It's time now for Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons. Brought to you by Dentine, the gum with breathtaking flavor, and Beeman's pepsin. Tastes so good and aids digestion too. And by Chesterfield, the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size. Buy them either way you like them. Premium quality and much milder Chesterfield. Ladies and gentlemen, we present Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons. One of the most famous characters of American fiction in one of radio's most thrilling dramas. Tonight and every Friday at this time, the famous old investigator takes from his file and brings to us one of his most celebrated missing persons cases. Tonight's case is entitled, the gossip column, murder case. The story of a bold and sensational murder among the glamorous stars of the radio and theatrical world. Of a famous bandleader who becomes a murder suspect. And what happens when a phone call is used to solve the case by Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons. 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Our scene opens in a radio broadcasting studio where Terry Bradford, famed gossip columnist and commentator, is just finishing his very popular program. Bradford has promised his audience a very special item of gossip before he winds up his program. But he is unaware that the program finale will have an even more sensational and frightful ending. And so the two popular stage and movie stars plan an early wedding, which promises to be the celebrity event of the year. Now this is your New York and Hollywood correspondent, Terry Bradford, who is about to say good night until this same time next week. But as I told you at the beginning of the program, I have an added piece of news for you tonight, an item that may cause someone I know to lose a little sleep. And here it is, the well known... No, no, don't shoot. Don't kill me. Somebody help me. Help! Are you Mr. Keen? Well, I'm Mike Clancy, Mr. Keen's partner. Well, my name is Alan Decker. I telephoned for an appointment early this morning. Oh, yes, Mr. Decker. Oh, here's Mr. Keen now. You wish to see me? Well, Mr. Keen, this is Mr. Alan Decker, the well known Hollywood and Broadway talent agent. Oh, yes, Mike. How do you do, Mr. Decker? Now please sit down. Thank you. Mr. Keen, I've come here to your office on an errand I dislike intensely. Several people are involved and careers may be smashed because of it. But because it concerns a case of murder, I feel I can't keep silent any longer. Murder, Mr. Decker? You probably read in the papers today about Terry Bradford. Oh, yes, the gossip columnist and radio commentator. Well, sure, and that was the boldest crime I've heard of in many a month, boss. Terry Bradford was shot to death right there in the radio studio while he was broadcast in his weekly program. I believe I know just who committed that crime, Mr. Keen and Mr. Clancy. The reason I came to you and not to the police is because I don't want to get involved. A notorious situation like this is bad for anyone connected with show business as I am. And I appreciate the fact that you're one of the most celebrated agents in the theater, Mr. Decker. I know how many stars you've discovered. Well, that's very flattering, Mr. Keen. However, let me tell you beforehand that as a private investigator, I keep nothing from the police that I feel they ought to know. If you give me any information about the murder of Terry Bradford, I shall pass it on to them. And I'll have to mention my source. Yes, I guess you'd have to, Mr. Keen. All the same, I'm going to tell you what I know. I'll feel better if I do. Very well, Mr. Decker. First of all, let me say that Terry Bradford, the gossip columnist who was murdered, was one of the most successful in the business. Frankly, I discovered him. Eight years ago, he was just a reporter. I got him his first radio assignment, and that made his newspaper column famous. Go on, Mr. Decker. Mr. Keen, have you ever heard of Kent Claxson? Oh, I've heard of him, boss. He's a big band leader. That's right, Mr. Clancy. Kent Claxson is another entertainer I made who walked out on me when he hit the top. Claxson is career crazy, Mr. Keen. He'll do almost anything to get publicity. What about Kent Claxson? He's a bachelor, but that doesn't stop him from running around with someone else's wife. And I happen to know he's been seeing a lot of Laura Gale. And who is Laura Gale, Mr. Decker? She's a young nightclub singer whom I have under contract right now. She would have been in line for a big career if this hadn't happened. She's married, Mr. Keen, to a rich oil man from Texas. He's down on his ranch right now while she's filling a radio engagement here in New York. I see. And just how are Laura Gale and the band leader Kent Claxson connected with this murder? Well, just before Terry Bradford was shot, he was about to make an announcement on the radio, a special piece