Broadway Is My Beat: The John Mooney Murder Case 03/22/1952

0:00Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. The most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway is my beat with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Springtime begins to search through Broadway, and its gentle winds feel out the places to set up shop.

1:01The push-cuts of the flower vendors were the promises are wrapped in tight buds of faint color. A child's ribbon-silken hair side across the winter-pinched face. A woman's shoulders too soon eager to shed the raiment of winter's night. In the spring songs choked out of loudspeakers in the inviting side-long glance in the barefoot patting through sun-warmed corridors, here is spring for Broadway. Innocent, nostalgic as the music of the organ grinder to which monkeys dance, to which Broadway size, remembers, tries again. And at the edge of the march evening against the shimmering of dusk, the anger of a man, the near hysteria, the economy-sized fury at innocence, malign. It's an outrage, a shame of filthy shame. The way you please have nothing better than doon drag off a man off the street and push him and beat him and people standing around and sniff him. Beat you, Mr. Gray.

2:01Or the same thing you might as well have. What am I doing here? What am I doing in a messy room with a detective and a girl with a sketch pad? Me, a man with two kids, an overworked wife, nagged at me when I'm late for supper, late for anything. Everything I ever got I sweat for. You hear me? Laker these, Mr. Gray. Yeah, miss. I'm in a seed store. See, I'm buying seeds for my lawn. My rose, which is a seed, you know, bigger on a rape. And I walk out in a man grand for me, makes me drop things in the street and he brings me here. Why? Tell me what crime I've committed. Can you tell me? You passed a bill in a bank early this afternoon, Mr. Gray. A thousand dollar bill. Where'd you get it? I got it. The bank said it was good, didn't they? And who had you have to stick your nose in? I got it. Romano sweats for everything he gets. How much sweat for that thousand, Mr. Gray? A bill that bank recognized from serial numbers is one from a five-year-old payroll robbery, where a pay messenger was murdered. How much sweat for it, Mr. Gray? You know, once you're talking about it, I bought it. I bought it from a man on 45th and Broadway.

3:03He said I could have it for $250. I laughed in his face. But you bought it, and so did you. Well, I laughed in his face at first. But when he said he'd go to the bank with me and proved to me, it was good. This man was he less chaining. I don't know who he was. I never saw him before. Maybe I can freshen it for you, Mr. Gray. Cheney was a man we believed responsible for the robbery and murder. We couldn't prove it, though. We never found the money. But he was sent up for a possession of narcotics. He's out now. Less cheney, sell you that bill. I don't know. Maybe it was him. I told you I never saw the man before. A thousand dollars, almost nothing. Wouldn't you have bought it? Let's pretend we're friends. You would have bought it. Miss Holland, here's an artist, Mr. Gray. She'll sketch a drawing while he describes the man who sold you the bill. Go ahead, Mr. Gray. Everybody, I thought she was drawing a drawing of me. Describe him? Well, describing. Well, he had kind of a thin, smirky face. Pinched nose, kind of washed out eyes.

4:03He was blue, I think. They bulged out a little bit. You getting that, man? Don't worry about her, Mr. Gray. She'll get it. You just go on. Well, his hat was kind of slouched down on his forehead. Any distinguishing marks like a scar, anything? No, no, there's no scar. I noticed he needed the shape, but then I guess they all do. That type, kind of a loose mouth, something like a bird dog. Yeah, that's it. The sad eyes and the kind of sniffin' around. Yeah, but that's all I remember. Now, what else do you want? Enough to go on, Miss Holland. Good. Call your wife, Mr. Gray. Tell her you'll be real late. We're holding you on suspicion. You do that? You do that after the way I cooperated? Oh, you'll shut me in and then you'll do it. You can't! You can't! Why you... Oh, my God. And watch the protest die in his throat. The shoulders slumped. His face fall apart and reassemble into shock. Myron Gray, citizen, family man, provider of wife and children

5:04and a lawn and rose bushes. There's suddenly a new identification. A name on a police blotter. Be held for further questioning and connection with the murder. So turn him over to the sergeant and the artist and leave. Routine now. Another reading of the records which concerned a five-year-old crime. Records still on the active file. And the name which dominates them is the name of Les Cheney. More records. Les Cheney had been released a month ago from prison and served five years of a seven-year sentence. Les Cheney, out on parole. So legwork now. Get the completed sketch and find an address and call on Les Cheney. Yes? Mr. Cheney. Who are you? Danny Clover, I'm from the police. Let him alone, will you? Les is out now. He's behaving. He's trying to get him a job. So let him alone. Mind if I come in?

