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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Well, now it is time for this week's episode of Dragnet. The
original aired eight March ninth, nineteen fifty and the title is The Big Girl.
The story you are about to hear is true, only the names have
been changed to protect the innocent. Drag Net. You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned to robbery detail. Sixteen persons have been robbed and beaten senseless.
The victims describe the assailant as a tall, beautiful woman. Your job stopper,
Ladies and gentlemen. Next week marks the beginning of National Crime Prevention Week,
sponsored by your local police department. These seven days are set aside to
call your attention to the fact that you're a police officer. To better ensure
the safety of your community relies on the cooperation of the individual citizen. We
feel that crime prevention should be observed not seven, but three hundred and sixty
five days a year. 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 files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action was Wednesday, October third,
was warm in Los Angeles. We're working a night watch out of robbery
detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of
Detectives. My name is Friday. We run the way over from the City
Hall and it was six fifty five pm when we got to the County Hospital
Ward ninety eight hundred from twelve Best Way. Gentlemen, thank you here we
are. Please try not to excite him, sergeant. He's had a pretty
hard time. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Make your visit as brief
as possible. We will think. Mister maloney, how are you feeling?
That's so good? You fellows doctors? Oh, sir police officers. This
sergeant Romero. My name's Friday, Robbery Detail. Oh find out anything yet?
Still checking, mister maloney. We'd like to have you tell us exactly
what happened night before that. Oh she's sure. I had me full.
That's all I can say. You're not the first week, fifteen others ahead
of you. Would you tell us what happened? Well? I left the
shop, left to midnight and I started to drive home at Central eleven.
You work at Maloney's Steakhouse down on South Commercial. That right, yes,
and my uncle, Oh's the place. His name is Jay Brown Maloney.
He knows a lot of cops, you know him, and we met him
this afternoon. Could you tell us what happened after you left work? Well,
I started to drive home out Central Elevenue. I guess it must have
been around eighteenth Street. I would you push it? Yes, sir,
I got here, I was thanks. I pulled up for the arterial and
I saw this girl standing on the corner. She was hitchhiking. Do you
remember what she looked like, how she was dressed, you know, kind
of flashy but nice clothes, good looking dame, tall, long blonde hair,
beautiful eyes. You're sure about the color of her hair, Yeah,
it was blond, and you offered her a ride. I didn't think there
was anything wrong. And then I'm a married man, you know, I
didn't think it was anything wrong. What happened then, Well, she got
in a car and we drove off. We talked to she pulled a gun
on me, told me to drive up an alley. Where was that do
you remember around thirty second Street, thirty second at Centro. Then what she
took my wallet, watched cock keys, everything I had, and she made
me get out of the car, lay down on the street. I felt
a chef that gun again? Can't you fix that? Fellow? Just lying
still here? I felt a chef that gun against it? And then she
pulled the trigger. I guess that's all I remember. You don't recall her
slugging must have happened after she shut me. Her face looks pretty bad.
Huh. You'll be all right, mister maloney. You think you would recognize
the girl if you saw her again? I sure would. Nice looking,
you know, tall, blonde, beautiful shape, that figure does it?
What's that she's made more money on the stage than she would roll in?
Guys like me must be crazy. Maybe would you look at these mug shots,
mister maloney and see if any of these look like her? Let's see?
Yeah, uh, this one? No, this one now, let's
see now, how about this one? Uh? She was better looking.
Here's the last one. I don't know. This might be her hair was
fixed right, maybe maybe a little more make I've I'm not sure. All
right, mister maloney, thank you. We'll be back to seeing her there
so when you're feeling better, Okay, say, my name won't be in
the papers with it, you know, sure not unless you give it to
him. I was just wondering the wife might not understand giving a girl,
you know, Yes, sir, we know. Thank you, mister Maloney.
We'll be checking back with you later on. Okay, office, I
hope you get a line on that day. We're gonna try. Goodbye.
Sure, I messed up, and yeah, that dame's got some of their
motive besides money. So I go some kind of a sadus made there.
Find out what you wanted, saj Yes we did, Thanks nurse. What
did the doctor say about Maloney? Is he gonna be all right? Well,
he had a severe beating, but he'll get over that, all right.
