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 adventure of the Vanishing Favorite. Nothing can buy as much excitement as a two dollar bill. Anybody addicted to the sport of kings can tell you that. It was a soft, balmy afternoon and I was lined up at the other balmy two dollar bettors at one of the mutual windows of my favorite race course on Long Island. Intent on wagering a deuce on my forty to one shot selection, that it could beat nine other two year olds to the wire in the opening gallop of five hurlongs. Race! Hey Frank! Wait a minute! Oh brother of mine! I thought you weren't going to bet on the first mark. And I still ain't. Anybody which would bet on two year olds must be off of his stick. I can down a fine yoke. Watch your way by the finish line where I left you. Think I wouldn't come back? Well maybe I should have said I was sent down to plan you. There's a guy in the clubhouse who wants to see us. He wants we should sit in his box with him. Seats in this crowd? Mark you're a man of miracles. Who is the benevolent gentleman? His name is, wait a minute, wait. It's right here on the pass as he give me for the box. Er, Robert J. Sherwood. What? He's the racing secretary. Ah, nah, you know secretary's a big shot. You ought to see the arches clear a path for him. And speaking of pass, he wants you to beat one to him, pronto. Alright, Mark. Thanks for the offer of a seat Mr. Sherwood. We've met before, haven't we? Yes, Race, we have. Some securities were once stolen from me. You recovered them for me through my insurance company. That's right, I'd forgotten. Now I don't mean this to sound ungracious, but when I saw your companion, Mr. Donovan, in the crowd, I asked him to bring you up here. My reasons are not entirely social. Lose some more securities? No, but I do have a certain responsibility that might lead to problems. This time I want to take precautions in advance. A personal matter? Yes, in a way. It also involves this track. It might involve the future of horse racing in this country. Sounds big, but it also sounds rather vague. I'll try to be more specific, Race. Do you particularly care about seeing the second or...? No, I took too much of a loss on Lady Borgia in the first, you know, roundabout way. Good, good. Come back to the stables with me. I'll show you the root of my trouble. We went up to the neat white stables behind the track. The root of Sherwood's trouble, as he called it, turned out to be a jet-black colt with a hind that doesn't like satin. Made it only one look to tell me that this was no ordinary oatburner. He stood a good 17 hands high, and when he shifted his weight, muscles rippled, and the look in his eye that spelled his champion. Holy smokes, what is this citation? No, his name is Flame of Athens. The Wonder Horse from Greece? But I thought he was shipped to Santa Rosina. No, Race, that story was false. It was given out to the sports commentators for a reason. The reason being you don't want anybody to know that the horse is here. Why? Because several attempts have been made to kill him. You take somebody pretty low on the rung of humanity to want to harm an animal like this. You're really a piece of horseplay, aren't you, boy? Race, I'm stumped. I don't know who wants to get rid of the animal. It could be too many people with too many motives. What do you want me to do? I want you to be responsible for the safety of the horse until he's flown out to Santa Rosina track next week for the match meeting with Galway King. That's a little out of my line, Sherwin. This looks more like a job for a large babysitter. Well, you'll find it isn't so simple if you take the assignment. I need your help, Race. I can see that you love a thoroughbred. So do I. I also love the sport, but if it's going to exist, it must be kept clean. What do you figure might be trying to muddy it up? There's been a lot of betting on the match between Flame of Athens and Galway King. Originally, Galway King was a heavy favorite because he's beaten almost everything over here. People figured a foreign horse doesn't have a chance against him. But the betting switched? Yes. Yes, a lot of money showed for this horse all over the country. Now he's the heavy favorite. Only one to three odds on. A lot of bookmakers gave bigger odds in the beginning, though. They stand to be wiped out if he wins. Then you figure that the bookmaker's the heavy, isn't it? For the sake of the sport, that's what I'd like to figure. But there are other possibilities? Yes. It's the owners of the horses. They have a side bet. Even money. Horse for horse. How