The Medium Rare Matter - Johnny Dollar | 10/08/1961 (Ep761)

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1:03Johnny Dollar. I am my father's spirit. What? Doom for a certain term to walk tonight. Oh, good for you. And for the days confined to fasting fires. How about that? Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature are burnt and perched away. Bravo, Mr. Shakespeare. Now, why don't you just relax and enjoy it? I wish I could, Johnny. This is Jack Price down here in Corpus Christi. I thought I recognized those pear-shaped tones. How are you, Jackson? I fear, fear. Why the long-winded quote from Act One of Hamlet? Tell me, Johnny. Do you believe in ghosts? Are you kidding? Not a bit. Because a lot of innocent people down here in Corpus are beginning to. You are kidding. No, sir. How come? Because of a so-called psychic medium who's moved in on us. A medium? He's been holding sea ounces or whatever you call him and making with the clear white spit. He's a rare one, Johnny. Now, which is a Jack? Rare, medium, or maybe well done? Well, the act he puts on is well done, all right. But what you worry about him? He's cost us money.

2:03How? Come on down here, Johnny. I'll give you the story and you can get to work on him, okay? All right, Jackson. Why not? The CBS Radio Network brings you a Mandel Kramer in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense accounts submitted by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar, to try Western life insurance company office in Corpus Christi, Texas. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the medium rare matter. Expense account item one, 132.15 for a cab to Bradley Field and plane fare to Corpus Christi.

3:11Item two is a buck 35 for the airport and is into the Robert Driscoll hotel where I got myself a room parked my luggage for walking over to Jack Price's office in the cat's building. I bet you're a tickled pink together away from that corridor in the winter weather. It's the truest thing you've ever said, Jackson. How are you? Oh, fit to be tied, Johnny. I'm on the kind of this so-called psychic medium. Oh, sit down, I'll tell you all. All right. Tell me don't the police around here kind of frown on such? This one is the pony, isn't it? Sure is. But somebody's got to prove it and put them out of business. Johnny, there are a lot of people who believe in spiritualism. But when a ranked charlatan like this comes along, I mean- Let's face it, Jack, you find them all over. They ought to be locked up, but they're usually too smart. Now, let's have the story. Well, first off, the operates out beyond the city limits. That's why our corpus Christi police are helpless. Yeah. His name is Udi Vishnu. Vishnu? At least that's the name he uses. You asked me that Hindu or whatever it is accent he uses as a touch of Brooklyn in it.

4:12No, phony, phony, phony, but continue to fall for him. Knowledge of the past, present, and future, mind reading, message from the dead. Fui, you really don't like him then. He's already cost us money. Unless you can stop him, he'll cost us a lot more. I've seen a lot of other people. And that means a lot of heartbreak, too. Don't tell me that he makes a charge for his meetings, say ounces would ever want to call him too smart. He'd be up against the laws on fortune telling. Now, Johnny, all he takes is contributions. There's no law against that. Just wear and how it is the operate. A few miles out south, Staples Street. You remember the place they call Ranch 66? Wasn't that a gambling joint among other things? Now that they prefer to call it a roadhouse. Anyhow, on a side road, ways beyond Ranch 66 is a little theta that's been empty for years. And now, all decked out in fresh paint. With Anufa Sahib, it's Udi Vishnu's temper of the living truth.

5:14And Johnny, every single night of the week, that place is packed with the poor suckers who think he's some kind of a new product. He must be good. He is. He's great. And brother, you should see the money they lay on the drum. Plenty, isn't it? Right. Including proceeds from the insurance policies they've been cashing in. So that's where it hurts. You bet it does. We've made a big thing over the years of ensuring the little guy. The one that some of the big companies don't want to bother with. Policies for we are grand or two. You know what you see, Johnny? Those are the people who need that insurance. And you've got to stop him. Well, Jackson, I don't know. You've got to, Johnny, before any more of these people get hurt. Every single night they're out there, sheling out that door to hear his glorified magic act. People from all over this part of the country. Oh? Yeah. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, wherever he's carefully planted his literature. At least that brings some extra money into this thriving city of Corpus Christi. Wrong. I forgot to tell you, the suckers don't know it,

6:17or if they do, they don't care. But he also owns a big old hotel. It just happens to be only a block away from his temple. It's always jammed with his followers. This thing's been going on for over a month now. So he's really cleaning up, but mostly, of course, on the contributions. I don't know, Jack. I mean, if he's committing any actual crime, I think he is. What do you mean? What sort of crime? Murder. Murder? Yeah. He's been getting his people in his con... Well, his followers, to name him as the beneficiary of the insurance. Not the temple, Johnny, but him. Oh? Yeah, and listen, go ahead. In the last two weeks, for no apparent reason. And remember that? Yeah. Two of our clients, both of them in good health, but neither of them wealthy or anything like that. Yeah, going. For no apparent reason, they've been murdered. And the murders are unsolved. And you think this... Ooty Vishnu did it?