It's the bullet warning in the back. You'll recover, won't he.
The bullet shattered part of the spinal cord. There was nothing the doctor could
do. Yeah, Pta, pleach you. You'll never walk again. We
left the county hospital and went back to the office and got out a local
broadcast for the woman whose mugshot Maloney had partially identified. Her name was Beverly
Allen. She had a record of three arrests and one conviction of two forty
PC assault and battery. After we checked in the office, we went across
the street to the crime lab. Lee Jones had already examined the bullet taken
from Maloney's spine and the cartridge casing found at the scene of the shooting.
Both of them bore the same markings as those which had wounded the two previous
victims. From the striations, the gun had been previously identified as a forty
five cod Maloney's car was examined. We found nothing. We went back to
the city Hall and checked in at the stats office. Was eight thirty five
pm. Hi, Ethel, make that run for us here, Roger,
Hi, you coming, ethel f I'm here same. We'll run back seven
years on the scene. Yeah, that's right. Did you get any more
names? Thank you? Let me check the list for you. All right,
Well, the names in dr numbers on caucasion women five feet to five
feet eight, one hundred and fifteen, two hundred and thirty pounds, twenty
to thirty years, door, Brunett, assault and battery, mo hitchhacks,
rides and robs, drivers uses gun. Yeah, that's it. Here's what
the machine turned out. Nineteen of'em. Good. Here are the names
the dr numbers opposite each one. Fine, very new name and more than
the last time. Anything else for the night. No, that's it for
now. Thanks a lot at them. Let's go, Yeah, bad start.
How's that? Seventeen of these names we checked and cleared already, and
the other two the one's Katherine Collins, the other one's Beverly Allen. She
might tie him. They've got nothing else to go on. Do you wanna
get to the record bureau and pull the packages on these two names? Yeah,
okay, I'll check robbery and see if we have any calls. Right,
Hi, Kevin, any calls for us? Just one? Bad Brown
wants to see you. Oh, bad mood kind of wants me too.
Let's go, fella, Maloney tell you anything. Nothing that helped much,
same old story. No reports on that broadcast we put out for that,
Beverly Allen. That's yet. No, you're banking on it. It's first
lead in sixteen nights. Here we are Walker Friday, good b oh are
you boss? Sit down? We'll take a look. Woman bandit gets sixteenth
victim beautiful hold up, queen, Rob's shoots, restaurant worker. Yeah,
it's on the editorial page too. Something else he from the Chief here,
let it from the Downtown Citizens Committee, another one in the Civic club.
They all want answers. Men are doing all I can. Chief. We
got two other teams besides Friday and Romero working the case. Special squad from
Metropolitan Division. They're on it too. I don't care what we've done.
We've got to do more. Sixteen nights, sixteen robberies and three shootings,
three victims still in the hospital. When do we blow the whistle on her?
Checked out every possible lead. She we got a wand out on one
suspect. We're checking out another one. Talked to that man Maloney and once
she got last night, Well what did he tell her? More than the
other fifteen that she took? Descriptions still don't match in one respect, Well,
how do you mean? Well? In ten of the sixteen cases we've
had reported the victims tag the girl Hitchhiker is a blonde, long hair.
Four of them say she was a brunette with a short hairdoo. Two of
them tell us the girl had red hair long she's using wigs. That's what
we figured. Checked every place in town where she could have rented her bottom
no leads. What about some of the biggert supply houses out of town.
We've started in checking him and take a little time and you've got practically nothing
on the woman, same gun forty five. Cot Lee Jones examined the bullet
they took out of Maloney's spine. How's he doing? Not good? Bullets
smashed his spinal cord. His legs are paralyzed. When do we stop her?
Huh h now, hi, cap'n, what have you got? Pull
the packages on two possibles and this woman hold up thing? It's no good,
Joe? Why not? What about that Allen Dame Jale Kansas City?
I called him been in for a month and the other one Catherine Collins at
checked Seattle, been in the hospital up there for the past three months,
and tb ward. Where does that leave you? Friday? Right back for
her. We started no leads and no suspects, all right, walkers starting
tonight, we cover every street in alley in the central area until we get
that woman. We'd order more men and more detectives from the Metropolitan Division.
