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
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net. Follow us on Twitter at
Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com,
slash Great Detectives. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
favorite podcast software. Reminder, next week we have I've got some great Christmas
programming for you on the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio. We will have
Christmas programs starting with Yours Truly Johnny Doller on Tuesday through Dragnet on Saturday,
with the first two of our encores after that on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
also being Christmas related programs on the Archives. And I will be a guest
on three separate old time radio podcasts, Blassic Comedy of Old Time Radio,
Old Time Radio Westerns, and I Love Old Time Radio, and the host
of those programs will be with me on Thursday here on the Great Detectives of
Old Time Radio. Then on the Amazing World of Radio. We have three
Christmas specials on Tuesday, On Thursday, and on Sunday at Amazing dot Great
Detectives dot net. We also have a New Year's Eve special go check that
out Amazing dot Great Attactives dot net. And then we will have three Christmas
episodes of the old time radio snack Wagon next week at Snackwagon dot net.
Now let's get into this week's episode of Dragnet. The original air date October
FIRS, nineteen forty nine and the title is Truck Hijackers, Ladies and Gentlemen.
The story you were about to hear is true, only the names have
been changed to protect the innocent. NBC brings you Dragnet. You're a detective
sergeant. You're assigned to burglary detail. A gang of hijackers has started to
work in your city. Truckloads of valuable merchandise have finished. The thieves are
clever, seem to have a food proof system. Your job find them.
Drag Net. That documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by
the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security at your home, your family,
and your life. All 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. Drag Net is the story of your police force
in action. It was Thursday, March sixth It was windy in Los Angeles.
We were working the night Watch out of burglary detail. My partner's Ben
Romero. The boss's at Backstrain shee be detective. My name is Friday.
I was on the way back from the record Bureau and it was five thirty
five am when I got to Room two, a interrogation room. Read this
storm, Ben, Yeah, ninelon stockings, forty five bolts of sail,
fifty eight cases imported burkey. Before you're dumping this stuff of ballots? What
we want to know? I told you the truth. I have nothing to
do with it. I don't know anything about it. What was this stolen
way building in the caviar truck? How many times I have to tell you
I don't know. If fingerprints are all over it, you must have carried
it there. I didn't carry it there. Somebody's out to frame me.
How many in the hijack gang levelle I'm not in a highjack game. I
told you, I don't know. Why are you gonna let me go.
Who's the head of the gang. I don't know any head of the gang.
I want to get out of here. You're covering for somebody, not
covering for anybody. You take the rap for all this. You're gonna have
a beard down to your knees by the time you get out. I'm not
taking any wrap. Then let's have it. I'm tired. Forty two thousand
dollars worth. You know who took it? You know where it is.
They could have disappeared anywhere on their way from the East to the Thousand Places.
Nothing was missing from those shipments when they came in on the train,
and everything was there when they were unloaded the warehouse. And I don't know,
I don't know. Every dollar's worth was a conting he was loaded on
the truck. Where is it now? I'm tired. We've been here all
night. Let me well, let me read it for you again. Twenty
six hundred dozen nine on stockings, forty five bolts of silk, fifty eight
cases imported perfume. And you're trying to tell us somebody hijacked all that from
the trucks without you knowing it. The trucks were loaded at the warehouse,
we went out to eat, we came back out in the trucks, delivered
the stuff and that's all I know. And while you were out eating,
the receipts for the little disappeared too pre right, Levell, I don't know
where the waybills are the shipping truck, that's his job. We talked to
him. He says, one of you could have taken the way, and
then he's lying. I didn't take him. And what was this waybill doing
in the CABR truck? I told you, I don't know. Somebody's trying
to frame me why. I don't know somebody. I don't know why,
And you better come up with an answer. Mister. Look, I'm tired.
We've been here since six o'clock last night. We're all tired. Who
you're covering for? What are you trying to build? Any Let coffee left?
Ben, It's cool, that's all right. Ye want some level?
