0:01

A note to the listener. The following

0:03

story contains some adult content and language.

0:11

What's in a name? Let's

0:13

try something say or think

0:15

of the name of the last person you saw. Now,

0:19

did you imagine the letters that make

0:22

up their name or did you imagine them

0:24

them right? And if

0:26

you stay with that image of them, your

0:29

mind will fill in even more details

0:31

about that person just

0:33

from a word, just

0:35

from their name. There

0:39

are so few names involved in the Angel

0:41

of Vine case, so little information

0:44

that the circumstances leading to the death of

0:46

Marley Marie Evans required some level

0:48

of imagination that the cops either didn't

0:50

have or didn't care enough to

0:52

employ. Hank

0:55

briggs use of his imagination just

0:57

got him a new name. It's

1:00

Zeros. Granted

1:02

it was the name of a nightclub, but a name

1:04

no one else had associated with this case. And

1:07

what's in this particular name is

1:10

an entirely unexplored world which

1:12

Hank Briggs was about to enter from

1:21

Vox Popula and the Los Angeles.

1:23

Harold, this is the Angel

1:25

of Vine. My

1:28

old heart ain't

1:32

gain and no ground

1:37

because my angels.

1:52

These are snippets of the recordings from Hank's steak

1:54

out of cereals. It's thorough, not

1:57

so much informatively, but thorough and sheer.

1:59

Volume four separate tapes

2:01

for a total of fourteen recorded

2:03

hours over what I think was roughly eight or

2:05

nine days. My best guest just based on

2:07

his mention of the daytime food deliveries, and

2:10

yes, I have listened to all of it. He

2:13

sat in his car on the corner of Sunset Boulevard

2:16

and Olive Drive, observing that place

2:18

and talking to himself for eight or

2:20

nine days. Zero's

2:23

being the spectacle that it was almost every

2:25

night, Hank thought it would be easier

2:27

to hop the velvet rope of

2:29

the daytime door. Hey,

2:33

excuse me, pal,

2:36

you run this place? Yeah,

2:39

yeah, I'm looking around Crates the salmon because

2:41

I run this place. Hey, Anton,

2:43

Now that one's gotta go in the cooler. It's a manager

2:46

around at eight o'clock

2:48

in the morning. Bunny, I

2:50

think that's your name, because I didn't

2:52

throw you one. Listen, it's

2:55

daylight. I'm not here to make a mess. Yeah,

3:00

people call me tiny

3:03

while are you're stepping over him? Or before? Was

3:05

that? Jesus? Nothing?

3:08

Listen, Tiny, maybe you can help me, you

3:12

know, with what somebody used to work here.

3:15

I'm not gonna be much help there. I'm

3:17

back in the house, not even

3:20

back of the house. I'm more like

3:22

under the house. Honestly, I'm

3:24

usually gone by the time most of the staff arrived.

3:26

You don't see anyone coming to donor. I

3:29

do my job so I can be out of my way, simple

3:31

as that. To sound philosophy,

3:34

Yeah, yeah, because people mistake

3:36

me for a philosopher all the time. We've

3:39

done here. And who do want need to speak to? It's

3:42

in charge of hiring. You're

3:44

pretty persistent for not wasn't a mess.

3:47

Who's asking? Labor

3:50

union? Labor union? What

3:53

are you some sort of commie? Get

3:55

out of here, your clown clown?

3:59

Le'm asking your question. I

4:02

wouldn't being really nice to you, and I don't have

4:04

to be. I don't have a

4:06

lot of patience. I'm not

4:09

patient. Draft My

4:11

wife nuts who thanks

4:13

buddy, it was a joker.

4:15

I don't think it was. Look,

4:19

I'm not trying to inconvenient you. I'm

4:22

just here to find someone who might be able to help me do

4:24

my job so that I can be on my

4:26

way. Ask

4:30

for Alistair. He's the manager. He

4:32

comes in around them.

