Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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dollars or more per month. Again, thank you so much for your support,
Liz. Well, now it is time for us to get into this
week's episode of Dragnat and here we are going out of order a bit play
this true Dragnat Classic nineteen fifty three, Dragnet had really become a cultural sensation,
and it also made the jump to television, and Joe Friday and his
two partner Frank Smith were set to appear on the big screen in nineteen fifty
four in the first Dragnet movie. Write the film, Web brought in Richard
Breen. Richard Breen had written for Web on his San Francisco based hard boiled
detective series Pat Novak for Hire. Breen, like Webb, had found success
in Hollywood. He had already garnered an Oscar nomination as well as two Writers
Guild of American nominations. Breen agreed to write the film, but he wanted
to write something else. He wanted to write a new Dragnet Christmas Special.
Breen was an observant Catholic and he hated the existing Christmas special, which Webb
had done for four straight years on radio and had also done on television,
and that was Breen's motivation for writing the script, and in doing so,
I think it's safe to say he's admired by every writer who has ever hated
something they've seen on TV. Here, let me fix this for you.
The relationship between Web and Breen was such that Web agreed to it, and
Breen promised he would write a story that was both reverent and also true to
Dragnet in that it would be based on an actual police case. In this
case, according to Michael Hayes's book My Name's Friday, Breen based it on
a case that had happened in San Francisco in nineteen thirty So there you go.
Story was actually a big event. It was the only Dragnet story to
premiere on radio and on television the same week, and the television broadcast was
in color, only episode of the nineteen fifties series to be broadcast that way,
although the color print does not survive, and of course, the episode
would be remade as part of the nineteen sixties Dragnet series in nineteen sixty seven.
And we'll talk a little bit more about all that after today's episode,
But now we've talked long enough. The original radio broadcast eight was December the
twenty second, nineteen fifty three, and the title is The Big Little Jesus.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're about to hear is true Dragnet.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to Burglary Division. You get a call
that an important piece of religious art has been stolen from the oldest church in
Los Angeles. There's no leed to its whereabouts. Your job find it.
Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next thirty minutes,
in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step
on the side of the law through an actual case from official police filence,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of
your police force in action. It was Wednesday, December twenty fourth. It
was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out a burglary
division. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Bernard. My name
is Friday. I'd gone across the street to buy stamps for some Christmas cards
I was sending out. It was nine fifteen when I got back to Room
forty five, Burglary. I sat out at the table in the squad room
and I started to address the cards when Frank walked in carrying a stack of
Christmas boxes. Hi, Joe, all right, Christmas cards. Huh A
little late, aren't you? Well? I wasn't going to send him out
Monday. But we had that stake out. You ought to get married,
Joe. Yeah, it's the only system. They does all that stuff for
me, laundry, mails, cards, only system might help. Brought in
your present. I won't open it now, No, I'll wait. I
always opened a couple of day before. Why well, I'll put you in
the spirit ahead of the time. I opened fills this morning. Who's he?
Play's brother in Denver gave me a magazine, one of those funny ones.
What do you mean, a comic book. No, one of those
funny ones, you know, No, I don't, Frank. Well,
some of the pages have holes in him you look through when there's a picture
you're on the next page. Oh yeah, I've seen those on the news
stand. They have cloth pasted in cloth in the ads. If you want
to buy a suit and they have a sample right there, you mean you
can feel it, reach right out and feel it. It was one for
two hundred dollars a suit. Sure cloth comes from Scotland once. It made
out of solid gold. No, they got a special kind of goat over
there. It's real smooth, not a goat, Frank, a sheep.
Well, it's a special kind of sheep. Then, because the suit costs
two hundred dollars, you're gonna get one. I told Faye. She said,
where the sample? Anything doing fanning and pryor we're in on that market.
Hold up, they come up with anything, pound of air, nothing
else. I hope it stays quiet. I got more shopping to do.
I finished. What you get in stationary set? Some paper and envelopes,
leather binding, Joe, you'll never learn what's the matter? No woman wants
a stationary set, get or something personal? What's got her initials on it?