7:19Now, we don't know, he's too smart. But knowing his influence over followers, their fanaticism, the way that some of them do anything for him. And I mean anything, Johnny, you even murder. Well, what do you think? Do you want to look into it? Looks like somebody better done than... Good. Not just how do you plan to start your investigation of this phony mystic, this Ooty Vishnu? Well, it seems to me, Jack, that it might be smart to go on out there to his temple and catch his act. That's what I thought. So here, you better have this. What's this? An mission ticket. You mean you have to have a reserved seat? Sure do. And here you are, a row-age seat number 43. Well, I thought you said there was no time. Well, there isn't. But you have to have a ticket, or you'll never get in. Funny. And most of my hand it out there at the temple of the living true hotel. And just to make it look good, some of the small hotels and motels on the edge of town are given a few dockets too. I see him. Anyhow, if you want to go to night here.

8:20Okay, Jackson. Thanks. Item $3.50 deposit on a rental car. Of a time I'd got it and going back to the Robert Driscoll, a freshen up. Well, item 4 is $6.80 for a cocktail and a leisurely dinner. The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are built to keep going. Blending rugged muscle with precision engineering all supported by Toyota's time-tested legacy of dependability. Step into a Tundra and feel the unyielding capability with the available iForce Max engine. Tundra puts out impressive power, torque, and towing performance and the roomy high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the go. Or take a look at Tacoma made for drivers who push past the path. Agile, tough and relentless with available features like crawl control, portable JBL speaker, a power lift gate, so gear goes in fast and the adventure keeps moving. The Tacoma and Tundra are engineered to endure season after season, mile after mile. So drive one home today, visit toyota.com

9:20or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more Toyota. Let's go places. Then I drove out to the temple of the living truth. Literally scores of people were standing around and hanging to be let in. But those with tickets for reserved seats were admitted and remember that, reserved seats. The audience, rather the auditorium, held something over 100 people. And the house was packed. The wide shallow stage was hung with gray velvet drapes and was bare, except for sort of a reading stand or lectured. There were steps leading from the audience to stage center. And Jack had been right. Most of the people gathered there looked like where they poor folks. They're very kind, most likely to be taken in by this self-styled mystic. My ticket stub said the service would start at 8.30 at exactly 8.27, the lights were slowly dimmed, except for a blue spotlight that's shown on the lantern and on the steps that led up to it.

10:21And from somewhere came the recorded music of an organ. Low, haunting, mysterious sound. The crowd grew silent. They all leaned forward, expectedly. And then at 8.30 on the nose from one side of the stage into the spotlight, glided, who do you wish to? I'll say this for him. He cut a mighty impressive figure. He was tall, with curly chestnut hair and a smart short beard. Brown eyes that were said deep in their sockets, but that almost seemed to glow in the spotlight. His stace rather pale and worn like that of someone who was suffered. He wore a long gray robe bound in the middle by a cord that looked like gold. It reached to the tips of his old colored sandals. His hands were reasonably artist with long, slim fingers and barely gracefully curved as he gave the sign of a blessing. He simply stood there for a moment. His eyes raised upward,

11:23as a soft almost imperceptible sigh passed through the crowd. Then he lowered his hand and the music died out. As he looked out over the crowd, I realized that there was something almost magnetic in that gaze of his almost hypnotic. Believed me. Whatever it was, this man had it. And do you believe, believe the lead, and do you believe in me? And do you know that I, and I alone possess the infinite knowledge, of all things then and now and forever? Then you know my children, that through me, you too can be possessed of supernormal,

12:23supernatural powers can share my unification with the omnipotent consciousness that rules the cosmic destiny of all mankind. My power with the supreme intelligence and you can gain psychic powers beyond belief. Know all things about all people. Now these tremendous forces lie dormant within you, they must be aroused and developed as only I can show you how. If you will uphold me, not only in world the things, but in things spiritual. If you will believe, believe in me, and show me that you believe, your lives will be successful, full and complete. Yes. You know this. Yes.

