Personal notice, danger's my stock and trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Music Greetings, mystery lover. Welcome to another George Valentine adventure, better known as Let George Do It. I think we have a real George story for you, even though the title may do nothing for your goose bumps. It's called The Sedan from the City, which I must admit is kind of mild. However, it all takes place on Halloween, which is something at least. And even though it might not be Halloween where you are, I think this story with its goblins and its witches and stuff should kind of scare them your hair. Music Hey, you. Hey, you. You want some gas, mister? Better drive closer to the... You mean to take a joint, Broomeville? What? Yeah, this is Broomeville. The way you're headed though is Timber Corner. Hey, look out! Holy smoke, mister, where do you think you're going? Just cause you drive a fancy sedan from the city. Music Music Hey, I know, I heard your car. Heard it drive up. I'm coming. Shoes now, where to put those? All right, all right, just a minute. Wonder who it could be. Yeah, but I'm going to be surprised. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute. I got a little surprise for you, too. Don't go away, just take a minute. Well, big sedan. Whose car is that for gosh... Gunshots Music Mervin Brewster, I... But why? Why? Everyone loved my husband, they did. From the city it was, Lieutenant Riley. Big black sedan. Didn't catch license, but it was the same car they saw drive away from the house here. Didn't they, Fred? They loved Mervin. Everyone did. Dora, wait a second, till I tell him... Take hold of yourself, Dora. The lieutenant has to... But Mac, I just came home and there he was, lying there dead by the door. I'd been out visiting. I wanted him to go with me at such a beautiful night. Mrs. Brewster, please, we've got to work fast. Several people spotted the strange car and... Fred, in the service station, couldn't you see what the man looked like? Well, a dark hat, Lieutenant. An overcoat pulled up, sort of a... He's sort of a fish-colored face. I remember that. Little skinny shrimp, I'd guess. And... Oh, and he had a funny eye, sort of pushed out of place. Scarred, I guess. Well, but Merv didn't know anyone like that. Well, we'll radio the highway patrol there, setting up roadblocks. There's never been anyone like that in Broomville. That's right, Lieutenant. People loved Merv. He was the nicest man in the world. Yes, uh... Why would anyone like that from the city just come out and shoot him? Now, Mrs. Brewster, please... Here, Lieutenant, I'll take care of it. Yeah, thanks, Sister. Huh? Miss Brooks. What in the name of heaven are you... No, come on, Mrs. Brewster, we'll go. Wait a minute, what are you doing here? Well, I came with George, naturally. But what... Who sent for him? Come on, come on, what's going on here tonight? Who sent for Valentine? You are listening to Let George Do It. Our adventure will continue in just a moment. Now back to Let George Do It and George Valentine. Everybody loved him, Mr. Valentine. That's why I called you so quick. I didn't know the city police would be called in, too. Okay, Fred, so you phoned me. Well, you see, Dora come home and found Merv. Went to the nearest neighbor, first place down the other road from Timber Corner. Only that's old Fawnville. He wouldn't help his dying mother. So she called McKenzie. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Let me get these people straight. McKenzie, he's in there in the other room. You saw him. Merv Brewster's assistant down at the factory. Whiskbroom Merv called him. Gosh, Merv always had a funny word or... What? Well, what's this factory you're talking about? Brewster's brooms. Haven't you heard of them? Sweep the skies, sweep the world. Yeah, that's Merv. Yeah, that's his factory. This is his town. Gosh, he built the whole thing. You mean the chubby man in the suspenders in there who's dead, Merv Brewster? You mean he owned a factory? Well, sort of one. But it don't make him no rich man. He never cared about profit just for the good of the town. See, practically everyone here works in the... Okay, okay, I understand. Brewster's brooms. But you didn't work for him. You own a service station. So where do you fit in? Well, but Merv's my cousin, don't you understand? Gosh, I'm the only relative he had. Always a joke for everybody. And you should have seen how the kids loved him. And then an hour ago comes a big sea dand from the city and this stranger... He didn't know anyone in the city, Fred. This is Mackenzie. You saw him in... I love Mr. Valentine. I suppose it's confusing when you first... Yeah, sure, of