6:04I'm not going to say no to a cop. Come in if you want. Drop dead on the sill if you want. I see you made it. You want to go back and go back? Where's Les Cheney? I told you. My husband's out. Job hunting. That's right. Step around the place. Pull down the wall bed. Look in the closet. You're a cop. Work at it. What makes you so better, Mrs. Cheney? Guys like you, cops like you, tore five years out of my husband's life. I got a thing about being married. I like to take care of my husband. I hum when I scramble an egg and no Les is going to eat it. I'm a woman who likes when the day is over and I got a husband near me. I missed it for five years. Your husband was in possession of narcotics when he was picked up. You're lying through your teeth. Guys like you, cops like you, planted that stuff on Les. It ate you how you couldn't pin a murder on him so you fixed him good. Listen to me. I want you to look at something, Mrs. Cheney. Listen to me, whatever your name is. I want you to hear it. I've been practicing it for five years worth a night. Hands behind the head.

7:04The position of the lonely people. This is what I want to say to you. Die. Run, don't walk and tell your friends to do likewise. You're all true. Tell them all you're here. Take a look at this picture, Mrs. Cheney. It's the sketch of a man who passed a thousand dollar bill. Have you ever seen this man? I never saw him. I'm going to save you a trip back. Les never saw him. Tell the less the police were around, Mrs. Cheney. And they'll be back. The cops on the beat too, whatever your name is. Don't forget to tell them too. Get out. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. Miss Elbe. It's just what your mum hopes you'd set up on the big cities. Don't you? Little Billow, nice part, Yonna. Emmer's for you and always for the... The T. is for the... H. Get lost, soldier. This man's a headier. That's right, son. You better take off.

8:05I'm a policeman. Benny and I have a little business to take care of. Hi, Benny. Sit down, Danny. Sit down. Brought to me, huh? You know, gentlemen, line up and prayed, selling sentimental pills for homesick soldiers. I'm doing my part, Danny. I have been, Danny. Ooh. Jandy, is anything? It's gonna help me out. Gee, I wish I could, Danny. But I, I, I swore off, you know, stored picking, Danny. I don't want it to be mom just last week and told her how nice I'm doing with poison, told her that I'm not putting it in. Yeah, yeah. Look at this, catch, Benny. Did you ever see this man before? I, yeah. I, I, I, I, I haven't got my glasses, Danny. Hold it up close. Mm-hmm. Did you ever see him? Never shot me. Don't look like that, Danny. I don't like it here. Man's been passing hot money. Kind of fit, huh? Uh-uh. From a messenger hold up and shooting murder. This guy? Did you ever see him? I just told you, Danny. I just said to you, you know, I don't tell them, I'm, I'm in chance. Oh come close in time. I never close in time. Tonight it is.

9:05I'm sick of no customers. I'm a customer. Yeah? To pay your check and leave, I'm going home. Come on, come on, come on, don't starve. The only reason they've served you in the first place was your flash to $20. You owed $4.60. I brought to the tunes. You know, afford to get a $20 bill, Benny. Oh, Danny. Danny, look. Danny. Danny, look. It's nine o'clock in it. Today at nine o'clock, many fans don't know about no leave. Clear my conscience and leave the old money thing behind. Where'd you get it? I'm glad for the opportunity to tell you, Danny. I heard about a guy he was selling hot dough. The old money thing got his ad wish and bought a $20 bill for Finn. The old money thing thought it was a conifit, not murder dough. Where'd you buy the $20 bill, Danny? I want you to honor him. I'm honored at the 14th Street, 6.07, first floor, all the way back. Well, good night to all.

10:21If you're looking for Sylvia, mister, she's not here. And I've searched everywhere. Under the bed, under the liquor bottle. Who are you? Just a lonely redhead looking for an old girlfriend. I lost somewhere in a bar one dim day long ago and far away. All of a sudden lonely me remembered Sylvia. Remembered she told me she lives here. Let's go inside, huh? I tell you the girl's not here. I guess you can come on in. Sylvia won't mind. Well, you're in. Do something. Say the kind word. I'm from the police. Who are you? John Carson will make a faithful and obedient servant have references. Say the kind word. No Sylvia lives here, Miss Carson. This room belongs to a man who's selling hot money. You heard about it and came to buy from him. You're greedy for easy money, Miss Carson. It's a proverb for the redhead's money comes easy, go easy. Who needs to walk the length of a grimy hall for it?