13:24Then be silent. As I close my eyes, as I concentrate on someone here, I have never seen before. But who will be the first tonight to be relieved of all worldly cares? Who is one of the elect to share with me, the... Yes. Yes, I see no a number. The number. Eight. Four. One. It's me. That's my ticket. My seat number. Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. but see, it's the number of my seats. Yes, I see this, but you know what I mean. They change my child that I must be. Oh, I'm sorry. In the eye of my mind, there comes a vision, not. A form in Oklahoma near the town of El...

14:30El... El... El... El Rino... Ooh! And a little girl perhaps 10 years old, her name is Mara. That's my name. Marker Winter. And with her a little dog. The dog. The dog she was not supposed to have. She never told her mother. His name was Skipper. Skipper. I don't want to garden. Then, mouth or school. And, miss Olga. My teacher. But how could he know? Yes. We'll own her mouth at the side. Not to run away from home. It's true. And now, when she got the cord. To come here, to see me.

15:32But, she left the car. And Olga. It's blue. He's right. He's right. For three. You seven. Four. One. That's the license number. But, but it's back in Oklahoma. Are you here, Mark? Yes. Yes. All you said is true. And do you believe? Yes. Do you all believe? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You are not there to wait for two hours. Telling people there in the audience all about themselves. Names, places, dates. Indiment things about their faraway homes. Their childhood friends. Events in their lives that they themselves had almost forgotten. Believe me, it was impressive. And very convincing. And when he promised eternal, supernatural help for all those who would help him.

16:33Brother, you should have seen the money pouring the collection baskets. After it was over in a crowd outside, I talked with those people to find out how he had learned so much about them. But they'd only arrived that very day that morning. And more important, not one of them had told anyone, not anyone of the personal things that he had known. Who could blame them then for believing him? And for believing in him? And for going on back to their farms or whatever convinced that thanks to him, all their troubles were over and forever. And the next night will be another, a fresh mob there, to shove out their money for his phony promise of supernatural help. But how to stop him? You know the only way, of course. Do I jack sure? Somehow prove to those followers of his how he actually does get all that information about him. But it's pretty fantastic, isn't it? He's never seen him before, doesn't even have any way of knowing they're gonna be there. Yeah, he's mighty convincing. And what he does is just plain impossible. But until you or I or somebody can duplicate his act,

17:34then tell him it's all a phony. But how? Even Houdini or Thurston or Blackstone or any other magician would have to take a back seat to this punk. Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Jackson. Gal, reserved seats. Huh? And one of those names you mentioned a magician. Years ago when he set out to expose the phony media. What are you talking about? In all the big cities where he played New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, all the big towns. But this one, this Udi Vishnu plays to the country folks who couldn't have known about that magicians' expose. Look, will you please tell me, Jackson, I think I can do it. Yeah. Get some tickets for tonight's performance and drag in all the state of county authorities, whoever has jurisdiction, all of them that you can. Also somebody from one of the new services. What are you gonna do, Johnny? See if I can prove once and for all that this big mystic is just one big mistake. The next few hours were about the busiest I ever spent. First of all, through a contact there in Corpus Christi, whose name I have better not mention.

18:34I got the answer to the one key question in my mind. A amount of the latest monthly phone bill paid by the Temple of the Living Truth Hotel. Then on the excuse that I wanted a reservation to the night, I paid a visit to the hotel. Needless to say, all the rooms were taken, but I sneaked a good long look at the register and sure enough, beside the name of each guest were the two things I needed to know, home address and ticket number for the night's meeting. Only let's call it performance now. Then back in town, I ran up item four, $121 in telephone calls. I know, a lot of calls, but very necessary ones. Then, I don't know where and how Jackson got the tickets, but did. And there in the audience where this were six or seven state and county cops, out of uniform and looking fresh off the farm, and two reporters from the national news services. Again, the house was full, again, the dim lights and organ music again, the opening preliminaries. Do you believe? We do believe. And do you believe in me?

