Let every go signal remind you that you do go farther with Signal Gasoline. The Signal Oil Program. The Signal Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another curious story by the Whistler. Tonight, the Doctor Operates in Crime. I am the Whistler and I know many things for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Presently I'll tell you of nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. The Whistler will bring you his story in a moment. But first, for the benefit of those who missed the War Production Board's recent warning about the tire shortage, I'll briefly repeat the facts. Because of a predicted shortage of over a million bus and truck tires during the first quarter of 1945, WPB warns there may not be enough new passenger car tires for even B and C book drivers. So regardless of what kind of ration book you have, your best bet is to use your neighborhood signal gasoline dealer's service for keeping your present tires in condition for recapping. By inspecting your tires regularly, he can catch and repair small damages before they become serious and ruin the carcass. Then when he finds the tread is worn to just the proper stage, he can give you a recap job of top quality material packed with thousands of miles of additional wear for your necessary driving. However, if you have a new tire certificate, signal dealers still have fresh, new, synthetic tires to help keep you rolling for the duration. And now, the Whistler. From the street it looks innocent, just a plain, ordinary two-story dwelling. There's a sign over the entranceway. It says, Dr. Julius J. Weber. Just that, nothing more. A dark, lean man, his coat buttoned tightly, his hat brim pulled low, turns into the entrance, pauses a moment, then pushes a button and opens the door. Uh, this is the doctor's office. Sign just said, ring and come in. Can I help you? Hey, you're a cutie. What's your name? What did you want to see the doctor about? Uh, me. I want to see him about me. What's your name, please? Make it anything you like. I'm afraid I must have your real name. Why? Perhaps you'd better see another doctor. Oh, no. Dr. J. Weber's the guy I want. I'm sorry. No, don't get on your high horse. Angelo's the name, Anthony Angelo. Anthony Angelo. Tony to you. I don't quite know when the doctor... Oh, no. Oh, excuse me. I did not... This is Mr. Anthony Angelo, doctor. Hiya, Doc. How do you do? Have, uh, I any more appointments this afternoon? No, this man... This is important, Doc. Angelo. Angelo. It seems to me I've heard the name before. Yeah. I've been getting lots of publicity, especially lately. That's why I want to see you. Come inside. Nurse, uh, bring along your book. Hey, this is confidential. You were at Liberty to take your business elsewhere? Everybody's touchy around here. Okay, okay. Let her come along. Come in. You may sit here, please. That's it. Now, who recommended me to you? Guy by the name of James. So? Friend of yours? I wouldn't say that. Maybe he did me a good turn. Perhaps. You did some work for him, didn't you? Have you seen him lately? Not for five, six months? Then how did he manage to recommend me? Well, it wasn't personal. Grapevine gets around. What would you like me to do for you? I want the works. How badly? Pretty bad. I'm hot as a firecracker, and I don't think things will cool off this time. You want a complete job of plastic surgery, then? You're the doctor. Anything you say goes. I'm glad we understand each other. What kind of face would you like? Huh? You mean I can pick my own? With certain limitations. I can change the color of your eyes and hair. I can change the contour of your face, reshape your nose, change the way you walk. The way I walk? I can take every birthmark or scar off your body and replace them with others as, well, other portions of your body. Permanent? Yes, permanently. I will extract every tooth in your mouth and replace them with plates. What for? My chappers don't show. They're a positive means of identification. Yeah, that's right. Anything else? Yes, your fingerprints. I will remove them. I will get you shoes which will increase your height and change your gait. Kind of thorough, ain't you, Doc? I have to be. Will you get the camera, nurse, please? Yes, Doctor. Camera, what for? I need various photographs of you for study before I operate. I don't want it. I must insist. I never had a picture of me taken yet. You're going to have one now. You're quite a one, Dr. Webber. How much is all this going to cost me? We can come to terms on that, I believe. And where is this operation going to be performed? In my surgery. You will spend about five weeks here in this house. Nurse, have you the camera? Yes, Doctor. Would you mind, Mr. Angelo, a few shots of your face, please? Then your hands, torso, feet. Okay, okay. Don't mind me. I'm only the patient. This is a big job you've taken on yourself, Dr. Webber. Tony Angelo is a big man in the underworld. And what you were planning, not only in aiding the forces of evil, but of your payment, therefore, just might have repercussions. And what is your fee, Dr. Webber? Five weeks have elapsed, and Tony is ready to go forth into the world newborn, so to speak. And you haven't mentioned your fee yet. Better go easy. Tony Angelo is hard. He's tough. You think about that while you're unwrapping his bandages. Rather a fateful moment, isn't it, Tony? I'll take that nurse. All right, Doctor. Thank you. There. You'll find that the slight scars will vanish in a short time. Now, let's have a mirror. Let's have a look. Here. Here you are. My nose. My face. My lips. Hey, this ain't me. You may go, nurse. Yes, Doctor. And look at my eyes. They're gray. And my hair and eyebrows. Doc, you're a marvel. It's worth whatever you ask. How much do I owe you? