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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become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as two dollars per month
at Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. Well, now it's time for this
week's episode of Dragnet. The original airdate January fifth, nineteen fifty and the
title is The Big Escape. Ladies and gentlemen, the story you were about
to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Drag Nett. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail.
Two armed bandits have robbed a large jewelry store in your city. One of
the suspects escapes. One is apprehended. He's identified as a friend of yours.
Your job send him to prison. 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. It
was Tuesday, February eighth, was cold in Los Angeles. We're working a
night watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is
Thad Brown Hubert Detectives. My name is Friday. I was on the way
over from the City Hall. It was eight thirty five pm when I got
the second floor of the Georgia Street Receiving Hospital treatment room. Oh hi,
Hi di, Ben, how's it going Okay? It hurt for a while.
Dot gave an injection six of a grain of Mafie novocaine injection bullet.
Still on your shoulder. Doc's a got ready to take it out as soon
as I got the wound clean. Here's the soap and water now alcohol spunch
fleet. How's it look tacking? There's the X ray, shallow penetrating wound
in the deltoid area. Slugs larger than the salt tissue right here? Yeah,
no bullet violent, Okay, the bullet the spin that's good. Feel
okay, sure, nice with firelight applicators. Please, all right, let's
see now what you need TI in general interrogation room, Reynolds and Tops and
there with him. They have the probe. Nu. Yeah, you anything
the matter? No, that's it. You hear that you're what located the
slug of the probe? Uh? Nice, I said, nanks, there
we go. Oh it's steady. You call your wife. She don't no
worry. Had his boys on the market for evidence, Give it to me.
I will nice style sailine solution. Here. Get the woman signing Tanner's
partner on Joe got me? No, not yet, no stress? Please?
How long did you know this Tyner before he went wrong? I mean
I met him in the army, helped him line up a job when he
got on stupid. Sure, it's funny making a friend of yours pull in
an armed robbery. I was just surprised, you know, kind of Do
you want me to drive you home? When the docks finished? It let's
go back to the office and talk to Tyner for it. Okay, Bet
all right, Doc. No, you're staying right here to Mary till tomorrow
morning. You haven't got a temperature by then, I might release it.
Oh, it's only a flash wound. Doc, I feel all right.
I'm not taking any chances with gunshot wounds. If affection set in and you
were laid up, I'd have the pension committee to answer. Staying here sounds
like an order. It is. Pick him up, pingough flooded my morning,
cocaine. Are you gonna need anything, Ben? Yeah, I phone
to tell him my laugh. I won't be home for dinner. His name
was Max Tyler. White, male American, aged thirty two, dark hair,
brown eyes, medium bill married, father of twin boys. He was
a friend of mine. We served together in the army overseas, and when
the wharf and started. Came back to my job on the forest and Max
went back to his old job. It didn't fit him anymore. He stopped
working and started drinking. His wife didn't help much. Max started with small
trouble, but it grew fast. On the afternoon of February the eighth,
Tuesday, Ben and I surprised two men holding up a main Street jewelry shop.
Shots were exchanged and Ben received a flesh wound in the shoulder. One
of the hold up men escaped, the other one was apprehended. His name
was Max Tyler. Hi Larry Hi. Joe Glad you got here tell us,
says you won't talk to anybody but you okay, boy, thanks for
standing by. Sure, I'll be outside you anything, Max, Joe,
you're in deep this time. You shot a cop. I didn't. This
guy was with me. I didn't fire once you were in on the job.
Yeah, then don't expect presents. I don't expect anything, Joe,
Glad you came back. I don't want to talk to us other cops.
I work in the same department that I do, same job. It's easier
to talk to you. What's your story? I was crazy to try it.
No alibised, Joe. But I didn't know what I was doing.
Believe me, I just didn't. Really, I won't buy it. Max.