of gossip. He was going to say that Laura Gale, the singer, and Kent Claxson, the band leader, are in love with each other, and that Laura is going to get a divorce from her husband. Is that true? Well, linking them together is true, yes, Mr. Keen. Laura was silly enough to even brag to me that Kent Claxson was in love with her. But she had no idea of divorcing herself from her oil king's millions, and Terry Bradford's announcement on the radio would have certainly reached Laura's husband in Texas. Are you trying to say, Mr. Decker, that this young singer, Laura Gale... She murdered Terry Bradford. Yes, Mr. Keen, I believe she did, to keep Terry from publicizing her love affair with Kent Claxson. You realize how grave an accusation that is, I hope. Yes, I do. But it adds up. Laura knows a lot about broadcasting studios. She's on the air herself. If you remember the details in the newspaper, the studio engineer, the only other person in the studio before the murder, was called to the telephone outside for a few minutes. And that was when Terry Bradford was shot to death. Exactly, Mr. Keen. The phone call was a fake, to get the engineer out of the studio and give the killer a free hand. What about Kent Claxson, the bandleader? Could he have had a hand in the crime? Well, that I don't know, Mr. Keen. But I do know this. Claxson hated Terry Bradford. Terry used to hold him up to ridicule in his column and on the air. And what about you, Mr. Decker? Me? What was your relationship like with the murdered men? Mr. Keen, I have nothing to hide. Terry Bradford walked out on me after I made him a success. And I never forgave him for it. But if you think I'd murder a man because of a broken contract... I'm sorry I gave you that impression, Mr. Decker. I meant to employ no such thing. One reason I came here was because of Terry's wife, Helen Bradford. I've known her a long time, Mr. Keen. Not that we've ever been anything more than friends. I understand. But he broke her heart when she heard the news. And he broke mine to see her crying her eyes out. Helen Bradford is too good for a rotten break like this. And on her behalf, I'm asking for a complete investigation by you and your partner, Mr. Clancy, here. We'll be glad to see what we can do, Mr. Decker. There's just one thing more, sir. I'm going to make an admission now that isn't going to do me any good. But it's important. What is it? I was near the broadcasting studio last night, just before Terry Bradford was murdered. Go on. The murder was committed at exactly 8.27, just before Terry went off the air. Five minutes before that, I was having coffee in a shop just across the lobby. I saw Laura Gale go into an elevator, evidently going up to the third floor where the radio studio is located. That place is you near the scene of the crime, Mr. Decker. I know that. But Kent Claxson, the orchestra leader, was rehearsing nearby, too. And for that matter, Terry's wife Helen was also in the building, waiting to meet him after the broadcast. That just about places almost all of you near the scene of the crime. What do you do, Mr. Keen, turn Laura Gale into the police? I want to hear her side of the story first. Where can I reach her? She has an apartment here in New York. I'll write her address down on this piece of paper. You can also write down Mrs. Bradford's address and the orchestra leader, Kent Claxson. I'll have to investigate this case from every angle, Mr. Decker, in order to solve the mystery of Terry Bradford's murder. Yes? Are you Miss Laura Gale? Yes. My name is Keen. I'm a private investigator. And this is my partner, Mike Clancy. A private investigator? We're here in regard to Terry Bradford's murder. Oh. Please come in, gentlemen. Mr. Alan Decker, the theatrical agent, came to see us an hour ago, Miss Gale. Decker? What does he want? He seems to feel... Are you alone here in your apartment, Miss Gale? Yes, of course. I suggest you call your friend out to hear this, too. My friend? What are you talking about, Mr. Keen? The gentleman who smokes cigars. There's a smoking cigar butt in that ashtray over there. Don't try to kid Mr. Keen anymore, Laura. He's got as big a reputation in his business as I have in mine. Boss, this looks like Kent Clancy, the band leader. Glad to recognize the face, Mr. Clancy. Kent, why did you come in here? Now, Mr. Keen will think that... He already knows about you and me, Laura, if that loud-mouthed Alan Decker went to see him. I may as well tell you, Mr. Clancy, that Alan Decker seems to feel that you or Miss Gale, or both of you, is mixed up in the murder of Terry Bradford. Why, I'll sue that liar for everything he's worth. Alan Decker shouldn't talk. Everyone knows how sore he was when Terry Bradford broke his contract with him. If you're looking for a killer, Mr. Keen... I am, Mr. Plexson, and I expect to find him, or her, before this case is finished. First, I thought I'd ask Miss Gale a few questions. Don't say a