19:35We do believe. And do you know? Our own possesses the infinite knowledge. Yes, we know. Of things then and now. And forever. Yes, yes, yes. Then when he had him in the mood. And again, I said it was pretty impressive. Then he began his demonstration. He was every bit as good as he'd been the night before. By the end of an hour, he had them with him all the way. Finally, came the break that I'd been waiting for when he called out one of the numbers on the list that I had compiled. And I see another number in the eye of my mind. Number, L, 1, 3. It's my seat number. Then listen my brother. Where I tell you of the wondrous things I know through the psychic powers that have been granted me.

20:40That have made you one of the... No, let me tell him. Wait. Wait. Be silent my children. And who are you? I was here last night. Don't you see you've inspired me the same powers that you have? The same powers? Listen to me. Listen to me. Seat number, L, 1, 3. Have you ever seen me before? No. No, I haven't. Wait. My children. Or have I ever seen you before? But that doesn't keep me from knowing all about you. Please. I'm saying kind of trickery that this Ooty Vishnu has been using on you. Do not listen to him. Number, L, 1, 3. Your name is Martin Meppard. You came from Cotton Valley, Louisiana. Car license number, C, F, U, 1, 6, 0. You're a cummer's helper, right? Yes. No, no. He has to give. He has to give.

21:40He has to give. You know these do not listen to this matter. You're an effort. You walk with a limp because you broke your leg when you were six years old. And Tommy Parking shoved you out of a train. True. Do not listen to this matter. Your future in the first grade, Miss Brewster. She promised you a book if it stopped chewing your nails. Is that a fact? Yes. Have you no alcohol in the cell? I know by the same trick this crook has been used. I've chilled it. Seat number, L, 1. This is Nathan Tari. Your maiden name was Wilma Leonard. You were born in African. You went away to Austin when you were 14 and a little secret in your life. Well, listen. I'll tell you. No, no. Stop this man. Stop it. Stop it. By the time I got through telling some of those people, stuff that even Ooty Vishnu hadn't found out about them, and some of it was pretty personal. They fairly tore the place apart. Then when Ooty dragged a gun from under his robes

22:40to protect himself and pulled off a couple of shots, well, then the police won't do it. As for the radio newspaper story, it followed. Well, believe me, Ooty Vishnu's real name turned out to be Bernie Buhrick. Won't try that, Capric. And even if he does get out of a pen. But you still haven't told me how you got all that dope on those people. And an only amount of hours, John. Same way he did, John. And so I put pretty into that stuff too. And stuff they couldn't have told you because they'd forgotten about it. What's more, you'd never see them before. How, John? The tickets were free, but all the seats were numbered. Reserved. Now, there had to be a reason, Jackson. That's what reminded me the famous magician, the trick that he'd used up in New York. Yeah. He'd call the ticket agency to Hotel. Find out the name of the dress of a guest who bought a ticket to his show. Well, down here, of course. All I had to do was look at the register. Right there at the temple of the living truth hotel. Or which will soon be out of business, I promise you. All right. Having seat number name and home address, I got on the phone. That Mr. Martin Mepford, from Cotton Valley, Louisiana, I called the police chief there and the mayor. On the information they gave me, I called his old school teacher, two cousins, a couple of boyhood bals and old girlfriend.

23:41Jackson, by the time I got through, I knew more about him. He did about himself and the same with the others. That'll help it darn. So, that's that. You certainly proved your point. Point? Big mistake? No. Big mistake. Whether they can pin the two murders on him, the jack told me about remains to be seen. That's up to the authorities, not on my hands now. Expense counter, four sixty-five thirty. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Now, here is our star to tell you about next week's story. Next week, a nice quiet little town in South Jersey that doesn't stay that way for long. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar is written by Jack John Stone. Now, here is our star to tell you about next week's story. Next week, a nice quiet little town in South Jersey that doesn't stay that way for long. Johnny Dollar is written by Jack John Stone, produced and directed by Bruno Zerato Jr.

24:42who is used to supervision by F.O. Hubert. Johnny Dollar is played by Mandel Choir. Each and in our cast were Maurice Tocklin as Jack Price, Dan Ako as Odie Vishnu, Evelyn Juster as the first woman, Bill Lipton as Martin Mephard, Tony D'Arne as the second woman, also heard in our cast were Guy Rep and Sam Raskin. Be sure to join us next week, same time, same station for another exciting story of yours truly, Johnny Dollar, art and a speaking. A number one network for news, expanded CBS News on the CBS Radio Network.