No? No, you want something more sentimental, romantic, but you
get fair. It's different in her case. When'd you get paid sewing machine?
That's romantic? Well, there's in the way. Why didn't you buy
our catchers man, Gregory Freddy. Yes, that's right, you have the
right department. All right, father, we'll be right down. No,
you can tell us about it there. Goodbye. The Old Mission Church they've
had a theft collection money statue of the child Jesus. Frank and I checked
out of the office and rode over to the church at the corner of Sunset
Boulevard and Maine. The Old Mission Plaza Church founded seventeen eighty one, the
year Los Angeles became a pueblow. The outside was typical early Spanish design,
complete with mission arches. It was made of adobe and painted white. They
called it the Queen of the Angels. The pod raised from down in Mexico
building. The devout Mexicans and towns still attended services there. Ten o five
am Frank and I crossed through. The courtyard used to be the old stable,
but the Spanish priest changed all that when it became a mission. Stonemasons
paved his stable floor and made it a courtyard. They planted grape vines,
trees, and flowers. A young priest crossed the courtyard to meet us.
He'd been sitting on a stone bench reading his morning prayers, as priests had
done here for one hundred and seventy two years. We asked for Father Xavier
Rojas, who communicated with us. We were told he was inside. We
entered a side door. The church seemed to glow with the hundreds of votive
candles flickering on both sides of the alder and at the shrines. Throughout.
The church was empty except for a few people praying surrounding the main order were
several old oil paintings and gold frames. The air was heavy with the scent
of advent flowers. We found Father Rojas up near the sanctuary looking at the
Nativity scene. He told us about the crib. It was a seventy dollars
duplication of the scene at Bethlehem. The parishioners had taken up a collection for
it thirty one years ago, was put up every year on December twenty second,
and taken down after the holy season. Was beautiful, except that one
of the shepherds had lost an arm when the sheep was old and cracked,
and the infant Jesus was missing. Father Rojas led us back into the sacristy.
I'm sorry to bother you man, all right, father, especially now
the holiday season. We cash our checks. Father, no one and tell
us what happened or what you think happened. I discovered the statue was missing
right after the six o'clock mass. Save at six. Yes, I started
over to the rectory, didn't stopped by the crib. Was the statue there
before mass? I don't know, but it was there last night. How
late is the church open all night? You leave it wide open so any
thief can walk in particularly paved, Sergeant. You say it was there last
night, father, how late ten or eleven clock? We had confessions.
No one saw it after that. One of the altar boys, he says
it may have been there. He thinks it was. Did he see it?
He's not sure. What's his name? Pardon? Here's the schedule.
You'll find the names for every mask. There was there a big crowd at
the six o'clock mass, father, not too many. Seven's the big one.
People on their way to work. Did anyone stay after a mass?
Did you know this? Not especially? I came back here, took off
the vestments. I suppose it was ten or fifteen minutes before I went back
in the church. It was empty then. No people were coming into the
seven o'clock. Are these the alder boys, James Corneen and Joseph Heffernan.
That's right, Joe's the one who mentioned it might have been there. Did
you check with the other priests, father, before I called you? None
of them knows anything about it. Just for a check on the pawnshops.
How much the statue worked in money? Well, that's the point in pawn
shop's, father, only a few dollars. We could get a new one,
but it wouldn't be the same. We've had children in the parish,
they've grown up and married. It's the only Jesus they know, we understand,
and we've had children who died. It was the only Jesus they knew.
So many of the people who'd come here as simple people, they wouldn't
understand such It would be like changing the evening star. We'll do our best,
Father, That's why we've mean so much to have it back for the
first Mass son Christmas. It's not very long, Father, less than twenty
four hours. Anything turns up here. You know where to get in touch
with us. Yes, sad, isn't it? How's that? And so
short a time? Men learn to steal? Yes, but consider us,
father, hus. Some of them didn't you and I'd be out of work.
