BIG TOWN – Taxi Dancer – 1953
BIG TOWN was a series that ran for 249 episodes from 1950 to 1956. It is about the managing editor of a "Big Town" newspaper. The city is never named. For the first four years the editor was played by Patrick McVey. For the last two seasons the lead was played by Mark Stevens. This episode is from 1953 with Patrick McVey. It is episode 146 of the production run.
A woman, Kathleen Case is tossed from the 6th floor of a building. Miss Case was working as a taxi dancer at a club located on that floor. The owner of the club, Murvyn Vye, tells the Police it must have been a suicide. Vye had actually had his number one boy, Richard Benedict, help the girl out for her failed attempt at flight. Case was going to rat out Vye over his call girl racket. It seems that the dance club is just a front for the "working girl" sideline. The Police have no evidence it was not suicide, so they close the case.
Newspaper man, Patrick McVey is paid a visit by the Case's twin sister. She insists that there is no way her sister would kill herself. McVey is told that Case had intended to quit that very day. McVey decides to look into the matter.
McVey has his girl Friday, Joyce Holden go under cover at the club as a taxi dancer. She is to quiz the other girls and see if something rotten is indeed going on. After a spin around the dance floor by club boss, Vye, Holden is hired. For several days she pounds the floors with all the sailors, soldiers and various men in for a dance. At the same time she asks about the dead girl etc.
Vye approaches her one night and asks if she would be interested in some real dough. Vye supplies "party girls" to the local convention crowd. "Play your cards right and you can earn a couple of hundred a throw." Vye tells her. Holden agrees to give it a go the next night. Holden fills in McVey on the deal. McVey now pays a visit to Vye and asks about booking a couple of girls for a shindig at a local hotel. He flashes a roll at Vye who is most helpful after seeing the long green.
The next night Vye sends Holden and pretty Karen Sharpe to pay a visit to McVey's room. Once there, McVey and Holden tell Sharpe they are really reporters. They want Sharpe's help to get the goods on Vye and his henchman, Richard Benedict. Sharpe is most reluctant to help till the dead girl's twin shows. Sharpe now agrees to help.
McVey now brings in the Police and tells them everything he has discovered. McVey hits the dance club and tells Vye he is about to be arrested. Vye, being a true lowlife quickly offers to rat out Benedict as the murderer. Benedict returns the favour by spilling all he knows about Vye. Both are soon up for the "electric cure".
For a low budget show, it moves right along and delivers both story and action wise.The series was based on the long running radio series of the same name. The radio program ran from 1937 to 1952. There were also several low budget films made in the 40's like, BIG TOWN, BIG TOWN AFTER DARK and BIG TOWN SCANDAL based on the same source.
BIG TOWN was a series that ran for 249 episodes from 1950 to 1956. It is about the managing editor of a "Big Town" newspaper. The city is never named. For the first four years the editor was played by Patrick McVey. For the last two seasons the lead was played by Mark Stevens. This episode is from 1953 with Patrick McVey. It is episode 146 of the production run.
A woman, Kathleen Case is tossed from the 6th floor of a building. Miss Case was working as a taxi dancer at a club located on that floor. The owner of the club, Murvyn Vye, tells the Police it must have been a suicide. Vye had actually had his number one boy, Richard Benedict, help the girl out for her failed attempt at flight. Case was going to rat out Vye over his call girl racket. It seems that the dance club is just a front for the "working girl" sideline. The Police have no evidence it was not suicide, so they close the case.
Newspaper man, Patrick McVey is paid a visit by the Case's twin sister. She insists that there is no way her sister would kill herself. McVey is told that Case had intended to quit that very day. McVey decides to look into the matter.
McVey has his girl Friday, Joyce Holden go under cover at the club as a taxi dancer. She is to quiz the other girls and see if something rotten is indeed going on. After a spin around the dance floor by club boss, Vye, Holden is hired. For several days she pounds the floors with all the sailors, soldiers and various men in for a dance. At the same time she asks about the dead girl etc.
Vye approaches her one night and asks if she would be interested in some real dough. Vye supplies "party girls" to the local convention crowd. "Play your cards right and you can earn a couple of hundred a throw." Vye tells her. Holden agrees to give it a go the next night. Holden fills in McVey on the deal. McVey now pays a visit to Vye and asks about booking a couple of girls for a shindig at a local hotel. He flashes a roll at Vye who is most helpful after seeing the long green.
The next night Vye sends Holden and pretty Karen Sharpe to pay a visit to McVey's room. Once there, McVey and Holden tell Sharpe they are really reporters. They want Sharpe's help to get the goods on Vye and his henchman, Richard Benedict. Sharpe is most reluctant to help till the dead girl's twin shows. Sharpe now agrees to help.
McVey now brings in the Police and tells them everything he has discovered. McVey hits the dance club and tells Vye he is about to be arrested. Vye, being a true lowlife quickly offers to rat out Benedict as the murderer. Benedict returns the favour by spilling all he knows about Vye. Both are soon up for the "electric cure".
For a low budget show, it moves right along and delivers both story and action wise.The series was based on the long running radio series of the same name. The radio program ran from 1937 to 1952. There were also several low budget films made in the 40's like, BIG TOWN, BIG TOWN AFTER DARK and BIG TOWN SCANDAL based on the same source.