Johnny Ace Auditorium in Houston, Texas, on Christmas Day 1954. During a break between sets, he was playing with a .32-caliber revolver. Members of his band said he did this often, sometimes shooting at roadside signs from their car. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. However, Big Mama Thornton's bass player, Curtis Tillman, who witnessed the event, said, "I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar transfer the success of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" to television. Bob Bailey starred in a 1958 pilot entitled "The Adventures of Johnny Dollar" and William Bryant starred in a 1962 pilot entitled "Johnny Dollar." The latter was written, produced, and directed by Blake Edwards. "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" was so familiar to CBS Radio's listeners that the network's resident comedians, Bob and Ray, occasionally satirized it. Their version, "Ace Willoughby, International Detective," followed the "Johnny Dollar" format of exotic locales, continental officials, cool villains, and tense confrontations, with Ray Goulding doing a letter-perfect imitation of Bob Bailey's delivery. In the