You told me the same thing fourteen months ago when they picked up with
those bum checks you were passing. Sure, I hung some paper, but
I'm no who had Joe? You know that I was drinking. I need
a door for Dorothy and a kid. You gotta believe me. I need
a brain. I said that before too. I went to bat for you,
got up with six months and three years probation. Now you tell up
with another caper. I not you. I know, I'm sorry. You're
sorry. Once my accident works, but one free rides enough for anybody.
That's it? Did I say I wanted that kind of a break. I'll
serve my time, Joe, I'll serve every day I owe. I mean,
what can you tell me you couldn't have told the other cops. I
want to ask your favor. Yeah, I know you're gonna hook me on
this. So while I'm doing my time, Darthy and the kids are staying
with Rallady's out in Eglewood. Sure, just keep an eye on him.
You're not, Joe. I don't mean Dorothy can work with kind of watch
out from. Uh, give him a break. George's not there forty Yeah,
sure, I'll take care of it. Well, you do something for
me anything you want. Guy, Let's have the straight story. Who was
the guy with you on that hold up this afternoon? George Kresty? You
know and not a fulsome short guy, black hair. Yeah, yeah,
he's got a room above the Red Owl bar down on each third and near
Broadway. That's where he hangs out. Where can we find Creston now?
Oh maybe there, I don't know. I'll give you a list of the
places he goes. So all of those friends I've met. Sure rope me,
he said there was going to be arrested. You were carrying an SNW
thirty eighth. Sure. Sure. When they got outside the jewelry shop,
Cristal jam the gun in my hand, I had to put it away,
get it out of side. Believe me. Joey wrote me into this said
it sounds like an alibi, and no, this is your second time around,
Max, it sounds like one. Okay, I got nothing coming.
Don't forget about Dorothy and the kids. I promised you. You want to
give me a full statement on the hold up now, anything you said,
Joe, I'll call for a sonographer. Joe, Yeah, I'm sorry,
I am. I believe you. You got the feeling too late, that's
all. Max Tyler was arraigned in municipal court two days later. Bale was
set at ten thousand dollars. Three days after that came his preliminary hearing a
municipal court. At his arraignment in Superior Court, five weeks after he'd been
apprehended, Tyler entered a plea of nut guilly. A date was set for
his trial in Superior Court. Meantime, the hunt for George Crest, of
Max's accomplice, went on. There wasn't a sign of him. Our informants
had no lead on him, and the All Points bullet and containing all the
information we had on Crest had brought in nothing. On Monday, March twenty
second, the trial of Max Tyler was held in Superior Court. Ben and
I were subpoena to appear the victim of the hold up. The jewelry store
manager was the first to testify that he was questioned by both the prosecutor and
the council for the defense. He left the stand at eleven twenty five am.
Did it lead, your honor? Before the next witness testified, I'd
like permission to approach the bench. Mission granted prosecuting mail. So something so
Georgie's shaking his head and public defenders going back to the Council's table. There
counsel for the defense, your honor is my clients does to change his plead
and guilty. Defendant rise from basically called Max Tyler, that's your true name?
Yes, sure. On the twelfth day of March of this year in
Superior Court, Department eighty three, city in connigals Anglers, State of California,
who had a boy been arraigned on the charge of robbery in the first
degree at that time and pled not guilty to the charge. In the question,
is it now your desire to change that blee? Yes, sir,
it is. You've reached this decision to your own free will. Yes,
I have been no force employed, no promise, maratuity or reward. Who
you should have reached this decision? No, sir, confable prosecution, Yes,
your honory, Max Tyler. On the twelfth day of March of this
year, in Superior Court, City in County of Los Angeles, State of
California, you are arigned on the charge of robbery in the first degree that
time you wanted a player set forth in this information. How do you now
guilty or not guilty? Guilty? Is it stipulated that at the time the
commission of the robbery, the defendant was armed of the deadly weapon to wit
a revour. So stipulated court depicts a degree of robbery. Robbery's first degree,
Your honor, in the interest of justice, that people moved to dismissed
count too or sought with a deadly weapon. At this time, Your honor,
the defendent way is time for sentencing and asks that he be sentenced immediately.