Right Chief got out more decoy cars. Have the area covered from sun downtil
sunrise until further notice. Got that woman right. Come on, Joe,
hot shot, I get it. You're two eleven and shooting at Gatewood and
Cameron two eleven shooting at Gatewood Camp. Let's go the name on his driver's
license at William Gillespie. We found him fifty feet from the corner of Gatewood
Alley and Cameron Street. His face and head bore the marks of a vicious
beating. There was a single bullet wound in his left shoulder. It was
conscious when we arrived. She had detected his Brown, Captain Walker and Ben
checked the area for physical evidence. I spoke briefly with the victim before he
was placed on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance. On the way,
he lapsed into n consciousness. I went over to where Ben was standing with
Chief Brown and Captain Walker. Take a look, Joe, cap'n find over
there near the lamp full of yeh forty five shell casing, same as the
others. How's Gillespie? Friday? Doc says, you vr, I badly
beat him drifteen. She really works him over. Wonder what makes a woman
do things like this? What makes a man do it? William Gillespie was
taken to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. The shell casing which we had found the
scene was taken to Lee Jones at the crime lab for examination. Had compared
with the others. Jones confirmed that the markings on the bullet which had wounded
Gillespie matched those on the bullet which had been taken from Maloney's. Both bullets
had been fired from the same gun. The dragnet operation for the woman bandit
went on. The men in the special detail covered every street and alley in
the central area from eight pm to six am the following morning. During the
next five days, eleven suspects were picked up and brought in for questioning and
released after the victims failed to identify any of them. Well, at least
we've got her stop temporarily. She hasn't pulled a caper for almost a week.
You know that doesn't bring us any closer to her. I don't know
about you, but it's got me beat seventeen jobs and she's as free today
as she was before she started. Joe, Ben, what'd you find that
the last four women we question were clear? What about the other men on
the case head? Did they get anything? The Extra and Olson are down
at the record ureau being in a minute, they've been not talking to some
of the victims. Again, tough one. I would be thinking, how
about a composite picture. We got enough to work with artists in the crime
lands, working up a couple of sketches. Now a lot of guessworks.
What about the descriptions of the clothes a girl wears anything? There we could
start on no other than the fact that she wears flashy clothes. Elsa any
luck, not much? I know the victims have a very good idea what
the jam looked like? Is it all? A good looking, nice figure,
that's all. Nothing out of the ordinary? Huh? Now do tell
of them to say the same kind of an unusual voice. It's soft,
low, It's about all they can remember. Not much hair. She's been
describing three different outfits, is that right? Yeah? Green dress with the
pink coat, white dress, dark blue jackets, bright red sweater and a
brown skirt. Always carries a dark brown alligator handbag, shoes to match,
no hat, not much of a wardrobe visit. Maybe that's why she took
up robbery. Now, luck, let's get on this thing. We've been
chasing this woman for almost a month now, and she still got the run
of the town. How long is it gonna take it? If we only
had a lead that was worse, find it. It's there someplace. I've
never reached a thief yet without digging for him. I'll get it Robbery Olson,
Yeah, right in, I'll tell him. Anderson and Bird Joe wants
to see you in. Ben, Thanks, captain, that's all com man.
Yeah, I'd like a day off, wouldn't you. We'll get one
when we get this dame right ahead. This thing isn't doing much for the
skipper. It's not doing much for our time off either, is it?
That fire department's got the rack at twenty four hours on twenty four Sometimes they
get three days off in a row. That's what you keep telling me.
Here we are, Joe, Ben Andy, what do you got checking back
on a job out in Hollywood? A right? You were having troubles,
came across this thing, thought it might help you out. What's that?
And one of the picture studios had a burglary about a month ago. If
you've got in the wardrobe department, then next door in the makeup. Yeah,
let's see here's some of the stuff taking dress coke. Oh, here
you can read it. Okay, thanks, red sweater, brown skirt,
I live down here. Yeah. Took two makeup kits and four wigs,
two blonde, one redhead, one brunette. That's it. Any leads on
this job? Not so far. Now, we got one thing to go
on. A single footprint, size nine, pretty large size for a woman.
