Broadway's My Beat, from Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway's My Beat, with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. When the summer melts into August, Broadway suddenly stops in the middle of a step, considers what happened to the springtime dreams to be fulfilled in July at the very latest. What of the snapshot of the girl in your wallet, the one you met at Coney last month, who wore sea spray in her hair, whose cheek was warm with sun and your cheek, the one who liked the old songs best? She's back to work again, handing ship clocks to an auctioneer on 42nd Street, and looking brassy and winking at the crowd. And she didn't even recognize you. So walk alone the August night, and it hits you. Another summer's rushing away. And downtown, east from Broadway, 16 stories high into the night and above the river, apartments and Detective Muggerman and woman. I'm all right, I tell you. I'm sure you are, Mrs. Webb. We've been trying to tell you. I'm as right as I'll ever be. And I'll tell you exactly how it happened. You've already told us, Mrs. Webb, three times. Listen, you. Go in and see how he is, Muggerman. Drunk. Your husband got this loaded off of Mrs. Webb? After what just happened, you talk to me like that. Go look at him, Muggerman. Thank you, Mr. Clover. Mr. Muggerman. If you ran a cold bath for my husband and saw that he got in it, that would be nice. That's a good idea, Muggerman. Very good. Very, very good. Thank you very much, Mrs. Webb. Now, may I tell you, Mr. Clover? Of course. I was sleeping. My husband wasn't home. I thanked my stars he came home when he did. Just tell me what happened. I was sleeping and dreaming. And in my dream, I couldn't breathe. Not all at once, but gradually in my dream, I couldn't breathe. And you know how it is. I told myself this was a dream and I could wake up any time I wanted to. All right. Just take it easy, Mr. Wiggett Longfong. Now, what are you doing? I did a go and- Finish the story, Mrs. Webb. I knew I could waken any time I wanted and breathe. And then the part came in this dream when I told myself to do it, to wake up. And when I did, I couldn't breathe after all. Someone was holding a pillow over my face. And that's when your husband walked into your room. And scared off my attacker. Who ran out of the window and down that fire escape and- Hey, now, be a good guy. I don't need all this. In your door. Danny! You wait here, Mrs. Webb. I know. You won't hurt him. Don't worry. How are you feeling, Mr. Webb? I'm not drunk. I'm not drunk anymore. It's great. Great, great. Turn off the water, Muggerman. You see who tried to smother your wife? Sure. The guy who held a pillow over her face and ran when I became a hero. Lieutenant Meese, did you recognize the man? Could you identify him if you saw him again? Nope. Nope, nope. Nope, nope, nope. All right, slide under this nice cold water, Mr. Webb. It's lambla clay ahead. Maybe we can get some scents. Oh, I'm okay. What do I have to do to prove that I'm not loaded? Just give us a coherent story of what happened. Coherent you want? I was coherent enough to call a night manager when it happened, wasn't I? I'm not drunk, I tell you. No more shock like that. So was the guy. I'll tell you the truth, Mr. Webb. We honestly don't know whether you're drunk or not. A few minutes ago, I'd say, yeah. Did you try to smother your wife with a pillow, Mr. Webb? Want me to pour you in here and we can talk about it? Just say, yeah, you tried to kill your wife and I'd be happy to join you. We'll check. Listen. Uh-huh. You're going to find out anyhow. There's no secret to it. I'm... Well, there's another woman. Is that how you say it? When you came home and decided to kill your wife. Listen, I came home and became a hero. A guy, a burglar, I guess. I came home and scared him. See, he ran down the fire escape. It's... Mr. Clover. Your husband's all right, Mrs. Webb. Is the window closed in there? Night air and he catches cold so easily. I didn't notice. If it's open... Close it. All right. And don't pay any attention to him. Oh? About Helen. Is that the woman he's going with? Oh, Joe's a child. He doesn't know what he wants. You'll get over it. Just don't think what happened tonight had anything to do with Helen and Joe or anything like that. I'll see that the window is closed, Mrs. Webb. What did my wife say? That she knew about Helen. See? Uh, how about I get dressed now, fellas? I want to talk to Helen. That would be Helen French now. I'll tell you where to find it. How about I get dressed now? Well, thank you very much. And the ministering now to a sobering drunk. I'll make you some coffee, honey, black coffee. And later, the gentle concern for the welfare of a hero. And you must lie down, Joe. I'll help. And an arm for the hero. And