The Adventures of Frank Race, starring Paul Dubov.
The war changed many things, the face of the earth and the people on it.
Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak and dagger of the OSS.
And when it was over, his former life was over too.
Adventure had become his business, The Adventures of Frank Race.
And now we join Frank Race for The Adventure of the Mormon Country.
A dinner jacket is hardly the thing to wear to Joe Bell's saloon on the Lower East Side.
When I was wearing mine, clinging to the hope that the call from Bruce Benton of Trans-Pacific Life Insurance was nothing more than the gag of a warped mind.
If it was, I had a date with a lady that I'd be able to keep later, but it wasn't a gag.
Benton was there in an isolated booth as Mark Donovan and I walked in.
There, thought I was kidding you, didn't you? Well, that's Benton over there, ain't it?
It's Benton, all right. And that, I fear, means that my lady of the evening dines alone.
Hello, Race.
Hello, Bruce.
I told you I'd dig him up, Mr. Benton.
Thanks, Donovan.
It's all right.
Sit down, boys.
What's up, Bruce?
This saloon is hardly the type of place for an insurance company vice president to be keeping late office hours.
Something came up. Something I'd rather handle in an unorthodox manner.
I called you to the office or picked one of the usual meeting places.
Well, that wouldn't be quiet, would it?
A foundry would be more quiet than this joint.
Quiet was the poor choice of words. Let's say secret.
What's the job?
First, I want you to be a go-between in the payment of $50,000. It's ransom money, Race.
Has somebody in your family been kidnapped?
No. Victim is Walter Kruger, one of our policy holders.
Wait a minute. I know that guy.
Who doesn't? Walter Kruger, better known as Sonny Kruger.
Playboy and heir to one of the largest fortunes in the country.
But how is it you're being tapped for the ransom, Bruce?
We're dealing with a clever gang, Race. They haven't bothered the family.
They're dealing on a business basis without risking any emotionalism.
I still can't see why you want to pay off.
We have Kruger insured for $300,000. With double indemnity, that's $600,000.
If we don't pay off, they'll kill him.
Holy cow.
That is smart. Either you pay the 50 Gs or lose 600 Gs.
I can see your point, but I can't buy it, Bruce. Refuse him calling the FBI.
Don't get me wrong, Race. I'm not playing ball with him.
I'm just trying to save Kruger's life.
Once he's set free, we'll spend a million if we have to to bring the criminals in.
That's better. Where do I start?
There's $50,000 and $20 bills in this lunch pail.
I've named you as go-between. They'll contact you and arrange for the pickup.
I don't know when or how.
And after I deliver?
We have the serial numbers, naturally. All banks will be informed and alerted.
When we pin them down to a central point of operation, then you can go after them, Race.
And no holds barred. All right?
I'll take it.
Good. Now, I guess you might as well drift out of here.
Now, there's a side door. I'll have another drink and leave later.
Right. Come on, Mark. Let's go.
Brother, carrying that kind of dough in this joint ain't a happy idea, do you?
Especially the way you address them.
I'll be out soon. Then I'm in for a lonely evening at the telephone.
And if the lady calls, I'll have to hang up.
Oh, yeah. I left the car in front of the joint.
I guess we can go through this alley here.
Sure, come through. But don't be in a hurry.
He stood in the shadow of a doorway where the streetlight at the end of the alley couldn't pick out his face.
But the gun in his hand was very visible.
Two other men were crouched behind the rubbish cans at the far side of the alley.
You got a package to deliver. Start unloading. Just drop it on the ground.
It's rather valuable.
Yeah, I know it's valuable. Don't monkey around.
Now, may I have a receipt?
Well, I'd give you one, but I don't think you'd like it.
Walk to your car slow and get lost.
I'll do it, reluctantly. I hope we meet again someday.
Think we can jump off?
No. It's their play this time.
Look, I don't know what you're mumbling, but I don't like it. Now move.
Come on, Marcus.
We'll send our guest home in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, be like the little Fisk boy.
It's time to retire before somebody blows your candle out.
I knew it. I knew it. It happens every time.
What's the matter, Mark?
Every time I get in one of these cases, which it starts out on nice solid ground,
but sooner or later you drag me into the wild blow yonder, and I ain't no papi point.
