Episode 447: Three Wise Guys

In “Three Wise Guys,” ticket scalper Al recalls a Christmas Eve adventure that forever changed him, Blandy Swanson, and the Dutchman. What began as a simple plan to dig up a hidden $50,000 payroll stolen in a factory job turns into something entirely different when the trio follows a “guiding star” to a lonely Pennsylvania barn. Inside they find Blandy’s old flame, Clarabelle Cobb, in labor and alone, abandoned while her innocent husband sits in jail for the Dutchman’s crime. As the Dutchman delivers the baby and Blandy learns the truth, the three crooks are unexpectedly moved to compassion. Instead of grabbing the hidden cash and running, they secretly hand every dollar to the local doctor to free Clarabelle’s husband and give the new family a fresh start. On their way out of town, a near arrest makes them realize just how narrowly they escaped disaster. By the end of the night, the “three wise guys” choose to straighten out their lives—touched by a small miracle in a Bethlehem far different from the one in scripture.