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Hey, sit down, Tony. Over there in that chair, facing me. Yeah, sure. Okay. My fee is $1,000 a month for the rest of your life. How much? $1,000 a month. You're kidding. Levity is the furthest thought from my mind at the moment. I can't pay that much. Yes, you can. And you had better. I was afraid of something like this. Okay, I'm listening. There's nothing to tell. My fee is $1,000 a month for the rest of your life. The completeness of my job works for me as well as for you. I'm satisfied you're going to live for a long time. How do you know I got that much money to pay on the line? You have. You've been investigated. I know what each of my patients can pay. There's a sweet racket you have, Dr. Webber. I am bringing it to a very successful conclusion. You are my last patient. I am now assured of an income for the rest of my life which will permit me to live in luxury. You mean with my thousand you have enough. That's right. And if you have any ideas of not paying, forget them. Smarter men than you are paying right now. Maybe they forget easier. That's what I advise you to do, to forget your entire past. I suppose you know that you can get knocked off any time. By whom? Any one of your patients. Maybe Huey James. How do you know James was a patient? I heard rumors. I wouldn't put much stock in rumors. Furthermore, any idea you may have of inflicting injury on me you can discard. If I am absent twelve consecutive hours without notification at certain places, a complete file of documentary evidence is presented at the office of the district attorney. Very smooth. Go ahead, Doc. And if by the tenth day of each month your payment is not in this office, complete evidence on you is sent to the D.A. That sounds like blackmail. Call it whatever you wish. I'm only insuring your payment. In case you're in doubt as to the extent of my evidence, I'll enumerate the things which makes my insurance the best in the world. I'm listening. I have a complete set of your former fingerprints and of the impressions made by your fingers now. I have photographs of you before the operation. And while you have been sitting in that chair, thirty-six shots have been made through that aperture in the wall directly behind me. What? Yes, right there. So, Tony, get rid of any idea that my plan is not foolproof. It is. There is nothing you can do. Nothing. Smooth. Pretty smooth. It's better than that. It's perfect. And the reason it's perfect is because I am winding it up now. You are my last case. You know, I ain't got the foggiest idea what to do about it yet. But I'll think it over. You do that. In the meantime, keep sending those checks regularly. I'm through here now. That's right. You can leave. If anything bothers you, come back. But please make it soon because I'll probably be taking a trip. Okay, Doc. I'll be seeing you. Good luck, Tony. Oh, Mr. Angelo. I got a new name, sister. Sucker. By the way, are you in with that guy's racket? Here is your wallet, Mr. Angelo. Will you let us know what name to use in place of Angelo? Yeah, sure. You're a cutie, you know. You cutting into the Doc's melon? I am the doctor's wife, Mr. Angelo. Oh. Goodbye, Mr. Angelo. Goodbye. Goodbye, nurse, for now. You were listening to The Whistler brought to you by your friend, the Signal Oil Company, marketers of famous Signal Gasoline, your best buy today. Remember to let every go signal remind you, you do go farther with Signal Gasoline. Well, that's a neat little racket Dr. Weber has, isn't it, Tony? He has you so tied up you can't possibly wiggle out of it, can you? Or maybe you can. If you can just think up the right angle. Maybe if you can track down some of the others and compare notes, then you may be able to pick up a clue, find out something that the good doctor forgot. They'll cooperate with you. They're in the same boat as you, and two heads will be better than one. So who'll it be first? Hmm. Well, there's only one you even know about, Huey James. Yes, look up Huey James or the man who used to be Huey James. Huey James? Haven't seen him. James? He hasn't been around here for much. Just disappeared, I guess. I heard he got his face lifted, and as far as I know ain't nobody seen him since. Don't even know what he looks like now. Oh yeah, Huey James. He's the guy who used to wear those English tweed suits and smoke those English cigarettes. Players, wasn't it? That's right. Do you know where he bought those cigarettes? I might be able to track him that way. Why sure, the cigar store down the corner. Maybe he can tell you. Yeah, now you're getting somewhere, Angelo. Try the cigar store. You're using your head now. Do you have any players cigarettes? No, I, uh, oh no, wait a minute, players, huh? Yeah, here. I do have one pack left here in the drawer. Thanks. Not many people buy these, huh? No, I, I've been keeping them especially for one customer. Guess I'm about the only store in town that has them. One customer, huh? Yeah. That one customer wouldn't be Huey James, would it? Oh no, no. I haven't seen him for months. I used to keep players especially for Huey. Then he disappeared. But it was very funny. A few weeks