Relax and take a look at this map.
Rantum bills have turned up in all the circled areas.
Cities in Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Nevada.
Yeah, that's great. So how are you going to find a guy who's pushing?
There's one good-sized city in the area that hasn't been touched. Right there.
Yeah. Salt Lake City. You figure they'll try to unload some of the dough there?
No. They must have skipped Salt Lake City for a reason.
And I think the reason is simple. They're working out of Salt Lake City.
They wouldn't push any of the bills too close to their base.
Oh. You were ever been in Salt Lake before, right?
In the winter. It's great for sheeing.
Sheeing? You mean girls?
Maybe. Maybe I'd better say skiing before you get into trouble.
This is Mormon country, and you'd better be on your good behavior.
Yeah. I'll grow wings and make like an angel.
As a matter of fact, I feel a lot safer up here with a spare set of wings.
Oh, go get yourself a magazine. I want to take a nap.
Okay. Be back in a while.
May I sit down for a moment, Mr. Akes?
For a moment I thought I dozed off and had myself a vision.
She was standing over me and her eyes were like violets, but there was fire behind them,
just like that smoldering something in her voice.
Then she slipped into Mark's seat, and her hand, very soft, very alive,
very feminine, settled over mine.
You don't remember me, do you, Mr. Akes?
If I should and I don't, I ought to be shot.
I'm Sybil Anderson. The insurance company hired you to keep an eye on the family jewelry
at my coming-out party in 1946.
But you can't be that scrawny little society girl.
I've grown up a little. It happens.
Hmm. It should happen to every girl.
Didn't I read something about you getting yourself engaged last year?
Mm-hmm. But it didn't take.
My father unfortunately went broke, and I found it hard to keep up with Sonny Krueger and his pal.
You were going to marry Krueger?
Yes, but not anymore.
Where are you bound for, Sybil?
Same destination as yours, Race. Salt Lake City.
Vacation?
No. I've been living there for a while. You know, Race, I've become a career girl.
I found that a smart girl can make a lot of money on her own.
Why are you going?
To study the habits of smart people who make a lot of money on their own.
If Sybil Anderson was throwing out a trail deliberately, she couldn't be as bright as she looked.
Mark and I took turns following her for a couple of days,
but her activity seemed as innocent as those of a campfire girl on the night before a rally.
We gave it up finally and headed for the great Salt Lake to have a swim, or rather, a float.
You know, they tell me the water here is so thick a guy bobs around like a cock.
What's the fun of swimming if you can't drown?
You're a weird one at times. Hurry up and crawl into that suit.
Okay, okay.
You know, the walls are short thin in these bath houses.
Well, people with secrets shouldn't live in bath houses. That's all. Snap it up.
Give me a chance.
I'm telling you, Perky, it's too dangerous. We're hot. How long do you think you can stay like this?
Quiet, Mark.
Don't scream at me, Gorman.
All right, all right. Let's get dressed and get out of here.
What is it, Race?
You hear that voice?
Which one?
Gorman, the man who helped himself to $50,000 in the alley behind Joe Bell's saloon.
Back into your clothes quickly. We've got to tail him.
I'm beginning to feel like Gypsy Rose Lee playing a double matinee.
Let us speed it up a little, Mark. Gorman seems to be developing a lead foot on that accelerator.
He asked me. He knows we're after him.
We should have taken out a license number to car just in case.
Don't worry. I've got the number.
This ought to be the last curve.
Down a straightaway.
Hey, uh, I tell you, nice stretch all the way up the side.
Yes, but no car stopped.
Holy cow. Where could they have gone?
Must have driven into some side road we missed or into a patch of saplings.
Well, I'll turn this bus around.
No. No, we'll leave it here and take to the woods on foot.
They can work back under cover. Maybe their hideout is near here.
You know, this is going to give them a great chance to take pot shots at us and swear they thought it was a couple of Moses.
They'd make an even better target if we were creeping along in the car.
Stay about five yards deep from the road and I'll head in a little deeper.
Make as little noise as possible.
Yeah, don't worry. I hate having bullet holes in me.
Stop talking.
This little ravine just in front of me. Run after it. Next shot.
All right. All right.
That last one was close.
We're all right for now. They can't spot us in here.
