The Macormack Matter Ep 5

The Macormack Matter Ep 5

Originally Aired: October 7, 1955 Johnny Dollar #235, "The Macormack Matter Ep 5," Johnny Dollar finds himself dodging bullets in the Bronx after receiving a tip from convict Mike Cairn about Joe Panny's connection to a jewelry heist. When Panny turns up murdered, Dollar discovers a shocking link: Panny's ex-wife Iris is now married to the robbery victim, Julian McCormick. After being shot at in an alley behind the Elmar Theater, Dollar heads to the McCormick estate on Long Island to confront Iris. She confesses to helping Panny rob her current husband five years ago, claiming blackmail forced her hand. When Julian McCormick interrupts their conversation and pulls a gun on Dollar, the situation escalates dangerously. Dollar manages to disarm McCormick and discovers the weapon has never been fired, deepening the mystery of who actually shot at him earlier. Unable to locate Allied Casualty's New York man Frank Porter, Dollar tracks him to his Queens apartment to wait. As the pieces of this complex case refuse to fit together, Dollar realizes someone is still out there with murder on their mind and a smoking gun in their hand.

The Macormack Matter Ep 4

Originally Aired: October 6, 1955 Johnny Dollar #234, "The Macormack Matter Ep 4," Johnny Dollar investigates the murder of Joe Panny, a small-time auto thief suspected of pulling off a major safe burglary five years ago. The Harbor Patrol has recovered Panny's body, revealing he was shot from twenty feet away with a .25 caliber weapon and his feet were burned post-mortem. Johnny connects with Frank Porter from Allied Casualty, sharing his theory that he needs to find Iris Carter, Panny's ex-wife who carries a gun and has already slugged Johnny during their first encounter. Lieutenant Dules Martin joins the investigation, and they study the medical examiner's report, which suggests the torture was staged after death to create a cover-up. The investigation takes an unusual turn when witness Edmund Thompson, a newspaper seller, arrives to describe seeing someone dump Panny's body from a long black coupe. However, Thompson proves frustratingly unhelpful, offering vague descriptions of a man with "a devil's face" while admitting he cannot identify the killer or provide useful details about the vehicle. As Johnny leaves Martin to deal with the peculiar witness, the case grows more complex with signs pointing toward an elaborate scheme to conceal the true motive behind Panny's murder.

The Macormack Matter Ep 3

Originally Aired: October 5, 1955 Johnny Dollar #233, "The Macormack Matter Ep 3," Johnny continues his investigation into the $100,000 McCormick burglary from 1951, tracking down ex-convict Joe Panny, who has mysteriously disappeared after being paroled. When Johnny finds Panny's hotel room completely ransacked by a professional search and is knocked unconscious by a mysterious dark-haired woman with a gun, he contacts Lieutenant Jules Martin of the NYPD. Martin puts out a general pickup on Panny as a parole violator, but days pass with no leads. Someone called the parole office ahead of Johnny to get Panny's address, suggesting multiple parties are hunting the same man. With Panny still in the wind, Johnny shifts his focus to identifying the woman from the hotel. He digs through Panny's file and finds a lead: an ex-wife named Iris Carter who divorced him six years earlier. Following the trail through the woman's old neighborhood, Johnny tracks down former employers and acquaintances, eventually landing at a rehearsal hall where he meets Jack Lang, a smooth trumpet player who once knew Iris. Just as Lang begins talking, Johnny learns that Panny was recently released from prison.

The Macormack Matter Ep 2

Originally Aired: October 4, 1955 Johnny Dollar #232, "The Macormack Matter Ep 2," continues Johnny's investigation into a five-year-old jewelry heist. After receiving a tip from dying convict Mike Cairn about a suspect named Jojo Panty, Johnny heads to Long Island to interview Julian McCormick, despite warnings from Frank Porter at Allied Casualties that McCormick can be dangerous. At McCormick's mansion, Johnny learns the millionaire collected only $20,000 of the $100,000 claim due to a policy violation. McCormick explains that someone expertly opened his wall safe during his honeymoon five years ago, stealing valuable family jewelry. When Johnny mentions Mike Cairn and Joe Panny, he senses that McCormick becomes frightened, like a rabbit. Back in New York, Johnny meets with Frank Porter to review the case file. Porter shares photographs of the spectacular stolen pieces, including necklaces called Tierra del Cuego and Imperial, once owned by Russian royalty. Despite twelve arrests and a thorough investigation by Porter and police detective Dules Martin, nothing was recovered. Porter reveals the puzzling detail that not one piece of the jewelry has surfaced anywhere in five years, leading him to believe the thief still possesses the entire haul.

The Macormack Matter Ep 1

Originally Aired: October 3, 1955 Johnny Dollar #231, "The Macormack Matter Ep 1," Johnny receives an urgent call from Father Taggart, a chaplain at Sing Sing prison, asking him to visit Michael Cairn, a dying inmate. Cairn is an old-time con man whom Johnny's testimony helped put behind bars years ago. Despite their history, Johnny agrees to make the trip when he learns Michael is dying of a lung condition. At the prison infirmary, the frail Cairn reveals he's been cellmates with Jojo Panny, a convict who recently received parole. Mike believes Jojo was involved in the unsolved 1951 McCormick jewelry heist, where a man named Julian McCormick lost $100,000 worth of jewels. Jojo's cheerful attitude during his five-year sentence and his sleep-talking about "McCormick" convinces Mike that the loot is hidden somewhere, waiting for Jojo's release. Before dying, Mike asks Johnny to investigate and collect the insurance reward, requesting that half be sent to his ex-wife. Johnny heads to New York to research the case and contacts Frank Porter at Allied Casualty's adjustment office, learning there's a $7,500 reward being offered for recovering the stolen jewelry.