Ten fifty am we notified pawn shop detail. Frank and I checked out
the two Allar boys. The first one, James Corneen, said he knew
nothing about them as in the statue. The second one, Joseph Heffernan,
was not at home. His father said he had a part time job.
You have n't get in touch with us. Right after lunch by eleven thirty
am. We'd run out of book procedure. We had a man to find
our only clue. He'd been to church. Eleven thirty three am. We
checked the phone books for the names of religious stores in the area. Two
of them were closed. We tried the third. When we got there,
the only person in the store was an elderly man sitting by a table.
In front of him was a large, beautifully carved chess set. We're police
officers. My name is Friday. This is my partner, Frank Smith.
Neat to see you copy in the middle of a big chess match. Where's
your partner? Sanos? We've been playing for years, same match. No,
just two or three months on this one. But a man was We've
been playing different matches for years. I see you know, he do it
through the mail. I send him a move, he sends me one.
Keep you on your toes except during the holidays. Mail gets all fiddled up.
That's no good. Yes, not slow us things down, that's no
good. I like to catch them off guard. You, mister Flavan,
do you know we never met? Your Name's on the window out front,
mister Flavan. We checked the other two religious stars in this neighborhood. They're
closed. It's the best one anyway. European items. We're checking the stores
around the Mission Church for what statue of the child Jesus? Do you have
one we could look at? Sure, no, sir're a larger one.
You don't want a larger one unless it's for the church. That's where you
want a larger one. Could we see it? Please? It's not my
dude to butt in, but unless you live in a big place, this
will make your living room all the kunder. Yes. Most of the people
who go to the Mission Church trade here, good, many of them,
specially to kids. White kids, more religious. Check on yourself, see
if kids are more religious than you might be. So that's what's wrong in
the world. Oh, I don't mean you're wrong with it and everybody?
Yes, sir? What if we could take to the point, mister Flavan,
Sure a lot of people from the Mission Church come in here. Do
people ever come in and sell back a religious article like a prayer book or
rosaries? Yes, sir? Second hand? You mean yes, sir,
not since I ever been around. It's silly why people don't have religious articles
so they can get rid of them. They happened so they can happen.
But if a man had a statue and wanted to sell it, he'd come
to a place like this, sure, but he wouldn't want to sell it.
He would if it was stolen. No, sir, if a man
wanted to steal a statue, he'd be crazy or something like that. The
only place he'd want to go is where crazy people are. You may be
right, mister Flaman. I don't know what you fellas are looking for.
But if it's somebody who stole the statue, he's crazy and you won't find
him. You won't find him as long as you live or in a million
years. That should cover it. We check religious stores out as far as
Van asked. We asked the same questions. The owners gave us the same
answers, but none of them were as encouraging as mister Flavan. Frank and
I had lunch and reported back to the office. It was one thirty pm
when we started into the squad room. The capital is just coming out.
I just checked Brian A Luntrum and we've been out on that. Theft of
the mission. Make it some action on the Patterson case. They locate him.
I think he's on the bus from Sacramento. Well that means the Bakersfield
police. We'll wait and see. Wow, are one of your fellow serjects
Friday? He is, I'm Drew Heffnon. My father said you wanted to
see me. Sit down, son, You didn't have to come in.
A phone call would work. My father said to get on over. He
says that any kid that uses phones is lazy. We want to ask you
about this morning. You served six o'clock mass. Yes, sir, I'm
seeing you. Boy. Do I get the sixth you're a senior and you
take the early trick? Yes? Sure, that way. If you receive
a communion, you get that breakfast sooner. Father Rojas says, you think
the statue was there before a mass? I didn't look, but I have
a feeling that was there, a feeling, you know how you have a
feeling about something, but you're not sure. Did you stay around long after
a mass? I put out the candles and hung up my surplus. How
long would that take? About five minutes? Maybe? Did any of the
people at mass stay on him? Some moms do, especially ladies. Oh
maybe they don't finishing time or else they start new prayers. I don't know.
So when you left there were still some women there, No, sir,
that was at first. After I went back to the sacristy, there
was only this one man. What man? He comes at six o'clock all
the time. Do you know his name? No, sir, but he
works down and off you know all paint shop or the paint signs. Could
you describe him? Short? Medium, were in a suit that didn't match.
