Maxie

    As I mention now and again, I usually listen to old-time radio while I sleep. Or preferably, play it to drown out other ambient noise without actually listening. Last night, I woke in the night and did some listening. The program was called "Mysterious Traveler"; the episode, I'm pretty sure, was called "Hide Out."
    Our plot: A very ugly kid tried to mug a prosperous-looking citizen. The citizen, however, turns out to be a gang boss and also very strong. He overpowers the kid, but is impressed not with his moxie but with how ugly he is. (As we say, I'm not making this up.) He makes the ugly kid his driver.
    The ugly kid is a very good driver and saves the boss' life with his skills. They become friends. Years pass. The boss is in trouble, about to be sent to prison by an ambitious prosecutor. He tells Maxie (the ugly guy is Maxie; forgot to mention that, didn't I?) not to visit him in prison, but to get a menial job and be prepared to have a hideout ready for him, years hence. (I'm pretty sure I'm not making this up either, but maybe I dreamed it.)
    Maxie becomes watchman in a building that was never completed. The boss is released, but then goes after the prosecutor who imprisoned him and kills him. Maxie knows this but nevertheless has the boss' hideout ready, a giant coal bin in the basement of the building. (It's a really big building!)
    Upshot is that the prosecutor was Maxie's long-lost but much adored brother, the building was finally about to be completed, and Maxie had the coal guy dump tons of coal on his mob boss. (He was very sad about it, though.) I've heard the episode often and know the ending well. This time I fell asleep about 2/3 way through and dreamed the rest. The coal bin magically had been given an extra exit, and the boss got away. I found him in the basement of my Dad's house and put him on an airplane. I didn't approve of his actions, though, and made him promise to change his ways and not to go killing any more prosecutors. I don't know what happened to the attractive women who had also been added to the coal bin since I left the actual old-time radio show. My dreaming mind has no kind of priorities.