lips pressed tentatively to a hero's brow. Get the coffee, gentlemen. And her hand trails across his cheek, stops for a furtive touch to his mouth. And she leaves the room. And while she's gone, the nod to Muggervan, which has in it, handle it, report it, check with me later, and leave where the almost death was. Hit the August street and the swelter of it. And on the way to the squad car, the current of soft talk and whispering for the night dwellers of the stoop, broken and sent eddying into night drift by your passage. The squad car. And wave the sleepless kids away from it. And the ride up town then, through stilling streets, through loomings of dark piles of concrete and stone, black against dark of night sky. And east then, in an apartment house where a girl lives, and who shrugs thin shoulders of police and of the lateness of night. It doesn't bother me. I was awake anyhow. Then you won't mind if I... Why should I? It's hot. I couldn't sleep anyhow. We're playing things on the radio and... you want to come in? It's all right with me if you want to come in. Thanks. It's cooler over there by the window, if you care for that sort of thing. I'll move a chair over. Oh, this is all right. Thanks. Suit yourself. Miss French, you... Nice, they got music to go with it when you can't sleep. Isn't it nice? Real nice. Don't you want to know why I'm here, Miss French? You'll tell me. You can suit yourself when? It's about a man named Joe Webb. About a man named Joe Webb. And his wife. And about the wife of a man named Joe Webb. Mr. and Mrs. Webb. That's what it's about, huh? Gee, imagine. Because someone tried to kill Mrs. Webb tonight. Someone held a pillow over her mouth while she slept and... Joe did that? Joe tried to suffocate her? I didn't say that. No, then what did you say? Suit yourself what you're trying to say to me. Mrs. Webb told it this way. She said she was asleep and dreaming. And then she woke and someone had a pillow over her mouth and her husband came in just then and frightened to kill her away. My. Did Joe tell it that way, too? Yes. That makes him maybe something of a hero? That's what he said. And his wife agreed with him? Yes. My, my, my. What a night I'm living. It's got music to it. It's got talk of heroes. My, my, my. Miss French, I... Who told you about me? Joe or the wife he saved from a pillow? They both did. This is a very cozy world we live in, isn't it? You ever notice it, Mr. Clover? How long have you known Joe Webb? Long enough. Been in love with you? How am I supposed to answer that? Answer it. You saw his wife. You saw Vera. You get a good look at her. Yeah. You figure it. You suit yourself with Joe in love with me. And you? Me? Uh-huh. I want to show you something. This is a picture in a silver frame. It's a snapshot of a young man. Young man on the beach at Far Rockaway. He's wearing a sweatshirt. But underneath it, his shoulders are big and real strong. He lifts things, weights. Early this summer on the beach, he lifted me like I was a puff of wind. His name is Don, Don Cullen. And he's the man you're in love with, not Joe. Don is the man, not Joe. From early summer. And Joe... Joe knows about it. I told him again tonight. I told him it's the last time I'm going to tell you, Joe, and it's the last time I'm going to tell you why, Joe. Then I told him why. Tell me, too. Sure. I need a man. If I'm going to love somebody, it's going to be a man. He's got big shoulders. Maybe when I'm not real nice to him like he wants, he'll toss me around a little, slap me maybe. Then let me cry on his knee like a little girl. That's who I love. Don. But one more thing. When was Joe here? Early tonight. When it looked like rain for a while, I brushed him quick because Don was coming. Then Joe left, then Don came, then Don left. You noticed I couldn't sleep after. Yeah. Well, thanks, Miss French. I'll be... Wait a minute. You going to see Joe Webb again? Maybe. Tell Joe he forgot his raincoat, hanging in my closet. Tell him to suit himself about when he wants to come back for it. Oh, what do you know? Now I feel sleepy. No more night left to sleep in. Nighty night, Mr. Clover. And outside now, in the dawn sounds, awakening of sleepless city, trembling and stir of earth to onrush and flow of subway, distant morning crow of tugs in harbor, and the still soft gathering of the big scream, and move quickly through it to where room is in bed in the wall, release it, turn it down, lie where sleep waits, and hit the dream just ahead of the million-throated roar. The next day at headquarters, early afternoon of next day, where job is, and Detective Muggerman... I wanted to let you sleep a little while longer, Danny. That's why I didn't put a call through to your house. I was thoughtful of you, Muggerman. I have my moments. That girl you