word, Laura. Now, look here, Mr. Plexson. We are not giving out any information without a lawyer. Is that your final answer, both of you? Mr. Keen... Yes, it's our final answer. Very well. And I suggest you consult your attorney soon, Mr. Plexson. You may find you'll need him. Let's go, Mike. Well, sure, and that fellow Kent Plexson is a wise acre if I ever saw one. Well, where do we go from here, boss? To the widow of the murdered man, Helen Bradford. We'll see what kind of a story she has to tell, Mike. Mrs. Helen Bradford? Yes? My name is Keen. Mr. Keen, the famous investigator? Oh, please, come in. This is my partner, Mike Clancy. We've been asked to investigate your husband's murder, Mrs. Bradford. Ellen Decker, who used to be his agent, came to me with a case. I see. I thought you may be able to provide us with some added information. Mr. Keen, I'll gladly tell you everything I know if I can only hold myself together and... Mrs. Bradford. Please forgive me. I'll be all right in just a moment. I'd better get a handkerchief. Why, the poor lady's just about to collapse, boss. Yes, she's quite broken up, Mike. Sense per servus. Will you just look at this apartment? That fellow Terry Bradford must have been worth a mint. Yes, the murdered men made a fortune as a gossip columnist, Mike. Well, I imagine he left his wife well fixed anyway. Say, boss, I don't hear anything from inside. Do you think the lady's sick? She could have passed out, sir. I think we'd better go in and see, Mike. Mrs. Bradford. Mrs.... Mr. Keen, but the bedroom's empty. There's an open door leading to the corridor, Mike. Mrs. Bradford has run away from us. She shouldn't have done that, boss. She don't know what a spot it puts her in. It makes it appear as though she were running away to escape arrest in her husband's murder. All right, Mike, put in a call to the police and ask them to send out an alarm for Mrs. Helen Bradford. Looks as though Laura Gale and Ken Flexon aren't the only strong suspects in this murder case. Nose, throat, and accessory organs not adversely affected by smoking Chesterfields. First such report published about any cigarette. A responsible consulting organization reports a study by a competent medical specialist and staff on the effects of smoking Chesterfields. For six months, a group of men and women smoked only Chesterfields, 10 to 40 a day, their normal amount. Forty-five percent of the group of smoked Chesterfields from one to 30 years, for an average of 10 years each. At the beginning and end of the six months, each smoker was given a thorough examination, including x-rays and covering the sinuses, nose, ears, and throat. After these examinations, the medical specialist stated, It is my opinion that the ears, nose, throat, and accessory organs of all participating subjects examined by me were not adversely affected in the six months period by smoking the cigarettes provided. Remember this report and buy Chesterfields, regular or king size. Premium quality Chesterfields, much milder. Now back to Mr. Keen and the gossip column, Murder Case. Mr. Keen, the great investigator and his partner, Mike Clancy, have sent out an alarm for the arrest of Helen Bradford, widow of the famous gossip columnist and radio commentator, Terry Bradford, who was murdered inside the studio during his broadcast. A short time later, just after Mr. Keen and Mike have returned to their office, they receive a visit from Laura Gale, a nightclub singer who was also implicated in the crime. Mr. Keen, I came here to your office to apologize to you and Mr. Clancy. Have you, Miss Gale? Well, she was worried about the treatment she gave us when we tried to ask her a few questions about Terry Bradford's murder. Yes, Mr. Clancy, you're right. I am worried. Mr. Keen, it was Alan Decker, the theatrical agent, who told you that I may have been mixed up in that gossip columnist murder. Yes, that's true, Miss Gale. Frankly, he said that you were seeing a lot of Kent Flexson, the orchestra leader. You're married to someone else, aren't you? Yes. My husband is in Texas. I'm calling Miss Gale in show business only. Mr. Decker implies that you may have murdered Terry Bradford to stop him from broadcasting a gossip item about you and Kent Flexson, which your husband in Texas might hear. Mr. Keen, I didn't kill Terry Bradford. I swear I didn't. Well, you were near the broadcasting studio when it happened, though. Yes, I was, Mr. Clancy, but so was Kent Flexson. I know. He was rehearsing his band. Well, sure now, Miss Gale, you're not trying to make it even tougher for your boyfriend. I didn't mean to bring Kent into this at all. He's already in it, Miss Gale. We found out he disliked Terry Bradford. Enough to wish him harm at any rate. Mr. Keen, a few hours ago you found Kent Flexson hiding in my apartment. He came there because he was scared, and so was I. Actually, there was never anything between us except a mild flirtation. Well, that still