We'll be able to hear any approach they make.
Yeah, but how are we going to get out?
Why not? They got us pinned down. We'll stay here until it gets dark.
Hey, Reyes, when are we going to move? My foot's asleep.
That udol moon is a little too bright.
There's a cloud formation though. If it blots things out for a while, we'll go.
They probably left hours ago.
I would like to bet you that they are right now chewing on T-bone steaks while we are hiding from the boogie men.
That's a bet you'd lose. Take a look up that hill.
Hey, a couple of flashlights.
They're coming down and there's somebody in front of them.
Two people. Guy in the dam. They're shining their lights right on them.
What?
What's that?
The girl. It's Sybil Anderson and the man is Sonny Krueger.
At least he's still alive.
Yes, but for how long? They're getting ready for some kind of play.
Reyes!
Present teacher, don't come any closer.
We're going to give you a chance to get out of here alive.
Stop playing games with them, Garmin.
Listen, Reyes, if you want Krueger and his team to stay alive, get lost.
Until we unload all that money.
Reyes!
Yes, Sybil?
I don't think they'll harm us if you go.
But they'll kill us if you don't. You have no right to risk our lives, Reyes.
Go away! Go away!
All right, Krueger, don't get hysterical. We'll go.
Your car is only 30 feet behind you on the road.
I moved it down from where you left it.
All right, run forward, Mark.
There's a road straight ahead.
Yeah, and there's the car.
Start her up and go down the road away.
Then we can turn around and come back.
Stop on the far side of this curve.
Okay.
Brother, this hill's a lot steeper going down than it was coming up.
All right, slow down.
Right.
I said slow down.
Holy cow.
What is it, Mark?
This shit won't stop, Reyes.
They must have sawed the brake rods.
Almost tipped over, then, Mark.
Yeah, you're telling me.
We're gonna make this next curve, Reyes.
All right, Mark, we'll have to jump for it.
Go ahead. Happy landing.
Happy landing.
We'll return to the adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute.
And now back to the adventures of Frank Race.
Jumping from a car moving at 90 miles per hour over a winding mountain road is not the sort of sport I'd recommend.
At least, not this side of paradise.
And speaking of paradise, I wasn't sure which side of it I was on when I started to come to.
The lady was dressed in white.
Feeling better, Mr. Race?
Oh, am I where I think I am?
You're in the emergency ward of the Mormon Hospital.
Mark Donovan, is he all right?
Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact, he's waiting outside.
How long have I been out?
Four days.
But you're all right now, and you can have visitors if you want.
I'll take them. And a good, strong cup of coffee for a chaser.
You don't need any stimulant now, but I'll bring you some water.
And I'll send Mr. Donovan in.
You can go in now.
Oh, thanks.
Race, why don't you stop trying to prove that your head's as hot as mine?
I'll bet there's a hole in the road where you hid it, Marcus.
Well, I've been busy while you've been gold-breaking here.
Sybil Anderson is back in circulation, and Sonny Krueger's on the loose too.
Which means I've been out too long.
Gorman and Berkey must have pushed the last of the hot money.
I went back up into the hills to see if I could find a hideout, but there wasn't anything.
You know something?
It was pretty lucky to be picked up after that crash.
Who found us?
A couple of guys from the forest patrol.
There's a thing up there called a ski lift.
It's a bunch of chairs hanging from some kind of telephone poles or something.
There's no snow. Why would they be up there?
Some kids must have got it started and somebody reported it,
so these guys were going up the stop and they found us.
Here's some water, Mr. Race.
Thanks.
Would you like a glass, Mr. Donovan?
You're sure it wouldn't be too strong for me?
You'll have to get used to our ways, Mr. Donovan.
Maybe there's something to them at that.
I never saw such healthy people in all my life.
You know, Race, even when I feel good, I look at them and they make me think I must be sick.
Mr. Race, the doctor says you'll be able to leave in the morning.
Fine. I'll be ready.
No, there's a big dance here Saturday night.
There's one every Saturday night, Mr. Donovan.
Goodbye.
If you're really stuck for a date, I'm not doing anything.
Shut up.
No matter what the town, there's always some place on the outskirts
that the local citizens would rather forget.
Salt Lake City was no exception.