course it is. Every murder is. Until it's solved. Merv was a genius in his own way, you know. He drew his own labels. Witch riding on a broom in the trademark. Made up his own slogans. Rebuilt a barn for a factory all by himself. Sort of a rustic one-man band. Okay, okay, I get the idea. Now that's the real mystery, isn't it? The town Santa Claus gets murdered. A man you say everybody loved. Do you blame us for being surprised? Being shocked? Yelling for help? There's no one in Broomville with a fish-colored face and a bad eye who drives a big black sedan. It looked like one of them armor-proof jobs you see in the movies. Mr. Mackenzie, your boss or your partner, whatever it was, he must have done business in the city. Maybe he had enemies there. No, no, he didn't. Merv was born in Broomville, Mr. Valentine. Born and raised. Married 27 years. No children himself, but 20 times a godfather. Now look, look, somewhere there's got to be somebody who would... No, I tell you, there isn't. That's why you're here. To solve a riddle, it's impossible. Uh-huh. Impossible. But it happened. Valentine, forget the sedan. Just think about Brewster. He sat here, room was dark, doorbell must have rung. Walked to the door. Well, of course, Lieutenant. Just a minute, I said. Little alcove by the door, see? Did Brewster go straight to the door? Did he flip on the porch lights like a friendly guy in a small town would do? He was shot from the porch through the alcove window, that I know. He was peering out to see who was ringing the bell. Now tell me Merv Brewster wasn't afraid. Now tell me he didn't expect a strange collar and a big sedan. And the person saw him through the glass and shot him. Shell casings, two of them, and they checked with the slugs. Found them right on the grass, right next to the window box here. What kind of a gun? A Luger, my friend, a special type of the special shell. A very popular gun in the city, in the dirtier parts of the city. Gang killing. Exactly. We already know it has all the earmarks. Of a rub-out, Miss Brooks. Yeah, a killer and a rub-out. Ronnie, if the killer stood here on the wet grass by the door, there's probably... Now you're getting it. Now you're seeing. Oh, we'll chase the sedan from the city, sure. But right here in Broomville, we've got something. No? Because where the killer stood, there are no tracks. Hey, wait a minute. There were. Oh, yeah, sure, sure. But some of these local lovable people have very carefully trampled all over them with a pair of rubber boots. You see, somebody's been killed that everybody likes. Then we find that he really sneaked to the door like a rat in a trap to peer out. Look, we don't know what kind of motives people really have underneath all that. Okay, Riley, go ahead and make like a detective. Me, I'm going to follow the footprints. The footprints of the rubber boots that spoil the killer's tracks. Here, George, they turn in here. Yeah, yeah, across the road. Broomville, so innocent, so shocked. A sedan from the city, and to them it's like a man from Mars. You can't kid me what's going on right here. Okay, here we are, White House. Tracks turn up the drive. You see it? Yeah, come on. Hey, wait a second. Number three, Cedar Road. Hmm? Mailbox says... Everett W. Fondville. Wow. Fondville, huh? First place down the other road from Timber Corner. What's the matter with... Oh, well, somebody said that, that's all. The house is dark. Yeah, a neighbor, Mrs. Brewster, came to for help. Only he wouldn't help his dying mother. What in the devil was... Oh, it's a bell. Oh. Like a homemade burglar alarm. Yeah, it's a tripwire. Here it is. Well, that does it. Oh, these roofs, they don't expect trouble. Oh, no, no. Imagine running a tripwire across your lawn. Riley. Huh? Straight up the driveway. See it? George, in the shadow by the garage, something moved. Yeah, well, here's where we get our answer to what's going on in this night. There we are. Hey. There's a barrel full of bird salt for the first one of you that moves. That's not for the garage. Sometimes over here, George, back there. I saw you. Oh, yes, I saw you. And grown up every one of you. Well, you ought to be ashamed. Hey, now, look, friend, what do you mean? No lights, you think I'm asleep. Well, I've seen every one of your little games around here tonight. You'll get old fondville, you say. Ha-ha. Kind of forget a man might keep a watch out of his attic window. Well, it's private property, your terminal. Traspers, Melissa... Hey, slow down, slow down, Buster. If this were any place but Boulville, I'd have every one of you arrested. You'd what? Find down from that attic. And get down here fast, my