The Underwood Matter: A Fall from the Fourth Floor

Originally Aired: February 27, 1953

In The Underwood Matter, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to Rexford, Wyoming after wealthy businessman Raymond Underwood falls to his death from a fourth-story hotel window. With a $25,000 life insurance policy—and a double indemnity clause if the death was accidental—the insurance company needs to know whether Underwood fell, jumped, or was pushed. At the coroner’s inquest, testimony from hotel staff and Underwood’s elegant young widow points toward an accidental fall. But Dollar begins to suspect something is wrong when he learns that Underwood had considered changing the beneficiary on his policy just days before his death.

Digging deeper, Dollar discovers inconsistencies in the widow’s story—particularly her claim that Underwood had been drinking that morning, despite no evidence of alcohol in his room. As pressure mounts and the investigation expands, the trail leads to a nearby ranch and a man who had grown close to Mrs. Underwood. In a dramatic confession, the truth emerges: a confrontation fueled by jealousy and love ended with a fatal shove and a fall from the hotel window. What first appeared to be an accident reveals itself as a tragic crime of passion in this gripping episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

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