The Lester James Matter (no ending): Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (March 31, 1953)

“The Lester James Matter (no ending)” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 31, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar arrives in New York to investigate a shortage at Wallace Cotton's and Company. He visits Lester James, who has confessed to stealing $4,185 from the company and is now in custody, but James refuses to reveal what he did with the money or explain his actions.

New York City, including a police station, Lester James's apartment building on 59th Street, a neighborhood restaurant called the 59er, and a courthouse

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Ned Talbot, Lester James, Mrs. Anastasia Denovitch, Public Defender, District Attorney's Office representative

Listen for: Johnny Dollar's investigation into the mysterious disappearance of $4,185 stolen by Lester James, a college-educated businessman who refuses to explain where the money went, despite being caught and confessing to the theft

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.