11:25Wait in an empty room for it. No one was here. Who let you in? A graceful movement of my soft, gainy hand. I knocked. No answer. I tried the knob of turns. Sylvia wasn't here. I thought to wait. How long you've been waiting? I have been waiting for a minute, a whole minute, maybe, before you knocked. That's the teenage voice on the front stool. They all know it's my answer. I'm at it, too, when they find the best. You don't know anything about the man who lives here. Don't around the look, Mr. Luck. But that be him, that walking death in the doorway. So that be him? He fell before I could get to him. Fell in the limp loose way of men who were already dead. His hands were wet with the flow of his blood where he held the bullet wound. His mouth shaped a word. Then it too was gone. The death wound of silence. This was what was left of a man whose picture I carried, who sold blood money to the rose fanciers to Pillow Salesman, who died for it, then murdered for it.

12:33You are listening to Broadway's My Be, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Every day of the year, the Red Cross is helping humanity somewhere. Servicemen rely on it. Disaster victims owe their lives to its prompt help. Communities everywhere know it's day by day services. All these countless ministries are financed by your contributions. Won't you answer the call to make this year's contribution larger than ever? When the trade winds blow in from the Hudson and springtime comes to Broadway, it's a season of rare enchantment. March is on its way out, and a few more excess on the calendar in its April. It's the time kid for weather talk, for baseball scores from sunny Florida, and

13:37bite your lip against the knowledge that Joe Damage won't be out there in centerfield anymore. But it's a good time. The man at the orange juice stand whistles while he puts the yearly coat of shellac in the coconut. The fella next to you, the coffee counter gives you half his newspaper. And the blonde you met last night calls you at the office and tells you not to be angry. So have a smile, kid. It's that time of the year. But it wasn't smile time where I was. It was the sodden room to be found at the end of all the sodden corridors in the world. The sand-colored walls enclosing the depth of a man, and standing beside him a girl, and beside him, another man, Detective Muggevin. Name's John Mooney, Danny. Here's his wallet. Let me have it. I'll take care of it. Look around, Muggevin. All right. All right, young lady, you said your name was Joan Carson, and you came here looking for a long lost friend. Look, Mr. This don't make any difference. A man comes home to die. I happen to be here where he lives. I came here looking for

14:37a friend. What friend? What difference does it make? What friend? What friend? Sylvia. Don't even remember last name. Know how you forget, sometime you pass by, and you say, I think Sylvia used to live here. Why don't I go in and find out how she is, you know? Sure, a friend of yours used to live here. No, I'm not sure. Street looks something like this in the house. Ask her, she's sure Sylvia lived in the art then. Don't worry about it, Muggevin. Just keep... Hey, Danny. Come here. Take a look. How much was taken in that robbery, Danny? 50,000. I made a contest and see how much it's missing. No. Miss Carson, come here a minute. Take a look at the money detected. Muggevin found this drawer. Close to 50,000 dollars. You can go now, Miss Carson. Muggevin. Uh-huh. Follow her. Then walk away from and walk the tired night streets of

15:39early spring. Here in there a window opened to it, the soiled curtain floating in the darkness, swaying to the dance, the night, this jocky calls in the unlighted room. Brush shoulders with a straggler who is angered because for an instant you made him lose his hurried way to know where then smiles his forgiveness because there at the end of the corner where the street lamp dims, he sees it. He'll find it again. And then the quiet street where your room is, where if you're lucky sleep waits to welcome you. When you first you must rid yourself of the image of a murdered man who sold money in grave good death. A girl with red hair who walked now or slapped or laughed. The shadow that mocked her was not her own. And sleep is diluted to these things. And finally sleep runs out. And at headquarters the next day make a phone call to Les Cheney for routine questioning. He told by his wife that he'd gone out to an interview for a job. Tell her when he came back to stay home

