Episode Transcript
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Welcome to the Great Detectives of OldTime Radio from Boise Idahol. This is
your host, Adam Graham. Ifyou have a comment, email at to
me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dotnet, follow us on Twitter at Radio
Detectives, and check us out onInstagram, Instagram, dot com, slash
(00:50):
Great Detectives, and I don't wantto encourage you to check out our other
podcast including public Domain Video Theater atvideo Theater dot Great Actives dot net.
Video Theater is the video companion podcastto this series. We feature a variety
of different public domain television shows andmovies centering around detective characters. While we're
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going on hiatus for a few monthsfrom producing new episodes, there's a very
large archive of video content for youto enjoy, so check it out at
Videotheater dot Great Detectives dot net andyou can view all of the different podcast
and series that we do around OldTime Radio and detectives. Just go to
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Great Detectives dot net. But nowlet's get into today's episode of Jeff Regan.
Series went off the air for afew weeks after the last Paul dubalv
episode, but return in mid Juneand continued on through September, with Frank
Graham resuming as Jeff Regan. Thisprogram originally air July the sixteenth, nineteen
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fifty and the Toddle is all hissisters and his cousins, and his uncles
and his aunts. My name's Reagan. I worked for Anthony jay Lyon Detective
Joe. They call me the Lion'sEye. Jeff Reagan, Investigator, starring
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Frank Graham as Reagan, with FrankNelson as Anthony jay Lyon. So standby
for mystery, suspense and adventure.In tonight's transcribe story. All his sisters
and his cousins, and his unclesand his aunts. His name was Powerhouse
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Pratt. He probably shot more people, solve more crimes, chased more crooks
than all the detectives, police forcesand fbis in these United States. And
you could follow each and every oneof his daring exploits in the comics section.
You're a Sunday paper. Only troublewas Powerhouse was just a funny paper
character. The artist who drew himwas another case. He didn't shoot anybody,
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couldn't solve anything, and was buriedin death threats up to his ears.
It all began not on a brightSunday morning while reading the Funnies,
but on a dull and smoggy Thursdaywhile entering the Lions office. My boss,
Anthony J. Was hanging up thephone with a look of utter confusion
on his face when he saw me. However, he quickly covered it with
a broad and cheery smile. Jeffrey, my boy, I'm glad you got
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here that newslion. Eh. No, go, Jeffrey, we have a
client, but you aren't sure.Come goes, I'm sure. I just
talked to Missie Phineas on the phone. He wants you to come right now.
Mister Phineas is the new client,Missie Harold Phinneas. Each address is
right here, Jeffrey, So youjust run right out there and talk to
it just a minute. Fat Somister Phineas must have said why he wants
a detective now, Jeoffrey, I'mvery busy, very very busy. You
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just talked to mister Phineas. I'msure he'll explain everything why And I don't
talk to anybody until everything is clear. First. Come on, let's hear
it, Jeffrey. Mister Phineas hasa well a unique problem that is the
way he explained it. Dame,Oh very well, I'll tell you,
but you aren't going to like it. Already I don't like it, so
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you haven't got a thing to lose. Jeffrey, mister Phineas says his life
is in danger. He says thatevery morning when he wakes up, he
finds himself dead. That's when hetold me, Jeffrey, I'm sure of
it. That's just what he toldme. I said to myself this morning,
it's a perfect day for the beach. Jeffrey, this man's life is
in danger. Besides, he said, he was mailing us a check for
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fifty dollars. In other words,you gave him a verbal contractor handle the
case. Well, you see,he said. And then I said,
oh, Jeffrey, it has somethingto do with those cartoons he draws.
Mister Finney is he's a cartooning.So this man doesn't need a detective,
He needs a straight jack. Heneeds fifty dollars worth of detective service.
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Now get out there and see what'swrong with you lying away the gas bill
and the electric bill and the officebill in my face. I agreed to
meet our new client, mister PhineasThe address was third Street, Santa Monica,
three blocks from the ocean. Bythe time I got out there,
the fog was so thick you couldserve it for cake frosting. I sliced
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my way up to the house,which turned out to be big, old
and divided into four separate units.The mailbox said Phineas was an apartment three
upstairs. Left. When I steppedinside to the hallway, it was so
dark I needed a match to findthe stairway. I dodged furniture, burned
matches, and eased my way alongthe ancient carpet. I was just starting
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up the stairs. She was tall, pencil thin, and hawk face.
