Detectives on the Air

Originally Aired: April 13, 1956
Johnny Dollar #370, "The Laird Douglas Douglas Of Heatherscote Matter E,"
In the explosive conclusion to this case, Johnny Dollar confronts the deadly truth behind what started as a seemingly whimsical assignment to bodyguard a prize show dog. After young Warren Staley is murdered in what was actually an attempt on Johnny's own life, suspicion initially falls on Ronald Kenworthy, who stands to inherit a vast financial empire. Mrs. Van Pyten, the wealthy matriarch obsessed with her champion dog Laird Douglas Douglas, eagerly encourages Johnny to pursue Ronald as the killer of her nephew.
However, Johnny's instincts tell him something isn't right with the obvious solution. A chance encounter with Andy LaForte, a notorious West Coast criminal working as Mrs. Van Pyten's chauffeur, provides the crucial break in the case. As Johnny pieces together the elaborate scheme involving a marriage contract, murdered caretakers, and an all-consuming lust for power and wealth, he realizes the dangerous truth may lie much closer to the seemingly foolish old woman and her beloved dog than anyone suspected.

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Originally Aired: April 12, 1956
Johnny Dollar #369, "The Laird Douglas Douglas Of Heatherscote Matter E,"
Johnny Dollar finds himself confined to his suite at the Van Pyton estate after a third murder occurs—this time the victim is Warren Staley, nephew of wealthy Mrs. Peter Malcolm Kelly Van Pyton and sole beneficiary of her vast empire. Lieutenant Howard of homicide arrives to investigate, and the situation grows more complex when Warren's best friend Ronald Kenworthy bursts in, distraught over the death. Dr. Panorphic confirms the cause of death: panorphic acid, the same poison used in two previous murders of the estate's dog handlers and in an attempt on the prized Scottish Terrier, Laird Douglas Douglas of Heatherscote.
The investigation takes a puzzling turn when Johnny realizes the poisoned whiskey bottle has been switched during the brief time he was showering. Suspects emerge quickly: Mrs. Van Pyton herself, Ronald Kenworthy, butler Hastings, and the dog's French governess Mademoiselle Poirot all had potential access to the room. With Warren having been about to reveal his theory about who was behind the attacks, Johnny and Lieutenant Howard must determine who managed the bottle switch and why someone is so determined to destroy the Van Pyton household.

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Originally Aired: April 11, 1956
Johnny Dollar #368, "The Laird Douglas Douglas Of Heatherscote Matter E,"
Johnny Dollar finds himself with the most unusual assignment of his career: serving as bodyguard to Laird Douglas Douglas of Heatherscote, a prize-winning Scottish Terrier owned by the wealthy and eccentric Mrs. Peter Malcolm Kelly Van Pyton. After someone makes attempts to poison the valuable show dog, Johnny is brought in to protect the animal. However, the danger quickly escalates when Johnny discovers his hotel room has been broken into and his suitcase rigged with enough explosives to blow out half the hotel. Lieutenant Steve Howard of homicide helps investigate and suggests the real target might be Mrs. Kelly Van Pyton herself, whose vast fortune would pass to her only living relative, nephew Warren Staley.
Johnny moves into the Van Pyton estate, a castle-like mansion called the Maples in Germantown, where he meets the gracious Mrs. Van Pyton, the pampered Douglas, and the charming young Warren Staley. As Johnny settles into his luxurious suite, the question remains: who wants the dog dead, and why would they try to kill Johnny to accomplish it?

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Originally Aired: April 10, 1956
Johnny Dollar #367, "The Laird Douglas Douglas Of Heatherscote Matter E,"
Johnny Dollar reluctantly agrees to take on one of the most unusual cases of his career when Harry Branson of Philadelphia Mutual Liability and Casualty drags him into an assignment protecting a client he never expected: a prize-winning Scottish Terrier named Laird Douglas Douglas of Heatherscote. The eccentric and wealthy Mrs. Peter Malcolm Kelly Van Pyton is desperate to ensure her beloved dog wins best of show at the upcoming Balakinwid competition, and she's convinced someone is trying to sabotage Douglas's chances by doping him. Despite Johnny's initial reluctance—which only increases after the playful terrier tears his trousers during their first meeting—Mrs. Van Pyton's generous offer of a thousand dollars per week and unlimited expenses proves too tempting to refuse.
As Johnny begins investigating, he learns that similar sabotage attempts occurred before, with suspicion falling on Harrison R. Kenworthy, owner of a competing Kerry Blue Terrier. Mrs. Van Pyton refuses to name names directly but makes her suspicions clear. With investigator Ray Rowland joining the case and memories of last year's incident still fresh, Johnny prepares to move into the Van Pyton estate to keep constant watch over his unusual four-legged client.

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Originally Aired: April 9, 1956
Johnny Dollar #366, "The Laird Douglas Douglas Of Heatherscote Matter E,"
Johnny Dollar receives an urgent summons to Philadelphia from Harry Branson at Philadelphia Mutual Liability and Casualty Company. The case involves Laird Douglas Douglas of Heatherscote, a name that leaves Johnny baffled and reaching for Scottish stereotypes. Harry's frantic behavior and insistence that Johnny catch the first available plane signal something serious is afoot. When Johnny arrives, he finds Harry pacing outside his office building, nearly beside himself with worry about their important client, Mrs. Peter Malcolm Kelly Van Pyten, who is waiting upstairs with the mysterious Laird Douglas Douglas.
As Harry nervously escorts Johnny through the building, the insurance man reveals the unusual details of the case. Mrs. Van Pyten, a major client with over half a million dollars in personal policies, has demanded that Johnny serve as a bodyguard. The policy on Laird Douglas Douglas is for five thousand dollars with no double indemnity, which Harry mentions was written as a favor given the subject's short life expectancy. Just as Johnny begins piecing together the puzzle, Harry drops the bombshell: Laird Douglas Douglas will turn four years old next month.

