Broadway's my beat, from Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the
lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway's my beat, with Larry Thor as detective Danny Clover.
The sound that eddies upward from Broadway is the sound of shock, the thing composed of laughter,
trumpet, the clack of heels, the cry from the lonely bed. You stand at the window at
police headquarters waiting for some part of it to touch you, and in one way or another it does.
The frightened voice through a phone, the impersonal alarm of a teletype, or a tired
officer walks into your office, tugs at your sleeve, gives you a message. Shooting on the
Manhattan side of the George Washington bridge, it says. Take the last side road on your right
before you get there. Officer Murray will meet you. The siren on your squad car spills into the empty
pockets of the night, fills them with its own brand of shock. You're there, and Officer Murray
meets you. This way, Danny. That car parked over there. What happened? A boy and a girl. You'll see.
Him? How bad? I'm no doc, Danny. Ambulance on its way. Lost a lot of blood. When I found him,
the car was open, the boy's position like he was trying to get out of the car. What about the girl?
Four shots from up pretty close, looks like. Dead. Motive? Like I said, I'm not a doc,
but it wasn't robbery. Hair, wallets from both with just the amount of money you'd expect neatly
dressed kids like that to have. Identification too. Let's see. Boy's name, Ted Forstek. Girls,
Ruth Ballard. Both kids, both of them. Just touching 20. There's something else, Danny. What? Other
side of the road. Come on. Somebody pick a nice, secluded place for killing. Yeah, this road's
blocked off, Danny, but kids slip around wooden roadblocks. That makes it a lovers' lane, makes it
more thrilling. Here, look, see? Huh? Looks like somebody made a U-turn in an awful hurry. Yeah.
Narrow tire threads, I guess, model A. Smack this tree, some paint scraped off. Oh, comes the ambulance,
Danny. Then to the whispered muffled sounds of the night in the river is added the furied lament of
the siren and the attendance of the dead and the dying there. They lift the boy gently, carry him
to the waiting ambulance. Then the girl. There's less need to be gentle. They close the doors and
the boy and girl belong to them, to the attendance of death. And for a fragment of an instant,
there's silence. Then the night returns to fury. At headquarters, you make your initial report. You
leave orders to trace a car that left tire marks and paint scrapings across the road from the scene
of death. You look for duties that will delay you, and there are none. And you know you must go to
an address and tell whoever is there that a girl has been murdered. A man is there, a man who's been
watching the fights on television, drinking a glass of beer. Just a moment, Mr. Clover, I'll turn the
sound down. There. We can still see the picture and we won't be interrupted. You enjoying the fights,
Mr. Clover? Ruth Ballard, is she? Ruth? Ruth is my daughter, Mr. Clover. Is that why you're here,
because of Ruth? Ruth's mother, Mr. Ballard. Maybe she should be here, too. Ruth's mother's dead.
She died three years ago. What about Ruth, Mr. Clover? Something wrong? Has she been in an
accident? Please, Mr. Clover, don't just stand there. What is it? Why are you here? Mr. Ballard,
it's... Something's happened to Ruth, hasn't it? Tell me, I have a right to know. Ruth is dead,
Mr. Ballard. No, no! I know of no other way to say it, Mr. Ballard. There's... Oh, it's all right,
Mr. Clover. It's all right. You have to do things I understand. I'll... How? Ruth, how? We found her in a car,
shot, murdered, Mr. Ballard. In Ted's car? Ted Forstek? Yes. The boy? He'll be shot, too,
but he's alive. Unconscious, but alive. I'm glad for Ted. He's a good boy. You knew him, Mr. Ballard?
Only when it came to take Ruth out... We'd talk a little about the fights. I'd offer him a beer,
and then Ruth would be all dressed. They'd go out. I'd wait up for Ruth, because I don't get much
chance to talk to her. I work all day, so I wait up for her. I was doing that tonight. Her other
friends, Mr. Ballard, who were they? I don't know. I know very little of how Ruth lived when I was
away from her. It's hard, Mr. Clover, to be a father, to take care of a girl properly, to buy her clothes,
food, make it, so she could hold her head up among her friends. I didn't do so good, did I, Mr. Clover?
