Boston Blackie: Murder in the Music Room 11/15/1945

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. Music Well, Bill, what about it? Got an idea for the lyric yet? Play that melody once more, because I think I've got some. It's about time. Music Okay, okay, hold it. How's this? Music Hey, that's not bad. It never was bad. Well, that tune of yours sounds like 800 others. I'd be expecting me to get any kind of original idea for a lyric. Give me something to work with. Well, Bill, we've been fighting like this for months, and we haven't written a hit tune in months. We've got to do something. You want to break up the team? I don't want to, but we both seem to be written out. Those last songs we did, well, if Joe Hendricks wasn't our friend as well as our music publisher, he'd have thrown them out in the alley. You put together an awful lot of bad lyrics for that groove. So it's my fault. The lyrics were bad. It's because I couldn't save those tired tunes of yours. It's my fault. I'd have put you right in the nose. That would be a priceless answer to our problem. Would at least give me some satisfaction. I think I'm warning you. I don't like violence. But I'm getting to a point where I'm going to forget how much I hate violence, and remember only how much I dislike you. The End And now, meet Dick Colmer as Boston Blackie, enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friends. The End Of course, I know Joe Hendricks, Mary, but I won't know him long if I ask him to publish this song of your cousin. Oh, well, maybe it isn't so bad, Blackie. bad like he married dear mary everybody in this country at some time or other as an idea you can write a song this happens to be the time that they thought struck your cousin should have been a colleague are all black in me all okay he just made a bargain you left my job i'll take your cousin's song to joe henry let me have it let's see how it goes on what i'm selling it is a copy and darling when you play it use the other nine fingers huh how good that i got a pretty bad baritone voice i've been holding back the years well let's see how does that it goes let me crumbly need the moon in the merry month of june while all the world you smile as you listen to my tune my mother used to say i should never have taken piano lessons and she was right mary that song is awful it didn't sound too bad we shouldn't just crazy about my voice you say the nicest things about you is the song really terrible awful that's one of the reasons i'm taking it to joe henry's right now wait a minute the song is bad and still you're going to take you to mr henry's the music publisher certainly i forgot to tell you i don't like henry's well call all three hotels you'll have to register in one of them leave word to call joe henry's when he checks in right and phones phones all the time phones yeah boston blankie sure send him in going in there hi joe hello blackie long time no i see this is joe henry's merry he and infractive fire they make the worst jokes in the world how do you do well what can i do for you blackie i've got a song joe i'd like you to publish it here what's the title in a blue canoe with you you're kidding with that aren't you oh no mr henry we're very serious my um my cousin wrote it your cousin ought to be a very happy character these your cousin miss westley that's famous enough for anybody take this song back blackie put it on the floor let it crawl out of here by itself or don't you want to hear it if i want bad songs i got thick open and bill ruttley under contract they've written nothing but bad songs for the past year say how are the boys haven't seen them in quite a while physically they're fine mentally they're out of town how about actually they're in a piano room down the hall trying to write a song oh please mr henry won't you listen to my cousin's number uh blackie can play it for you how bad is it like i can tell you in one word very but i got an idea what is it it isn't so bad that a professional songwriting team couldn't fix it up would you say olden and ruttley would you in the piano room down the hall i'm going down to see them maybe they'll do something about your cousin song mary i won't be too long phones phones phones all the time phones excuse me miss westley hello and rick speaker tell me boy won't you get in town tell me boy swell swell hot to live in the old trombone sure it always was the best tell me i'm glad you called back i got a score that's a comet a musical comedy score you know the show are you with it how about doing here i go again from it it's a terrific tool we're sure i listened to your broadcast wouldn't miss him oh you did the song last night this is more well ain't it hey drop around for lunch tomorrow huh tell me about four o'clock i got some new tunes to show you tell me take terrific tommy thanks for calling and that was i know tommy this is a very interesting business this is the Hendricks oh oh blacky there you are did you find it called mendoza but they were too busy to work on your cousin's song come on mary let's get out of here but you hurry blacky sit still hang around a while i'll buy lunch no thank you mr. Hendricks i get hungry long before four o'clock normal girl and what are you doing with blacky thanks joe and thanks