallet. That's a lie. Why would I do such a thing? You didn't like your son-in-law. That's one why. Didn't like me. He hated me. He tried a dozen times to get his daughter to divorce me. Why can't you? He wouldn't. He tried a dozen times to involve me in shady business. Now, he even offered me money to leave his daughter. Now look here. And when I asked for money to pay my debt,

21:28he refused, hoping the men I owed money to would get rid of me in their own way. He's telling nothing but lies. Who? You're selling the lies, Mr. White. Just as the letter you sent your son-in-law from Philadelphia was a lie. Just as the ransom note you prepared for the kidnappers was a lie. And just as the ransom money, you planted an Harry's wallet as a lie, too. Like you have that ransom money in your apartment? Yes, all of us. Every cent. All right, Mr. White. Your under arrest. No. No. Yes, yes, Mr. White. And too bad, too. Your trick was to convict your son with Mark May. But, my trick may you a marked man. Well, Blacky, I just read Mr. White's confession. But the newspaper story doesn't say how you found March with Conny. I like to keep those little tricks to myself, Mary. Oh, can't we keep them just to ourselves? Promise you won't tell?

22:29Of course, the heart and family. Well, when I dropped the note to the kidnapper saying I already had the kidnapped girl, I knew just what they'd do. Sure. I'm not if it was true, of course. Of course. And I knew where they'd go to find out the nearest town. Small towns have manual phones. And I was at the telephone exchange listening to every call made to the city. Oh, I see. When Bob and Jack phoned the city, you got the name of the helicopter and also the telephone number. And of course, the telephone number was all I needed to get the address. And the new flu back while Bob and Jack drove back. And you got to March your time before they did. Simple, isn't it? Well, I don't know if it's so simple. Matter of fact, I'd say it was kind of unusual. Whoever heard of using a little telephone number to solve a crime. The number of that phone call, well, it gave me a lot of pleasure. But not half as much pleasure. The number of this state of ours just handed to Mr. White. And the number of that phone call, well, it gave me a lot of pleasure.