She stood in a doorway, candlein hand, and the yellow flame danced
across their eyeballs. Where do youthink you're going, mister? Upstairs?
Phineas's place? You from home?From where? Home? No? No,
I'm not. Then why are youseeing Harold? Look, lady,
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he sent for me. Maybe heneeded somebody to turn on the lights.
The lights are busted. That's whythey ain't on. They're busted, right,
I'll tell him, see you're on. Hey, wait a minute,
you Harold's working up there. Heain't got no time for salesman. You
hear, yeah, yeah, Ihear, thin hawk faced woman drifted back
into a dark doorway, like awavering strip of fog that had somehow gotten
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indoors by mistake. And I climbedthe stairs. At the top I reached
a knop on the panel door.Okay, Murdoch, reach and reach hire
Eddie put the cups on him.Murdock, what what you're doing? Thank
thank thank thank thank thanks. Therethey're clock with him. And what's warring
out? Oh? Hi, yeah, your name Phineas? Yeah, yeah,
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something, And I'll bet you're misterReagan, the lion's ie that takes
care of the two of us.Howe's Murdoch. Oh he's just an imaginary
character, mister Regan. He's inthe comic strip I'm drawing. Look look
right there on my drawing board.Do you see, Oh yeah, see
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the fact one. That's Murdoch.He was a crook. He's dead now.
The tall man with the felt hat. That's Powerhouse Prac. Powerhouse Prac.
Tell me you haven't heard of misterReagan. Gee whish. Powerhouse Prade
is carried in the comic section ofover three hundred newspapers. Why sleep late
on Sundays? Oh but she wishpowerhouse prap gosha. I thought everybody knew
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Powerhouse pra crime beater. I'll shareup, Phineas. Nobody appreciated Rembrandt until
after he was dead. Oh,mister Regan, you and have said that.
You just shouldn't have said that.Sorry, Phineas. Suppose you tell
me about your life being in danger? Oh gee, yeah, sure is.
Somebody wants to kill me the ladydownstairs. Huh, tall thin woman
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hiding behind a candle. Oh youmean Aunt May. Oh gee, that's
telling, mister Regan. Aunt Maywouldn't hurt a flee. How about people,
mister Reagan. Aunt May is myrelative. Aunt. I won't let
you talk about her that way.Okay, my apologies to your relatives.
I'm go on. Well, wellit's this way, mister Reagan. Every
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morning when I wake up, Ifind myself dead. Oh it isn't so
funny as you think. No,indeed, you see it started a week
ago when I got up early andlooked over the drawings I'd made the night
before, and there in the lastpanel of the drawings was was me A
picture of me lying face down inthe picture dead. The cartoon showed a
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figure lying face down? How didyou decide it was supposed to be you?
What's the back of the man suit? Was printed F I N I
A. Yes, Phineas, that'sme. Remarkable deduction, Continue, doctor
Watson. So it's been that wayevery morning for a week, me waking
up, walking over to the drawingboard, finding another picture of me dead.
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It's getting monotonous, to say theleast. Here here, here's one
of them. Look, that's yourstory for sure, jee mister Regan.
