Detectives on the Air

Originally Aired: October 13, 1953 Johnny Dollar #184, "The Phillip Morey Matter," Johnny is called to New York by Mr. Maynard to investigate a costly production shutdown at Maury Productions Incorporated. Television star Philip Morey has allegedly suffered a nervous breakdown, halting filming and leaving the cast and crew under contract while the insurance company foots the bill. When Johnny arri...

Originally Aired: October 6, 1953 Johnny Dollar #183, "The Alfred Chambers Matter," Johnny Dollar travels to Michigan's exclusive Les Chenaux Islands to investigate the shooting death of Alfred Chambers, a Pittsburgh steel executive found dead in his rented lakeside cabin. Captain George Lane of the Sault Ste. Marie Police briefs Johnny on the puzzling circumstances: Chambers was shot in the chest...

Originally Aired: September 29, 1953 Johnny Dollar #182, "The Amita Buddha Matter," Johnny Dollar flies to Los Angeles to investigate what initially appears to be a tragic house fire that claimed the life of William McEdwards. However, Beverly Hills Police Chief Anderson reveals a disturbing truth: McEdwards was murdered, stabbed and struck with a severe skull fracture before the fire was set to c...

Originally Aired: September 22, 1953 Johnny Dollar #181, "The William Post Matter," Johnny Dollar heads to New York City when his boss Ray Kemper informs him that an insured client, Mrs. Teresa Post, has been murdered. The wealthy banker's wife was found stabbed to death in her eighth-floor apartment by private detective Paul Sachs and her lawyer George Simon, who had both arrived for an evening a...

Originally Aired: September 8, 1953 Johnny Dollar #179, "The Lester Matson Matter," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is assigned to investigate a suspicious fire that destroyed the Matson plastics factory in New York. Philip James briefs him on the $700,000 claim, and the police have already ruled out accident—evidence points to arson involving high octane fuel. Lieutenant Ridgway at New York...

Originally Aired: September 1, 1953 Johnny Dollar #178, "The Stanley Price Matter," Johnny Dollar takes on a perplexing case when the New York police confiscate $100,000 worth of rare gems hidden in a water pipe. The jewels may belong to one of his company's European clients who was robbed three months earlier, but they've been removed from their settings and recut, making positive identification...

Originally Aired: August 25, 1953 Johnny Dollar #177, "The Nelson Matter," Johnny travels to New York to investigate the death of Carl Nelson, a small-time hoodlum with a long criminal record who was shot to death. The beneficiary of Nelson's $10,000 insurance policy is a woman named Maud Gilkerson, and she's disappeared. Lieutenant Korchak of the 11th Precinct believes Maud knows something about...

Originally Aired: August 18, 1953 Johnny Dollar #176, "The Isabel James Matter The Kimball Matter," Johnny Dollar travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to investigate the murder of Isabel James, a woman insured by his company for ten thousand dollars. Upon arrival, he meets with Captain Clifford Kissig, who reveals a disturbing pattern: Isabel is the fourth victim in three weeks, all with their throats cut,...

Originally Aired: August 11, 1953 Johnny Dollar #175, "The Nancy Shaw Matter," Johnny Dollar receives an intriguing assignment from Philip Martin to investigate the theft of $100,000 in jewels from Nancy Shaw, a major movie star. Dollar flies to Los Angeles and meets with Sergeant James Dodd of the Santa Monica Police, who reveals this is the fourth robbery in a series with the same MO. The thief...

Originally Aired: August 4, 1953 Johnny Dollar #174, "The Voodoo Matter," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar travels to Haiti to look into a series of mysterious troubles plaguing farmer Claude Sheldon and his neighbors. Fires have destroyed cane fields, cattle have fallen sick, and farmers are dying under inexplicable circumstances. When Sheldon arrives at Johnny's hotel room to discuss the cas...

Originally Aired: July 28, 1953 Johnny Dollar #173, "The James Forbes Matter," Johnny Dollar receives an assignment from Roger Stern to investigate the death of wealthy textile magnate James Forbes, who apparently fell from a 110-foot cliff during his nightly walk. Lieutenant Parkhill of the Fifth Precinct is treating it as an accident—Forbes was a successful businessman in good health with no app...

Originally Aired: July 21, 1953 Johnny Dollar #172, "The Black Doll Matter," Johnny Dollar travels to Los Angeles to investigate the murder of Judith Thompson, a young woman shot to death in her apartment. The killing appears straightforward but puzzling - someone entered through the back door and shot her once in the chest with a .38, yet nothing was stolen. Working alongside Lieutenant Brickford...

Originally Aired: July 14, 1953 Johnny Dollar #171, "The Shayne Bombing Matter," Johnny Dollar arrives in New York to investigate the death of David Shane, a factory foreman killed by a bomb sent in a package. The victim's brother Charles, who had been working in California, is arrested after Mrs. Shane tells police that David identified the package as coming from Charles before opening it. Lieute...

