The Temperamental Tote Board Matter

The Molly K Matter Ep 3

Originally Aired: October 12, 1955 Johnny Dollar #238, "The Molly K Matter Ep 3," Johnny continues his investigation into the suspicious sinking of the freighter Molly K by getting valuable testimony from Josiah Hawkins, a terrified crew member who served as ship's carpenter. Over drinks, Hawkins reveals explosive information: the ship didn't hit a derelict, but was sunk by an internal explosion. Even more shocking, Bill Mack wasn't drowned as believed, but murdered before the ship went down, his throat cut on the lower boat deck. Hawkins also reveals suspicious details about the missing Chinese steward Benny Wong, who was hired personally by Captain Brawley rather than through the usual channels. The tension escalates when Captain Brawley confronts Johnny and Hawkins at the waterfront bar. The volatile captain accuses Johnny of bribing witnesses and turning people against him, including his own daughter. When Brawley threatens Johnny and reaches for a bottle, a fight erupts. Johnny knocks the captain out, but not before discovering that Brawley is carrying a gun. Meanwhile, Johnny has enlisted the help of Shanghai Lou, a mysterious and beautiful woman from his past, to track down the missing Benny Wong in Chinatown.

The Molly K Matter Ep 2

Originally Aired: October 11, 1955 Johnny Dollar #237, "The Molly K Matter Ep 2," Johnny continues his investigation into the suspicious sinking of the freighter Molly Kay in San Francisco Harbor. When he receives a mysterious phone call from a woman asking him to meet her at Pier 29 after dark, Johnny keeps the dangerous blind date. As he approaches the Brawley Shipping Company office on the foggy waterfront, he's jumped at gunpoint by Dean Sutton, an exporter whose cargo went down with the ship. The tense encounter is interrupted by Ellen Brawley, daughter of the ship's captain, who reveals she's the one who arranged the meeting. Inside the plush office, Ellen and Johnny spar verbally over drinks while she tries to convince him her father is innocent. Johnny has uncovered that Captain Brawley mortgaged the Molly Kay seven months ago, with the note held by Shanghai Lu, a Chinatown nightclub owner. The atmosphere grows charged as Ellen attempts to use her charms to influence Johnny's investigation, but he's already learned she's engaged to the jealous Dean Sutton, complicating matters further as everyone involved seems to be hiding something.

The Molly K Matter Ep 1

Originally Aired: October 10, 1955 Johnny Dollar #236, "The Molly K Matter Ep 1," insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is summoned to San Francisco by his client Dave Borger to look into the suspicious sinking of the freighter Molly Kay. The vessel, insured for half a million dollars, steamed out of San Francisco Bay bound for Yokohama and went down suddenly just twenty miles off the Golden Gate. All but two of the forty-three crew members survived, rescued by the Coast Guard after responding to distress calls claiming the ship struck a submerged derelict in heavy fog. Dollar attends a preliminary board of inquiry presided over by Harbor Master Tim O'Rourke, where he scrutinizes the testimony of witnesses, particularly Captain Edgar Brawley, the ship's owner and commander who stands to collect the insurance payout. While the official story points to an accidental collision, Dollar has already developed suspicions based on odd details in the case files. As the rough and belligerent Captain Brawley insists the sinking was nothing more than a tragic accident, Dollar prepares to ask some pointed questions that suggest he believes otherwise.

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.