I didn't say it was a woman. A print was made by a
man's shoe. You are listening to drag nets authentic stories of your police force
in action. One of the most popular misconceptions of the working detective is offered
by the fiction writers is the picture of a man with amazing talents for detecting
evidence, analyzing human behavior and motives, and then, almost as if by
magic, fitting all the pieces together to form the solution of the crime.
The real life picture is a little different. The working detective has a job.
In a sense, it's a practical and down to earth job, as
baking bread or practicing law. It's his job to protect citizens and apprehend criminals,
and that's a job. He doesn't do a loan to assist him in
collecting and analyzing evidence. He has the aid of the crime laboratory to help
him identify oddities and suspects or possible suspects. He has the Record Bureau,
Layton fingerprints, the Statistician's office, the Ballistics Department, a battery of men
and machines to aid him in reaching conclusions based on fact. Tuesday, October
ninth, nine pm. For the past eight hours, Thaxter and Olsen from
Robbery and Ben and I had been requesting all of the sixteen victims of the
woman bandit. We asked them one question, could their assailant possibly have been
a man dressed as a woman. The majority didn't think so. Those that
did weren't very sure. We followed the lead through. At nine to twenty
five pm, we checked in and headed down the hall for the Stat's office.
Do you think it was a man dressed a I don't know one?
Male? Footprints, pretty slam ons. Maybe the machines here can tell us
Hello back again, Ethel, Can you make a run for us tonight nine
twenty five? Sure? I think here's a dope right here. I'm gonna
try another angle. Yeah, he's sick. Male of occasions, about five
feet eight or nine one hundred and thirty two hundred and thirty five pounds,
feminine features, size nine shoe impersonating women, robbery and assaut that's it.
Arm forty five automatic m he hikes, rides and robs drivers. I'll show
anythink you can have a force real make the run and the colater. You
have to punch up the master first. With all this information, and I
have the machine with the cards, I don't think i'll have it pretty much
before eleven at all. Right, fine, yeah, we'll check back a
little before eleven dinner. I'll be ready. It's good. Come on,
bet you call your wife after dinner. Yeah, I wish I had.
And she's mad as a horny. Kids having a birthday party tomorrow and I
forgot to order the kid. What's she going to do for the party?
Bake one? She have to? And she pulled this gun on me and
told me to stop the car. Well, I'm telling you, Captain,
I just grabbed that gun and slapped that kid just as hot as please.
Collins. This man's name is Amil Collins. Mister Collins is Sergeant Friday,
Sergeant from there off. How do you do? I was just telling the
captain here, I'm down here on a vacation. I'm from Sacramento, South
Sacramento, and I was driving down your Figueroa street about half an hour ago,
picked up this girl hitching the right, and she tried to rob me.
Collins took the gun away from her, sub dude the girl and brought
her. And where is she now? Interrogation from Thankster and olsener with it
a description match not too close. Sounds like you didn't have too much trouble
with her, mister Collins. Well, now that I come to think of
it, maybe I didn't. When she pointed that gun, I just grabbed
for it and slapped her as out as I could row took the starch out
of her. Where's the girl any identification? None? Thaxter and Olson hadn't
been able to get anything out of her. You want to try, sure
what any thanks? You tell me? See if you can make her talk.
I'll have a stenographer taking mister Collins report. Okay, glad to met
you, mister Collins. I's surprised. I'm only done here for a vacation,
but if you need me just call you better do well? Thanks?
How do you figure that? I don't know see what the girl has to
say? Olson, Joe, I want to talk to you before you go
in. Sure did you find and get her to talk. The thakst or
did. Pretty sure. She's not the one. Where after what's her start
said, she read about his wound bandit in the paper, decided to try
her hand at it. Needed money, yeah, claims her husband left her.
She's pregnant, needs the dough for a hospital. She live here up
the coast Monterey. Got in town four days ago. Stand at the YWCA.
We checked there. She's not lying, you, Carl Monterrey. Yeah,
they confirmed it. She left here last Wednesday night. She's not the
one. Where do we go from here? You'll take care of having her
book? Tolson? Yeah, as soon as we get to stay here,
you can't find Friday, then this way hustle it you too, Wilson.