That's the mooning max starter. It's the judgment of this court on the
eighth day of February of this year. You've attended the premises set two three
one oh eightiest Main Street in the city, and there in an attempt the
Feroni is taking a personal property in the possession of another from his person in
immediate presence and against his whip where they said attempt was made while you were
armed with a dangerous and deadly weather tatter. That's God find you guilty of
robbery in the first degree. Count two is dismissed. Decision of this court.
She would returned to the County Jail Sheriff of transfer you to the state
penitentiary where he was served the sentences described by law Courts Team until miss Tyler.
Oh, she's taking pretty hard. Come on, we better go see
her. Hello, Dorothy, I love it, Joe. What am I
gonna do without him? Children? I'll give it you straight, Dorothy.
You didn't do much to keep Max out of this. You drank right along
with him. You don't deserve those kids. That's my opprest. Don't make
it any hard. I'll do anything I can for the kids, Dorothy,
that's all. Who am I gonna do without him? I can't be all
alone about Max. It's not right. It's not right. Neither's armed robbery.
Goodbye, Dorothy. Before the end of March, Max Tyler was delivered
to San Quentin State Penitentiary, where he started serving his term. That's why
if Dorothy Tyler got a job as a telephone operator, she and her children
continued living with her relatives down in Inglewood. I helped them out whenever I
could. Six months went by. Every two weeks faithfully, Tyler wrote me
a letter from prison. I answered most of them. While Ben and I
worked on other jobs. The search for George Preston went on. We failed
to uncover a single lead. Ten months past Tuesday, January sixteenth, nineteen
forty nine, four pm, I checked in for work as usual. A
Hi, Joe, hold, uh huh, yeah, did you pick up
the mail's letter in your box from San Quentin Tyler. How's he doing anyway?
Good clean record, got himself a pretty fair job in the prison library.
I talked to the warden up there, says Tyler ought to be eligible
for parole about a year if he keeps his nose clean. You going to
bed for Tyler again? I don't know. See what happens? Can you
see anything in that guy? He's giving you nothing but trouble. A lot
of people have given him the same. Maybe that explains it. Not for
me, it doesn't. I wouldn't trust him with dirty under it. I
get it. Robbery Friday, Joe. It's Dorothy Tyler. I gotta talk
to you, Yeah, Dorothy, what's a manner? Upon christ I saw
it? What George Christa. I know where he is. I saw him
downtown. I followed him to his place. Be sure it was him.
I'm positive he's staying at one three four Jesse Street. It's a room in
house just off Alameda, one three four Jesse got it, Thanks, Dorothy,
come on Ben. Eight minutes later, Ben and I were interviewing the
landlord at one thirty four Jesse Street, Chief rooming house down on the south
end of the city. The landlord's name was Peterson. We showed him Crest's
mugshot and he told us he was in room eleven. We went up a
dark, narrow stairway to the second floor. Here we are, remember eleven.
I'd stand clear. I'll try the door. It's open, Yeah,
Joe, I have a look. Yes, n he's passed out. Come
on, slipped the up some that was easy. Yea, all right,
I got his gun. He's been drinking. All right. You'll have a
big hangover. You'll have a long time to get over it. George Crester
was booked at County Jail on suspicion of robbery. Two months and three weeks
later, in Superior Court, he was tried and convicted of assault with a
deadly weapon and first degree robbery and sentenced to the state penitentiary. The day
after Crester was sentenced, I was called of the office of Cupid Detectives Thad
Brown. Right it this Max Tyler is coming up for Pearl in a couple
of months. He's a friend of yours, isn't he. That's right in
a way, you've been writing letters to the warden. We talked to the
parole board about him. Understand you're helping on his kids a few presents.
