The Val Dane Murder Case: Broadway Is My Beat (August 25, 1949)

“The Val Dane Murder Case” is an episode of Broadway Is My Beat, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 25, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Detective Danny Clover investigates the death of Val Dane, a famous writer found dead in a locked, fortress-like room atop his penthouse. The discovery is made when a flagpole painter accidentally drops his paint bucket through a skylight, revealing Dane's body. Though surrounded by jars of food, Dane died of starvation, leaving Clover to untangle the mystery of how a man with plenty to eat could starve to death.

New York City and Val Dane's penthouse fortress, present day

Characters: Danny Clover, Clem Picasso, Val Dane, Joandine Dane, Lyle Brooks, Cynthia Troy

Listen for: The unraveling details of Val Dane's isolated death chamber and the revelation of his cruelty through his novel 'The Great Fake,' which has created a list of potential suspects including his ex-wife, his ghost writer, and a woman he portrayed mercilessly in his latest book.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.