You believe me, don't you?Suppose we get back to the lady in
the candle? Who else lives herebeside her? Well, there's Aunt May
and Uncle Fred and the downstairs apartmenton the left, and there's cousin Sue
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and the downstairs apartment on the right. Then there's Aunt May's sister and her
husband upstairs here across the hall.They're all your relatives. Yes, I
guess so, except maybe if youcount cousin Sue, she's a relative by
marriage. What do they do?Oh? Well, all they're all retired
except cousin Sue. She works parttime in a department store in Santa Monica,
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Just one more, Phineas. Areyou married? Well, I'm sorry,
he asked me that I I wassorry. Divorce, Yeah, yeah,
I guess I am. Or ah, I will be. It takes
a year, you see, andthe year won't be up for another eight
days. Okay, Phineas. Doyou know if anyone who might want to
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kill you kill me? Who wouldn'twant to kill me? Harold Phineas,
cartoon is Supreme, creator and originatorof Powerhouse Pratt crime Beater gave me his
former wife's address that turned out tobe six blocks away near Lincoln Bullavard in
Santa Monica. I drove through morefog and arrived at the stucco apartment five
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minutes later. Missus Harold Phineas openedthe door. Yes, can I talk
to him about Missus Phineas? Yes, yes, come in. My name's
Regan. I'm private detective. Iknow Phineas phone. Yes, he phoned
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afraid you won't be able to helphim much unless you stop crying. Yes,
yes, good? Uh you knowanyone who might want to kill your
ex husband? No? No,I don't sure of that. Yes,
yes, I'm sure. Okay,Missus Phineas. Fo I won't tell.
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Rather see your ex husband dead?Is that it? Oh? No name
Hitchcock, hitchco cousin Sue, dear, dear, cousin Sue downstairs right,
cousin Sue, sheep, conniving,scheming, little peroxide blonde. If I
ever saw one, you think she'dkill your ex husband? She'd do anything.
She took a fancy too. She'sfrom home, mister Regan. From
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home. Where is home? Alittle town outside Des Moines, Iowa?
Where they all come from, allhis sisters and his cousins, and his
uncles and his eyem Sounds like youand the relatives don't get along, missus
finney along. I told Harold itwas there or me, mister read it
shows her well, she'd said,cousin Sue. By the time I got
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back to third Street in the PhineasClan, the damp night fog was turning
into rain. The dark house rosein front of me like a lost ship
adrift on a glassy sea. Imoved slowly up the front walk, feeling
my way toward the darkened house.I made the stairs on three matches,
then in the hallway, then thedoor downstairs right, and before I could
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knock I really wouldn't want to catchcold. Please do come in. What
was standing behind a candle in frontof me was small, slim and willoway
slow eyes that fluttered and reached outto you and fluttered back just time.
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She was dressed in a robe thatfipped like tights on a ballet dancer.
The hair wasn't peroxide blonde. Isaid, come in. I heard your
footsteps outside, mister Regan. Iknew you'd have to talk to me.
Harol Finia seems to have told everybodyHarold lot was his rotives. Mister Regan,
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especially his cousin, sues down someone. I got the idea you were
a blonde that was yesterday. Figureout, Yeah, yeah, thanks,
No, we won't need the candle. Nobody heard of electricity around here.
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They went out at noon. Thelights, I mean, no one seems
able to fix them. You mind, well, I hate to try dominoes
in this light, Yeff, Ifyou and I don't need to play domino,
you don't mind if I call youJeff. You're cousin upstairs, Phineas.
Somebody's interested in making his bed intoa slab. Let's talk about that.
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It's an interesting topic. Jeff onlydon't put me faith in. Oh,
you don't believe him. Cousin Sue'sfrom home, Jeff. These death
threads, that's for your GOLs.Oh you've been around, is it?
Oh? Phineas's ex wife has otherideas like you. She's jealous, just
plain jealous. I could wrap Phineasaround my ear lobes anytime I felt like
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it, and she noted, onlyyou have other interests. Yeah, hnna,
the adventures of Powerhouse prat crime be. They don't amuse me, Jeff,
I just insurance insurance. Sure.That mean I have a working agreement.
I keep Phineas in life and weall eat off Phineas. That makes
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the class to looking at you comepretty high, especially to Phineas. Jeff,
I'm gonna let you in a littlesecret. Cousin Sue doesn't have to
depend on Harold Phineas for room.Just remember that, cousin Sue later,
lady, later, I moved outof the room. Couple of time,
lights are no lights. I stumbledupstairs where the shots had come from,
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made the top of the landing onthe door to Harold Phineas's room. It
was open inside. Two candles gaveenough light to show a chair upside down,
a drawing board on its side.I moved in slowly on the floor
in the center of the room apile of Sunday Funny papers, and underneath,
very still, the form of aman his arms and legs for truthing,
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Harold Phineas. Oh yeah, theydidn't give me that time, mister
Regan. I guess they didn't giveme that time. It stopped when a
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cartoon has phoned my boss, theLion, that his life was in danger.
