The Alonzo Chapman Matter: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (July 4, 1951)

“The Alonzo Chapman Matter” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 4, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar arrives in Los Angeles to investigate the murder of Alonzo Chapman, a traveling man shot in an alley outside a hotel. Chapman was last seen leaving the hotel bar with Norma Sales, a young woman he had just met, but when they turned down the alley toward the parking lot, a gunman shot him three times. Dollar interviews the key witnesses to understand who had reason to kill Chapman and whether the murder was connected to the mysterious girl.

Los Angeles, California; the Quincy Hotel and surrounding areas including an alley and parking lot; also Hartford, Connecticut.

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Lieutenant Jim Shock, Norma Sales, Alonzo Chapman, Howard the bartender, Grace Cursio

Listen for: A tense interrogation of Norma Sales about her chance meeting with Chapman, the bartender's observations about Chapman's behavior and interest in the girl, and the growing mystery of why someone was waiting in the alley to kill Chapman.

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.