for turning down this tune now remind me not to do something to you sometime no wait blacky listen did you hear the gag of a guy i think you're right blacky i think we're better lead well mr. Hendricks it was very nice oh what's that sounded like a scream and nothing sounds like a scream except a scream it came from that direction come on mary let's get out of here all right but i never knew you to run away from joe it's bill right what honey what's the matter it's all full joe it's all mine kids snap out of it what is it joe the other room just go look for yourself come on blacky there's only one other room and that's a piano room we're taking bill away let's go are you with us mary right here blacky here this is a piano room okay hold everything kids holy mack stay back mary take gorgie and he's been shot through the heart i i guess i i better call the police i guess you'd better inspect the party likes nothing better than a nice clean murder you might possibly pin on me hey blacky you were in here only a few minutes ago and all was alive then you said he didn't want to work on that song you brought me that's right maybe you better stay here blacky maybe you couldn't talk dick into helping you maybe you got tired of shooting off your mouth and switch to shooting off your gun okay okay get them all ready for the lineup take us get the woman out there first okay ronald's take this down then take down what she says name this is william rathley occupation house wife charred suspected homicide well this is rathley what have you got to say nothing i haven't done anything inspector why don't you get smart she found the body that's all that doesn't make her a killer shut up blacky i run things down here this is right what did you kill dick rothney husband's father no no i didn't find him or any dead that's all i know that's all i know please please let me get down from here she's like she's made it tired eh happy now when that day comes to ron's take her in and book her for murder i'll be in my office you'll be in his office ron's with me beat it blacky before i find a reason why you wanted all some dead oh i had a reason inspector a reason but not a motive there's a subtle difference there you wouldn't understand nowadays look this is roughly for dick rothney's murder mary but he's too good a cap to stop there he'll be out looking for ron's partner this is rothney's husband right now only if we're lucky we'll find him first well mr handraid said he hangs out in this place you see him the bartender might be of some help hey buddy yeah what do you have a little information for now do you know a fellow named bill rothney i sure he's holding that last book back there thanks come on mary blacky something bothering me something in your shoe or something in your eye something on my mind was dick all ten alive when you went into the piano room to get him to work on my cousin good question mary will mind me to answer that sometime well here's the last book and coincide here's the problem hi bill huh why don't i sit down hello blacky this is mary westley bill hello hello say you look low things aren't that tough aren't they no i think i found a way to get sardine to release your wife well thanks blacky i appreciate that only it doesn't get me out of the mess you're in a mess mr rothney that's right dick and i were fighting everybody knows that i was just out for a walk when dick was shot i wouldn't worry bill the fact that you and dick were quarreling wouldn't hold as a motive for murder no but the insurance would what insurance partnership insurance see when dick and i were hot a couple years ago we took out partnership insurance a hundred thousand dollars well the only business life thing i ever did in my life when that policy is uncovered i'll be in a spot you're in such a spot that the heat is beginning to affect me me bill tell me all you know about dick well he was single legitimately didn't play around but yeah well the words some talk a while ago about him and andricks wife joe him it's like yeah i didn't believe it and take tonight but that was six months ago it couldn't mean anything no maybe not but it's worth taking crack at i've got to get down and get your wife out of jail but you've got nothing to worry about if you didn't kill your partner and remember i said if you didn't kill him i don't suppose you want to listen to me for a name like he i don't even want to look at you oh well if you don't want me to tell you why mrs rothney couldn't have murdered orton i won't so don't you mean i can't tease you went to ask him to prove that blacky you couldn't make me carry an asbestos umbrella if it was raining fire you're leaving now you're a little too smug parody you know something and there's a remark i never thought i'd make uh bye bye blacky bird be seeing you inspector you're holding mrs rothney but i checked her arrival at the henricks building and found that she got in the elevator only a few seconds before she found dick alton's body yes genius any smart cop would have done the same thing only because he wouldn't be any relation with yours what i'm trying to tell you is that according to the coroner's report the body had been dead at least a half an hour before mrs rothney found it okay you've told me so