friend, because you're under arrest. So Mervyn Brewster was murdered. Huh, that's too bad. But I don't know anything about it. Is that so, Mr. Fondville? I've hardly met the man. You what? But everybody in town... I'm not from this town, lady, though sometimes I wish I were. Far from it. Brewster's brooms. Huh, that's all you hear. What a funny thing Mr. Brewster said. Well, I've had enough of it. I retired here for my health and let... For your health? And a lawyer, too, huh? From the city, no doubt. And your doctor says surround your house with burglar alarms and sit up nights with a shotgun across the road. Hold it, Riley. You're barking up the wrong tree. Huh? He didn't trample around in rubber boots. George, can we still see you? Yeah, yeah, still by the garage, Angel. Oh, he's... There's somebody else here, all right, Riley. What? No, no, wait a minute. I'll do this. I don't want you embarrassing yourself anymore, barking at all the wrong things at the wrong time. Well, in time, what are you... Saying the small town must be up to something mysterious tonight. Broomville, where the trademark is a witch on a broomstick. George, right there. Uh-huh. Know who it is, Riley, wearing great big boots and sneaking around? Oh, I know. We've still got a crime to solve. Only tonight it's gonna be a lot tougher than you ever figured. Well, who is it? Who is it? Take it easy now. It's only a little short guy carrying his head under his arm. Huh? But the head is a pumpkin, and the rubber boots are his father's. What? It's all right, sonny. Come on out. The man here comes from the big city. He just forgot the date, that's all. Trick... trick... trick or treat, sir. Yeah, Riley, it's Halloween. You are listening to Let George Do It. Our adventure will continue in just a moment. And now, back to George Valentine. A sedan from the city. Before the car disappeared into the dark again, its driver had murbured Broomville's leading citizen, Marvin Brewster, the man that everybody loves. Well, naturally, the highway patrol is out frantically searching for the big black sedan. But if your name is George Valentine, your problem is right here. Your problem is why. Why would anyone even think of killing a jovial man like Brewster? And needless to say, Lieutenant Riley is not so jovial when he is reminded that tonight, whatever clues there are, may only be the work of goblins or witches, that tonight is Halloween. All right, Mrs. Brewster, so none of it makes sense. Well, this part does, Riley. Donuts. What? Oh, yes, those. I fried them myself just this afternoon. Donuts. Now, look... There was cider, too, on the little table, see? Poor Marvin always liked to have something ready for the kids. It was sort of his day, you know, Halloween. We built this factory out of a witch's room. He was so full of fun himself, you know. He wouldn't let anyone interfere, the police or anyone on Halloween. No, no, sure, big, big joker. Only Valentine... Look, the donuts mean this, Riley. He wasn't sneaking to the door when he was shot into the alcove to peer out. He was just reaching for some donuts to give to the kids. That's what he must have thought the doorbell was, a trick-or-treat. So he wasn't scared. He didn't expect a stranger from the city to knock. Oh, brother, the man that nobody hated. So maybe it's true that... What? No, no, everybody loved him. That's what I told you. Until I heard about the telegram, I still don't believe... What's this telegram? Well, didn't Mack, Mr. McKenzie tell you? He's the one who took the message from Priscilla. Maybe he told the local police... Priscilla, what are you talking about, Mrs. Brewster? Well, she's down at the telegraph office. It's really a part of the post office, and that's part of the general store. There's a lovely person... What telegram? A carbon or something that came through. The telegram somebody in Broomville sent today to somebody in the city. Somebody who came out here in a sedan. Who sent this? In a little place like this, you must have a rec... Just write them out and leave the money. I'm so busy at the other window, you see. Hey, Riley, listen. It says, uh... You don't something... Anyway, don't get paid until he's gone. Paid until he's gone. Dead. There. There, you see what I mean? The guy in the sedan was a killer from the city. And somebody right here in Broomville hired him. Oh, yeah? Well, that's not the way I figure, Riley. Come on, I'll show you. Okay, here we are. Timber corner. Now, give me your flashlight. What in the world... Riley, what's the Brewster's address? The house on Cedar Lane beyond the corner. That's where I phoned my crew and wrote in the report. Sure, sure, but