What he got ed Orthan looks to eleven shooting. Let's go any detail.
Yeah, a tall blonde with a gun, come on the woman. Bandit's
eighteenth victim was a truck driver. His name Harry Reese. His story differed
a little for out of the first victim. The woman was hitchhiking near Alvarado
on Third Street. He gave her a rhyme. She robbed him at gunpoint,
slugged him and then shot him through the left shoulder. He described her
as tall, blonde, attractive, and well dressed. He says, sure
have known better, remember reading about the name of the papers. You're sure
that the person who held you up as a woman. I don't get you.
What he means is you don't think it could have been a man dressed
like a ran. Oh no, I'm sure that guy ever looked that good
to me. All right, mister Reese, we'll check with you later at
the hospital. Okay, we're even that truck plade. Yeah, Olsen's got
a couple of men watching it. He's going over it, same old story,
just another version. But she thinks she's spreading it pretty thin. Her
luck can't last forever. It's got me beat how she always manages to disappear
without a trace. Yeah, no, Ben, this way over here,
Yeah, okay, what do you got better? Hustling four blocks down on
col fact of shooting just came in on the car radio. Let's go slide
over him. Yeah we hit the sign, Ben, Yeah, the crowd
watch him. Oh excuse her? That all that came over Ben, the
shooting. All they said, see the cab driver, I have been on
shooting's working real fast. Let's see address from now Third and East Flower Hotel.
Hold on, as is it coming up? Should be to the right
here, Yeah, take a right, that must be it up ahead.
I can't see what's that sign say Edgemar Hotel for Young women. Here's a
cab driver right over the head. Ay, looks like bloodstains to me here
all over the sidewalk. Yeah, I guess it couldn't have happened any more
than five or ten minutes, or I had this fast sea picked her up
at Fought and Pixel and I drove her here. She paid the fan and
got out. Yeah, go on. I was about halfway down the block
when I heard a shot. At least it sounded like when When I look
back, this dame was down on one knee. He had the door to
the hotel. Hen by the time I backed up as she was gone,
and you noticed the blood. Huh that's right? Yeah. I figured I
better call somebody and you tell us what the girl looked like. Oh,
not bad at all, blonde, tall, pretty girl, nervous. But
you didn't see where she went? No, but I didn't. I'll get
the driver's name and address, Joe, You and Ben, see if you
can follow that trail, stuff's all over the place right over this way,
Ben, Yeah, it's not hard to follow down this alley between the buildings.
How does this figure? Let's find out here we go all the way
back here. You got your flashlight? Huh yeah? Here you yeah,
this way? Come on, this must be the rear of the hotel.
Oh look, steamanes. Lead over this way to the back door here and
let me try. Okay inside, still following, Yeah, carefully up these
stairs, second floor. What's the man as you lose them this minute?
See anything? Yeah? Stains? Lead on up the stairs here, let's
go. I just happened to think this is a woman's hotel and they ought
to keep the back door closed. Come on, third floor, let's hold
it. What is it? I thought I saw a door open down the
hall? You see anybody? No, let's go this way. Let's see.
Easy trail to follow. This is if they stop here at this door.
That doesn't sound like a woman. Yeah, you're ready. Try the
door first, easy, it's locked. All right, Come on together,
now, let's hit it in your what you Joe? All right? I
got the gun? Yeah? Oh he found what we came for. Look
still got the clothes on, bron wig, make up everything. Please help
me. My leg coll an ambulance it's on the way, take it.
Have a look, Joe and Weggs full makeup. Get closed. Living in
a woman's hotel work was an accident. You never would have got me.
I dropped the gun. It went on. You never would have got me.
Yeah, that's right, mister. You better get the boss in here.
I'll stay with glamour boy okay and Ben Yeah, leave the door open
with you. House rules. The story you have just heard was true,
only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On January fourteenth, trial
was held in Superior Court, Department seventy nine, City and County of Los
Angeles, State of California. In a moment the results of that trial.