later, this other guy shows up and asks for them. He's been coming back regular ever since. Huh? What's he look like? Oh, well, now that you mention it, something like Huey. He wore those great, sweet English made suits just like Huey. And it's something of the same build. But the face wasn't like Huey. Oh no, no, not at all. And he had red hair. I see. Uh, maybe I'll stick around and meet him, a fellow players smoker, you know. Oh no. No, he won't be coming in again. Huh? Why not? The cigarette shortage, you know. I can't get players at all anymore. He bought out all I had the last time and said he wouldn't be back until after the war and I got more. But mightn't he come in just for any kind of cigarette? I doubt it. He said he came from clear across the town to get them. I see. Okay, thanks. Too bad, Angelo. Just when it seemed you were getting on the track, the trail ends. You found out that Huey now has red hair, if the players smoker is Huey. But where are you going to find one red haired man out of all those in this big city? You try everything you can think of, but the trail leads nowhere. And the date of your first payment to Dr. Weber is approaching fast. You've got to do something. Figure something out. Forget Huey. Figure something else out. Figure something. I've got to figure it out. If I plug the dock, the evidence gets turned over to the cop. Wait a minute. Who turns it over to them? That's right, Angelo. Now you're thinking again. Who does turn the evidence of your transformation over to the police? If you can get to that guy, get him and destroy the evidence, your worries are over. But slowly a plan takes form in your mind. Could it work? Could it? Maybe. And it's worth a chance. You can't just sit and pay a thousand a month all your life now, can you? Oh, Mr. Angelo. Hello, sister. What are you doing back here? Something wrong? Don't you feel well? I feel okay, sister. I want to see the dock. But what about? He's very busy. I know, I know, but he'll see me. I got something for him. Oh, oh, yes, you're early with it, aren't you? That's good. A lot better than being late, isn't it? Yeah, that's just what I figured. See in there? Yes, you may go in. Okay, maybe you better come along. You might want to take some more of them notes. Oh, very well. Well, Mr. Angelo. Mr. Angelo says he has something for you, doctor. Oh, you're very prompt, aren't you, Mr. Angelo? I got something for you, Dr. Webber, but it's not what you think. I got a surprise. A surprise? Yeah. Your game is up, doc. You won't get a cent out of me. Oh? Yeah. Because I found out who your trigger man is and where he kept the evidence. Where he kept the evidence? That's right, you get it, doc. The evidence ain't there anymore, so you got nothing on me. Now if I decide I ain't going to pay, there's nothing you can do about it. I see. I don't believe you, Angelo. You will, doc, you will. Now I'll be running along. It's been very pleasant to make your acquaintance. See you later, sweetheart. A smart trick, Angelo. By the look on their faces, you figure you pulled it off, too. Now all you have to do is wait around across the street to see what happens. If they take the bait, one of them is sure to go see about that evidence and they'll lead you right to it. And you don't have long to wait. It's only a few minutes before the doc comes out and hails a taxi. You're in one right behind him and you tail him clear across town. You follow him into a swank looking apartment. It's easy. He's an amateur at this game and you're an expert. You take the stairs, he takes the elevator and you're ahead of him all the way. When he gets off at the fifth floor, you're standing in the stairwell watching. He knocks on a door and while you're both waiting, you think how neatly your trick worked. He's led you right to the evidence. Then the door opens and you get a shock. Yes, you get a shock because the man who opened the door to Weber wore a gray English tweed suit and had red hair. And you know without anyone telling you, it was Huey James. Your trick didn't work after all. He didn't lead you to the evidence, but he did lead you to your fellow victim, Huey James. Now's your chance, Angelo. You've got them together. You've got Weber trapped there. And with Huey's help, you should be able to worm the truth out of him. Go ahead, Angelo. Go on in and start talking. What do you want? I see by your door plate you're called Mr. Peterson. Yeah, whatever. If I'm called Becker, I want to talk with you. I'm busy now. It's all right. You needn't worry, Huey. I'm okay. My name's not Huey. Yes, it is. It's not Peterson any more than mine's Becker. I got something to say you'll want to hear. Maybe Dr. Weber won't. Oh. Well, maybe you better come in. I thought you'd see it my way. Thanks. It seems you two have met. Yes, we have. So your information was a trick to try to get me to give away my information, wasn't it, Angelo? Never mind about that. You did me a favor. I've been looking for this guy for weeks. Now that I've found him, you're on your last legs, Doc. Well, I warn you, you're playing with fire. You can't scare me now, Doc. Once Huey and I get working together, we'll break up your racket, okay? Hey, what is this? Do you mind letting me in on what you're talking about? I'll tell you, Huey, you and I are in the same boat. This guy's blackmailing us for our shirt, his payment for the operations he gave us. If we can get that evidence, he's got cashed away somewhere and destroy