The Lucky Dollar: Tales of the Texas Rangers (December 10, 1950)

“The Lucky Dollar” is an episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, the old-time radio show, first broadcast December 10, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

On a sweltering August night in 1945, a burglar breaks into Joe Barry's store near Corpus Christi, steals the day's receipts and a lucky dollar bill, and fatally wounds Barry's wife Clara. Ranger Jason finds a crucial clue: a torn corner of the stolen lucky dollar stuck under adhesive tape on the register. When the mutilated bill surfaces at a local bank days later, the investigation turns toward a man named Ramos.

A small South Texas town near Corpus Christi, August 1945

Characters: Ranger Jason, Joe Barry, Clara Barry, Sheriff Jennings, Captain Stinson, Jim Mofft, Ramos

Listen for: The burglar's distinctive whispering voice that Joe Barry remembers; the detail of the torn corner of the lucky dollar bill that provides the critical clue to tracking the thief.

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.