No bright Now, Look, let's get one thing straight. We've been here
all night. We can be here all day tomorrow, the day after that,
and the day after that. We got enough to make you on this.
You know that we're gonna stay with you to tell us the truth everything
I've told you all. I'm gonna tell you. We stay here for six
months. You got it all? This your home phone hill Side eight three
two one. Let's ride a three to one. Sometimes your wife get up,
lavell. What do you mean, Ben, get an outsideline. Yeah,
you're not gonna call my home. It's hill Side eight three two one.
Ben Upsiden, don't do that, don't not my wife? Please?
All right, ask the questions again. This time I'll give you the answers.
Thomas Leval was thirty eight years old. He was a well respected man
in his community. Sometimes it's like that. You can question a man for
hours. They will never give you any information. But somewhere in every man's
makeup there's a week point. We were lucky enough to find Laval's. He
told us that he would give us the locations where the hijacked goods were hidden.
He told us the addresses were written on the ledge of a window sill
on the seventh floor of the teamster's union Hall. Was eight thirty am on
the seventh floors that night. Yeah, do me a favor. Don't make
it too big. Look, we have to walk through the hiring hall before
we get to the elevators in the back. Yeah, with these handcuffs,
they'll see them. All the guys in the halls they know me. Can't
you take them off my wrists till we get neil wad Sorry, Lava,
I won't try anything, but don't make me walk in front of him with
these Ar'm sorry, just till we get in the elevator. Can't you do
that? I don't want the guys to see me. Well, here's my
overcoat, Levalla. Drap it over your hands here and they won't see the
cuffs. Hey, come on, yeah a lot s Hi Tom, Hi,
Hi, there's no Tom, not much. Oh, that wasn't easy.
Let's take the elevator. Yeah is that gren? No? Thanks?
Yeah, yeah, it's down this way. Let me show you to the
left, the window up ahead, Yeah, this one. I don't see
anything on the windows. Stall it's on the outside. And open the window
and let me check. Yeah, let me see your fan. Drab him.
He's trying to jump in here. Back here, get back back your
here, Joe, get him, Joe. He can't hold him. He's
pulling me out. Hold on, benab Joe, Joe, he's swimming head.
Try Joe, hold on he's taking loose. My cant hold him.
Hold him, Joe, Oh, I couldn't hold him. You almost went
whining. Let's get downstairs. What happened. Call an ambulance. There's been
an accident. Tom Us Laval was thirty eight years old who was a well
respected man in his community. He died with the same reputation. We had
a prisoner who had met his death while in our custody. In cases like
this, we had to have witnesses. By the time we got to the
street, the usual accident crowded gathered. Anybody here see the accident where if
you want witnesses? Yeah? Did you say it? Yeah, we saw
it. Let's get their names. Ben. My name's Pete Garfield. This
is Jack Marris. We'll be your witness. You'll probably be his opinion for
the inquest tomorrow morning. Sure, we'll be there. We saw you pushed
the guy at the window. We saw you kill him. The next morning,
at ten am, in the basement of the Hall of Justice, Harold
J. Lane, Deputy Corner City in County of Los Angeles, who read
the report of the findings of the autopsy on the body of the deceased Thomas
Laval, as his customary had a corner's inquest. The identification witness was called
to testify first. Elizabeth Leval, Please raise your right hand. Do you
solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to give to be the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you God. Yes,
be seated. Oh, state your name, Elizabeth Lavelle. What is
your address? Twelve sixteen East Camarillo Drive. What is your occupation? I'm
a housewife. What is your relation to the deceased? His wife? Have
you viewed the body of the deceased in this office? Yes? Who was
the deceased husband? Thomas Leavell? Is there anything further you wish to add?
Thank you? Step down? Please, Joseph Friday raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to give to be the
truth, the whole truth, but the truth will help you God? I
do be seated. State your name, Joe Friday. What is your address?