His name was Harold Phineas, andhe was creator of that all American
comic strip character known as Powerhouse Prattcrime Beat. Only when I showed up
at the Phineas place in Santa Monica, I found a house loaded with relatives,
a sobbing ex wife and a sultryredhead affectionately known as cousin Sue.
I was ready to let Powerhouse Pratttake over until somebody fired two shotgun blasted
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my client Phineas. They missed.She couldn't prove it by Phineas. They
tried to kill me, mister Reagan. Somebody tried to kill me since they
weren't shooting at flying sauceage. Ohyou got to do something, mister Reagan
right away. I don't like beingshot at him. Maybe we ought to
consult Powerhouse Pratt. He's a demonfor clues. There's no time to be
funny. Powerhouse Pratt is just afigment of my imagination, and my imagination
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isn't working right now. From thelooks of that butt shot in the wall,
i'd say, you're attacker fired fromright here by the door. Yeah,
that's right, that's just the wayit was. The door opened and
then there's this person shot at meand I fell down. And you couldn't
see who was behind the shotgun.I told several times, mister Reagan,
I just couldn't see anything, justthis figure in the darkening and then the
gunshots. It could have been anybody. I we'll call the police. No,
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no, no, no, nono, let's don't do that.
Publicity, terrible publicity. I wouldn'twant that. It might make power House
Pratt look bad. You'd rather bedead, is that in? Oh?
Of course not that. That's whyI hired you to find out whoever shot
at your Phineas escaped through the roomacross the hall. I was downstairs.
I didn't hear anyone come down.Yeah, but they just couldn't have gone
in there. That that's my auntMay's sister's apartment, and they went on
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vacation. It's locked up, okay, Phineas you said, tired, I'm
gonna check on it, just thesame. You mean you're gonna leave me
here alone, either that or callthe cops. Stay. But but hurry
back, mister Reagan. Hurry back. He's cumbling in the middle of the
room outside of the hallway. Ilet him matched. The door of the
apartment wasn't licked, it was open. I went in off the back porch.
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There was a wooden stairway that leddown to the yard. Whoever it
shot at Harold Phiniss had escaped throughthis apartment into the backyard. The chances
were that was somebody one of therelatives. I crept slowly down the stairs
to the yard. It was likefeeling your way into a bottomless pit.
The fog and the rain and thenight were black curtains circling around. You're
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just out of reach, and somewherein the yard a man with a shotgun
had drifted behind the fog. Ireached the bottom of the stairs, turned
say we are and Then out ofthe same fog bank came two men,
one tall and muscular and thick john, the other medium size and bed eyed.
The bead eyed one was the onewho'd spoken in his hands a shotgun.
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Hey, you hurt me? Don'tmove. I'll see if he's got
a gun on him. Mister hitchyou have one all right? Here?
No, no, don't you move, mister h Yeah, yeah, mister
Hitchcock, heht give it here acarl. What's your name, mister Reagan?
What's yours? Don't shash me?Nun oh, cho sass him?
Mister at shotgun? You're carry him? You like to shoot him? It's
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mine, mister, I do withit what I please? Like trying to
kill people? Hey, who doyou think? Chap? Oh? Tell
him? Mister? It looks badyou around this your yard after a shooting.
You're carrying the shotgun. Mister Hitchcock. Show you know my name?
If emmer I get I miss you'refrom home? Hey? What what is
this? Follow me, mister Hitchcock. You want opinions? His relatives,
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his uncle Fred maybe downstairs left,he knows something. But you know shamp
mister, you better come with us. Man with his shotgun. Uncle Fred
walked behind me. The big muscularcharacter he called Kyle led the way.
We moved around the house, upthe front porch and went through the door.
I'd seen the hawk faced woman closeAunt May's place. May, Yeah,
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it's your feller found him out chartm seeing him this afternoon. He
was bothering cousin Sue. I'll bethe was seeing Phineas. Oh, you
reckon. We ought to call apoliceman. Yeah he did. The shooter.
