The Adventures of Frank Race, starring Tom Collins. The war changed many things, the face of the earth and the people on it. Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak and dagger of the OSS, and when it was over, his former life was over too. Adventure had become his business, The Adventures of Frank Race. And now we join Frank Race for the Airborne Adventure. The wheel of a taxi, Mark Donovan's idea of safety, is to miss an oncoming truck by the depth of a paint job. In any kind of trouble, he's a lion, particularly with a man wrench in his hand. But when it comes to flying, he exudes about as much verve as a serving of spinach. The moment we become airborne, he shrivels, remaining the glum introvert until we sight the ground upon which we expect to land. So now, coming into San Francisco on the China Clipper, I watched him loosen up for the first time since we took off. Look at that pretty pavement, that beautiful grass, that lovely mud. In a few minutes, I will be able to drop flat on my face and kiss some of it. A message for you, Mr. Race. Oh, thank you. Grab me another case. Well, I ain't going to mind spending a little time in Frisco. Listen to this, Mark. Important foreign assignment necessitates your taking off for Europe within next eight hours. Contact me as soon as you land, Leighton International Indemnity. Oh, mother come rub it. I ain't got a chance. The personality of James Leighton was a lot like that of the city in which he lived. Poised, cultured, friendly. It was the first time we'd ever met. Sit down, Race. Cigarette? Thanks. We're insuring the delivery of a set of plans for one million dollars. Must be some plans. Drawings for a new type of plane. They're scheduled to be carried from Trieste to London, from London to New York. Like Currier? Right. And you will be the Currier. My fee's going to seem like a lot of money for a messenger boy. We'll consider it a sound investment. We want those plans delivered. And now I'd like you to know Mrs. Jefferson. She's head of the aircraft company that bought the policy. Let's step into this other office. She's waiting to meet you. Mrs. Jefferson must have been about 16. She was big. Had a face that reminded me of an evaporated apple. And work clothes that would have served better as paint rags. I liked her at once. Glad to have you in on this, Race. Did you tell him about it, Leighton? Only about the plans and the fact that we want them delivered. Know anything about flying, Race? He's a pilot, Mrs. Jefferson. I noticed that on his file. Good. As a pilot, what would you say to him? I'd say he's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's a pilot. As a pilot, what would you say is needed most to develop private flying in this country on a mass production basis? A fairly safe family plane that'll sell for a thousand dollars. Exactly. Up to now, it has been considered an impossibility. Not any longer. My company has found just such a plane. A non-spinnable four-passenger job that'll do 150 miles an hour at 8,000 feet. Just bought the plans for it. And he could build it to price? Definitely. It'll revolutionize flying. That's our aim. That and the profit that will go with it. I, uh, I can't help being curious about one thing. What's that? Trieste seems an odd place to be finding aircraft designs. Well, we didn't find them there, Race. We found them in Budapest. But other parties seem to want them as much as we do. Getting them far as Trieste costs three lives. That's why we finally thought of insurance. The plans are hidden now and safe. When they start traveling again, it's going to be another story. You see, Race, your fee isn't going to seem excessive after all. Mrs. Jefferson and I left Leighton's office together. She had a car waiting and insisted on giving me a lift. You fly to New York, from there to Trieste. I'll meet you later in London, where I'll be using the name Allison for reasons of security. I'm going to give you a New York address. You'll find a man there who'll supply you with plane reservations and information about your destination to Trieste. It hasn't been transmitted to me, also for reasons of security. Now, why don't you have dinner with me? You have five hours yet before you leave. Well, I'd enjoy that, Mrs. Jefferson, but, um, now I have a friend. If it's a woman, the best of luck. If it's a man, have him join us. I have just stolen a cook who can do lobster thermidor in a minute. Say no more. For dinner, you're having a pair of male guests. We stopped for a few minutes while I phoned Mark. Then we drove to a brownstone front that had the look of a dowager sure of her position in life. Mrs. Jefferson rang the bell, but instead of a butler answering the door, it was opened by a man gripping a pistol. He was dressed conservatively, in a well-cut suit. If he had any interest in public relations, his attitude didn't indicate it. Come on in. Just don't make no phony moves, either of you, or I'll slap you clear out of shape, which might be an improvement for you, sister. Oh, Ed, you don't have to be so obnoxious about it. Lippy Danes. Oh, I love lippy Danes, especially battle-axes like you. Come on, move. There was a push that sent a railing, and she had made a one-inch of pistol barrel between my ribs, a stab that left me thoroughly inarticulate for the moment. The living room sent two more of them. One was an ordinary strong-armed boy. The other could have been a businessman. He looked smooth enough to sell underwater lots by mail. Nicely