Forty six fifty six Collis Avenue. What is your occupation? I'm a
police officer in and for the city of Los Angeles. Are you the investigating
and arresting officer on this case? I am while he state briefly the facts
relating to the death of the deceased. On the morning following the arrest by
us of the deceased on suspicion of grand theft merchandise, he expressed a desire
to assist us in the apprehension of suspects involved in these thefts and the recovery
of property taken in them. Did he assist you well? He informed us
that if we took him to the teamster's Union Hall, that he'd be able
to obtain addresses of the locations where the stolen property was cashed. You then
took him there, Yes, we did. What happened when we arrived,
he requested us to remove his handcuffs. We refused. Deceased then informed us
that the addresses were written on a window ledge on the seventh floor. When
we arrived at the window, under the pretense of searching for the addresses,
he threw himself over the ledge. I grabbed his left leg to restrain him,
but he kicked loose. Did you at any time have any idea that
the disease planned such action? I did not. What did you do?
Then? We immediately went to the location of the body and had an ambulance
dispatched. Do you have anything further to state? No, I have not.
Are there any questions from the jury? That's all all, Sir Friday
stepped down. Peter Garfield raise your right hand. Yeah. Do you solemnly
swear that the testimony you're about to give to be the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth. So I help you God? Yeah,
be seated. Yeah. State your name, Pete Garfield. How does
your sixteen fifty four North Pico? What is your occupation? Truck driver down
the general warehouse? Did you know the deceased? Yeah? How did you
know him? I worked with him and the CoP's a liar, and so
it says, buddy sitting over there, please can find the testimony of this
inquest to facts? Were you present at the time the deceased met his death?
I told you I was. Those two cops pushed Tom out of the
window. Where were you at the time the deceased was pushed or jumped from
the window? Jack and I just left the Union Hall. We were going
out the front door when it happened, but attracted your attention or him scream.
When I looked up, Tom was falling. That cop was standing at
the window watching him. Did you see the officer push him? Yes,
I saw him. Did I understand you to say you were on the street
outside the building at the time, Yeah, and you saw the officers pushed
the deceased from the window on the seventh floor from your vantage point. Yeah.
Isn't it true that that's a physical impossibility? What is that you could
have seen what you testified too from where you were standing. I know they
pushed him, you know, or you saw I know, that's all.
Tom wouldn't jump out of the window. Then it's true you didn't see the
officers pushed the deceased out of the window. No, I didn't see them.
Is there anything further you'd like to add? They must have pushed them,
any question from the jury? That's all? Garfield stepped down. Dorothy
River, raise your right hand. Yes. Do you solemnly swear that the
testimony you're about to give to be the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. To help you God, I do be seated.
State your name, Dorothy River, What is your address two eleven South Beverly
Drive, and what is your occupation. I'm a stenographer at the Teamster's Union
Hall. Were you present the morning the deceased met his death? I was
state where you were and what you were doing. I was in our office
on the seventh floor doing some filing. Please state what you witnessed. The
filing cabinet and our office is by the door. The office faces on the
hallway, and the door happened to be open. I heard a commotion and
looked out. I saw those two officers struggling with a man. Did you
hear any conversation? Yes? I heard that officer there say get back here,
get back the man outside the window. Yo, let me go,
Let me go. This officer here, Officer Friday said, he's pulling me
out. Hold on, Ben grabbed me. How far from the window were
you I'd say about fifteen feet. Do you have anything else to add?
Yes. As the two policemen started downstairs, Officer Friday said to me,
call an ambulance. There's been an accident. Thank you, Miss River.
Those officers didn't push that man out the window. They were trying to hold
him. After hearing additional witnesses, the coroner's jury retired at eleven fifty seven
am. Eight minutes later, they returned with their decision. The deceased met
his death voluntarily and buy his own actions. The homicide detail continued the investigation
of Laval's death. A week went by, with homicide working one side.