Originally Aired: June 30, 1953 Johnny Dollar #169, "The Jones Matter," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar heads to Las Vegas to recover a stolen $30,000 diamond necklace belonging to Lily Lasseur, a glamorous aging showgirl who still packs them in at the Billion Dollar Club. Lily has two notorious weaknesses: gambling and collecting young men, both of which prove expensive. When Dollar arrives...

Originally Aired: June 23, 1953 Johnny Dollar #168, "The Jonathan Bellows Matter," Johnny Dollar is called in by Roger Stern of Intercontinental Indemnity after someone takes a shot at Jonathan Bellows, a 63-year-old industrialist insured for half a million dollars. The stubborn, reclusive Bellows refuses police protection and dismisses the would-be assassin as merely a crank, but his wife Edith i...

Originally Aired: June 16, 1953 Johnny Dollar #167, "The Emil Carter Matter," Johnny travels to Los Angeles to investigate the murder of policyholder Emil Carter, who was shot in his apartment. The prime suspect, Janice Late, was seen fleeing the scene by multiple witnesses, but she secretly contacts Johnny, insisting on her innocence. Against his better judgment, Johnny agrees to meet with her pr...

Originally Aired: June 9, 1953 Johnny Dollar #166, "The Oklahoma Red Matter," Johnny travels to Lexington, Kentucky to investigate a suspicious $65,000 insurance claim on a champion racehorse named Oklahoma Red. The prized stallion was allegedly injured by farm machinery and destroyed on the orders of Dr. Pierce, the attending veterinarian. However, Johnny quickly discovers troubling inconsistenci...

Originally Aired: June 2, 1953 Johnny Dollar #165, "The Costain Matter," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar heads to Toledo to examine what initially appears to be a simple shoplifting epidemic. Federal Insurance has paid out over twelve thousand dollars on thirty-seven stolen merchandise claims, and they want answers. When Johnny meets with Lieutenant Sturgis at the Toledo police station, he di...

Originally Aired: May 26, 1953 Johnny Dollar #164, "The Brisbane Fraud Matter," Johnny Dollar arrives in Detroit to investigate Hugh Brisbane, a broker who has mysteriously vanished, leaving behind a twenty-five thousand dollar bond that Johnny's company will have to cover if Brisbane has truly run away. Working alongside Sergeant Pantella of the Detroit Police, Johnny learns that Brisbane's disap...

Originally Aired: May 19, 1953 Johnny Dollar #163, "The Emily Braddock Matter," Johnny Dollar is called in by Frank Preston of Baltimore Liability to track down a cunning female con artist who has been passing bad checks up and down the California coast. The woman, posing under various names including Mrs. Robert Payne and Ellen Bradley, has been targeting luxury resort hotels from Monterey to San...

Originally Aired: May 12, 1953 Johnny Dollar #162, "The Rochester Theft Matter," Johnny Dollar receives an unexpected call from Sergeant Papish of the New York Police Department with news about a cold case: a five-thousand-dollar mink coat stolen six months ago from the Jacobys in Rochester has finally been recovered. The catch is that the coat is being worn by a young woman named Eileen Madden, w...

Originally Aired: May 5, 1953 Johnny Dollar #161, "The Blackmail Matter," Johnny Dollar is called to investigate a suspicious death at Dale Martin's gym, where the body of Frederick Royal, a regular client for over a year, has been discovered with his neck broken. Martin is convinced it's murder rather than an accident, and the police agree—the position of the body suggests someone with considerab...

Originally Aired: April 28, 1953 Johnny Dollar #160, "The San Antonio Matter," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar flies to St. Petersburg, Florida, when notorious bootlegger Mark San Antonio is found shot to death in his home. The case becomes complicated when Dollar learns that Great Eastern Fidelity had established a trust fund for San Antonio's daughter two years earlier. Working alongside Li...

Originally Aired: April 21, 1953 Johnny Dollar #159, "The Dameron Matter," Johnny Dollar arrives in San Francisco just ten hours after a violent heist at the National Savings and Loan Company. Lieutenant Benson and Sergeant Friedman have already picked up Bernie Manners, a two-time loser with a lengthy criminal record, after the dying watchman, Henry Fuller, identified him from police mugshots as...

Originally Aired: April 14, 1953 Johnny Dollar #158, "The Madison Matter," Johnny is called to the Hartford office of Paul Dupree at International Insurance to meet a woman with an extraordinary claim. Thelma Walker, a tall, dark-haired woman in her thirties, explains that she is legally dead and her husband, Dr. Frank Madison, has collected ten thousand dollars on her life insurance policy. She r...