you've never been here before. You came out with a native cop, he wouldn't notice. But look at the street sign, you idiot. Take a look at that. Wait a minute, get out of the way. George? Right here, Miss Brooks, cutting out paper dolls. You check at the newspapers, Brooksie? Since you asked me to look at Mr. Farmville, George, it's true he's a lawyer from the city. He started the big-time ambulance change. Riley, I said there was another way. Even the telegram could work. It didn't have to be sent by somebody from town, did it? Gangland stuff. Somebody might have spotted the victim and wired the killer how to find him. Hey, hey, I'm beginning to get you. Yeah, yeah, and this street sign is loosable, right? Don't you remember Farmville's mailbox? It said Cedar Lane. George, the street sign... Sure, sure, it turns. Now, which street is which? First house beyond the corner. The oldest Halloween trick in the book, changing street signs. So maybe Merv Brewster didn't have any enemies. Just a big, loud, lovable guy who was so crazy about Halloween that by some kid's prank he died for it. Farmville, he was the one they meant to kill. Come on! Well, we're too late. He's dead. It was the same gun, same empty shells. It all must have been the same. Came to answer the door and... That's right, two shots. George, he was the kind of a man some gang might want to get. Retired criminal lawyer who didn't pick his clients too well. Yeah, that's it, all right. The killer is sent out to get Farmville, only tangles up with the Halloween prank and picks the wrong house, kills the wrong man, then finds his mistake and comes back. Finally, this couldn't have happened very long ago. Ah, no, no, I know. So, let's go, we'll... Oh, hello. It's Fred, the guy who got me into this. We found the car, the sedan. The sedan? The what? Yeah, killer ditched it down in the woods. Engine's still warm, come on. It's all over but the shouting, we found it. Not surprising he ditched it, sir. We got half-hundred patrol cars out in the highways, roadblocks set up at every crossing. The same sedan, I'm sure of that. I'm positive. Not gonna be easy to trace, neither. The driver will be easy to find, little fish-faced guy with his eye all scarred up. How many men have you got, officer? Oh, plenty, and everybody in Broomville will be only too glad to help us. Wait a minute, don't touch that. What? There won't be any fingerprints, Valentine. We know he was wearing a hat and an overcoat and probably gloves. Well, I was looking for something else, but I can't find it. Oh, now don't you start playing detective. We'll get him, this is Broomville, and we're going to sweep the woods for a killer. All right, all right. But remember, it's still Halloween. Man and fan out there, more. Move slower. Keep the flashlights on the ground. I hope they find him. I hope they find him. Yeah. Mind if I take a look at something inside your house, Mrs. Brewster? Oh, no. Miss Brooks is already in here, someplace, I think. Well, hello. Remember me? Oh, yeah, Mr. McKenzie. I thought you were out on the manhunt. I thought Dora might need me. They're coming closer, you know. Yeah, looks like he's hiding right around Timber Corner here someplace. Right close. And the closer they get, the more wrong I am. Wrong? What do you mean? Oh, something Lieutenant Riley said earlier, and he was right. When you investigate a case this fast, you don't know what kind of motives people really have underneath. Motives? Everyone around here knows that old Farnville was mixed up on all sorts of things. They're back in the city, they did. Halloween. Gosh, if Merv hadn't always been so considerate, telling the cops to lay off and everything, then the kids never would have even thought of twisting that road sign. George, what's happening? What... Oh, excuse me. It's all right, Angel. What did you find? Well, I looked for it. I've been upstairs. She's what? It's all right. But I didn't find it. And it wasn't around the car anyplace. Someplace in between, I guess. Hey! How you doing out there? Hey, the tent! You can't take me out! George, he's leaving. No, no, Brooks, it's all right. Fred's a tall guy. Let him go. It's a false alarm anyway. They haven't found the killer yet. They won't. Mr Valentine, will you please tell me what in the name of Blue Blazers... Yes, yes, I'll tell you, Mr Mackenzie. Now, suppose somebody wanted to kill Mervyn Brewster. Oh, I don't know why yet, but... But everybody loved my husband. Upstairs... Suppose that person set up the phony telegram. Suppose that person dug up a big sedan from the city. That part would be easy. Why, of all... And most important, suppose that person took advantage