4:35

But you didn't get his name from me, because I

4:37

I don't need any trouble. You can tell him I was looking

4:39

for him. I said, I don't

4:41

need any trouble. Hank

4:44

has no direct contact with anyone named

4:46

Alistair within the fourteen hours

4:48

of tape of the people he sees

4:50

entering an exiting CEOs, Hank takes

4:52

a few guesses at who might be Alistair,

4:55

but there are no conversations with any other male

4:57

employees. The only other time

4:59

Hank left the confines of his car were

5:01

to question a couple of the female employees,

5:04

and for whatever reason, his favorite

5:06

cover seemed to be labor union

5:08

leader Hank Briggs. She

5:16

was with a baseball player, that

5:19

made sense, and now she's with a

5:21

writer, A

5:23

normal person. With a woman like that, I

5:26

wouldn't even have the course to say. Hi. Way,

5:31

when Piggy asked to dance and she says I

5:34

would enjoy to dance, gives

5:37

him every time I think about it. Fly

5:42

on the wall, Oh

5:45

my kidding, there's no flies in there. There

5:49

we are, ladies. Just to what I wanted to top.

5:51

Two mm

5:58

hmm. Excuse

6:02

me, ladies, I'm really sorry to

6:04

bother you. Hello. I don't

6:07

think you're sorry, I'm assuming

6:09

you both work here? Is that correct? H

6:12

That's right? Do you mind if I asked you some questions?

6:15

I'm with Local forty seven. I'm Hank

6:17

Braves, Diane Mosley, late

6:20

for work. Would you tell what

6:22

do you ladies do here? I would

6:25

coach check cigarette girl? Don't

6:27

they have machines? Now? Hey? Easy,

6:29

there are here trying to get me canned? So

6:32

what's Local forty seven musicians?

6:35

Junior? Oh, it's about Barnaby's

6:37

hand, Barnaby the piano player.

6:39

Obviously it isn't. What's

6:41

your question, Hank Briggs?

6:44

Was it? We gotta get inside? Did

6:46

either of you know Marlene? Marie Evans?

6:50

Never heard of her? We

6:52

gotta go. Diane,

6:56

you've never heard of her, don't know her?

7:00

Frenie? We agree,

7:03

Sony bitch? Oh

7:07

hey, hey, I'm not a creepy. Let's get tossed

7:09

on the sunset. Just a a few questions.

7:11

You can't be back here, sir, this is private property.

7:14

All right, I'm going. I'm going. Hank

7:18

didn believed the cigarette girl, and he was right

7:20

not to, but he was wrong when he said

7:22

he didn't have patience. Hank

7:24

Briggs had enough patience to spend an entire

7:27

week scouring the paper for baseball

7:29

scores while washing down cracker jacks

7:31

with black coffee, until the right moment arrived

7:34

for him to have a real conversation with

7:36

Diane Moseley, the co check

7:38

girl. Nice.

7:42

Catch up with you later, Diane.

7:49

Yeah, it's okay. He startled

7:52

me. He shouldn't do that. I'm sorry. It

7:54

didn't mean to scare you. Henk

7:56

Briggs, yeah, I remember you.

8:01

Do you mind if we walk? No?

8:03

No, not at all? Cigarette,

8:08

No, thank you? Did

8:14

you know Marley? Yes? But

8:18

not well, you know she was. She

8:21

was real nice, so

8:23

polite, always a please

8:25

and thank you, no matter what. Were you too

8:27

close? Well? I mean we didn't socialize

8:30

outside of work more than a few times. If that's what you mean,

8:33

any particular reason, I don't know.

8:36

I don't think so. She was

8:39

certainly a lot more outgoing than I am.

8:42

How's that? She was really good on

8:44

the floor, you know, never hovering,

8:47

not trying to be noticed. It's

8:49

just like she belonged with the stars,

8:52

you know. She was so relaxed, I mean

8:54

relaxed around James Dean. I

8:56

mean, are you kidding me? Nice? He came

8:58

in, I couldn't even look at him.

9:01

I get too nervous. No,

9:04

I like my little own clay away from it all. Did

9:06

you know if anyone else was close with her? You're

9:09

not really a musician, are you. Why

9:12

did you pretend not to know her? We

9:17

were told not to mention

9:19

that she ever worked at the club. It

9:21

would have shut us down. Why.

9:27

I can't afford to lose my job, Mr Briggs,

9:30

I promise you you're not going to That's

9:32

not why I'm here. They

9:35

didn't want a chance anyone looking at the books. Okay,

9:39

there are no books. It pays in

9:41

cash. And since

9:43

Marlene had already quit the club when it happened,

9:47

she wasn't working here when she was killed. She

9:50

was only working to privates. Privates

9:53

What what's that? I don't

9:55

know. That's what she called him. Were these

9:57

privates arranged through the club? No?

10:00

Who then? I don't

10:02

know. Well, did you work with anyone

10:04

else? Diane?

