1001 RADIO DAYS

THE STORY OF THE TEN-O-EIGHT and THE EARL CHADWICK MATTER YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR

1001 RADIO DAYS

Show Notes

THE STORY OF THE TEN‑O‑EIGHT Original Airdate: April 18, 1950 (CBS Radio) Runtime: ≈ 30 minutes Star: Edmond O'Brien as Johnny Dollar Production: Norman Macdonnell (Producer/Director) • Music by Leith Stevens Summary: When a luxury train—the Ten‑O‑Eight—becomes the scene of a mysterious death, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is called in to determine whether the tragedy was accident or murder. His search through passenger lists, baggage records, and conflicting eyewitness accounts uncovers a web of deceit stretching from Chicago to Denver. Dollar's trademark mix of dry wit and relentless logic drives the story toward a tense showdown aboard the speeding train, where every clue rattles like the wheels on the rails. Tone & Themes: Classic "locked‑room" mystery on rails

Greed and betrayal behind polished manners

The cost of truth in confined spaces

🎙️ THE EARL CHADWICK MATTER Original Airdate: May 23, 1950 (CBS Radio) Runtime: ≈ 29 minutes Star: Edmond O'Brien as Johnny Dollar Supporting Cast: Walter Burke, Virginia Gregg, John Boehner, Ben Wright, Tudor Owen, Ted Osborne Production: Norman Macdonnell (Producer/Director) • Written by John Dunkel Summary: Johnny Dollar travels to Bermuda to investigate a man long presumed dead—Earl Chadwick—whose sudden reappearance threatens to expose an insurance fraud and a tangled love triangle. What begins as a routine verification turns into a haunting exploration of identity and betrayal. As Dollar pieces together the truth, he confronts a widow who refuses to recognize her husband, a partner with too much to hide, and a fugitive torn between guilt and redemption. The result is one of the series' most emotionally charged cases—where the line between justice and mercy blurs in the tropical heat. Tone & Themes: False identities and moral reckoning

The lure of easy money versus conscience

Redemption in the face of betrayal

🔊 Podcast Tagline for 1001 Radio Days "Step back into the golden age of radio with the man who made insurance investigation sound like high adventure—Johnny Dollar."

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⭐ Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar THE NORA FAULKNER MATTER Original Air Date: June 28, 1959 Starring: Bob Bailey Writer/Director: Jack Johnstone Supporting Cast: Virginia Gregg, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Jack Kruschen Summary Johnny Dollar is called in when Nora Faulkner, a young woman with a modest life‑insurance policy, disappears under troubling circumstances. Her aunt fears she may have fallen victim to a dangerous crowd, and the insurance company suspects the disappearance may be tied to fraud or foul play. Johnny's investigation uncovers a trail involving a manipulative boyfriend, a forged signature, and a scheme designed to cash in on Nora's policy. As he digs deeper, Johnny discovers that Nora is caught between fear, desperation, and the influence of people who see her only as a payday. The case becomes a tense search for a missing woman whose life is worth more dead than alive to the people around her — and Johnny must find her before the worst happens.

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⭐ Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar THE ALVIN'S ALFRED MATTER Original Air Date: July 19, 1959 Starring: Bob Bailey Writer/Director: Jack Johnstone Supporting Cast: Virginia Gregg, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Jack Kruschen Summary Johnny Dollar is assigned to investigate the suspicious death of Alvin Alfred, a quiet, seemingly harmless man who was found dead under circumstances that don't add up. Alvin carried a modest life‑insurance policy, but the company believes foul play may be involved — and that someone close to him may have engineered his death for profit. Johnny's investigation uncovers a tangle of deceit involving a manipulative woman, a forged signature, and a carefully staged accident designed to look natural. As he digs deeper, Johnny realizes Alvin Alfred was targeted precisely because he seemed like the last man anyone would murder. The case becomes a study in how greed can turn the most unassuming life into a deadly opportunity.

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⭐ Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar THE BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE MATTER Original Air Date: July 26, 1959 Starring: Bob Bailey Writer/Director: Jack Johnstone Supporting Cast: Virginia Gregg, Carlton G. Young, Ralph Moody, James McCallion Summary Johnny Dollar is dispatched to the storm‑swept Massachusetts coast after Thelma Jane Weatherby reports that her uncle, retired sea captain Amos Weatherby, is in mortal danger. She believes her former fiancé, Roger Burton — a man Captain Amos once exposed as a "wife killer" — has returned to make good on his threat of revenge. As a violent storm rolls in, Johnny discovers Burton's elaborate murder setup: an old stone blockhouse once used as a sailing‑ship jail, now housing power company transformers. Burton plans to lure the captain inside and electrocute him by throwing a remote switch that energizes a metal railing. But nature intervenes. A lightning bolt strikes the tower's rod, surges down the wire, and detonates the installation — killing Burton instantly and leaving Johnny shaken but alive. With the threat ended, Johnny files his expense account (totaling $171.50) and signs off with his trademark closing: "End of report… Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar."

Oct 16, 2026

1. "The Jack Madigan Matter " Release Date: October 21, 1950. [1] Cast: Stars Edmond O'Brien as Johnny Dollar. [1] Basic Summary: The Assignment: Johnny is hired by a panicked local bail bondsman who finds himself in an impossible legal jam. The Disappearance: Two crucial federal witnesses scheduled to testify against a notorious, dangerous gangster named Jack Madigan have completely vanished into thin air. The Stakes: The bondsman was pressured into putting up the bond money for them by Madigan's associates. Johnny must navigate a dark web of underworld intimidation to locate the witnesses before Madigan can silence them for good. [1, 2, 3]

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. "The Sudden Wealth Matter " Release Date: December 13, 1959. Cast: Stars Bob Bailey as freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar. Basic Summary: Johnny is called from Hartford to investigate a rash of sudden, suspicious life insurance policy cancellations. He tracks the thread to a corrupt, sweet-talking broker who is targeting unsuspecting locals. The broker convinces these individuals to liquidate their stable insurance assets to invest in a sketchy stock market scheme that falsely promises to "double their money" in less than three weeks. Johnny must expose the financial fraud and the sheer greed driving the operation before the racketeer vanishes with the victims' life savings. [1, 2, 3]

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