The Birdy Baskerville Matter: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (November 10, 1951)

“The Birdy Baskerville Matter” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast November 10, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to look into Carl Baskerville's request to change his insurance beneficiary. Baskerville wants to remove his brother William, recently released from prison after serving time for embezzlement, fearing William may try to kill him for the half-million-dollar policy. Baskerville plans to give William a chance at redemption, but Johnny discovers a shocking turn of events at the Baskerville home.

Carl Baskerville's home on Long Island, New York, and surrounding areas

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Carl Baskerville, William Baskerville, Virginia Carter, The big man

Listen for: The gentle irony of Baskerville's philosophy about feeding birds and redemption; the ominous ending that transforms the investigation entirely.

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.