No good. Mr. Ballard, you... You know something, Mr. Clover? Ruth wasn't really my daughter. She
was a stepdaughter. I adopted her because I loved her mother. Then I loved Ruth like she was my own
flesh and blood. Now it's my fault. I should have taken her away where a child can live decently.
It's all my fault. Mr. Ballard, if I can help in some way... No. Thank you. Just go away, Mr. Clover.
Just go away. You leave quietly, because the words are never there to touch a bowed-down heart. It's
almost midnight, but you have another call to make. The address is on Amsterdam Avenue, the address in
the wounded boy's walnut. The front of it is a store, stationary, candy and cigarettes, the peeling
guilt says. Walk in and face the lady and the man who are about ready to close for the night.
Phone is right over there in back of candy counter. Perhaps the mister wants to buy something, Anna,
perhaps he doesn't. This time of night? You know, Michael, this time of night is always to use
phone. No, I'm... See, to buy something, Anna. I'm from the police. Yesterday we had sent money
for license to sell cigarettes. Check. Check is good one. Please, Anna, the mister said nothing to
check. Police? Danny Clover, you're Mr. Mrs. Forstek. So? Maybe... What do you want of us? Your son,
your son Ted. Ted and police. Finally. He has hit a man, robbed a man. He's been shot. Robbed a man
and was shot. No, not like that. Ted, bad? Hurt bad? Pretty bad, Mr. Forstek. And it hurts Ted? He's
unconscious. He's in the hospital, St. Agnes. He's being taken care of. What happened to Ted? We
don't know exactly. He was parked in a car with a girl, with Ruth Ballard. She was shot to death.
We don't know exactly what happened. Maybe you can help. A boy of mine. His friend's hoodlum from
gutter. This is help I give you. What about his friends? He belongs to a club, as a young man
should for social, for context. The Adonis Club, it is called. Our baby, living his life with bombs.
All right. And the girl, Ruth Ballard. He mentioned her name, I think, but it was not frequent
name. I'm sorry for her. Good evening. Oh, customer. Not customer, Evelyn. Oh, then I invite him
too. Where's Ted? I brought a cake from the party, a whole cake with white frosting. Nobody touched
a drop. Where's Ted? A neighbor of this woman, Mr. Evelyn Sherman. She shows doll puppets to parties.
Sometimes she brings something to us from party. I'm from the police, Miss Sherman. What's the matter
with Ted? He's been shot. Liar. Show me you're from the police. Evelyn, the man... Show me. All right.
Here. But he's a baby. Ted's a little baby. I watched him grow up. Shot? You better come with me,
all of you. I'll take you to the hospital. At the hospital, a nun told us softly that we couldn't
see the boy. He was still unconscious. Dr. Sinsky was with him, had left orders no one was to be
permitted to disturb him, not even a Mr. Clover. We'd have to wait until Dr. Sinsky said it was
all right. So we waited. Then a nun walked through the dark corridor and ushered the shadows of night
away. It was daylight. The city yawned and began its day-long scream. And we waited. Then a voice
whispered to me that there was a phone call for Lieutenant Clover in the office. This way.
Thank you, sister. Danny Clover speaking. Danny, this is Sergeant Gino Tataglia. How's the boy?
He's not out of it yet. What do you want, Tataglia? We traced the car, Danny. That car that left its
fingerprints at the scene of the crime. We tracked it down, Danny. Where is it? It is a delivery
truck in the alley back of Kilbert's Cleaning and Dying Establishment, 1845 West 125th Street.
Registered to George Kilbert. On the ball, huh, Danny? Yeah, you can paste a gold star in your
notebook, little Gino. Be with you in a minute, pal. Ah, these pleated skirts, they take the life
out of a man. These pleated skirts make you old before your time. You're Kilbert? George
Kilbert? Yeah, I told you I'd be with you in a minute, pal. There. This doll will love
me for the way I press her skirt. You're big with the ladies, huh, George? Well, let's
put it this way. Not one of them has sent in her resignation as yet. Where were you last
night, George? You must have a reason to ask me something personal like that. You a wounded
husband or something? I'm just a policeman, George. Oh, don't show me your badge. I can
tell by your sloppy suit. Where were you last night, George? I don't think you got a right
to ask me without you showing me I committed a sin or something. I'll do that, George.
