The Terrible Torch Matter: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (January 21, 1962)

“The Terrible Torch Matter” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 21, 1962. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Johnny Dollar investigates a series of suspicious fires near the small town of Woodbine, New Jersey. Two factories at an industrial complex have already burned, and insurance investigator Fred Larkin fears more fires are coming. Johnny travels to the area and teams up with Smoky Sullivan, a reformed arsonist turned consultant, to uncover whether the fires are part of an organized scheme.

Woodbine, New Jersey and surrounding area; an industrial complex of factories outside town; Trenton, New Jersey

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Fred Larkin, Smoky Sullivan, Mr. Becker

Listen for: Johnny's investigation into the financial troubles of factory owners and his interview with the suspicious banker Mr. Becker; the revelation that Smoky Sullivan, a former arsonist, is now helping solve arson cases.

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.