questioned last night, Danny, that Helen French... What about her? What kept you up so late, made you sleep through the morning, huh? Questioning her like you had to? Yeah, that was why. What about her, Muggerman? She's not going to give you trouble like that anymore. She's dead, Danny. What? Came in an hour ago. Helen French is dead. Somebody beat her to death, Danny. You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Americans have always been noted for their know-how, and you young men in search of a career, you can put this practical talent to excellent use in one of our nation's many engineering schools. At the present time, we need engineers. We need them to maintain our scientific and engineering superiority. So look to your future, to America's future. Plan now to become an engineer. The Swift gust of August wind, swift, gone now from Broadway. And in its wake, banners of heat set to shimmering and crop of golden girls from out of town set to shimmering. Also, slight distortion of August ballad, dripped from the throats of loudspeakers, funneling after the brief wind, scratch and warp of the August songs, which makes of the man tilting with a shop window mannequin a summer dance. And note that her bare and waxen shoulders are melted slightly and soft from persistent sunnings, and the man must be careful not to press too hard, else the contour will change. Note, too, farther down the street, high adventure to be had in three dimensions and before the prices change. So why regret? Why the longing? It's a world to itself, a whole complete total world. And at headquarters, another dimension explored to the droning of an electric fan that has for its primary substance the beating to death of a young woman. We'll have Dr. Siskis report in a little while, Danny. He said on the phone he's working on it. But... But what, Muggerman? I was gonna say, he can Latin and Greek it up all he wants to it. Still come out, Helen French was beaten to death with a fist. That's what I was gonna say. Him and the lab. Now you. Now I what? Well, now you've made it seem hardly worth the trouble. You want to go somewhere and sit a while, Muggerman, refresh yourself, then come back and tell me about it? Oh, I feel just grand. The fan you got here and all. I'll tell you now if you want. Do it, huh? Well, the call came in a homicide, like I told you, a little over an hour ago. They were on duty, so they gave it to me. I went. I found this Helen French on the floor. She had bruises on her face, her throat, temples. She was dead. I questioned the tenants in her building. They said they heard her scream once and didn't think anything about it. A little while later she screamed again and kept screaming. So somebody ran to her phone, yelled to the police. Somebody upstairs was getting killed. So that's how. Danny! Danny, long time no see. Danny, Danny, Danny. Welcome back, Gino. And to you also, Detective Muggerman. Hello. Yeah, I talked to you earlier. Remember, Gino, I asked you... We will come to that, Detective Muggerman. Well, what have you got to say for yourself, Danny? You had a nice time on your vacation, Gino? Yeah, he had a nice time. He chewed my ear off for half an hour. Detective Muggerman, please, if you don't mind, it was my vacation. Well, tell me about it, Gino. Well, you know where I went, me and Mrs. T? The Cousin Kendall. My unpleasant cousin in Baltimore. Turns out his boy, his son, who was only up to here when I was last in his city, and is here on me now, his boy Chad, the time that Chad showed us, you wouldn't think he was chipped from the same block as Cousin Kendall. That Chad. If not for him... You had a good time, huh? No, thanks to Cousin Kendall. But to his son, a regular whippersnapper of a youth, him and his crab cakes. That Chad. Now I can ask you, Gino. Of course. Danny, Danny, Danny. That photograph I brought back from Helen French's apartment, did you take it? As indeed I have. Here with Danny, a blow up from the photo lab of the snapshot Detective Muggerman brought from the apartment of Helen French. Herewith, for you. That's the one she showed me of her boyfriend, Don Cullen. Uh huh, yeah. I wanted you to see it blown up, Danny. That lettering on his sweatshirt, you know, it's too blurred to read in the snapshot. This way you can make it out. It says, uh, gothics. Hmm, yeah, it says gothics. What does it... When I find out, I'll let you know what it means. Maybe who and where Don Cullen is. Meanwhile, I got something else for you. You're really chock full today, aren't you, Danny? Oh, I get days like that, yeah. You. Yeah, you, Barney. Come in here. This is Barney Lefler, Danny, a cavy. Barney? Lieutenant Clover. Hi, Danny. Pleased to meet you. Hi, Barney. Hey, the fan feels good. All right, tell the lieutenant what you told me