done, Venner. Move them away from the door. Charlie, go and take care of that chauffeur, and then stay out front and keep your eyes open. Don't get the idea that you'll pry anything out of me. You won't. I wouldn't make up my mind so definitely if I were you. We've ways and means, you know? Very convincing ways and means. You wouldn't dare. Oh, wouldn't we? Venner, take over. Venner pulled several neckties in my pocket, whiling Mrs. Jefferson round by the shoulder, and he grabbed her arms, twisted them behind her, began lacing her wrists together. For an instant, this putting between me and the pistol held a Lanford. I stepped in and showed Venner toward Lanford. He did no good. Lanford simply sidestepped and... That was a silly move, Reyes. My reflexes are a bit too quick for that sort of thing. I'm going to kick his teeth out for poking me like that. That's enough, Venner. Let's concentrate on the lady. I've managed to take Lanford's pistol slap on the top side of my head. And I've absorbed kicks before. But for the moment, I couldn't have qualified as a gay and laughing boy. Nevertheless, I had to get up. I had to get up because of what they were about to do to the lady of the house. She's stressed up like a sack of spuds. All right. Here's a cigarette. You'll notice that it's lighted, Mrs. Jefferson. Now, if you're still determined to be stubborn... Yes, Charlie. Must be trouble. What's he trying to say? Cops. It's cops. They'll go out the window. What about the dame? Never mind. Come on. Reyes, get me free of these things, will you? Where are you, Reyes? In here. Who on earth is that? The other man who came to dinner. Are you all right, Reyes? I will be. How did you spot this setup, Mark? I got help when I saw that creeper trawling out in front. So I went and I called the cops. Can you imagine me calling the cops? The act of a solid taxpaying citizen. Hey, what do we eat? Here, Reyes. Hold this compact while I tidy myself. And as for you, Mark, you'll dine tonight. That I promise. You'll dine and in style. Mark and I landed at LaGuardia Field just before eight o'clock the next morning. I left him drinking coffee while I caught a cab from my New York rendezvous. This turned out to be a three-story walk-up, the look of which caused me to check the address I'd given the cabbie. He'd hit it on the nose, so I got out and went in. I could detect no sound on the other side of the door, but I tried again. The hallway had all the fragrance of a flophouse and a hot night, and I was anxious to click or get going. What do you want? I'm looking for a man named Rogers. He's not here at the moment. If you don't mind, I'll come in and wait for him. He may not be back for some time. After that hallway, the room actually seemed fresh, although this may have been a delusion created by the girl's presence. She had the equipment to do that to any room and to any man. She held my eyes to such an extent that she almost hit the door open before I realized it. Wait a second. Where do you think you're going? I was going to leave. You object. This room's been pulled apart. Do you have anything to do with him? Possibly. Close the door. A woman always resents thatchers. What? A man throwing his weight around. Sometimes a man has to. It's his only weapon. Who are you? The name's Race. Frank Race. How about you? I'm Anna Moranek. Viennese? Hungarian. Not exactly. Not with that accent. I lived in a house in the countryside. I was a young girl. I was a young girl. I was a young girl. I was a young girl. I was a young girl. I lived in London all during the war with my brother. We were refugees. Is this possible that my way of speaking was affected by being in contact with so many other accents? Don't misunderstand me. I'll buy you a way of speaking any time. I know you, sir, walking around each other like a couple of club fighters, is that? No use at all. I've moved close to him, almost without realizing it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. An automatic that is pointed right at your stomach. Indeed I do see it. Indeed I do. You are going to back away, and when I open the door and leave, you are going to make no attempt to stop me. Is it understood? Perfectly. Yeah, but you might do one thing for me. What is that? You might give me your telephone number. You'll find it in the book. After that embrace, getting my thoughts back on business was tougher than rolling out of a warm bed into a cold tub. But I made the switch. There was another door besides the one to the hall. A door partly ajar. I pushed my way past it into another room and... there was a man sitting in a chair. His arms thrown wide, his legs spread as if to keep him from toppling to the floor. A bullet had entered his mouth. I didn't need a look to know what the back of his head looked like. It was probably my man Rogers. So gently I went through his clothes, came up with a wallet. I just opened it when a noise at the door clutched my attention. A uniformed cop stood there, engrossed in drawing a bead on my head with his pistol. We'll return to the adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute. We'll return to the adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute. And now back to the adventures of Frank Race. I was in a jam. I was in a jam. No doubt about it. When you're caught going through the wallet of a man who's just been shot to death, there's as much you can say that'll sound convincing. So I just sat tight until the plane close squad arrived. All