10:08

I'm not a cop. I'm not trying

10:10

to get anyone in trouble here. I promised

10:13

that you were in that giant bouncer

10:15

you got at the front door. Will never ever see

10:17

me again. I just need

10:19

a name, please,

10:25

Fish, Fish,

10:28

Fish, that's what I thought, you

10:30

said. He runs a club called

10:32

The Battle. It's way

10:35

down on Central Marley

10:38

and asked me if I wanted to make some good money working

10:40

for him, like three or four times would

10:42

make here in a night, Like

10:45

I said, I'm not real outgoing, so I

10:47

said no. Well,

10:49

please don't not tell anybody. I told you all of this, and

10:51

there's no need for me to talk to anyone. I

10:55

doubt what I needed. Can

10:58

I help you get somewhere? Thank

11:01

you? And

11:17

it's hey day. The historic

11:19

Central Avenue Jazz Corridor, or

11:22

the Avenue as it was called, was

11:24

where everybody wanted to be when the sun

11:26

went down in Los Angeles. Wild

11:29

nights of drink, dance, and authentic

11:31

live jazz unlike any you might ever hear again.

11:34

Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong,

11:36

Billie Holiday, Art Tatum, Lionel Hampton,

11:38

Charlie Parker, Lena Horne. These were

11:40

just some of the musicians

11:42

you might see on any given night, and

11:45

if not performing, chances are

11:47

you could catch a glimpse of one of them amidst the

11:49

crowd at Club Alabama, the Last

11:51

Word, the down Beat, or

11:53

in the lobby of where they all stayed the

11:56

famed Dunbar Hotel. It

11:58

was the West Coast lem renaissance,

12:00

and it had everyone's attention, including

12:03

the cops. Like any other area

12:05

in Los Angeles at that time, Central

12:08

Avenue had its sed reputation for

12:10

drugs, gambling, and prostitution,

12:12

and it's known that gangsters like Mickey Cohen

12:15

would hide away in the clubs that he was rumored

12:17

to have invested in, either from the

12:19

cops or from hits placed on him by other gangsters.

12:22

The Battle was a lesser known

12:24

venue than the others and opened just at the tail

12:27

end of this booming era. It

12:29

was a smaller club, so it wouldn't have been as easy

12:31

to blend in, So for

12:33

a few nights, Hank carefully

12:36

assumed the role of bar fly

12:43

very much. I

12:47

haven't heard the name fish once since I've been

12:49

here. I got three viable

12:51

contenders, though, each

12:53

one of them real slick, good with the crowd. At ten

12:55

of this we are

12:58

that steals trio dude,

13:00

forget to tip your that's

13:05

last called buddy, Yeah, why not? I'll

13:07

take one more? Still

13:10

on, still on

13:12

it. There you go. Thanks,

13:15

keep the change this sea taking

13:18

our years bound. You

13:20

made it just in time, drink

13:22

up fast. Good

13:25

point, Good point. I

13:27

was gonna say the same thing to you, just taking

13:30

my time, unless you're gonna sit here another

13:32

night talking to yourself? Can

13:34

I help you with something uncanny?

13:37

There you go, taking the words right out of my mouth

13:40

again. Only

13:42

cut the chitchen. What you

13:44

want? What makes you think?

13:47

Good? Nights? Ago? You asked the trumpet player

13:49

by the name of Ellis that this was Fish's joint.

13:52

Fish Frank,

13:55

hand me that bottle and two glasses. You

13:58

got it. Why

14:01

don't we head to my office and talk about whatever

14:03

the hell it is got you looking so skittish.

14:07

I'll be in the back it rayneeds me. Uncle. It's

14:11

been a long time since a white man came asking

14:13

for me. What are you playing that? I see

14:16

plenty of white people in there, Oh

14:18

them, No, they are customers.

14:21

They're down here slumming to get a taste of a real

14:23

experience. You. I

14:25

got no idea why you're here, but

14:32

I do know. I clocked you the seince you walked in.

14:34

You don't exactly scream jazz

14:37

man, set

14:39

jass down. Do

14:42

you hear about Shepherd's money? No

14:45

good? Am

14:48

I gonna need this? No good?

14:51

As long as we square on that what

14:58

you want? Where was Marline Murray

15:01

Evans work in the night she was murdered? Little

15:03

ship? You just came

15:06

out and said it just like that. You

15:08

ain't messing around, aren't you. I know

15:10

that she worked for you doing privates wherever

15:12

the hell that is? Privates? Kind of foolish

15:15

nonsense, is that? What did

15:17

she do for you? Look?