We hope that they might turn up additional leads in the hijacking case. Nothing
turned up. It seemed that with the death of Thomas Laval, our leads
came to an abrupt stop. On Tuesday morning, March sixteenth, at nine
am, we got a call from Chief of detectives at Backstrand. Now once
more, what about the way bills and these shipments. You check them everything.
We could talk to everybody and handle them and talk to him some more.
Forty two thousand dollars in merchandise doesn't just disappear? Who's the last one
to handle those waite bills? To wear a house shipping players were signed and
stamped. Two hours after you filled them in his desk, they disappeared.
What about the truck drivers, You checked them out, talk to all of
them. Nothing so far, nothing was missing from those shipment until they left
the warehouse. Is that right? Yeah? And somewhere in between the warehouse
and the delivery points, forty two thousand dollars worth of goods disappeared, and
somebody's got to be hijacking those loads. We know that, but how do
we get to it. Maybe they're working alone, Maybe they're working with the
truck drivers. It's one of the others got to be. Just hadn't lost
leval Well, you lost them. That doesn't close the case. You've got
a suggestion, Yeah, I got a suggestion. Crack it. You are
listening to drag nets, authentic stories from official police files, and now an
important announcement. Ladies and gentlemen. We are pleased to announce that, starting
next Thursday, October sixth, drag Net will be brought to you by Fatima
Cigarettes. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you the listener, for
your excellent response to our efforts in bringing you these weekly, authentic presentations of
actual cases from official files. Your letters are the only indications we have that
Dragnet is a source of your listening pleasure. We'd like to hear from all
of you. Starting next Thursday, October sixth, over most of these same
NBC stations, drag Net will be heard weekly at ten thirty pm Eastern Standard
Time, immediately following the Supper Club. Check your newspaper for local release time.
We stayed on the job. Another week went by, no leeds.
We spent so much time at the General Warehouse where the merchandise disappeared, that
we almost got to be a part of the crew. We got to know
everybody. We made frequent visits to the Teamsters union hall. It got us
nothing. On Wednesday, March twenty sixth we reported in for work at eight
am. Friday, Romero, Yes, giver, you pooled around just long
enough. They hijacked another load last night, thirty eight thousand dollars. What
out fit the same General warehouse. Who's your contact down there? Ray Hobart,
shipping clerk, Hop down there right now and get the details right There
are two ways to sell this thing, you know. You can get those
hijackers now or wait till General Warehouse goes out of business. Get on it.
Hobart, who was the shipping clerk on duty last night. I was
working for Sigi siagullmeister. He's out of the cold. And you saw this
stuff was loaded on the trucks, and you checked the way bill as usual,
everything as usual, checked the trucks out at two am, went back
to the office, file the waybills. You work a pretty heavy schedule Hobart.
You started at two am and you're still on duty. It took the
last four hours of siggy shift at two am to six am. He had
a cold. I was back here at ten this morning to start my own
shift. When did you find out the way bills were missing on that shipping
last night? Uh? Just four? I went off? Maybe had pass
five quarters six? How about the truck drivers who handled that load to Hobart.
Let's see, I got it right here. Okay, here you go,
shag it. Jack Morris and Pete Garfield. Jack Morris and Pete Garfield
were brought in for questioning. We double checked with Homicide and found out their
reports on Morris and Garfield tallied with ours. No previous records. Both men
had been tailed for a reasonable length of time since their testimony at the lav
Alley in quest. Their actions failed to implicate them. Four days after the
second hijacking, we got a tip from one of our informants down in the
Warehouse district. He told us that a man in a gray suit had been
hanging around the coffee shop next to the teamster's union hall. He was peddling
nylon stockings cheap. There had been other reports like this which we had followed
up, but none of them had paid off. Usually such leads didn't pay
off, but we couldn't be sure. They had to be checked at a
few minutes before five that afternoon, we found the nylon salesman in the gray
suit in the back booth of the coffee shop, was joining the Union hall.