of Halloween by twisting the road sign. On purpose. George... Sure, Brooksie, what would everybody say? Kids. An unfortunate accident corroborated by the Halloween road sign and the telegram. Oh, yeah, sure, everybody knows Farnville has enemies. And forever after, the police had been coming to the city for some mythical gangster killer. Mythical? Where people saw him, Fred saw him, of all the fools... Mr Mackenzie, what do you think I was looking for at the deserted car? Miss Brooks looking for here. I... I haven't the slightest idea. It's Halloween, Buster, remember? Well, what's been the greatest boost to Halloween since the headless horseman? The rubber mask. The skin mask. The rubber horror mask. You've seen him. And think back, Mackenzie. Fish-colored face, funny eyes, sort of, pushed out of place, all scarred. Oh, no, it couldn't possibly have been any... Those guys outside are getting closer and closer, lady. And I'm getting more and more sure all the time. It was somebody from Broomville, changing his voice and wearing a mask and an overcoat. It was somebody in this room. Uh, Mr Valentine, I, uh, I think you're forgetting Farnville. He was murdered too, you know. The killer made a mistake and then killed Farnville. Yes, but Mr Farnville told us he'd been watching from his attic. He'd seen every one of the little games around here tonight and the pranks... Exactly, Angel. And he could have from that attic very easily seen who changed that road sign. Mr Farnville? As I remember, there's only one person who's been over to talk to Farnville since Brewster's death. Who might have guessed and been told that the old coot had been watching from his attic, who would have known that he had to be killed too. I'm afraid I... You, Mrs Brewster, when you went for help. No, what are you trying to... It was dark. If a stranger from the city came out and did get mixed up by road signs, how would he know it was your husband or even a man behind that darkened glass in the alcove? How would a stranger standing at the door think to look in that window and see him? Stop it! Stop it! But if you heard him trapping around, you'd know what he was doing, you and nobody else. If he stepped aside to get a surprise for the kids, some donuts, maybe you'd know where to look for him, wait for his shadow to fire at, because you were the one who put him in the alcove with a cider. Put your hands up, all of you! Yeah, sure, he loved Halloween. The Brewster broom, it's built around Halloween. You know, even the trademark. Oh, he was such a funny man, my husband. Everybody loved him. Except you, huh, lady? All right, now come on, come on, give me that gun, give me the luger. There's a lot of policemen getting closer all the time and you can't get away with it. You stay where you are. I'm going. I can go past those policemen, they know me. I'm just a meek little housewife. Is Fred coming on the lawn? There's a side porch at this house, I can see you from there. I have my own car. If you move, I'll kill you. Dora, please. No, no, no, don't move, let her go. But it's Halloween, the police won't pay any attention to it. Please, don't. Ah! George, what happened? Some kids piled trash cans on the porch. Brooksie, it's Halloween. Back to the conclusion of our Let George Do It adventure in just a moment. So I was right. You see, Valentine, we don't know how people really feel underneath. There she is married for 27 years to a perfectly nice guy and... Oh, just a minute, Lieutenant. It must have worked both ways. Eh? Well, when I was upstairs, George, I started to tell you, in Mervyn Brewster's study, he drew his own labels. Remember the witch riding on the broom? Yeah, that's right. It's on every broom. It was a big sketch. The original, I guess, in the drawer. Oh, he must have been a lovely man to live with. What do you mean? Well, you can't see it on the little ones, but guess whose face he drew on that witch? And then probably laughed about it, thought it was funny. Yeah, that's right. Dora did look a little like a witch. Santa Claus to everybody but her. Kind to everybody but her. It worked both ways, all right. She's hated him. Halloween. She used it to kill him. It trapped her. Well, Brooksie, somewhere the witches and goblins are laughing real loud. They had a big night. You have just heard the Sedan from the City, another Let George Do It adventure. Robert Bailey was starred as George Valentine with Virginia Gregg as Brooksie. David Victor and Jackson Gillis wrote the story with music by Eddie Dunstetter. Now this is yours truly, inviting you to another visit with Valentine, when you will again hear what happens when you Let George Do It. .
