The Laughing Matter - Ep 1: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (June 11, 1956)

“The Laughing Matter - Ep 1” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast June 11, 1956. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is summoned to a luxurious hotel in Ensenada, Mexico, where Charlie Burton, the star of a popular television comedy show, has received a threatening note promising he will not leave Ensenada alive. Producer Frank Maltz calls in Johnny to investigate the death threat and determine who among Burton's cast and crew might be responsible.

The Balboa Beach Hotel in Ensenada, Mexico, a coastal resort town where the Charlie Burton Show is filming.

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Frank Maltz, Charlie Burton, Gloria Dale, Al Shriver, Doris Trully

Listen for: The development of the murder threat against Charlie Burton and Johnny's initial interviews with the show's cast and crew members who all seem to harbor resentment toward the demanding star.

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.