Take a look, I'll find it. You can't do better. Fifty
one gauge n look good? Huh mm, sure do, don't they?
Joe? Yeah, they do. We been looking for you, Mac.
Some of the guys in the Union House said that you'd be around. Sure.
I saw lots of these around there, all truck drivers just like you,
buying them like crazy, good deal. Sure looks like it. Man,
How many pregnant? Half many as you want? Four bits of pair
of your name? You got a couple of dozen for us? A couple
of dozen? No, not on me, But I can get'em as
many as you want. Well, we're kind of in a hurry. Can
you get'em for us? Fast? Couple of dozen? Let him make
it three dozen, hunt, Joe? Yeah, if you want three dozen?
Can you get him now? Couple of hours. I can get'em
same quality. Want to meet me here? Oh? I don't know.
We wanted him for the night my wife's birthday. You know, well,
maybe an hour and a half. How's that three dozen? Meet you here?
Oh? Look, Mac, maybe we're both head in the same direction.
Can we go in here and pick up the nine on? Save time
for all of it? And no, I don't think so. No,
they can't you wait hour and a half? How's that'll find a better buy?
I'm sorry, Mac, I wish we had the time. Where do
you have to go to pick up these nilids? Oh? Way out Sunset
Boulevard near Fairfax. Can't you wait? I'll make it fast. Oh can't
we pay you and then go out and pick'em up ourselves? Huh No,
don't work that way. No, can't you wait too, I'll make
it fast. We ought to be home now, Joe. Yeah, I'm
sorry, mister. We'll have to skip him. Yeah, I maybe we
can pick up something on the way home, ben candy or something wife likes.
Can now? Uh? Look, fellas, I I don't want to
see you lose out on this deal. I'll meet you halfway. How you
mean? Look together? We will go out to Sunset and Fairfax. Huh
they had the place. You'll wait there at the Hamburger stand, and in
five minutes I'll bring you the stuff. Okay, I don't know. We're
late already, but alright, it's a deal. I'll call a wife until
her we're gonna be a little later. Three doesn't alright? Three dozen of
the best. You can't do better? Alright, I'll be back just a
minute. Two three two five two three, Chief of Detective's Office Chandler Mike
Joe Friday. Backstand there out right now, Joe, want to do me
a favorite, Chandler, Make it fast. Get a couple of men out
to Sunset and fair Facts as fast as you can. Tell him to watch
for Ben and me. You got that? Yeah? What else? We'll
drive up in our car with another man. Ben and I'll get out of
the car and go in the Hamburger stand. The other man will walk off
wherever you get. Tell him to follow that man. You got it right,
all right, Just tail him, see where he goes, see what
he does. Okay, Joe, right away, all said Jill. She
got dinner ready. Just about We better hustle sure, best deal in the
world. Let's go. At five minutes to six, we pulled up out
the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax. It was almost dark. Ben and
I got out of the car and started over for the Hamburger stand on the
corner. We caught a glimpse of Barcie and Kaplin, one of our detective
cars parked in the gas station on the opposite corner. They had their eyes
on our man. When the traffic signals changed, the man crossed the street
and headed down Fairfax. Barsian Kaplan waited a minute, and then they took
off after him. He turned at the next corner and disappeared from sight.
Then and I ordered a cup of coffee and we sat on the wait.
At half past six, we were still waiting. At five minutes to seven,
I went across the street to the drug store and called the office.
Barsian Kaplan hadn't been heard from their car. One five K was not acknowledging
calls. I had my call switched from communications to Backstrand's office. Well,
they lost him, ran in. I don't know how they lost him,
but they lost him. Who's out there now? Sullivan and Whitney took a
detail out there, they're calling the neighborhood right now, Well, how did
that happen? A man just doesn't disappear in the thin air. That's what
I keep telling you about that stuff that's been hijacked. The search for the
nylon salesman went on all that night and most of the next day. From
his description, we ran a make on him, no previous record. He
disappeared completely, and we were right back where he'd started from, the only
thing we could do was to start backtracking, requesting the people at General Warehouse,
the truck drivers, the shipping clerks. We kept a close check on
Garfield and Morris, and when we went back to the only possible lead still
remaining, Missus Laval, she could tell us nothing more than we already knew
when we left her. We started on the neighbors for the second time around.