15:19

I had a lot of girls who worked for me. I don't

15:21

keep track of them all. Sure,

15:24

I get it. A businessman like you does tons

15:26

of deals. Definitely too busy to remember every

15:28

single person he hires. In my costs you

15:31

pretty spot all. And the Angel of Vine

15:33

was well over a year ago, right, easily

15:36

right, except that it was the Angel

15:38

of Vine girl being ripped

15:40

open in the parking lots, the kind of thing people tend

15:43

to remember, especially when they're partly

15:45

responsible. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now, I

15:48

didn't have nothing to do with that girl getting killed. She

15:51

signed up to work those parties through one of my other

15:53

girls. I only ever meta when she came down here

15:55

to get paid. Okay,

15:57

good, So she did work for you. Thank

15:59

you for being honest. Damn

16:02

it. Now, what

16:05

parties you

16:07

know, just private parties. That was all all

16:10

these fancy ass people in their big houses,

16:13

the ones who have their drivers, bring them down here to

16:15

take a peek at how we live. Just

16:17

like those people out there tonight. They

16:20

want the life, but on the turf. You know what I'm saying.

16:24

I supplied to things musicians and

16:26

girls, prostitution. Ow

16:28

hell, no, I look like jelly roller you. As

16:31

far as I was concerned, they were having drinks and

16:33

tiny ask food on silver platters with important

16:36

Hollywood people. Whatever

16:38

they did after them parties, I didn't ask. None

16:41

of my damn business still isn't ship.

16:47

When that girl turned up dead, all of that

16:49

stopped. The people who hired me

16:51

stopped calling. Not

16:54

you here, why I

16:57

need to know where she was at night? We

17:01

did a party at Leonard Schawles that week, Leonard

17:04

Shaw as

17:06

in Classics Studios, Leonard Shaw.

17:09

Most of the parties with a Leni Shaw your

17:12

movie mogul A hell, that's gonna do it? All that money,

17:17

you got what you need? Because

17:19

I'm tired as all hell, and I'm certainly not gonna

17:21

get any more. Sober sly in here talking with your ass.

17:26

This was huge. The fact

17:28

that Marlene was working at a party before she was

17:31

killed, opened up new possibilities for

17:33

a number of potential witnesses as

17:35

well as potential suspects. All

17:38

Hank needed was a guest list from

17:41

one of the most powerful and inaccessible

17:43

people in all of Hollywood. All

17:50

I could say is, I'm glad he's paying good

17:54

afternoon. So how may I help

17:56

you? I'm supposed to be beating someone here. Irwin

18:00

Ogelman. Yes,

18:02

he's in the new room, right this way, new

18:05

room. A quick reminder, Erwin

18:08

Fogelman was the director who had hired

18:10

Hank and then recommended him to Samuel

18:12

Towns Hag

18:15

Briggs Musso's huh and

18:17

I think they were gonna let me in. It's

18:20

good to see you, Hag. I

18:22

appreciate you taking the time out of your busy

18:24

schedule. Or when are you kidding? You

18:26

know the reason I still have a busy schedule.

18:30

I already ordered us the double tender one.

18:32

Get a drink, let me get the winter No,

18:34

no, no, it's okay. Water is fun. You know I'm footing the

18:36

bill right. No, suit yourself.

18:40

So to what do I, oldest

18:42

honor? What can you tell

18:44

me about Leonard Shaw? Uh?