big is the bet? Half a million dollars. Holy cow. You mean, really, is that much cabbage in the world? Both owners are wealthy men. Galway King is fourth on the list of all-time money winners. And Flame of Athens beat everything in Europe before he was shipped over here. Both owners and all the bookmakers in the country. It's quite a mess to keep tabs on. You take the job, then, Race? Yeah. I'll take it. Good. And as a bonus, I'll give you one more suspect. The jockey who was slated to ride Flame of Athens, Georgie Clements. He's been removed from the mound. That makes bingo, Race. The only ones we don't have to watch is each other. That's a fine thing to do, to ride a horse. Hey, Race. Race! Race! You awake? The answer is yes. Since you twisted my arm. I can't sleep on this cot. I feel like I'm back in the army. I keep dreaming of that sergeant who always put me on KP. I've peeled four barrels of potatoes since the first time I closed my eyes. I'll go back to sleep. I can't. If you do any more work on my sleep, I'll be too tired to wake up. Quiet, Mark. Somebody outside. The nocturnal prowler stood frame in the doorway. There was no moon outside, but whatever dim light there was, cast a blurred shadow in the stall. My cot was next to the outside wall. I gathered my knees under me and made a lunch. That's it. Get him, Race. Turn on the flashlight, Mark. Yeah, sure. Uh-oh. Oh, I was right. No wonder one punch was enough. It's a girl. And a honey. Hope you haven't put her on a commission for good. Kids like this make the world nicer to look at. Yeah, I should come around in a minute. I'll put water in a towel, will you? Come on. Wake up. Wake up. It's a funny thing. I get to wake you up, but you get to wake her up. Am I always going to be water pouring in this thing? I wasn't talking to you, wise guy. Come on, you beautiful thing. Wake up. Here, try to sit down. What happened to me? I introduced myself rather crudely. I hang over from ancestors who lived in caves. Oh, why did you hit me with a club? I'm sorry. Truly sorry. You needn't be. I think my father would approve of you. He might even give you a reward. I take a daddy's regrets not using the hairbrush when we were younger. But before we get into that, who is daddy? Oh, you mean who am I? I was trying to be more subtle. Oh, from the way my jaw feels, it's too late for subtlety. Don't tell me you don't recognize me. I'm beginning to. Magazine covers, no? Magazine covers, yes. Poor little rich girl turned model. You're Lita Galway, aren't you? That's right. And by whom have I had the pleasure of being knocked unconscious? Name is Frank Reyes. That's a nice name. But you say it as though you don't like it. I was thinking of something. You're Richard Galway's daughter. Your father owns Galway King. Again, you should go on information, please. What were you doing around here? I like horses. Runs in the family. Yes, honey child, but there's only one horse in this stable area. Flame of Athens. Yes, I know. I wanted to see him. In the middle of the night. The match mini coming up. And a half million dollar bet on the side. Wouldn't that make me interested in the horse? Oh, yes, definitely. I see you even went to the trouble of bringing him an apple. That's a good way to make friends. With horses or school teachers. I know why you were kicked out of so many colleges. You looked undernourished. Why don't you eat the apple yourself? Why should I? Oh, I see, Mr. Reyes. You must read detective stories. Well, just to show you how wrong you are. She ate the apple. Grinning at me at each bite. Even in the cold glare of the flashlight, Mark had placed on the feed marks. Her face had a special kind of beauty. The boys that grow up with a yen to marry the boss's daughter. I always hoped the daughter would look like this. Convinced, Reyes? Completely. In the Garden of Eden, wasn't it Adam who ate the apple? Yes, he also lived to regret it. But this one wasn't poisoned. You just thought it was. Maybe I'm not as poisonous as you think. I'll do some research on it. Someday when I have some spare time. Do you know you're the first man who ever hit me? I said I was sorry. I'm not. Women are strange creatures. Aren't they, Reyes? She leaned toward me. As she came closer, her face blurred out. Except for that wonderful, smooth mouth. I reached for her and she didn't resist. For the next ten seconds, I felt like a man going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. That was nice. I may have been the first man who ever hit you, but... I can see you haven't been neglected in other ways. Make sure you