right. What goes on here? I needed just one look at that Irish map to know that I was getting a break. Fapped moon phase with the eyes of a lethargic Eskimo. Dan Manson operated as a detective lieutenant in a homicide detail. Fine thing. Double header at the stadium and I get yanked for a deal like this. Hello, Ray. The heck with the stadium. Tell this patrolman I'm a law-abiding citizen. You mean you're the suspect here? Well, what do you know? Can't a guy find a chair in this laundry? Who messed it up like this? Might have been the girl who was here when I arrived. Yeah? Dan, I gotta leave for Europe sometime today, so naturally I wouldn't want to be tied up with this business. Don't give me that. You're going to be our number one material witness. I'll be around for the inquest and give him a word. I don't know about that. The number you want right now is that girl. Yeah, say there was a dame here. How do I know you're leveling? He was gonna hold me unless I came up with something. So I reached into a pocket and produced a compact and trusted to me the night before by Mrs. Jefferson, a man forgotten by both of us. I said, here, she left this. You'll find fingerprints all over it. Yeah, including yours. How old is the dame? Oh, 25 maybe. Beautiful, too. You'll have your smile and Irish face all over the front pages. You'll long with her legs. Yeah, all right, Frank. But I'll have to have your word that you'll show up for the inquest. I'll give you my word and the name of every place I expect to be for the next few days. Well, here we are again, flying. I'm up in the air so much lately, I'm beginning to feel like a pigeon. You'll get used to it. Not me. I'll never get used to any part of flying. It just ain't natural. Possibly that's the answer. If you knew why it is that a plane flies, you might be more relaxed about it. Sit back, boy, while I brief you on the principles of flight. All right. I just asone settle for a good stiff drink. Trieste. City of many nationalities, port of intrigue. Mark and I put up at a hotel called the Vittorio. I had cabled Mrs. Jefferson about the death of Rogers. So we settled ourselves to await developments. On the afternoon of the third day, Mrs. Jefferson walked in on us, accompanied by an elderly man who projected the impression of a hen on hot bricks. Dr. Tender is an aeronautical engineer. He designed our plane. Yes, I designed it, but I have no desire to be responsible for the delivery of the plans to your country. I would much rather you took charge, Mr. Race. It's all right with me. When do I take over? Bring the plans here sometime this evening. By nine o'clock, Mark and I had become restless and hungry. Deciding they could wait for us if they arrived while we were absent, we started out for a bite to eat. But in the lobby, the sight of a girl talking to the night clerk stopped me short. Hey, chum, what goes? At the desk. It's the femme fatale I encountered in New York. And you want to call her a killer? What a lovely way to die. Something tells me this is going to be an interesting evening. I'm going to talk to her, Mark. Wherever we go, shadow us. That's Donovan, always on the edge of things. Look, maybe she's got a friend. Then I could protect you on the spot. Get out of sight. Here she comes. Good evening, Miss Merenick. Oh. Oh. It's you. You couldn't be surprised. Put you on. Thought you might like to have dinner with me. You are a strange person. You'll learn a lot more about me while we die, shall we? All right, Grace. We found a little place below sidewalk level with a floor of flat cobbles. We sat at a table of scrubbed oak. We looked at each other by the light of a candle jammed in a bottle that had once held Hennessy's five star cognac. Why'd you stare at me? You're so beautiful and so lethal. I didn't kill that man, Grace. He was dead when I arrived. Why were you there? Later, perhaps I may be able to tell you. You're going to give me trouble, baby. I'm sure of that. You've got to give me trouble because of the look of him, the touch of him. Remember that kiss we had a few nights ago? Yes, I remember, Grace. I remember. A little too well. But such things are not for me. Not yet. All right, baby. Let's have it. So you can mock me with your doubt? I can see that you and I are... What is it, Grace? We're going to have company. Three of them just came in. Perhaps you know them. Those men? I've never seen them before. They spotted us. They're coming over. They moved slightly to one side. Who are they? The first one in front calls him Lanford. Classify him as a very sinister personality. Ah, good evening, Mr. Race. Don't sit down, Lanford. Just keep standing there. All three of you. Ah, you have a pistol. Another excellent luger. One that could put slugs into all of you in less time than I need to take a breath. You won't get away from us, Race. Any more than Rogers did in New York. So you were the authors of that little act. Thanks for the information. Now you can listen to some news from me. I'm going out of this place while you stay behind. The young lady will probably want to stay with you. No, Race. I'll go with you. My sense of discretion said go along. But the tone of her voice swayed me, and I nodded. Outside, the street lamps had been turned off. Leaving the street dim, shadowing. They'll follow, won't they? Yes. So we'll duck in here. There's a stable. Rhyme shackle with gaping holes in its boarding. We moved to the back of it, crowded into an empty store. What is it they want? Same