Didn't match, you know, different pants than coat. About his age,
Oh, he's pretty old. Take a guess about forty. Maybe there's
nothing particular about him. Then why did you notice him? I've seen him
before. And the bundle, I guess the bundle out in front. I
saw him when he was coming out. He had this bundle and he almost
dropped it. How larger bundle? Hard to say? Come on, son?
Was it large or smaller? Size of the statue not that big?
Yes, sir. We located the sign shop. The suspect didn't work there
anymore, but we discovered his name was Claude Strup. We found out where
he lived. Two twenty five pm we arrived. There was a hotel for
men, mostly old man, mostly down on ours, was called the Golden
Dream. Police officer. We're looking for Claude's troop. Ope Claude didn't get
any trouble, so the way is he in? He's got room three h
seven. You can check if you like. We'll take your word. Were
you one this morning? M YEA have the early shift? Well, we
don't have shifts. My uncle owns the place on the shift? Did Stroop
spend last night here? Came in about eleven? When did he leave this
morning? Round six? Maybe before? To come back after eight o'clock or
so, then left supposed to be back at ten and pulls this trick?
What trick? Our program? He knows the other fellas need him. Program
be here at the hotel every Christmas. We have a program, put up
a treaty and sing and mostly old fellas singing like that makes them remember back
when they were kids. And Jimmy Finn comes on. He shares number four
o nine. His family once had a lot of money, so he tells
the fellas about it, stories about Christmas, how they had this big log
and his grandfather used to start it up. After dinner, everybody turned over
his plate and there underneath was a twenty dollar gold piece, brand new one
Stroop came in this morning. Did he have a bundle? I didn't see
him come in, he said, you saw him. I saw him go
out after, but not come in when was at eight. If you want
to look for a bundle, I could give you his key. We don't
have award. It's all right. I know about police. It's all right
with me. It's not with us. I didn't mean that. I just
meant it was alright with me. Jean. We lost little on the past
of steam Man. When there were three old men. They couldn't tell how
much better they would have been with Stroop singing the fourth part. Somehow you
didn't care. This was Christmas at the Golden Dream, and it sounded fine.
Cross was through well when the ol man came inside, calling with you.
This is the last rehearsal. I got most of the songs down.
Pat sounds pretty good. That's why Game Claude isn't here. He's tenor and
they need him to make it sound just right. This troop have a job,
no, sir, he used to have jobs. Not much lately though.
You say where he was going? No, no, he should have
fellows need him. But he comes here. What do you call us?
Sure? And not say anything to him. That's right. I hope it's
nothing serious for Claude. He fell his troubles out to be over troubles way
back, wouldn't count tell us anyway. I don't know much about it as
much as you know. I come on. It was something back where he
used to live, rob somebody or something, what else, that's all.
It was a long time ago, away far back. But he forgot it
all or robbing and everything. No, not quite m he remembered it this
morning, God very man, jes same on this day. They went back
to the office and ran Stroops name through R and I if he'd been booked
anywhere. We had no record of it, at least not under that name.
Four or fifteen pm pawn shot detail reported back. No object resembling the
statue of the child Jesus had been turned in. Four eighteen pm. I
hung up the phone. Patterson's on a Sacramento bus. I thought Baker's peel
had it. They were supposed to confirm they did up over the station.
What about Panning and prior? They're still out, Well, they'll be back
soon. When's the bus arrived six o'clock? There's plenty of time. For
him to make it. There's more time for you. We're still in that
theft, Kenneda. Wait, No, what is it? Ten fifteen dollars
statue? When's the price determined the case? I realized it's a church statue,
but that doesn't give a priority. It's important to them, Captain Joe
and I promised to get it back. What do you got on it?
Nothing much? And Wire is a big herder. When no, don't say
anything. No right, Claude's true. He just walked into the hotel.