18:47

He's a prick. Say

18:49

this. He's mean just for

18:52

the sake of being mean, gets his kicks

18:54

humiliating people working on a case,

18:56

and his name came up. He

18:58

throw a lot of parties at his house. He threw

19:00

parties on that estate every weekend. How

19:03

many people you think? How many people like

19:05

that? Everyone? I used

19:07

to say, if you want to keep your stars, then

19:09

you gotta keep them full of champagne. What

19:13

a prick? Anyway you'd be

19:15

able to track down. I don't know a guest

19:17

less me? Oh no,

19:19

no, God no, I mean. Leo hates me almost

19:22

as much as he hates being called. Leo took

19:24

absolute pleasure in firing me. He and

19:26

I haven't spoken in at least three

19:29

maybe four years. He swore to destroy

19:31

my career. That's all right, all

19:33

right, it's not the first, probably won't be the last. The

19:36

double tenderloine for your gentlemen, Please

19:41

be careful. The play is very high, not

19:43

that one of these. Please, hey,

19:46

come on, please start eating. What happened with you

19:48

two? Did you ever see my

19:50

picture divided before the fall? I'm

19:52

afraid I didn't wife and I don't

19:54

get out much. It's rhetorical Hank,

19:57

I never made it. Pardon Leo

20:00

gave me six million dollars to shoot this

20:02

epic production in Utah, which turned into a

20:04

disaster. Everybody was getting

20:07

violently. It was hotter than hades. We

20:09

had actors passing out in their costumes, right

20:11

makeup running into the actor's eyes. Then

20:13

we had a week of torrential rain and flash

20:15

flooding in the basin that served as the

20:18

majority of our location. We

20:20

had to pack up and return to the studio. I

20:22

got it done, but there wasn't much to brag about.

20:25

Downright disaster. Ended up costing

20:27

lead on another couple of millions of shelving so

20:29

as not to affect the studio's reputation. M

20:34

I couldn't get your run a Leonard show if

20:36

you showed up with eight million dollars and an apology

20:38

letter written on gold leaf in my own

20:40

blood. But I

20:44

can get you on the lot. That'll

20:46

do great. Set

20:48

it up with my girl, Yeah, hand

20:50

deliver a script or something anyone

20:52

knows. Maybe you can finagle your

20:54

way into his cold black heart. Yeah,

20:58

prick. As

21:00

the very next hite begins, Hank

21:02

is already on the lot. I don't

21:05

know how he did it, but he did testing

21:14

testing. Okay,

21:16

let's find out a little bit about you. Mr Shaw

21:25

here, ghoes just

21:28

here to drop up this script?

21:31

No, no need to get up. I could just hand it right to

21:33

r I'm

21:36

sorry, he just shipped. Should

21:39

I call security? You're Adler, Harrison Adler.

21:42

Should I call security? No? Not if you

21:44

want to keep your job, you wan. I don't think

21:46

Leonard shouted be too happy to know that just any random

21:49

stranger could get into his office. All right, just

21:51

calm down. That

21:53

won't be necessary, imagin Just close

21:56

the door and go back to work. Yes, Adler,

22:00

And just like that, Hank

22:03

Briggs was face to face with the only

22:05

person suspected of killing.

22:07

The Angel of Vine. The

22:15

Angel of Vine is a podcast produced

22:17

by Vox Populi on behalf of the Los

22:19

Angeles Herald. Thank

22:22

you for listening to the Angel of Vine. If

22:24

you'd like to support us, please leave us a

22:26

review and tell your friends to subscribe. The

22:29

Angel of Vine is available on Apple Podcasts,

22:32

Spotify, Stitcher, and all major

22:34

podcast apps. If you can't

22:36

wait for the next episode of the Angel of Vine,

22:39

episode five is available right now exclusively

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on Stitcher Premium, as well as Angel

22:43

of Vine, bonus episodes, extended episodes,

22:46

and add free episodes. Go to

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Stitcher Premium dot com slash Angel

22:50

and use promo code Angel to get

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your first month of Stitcher Premium free. The

22:56

Angel of Vine is directed by E Ryan Marts,

22:58

written by Oliver Vakare, story about

23:00

E. Ryan Marts, Jason Smwalt and Oliver

23:02

Vakare. Sound designed by Joel Robby

23:05

and Kevin Duzablon. Produced by

23:07

Vox Popular in association with Forever

23:09

Dog Podcast Network. This episode's

23:12

performances by Joe Manganello,

23:14

Misha Collins, Cary Peyton, Nolan

23:17

North, Travis William, Cory

23:19

Walgren, Courtney Taylor, Eric

23:22

Bowsa, William DeMeritt, Imari

23:24

Williams, Philip Murshawn Delaney,

23:27

Hilen Cree, Summer and Oliver

23:30

Vakhare. Angelis is performed

23:32

by Desi Dennis Dylan piano and

23:34

arrangement by James Harper. Composed

23:36

by Matt Dennis, Lyrics by Earl Brent

23:41

from downtown Los Angeles. This

23:43

has been the Angel of Vine. You'll

23:46

hear more from us soon. Oh

23:54

is my Joe

23:59

h A

24:03

excuse me? While

24:11

I did Suppia