Girl doesn't have ocur to any ofyou characters that Phineas might be dead
now that those shots might have killedhim. If he wi hurt, mister,
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we'd have heard from here. Yeah, a little butt shot never hurt
nobody. Where do you fit in? What? Oh, I'm Carl,
I'm from home. You uncle Fred? Where'd you find that shotgun in the
garage we're always keeping? Let mesee it? Well? What right?
If he worker? Mister, you'retoo knows he? I think we'll call
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a cock, call him. They'dlike to look at that gun and chance
his heart has been fired. I'mgonna hit him, mister hitchcock. Yeah,
maybe that's a good idea. Okay, mister, you gotta coming you
shouldn't have done that. Mister,give me that gun, Hitchcock. It's
my turn to call the cops.I took the gun out of his hands
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before he knew what had happened.He had been fired, and I called
the police. Then I headed upstairsto see my client, Phineas. Only
I got a surprise. Coming downthe stairs toward me was a redhead cousin
Sue, there's no use in yourgrowing up there, mister Reagan. Cousin
Phineas is disappeared. I chased upto Phineas's room. Closets had been ransack,
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drawing board bear, even the candleshad gone out. I let them
and searched and got nowhere. Andthen he went back down to the phone
and called my boss, the Lion, Anthony j Lion Detective, You are
away, Fats, I got ajob for you. Yeah, about wished
Phineas. Jeffrey. Yeah, whydid Jeffrey? I just found out who
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our client really is. He drawspowerhouse pray at crying, beating, and
he won't let you forget it fora minute. Yeah, but Jeffrey,
don't you realize this is our chanceto find out what happened to Powerhouse.
Will you last Sunday's paper Powerhouse hasdisappeared completely off the pace of the earth.
This is our chance to get behindthe scenes. Fine thing, Lion,
just one catch. Mister Phineas hasdisappeared. Look, oh no,
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that's terrible, Lion, cut itout. Will you run down to the
hollow records check up on an interlocutoryto force decree granted to one Harold Phineas
and his wife. Find out whenthe year's up. You got damn yes,
But Jeoffrey, if anything happens tomister Phineas, who will never find
out what happened to Powerhouse? Pratt? Do you think of the millions of
children who will be broken hearted tosay nothing of Anthony Jay Lyon get Bessy
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fats A. Ten minutes later,the police came into it. They asked
questions, god answers, and drewconclusions. Or as a Santa Monica detective
sergeant named Smathers put it attacked bya person or a person's unknown, then
subducted to place or places unknown.Rigging. This guy's a famous cartoonist,
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he has money, so it getsdeath threats, then kidnapped. All we
do now is wait, sit tightand watch for the ransom. Note I
had other ideas. I called thelion back. Phineas hadn't been lying.
His divorce was final in eight days. Alapse. Mathers talking with uncle Fred,
aunt May Carl, and cousin Sue. Cousin Sue was doing fine with
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sergeants matters. Ten minutes later Iwas knocking at the door and hoping i'd
do was fine with the ex MissusHarold Phineas. Oh mind if I come
in? Oh thanks, Missus Phineas. Your ex husband's in trouble. He
was kidnapped. What now tears onthe side of this saffnun. You had
plenty well grows easy, but youheal quick? Yes, yes, something
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funny about your husband's disappearance, MissusPhineas. Kidnapper seems to have taken clothes
and drawing. I yeah, kindof odd that a kidnapper would stop for
those things. Yes, yes,it certainly is, of course, sir.
If your ex husband have been goingsomewhere, he might have taken them.
Oh no, mister Regan, Idon't see you. If a man
were pulling out of a tough situationin a hurry, he might stop to
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grab a shirt or two and letit go with that. Mister Regan,
If you're going to say I amMissus Phineas, your ex husband wasn't kidnapped,
He sneaked out. He went somewherein a hurry because he was caught
in his own trap. Oh,mister Regan, wouldn't make good publicity for
powerhouse prap, Missus Phineas. Paperswould play it big. Do you want
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to tell your husband to step outfrom behind those drapes? Okay, mister
Regan, I give up. Arrestmay put me behind bars. I deserve
it. Oh, Harold, No, I'll take it easy both you.