He's our suspect. Nobody's leaked to him. No, you'll keep you can
run him down tomorrow. It'll be too late then I need it for the
first Mass in the morning. Skipper, it's kind of a big thing for
them. I'm sorry. I can't juggle details around. So you can get
a statue back if there's time later on. We'll do our best, Yes,
sir, you better get over to the station. Yes, sir.
When you call Father row housover commission, tell him we're too busy to work
on that statue, but we'll do it later tomorrow or when we get a
chance. I can't you call it. Well, we better get over the
station. If Patterson's on that bus, we don't want to miss him.
All right, I'll call him alrighty, yeah, I can send finding in
prior. You might as well stand another thing. Whenever you say, Kevin,
you are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force and
action. Four three pm we arrived at the Golden Dream Hotel. The desk
clerk was right, Claude Stroup looked like a man who at his troubles at
bargain rates and named Claude Stroup. Yes, police officers, we like to
talk to you. I didn't do anything against the law, honest, I
didn't do anything against yeh, I'm been accused. I want to take you
downtown. We like to talk to you. I said, I'm not going.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to talk to anybody. You're
half wrong already. Five point fifteen pm we returned Stoop for interrogation. He
kept his word. He refused to six oh five pm Frank called Fay total
he'd be a little late. Stroop didn't move for a whole hour. He
sat and stared, but he didn't talk. Six forty pm we got a
final report from pawn shop detail. The shops were closed, there was no
statue. Stroop still hadn't talked. Don't you ever want to go home?
Stroop? If I was to talk, you wouldn't let me go. Depends
on what you'd say. I'd say it wrong and I wouldn't get home.
You won't it this way either. I'd like to go. You compete on
that. This is a seventh year we had the program, and I never
missed a one and a single one. Why don't just tell us what happens,
Troupe. How would I know you'd let me go? You wouldn't.
I might as well anyway, all right, what happened from mass on?
Well there was mass. I came out and started down toward the hotel back
up. I left my stuff at the hotel, and then I picked up
Georgia's car. I didn't steal it. He said I could have it any
time I wanted. At this time, I didn't ask him. I took
it and started out. Yeah, I should have asked, but I just
didn't. I went over to Grand Avenue for the Christmas bulbs for this fellow
seals, and second hand it was coming out of the lot. But I
did it. Yeah, the bumper must have caught the other car didn't leave
too big of death, But there was this long scratch. I got off
and tried to wipe it off with my handkerchief, you know, spit on
a line. Only didn't do nothing good. I didn't think anybody saw.
I don't know how you Fellas found out about it. I'll check out our
records, right strip. We didn't bring it out here to talk about that.
We didn't know. There's a statue missing from the church, the statue
of the Child Jesus. You mean I took it? You took a bundle
out of church. Guess sir. That was my other pants for the program
tonight. I had a place sewed up and there was a button on it.
You can check. But I wouldn't take a statue. I don't think
you would either. He's cleared out of records. Want hope for the program?
You mean it's all right? Good Night's drew a right Merry Christmas?
Where too? Well? I don't know. We could stay and work on
it tonight. It wouldn't do any good. We won't find it, I
don't think so. Now he's kidding the priest build his hopes up as we'll
go tell him now. Merry Christmas. Seven twenty seven pm. We found
Father Rojas. Frank told him how it was that we couldn't get the statue
back by morning, but that we'd keep trying during the week. He said
he understood. We told him we had to get on. As Frank and
I started to leave, the doors at the main entrance to the church opened.
It was a good two hundred feet away. It was hard to be
sure, but it looked like a small boy drawing a bright red wagon behind
him. When he got closer, you could see he was no bigger than
a pint of milk. It was a luminous side little Mexican boy with a
face as young as yesterday. The priest seemed to know him. Akito.
In the back of the wagon was the missing statue of the child Jesus.
He picked it up gently and walked up to the priest are the He just
stood there, looking up at Father Rojas. Spaco Mendoza, the boy from
Paris, ask him where he found him, Bundel contrasting, here's a Maniana.