They haven't had much of a break. It's just youngsters. You're working hard
to get Tanna's parole. Do you think he's worth it? But I was
off both him and his wife, and then she gave us that tip about
Creston. Tyler's got such a good record up a que and figured they'd earned
another chance. You're sticking a chin on Joe, helping a condy oft the
pearle a. I think you'll realize that. Oh, I believe he's a
good risk now. She he's pretty weak in some things. He needs direction,
that's all. His wife's getting better. She might help more than she
did. Hope both of them are worth her. If anything happens, I
know I'm gonna get it from all sides. You really think some men deserve
another chance, don't you? Yes, sir, I do. I wouldn't
want your working for me if you didn't. Two more weeks went by Tuesday,
April nineteenth, Ben came down with a bad cold and had to lay
off work. At the same time, a new gang started a hold up
campaign among the liquor stores out in the Wilshire District. A new rash of
armed robberies broke out in the central area. There was an attempted bank robbery.
It was a bad week. Ben got back to work on Saturday.
A rough time, hon, Joe busy. Yeah you beat that cold all
right? Sure, feel much better. Doctor gave me some new medicine.
Works good. That's fine. Maybe I'll knock off earlier than that. If
nothing's doing good. Yeah, it shouldn't leave too much tonight, Hollo type
for you just came in. Oh thanks, Larry. Sure smile of Joe.
Max Tyler, he broke out of prison this morning. You are listening
to dragnet authentic stories of your police force in action. In the course of
his career, the police officers afforded two diverse views of the criminal. At
first, the rookie cop is taught to distruss the criminal at every turn without
exception. He's schooled in the thousand and one ways in which the criminal operates,
his psychology, his mode of operation. Then, when he's thoroughly acquainted
with the methods of the criminal and how best to detect them, the police
officer starts to learn the most difficult lesson of all how to distinguish between the
confirmed criminal and the lawbreaker in whom there is hope of rehabilitation. After nine
and a half years of police worked, my first experiment in field was with
Max Tyler. I'd given him two chances to prove himself, and he'd lost
on both of them, so did I. Two months before his parole hearing,
which might have given him his freedom, Max Tyler had suddenly decided to
escape. How he figured it, I didn't know, but it was my
job to find him. At five o'clock that afternoon, Ben and I met
in the Chief of Detective's office. Two officers Holland and Grayson from the State
Adult Authority Escape Detail were there. How did Tyler manage his escape? Grayson
the same old story. They figured they could trust him up there. He
had a good job on the prison fire and they trusted him when they find
out he was gone on the early morning count. If you checked his relatives
out in Englewood, yeah, yeah, we have. We've got the home
staked out, recovering all the places we figured he might go. How about
missus Tyler, You get in touch with her Friddy. Her relatives told us
that she's on a weekend vacation with the two kids staying with friends down in
Laguna Beach. We've got a call in to them. Should be hearing from
him soon. I understand. Tyler's a friend of yours. Friday he was
ready for parole. Yeah. I was trying to help him along. I
thought the guy deserved a break. He didn't need you, Joe. He
made his own. He's feeling bad. You weren't the only one fooled,
Friday. Yeah. The prison official was Buffalo too. Yeah. I know.
I helped convince them. You got any leeds on Tyler at all?
Grayson, I mean from the time he broke prison. Pretty strange. He
traced him as far as Stockton. Then they lost the trail completely. They
stuck from police in on the sir. Yeah, sure, funny. The
guy has no money, no car, we know of, no change of
clothes. You figure he's getting helped from somebody. Could be excids or not
Ron speaking. Oh just a moment, you Friday, Well, thank you,
Friday. Yeah, when where I just a minute? We hold on,
please, So the Tyler's friends down to Laguna Beach, there's this Tynor
there. No. She called him last night about seven o'clock told him she
changed her plan. She wasn't coming. She told them where she was going.
