Bob Bailey was born to play the role of America’s insurance investigator with the action packed expense account. He brought a realistic depth and like-ability to the lead role of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar that had been lacking in earlier versions of the show. Bailey, with his debut on the show in 1955, had an opportunity to stretch his legs in a five day a week adventure. Even though the multipart episodes gave the show a different feel, it held onto its uniqueness even after the switch back to a traditional half hour format in 1956. Bailey’s relate-ability and especially his ownership of the role of Johnny Dollar not only kept fans listening, but continually brought on new listeners. Bailey seemed to become Johnny as soon as the microphone came on and even when he broke character, it was still the world’s favorite insurance investigator talking to the audience.