From Eric Beheim #2

Black Leopard-2, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. While working Auto Theft Detail, LAPD detective Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith take a report from a man named Clarence, who identifies himself as a show owner. While en route to a carnival date in Nevada, one of his trucks was broken into in Los Angeles and some animals were either stolen or escaped. Among the missing animals is a black leopard named “Dante.” The report sets off a block-by-block search in the area where the truck break-in was believed to have occurred. Once the story hits the newspapers, the police switchboard is flooded with calls from concerned citizens. Even the Griffith Park Zoo is consulted for advice on the habits of black leopards. While the search continues in the Hollywood Hills, Friday and Smith begin to check out Clarence’s story a little closer. They eventually learn that he had been a former circus press agent who had always wanted to take out his own show. This dream became so real to him that he actually began to believe his circus existed, when in reality, there was no show, no truck and no black leopard. The search is called off and Clarence is taken down to police headquarters. Following a sanity hearing, “appropriate action was taken.” This program originally aired on the NBC Radio Network on June 15, 1954. The role of Clarence was played by versatile character actor Cliff Arquette, best remembered as TV’s Charlie Weaver. Since this story was based on an actual event, some of you from the Los Angeles area might remember when it took place, and might even know who “Clarence” really was. Dum-dee-dum-dum!