don't neglect me from now on, Reyes. How about walking me back to my car? All right. Mark should be back in a second. I wonder where he went for that wife. Stop wondering about other people and concentrate on me. I walked Lita to her car, stopping every once in a while to get to Niagara Falls feeling again. We strolled down a pant line with trees. One day, I helped her into her yellow convertible. She was gone. It was then the weight of responsibility pressed on my mind again. I planned a straight-line shortcut through the brush to get back to the stables again. Are you in someplace? Where are you? What are you doing here? I'm the inquiring photographer. You just asked the question for today. Why don't you try answering it first? I can't see very well. That's not a camera you're holding. No, it's a Smith & Wesson. It goes bang. It makes holes in things. Now, sit down on that stump over there and keep me company for a while. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to refuse that invitation. It's not an invitation. It's an order. And you'll use the gun to enforce it? Do I look like the type who would make casual conversation? No. That would make it rather silly for me to try passing it, wouldn't it? Very silly. Which leaves two other alternatives. To sit down and visit or take that gun. My eyes! I'm letting you off easy this time. I don't know how long I'll lay there after he hit me with the gun, but... I should have been fired along the side of my face. The flash had blinded me temporarily. When I came to, my eyes were still smudging. I seemed to be seeing red. Everything was tinted with color, even in the night. Then I smelled smoke and I jumped up. The glow came from the stables. They were on fire. We'll return to the Adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute. And now, back to the Adventures of Frank Race. At the time of Reese's stables, the place resembled Danny's Inferno. Whoever had named the horse Flame of Athens must have had a premonition of things to come. But the things to come. Nothing in that row of stables could have been saved. Swipes and grooms and other track personnel had formed a bucket brigade to keep the fire from spreading to another line of stables. There was nothing to do but join them. Let me get in, William Mack. Let me in. Mark, what happened to you? I'll tell you later. Come on, that poor animal. I'm going to unbundle this one, Mark. A brilliant guy like me can help on your audio worries. You mean the horse is all right? Here comes the red wagons. Get out of here and have a schnuck. Well, if you got that horse out, you shouldn't have left him. If I left him, then nobody would be looking. He's in the stalls with the workhorse. Oh, nice work, Mark. That's good color. And not only that, but I had started a place where they rent trails. I thought you and they and the horse might go camping for the weekend. That would be an excellent suggestion. Oh, brother. I've hauled many strange characters around my cab race, but this is the first time I have ever played chauffeur to a horse. We'd better find some side road soon and get off the highway. Look at this headline on the paper I picked up at our last coffee stop. Match-meat favorite vanishes in stable flight. State police may have been alone. They know the horse didn't perish in the fire. If he did, it's an awful live ghost back there in the trailer. It almost kicked the sides out of that thing. I'm going to send a couple of wires as soon as possible. Oh, shall we? Yeah. Let him know the horse is safe. We can take him to some isolated training farm. Training can come down and get him a chair for the match. Oh, here's a side road, which looks promising. And there's a town up ahead. We'll camp in here. Then you can walk to town and get the messages off. Now, there's a spot in that grove of trees. It's not far from the main road, but it's hidden. Yeah, and look, a little pond. Good. It's drinking water for our acquired passengers. It sort of resembles the old swimming hole back home. Now, let's take a dip and freshen up, huh? Okay. Last one in is a mutton head. It seemed like a good idea, but it wasn't. When you're a kid with nothing in your mind, the old swimming hole can be fun. But when you're growing up and the responsibility for a couple of fortunes riding with him, the fun gets washed out along with everything else. I left Mark still, splashing exuberantly, and dressed, went back to the trailer. I'll put down the ramp, boy. Then you can come out and move around a little. I don't mind if the horse moves, but don't you move. It was the man