She wanted to know which highway would take her to Stockton. We told
the Tyler's friends in Laguna Beach to contact us immediately if they heard from either
mister or Missus Tyler. We got out on APB or Dorothy Tyler, and
then we drove out the interviewer relatives in Englewood. They told us that Missus
Tower had the two children with her. She had left their house at six
p m. The night before by taxi. As far as they knew,
she didn't own a car. We talked with some of her friends in the
neighborhood. The only thing they could tell us was that she had not borrowed
a car from many of them. We drove down to the telephone exchange where
she was employed as an operator, and we spoke with a manager of mister
Ralph Cartwright. I'm sorry, gentlemen, this is missus Tyler's night off.
Is there something I can help you with? When there's Missus Tyner do back
work, mister Cartwright. She's working the ten to seven starting tomorrow doing at
ten am. We understand that she's on a weekend vacation. Yeah, you
see, today is payday. So she asked me if she could have her
check ahead of time, said she had to have the money for the weekend.
Did you give her the check? Oh? My no, I couldn't
give her the check ahead of time, but I did do her a favor
just to help her over the weekend. What was that I loaned my car?
We got a complete description of the car together with a license number,
and call the office. The information was broadcast to all units throughout the city
and teletype to all points in the state. Chief of Detectives that Brown ordered
an immediate steak out on the telephone exchange where missus Tyler was employed. The
steak out at the home of Inglewood continued. Another day passed. We checked
with the bank where Missus Tyler maintained her account was ten twenty five am when
we got back to robbery detail. Gentlemen, what'd you find out as Tyler
closed your account three days ago with drew order, saved four to six dollars
and fifty five cents and they're going to go far on that Any word about
that car she borrowed. Tetotype came in about an hour ago. They found
it just outside sunt of Barbara abandoned. Anyone see the Tylers. No reports.
I wonder how those poor kids making out. We must be crazy and
his wife too, if she was going to help him pull on the skate
while she have to drag the kids along, it's away. Some parents figure
Friday, they owe their children nothing. The children owe them every change.
Go for your Friday data un two. Oh thanks Larry Friday. This is
Hopkins Friday on steak up the phone exchange. Yeahbert Tyler. Woman came through
a chick. We got her. Dorothy Tyler was brought into the city Hall.
Whether it was one of her children, he was delivered to the juvenile
authorities for the time being. Missus Tyler was brought the interrogation room. She
refused to admit anything to the officers from the adult authority. She said she
wanted to talk to me. I went in. She threw her arms around
me and started trying. You won't let him get next with you, You
won't let um. I'm after him as much as they are, maybe more.
Where is he? I can't tell you. Why'd you do it?
Dorothy? Why you know why? I had to see him I had to
be with Max. It's a bum deal. You traded days for years.
If I don't tell him where he is, they won't find him. Find
him. He's got to eat, so do you and the kids. He
has to go to work, and working with a gun as all he knows,
he'll leave a trail. We'll find him. None of the children.
Wris, Jimmy, you're taking care of him. That's more than you did.
Where's your other boy? Vans? Max? Max? Heasin? That's
fine? Anyone Max ought to be a real pride of yourselves. I had
to see him, you know that. I had to see Mac. Has
he got a gun? Has he has he used it? No? He
just thought he might need it. He hasn't heard anyone. I swear it.
You helped him escape, Is that right? You helped him? He
needed help. I met him at San Ravelle. We drove all night.
He didn't hurt anyone. Joe, he hasn't heard anyway. Where is he
now? Where is he? All right? Dorothy, we'll find him,
Joe if I tell you. If I tell you, when you go along,
I can show you the way. Would you go alone? Yeah?
All right, I'll take you to him. Joe, I trust you.