When I left the hospital, Mark and I drove to the place,
a bottle-carrying dive on Route 91 known as the Sinner's Lair.
Holy cow, what did you want to come to this joint for, Race?
Gorman and Berkey are hardly the type to give up their nightlife,
and they'd find Mormon amusements too conservative.
Well, how do you know they haven't blown town?
They've set Kroger free.
I don't think the money's all gone.
Not enough's been picked up.
I checked with Benton.
Only 21,000 has turned up.
You know something?
We still haven't gotten a good look at Gorman's face.
How are we going to know?
It's a case of ears instead of eyes.
Keep yours open and tab that voice if you can.
Lift around a little.
What, uh, suppose he spots us first?
He's never seen us too clearly either.
They've got as much of an edge as he has.
Okay.
If I see him, I'll give you the nod.
Ears dropping has never been one of my favorite pastimes,
and the patrons of the Sinner's Lair didn't favor it either.
They were faces I'd seen before,
migratory faces that turn up here and there around the country,
small-time crooks running away from the laws of one state or another,
moving from town to town,
never staying too long in any one spot.
But at the back of the place, near a booth,
I caught the tones of a voice I knew.
It wasn't Gorman.
It was Sybil Anderson.
Are you safe now, Sonny? Are you sure?
Yes, I'm out of it. They won't bother me anymore.
Hello. Hello, Race.
Oh, Race. Race, you're all right.
I'm looking for Gorman and Berkey.
You know where they might be, Kruger?
Probably thousands of miles from here by now.
Might as well pack up and go home.
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll stick.
Mark and I meant to come back after you the other night,
but we had an accident.
I was frightened for you, Race.
Tell me something, Sybil.
How'd they happen to pick you up?
Oh, that was my fault, Race. I thought I could get away from them.
I slipped a note out to Sybil and asked her to meet me with a car.
The man I bribed double-crossed me.
I put the note and I picked her up.
I don't think it's smart for you to be hanging out in a place like this, Sonny.
He's right, Sonny. You ought to go back to town.
I'll stay with Race, and he can drive me in.
Why do you want to stay with him?
The time has passed when I have to explain things to you, Sonny.
Remember?
All right. That's the way you want it. Call you tomorrow.
Goodbye, Race. Goodbye.
Well, we're alone, Race, but in the middle of a crowd as usual.
We could go outside. There's a moon.
Flex.
We didn't speak, but when we got outside,
I held my arms open for her and she came to me.
She was smaller and softer than she looked,
but the fire in her eyes and her voice were even more evident
with her eyes closed and her lips smothered.
I wanted to do that when I was 18, Race,
the night of my coming-out party.
I'm glad we waited. You learned a lot.
Yes, I have.
Including how to make money.
Want to tell me about it?
What do you mean?
What was behind the kidnapping of Kruger?
Why, I don't know. Race, you don't think that...
You've made a lot of statements you haven't explained.
I've been doing a series of articles on Mormon culture.
I've been working, Race. That's what I meant.
What was that?
A shot from the club. Come on.
Race, where are you? Here.
Gorman and Boykin spotted him.
They took a shot at me and scrambled a car.
You know what they look like now? I'll never forget.
Hit the highway. Maybe we can catch them.
Race, be careful.
There's a car up ahead. It must be theirs.
At least they didn't have time to work over the brakes on this heap.
They're slowing down.
Yeah, well, let's not figure out I'm giving up too easy.
They made business.
Well, we're armed too this time.
Come on up to him.
Keep low over the weak boy.
You hit something. He's going off the road.
Careful, Mark.
He's got our tires. Hold on.
Oh, brother, I was afraid I was going to have to jump again.
Well, we've lost him.
But we've got a busy night ahead of us.
Turn around and go back to the sinner's lair.
What for?
One of them is wounded.
If you need treatment, they won't dare go to a hospital or a doctor.
Maybe we can pick up the name of somebody who specializes in the treatment of illegal wounds.
Yes? What do you want?
A friend of mine was brought in here suffering from a gunshot wound.
I want to see him.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Look, he's hot. I've got to get him out of town. Stop stalling.
Hey, come in.
He's in here. Get him out of here fast if he's hot.
What happened to the fellow who brought him here?
He couldn't wait.
Hello, Gorman. Or is it Berkey?