He didn't find it. He took it. Why okay, too,
restaur I leave Histores, I leave his l flemto Riahi in Mikos. He
says, all through the years he's prayed for a red wagon. This year
he prayed to the child Jesus. He promised that if he got the wagon,
the child Jesus would have the first ride in it. And he wants
not I the devil will come and take him to Hell. I'm sure department
pole noel v he says, Ama pakitomucho. We crossed over to the sanctuary.
With the help of Father Rojas. The young boy replaced the infant Jesus
in the rightful place the crib in the Nativity scene. Thank and I could
have been wrong, but the small plasters statue seemed to approve. Mary Joseph,
the wise Man, Gaspar no Kior Balazar, the old shepherd, the
young shepherd, the peasant, they all seemed to approve. The priest told
the boy to go home. He took hold of his wagon started the long
walk out of the church. There wasn't much we could say. There wasn't
much to say. We just stood there and watched him go. Halfway up,
he turned to look back and he went on out. I don't understand
how we got that wagon today, don't kids wait for Santa Claus anymore.
It isn't from Santa Claus. The fireman picks old toys and kids them to
new children. Parquito's family, they're poor. Fay five. The story you
have just heard is true. The names and locations were changed. You have
just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes
from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles
Police Department. Welcome back, a quite classic episode with a very different feel
from the normal Dragnet. It has some points that are artifacts of its time.
I actually went and watched the nineteen six eight version because I wasn't sure
that they use that line about the dad saying that boys who use the phone
are lazy, but they'd ad deal. I think the core of the story
spoke to something more timeless. Over the years, many Christmas specials, some
good and some bad, have decried the commercialism of Christmas. This is kind
of the opposite side of the coin. Rather than complaining about apartment stores and
big interest and big corporations, this holds up the example of Christmas observed by
those who have very little. A little boy with a repaired second hand toy
a group of down and out men giving their all to prepare for Christmas and
sharing a humble meal and stories of better days. They celebrate even though they
are poor. But are they father It's a simple but profound question that the
episode leaves the audience to ponder as a mystery. There's not a whole lot
here, and obviously they don't even really solve the case. But it's a
story about Joe and Frank being drawn into this world and understanding that, even
though there's not a lot of money involved, that this is an important case.
It was unusual at the time for Friday or his partner to push back
on the captain, but he does hear, and it's a good question.
When does the money determine the importance of the case. The question ties into
the theme that the season is about things greater than money or financial value in
terms of the production itself. In his book My Name's Friday, Michael Hayes
cites two things that he found were distracting problems with the episode. The first
goes back to a problem that during the Golden Age of Hollywood, many people
failed to comprehend the difference between Portuguese and Spanish last names, and that people
from Brazil and Portugal speak Portuguese. Now you can be ignorant of this,
and you can get through your life without ever knowing this, and odds are
you will never have a problem as a result of this. Jack Web was
not so fortunate. As the program was being filmed and recorded, he discovered
that the young actor that he'd hired was of Portuguese descent and couldn't speak a
word of Spanish. He had to learn his lines phonetically, and according to
Hey, this came off as to Wolden. To me, I never saw
that way. I always interpreted the way he delivered it as him being nervous,
just because sometimes when I'm nervous, I can come off a little staff.
The point which I do agree with Hayte on is that Friday is just
way too harsh this episode. Well, I think it's understandable that he's racing
against the clock, so he might not be patient. This behavior, in
some ways was just totally against the sort of personality that Friday had shown.
I mean, he was getting rough with everybody, the desk clerk and even
the altar boy. I'm in the place of the altar boy in this episode,
I'm really afraid that Friday is gonna nail me to the wall for something
if I don't deliver with my best guess as to the size of the bundle
versus the size of the statue of the child Jesus really quick. Of course,
Breen had written hard boiled crime stuff like Pat Novak for Hire, and
I think he was kind of leaning into that approach with the Dragnet episode.