The welfare and security of your home and your family is a subject of national
importance. Next week national Crime Prevention Week. The efficiency of your local police
department is dependent upon your attitude toward your police officers, not just one week
out of the year, but every day in the year. He wants your
co operation. He needs your co operation for the enforcement of your laws.
Help your officer to help you to live in a peaceful, orderly community.
National Crime Prevention Week costs you nothing, just your co operation. James Harold
Sutter, alias the Banded Queen, was tried and convicted on several counts of
assault with attempt to commit murder and robbery of the first degree. He was
sentenced to the term prescribed by law. While serving his time in the state
penitentiary, he was stabbed to death by another inmate. You have just heard
Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet
comes from the Office of Chief of Police W. A. Wharton, Los
Angeles Police Departments. Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all long Cigarettes, has
brought you Dragnet from Los Angeles. Dear Martin Donny Tonight on NBC Welcome Back.
This is definitely an episode that takes an extreme look at the limits of
witness perception. Friday's one statement, when Ben asked what makes a woman commits
these sort of crimes? What makes a man commit? Then turned out to
be very prescient and there's an element of realism here. While I don't think
the criminal was right that he wouldn't have been caught if not for the gun
accidentally discharging, he wouldn't have been caught at that exact moment, which doesn't
make this a moment of glory for our heroes, but that's not the point.
All it takes when you're a criminal is one mishap for it to all
be over. Those are the rules, and you take your chances. Now,
I will also share an interesting personal development in regards to the show,
and that concerns Herb Butterfield, who I've been hearing every week on Dangerous Assignment
for nearly two years, and he also appeared in a lot of Yours Too
Lee Johnny Dollar episodes, and then of course he's had a recurring role on
the Dragnet radio series as Lieutenant Lee Jones, and then there have been all
these miscellaneous things that I've been hearing, and so I've developed an unusual sensitivity
to recognize her Butterfield now. And he actually did doubles in this one.
He played the driver from Sacramento and the cab driver. It was kind of
odd that they gave him those parts so close together, But then again,
I have listened to this episode several times over the past seventeen years, and
this is the first time I noticed it. Now we turn to listener comments
and feedback, and we have three reviews in the Apple Podcast Store, and
we start with this one from Donald, who writes, Adam refers to himself
as a host, but I think of him more as a highly qualified volunteer
docent leading a tour in a museum. He applies his knowledge to provide insightful
context, and his passion for old time radio is as palpable as it is
infectious. Lack a good docent, Adam curates the best and points out things
on never would have noticed. It is so great that he's keeping these shows
alive and sharing his hobbies. My all time favorite is Pat Novak. I
really wish more episodes had survived. The evolution or change perhaps of Jack Webb
is puzzling to me, cynical to uncritical, the police as flawed, and
bubbling to the police as infallible. I'll write to Adam one day and ask
him about this. In the meantime, keep up the good work, and
he offers a Latin phrase which I won't try to mangle, but he translates
it helpfully as don't let the trolls get you down. Well, thank you
so much, and I appreciate your comment. And I think that the comparison
to the docent is apt. There are people who study and write about the
Golden Age of radio with a very academic person. There are also some folks
with incredible research knowledge across multiple series and genres. And that's not really the
level that I go for. It's more the things that I pick up and
find that are interesting and little tadbits along the way, rather than I did
my doctoral dissertation on that. Regarding Jack Webb, I don't think he really
changed all that much at all. I would not view Pat Novak as a
serious critique of the police force anyway. I think one of the things that
makes pat Novak interesting is it takes the sort of conventions of the hard boiled
detective story and it amps it up to eleven or actually more like fifteen.
But it's ultimately a genre convention, and Web was not the creator of the
series. Oh, it's hard to put Pat Novak for Hire as a starting
point of what his opinion of the police were now. Dragnet, on the
other hand, is a series that Web created and that he continued to have
creative control over, and so you can see some of his thinking actually reflected
in the episodes, and sometimes there are points where Web could go to some
uncomfortable places, even for me, someone who absolutely loves Dragnet and Jack Webb.