Where you were, where your car was, a murder was committed. You mean up there near the
George Washington Bridge, a girl was murdered? I didn't say a girl. Hey, now wait a minute,
wait a minute. Don't pin me to the wall. I said a girl because up there in that lover's
lane it's known that girls are sometimes killed. There were guys who go around doing that. You
were there, huh, George, alone? You got nothing says I was there. You're trying, policeman.
That's all you're doing. Trying. There was a tire mark off your delivery truck. Your fender
scraped on a tree, left paint. What was the matter, George? Were you in a hurry to get
away? No, I wasn't in a hurry. She just wanted another kiss. She likes to cuddle up and kiss
me while I'm driving. This is bound to make me lose a little control. She? Who, George?
The once a weeker we date once a week. June Leonard. Lives in Brooklyn someplace. You
go ask her. She was with me all the time. I don't know anything about a murder. Ask her
and fix her so she don't lie. June Leonard, huh? We'll ask her. While you were up there,
George, with June Leonard, did you hear shots, a series of shots? We heard nothing, nothing
at all except each other. That's how it is when you're in love. You should know, George.
Let's go. Go? Go where? What are you talking about? I'm looking here for suspicion of murder.
Are you crazy? You're crazy, you stinkin' rotten cop. You walk into my place of business and
you're waiting for her. He was scared and protesting when I took him with me. At headquarters,
I had a thing to do. I called the hospital and told Dr. Sinsky I was on my way down.
And Dr. Sinsky said room 302, he'd wait for me by the elevator door. It took ten minutes
to get there. And Dr. Sinsky was waiting. Danny. Dr. Sinsky, how's the boy? Danny, why
is it that our conversation must always open on sorrow? Can I see him? This way, Danny.
In here. You know these people, Danny, Mr. and Mrs. Forstek, Miss Sherman. Yeah, yeah,
yeah. Dr. It looked, seemed like my son's lips were moving just as you left the room.
Yes? Danny. What? Quietly, Danny. Please, uh, step the scope on the table. All right.
My son. My son. My son. My son. He's dead, Danny.
You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring
Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. In the late summer afternoon, Broadway stands on
a corner, sips its penny plane and sums up the day. Some days are better than others.
Some days you break even. The horse don't come in, but you don't get fired that day
you get a play and you don't get hurt. But take today now. Here's a day. DiMaggio, miracle
with bases loaded. The rainmakers worked up a dew and a boy, a lover died of bullet wounds
inflicted by a person, a person's unknown. Thus holding in final embrace the girl he
loved. The girl who was also shot to death in lovers lane. Here's maybe a tragic day,
but here is a day or a Sergeant Geno Tataglia presented it to me. Danny, I give you the
end of a perfect day. When you come to the end of a perfect day. Tataglia, you're singing
again. Oh Danny, Danny you are like my wife, like Mrs. Tataglia. You deny me and yourself
the pleasures of life. Oh? Yeah. At home every time I start singing Mrs. Tataglia turns on
the Hoover. She says it's to vacuum clean the Tataglia rug. But all the time I think
it's because she's jealous of my vocal cords. Well Danny, what progress have we made? Uh
oh, you tell me remember? Oh yeah, yeah. Item. The boy Ted Forstek, like a million other
kids in our city. Too tough, too smart. From a poor family, consorted with others of his
type in a club called the Adonis Club. I know. The girl Ruth? Nah, no connection with the
Adonis Club. No close connection with anybody except the stepfather and the boy from what
we can find out. Nobody wanted her dead from what we can find out. Anything else? Yeah,
yeah, we have picked up June Leonard, that dry cleaning man's girlfriend. Why didn't
you tell me? Where is she? Right outside Danny. Should I bring her in? Miss Leonard? Yeah?
Hi Miss Leonard. Come in. Sit down Miss Leonard. Why was I arrested? Why was I brought here?
I never done nothing. Last night Miss Leonard. Where were you? I was home. I was sitting
at home listening to the radio. You're lying Miss Leonard. George Kelbert says you were
with him. Promise me. Alright, so I was with George. Is that wrong to be with a fella?