a little while ago, Barney. Tell him just like you told me. Yeah, yeah, I figured I ought to tell somebody, Danny. I figured I ought to... Just tell the lieutenant, huh, Barney? All right, yeah, sure. Happened this morning, like I told him. I was cruising up West 38th, you know, just cruising down a fair. Go on. Well, in the middle of the block there's a big McGillar, you know, crowd, squad cars, cops, sirens, the whole thing, you know. So I haven't got a fair, so I stopped to pass the time of day with my fellow citizen. I leave the cab in the middle of the... I'll get it, Danny. Relax, you know, I'll get it. You go ahead and tell the lieutenant, Barney. Detective Muggerman here. Go ahead, Barney. Yeah. It's okay I talk while the detective is by the phone? Yeah, Barney, go on. Yeah, go ahead. Well, so I leave the cab in the middle of the street. Go on. Ask a fellow citizen what is up. Very, very good. He says a girl, Helen French, has just been murdered. I say, not Helen French. He says to me, you know her? You're sorry for her? I say to him, I delivered to her a raincoat last night. That's how much I know her, and I'm sorry for her. A man's raincoat, huh? Yeah, a call came in on the box of cabbies. She'd go pick up a package to deliver. I was chosen, I went. The package was a raincoat to be delivered to a Miss Helen French on 38th. Where'd you pick it up, Barney? I got to have my pocket on my driver's chart. Pick up from Mrs. Webb, Apartment 16C, 1234 East 19th. When I hear this morning that this lady, that Helen French was killed, I figured to come to tell you cops, Danny, and let in on how I delivered to her a raincoat last night. Okay, thanks. And that's it. Well, fine, Barney, thanks. That was a very pretty girl, that Helen French, Danny. And like I said to my fellow citizen, I am very sorry it happened to her. You can go, Barney. Oh, yeah, sure, any time. Goodbye, bye, Danny. Yeah, Barney did good. And I just did real good too, Danny. You want to tell me, huh? Very, very much. Gothic's, the lettering across Don Cullen's sweatshirt, stands for the Amos Softball team, Avenue A Lee. And Don's a catcher. Also works for the Ames Construction Company as a welder. He's now welding a new building together on the corner of Madison and 50th. I think Detective Muggerman did very well today, don't you, Danny? Yes, Ginova. Very, very well. I bow to you, Detective Muggerman. Music Ride to stop where it says construction zone. Maneuver into a small parking space in two wheel cuts. Walk over to the fence and pass the knotholes to sidewalk superintendents. Show a badge and pose a name. Be pointed to a man in jeans, mask, and welding rod. Go to him. Don Cullen, better turn your back on his arc light, buddy, he'll be with you in a minute. Lights can blind you, you know that? Yeah. I'm from the police, Don. Name's Danny Colbert. You're looking for me, huh? Is there just anybody working around here? Just me? Well, well. Tell him French is dead, Don. You better get away from him. Did you hear what I said, Don? Something about a Helen. Helen French, she's dead. Somebody beat her to death early this morning. What did I do? What? What did I do? What did I do now? Listen, I've got to ask you some questions. What did I do now? Did you kill her, Don? No. No, sir, I didn't kill her. No. No, I didn't kill her. Killer? Look at you. I don't care who you are. I don't care. Come in here and tell me Helen's dead. Tell me. Did I... Take it easy, Don. Yeah. Okay. But just talk sense, will you? Don't come here with stories that... She's really dead, is she? Yeah. Uh... Uh... Tell me about last night, Don. About what? You saw Helen last night, didn't you? You want me to tell you about... The times you got there. Nine. Then what? They closed the door behind me, she ran into my arms, I kissed her. Look at her. I kissed her on the count of a very forward fella, and I happened to last night have a girl I loved. Also, last night she loved me. Want to know about it? Go on. I'm not a bright guy. I'll never get better and well to first class as long as I live. I get sense enough to know it. But one thing I got, not many guys got. The dame who makes me feel I'm the only guy in the world. Want to know about that too? When I'm around her, Helen suddenly helps us. She can't do nothing without me, a real baby. I love it. I need it. All of a sudden I'm not just a guy with muscles. I'm a lot better. A real pretty girl thinks I'm a man. Now, you ask me any more about that and I'll try to kill you. What about Joe Webb, Don? Joe Webb, the man before you. Damn man. What about him? For instance, last night Helen told me he was there just before I was, and it looked like rain, and while he was there, a cabbie punched a bell and had a raincoat in his hand. He said, for Mr. Webb. How do you like