Yeah. I trusted him once too. Five pm, Monday, April twenty
fifth, Dorothy Tyler, Ben and I got in the car and headed north
for the coast town of Santa Maria, acting under orders of Chief of Detectives
Thad Brown. Larry Thompson from robbery Detail followed in another car. Holland and
Grayson from the State Adult Authority were with him. It was ten minutes past
eight when we drove through the town of Santa Maria. Just outside the city,
Dorothy Tyler directed us to turn off onto a dirt road. We drove
about two months. She told us to pull up process for you shacked by
those trees. No, man, I hear. I'll go with you,
Joe, maybe Max. You won't understand you stay here, Joe, car
Carl stopped you. It's COTX Dorothy. It had to be. They won't
shoot unless Max days. I said to go alone. I'll go alone.
Ridy, Hello, Rayson? Where is he should tell you? That shack
over there across the field. But that clump of trees. He's got one
of the kids within that right. Yeah, he won't be any trouble.
He's armed. The cons up at Clinton and say he won't be taking a
lie. They say he'll shoot it out. I talk a lot better.
Let us take him. You're not getting paid. But this one, I'll
take him alone. I made a promise the guy in the shacks, and
they have a breaking promise. And I keep mind keep an eye on this
totter. Will he Ben Thompson's watching her. I'm coming with you. I
told her i'd go alone. There's two doors front and back. Which one
you're going in front? I'll be round back. Yeah, yeah, I'll
be right back. Rayson. I started to cross the field. Shack was
about one hundred yards from the road. The field was uncultivated, and I
wasn't sure of my footing. I stumbled over a tree stump. Halfway across
the field. The lights in the shack went out. Where's that? Where
is it? Me? Max? Joe Friday? Max, come on,
open up all right, Max? Why the gun? Joe? I never
thought you'd take me with a gun. I never thought i'd have to kick
down a door to get you. You've changed a lot, Max, how'd
you find me? Dorothy? Tell you? Where is she outside? Your
boy over there, Vans, you're sleeping. He's okay? Put out your
hands, put out your hands. Sorry, Joe, Yeah, given good
to his home and try to explain neither. Will I am Maxed? Come
on, The story you have just heard was true, only the names were
changed to protect the innocent. On June, second trial was held in Superior
Court, City and County of marin State of California. In a moment the
results of that trial, Max Tyler pleaded guilty to the charge of escape and
was sentenced to the term as prescribed by law. He was returned to San
Quentin and then transferred to Fulsome penitentiary where he is now serving his sentence.
You have just Heardnet 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. Dragnet honors the State of California and
the men of the California Highway Patrol, another of America's outstanding law enforcement agencies.
One of these men, Highway Patrol Commissioner Clifford E. Peterson, outstanding
administrator and educator in the field of law enforcement, dedicates his life to making
yours more secure. Fatima Cigarettes, best of all long Cigarettes, has brought
you Dragnet from Los Angeles. Be sure to hear mister and Missus Ronald Coleman
in The Halls of Ivy starting tomorrow on NBC Welcome Back. This explores what
happens when a police saw officer tries to help someone out and things don't go
well. And obviously there are many cases that happen in real life where you
try to help people and they won't be helped. Addiction, dysfunction, and
character flaws are all powerful forces, and many people, whether they're on the
police force or not, have tried to help people out, but in the
end they won't make long term changes. Why let Moce initially sound like Friday
is putting the blame on the Why for the husband's problems. What becomes clear
throughout the story is Friday's problem with her is that as a couple, they
tend to bring out the worst in each other. They both drink heavily,
and I think today we would probably say that they were both alcoholics and both
also have poor judgment and encourage the other to make bad decisions. The episode
is in one way depressing. You can give people a second chance and they
can take advantage of it. You can be cautious and do diligence and be
circumspect and give them another chance, only to have it blow up in your
face. But the conversation with Thad Brown is important. He doesn't even want
someone working for him who's totally closed off to taking a chance on someone.