Nobody gets arrested yet. Anyway,you don't, Phineas, you made one
big mistake. You'll lied to me. That business about being threatened, the
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cartoon of yourself lying face down.But mister who drew your own pictures,
your story was so funny it smelledhalfway to ocean pot being shot at.
It wasn't your eye. Yeah,that's when you ran your idea of backfire.
I tried everything, mister Regan.I cut off the gas, busted
the lights, but they just wouldn'tleave. You dreamed up the threat to
get rid of your relatives. Youwanted your wife back, and she'd said
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it was her or them. Youwanted her, and you only had eight
days. I did it hardly.You wanted the relatives to go back home,
especially cousin Sue. Yeah, theywanted me to marry cousin Sue,
But but I didn't love her.Mister Reagan, I'd tried them, but
didn't threaten him the stubborn kind thatmight make him stay longer. So you
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said your own wife was threatened indirectscare. Yeah, yeah, that's just
what I did. But there's justone thing, mister Reagan. Honest,
I didn't shoot that shotgun on myself. Yeah, you gave somebody else the
idea. As long as you wantedto play target, they decided to help
you along. Who who Maybe it'sabout time you grew up. Then is
stick with me and you'll get tomeet that somebody yourself. Then he has
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turned three shades of red, kissedhis wife goodbye, kissed her again,
exchanged tears, and came quietly.He didn't say anything as we drove back
to the house. He said,lest when we walked in and faced the
family, Harold, Emily, meetyour long lost nephew, Harold Phineas say
hello Phineas, Hello, Harold,What on earth the meaning of this scaring
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us half to day? Well,Aunt, it's like this, you see
No, I don't see you.What's an explanation, Yes, asked mister
Reagan. This would make hot copyfor the papers readers, a powerhouse prow
Oh no, no, mister Reid, take your choice. Phineas. You
reather want your wife? You don't, mister Regan. I what was that
you said, Harold? Well,Aunt, you're apologize or we leave this
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very minute. We're going home,Harold, the whole family. Unless well,
then I guess you'd better go.Aunt, mate, what did you
see? You better leave? Well? I never here. I didn't mind
it when you came out to visitme for a month, and I didn't
mind when you decided to stay forthe fall, even had the house fixed
up. When you decided to stayfor the winter. Take it easy there.
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It's good for you too, UncleFred. But when you decided to
stay for the spring and then anothersummer is like you at all getting kick.
I've been supporting the whole gang ofyou for eleven months now, and
I'm sick and tired. Of it, and I'm broke. I can't beat
the whole darned town. You meanyou'd let your own kin folks downs?
Hair Old, we're from home,Yeah, home. You took over my
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house, spent my money, andruined my marriage. So you can all
go back home and you can takecousin Sue with you. The only person
I'm marrying right now is my wife. Go there, are you calling me?
I sure was? It's for you? You no, good little you?
Wait a minute, a little shrimp. Oh, Carl, Carl Miller
(27:48):
from back home. He got intown yesterday. He came from me,
that's right, shrump. And Idon't like what you're saying about my fiance.
Oh that explains, oh a lotof things. Carl. You're the
guy that took that shot at me. You never did like me, and
you thought you'd scare me away fromcousin Sue. Like I said, a
little butt shot. Yeah that's whatyou or you can have to all right.
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But the shot knock him down?Yeah? Yeah, Hey you mister
Reagan. Yeah, Phineas, howcome you knew all this deduction? My
dear Watson, mister Reagan, you'regreater than powerhouse prattle phinea has decided not
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to prefer charges against Carle, andthe family took the hint. The whole
clan packed up, bagging baggage fora long trip, not back home,
seems Phinney has had a sister livingin San Diego. The next morning I
checked him with my boss, AnthonyJ. Lyon. He looked triumphant.
