Originally Aired: June 23, 1953
Johnny Dollar #168, "The Jonathan Bellows Matter,"
Johnny Dollar is called in by Roger Stern of Intercontinental Indemnity after someone takes a shot at Jonathan Bellows, a 63-year-old industrialist insured for half a million dollars. The stubborn, reclusive Bellows refuses police protection and dismisses the would-be assassin as merely a crank, but his wife Edith is deeply concerned. Dollar travels to New York to meet with the attractive redhead Mrs. Bellows at her Park Avenue apartment, then accompanies her to the family estate. There he encounters Ralph, Jonathan's son from his first marriage, who seems almost gleeful at the prospect of his difficult father's upcoming explosion when he learns about Dollar's involvement.
The confrontation arrives when Dollar enters the library where Bellows is playing chess with Professor Wilt. As predicted, the cantankerous industrialist erupts in fury, demanding Dollar leave immediately and threatening to have him fired. But Johnny refuses to be intimidated by the powerful businessman, standing his ground and delivering a pointed warning about both the insurance policy and Bellows' rude behavior. The investigation has barely begun, but Dollar has already made it clear he won't be pushed around.