that? Has it ever happened before? A few times Helen told me about it. Maybe more she didn't. Raincoat muffler when it was cool, nose drops. And you know what else? What? This Joe's wife would call Helen and tell her what to give Joe to keep his weight up. You know, dishes, what to make. And that's why Helen was done with Joe, huh? Now listen, I told you Helen needed a man around her. Somebody she could depend on. She didn't want to take care of anybody. She wanted to be taken care of. What I do now, Mr. Clover? Goodbye, Don. Hello? Well, Mrs. Webb, can I come in? To do more damage? What are you talking about? You ought to see my husband. Let's go inside. Where is your husband? What's the matter with him? Come on. That's what you've done to him. Hello, Mr. Webb. Hi. What's the matter with you? Sick. Had a sniffle. Vera don't want it to develop into anything. Aren't you hot with all that stuff on you? Vera says I... I know how to take care of him. Don't I, Joe? Don't I? Sure. You did this to him, Mr. Clover, leaving that window open. Sorry. You ought to be. Drink your milk and butter, Joe. Well, drink it, Joe. It's good for you. My mother used to make all of us drink that when we sniffled. Looks too hot, Vera. Well, you're not even trying to drink it. And that's a good boy, Joe. How about you, Clover? What do you want? Got a few questions to ask. What questions? First of all, let me ask you one, Mrs. Webb. What questions? Isn't it strange that your husband saw another girl and you knew it and did nothing about it, and in fact, approved it? I did not approve it. You knew about Helen French and you didn't... Listen, Joe is my husband and I've got a duty to take care of him. He's back with me now, isn't he? Because after all is said and done, he needs me. Isn't that right, Joe? I need you, Vera. And that's the way it is? Yeah. Helen. What did she know? She acted like a baby herself. How could she take care of Joe? Mr. Webb. What? You loved Helen very much, didn't you? I'm back with my wife now. Leave me alone. Joe is naughty. He's back now. There's no need to talk about what happened before. Helen needed you, didn't she, Joe? I told you, Mr. Clover... She needed you. She made you feel manly and you could do things for her, take care of her. Vera, baby her, just like your wife is doing for you now. Vera, I want to explain something to you. What? All this. Milk and butter and closed windows. All of it. Glashes and raincoats. Things you do. Make me feel like a child. Men are babies, Joe. That's why they get married. You see, Clover? Uh-huh. That's the opposite with Helen. Your wife wrecked it all, didn't she? Made a fool out of you in front of Helen. I guess. I guess. Well, I got him back, didn't I? You almost lost your life doing it. Didn't you, Mr. Webb? What is he? After your husband found out that Helen didn't want him anymore, after you ruined it all with slickers and nose drops, he... I tried to kill you, Vera. Vera, I tried to kill you. But I didn't have the strength for it. I had that pillow over your face and... All right, Joe. And I couldn't do it. Because you're my... You know what you did? You made Helen treat me just the way you do. Come on, Joe. That's why I was a baby around both of you. I had to stop it. I had to kill one of you. I couldn't kill you. I killed her. Say something, will you? Say something. You bet you got nothing to say. Go, Clover. It's the street of a million walkers, this Broadway. And they're funnelled here. Around the hundred corners they turn into it, each with a promise, the little dream. Hold it up, bounce it against the concrete slabbing. Tell somebody about it. And eat a hot dog and walk some more. It's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My Beat. Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover, with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia, and Jack Crouchon as Muggervon. The program is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, with musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. In tonight's story, Irene Tedrow was heard as Vera, and Lamont Johnson as Joe. Featured in the cast were Charlotte Lawrence, Barney Phillips, and Herb Bygren. Bill Anders speaking. Every Sunday night, a two-fisted he-man takes you down a danger-studded road to mystery adventure on CBS Radio. Meet Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, private detective, Sunday nights on most of these same stations. He'll thrill every minute as action-loving Diamond comes to grips with criminals and killers, cutting through subterfuge, putting his neck in a gangland mousse in the interest of justice. Richard Diamond, Sunday nights on CBS Radio. Don't miss him. And remember for thrilling dramas of escape, he'll take you from Tuesdays and Sunday nights to the CBS Radio Network.