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Jeffrey, Hell, it was justhis eye thought. It wasn't a kidnapping
at all. I'll say one thingfor Phineas. He planned it carefully,
Lion. Where did you learn aboutthe case to check there? Just in
case? And sure enough I wasright. The newspapers knew Phineas was building
up a phony death threat just toget they had the advanced story. Jeffrey,
Oh great, And I promised PhineasI wouldn't let a word of it
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get out, bad publicity for thecomics strange. Oh nonsense. I won't
tell anyone, Jeffrey. You won'ttell anyone. What about the other Minion
readers will by the time the papershit the newstand It won't matter anyhow,
Everyone alone the truth. Although Imust say it was pretty clever of me
to get it first. Here itis, Jeffrey, advanced copy. Listen,
now read it to you now.Powerhouse Brad says, so I cleverly
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disappeared just when the Cooks thought theykilled me. Actually, I was just
calling that's the comics section. Itwould have called, Jeffrey. Where else
would I find Powerhouse Brad? Oh? Wait here we are right here,
Ecash's Powerhouse Pratt. I might haveknown you won't really kidnapped Lion. Never
mind, here's the real clever part. Justice Murdoch tries to flee Powerhouse Brett
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turned suddenly Jeffrey. Jeff Reagan Investigatoris written by William Frogue and Gilbert Thomas,
produced and directed by Sterling Tracy,and stars Frank Graham as Reagan,
with Frank Nelson as Anthony J.Lyon. Original music is by Decarn.
(30:34):
Jeff Reagan Investigator is transcribed each weekat the same time over CDs Joe Walters
speaking and inviting you to be withus again next Sunday at eight thirty or
more suspense mystery and Adventure with JeffReagan Investigator. Welcome back. Well,
(32:12):
I think that there are quite afew pathologists who would disagree with the idea
that buck Shot never heard anyone overallan interesting episode in which there was not
actually a murder committed. Very atypical, but I think it works in this
episode. Now, it is temptingto imagine that if someone is creating a
(32:34):
detective strip, that this person isa parody of Dick Tracy and Chester Gould.
However, by nineteen fifty there hadbeen a lot of detective strips and
adventure strips in the newspapers. Ithink that's something that would have been hard
for me to wrap my mind aroundas a kid, because when I read
(32:58):
the funny papers where I live,they were almost exclusively a comedy. Now
we had Prince Valiant on Sunday,but that was about it. But it
was a far more diverse range ofstories between the comedic stories and the ongoing
adventure serials. And certainly there werequite a few detective strips during this period.
(33:22):
Dick Tracy was the most famous.But at the same time that chester
Gold was writing Tracy, you hadother strips rise up, like Red Berry
and Rip Kirby, both of whichI've been meaning to sample one of these
days. So by nineteen fifty,though, safe to say that Chester Gold
(33:43):
was and Dick Tracy were not theonly game in town when it came to
detective strips and comics. Now,the title to this episode is interesting,
as best I can tell. Itwas a refer to the play HMS Pinafore
by Gilbert and Sullivan and the songI Am the Monarch of the Seas from
(34:07):
Act one and sung by the characterof Sir Joseph Porter, and the song
I Am the Monarch of the Seacontains the line his sisters and his cousins
and his aunts, and of coursefor the title this they added uncles in
(34:30):
And of course you have the allat the beginning of that. But if
you're reading like a script, itsays all because the chorus is singing that
particular line, and so you justgo ahead and go, okay, all
his sisters and his cousins, andhis uncles and his aunts. And that's
(34:50):
the title of the episode. Andthat might be a bit of a stretch,
but I think it's referencing something,and the Gilbert Sullivan play is the
thing that makes the most sense.Ft Wise, I don't think it has
any connection. It's just a reference. But here is a little bit of
the operetta from the Victor Lott OperaCompany. I'm of the Sea the Queens,
(35:21):
Cobby ain't gonna here on mine.I was a mass fun and it's
My Finger the Golden Mole, Welcomeback. I hope you enjoyed that.