It's a bit distracting here, but his inability to get Friday's voice right as
listeners had seen and heard it since nineteen forty nine, and Web either being
unwilling or unable to rain his friend in would lead to bigger problems in the
nineteen fifty four Dragnet film. Guess is another story. On a more positive
note, One of the things I noted is how many people were cast in
both the nineteen fifty three and sixty seven version of the story. In addition
to Jack Webb, Harry Bartel, Herb Vigrnt, and Ralph Moody appear as
Father Rojas, the desk clerk, and mister Flavin in all versions of the
story. There are details that did get changed in the nineteen sixties version.
In the nineteen sixties TV version, for example, Claude Stroup works at a
mini golf place, and when Friday presses the older boy on whether the package
was about the size of the statue, he's dialed back the intensity about two
or three levels, so it's not so out of character for the good sergeant.
Otherwise, the nineteen sixty seven broadcasts remains pretty much the same, and
I think with those three actors, he recognized that those performances were perfect for
what the script required, because he is refreshing for an era when the work
of actors, particularly the work of old radio actors, was often disregarded or
as seen as disposable or replaced. And seriously, could anyone else but Ralph
Moody play mister Flavin? Web knew that the story needed to be remade for
technical reasons. Even if the original nineteen fifty three color print had survived,
there were many technical complaints with it and it couldn't compare to what they were
able to do in color in nineteen sixty seven. He certainly recognized that there
were some minor tweaks that could be done to the script and perhaps to his
performance without doing any harm to the story. The core of the episode was
beautiful, and that didn't need to be updated or changed. In fact,
it was more needful in nineteen sixty seven than it had been in nineteen fifty
three. Now, the world was not a perfect place in nineteen fifty three,
a country was just coming out of the Korean War, but there was
a level of upre evil, division, and uncertainty that was really palpable in
the United States during that era. I think of it in the same sort
of class, not obviously on his grand a scale, as the nineteen sixty
eight Apollo eight mission and the reading of Genesis, in that it provided hope
and reassurance to a troubled world and perhaps still can today. Well, now
we turn to listener comments and feedback, and we start out with Liz,
who writes, thank you for your continued stewardship of this material. And then
we have a comment from Betsy over on YouTube and regarding the episode the Sullivan
kidnapping, Betsy writes, Ben's accent used to drive me crazy until suddenly it
didn't. Now I even like it, And regarding the episode, she said,
good but sad episode. Well, thank you so much, Betsy.
There are definitely a lot of bad and over the top Texas accents in old
time radio. I don't think Barton Yarboroughs is one of them, in part
because he comes by it honestly, as he's actually a Texas native. I've
never heard him being interviewed, so I can't say what his natural voice was.
It definitely seemed to be the default, even in roles that wouldn't necessarily
call for someone to be Texan, although I did hear one or two episodes
where he wasn't voicing a Texas accent the whole time, and it was odd
he could do it, but I knew Barton Yarborough was in it. In
one episode it was revealed at the end he was secretly a Texan the whole
time, and then we got the Texas accent. Well, now it's time
to think our patreonster of the day and I want to go ahead and thanks
Sergey. SERGEI has been one of our Patreon supporters since May of twenty twenty,
currently supporting the program at the shamous level of four dollars or more per
month. Thank you so much for your support and that will do it for
today. If you are enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite
podcast software. If you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to like
the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the notification bell now here.
We are beginning our official break in releasing new episodes, but we will
have encore presentations starting tomorrow and running through New Year's Day, with dragging that
returning in two weeks. We will be posting a new episode of the Amazing
World of Radio on New Year's even Amazing Great Detectives dot net, and we
will be posting a special New Year's Day episode of the old time radio snack
Wagon at Snackwagon dot net, with us returning to your regularly scheduled lineup on
January the second, with yours truly, Johnny Dollar. I want to go
ahead and take this opportunity. Andrew Rynes, who does our sounds, our
podcast hosting company Spreaker, are fantastic Patreon supporters, and everyone who has sent
in one time donations or words of encouragement during the past year. I really
appreciate all of your support and I want to wish you all a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year, and Lord Willing, we'll see you back here
in twenty twenty four, Instagram dot com slash great Detective in the meantime from
Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham signing off.