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Originally Aired: April 6, 1956
Johnny Dollar #365, "The Salt City Matter Ep 5,"
Johnny Dollar finds himself wanted for murder after witnessing Jim Reno gun down Ed Julian and Chilly Winters in Salt City. With the police hunting him, Johnny reaches out to Eleanor Straubber, who helps him hide and rest while she takes his story to Inspector Dan Walsh. As Johnny's head clears, he revisits the hotel clerk who tipped him off about Julian's whereabouts and forces a crucial confession: Ed Julian himself paid the clerk to lure Johnny to Salt City. The scheme becomes clearer as Johnny realizes he was set up as part of a deadly double-cross.
Johnny confronts Lorraine Julian at the Skyline apartments to deliver the news of her husband's death and expose how she unwittingly helped Jim Reno orchestrate the murders. A devastated Lorraine realizes she's been manipulated and agrees to help Johnny bring down Reno by signing a detailed statement about the conspiracy between Ed Julian and Reno to eliminate Chilly Winters, setting the stage for Johnny's final confrontation with the real killer.

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Originally Aired: April 5, 1956
Johnny Dollar #364, "The Salt City Matter Ep 4,"
Johnny arrives in the ominous town of Salt City on behalf of insurance broker Samuel Rubin, tasked with bodyguarding Ed Julian and serving him a subpoena. After checking in at the Salt City Bar and Grill, he meets waitress Connie and the establishment's owner, Jim Reno, a man Johnny recognizes from a notorious Baltimore murder trial. Reno, who seems to own most of the town including the smelter works and taxi company, arranges transportation for Johnny to Ed Julian's cottage at the plant.
When Johnny arrives at the darkened smelter works, he discovers Julian and another man named Chilly Winters sitting motionless in chairs, staring at each other in a drugged stupor. Before he can react, Johnny himself succumbs to drugs slipped to him earlier at the cafe. A man in gloves and dark glasses appears, takes Johnny's gun, and systematically shoots both Julian and Winters dead. The killer then plants the murder weapon on Johnny and explains the setup: Johnny will be framed for killing both men in self-defense, tried by Salt City's corrupt authorities, while the real murderers escape scrutiny from outside investigators.

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Originally Aired: April 4, 1956
Johnny Dollar #363, "The Salt City Matter Ep 3,"
Johnny Dollar confronts the mysterious situation at the Skyline Apartments head-on, determined to locate the elusive Ed Julian. After a tense phone call with Look, Dollar faces off with Julian's muscle, Swifty and Luke, this time turning the tables with his own brand of persuasion. He makes his way upstairs where he meets Lorraine, Ed Julian's troubled wife, who reveals that her husband has disappeared with an ominous visitor from the East named Chilly Winters. The frightened woman hasn't seen her husband in days and warns Dollar that he's in over his head.
Dollar investigates Chilly Winters' criminal background, discovering a rap sheet filled with violent felonies. His search seems futile until the Skyline's desk clerk arrives at his hotel room with valuable information. For a price, the nervous clerk reveals that Julian and Winters are hiding out at the Salt City Smelter Company, where a mysterious meeting with other dangerous men is planned. Dollar now has his lead, but the pieces of this puzzle are becoming increasingly dangerous.

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Originally Aired: April 2, 1956
Johnny Dollar #361, "The Salt City Matter Ep 1," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar receives an urgent call from Sam Rubin, a Hartford insurance broker who's gotten himself into trouble. Sam has issued a $50,000 life insurance policy to Ed Julian, a notorious criminal operating under his real name, Eduardo Sarcovetti. Now word has reached Sam that several of Julian's old enemies have gathered in San Francisco, and he's terrified he'll have to pay out the policy before his lawyers can break it. Despite Johnny's initial reluctance to get involved with someone as dangerous as Julian, Sam persuades him with a $2,500 fee to fly to San Francisco and keep the man alive for a few days.
Johnny arrives in fog-bound San Francisco and immediately heads to Julian's last known address on Nob Hill. There he encounters a property police officer who delivers troubling news: Julian and his wife moved out over a week ago, taking only what they could carry and leaving no forwarding address. With his quarry already vanished into the city and dangerous men potentially closing in, Johnny faces the challenge of locating a man who clearly doesn't want to be found.

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Originally Aired: March 30, 1956
Johnny Dollar #360, "The Lamarr Matter Ep 5," Johnny zeros in on the murder weapon that killed Thomas Lamar: a toothbrush laced with the rare poison pyrodameron. His investigation leads him to confront Walter Marson, Lamar's personal secretary, whom Johnny suspects of murdering his employer. In Marson's room, Johnny discovers a stolen library book describing the deadly poison derived from an extinct Greek flower. He accuses Marson of marrying Vonnie Lamar to secure a share of the insurance money, but Marson reveals they're already divorced and produces the papers to prove it. The confrontation takes an unexpected turn when Marson suggests Vonnie herself might be responsible, revealing her ongoing gambling debts and troubles.
Johnny's investigation intensifies as he checks library records and discovers Vonnie had previously checked out the very book describing the poison. With the local gardener Dimitri possibly holding crucial information about the rare flower, Johnny finds himself racing to piece together the final clues. As evidence mounts and Vonnie mysteriously disappears somewhere on the estate grounds, Johnny prepares to close this case with a shocking revelation about who really killed Thomas Lamar.

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