For the rest of the day we canvassed the immediate neighborhood. We got
as many opinions of the Laval's as they had neighbors. At three point thirty
that afternoon, we visited with Missus Gertrude Lancaster, a fifty year old maiden
lady who lived almost directly across the street from the Laval house. She went
out a town the first time we covered the neighborhood. The old single sergeant.
There's no fool like an old fool. Oh say, if I told
you the chances I had when I was a girl. We you not truck
drivers like that. Laval man god Rest is so but fine, wealthy man,
as lawy as Templeton Grants. You membered him, No, ma'am,
I was engaged to him once. Butterfly aways, that's what he used to
call me. I was slim in those days. Would you like to see
some pictures of me as a girl? No, no, thank you,
ma'am. We'd just like to ask you a few questions, that's all.
Could you tell us if the Lavals had many visitors to their house in the
past six months or so? Oh? My, no, funniest thing.
I am the nosy type, Sergeant. I like to know everything that goes
on around my neighborhood. And you can take my word for it. The
Laval's never had visitors, you know, Sergeant Friday. You remind me of
a young man I used to be engaged to just a few years ago.
Yes, miss langs Now, would you tell us please, did you have
any reason to think that there was something a little out of the ordinary about
the laval. Oh little out of the ordinary, he says, But,
my dear man, yes, here he was a truck driver, and there
she was with a home furnished life for asters. Well I even used to
see him, caught some of the things home in that car. Has beautiful
things, rugs and glassware, boats of fabric. Oh, gorgeous, And
he'd bring these things home after work. Is that it, miss langkare anytime
anytime day and night, weekends, anytime after ford, Joe, we better
call office. Yeah. Are you sure of all that you've told us,
Miss langsay? Oh, my dear man, of course, I'm sure.
I watched him week after week. Well, thank you. Uh, won't
you stay for a cup of tea? I'll have Joseph beIN fixed at Joseph
No, thank you, ma'am. Well, and perhaps a glass a sherry,
thank you. No. But there is something, yes, I wonder
if we could use your phone please? Oh, yes, in the hall
next to the umbrellas down, Thank you, ma'am. Two five two three?
Thanks. Friday had nothing much here? Well, it is something here,
Barsia and Captain just called Pete Garfield left his house half an hour ago.
Then he picked up Marris. What's so unusual about that? Now they
accept the guy driving the car, the little man in the gray sid the
Nylon salesman. Barsia and Captain are Tellingham headed north out of Riverside driving.
There's nothing out there but a golf course and a lot of writing stables.
I don't care what they do for recor go get him with red lighting,
Sirreen. It took us twelve minutes to pick up Barcie and Kaplan on Riverside
Drive at four twenty three pm. We pulled up in front of the Blue
Phony riding stables. Barcie and Kaplan's car was overturned just beyond the driveway leading
up to the riding academy. Captain's hurt. I pulled an amum, I
say, Ram, that's some kind of a carta in they Swiss. They're
driving a twelve towns Bulldog semi. Which way they had going north? Got
a three minute lead on your new May commercial Adam six five three, Let's
go Ben. Can you see him? Joe? No, not yet.
Watch that crossing up ahead, Joe. That's a semi. Can you read
it? Wait? A minute, Adam sixty five three at them, took
a ride on lankersh don't lose them. They're pushing that semi too hard.
Look at that trailer sway they have to stay on languish him. They're going
too fast to turn now. Traffic's closing in up ahead of them. They
better nor time. That's what they're doing. Look at that trailer whip.