thing you do, I imagine. Wait. I hear something. Of course you hear something. You didn't really believe you could get away from us, did you, Race? Ah! That was by sound, Lanford. The next one won't just cripple, it'll kill. Where on earth have you been? We've been waiting for ages. I'm sorry. We had a brush with your friend, Lanford. We had it taken to a hospital. Splendid. Here are the plants, Mr. Race, in this cylinder. You'll find it rather bulky, but strong. Would you like a look at the drawings? After the excitement they've caused, they certainly would. The power plant is one of the big things here. Mm-hmm. So they say. Turbine activated by four simplified jet units. They're making great strides in aviation these days. For too long we were parasites. For power we used the engine that had been developed by the automobile. For propulsion we used the propeller evolved for ships. With some modification, of course. Very little when you come to think of it. The engine we took as it was. And in water or in the air, the propeller works in much the same way. But from now on it is going to be different, Mr. Race. Jet force, new designs. From now on aviation will be the giver, not the receiver. How about it, Race? You feel all right about taking over these drawings? I'll take care of them. Don't forget, there's a lot of money tied up there. When they left, I rumpled about the bed and slipped the cylinder holding the plans under the covers. I scarcely done this when... I'll get it, Race. May I come in, Race? Hey, thought we took you to your hotel. I have to see you again. Do you have those plans, Race? As a matter of fact, I do. Why? Those plans were developed and drawn by my brother. They were stolen from him and they were his life. If I don't get them back... You don't believe me, do you? Maybe more than you think. What was your brother's first name? Richard. Richard Moraney. That checks. Initials are in each corner of the plans. Now we'll check something else. What are you doing? The container is not only bulky, its walls are suspiciously thick. So I'm... I'm going to check the walls. It's suspiciously thick. So I'm... cutting it here and... There is something between the layers. Yes. A canvas. And it's probably a... Put that down, you idiot, before you destroy it. You wouldn't want me to destroy an old master, would you, Mrs. Jefferson? So this is what Lanford's been after. He didn't miss a trick, did he? Big insurance for a smoke screen so he could move the painting without suspicion. With me is the clay pigeon. That's cylinder tender. Still going to move it, Race? I know a gentleman who'll pay me half a million dollars for that painting. Just tell me one thing. How did you spot us? Dr. Tandis, that's an obvious fake. No aeronautical engineer would ever make the statement that the propeller of a ship and the propeller of a plane work the same way. Would he, Mark? Nah. An airplane prop makes a vacuum which sucks the plane into it. You see, Race, I remember. While the propeller of a surface vessel literally screws its way through water, which is practically a solid. So we muffed it. We didn't miss when we saw this girl come up to your room. So long, Race. Better investigating next time. And don't try to follow me. I know how to handle this pistol right well. I don't have to follow you, Mrs. Jefferson. When you hear this cable gram, you'll be following me. Cable gram? When the police found me with Rogers, New York, they wanted to hold me as a material witness. I staved that off by telling them that a woman had been there. To prove it, I gave them that compact of yours. My compact? Yes, and it seems it had a mess of fingerprints on it. Most of them yours. I didn't kill Rogers. I was on my way to London. But you traveled under another name, remember? Which makes me your only alibi. You're bluffing. Am I? Listen to the cable gram. Your young dame turned out to be a Mrs. Leah Jefferson, age 54. Where is she? Signed Manson Homicide Bureau, New York Police Department. Pay no attention to him, Leah. Let us go. I have to pay attention to him. You think I'm going to spend the rest of my life running from a murder rap? You're crazy. What are your terms, Race? I'll take the plain drawings to the States, as per your insurance contract. The canvas will turn over to the proper authorities here in Europe. We'll say we found it. All right. It's a deal. It is no deal. I, too, have an interest in this affair. Now, don't flip that pistol, Leah. Or I'll put a bullet in you from this gun of mine. Now, just stand quietly. All of you. And now... I was justified in doing that, wasn't I, Race? After all, he was attempting to break the law. I'm afraid I'll have to leave that decision to the local police. What about my brother, Race? Those drawings belong to him. I might get in touch with him and tell him to come along with us. I imagine he might be able to make quite a deal for himself over there. Besides, I'd kind of like to have you along, too. The Adventures of Frank Race, starring Tom Collins with Tony Barrett as Mark Donovan, comes to you from Hollywood. Others heard in tonight's cast were Gene Bates, DJ Thompson, Tom Holland, Frank Lovejoy, and Parley Bear. This series is written and directed by Joel Mercott and Buckley Angel. The music is composed and played by Ivan Dittvars. Be sure to be with us again this same time next week for another dramatic chapter in The Adventures of Frank Race. Art Gilmore speaking. This is a Bruce Ells production. Thank you.