Probably my favorite example of this is in the nineteen fifty four Dragnet movie,
where under oath for a grand jury, Friday essentially calls for a really
extensive program of the government monitoring phone calls. And this led one newspaper to
say, Okay, who are you to blame for this? You can't really
avoid blaming Jack Webb. He's the producer, he's the director, he's the
star. Now the writer is Richard Breen of pat Novak for Hire. But
still that does leave the question. One thing that's impressed me about Webb I've
read his biographies and various articles, is that he was someone who not only
relied on police officers for technical expertise, but he hung out with them at
his home and I think got to know them and really understand what it was
that motivated them and what frustrated them. And that's what comes across in Dragnet.
I think it's really hard to view all cops as a combination incompetent bungler
and sadists like Inspector Hellman, when you're actually getting to know good cops and
getting to hear their experiences and their stories. Most Dragnet stories after the first
season were based on case files submitted by actual police officers, and I think
that part of the reason for why Dragnet was so popular with the LAPD and
policemen in general is that police officers felt heard. I think is the way
we would put it in the twenty first century, because the series reflected their
experience, their frustrations, which really captured and I would say that Webb doesn't
treat policemen as perfect. There are some cases involving bad cops during the nineteen
sixties TV series. There was also one during the original run on radio and
on television which was lost to the ages, but thankfully recreated by the Gotham
Radio players who just did a fantastic job with the entire script. Of course,
even beyond corruption, they are mistakes, you know. An episode like
the Big Casing is a great example. Oh, the police do make mistakes.
And it's also fair to note that the series was made in cooperation with
the Los Angeles Police Department, so that's going to minimize the amount of negative
portrayals that would air. But I think that the overall feeling towards police bums
across because of the relationship that Webb had with so many officers and how he
really empathized with, understood and captured their outlook and the stories he told.
And onto the other reviews Jonathan Ritz, I listened to many Old Time Radio
podcasts, but this one is the best. Adam has a great deal of
knowledge and shares information regarding shows or episodes that are not found elsewhere. The
quality of the shows is generally good. Trivial matter of Adam's voice or daring
to spread out episodes are best ignored as the value of the podcast far exceeds
these petty remarks and enjoy. And then also have this from Bella. Adam
introduced me to Old Time Radio seven several years ago, and I love it.
Great job, Adam, keep up the good work and thanks well,
Thank you so much. I appreciate your encouragement. And then we also have
a comment on YouTube regarding The Wife and the Big Escape Betsy Riots Bonnie couldn't
live without her clyde pathetic in my opinion, thanks, I don't think that's
an unfair remark. She definitely had shown bad judgment in the past and showed
that she hadn't really learned anything or required better judgment, and unfortunately it led
to a host of consequences for her entire family. All right, well,
now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day, and I want
to go ahead and thank David's been one of our Patreon supporters since March of
twenty twenty one, currently supporting us at the Chief of Detectives level of thirty
dollars or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, David,
and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast,
please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And if you're enjoying the podcast
on YouTube, be sure to lock the video, subscribe to the channel,
and mark the notification bill. A quick programming note. This Easter weekend,
we have two Easter specials, one on Saturday, one on Sunday at the
Amazing World of Radio at Amazing dot Great Detectives dot net public domain video theater.
This weekend at video Theater dot Great Detectives dot net or on our YouTube
channel, we'll have an episode of Sheriff of Coaches. We will be back
next Saturday with another episode of Dragnet, and then next Tuesday we will have
the return of Ellery Queen. But join us back here tomorrow as we celebrate
four thousand, three hundred and fifty episodes where No, I didn't do it.
I didn't do it. Uh huh, got who's there? Who's there?
He wint up screaming when I'm after them, Cornell, get out of
this apartment. Just keeping you posted on the progress of the case. I
don't like rats in my bedroom. Get out. I found this cigarette crushed
out in Vicki's clothes closet. Your brand. Yeah, one of her slippers
was crushed, as if someone had been standing on it waiting in that closet
to murder. Headquarters, says Harry Williams did it. I say heads quarters
is wrong, and I say beat it. Cornell, get out. Sure,
but you'll wake up screaming many a night before I get through with you.
Howd on it? I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
do you send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net, follow
us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram,
dot com. Slash, great detectives from Boise Autohol. This is your
host, Adam graham Son and off.