They're going over pit a star first. All right, whatever I want to
see. Yeah, they're banged up with they're alive. They are Jill,
Yeah, Garfield, Morris, little Man and Grace. Who is funny in
it? What's that? Garfield's gonna swear? We pushed that truck through that
window. The story you have just heard is true, only the names were
changed to protect the innocent. Peter Garfield, Jack Morris, and John Dulpho,
the stocking salesman, were hospitalized and later brought to trial. They were
convicted on charges of grand theft and received sentences as prescribed by law. They
are now serving their terms in the state penitentiary. You have just heard the
eighteenth in a new series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for
Dragnet comes from the Office of Acting Chief of Police W. A. Wharton,
Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated to motorcycle Officer Elmer forceman
of the Presno, California Police Department, who, on the afternoon of October
sixth, nineteen forty six, gave his life so that yours might be more
secure. Remember. Starting next Thursday night, October sixth, Fatima Cigarettes invite
you to listen to Dragnet immediately following the supper Club. That's ten thirty pm
Eastern Standard time over most of these same NBC stations. Check your newspaper for
local release time. Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. Judy Canova joins
the star lineup of Saturday shows tonight on NBC Welcome Back, head Backstrand was
in one of his unhelpful moves. Often he's hands on, full of suggestions
and wisdom earned from years of experience. This week he's got ones like cracket.
Thanks hadn't thought of that. I do have to say that the partners
in the hijacking ring made a pretty dumb mistake by calling attention to themselves by
serving as witnesses against Friday and Romero. However, on the other hand,
I have to say that few things are more fortunate when someone wrongfully accuses you
than having a stenographer in the next room heard everything and can believably read it
all back word for word. Oh that was a good break for our heroes.
Well, now we turn to listener comments and feedback, and we have
that question of a card game. A couple of weeks ago, Jonathan writes,
I recognize the game they were playing on that episode. It was a
version of a game I used to play with my mother, grandmother, and
aunt. It's called Canasta. Will, Friday and Romeo could play two handed.
It is designed for four players. That's the best way to play.
This is not a casino game, but more of a clubhouse game where one
might find four ladies playing over coffee and tea. It is a rummy based
game like Jim Rummy or five hundred Rummy, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing it.
And he provides a helpful link to the rules for Canasta. And Will
also had a comment from Tim who comments over on the Great Detectives website.
In the Vicars Dragnet episode, Friday was nonchalantly teaching Romero how to play Canasta.
The game was popular in the fifties and sixties. We spent many rainy
afternoons down the Jersey store, stuck on the front porch of the bungalow,
playing Canasta and wishing we were on the beach. It's a two deckmy game,
draw two discard one. Two sequences allowed, but the goal is to
acquire seven of a kind a Canasta more points if you don't use two's or
joker wild cards. If you want the top card from the discard pile,
you have to take the entire pile. This can run to ten or twenty
cards. Towards the end of the game, place a set of say four
jacks on the tableau. Before you add another three jacks or wild card on
the set, it becomes a Canasta and move is moved to the side with
the red threes to be continued later. Scoring comes in two phases, the
base, which gives points to the for the number of Canasta more if there
are no wild cards used for red threes, and bonuses for going out either
playing or discarding your last card. Then comes the Maid, where you gather
all the cards on your tableau and score fours through sevens and five, eight
through kings count ten, aces, induces count twenty, and as Friday explained,
jokers are with fifty cards left in your hand. When someone else goes
out are deducted from your total. The game requires a score pad keeping a
running total between games. A major challenge for a child is holding fifteen,
twenty, maybe thirty cards in their small hands. The gameplay is not too
difficult for them and teaches sorting cards, finding matching sets, planning to collect
aces, deception of siblings, and barrent opponents. Your old smiles when someone
discards a queen and you pick it up and lay down the six queens you've
been secretly holding in your hands, just waiting for this moment, racking them
up and moving the stack to the side as complete a completed natural Canasta.