You arrest girls for that? We do and there's been a murder. Two murders. What are you talking
about murder? I don't know nothing about a murder. All I know is I work and try to have
a little fun on the sudden murder. Ruth Ballard, did you know her June? No, I didn't know any
girl by that name. Please let me go will ya? My father will throw me out if they find out
I got mixed up in a- Ted Forstek, did you know him? No, I never heard of him. George Kelbert,
did he know them? How do I know who George knows? Oh I know he thinks he shows me good
times sometimes. I'm not asking no personal questions. Ruth Ballard and Ted Forstek were
shot to death near the George Washington Bridge last night. You were there June. No I wasn't.
You were June. George says you were. How long were you there? I don't know. An hour maybe
two hours. Did you hear shots while you were up there with George? Shots? Pistol shots,
shots from a revolver. No I didn't hear anything like that. I didn't hear anything except George
whispering to me. George says he heard shots. Why that dirty little... Alright, alright I
heard him. I heard a lot of shots. I got scared. I made George drive us away from there real
fast because I was scared. George was with you all the time? Yes. Leave me alone can't
you? Please leave me alone. I want my father. Taglia. Yeah Danny. Yeah. Come with me Miss
Clever. Come along. Sergeant Taglia was gentle when he took her away. Then I made a phone
call to the Adonis Club. No one was there boys told me. Try later when everybody would
be there. The dance Daddy-O the boys said. Starts at ten. Come one, come all Daddy-O.
Daddy-O got there at ten thirty to the basement clubhouse on Third Avenue. Got pointed out
the chief Adonis, a youth who leaned against the barn was having fun looking at the dancers
through a beer bottle held by like a telescope. I ruined it for him. You're in the way Buster.
I want to talk to you. Alright. What's your big name Buster? I'm from the police. Oh?
Well make me think so. You're hiding your buzzer under the lapel. Let me look. See? I'm
Donnie Nessio you? Danny Clover. Alright. We got no back room here if that's what. About
Ted Forstek. He was a member here. A cub and apprentice. We were breaking him in. You're
celebrating his memory with this dance? No, no. Life goes on the book says. The dance was
scheduled before Ted's dying was. Poor Ted. Who killed him Donnie? Who killed him Mr.
Clover? Look Donnie. What do you want me to say Mr. Clover? I don't know who killed him.
I know Forstek. Sure played cards with him. Hoisted a glass with him. Exchanged phone
numbers with him. That's the thick and thin I went through with him. So now I'll never
talk to him. So? Nothing else huh? He was a fortunate boy Mr. Clover. He's dead but when
he was in that way he was fortunate. So let's not pop a tear. Fortunate? Girls. He was
a boy girls were happy with. And? Happy girls are generous girls. One of them was real happy.
One of them was real generous. Get a nice thing. Shirts to wear. Wallet stripped from alligators.
Money stripped from who knows where. Expensive watches to make his wrist look pretty. What
girl did that? They never said. That's a number we never exchanged. But real expensive stuff
Mr. Clover. You'd never believe it. Not an idea who. If I did I'd take over. None of
our girls could afford that stuff. Hey go look at that loot Mr. Clover. It's still around
I guess. You'll see what I mean. Mr. Forstek. Mr. Forstek wake up. I was not asleep. Oh
it's you Mr. Clover. The messenger of death. Who died today Mr. Clover? Mr. Forstek. Look
at my little store Mr. Clover. Look at how it's covered with dust. I don't take care
anymore. All my life I build something keep it clean gets covered with dust. My boy too.
Mr. Forstek. I came to. To grieve with us. With me. With my wife Anna. It's hard to understand
Anna sometimes Mr. Clover. Her mouth says to you she hates our boy but. Now he is dead
and Anna lies on our bed and does not speak does not weep. But in the night she cries out
our boy's name. Thank you Mr. Clover goodbye. Your boy's room Mr. Forstek. There may be
something in it that'll help us find Ted's murderer. It will not bring our boy back.