You're right the first time, Rice. It's Gorman.
This is the end of the road, boy.
Yeah, I know it. Who you want?
Who's the head man?
What's in it for me if I spill?
I can't promise you anything, you know that.
But it might go easier if I could say you were cooperative.
All right, all right. I'll gamble.
The whole snatch was engineered by...
Rice, will you please tell me what we're checking all these mortals for?
Sonny Krueger's car. He must be staying at one of them.
Isn't registered in any of the hotels.
Oh, hey. Look, beside that cabin, a yellow convertible.
Monogram. That's it. W.K. Walter Krueger. Come on.
What do you want with him?
Just want to ask him a question.
Yes? Oh, it's you, Rice. Come in.
I want to ask you something, Sonny.
Where were you at 1 a.m.?
Why?
Because somebody shot one of your captors, Gorman, while I was talking to him.
Well, I was with an old friend of my father's, Joseph Saunders.
Will he swear to that? And is his word any good?
He's a Mormon and very highly respected.
How did you spend the evening?
Playing chess at his house.
Matter of fact, we stopped at exactly 1 a.m. and he made some coffee.
And we talked for a while.
Did you know what I called him and check on it?
I don't think it would do any good.
He just died a few minutes ago. Heart attack.
I heard the report while I was listening to the radio.
Grace, why are you asking me all these questions?
Because you know more than you've been telling me.
Was Sonny in some kind of trouble?
How would I know?
You do know.
Sonny doesn't inherit his full fortune until he's 35.
And his allowance from his father's will wasn't enough for him.
If you got married, your father was going to advance him some money, wasn't he?
Then your father went broke and the engagement was called off.
You got a crystal ball race?
I checked on Gorman and Berkey.
Their regular racket is a floating dice game.
What does that prove?
I think that Sonny owed them money he couldn't pay and they were pressuring him.
And I think he whipped up this deal himself to pay them off and get himself some cash on the side.
Gorman and Berkey unloaded their money, but Sonny has the rest.
Find it.
I will. Sooner or later.
Grace, Sonny is gone. I went back to check on him. He's gone.
We're going too. I got the pieces now. We're going to pick Sonny up.
You mean you know where he is?
He's gone after the rest of the cash.
And all you have to do, Grace, is find out where it is.
I know where it is. It's in the hill, someplace near the ski lift.
The ski lift?
That's right, Mark. The ski lift that was running without any snow.
Come on, baby. This is the payoff.
All right, Mark. There's the cabin. He must be in there.
If we go into that clearing, he's going to start blasting.
We don't have to go in.
Sonny! Come on out!
Come and get me, Grace.
I can do it from here. It's autumn, boy. If I fire this brush, you're finished.
Got a point, Grace?
Put your hands up and come on.
Got me, Grace?
Looks that way.
Haven't you forgotten Berkey? He's right behind you with a gun.
Reach for it, Grace.
Nice going, Mark.
It's nothing, really.
Well, that's my last trump, Grace. Looks like you win.
I should get out of prison just in time to collect my inheritance.
You're not getting out, Sonny. You murdered Gorman.
What race? I told you about my alibi.
I think it will hold up. Maybe Berkey shot Gorman.
No, Sonny. You did it.
You shouldn't have used a dead Mormon for your story. There was a hole in it.
How do you mean?
You said you stopped your chess game at 1 a.m. and your Mormon host made some coffee.
Good Mormons don't drink coffee, Sonny. It's banned. It's considered a stimulant.
You should have learned a little bit about the customs of the country.
But I tell you...
Don't tell me. Tell a Mormon jury, Sonny.
I think that imaginary cup of coffee may be expensive.
It's going to cost you your life.
The Adventures of Frank Ray starring Paul Dubov with Tony Barrett as Mark Donovan comes to you from Hollywood.
Others heard in tonight's cast were Wilms Herbert, Inge Jolis, Bert Holland, William Johnstone, and Michael Ann Barrett.
This series is written and directed by Buckley Angel and Joel Murcott.
The music is composed and played by Ivan Dittmar.
Be sure to be with us again this time next week for another dramatic chapter in The Adventures of Frank Ray.
Michael Roy speaking. This is a Bruce Ells production.
Thank you for watching.