doesn't absolve you from suspicion, Miss Gale, particularly since you were near the scene of the murder. I know I was. My luck's been just great. I had to pick yesterday to rehearse almost five hours inside the broadcasting studio. You were rehearsing five hours? I thought I'd find you here, Laura. Boss, it's Kent Flexson, the band leader. I ought to wring your stupid neck for coming here. Oh, Kent! Now take it easy, Mr. Flexson. I've got half a mind to... Don't let him touch me! I said take it easy, mister! I'll knock you! I'll make another move, Flexson, and you'll get a little more of the same. All right, Mike, help him to his feet. I think you're quite done now. I won't let Laura drag me into a murder. I've got my career to think about. Not only your career, Flexson, but your life as well. The penalty for premeditated murder is the electric chair, as you well know. Mr. Keen, I'll admit I hated Terry Bradford. He was always ribbing me in my music in his newspaper column and on the air. But I wouldn't kill him because of that. I'm not crazy. You were inside the radio studio when the murder was committed, weren't you, Flexson? I wasn't the only one. I know you weren't. Laura Gale was there, and so was Helen Bradford, the murdered man's wife, and Aline Decker, the theatrical agent. Aline Decker is the one who got me into this. Did you question him, Mr. Keen? He had no love for Terry Bradford either. He admitted that. Did Aline Decker also admit that he was once crazy about me and that I turned him down, Mr. Keen? No, Miss Gale. However... Mr. Keen's office. Mr. Clancy? Yes? Can I speak to Mr. Keen, please? It's important. This is Aline Decker, the theatrical agent who brought the Terry Bradford murder case to you. Well, just a second. Boss, it's Aline Decker. I'll take it, Mike. Hello? Mr. Keen, look, I'm calling from my apartment. Mrs. Helen Bradford is inside in my living room. The murdered man's widow? Yes. She told me she ran away from you when you came to see her. She did, Mr. Decker, and there's a police alarm out for her. Well, Mr. Keen, she came here to ask me for help, and I said the best help I could give her would be to call you. So I told her she could trust you. Everyone knows that. Did Mrs. Bradford say why she ran away? She said she was afraid she'd be held for her husband's murder because Bradford left her a fortune, and she got panicky when she saw you, Mr. Keen. Shall I bring Helen down to your office? No. I want you both to meet me inside the broadcasting studio on the third floor. Where the murder took place? Well, outside, in the corridor. All right, Mr. Keen. We'll see you there in 15 minutes. Goodbye. Goodbye. Mike, I imagine the broadcasting studio is still out of bounds for the public, at least until the murder investigation is completed. Would the police usually close a place like that up tight so as not to lose any clues that may be lying around? That's right. My rehearsal studio was changed this morning to the fourth floor. No one's allowed in that section of the third floor. Mr. Clexon, did you say your rehearsal studio was on the third floor? Yes, Mr. Keen. Exactly where were you when Terry Bradford was murdered? Rehearsing with my band. And you've got 20-odd witnesses to the fact that you were with them when the shots were fired. Well, not exactly. I may have left the studio for a drink of water or a phone call. A phone call? Kent, the murderer phoned the studio first to get the engineer out before the murder. Is there a telephone booth inside the corridor near the studio where Terry Bradford was murdered? Yes, there is, Mr. Keen. But I wasn't... That's all I wanted to know, Mr. Clexon. We'll all go down to the broadcasting studio now and try to re-enact the events leading up to the crime. I believe it will lead us to Terry Bradford's murderer. Well, here's the third floor corridor, Mr. Keen. And there's Mrs. Helen Bradford and Ellen Decker waiting for us, Mike. I believe you all know each other. This is Kent Clexon, the bandleader, and Laura Gale, Ellen Decker and Mrs. Helen Bradford. How do you do? How do you do? I believe that studio across the hall there, 3Z, was the scene of the crime. And here's the phone booth, Mr. Keen. Yes, Mike. Now, the killer stepped into this booth, put through a call for the studio engineer, then went inside the studio and shot Terry Bradford after the engineer left to answer the call. Mr. Keen, what are you looking at me like that for? Well, your rehearsal studio is nearby, isn't it, Mr. Clexon? He rehearses in Studio 3X, right over there. And you, Laura Gale, admitted you were here in the corridor when the murder took place. Now, what about you, Mrs. Bradford? Mr. Keen, I was inside this building, downstairs, waiting for my husband when he was murdered. I know that, Mrs. Bradford. Ellen Decker was in the building too. I was, Mr. Keen. Mike, according to the newspaper report, the phone call the killer made was sent through one of the studio