long blacky still the same old baronet you won't listen to me sure i'll listen uh but it's a little boring you see i checked all the details about the elevator myself this morning and mrs rothney isn't free for two hours and now back to boston blacky dick alton part of the songwriting team of alton and rothley has been murdered the body was discovered by mrs rothley who promptly was booked for murder by inspector faraday but later released when it was proven that she came into the building only seconds before she found the body and that the body had been dead almost a half hour at that time boston blacky has discovered that the songwriting team had a partnership insurance policy payable to one on the death of the other which makes bill rothley a suspect but he has also uncovered the fact that at one time there was talk concerning the murdered man and the wife of joe hindricks music publisher as we return to our story blacky isn't hindricks on i can't talk to you now blacky i'm busy don't talk listen joe i hear that there was some gossip concerning dick alton and your wife about six months ago why'd you hear that what's the difference where it's true isn't there was some talk sure that's true we never paid any attention to you hey you're not thinking i don't know why you say that jealousy is pretty strong motive you think i killed dick alton for something that happened six months ago if it happened at all which i doubt it could be you know joe you're in a fascinating business words music stay honest in the world dances to your songs but but full around with murder joe and you'll dance at the end of a rope please connect me with mr lambit this is inspector farry again blacky you're getting the trouble lambit speaking i was back fine thank you how things are fine anybody cash in there lately hey things are fine here inspector i have the information you wanted on the bank account to tick off and bill rutley just a second all right we're going somewhere but jay or a father ever finds out you're easy so you'll brag about it that's all you do hello inspector faraday i'm still here uh richard alton's account has remained around 30 000 dollars for several years william and mary rutley have a joint account it was very large at one time but this is just a two thousand let now checks have been drawn against it every few days for the past month oh sign the checks and to whom will they made out sorry i i don't have that information at the moment if you were scared to drop down to the bank i'd be glad to get the checks we have on hand now i'll do that and thanks very much come on in that result of that call was to find out that the dick alton had 30 000 dollars but mrs rutley had the same first name as yours mary that she and her husband had a joint account and that it shrunk and considerably in the past month put that all together and it spells murder i doubt it come in expecting anyone not that i know well look mrs rutley please come in i didn't mean to impose rately i just mean by the thank you for your help well yeah including it all mrs rutley glad you dropped in this is mary west how do you hello sit down with you thank you cigarette yes thank oh dear i'm sorry i have no matches i did have a lighter but i wore out one of the parts my thumb i have my own matches maybe i can never find them in this bag of huh don't you find that no matter how big a handbag you carry it's never large enough to hold what a girl needs certainly do well you're weaker uncovered one book of matches yeah i like to cigarette mrs rutley let me have him thank you thank you blackie have a great time to find the next movie i don't know mrs rutley all i do know is i'm not well i'm sure you will thank you mrs rutley i'll just sit back and listen why you tell me how wonderful i really am i'd like to brag it but i really did come down just thank you and i have thanks you so i guess i'll run along nice to have met you miss wedes uh don't bother blackie i can get to go on myself bye bye goodbye she has charm blackie you have green eyes mary i do not they're just sharp i'm the observing type for instance i observe that you forgot to get mrs rutley back her matches hmm the real cafe it says on the matchbox cover ever been to the view nope i don't go for that rumba and sambar stuff i like to dance in english the real is quite a splash the amp and hall downstairs if you know the right people you get in remember how mrs rutley got these matches i once had a book of matches there's an advertisement on the cover urging me to buy my hay feed and grain at davin hodower two bottles i just let my travel get hungry the talk is good but the results are negligible get your coat on mary we're bound for the bank to the bank uh could i just throw in a casual fly to withdraw some information in the positive to the account of an unsolved murder here the checks inspector faraday just as you asked for they're the ones drawing this month on the joint account of william and mary rutley thank you mr plumbing you mind if my secretary and i looked them over another tall inspector just call me if you want anything look mary except for a few small ones all the checks are pretty large amounts all made out to cash and sign mary rutley who endorsed them dr let's see uh edward stone