it. We're free. He's got nothing on us. We can stop paying him his hush money. Ah, see what you mean. You and me together, huh? That's it. We got him here right now. Let's make him talk. Make him tell us where that stuff is. We got ways to make him talk. You know that. Angelo, I'm warning you. There we are, Doc. Don't move. That gun won't help, Angelo. You're just going to write your own death warrant. Ah, that's what you think. Yeah, and so do I. Drop it, Angelo. Hey, Huey, you aren't sticking up for him. Listen, don't let him buffalo you. Everything was going okay, punk, and I wanted to say that way, see? Now, that dumb punk is going to come shooting his mouth open, ruin everything for all of us, see? Now, drop it, I said. Why, you yellow liver! Huey, stop it. Don't be a fool. Look out! Stop! You fool! You fool! Take it easy, Angelo. Take it easy. You got a couple of slugs where they do the most harm. And there's Huey James lying over there. And you can tell from here he's dead. Your bullets did that. You're a fool, Angelo. You came here to get Huey on your side. Instead, you end up by shooting it out with him, bumping him off, and maybe getting bumped off yourself. Better get out of here while you can still walk, before the cops come. Webber, the Doc got away. Here's the door. Get out. Hurry! Hurry! Well, this one here in the hall is still alive. Not for long. The other one's dead. Okay. Here's the guy we caught running out of the building. Take your hands off me. What's your name? I'm Julius Webber. I'm a doctor. I was just visiting here in the apartment, and I don't see why... He... He did it. Hey, wait a minute. What did you say, man? He did it. I was coming down the hall. He ran out the door, shooting. I got in the way. That's not true. He's lying. He did it. I was just... the innocent bystander. That's not true. I tell you, he did it. He's Tony Angelo. He's a gangster. Tony Angelo? That's not Tony Angelo. I know Tony. I tell you, it is. And how do you know? Come on, speak up, brother. You're staring a murder rap in the face. I... I know it's Tony Angelo because I performed a plastic surgery on him. You hear that, mister? What have you got to say to that? He did it. I... I'm just innocent. Innocent. He's lying, I tell you. Make him tell you the truth. Too late now. He's dead. But... No. You don't believe him. Surely. Put the cuffs on him, Joe. Take him down and book him for murder. The Whistler will return in just a moment with a strange ending of tonight's story. Meantime, let's consider for a moment the very important subject of how many miles you're getting, per Asian gallon, of the gasoline you're using. Perhaps you're among the 98% of drivers who don't know the answer to that question. Then, here's a point well worth remembering. For years, more and more Western drivers who keep close track of their gasoline mileage have been switching to Signal, the famous go-farther gasoline. And what's more important, the switch to Signal has actually increased since gas rationing. And here's why. Although certain gasoline ingredients have gone to war, Signal standards of quality still guarantee you the very finest gasoline that can be made today. And Signal still places the emphasis on mileage. Naturally, no company today can promise you the same performance you found in pre-war gasoline. And we can only hint at the brilliantly improved Signal gasoline you'll be able to buy after victory is won. But what you're interested in today is getting the most possible miles from every ration coupon. And for that job, you'll find Signal go-farther gasoline, your best buy today. And now, back to the Whistlers. Well, Angelo and Huey James both dead, and the doctor booked for murder. Funny thing, the police never did believe that he was telling the truth, or maybe they didn't care too much, especially after they found all the evidence, enough evidence to send the doctor up for a good many years for performing illegal operations. So Angelo did do a pretty good job of fixing the doctor. The funny part of it was something he never knew, that his trick had worked perfectly. Yes, the doctor had taken the bait, because the police found the doctor's evidence in Huey James' apartment. It seems Huey was really the brains behind the racket. After he'd had his face remodeled by Dr. Weber, he'd persuaded the doctor that they could run a nice racket, with Huey taking the lion's share of it. You see, blackmail works both ways. Huey has as much on the doctor as the doctor had on him. It was very neat, until Angelo came along. The moral of the story is, of course, that a doctor who operates in crime may expect to run his practice into the ground, six feet into the ground. Next Monday at nine o'clock, the Signal Oil Program will bring you another strange tale by the Whistler. The Signal Oil Program is broadcast for your entertainment by the Signal Oil Company, marketers of Signal's famous Go-Farther gasoline and motor oil, and by your neighborhood Signal Oil dealer, who is at your service daily to keep your car running for the duration. The Signal Oil Program, produced and directed by George W. Allen, with story by Celig Lester and Merwin Gerard, and music by Wilbur Hatch, is transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. Bob Anderson speaking for your friend, the Signal Oil Company, and suggesting once again that you let every Go signal remind you that you do go farther with signal gasoline. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.