pages here in the corridor. The page took the message, then went in to call the engineer to the phone. Well, there's a page at the end of the corridor, boss, sitting at that desk. Maybe he's the one. See if he is, Mike. But first, get the phone number in this booth and have the page call it from his desk. Right, boss. What's this all about, Mr. Keen? You'll know in just a moment, Mr. Decker. Now, Miss Gale, you told me you were here in the building rehearsing for five hours at the time of the murder, and you were just leaving when you heard the shots. That's right, Mr. Keen. Murder was committed at 8.27. Does that mean you were inside the building up on this floor since 3.30 yesterday afternoon? Yes. And you never left the building? Not until I ran down those back stairs over there to avoid being seen. I was terribly frightened. Where did the back stairs lead? To the rear end of the building and out to the street. And the coffee shop is located on this end of the building. Hmm. Alan Decker, that makes your story weak in two points. What? What do you mean? In your anxiety to pin the murder on Laura Gale because she turned you down, you made one mistake. You told me you saw her into the building just before the murder, yet she claimed she was here inside all along. In my mind, that means you actually saw her here on this very floor as she was leaving. What? You were sitting in that phone booth. That's why she didn't see you. You were making the telephone call that lured the engineer out of the studio so you could murder Terry Bradford without being seen. It's Laura's word against mine, King. I still claim I saw her come in from downstairs. Pageboy can confirm that. I think he'll recognize your voice on the telephone, Decker, if you were the one who called. Answer that phone, Decker. This is insane. Answer it. No. Stand back, all of you. He's got a gun and I don't have a gun. Don't try that again, mister. That was a nice shot, Mike, from 30 yards at least. You hit Alan Decker in the wrist. Pick up his gun. Here. I've got it, boss. I'm sure the ballistics department at police headquarters will find that the bullet that killed Terry Bradford came from Decker's gun. Well, looks as though we've got enough evidence now, sir. Yes, Mike. Well, Decker, have you anything else to say? I killed Bradford, yes. He was going to broadcast an item about me. He was going to tell everyone that I defrauded my clients, that I was due for a prison sentence. Not only would that have ruined me, but it would have tipped off the police. It's too bad you didn't let it go with that, Alan Decker. Now you're facing an indictment not only for theft, but for the murder of Terry Bradford. Take him away, Mike. And so Mr. Keen finds a solution to the gossip column murder case. And don't drag around feeling unnaturally old, weak, weary when high-potency ributol may make a remarkable difference if your symptoms are due to B vitamin deficiency. Yes, we're so sure that ributol may help you feel more energetic, more joyously alive, that we'll spend our own money to convince you. So here's your chance to prove what ributol may do for you absolutely free under terms of this offer. Ask your druggist for ributol, the regular 100 size. With it, he'll give you absolutely free of extra charge the 25 ributol size. Yes, that's the $1.98 size free. Try ributol for seven days. Then if you don't feel more pep and energy, return the unopened 100 size ributol to your druggist for full refund. Yes, if you can't honestly feel ributol is doing everything you hope it will, your money's refunded. Insist on genuine ributol that contains 22 amazing vitamin and mineral elements. Don't miss out on this free ributol offer. It's for a limited time only. Go to your druggist today. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons is based on the novel Mr. Keen. The radio sequel is originated and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. Dialogue by Lawrence Cleese, directed by Richard Leonard. Philip Clark plays Mr. Keen. Don't miss Mr. Keen on Friday of next week when the kindly old tracer turns to The Case of Murder and The Sealed Box Mystery. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons is brought to you by Denteen. The gum with breathtaking flavor and Beeman's Petsons taste so good and aid digestion too. And by Chesterfield, the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size. King size Chesterfield contains tobacco of better quality and higher price than any other king size cigarette. Your announcer is Harry Kramer. This is the CBS Radio Network. Stay tuned for gun smoke. The following political announcement was paid for by citizens for Eisenhower. Eisenhower answers America. Mr. Eisenhower, are we ready for war? No. Washington has spent untold billions. Yet, we don't have enough planes for Korea. It's time for a change. The time, 8.30. And to the United Nations, a seventh anniversary salute from WCBS, AM&FM, New York.