(36:13):
That was recorded in nineteen ten.Now, one thing I should mention because
Jeff Reagan is one of those serieswhere we have had a very unusual way
of playing through the series. It'snot like you know, I think a
couple of years back, we addedin one episode of the Casebook of Gregory
(36:34):
Hood seven years after we finished it. In this case, we sentially doubled
the number of episodes that we hadavailable of this series. That means that
there are a whole lot of episodesthat if you just listen to this run
haven't heard. So you've enjoyed theseepisodes of Jeff Regan, I encourage you
(36:55):
to check out our Jeff Reagan feeand it has all of the episodes,
the Jack Web episodes of course thefirst twenty, but after that we had
thirteen of the Graham Dubob episodes intwo thousand and ten and then three in
two thousand and seventeen. While we'veplayed a couple of those, there are
(37:19):
still fourteen different episodes that you haven'theard if you've just listened to this,
so I don't encourage you to goback into our archives. Can find the
archive feed at big Les dot,Great Detectives dot and net, but it
should be in nearly every podcast storeout there. So if you've liked what
you've heard over the last several monthswith Jeff Regan, there is even more
(37:42):
in the archive feve and I encourageyou to check that out. Listen our
comments and feedback now. And Amandawrites in on YouTube regarding A Tree Grows
in Encino. I'm perpetually bemused bythe fact that this program is written by
two men named William and played bytwo men Frank. And of course the
episode she commented on was the lastone where that was the case, But
(38:07):
it still is kind of interesting thatthis was going on for more than six
months. You had William Fluge andWilliam Flyfield writing a scrap for Frank Graham
and Frank Nelson. Of course,the Paul Duvolve taking over thing kind of
broke that up a little bit,and this episode has no Hm fly Field
(38:30):
on it, But Gilbert Thomas writingkind of makes me suspect that William frug
may have been the one who hadthe idea for the Gilbert and Sullivan titles,
since we did get a couple ofepisodes that referenced to Gilbert and Sullivan
and one with Flyfield as a cowriter and one was out. But thanks
(38:50):
so much for the comment. Alsoreceived this via Facebook messenger. Mike writes,
my family here in Indiana enjoys yourshow. Well shape that, Mike,
And now I want to go aheadand thank our Patreon supporter of the
day. Thank you to Brian,Patreon supporter since March of twenty twenty,
currently supporting the program at the MasterDetective level of fifteen dollars or more per
(39:15):
month. Again, thanks so muchfor your support, Brian. Well that
will do it for today. Ifyou are enjoying this podcast, please rate
and review it wherever you're downloading itfrom. We will be back next Tuesday
with mister Chamillion. Join us backhere with the Man called X. Where
(39:36):
open up? Lopez? Lopez,what do you think you're doing? Senor?
Sorry I knocked when you didn't?Landside broke in. If there's a
Yankee custom to answer a man's apartmentwithout his permission, we usually answer the
doll and someone knocks. May Iremind you that you are not in the
States now, Senor, what doyou wish? I understand you are very
(40:00):
promising young geologists, and I amonly a student. I have had no
practical experience. I thought you justreturn from a field trip with Roger Bright.
What are you talking about all that? Listeners? And if it is,
then they'd be downstairs. Since you'vebeen away from Lima for three months,
you came back on Wednesday, thesame day Bright was killed. You
(40:20):
have no authority to question me,Senor. All right, then let's go
down and see Inspector Morales. Wait. I will tell you anything I can,
but I know nothing. You knowwhere Bright went? You were with
him, see and since your geologist, you must know where he found the
potential oil field. You are wrong, Senor. Thursday, we found no
(40:42):
oil field. The trip was afailure, so your bride was terribly disappointing.
Oh why lie about it? Lopez? Lie? I will not be
insulted in my own apartment. Getout. You're afraid to tell me the
truth. Why did someone get toyou where you planted on that expedition?
Carl Lopez? What are you afraidof? I am afraid of Noah Senor
and if you wish to test mycourage. Okay, so I have told
you to get out. Now youwill go, and so you will let
(41:04):
come back just a minute. Youthink I am a card. If that
did not convince your pre all right, you asked twitters, I hope you'll
be with us then. In themeantime, do send your comments to Box
(41:25):
thirteen at Great Detectives dot NYT,follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
and check us out on Instagram,Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from
Boise, Idaho. This is yourhost, Adam Graham. Sign and off.