16:40you might be stopping by later on. Then it's noon. Your lunch hour is short because Danny Clover speaking. Mark of a Danny get down here the Charles Hotel West 12. You got some? Yeah. Dead redhead. But dead Joan Carson. Real dead. Let me through here. Let me through please. I'm from the police. Hey Danny. Medical examiner is taking care of. What happened, Mark? I thought I told you to follow her. Why do you think I'm here, Danny? Tell me what happened. I followed the girl home. That's where she went when she left that flea bag last night. She went to her apartment. Straight to her apartment. If she hadn't gone straight to her apartment this wouldn't be the story. I'm telling you would it. Go on. Straight to her apartment. At two in the morning I got flurry order relieved me. I went home straight home. Nine this morning just as the girl was leaving

17:43her apartment I relieved flurry. She went out to breakfast shop, made no phone calls and came back here about an hour ago for lunch. She came down here to the ladies lounge. I waited outside the door. About ten minutes later there was a scream. The attendant found the girl at a dressing table with a knife in her back. That's it. People coming in and going out okay okay. It's just this, Danny. This key. I found it in their bag. 607. It's John Mooney's room isn't it, Danny? Yeah, let me have it. See you around the sector. I hope I have chosen the correct moment, Danny. What are you talking about, you know? The moment of please disturb or the moment of please do not disturb. I took a flyer and chose the former. I hope I have not overstepped the bounds of a 12-year-old

18:44sergeancy. Such a better day, you know? The lot of a sergeant, Danny, all propaganda to the contrary, notwithstanding. The lack of said sergeant, after 12 years of faithful and obedient service is not a merry one. 12 years is a long way to go to the delicatessen for sandwiches for the boys. 12 years is sticking to nose and the dust be files and you don't get your promotion, do you know? Promotion. The same stale crumb are you off towards to the patient strain to the breaking point, Mrs. Dothaglia. It is her comment I just quoted. Promotion. Little go through one of these days, do you know? My promise not to flip the lid while waiting. Don't work on any of your words. My burden. My refuge. I, and then less channy wants to suspect the thief and murder in that payroll robbery of some years former. He is still not come home. He is still at lodge, violating his parole no doubt. Do you like his mixed up in this, you know? It matters to anyone what a 12-year-old

19:46sergeant thinks. Let's proceed, shall we? What do you want, you know? And then John Mooney deceased by murder that he was a pickpocket whose name was inscribed as such in our archives statically from the moment of the laying of the cornerstone. The key to his room was in Joan Carson's purse where Muggen found it. What? Just tell me what you got on Joan Carson. I was coming to her, Danny. Sorry. It's one of the wounds that leave no apparent scars. How you hire up never- I said I was sorry, do you know? Accepted. And then Joan Carson alleged murder of Mooney, a girl also with a record of possession of narcotics. What? In the month of October, the year 1943, picked up in her apartment, together with one less chainy by the narcotics boys. Sentence served the year on the island. With less chainy, the same chain. They're very sane. I am the smist lieutenant. Well, do you know? I hope I have been of some service. Good day lieutenant and good hunting. Danny, I didn't mean it.

20:52It's not you. It's the other- You did good, Gene. Real good. This is Tartaglia. He'll be proud of you. Go home, tell her. Oh, you're Danny Clover, aren't you? That's right, less chainy. I've been waiting for you almost all day. Here he is, Ruthie. I told us to wait for you so get it over with quick. Ruth doesn't mean it. Less your parole papers say you have to be polite to cops. Show me where it says about the hat in the hands and the bowing. Ruthie. I waited five years for a man to come back. Look what came back. What's the matter with you, Lessie? You know who he is? One of the brave boys who planted a envelope of narcotics on you. Ruthie,

21:53they didn't do that. I told you they didn't do it. I violated a law and I was caught. Yeah, the memorize that speech, Less? You always had a poor memory. What made it stick, brass knuckles? Don't mind her, Mr. Clover. What can I do for you? You read the papers to see how we finally found that money that was stolen and that hold up you were involved in five years ago? I can't go along with you on that, Mr. Clover. I was never involved in a hold up. My error. The one we picked you up for. The one you couldn't make stick. Sure, I admit it. My car was used as a getaway car, but it had been stolen from me. And you couldn't prove otherwise so you planted the narcotics on him. Why are you talking to him, Less? Because I have to, Ruthie. Don't mind, Mr. Clover. That's right. Let's get back to that money, Less. I don't understand why we have to get back to anything. Humour me, huh? Yes, I have to do that, too, Donna. We found it in a man's room. The man's name was John Mooney and he had a record as being a pickpocket. Ruthie and I were discussing that a while ago. Less read it to me out of