edward stone edward stone and edward stone endorsed them all well we don't mean anything till we find out who edward stone is we can always try the phone book yes we can right after right after what right after we try the leo club maybe we'll find that they have an edward stone there it's worth a try anyhow come on the phone booth is over here now just wait here while i phone the real club let's see the numbers should be in this matchbox oh yes here it is circle nine seven eight hundred keep your fingers crossed oh good afternoon we don't love eddie stone please mr stone just a moment go ahead please hello uh stone this is mr fleming at the 12th national bank you endorse several checks made out by mrs mary rutley sure it's a matter of the box you know they're good i just wanted to verify your signature it's fine all right i don't write so good i'm just learning i say oh mr stone if i wanted to come to the leo club could you see to it that i was allowed downstairs you know about the downstairs yeah a friend of mine told me about it bill rutley he's never been here his partner got pumped yesterday started coming here but want to go did pretty well too well i couldn't very well get him to take me to the club good i know i just not hey mr fleming i don't see no harm and you've come into here you don't even know friend just asked for me oh thank you mr stone thank you very very much goodbye it worked mary good now i'm going to get parody on the wire and ask him to have henricks and mr and mrs rutley and henricks office in half an hour all right blaggy i got Joe henricks and mr and mrs bill rutley inside and henricks office just as you asked now don't you think it's about time you told me why i did it you did it parody because you have great confidence and implicit faith in me and because i'm a little bit dumb half the time i listen to you i could kick myself after for the other half of the times you pat yourself on the back this is one of the kicking times i can feel it tell me what are those three doing inside one of them where did vick alton well take a deep breath here we go hello everybody take a seat party go ahead sit down what's the idea of this blackie i'm trying to run a business here i'm trying to run down a murderer that's more important you're looking at me blackie possibly the bell you were the lyric writer in the alton rutley team weren't you that's right i just wanted to make sure are you comfortable mr rutley yes thank you very oh now that we're all here i've got to confess something yesterday morning i left henricks and mary in this office went into a piano room where i found the murdered body of dick alton and i picked up a piece of music manuscript paper that was lying on the floor near the body this was putting a tune down on paper when i left it was working on that music when his killer walked in it took one look and feverishly wrote down five notes at the bottom of the manuscript page here's the manuscript paper and i'm going to play you the five notes right now all right to use your piano jam well all right go ahead thanks thanks now here are the five notes that's all just those five notes anybody recognize the tunes it's nothing to me blackie that's because there are no harmonies listen to it now hey that's george m cohan's mary what's that got to do with this everything the first line of the lyric the one that matches these notes is because it was mary dick alton named his murderer just before he was shocked mary ruttley you killed dick alton grab a parody don't let a guy out that door well that's a fitting climax of the music publishing office i supply the words and music and a murderous decides to sing what don't you understand parodies if that were news why missus ruttley killed her husband's partner anybody knows the answer that inspector sure anybody but me do you know miss wesley i think so dick alton had seen mrs ruttler gambling at the real club he threatened to tell her husband that she didn't stop but she couldn't stop she had to try to win enough money to put back on the joint account that she's been drained touched down for mary wesley thank you sir so mrs ruttley killed alton because she knew he would expose her what about her coming into the building in the elevator blackie uh you check the time she simply used the stairs the first time when she shot alton and left the building and then came back a half an hour later using the elevator where she could be seen oh you were such a genius blackie when you had a clue like that music thing in your pocket all the time it practically told you that mary ruttley murdered alton you could have gotten at the same way i did parody wrote it yourself that's what i did i knew my facts were right but i couldn't prove any of them so i had to pretend that dick alton had named this killer in the hope of getting her to make a break she did well aren't you going to congratulate me what for you're getting married no i'm solving this case for you parody you solved it for me you solved it for yourself so you could write all over me next time you know blackie i've got half a mind hold it right there inspector right where right where you were you said i've got half a mind and you know something inspector that's the first time you've been right in years um