The Hartford Alliance Matter: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (August 10, 1950)

“The Hartford Alliance Matter” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 10, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A mysterious young man is arrested for setting a fire at the Lions building, a property owned by financially troubled businessman Clarence Pickett. Johnny Dollar investigates while the suspect refuses to reveal his identity, claims Pickett hired him to commit arson, and insists on taking the fall—but a psychiatrist finds him deeply troubled and secretive about something beyond the fire itself.

A city fire scene at the Lions building and police headquarters.

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Bart, Sergeant Broderick, Martin, The young suspect, Clarence Pickett, Dr. Herbert, An off-duty policeman

Listen for: The tense interrogation of the defiant young arsonist, Johnny Dollar's sharp questioning of the building's owner, and Dr. Herbert's psychiatric assessment that hints at hidden motives beyond what anyone is saying.

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.