22:57the paper and I clocked. I was wondering how he got that money, Less. I wouldn't know. I'll tell you how I figured he got the money. He was a pickpocket, so he picked somebody's pocket. All that, Donna. You had a good debt? Not really. He got killed for it. So he didn't have a good day. Go argue with a cop. We know who killed John Mooney. I said, all right. All right. Oh, girl. Ma'am, John Carson. She killed him someplace near his hotel. Took his key went to his room to look for the money. I found her there. Clover, Ruthie's missed me for five years and I only been out of money. It's like we were married all over again. Let me spend my evenings with Ruthie. It's lonely to take a little while. The thing that bothered us less was who John Carson was and how she knew where to find the money. You know who she was. You tell me, Mrs. Cheney. You tell him, Less. Tell him. It's you. I want to know her, Mr. Clover. Long time ago. I know a lot of addicts

24:00a long time ago. But still bothers us, Less. How she knew where the money was. We couldn't find it for five years. How do I know what she knew? You're in jail for five years. We never saw a dollar that fifty thousand that was stolen. You get out and start circulating. You still want to pin it on him, huh? Let me tell both of you how it all ties together. You did commit that robbery and murder, Less. Somewhere the money was hidden. You get out, get the money, take it someplace to get rid of it at a discount. Why is boy like you? Gets his pocket pick. Then the money starts showing. I don't think you're going to prove it this time either, Clover. That's what held me up so long, Less. Bright boy like you gets his pocket pick. I couldn't believe it, but I had to come back to it. Like I said, you still need proof. Maybe you're right. We've still got another problem. Problem how are we going to get your wife to admit she killed Joan Carson? How are we going to do that, Less? Good kid. Get him out of your life. Wait a minute. Clover, how do you figure Ruthie kills you? How'd you figure it, Less? You figure it? Ruthie. You need help,

25:05Less? Yeah. Yeah, help me. Your wife kept that fifty thousand for you while you were in jail. Didn't she hit it someplace? They get in there. See what happens. You crazy, Less. Yep. One Clover, take it from there. You got out, you gave your wife that money, then you lost it. What did you tell your wife when you lost it? I told her I lost it. Lost it. Lost it to that red head. I killed it, didn't you? Didn't you? Listen to me, Less. No, you listen to me. That's what I told you. That money was stolen. The pick pocket recognized me and called me and tried to sell it back to me. I didn't have any money to buy it. And you said that red head for it. Why didn't she send me? Because I'm not beautiful anymore after waiting for you. Because I don't dip my head in henna. Because I don't own a slip that's not afraid. Look what she did to you. She crossed your killed and was going to keep that money for herself. No, she wasn't. She was going to come back to me. Oh, no. Oh, no, Less. Not her. Not Miss Joan Carful. I took care of that. Killed her. Killed her, Less. Followed her and killed her. For you, for the past

26:10five years. For the years you were going to make up to me. For the years I lie there with my hands behind my head. Just to me, Less. To no one else. Let's dip over. Yes. Take us away together. Twilight lies against Broadway like gray speckled gauze ripples off into another world. The street of the hurry up steps, the fast questions, the dances, the seekers after the special smile. And you walk it because once Broadway touched you, you can't rub it off. It's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the loansomest mile in the world,

27:19Broadway, my beat. Broadway is my beat, stars Larry Thor as detective Danny Clover with Charles Calvert Astrataglia and Jack Krushin as Muggevin. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. Musical score was composed by Alexander Courage and conducted by Modern Skiles. In tonight's story, Charlotte Lawrence was heard as Ruth and Anthony Barrett as Less, featured in the cast where Georgia Ellis, Howard McNair, and Leo Cleary. That's so sure old man. That's so sure old man and most everyone else in his generation a name is an Andy fan. And the beauty of their comedy is that it's just as funny, just

28:23as fabulous, just as fresh as when Amos and Andy first stole America's heart 23 years ago. Tomorrow night on most of these same CBS radio stations, listen and laugh with Amos and Andy. Phil Anders speaking. And remember Robert Q's wax works brings you the top records and recording artists on the CBS radio network.