from the night before. I hadn't seen his face until now. That voice was unmistakable. Another thing that was unmistakable was the gun in his hand. He carried it as though it were standard equipment. Hugo! Yes, sir? Take care of the other fish down at the pond. That's a little early in the day for violence, isn't it? It's also too late to turn philosopher. Don't worry about Hugo. He's gentle. As the girl's father might say, what are your intentions? I'm just going to tie you two jokers back to back and relieve you of this horse. I don't think so. Would you like to make a bet? With you acting as bookmaker? That's my business. Your companion called you Sam. That could mean Big Sam Evans. Not only could, it does. A lot of people have bet a lot of money with you that the flame of Athens could beat Galway King. He won't. Maybe not. But I'm going to see that he gets a chance to try. You tried this last night, remember? Yes, but I forgot to do this. I slipped down with the pond. Hugo also had a gun and was trained on Mark as he slipped into his clothes. I picked up a stone and a heavy piece of dead wood. I tossed the stone into the pond. And as Hugo turned, I let him have the business end of the club right behind the ear. Nice work, Grace. Come on, Mark, let's get out of here. If it was going to be a match made at Santa Rosita Park, it seemed like a good idea to get the flame of Athens out there. I sent my wire to Sherwood and he arranged for a plane to pick us up at a small airport off the beaten track. We loaded flame of Athens on board and headed for California. We took him off the plane to another small airport and under cover of darkness, slipped him into a stall near the training track. You think we'd give him a shake, Grace? Well, there's one thing we're sure of. The plane doesn't follow him. That makes sense. It also means we should not be running into no trouble for a while. So maybe I could take a little time off. To do what? Well, there is a girl who slings hash at the drive-in across the road to Santa Rosita track. Her name is Ramona. Ramona Glutz. Oh, what a doll, what a doll. I met her out here once before. With a name like that, she must be unforgettable. All right, run along. Won't be going long, Grace. Don't be lonesome. Yeah, I'll try not to mind. And I'll try to help you. Well, you again. What do you do? Heart stables from coast to coast as soon as the sun goes down? Aren't you going to slug me again? Still carrying peace offerings, I see. Oh, you mean the apple? The horse missed out on a treat last time because you were so suspicious. I can give him this one, can't I? You're afraid not, honey child. Just a precaution. Grace, can you think of any reason why I might want to harm Flame of Athens? To save your daddy a half million dollars. Oh, well, that wouldn't be necessary, Grace. He could simply say that Galway King is not in condition and cancel a match. You mean there's no forfeit? That's right. No match, no bet. But not eliminate your father as a suspect. But not you. What do you mean, Grace? Big Sam Evans, the bookmaker. You know him, don't you? I've met him. Once or twice. He was also out of the track with you that night the stables were burned. That's not true, Grace. Oh, yes it is, ducky. Because there was only one car at the gate to that area. Your convertible. And he was there after you left. How did he get away, then? Simple. You drove up the road a bit, waited for him. Because Mark Donovan saw your car outside the fence when he was finding a safe place for Flame. I, uh... I used to think I was in love with Big Sam. What changed your mind? You did, Grace. I didn't believe her. But you can forget about your beliefs when you hold a woman like that in your arms. She was all the things that bad men promise a woman she'll be when they put a new perfume on the market. I don't know how long we stood there. Must have been a long time because... Hey! Hey, look it! A romantic couple. Shut up, Ramona. Hello, Rachel. Hello, Mark. You know Miss Goldwyn? Yeah, but we wasn't introduced the last time because she was unconscious. And this lovely creature with you, I take it, is Ramona Glutz. Yeah. Hey, listen to him. Why don't you ever say things like that? Quiet. Ramona told me a couple of things I figure you ought to know, Grace, about that Georgie Clements, the jockey that gave the boat. Hmm. The boy who was slated to ride the Flame. What about him, Ramona? Oh, it ain't nothing much. But he used to eat at my place a lot, see? And I heard him talking about the match a couple times. That's been a popular subject wherever horsemen