Who Done It?

In the early 1940s, two aspiring writers, Jack Webb and Dickie Jones, work at a local soda shop, fueled by an insatiable passion for mystery novels and radio plays. Their evenings are typically spent engaging in thrilling tales of crime and suspense, much to the amusement and sometimes annoyance of their co-workers. However, as the duo delves deeper into their creative endeavors, they develop an unrelenting aspiration to craft and pitch their own radio mystery scripts. Their primary ambition is to see their fictionalized crimes come to life on the airwaves of the local radio station. On a particular day, they see their chance and decide to visit the radio station with the intention of pitching their radio play concept. The radio station owner, Harry Brooks (played by Lloyd Gough), is immediately smitten with the pair's enthusiasm, however, after a grueling interview process, he dismisses their proposal, viewing it as unoriginal and uninspiring. But the two friends do not let their failed attempt deter them, and they decide to linger on at the radio station as volunteers, hoping that this prolonged stay will ultimately increase their chances at future success. One evening, Jack and Dickie are left in charge of the radio station to manage the final broadcast of the day. The broadcast commences as planned, but chaos erupts midway, when a sinister character named Max (played by Robert Hutton) sneaks into the studio, and, with malice in his heart, shoots and kills Harry Brooks on live radio. Panic erupts in the studio, while outside, the broadcast is heard by a vast number of listeners, all in a state of horror. Frightened and shocked, Jack and Dickie are immediately drawn into an unforeseen nightmare, forced to become the unwitting detectives of a gripping whodunit mystery, when they are asked by the police to unravel the circumstances surrounding Harry's death. As the investigation continues, Jack and Dickie find themselves entangled in an intricate web of deception, corruption, and motives. With no clear leads or evidence to follow, Jack and Dickie start by retracing steps from the night of the murder and attempt to piece together a timeline with the assistance of local friends, co-workers, and fellow acquaintances. Throughout their investigation, Jack and Dickie discover that the radio station had been involved in a complex web of scandals, including bribery, money laundering, and a series of clandestine connections to various powerful business leaders and politicians within the town. This revelation adds a layer of complexity to the case, and the pair must sift through a multitude of suspects to determine the identity of the true culprit. As they advance in their inquiry, Jack and Dickie's amateur detective skills are pushed to the limit. Despite having limited knowledge of forensic science and investigative procedures, they persevere and display unwavering determination to solve the case. Throughout the investigation, Jack and Dickie uncover crucial clues that help unravel a tangled narrative, and the plot of the play starts to unfold. It eventually comes to light that Max was merely the executioner carrying out the orders of the mastermind behind the crime, a person who had been manipulating the events and orchestrating the entire murder from the shadows. In a climactic scene, Jack and Dickie uncover the identity of the mastermind behind the sinister events, which turns out to be none other than Harry's own son, Bob. It is revealed that Harry had discovered a deep dark secret related to the town's influential power brokers and had chosen to silence him permanently, making Harry's murder a carefully crafted and calculated affair.