The reckoning at the end of each hand is a fun exercising in accounting and
book keeping, not too complicated, and easier than computing ten percent of your
total worth as a penalty in Monopoly. It's a rote of passage when a
child can finally shuffle two decks at once. Canasta is a pleasant pastime,
a way of passing the time and distracting the kids waiting for the rain to
stop. Well, Tim, thanks for sharing the memories. I also was
notified about it being Canasta from Gary from Bedford, England on the site called
x. I had wondered whether they would use a real game or if they
made it up like I think Burns and Allen did something called Kleebob, But
apparently they weren't worried about any sort of infringement or any issue like that,
and the game of Canasta certainly had enough complications to work without having to make
up a fictitious game, And it's interesting to hear people's memories of playing it.
I don't think I ever did anything beyond simple rummy when I was growing
up, so it's a bit beyond me at first listening. But I think
with card games it's just kind of a matter of watching it. But I
think card games are great. I particularly love the ones that can be played
with the standard fifty two cards, which obviously Canasta cannot be because essentially,
when you own a deck of cards and you own a book of rules for
card games like by Hoil, you own all the games that can be played
with that no expansion packs, none of the expenses that typically go with gaming,
and yeah, you can play anywhere you want, batteries not included or
so thanks so much for those memories. Appreciate to Sharon. Then we had
a comment on YouTube from Ron sur regarding Eric Kelby and he said on that
one Eric is played by Ed Bagley and the captain is none other than Harry
Morgan aka Bill Gannon. Well, thank you so much. Now, I
had mentioned Harry Morgan in the commentary, but I had not caught Ed Bagley,
and I appreciated him flagging that. And honestly, when I think of
Ed Bagley Sr. I think of Twelve Angry Men, And even though I
listened to all of the Richard Diamond episodes where he played Walt Levinson and did
just such a fantastic job, I don't automatically expect to hear him in radio
shows so I can overlook him. But I did go back and listen,
and I think you're definitely right. It does sound to me like Ed very
talented actor, and I think people forget, well at least I do,
how much radio he did. And then we have a comment regarding the one
Nita Lasky case Production eight and Betsy says kind of skeptical here about the true
story that this was based on. Well, I can definitely understand being skeptical
about the story that Friday and Romero were told by the missing woman when she
returned. Now, obviously, for them, in a way, it doesn't
matter whether she was telling the truth or not. They were not looking for
her for having committed a crime or something like that. They were trying to
find out if she was alive and safe and well. And she was,
and a story the story she told, though, I can definitely understand being
skeptical of or wondering, is that really what happened. What I do know
is that the human mind is funny. People sometimes do strange, inexplicable things,
and sometimes there's not a particularly good explanation that can kind of make the
story a little bit less satisfying if you're talking fiction. But I think that
in real life it just can't tell. Well, now it's time to thank
our Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to go ahead and thank
Diane. Diane has been one of our Patreon supporters since July, currently supporting
the podcast at the Master Detective level of fifteen dollars or more per month.
Thanks so much for your support. Diane, and that will do it for
today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast
software. Be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.
We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us
back here on Monday for the adventures of the Falcon Wear a business. What's
that got to do with this? You never know, Wearing. I didn't
come here for a third degree. You came here to get me to find
someone for you, So I have to know things about her and you.
What do you want to know? Why you've been lying to me? You
say you haven't any idea why she disappeared. Still, you're sure right away
at a long distance FADEO, you don't want the police in it? You
burn when I asked what business you're in. I don't like the way it
adds up, all right, Wearing, You don't want the job? Sorry
about it? Who says I don't want the job? I said you were
lying. But if that picture does the girl justice, saying, Still could
be persuaded to look for him. You know something, then, somehow I
don't think out you know something I like? Some somehow I didn't think I
hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, do you send your
comments to Box thirteen at Great Detactoos dot yet, follow us on Twitter at
Radio Detactoos, and check us out on instat instagram dot com slash Great Detectives
from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.