It will not make him answer his mother's cry. I have to get into that room Mr. Forstek. If
not me someone else but we'll get into it. You will be quiet you will be very quiet you
will not say a word to Anna. Where is it? In the back. What is left of our life hides in
the back. Come Mr. Clover. Mr. Forstek. Quiet. I told you Anna it's not to know you're
here. This is Ted's room. Where do you keep his things? What things? All over the room
are things that belong to my boy. Personal things. Jewelry wallet things like that. Oh
here in the dresser drawer. Here they are Mr. Clover. Expensive things. This watch this
wallet the alligator money. Where do you get them? I do not know. Anna thought here Robert.
What do you think Mr. Forstek? They are rich. I never knew things like these. I could not
get them for Ted. Ted could not for himself. What do you think you got them Mr. Forstek?
I told you I do not know. I asked Ted. I beat him to tell me. I beat him. He could have
broken me. He said it's none of your business old man. I beat him. I want to take these
with me. All right but you will return Mr. Clover before Anna knows they are gone. You
will return them. Please Mr. Clover. Danny can I see you for a minute? Sure Dr. Sinskey
any time. Sit down. Thank you. What's on your mind doctor? Nothing except I dropped in here
to confirm with standard operating procedure autopsy report. You in the mood to listen?
I think you should. All right go ahead. Ruth Ballard shot four times supplementary report
from ballistic showed the bullets from the same gun that killed the boy. Four times Danny.
Only one of the shots would have killed her instantaneously. What else about the girl?
Nothing else. I think she was killed only because someone wanted her dead. What? Someone
wanted her dead doctor. I know four shots. A person in animal fury would have done that.
From what I can tell I'd say she was sitting in the car. A person came up to her shot her
four times nothing more than that. Do you know who did that Danny? A person who was jealous
of her. A person who loved Ted Forrest. A person who gave Ted expensive presents. Do you
know who? Don't make me repeat myself doctor. Then who? Stick around I'll show the person
to you. Yes? Oh it's uh Mr. Clover isn't it? May I come in Miss Sherman? Well I was just
practicing my puppets for a party tomorrow. Kitty's party. May I come in? All right come
in. What do you want Mr. Clover? About Ted. About his murderer? Maybe. Then why are you
here? Go ahead Miss Sherman practice your puppets. I'll just look around. But I don't
see why you'd be. Go ahead Miss Sherman. Hey Sherman. Wait a minute. What is it? It's
a photograph of Ted. He gave it to me. This ribbon from a track meat tucked in the frame.
He won it he gave it to me. Why should he give them to you? I asked him something he liked
he gave them to me. These two? Put them down. Man's gloves. Ted's? Put them down. All
right. Ted's gloves huh? If you're through you can get out. Not yet I want to show you
some things. You've got nothing to show me get out. A wallet. A wristwatch. You gave them
to Ted look at them Evelyn. Give them to me you've got no right to touch them. Presents
to Ted from you Evelyn. Give them to me. Because you loved the boy really loved him like a woman
loves a man. All right yes I loved him because he was someone a woman could love. And be jealous
of. Yes yes. But he didn't love you. You're lying. He didn't that's why he was with Ruth.
Ruth was nothing to him he always came back to me. For the rich presents he didn't love
you. You lie you're a liar. So you killed the girl shot her four times and you're
fury. And Ted why did you shoot him? Because he tried to stop you? Because you knew he
didn't love you? He didn't love you. He didn't Evelyn. I didn't mean to kill Ted he got in
the way. She stood there with her body swaying her fingertips pressed into her cheeks. Then
a thing happened. She looked suddenly old the youth she had fled from her. All at once she
accepted it. Knew there was nothing left. She made no protest when I took her arm and led
her through the door. Broadway. Where the people of the swarm race against the fugitive
night. Each in his own way make time stand still. But dawn comes and the gutters are choked
with the wasted minutes. The infinite man hours of loneliness. It's Broadway the godiest
the most violent. The loneliest man in the world. Broadway my beat. Broadway's my beat
and I'm dying. Broadway my beat. Broadway my beat. Broadway my beat. Broadway my beat.
Jerry Hausner, Lou Merrill, Jack Crouchon, and Anthony Barrett.
The
Merrill to Merrill
TV
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The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.