gather. Yeah, Grace, yeah, but this kid was all set to lose. You mean he was going to pull the horse? I don't mean nothing else but... Well, that's why the odds on the horse were so high at first, Mr. Race. The bookies all thought that Galway King was a sure thing, see? So Georgie bet against his own horse. But then when they took him off the horse, that's when the odds dropped and they made Flame of Athens the favorite. Yeah, you see, Race, that puts it right in the lap of the books. The trouble started right after. No, Mark, that eliminates the bookmakers. They have nothing to do with it. What do you mean? If it doesn't take place, all bets have to be refunded. So if that's what they want, ain't it? Then they wouldn't have to pay off. No, they would have stopped the bets altogether. They're taking the odds, but they're gambling on a match. They're gambling to win. If they tried to do anything to the horse, they'd have tried it just before the match. Not to kill him, but just to make him lose. That's right, yeah. Tell me something, Lita. And don't stall, Ducky. Why was Big Sam out of the track that night? He said he wanted to get the horse away where he could watch it, keep it safe. But you didn't believe then? No, Race. You should have, baby. He was telling the truth. What? You mean that gorilla Hugo was also playing guardian angel to the horse? As innocent as a babe, Mark. I know the answer now. We can wind this up tonight if Ramona will help us. Oh, gee, I'd do anything to help you, Mr. Race. Good. Mark will take you back to work. Yeah, but I'm off duty until tomorrow. You get back on duty. And just drop the word that Flame of Athens is stable here. Let it circulate. Not only that, but give out that the horse is alone and will be until his trainer gets here tomorrow. You ain't gonna leave him, Race. No, I'll be right here. And I'll be expecting a visit. Quiet, boy. Quiet. Hold on, Flame. Hold on. Come on. Come on, Flame. All right. Don't move. Hey, hey, dust that flashlight. You're blinding me. Who are you? Just an exercise boy. I thought I heard a noise. You're Georgie Clements. All right, so I'm Georgie Clements. Is that a crime? No, but arson is. You wanted for burning down some stables back east. And for murder. Murder? He was alive. A little long shot, but I played it. I had to sell him a parcel of fear and hope it would break him down. And there was no horses in that stable, Race. You got Flame out. And even if you didn't, killing horses and murder? There was a tramp sleeping in one of those stalls, Georgie. He was badly burned. He died this morning. You can't pin that fire on me. Yes, I can, Georgie. I saw you. You saw me? I was the only witness. Well, that's only good if you can testify. But you ain't gonna testify, Race! A powerful old man. He's lunged through me back. It was all muscles and shoulders. I could have handled him, but the horse was fractious. He kicked me at me as I slipped, and his kick caught me in the small back. For a minute I couldn't move. Now, Race, I'm gonna finish you off with this rod, and then I'll take care of the horse. I'm afraid somebody's gonna catch up to you, Georgie. Come on, Hugo. Hey, stay where you are, you guys! You punks! Stay low, Race! Oh, boy. Easy, easy. Ah, nice going, Race. Oh, nice going yourself. Saved my life. This horse is safe now, and that means you stand to lose a fortune. Or win one, Race. I like to gamble. You must think Galway King can take the flame. I don't know, Race. Maybe yes, maybe no. All I know is the King is one of our own horses. He's beaten everything but citation. I still think he can knock off a horse from across the seas, even flame of Athens. You know, Sam, we had a lot of guys like you in the Battle of the Bulge. They weren't favorites either. Yeah, I know, Race. I was one of them. I still like the home team. Win, lose, or draw, odds are no odds. As long as the contest is on the level. Man, I've taken care of this horse as far as I could. Now I've got a piece of business to attend to. How's that? Well, I'm gonna take a tip from a nice guy. From you. I'm gonna bet that Galway King beats his ears off on that track Saturday. 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 Peggy Knudsen, Florence Halep, Ted von Elst, Frank Lovejoy, and Bert Holland. This series is written and directed by Buckley Angel and Joel Murcott. The music is composed and played by Ivan Dittmarz. Be sure to be with us again this same time next week for another dramatic chapter in the Adventures of Frank Race. Mark Gilmore speaking. This is a Bruce Ells production. Thanks for watching.