Maybe it's like an old baseball adage I heard several years ago. The third
base coach on a baseball team makes a call whether the runner coming around third
should head home, whether it's on a base head, or whether it's tagging
up and running home. I've heard it said that if you're a third base
coach and you never have a runner thrown out at the plate, it's because
you're too cautious and you're likely costing the team runs because there are situations where
you should have sent the runner and you're just too timid and too cautious about
it. And I think the same can be said if you're never let down
by someone you're trying to help. Of course, in either case, if
it happens all the time, that's another matter. Been Romero had a couple
of nice moments in this one. I love when Friday tried to use his
promise of going in alone as justification to go up to the house with no
other police officer around, and Romero didn't argue it. He said, so
you're going in the front or the back, and Friday said, I'm going
in the front, and he goes, okay, I'll be at the back.
This is not a discussion here, Friday. And of course Romero had
good reason for that. After all, he said he wouldn't trust Max with
dirty laundry. Now that was not a common saying because it sounded great.
It was something just original to the script, but it may now become my
favorite way of saying I don't trust someone. Also found Max's reaction to Friday
coming in with the gun really interesting with his whole why the gun thing,
because it really showed an inability to grasp the seriousness of what he'd done and
take responsibility for it. Joe Friday took the risk of entering the cabin alone
and he gets, hey, why did you bring a gun? Because he
didn't want to end up a hostage or worse, which was certainly possible based
on Max's terrible judgment. And I think Max had some moments of good intentions
and even regret, but without the actual changing character. It just couldn't last.
Now, one thing to note about this episode is this begins the naming
convention of episode being named the Big This or the Big That, which would
continue throughout the radio series and the nineteen fifties television series. With this exception
of re performances or rebroadcast of twenty two Rifle for Christmas and one other episode
which we're going to hear in a couple of weeks, that would continue to
be the naming convention. I didn't find any information as to why this was
chosen. It was never something that was made a big deal of in terms
of public announcements, but using the big this or the Big that was certainly
not unheard of in a lot of the parter more serious crime fiction, the
first Philip Marlowe novel, of course, The Big Sleep, and there are
some detective programs that have used the Big this or the Big that for episode
titles. But it would become a really big part of Dragnet right up until
the nineteen sixties series, when you would start to have more variations in titles,
particularly suited to a new era. Not really something that quite makes sense.
In the late nineteen sixties well, now we turn to listener comments and
feedback, and we start out with that which we receive regarding the twenty two
rifle for Christmas, And we start out with Alexis, who writes, not
sure I've heard this one before, but it's the darkest and most dramatic dragnet.
I've heard the emotion of the father so powerful and Friday's line so dry,
and that was from good pots. And then we have an email from
Mike who writes, high, Adam, I'm still catching up on old episodes,
so this was my first time hearing this one, and man, was
it tough. What I wanted to comment on, though, was how well
you handled the post episode commentary. I feel like this has come up a
few times recently, but this episode in particular had a very difficult and divisive
issue to discuss. You did a great job explaining the differing views of the
time and relating them to the differing views of our time without passing judgment on
one side or the other. It was a masterclass in objectivity that I think
a lot of professionals on all sides could learn from. Keep up the great
work. Well, Thank you so much, Mike. I really respect and
appreciate that we have such multitude of political perspectives listening to the podcast, and
I want to honor that. But I don't really talk about politics or subjects
that could be political unless the story really demands it. And then when I
do this, guy said, I want to be mindful of the audience because
my aim here with this podcast isn't to help my politics. It's in part
to be a host and to give people a bit of a respite from the
constant barrage of the headlines, which I think, regardless of our perspective,
we all need. Of course, I have my concerns and beliefs about a
lot of issues, but there's not a whole lot I can do about those.
What I can do is be a host that just tends to be how
I approach it. Thank you so much for your kind email. And then
we have an email from Holly, who writes, hello, Adam, I've
been meeting to write for some time. In the February seventeenth edition of Dragon
that finally spurred me to action. I've noticed that some of these old time
radio programs carry a socially conscious message or lesson. At this one, I
was stunned at the ending, the message and the father's portrayal of grief followed
by his desire to connect with his dead son's friend were extremely moving. No
wonder it had such an impact. I thought you did a fine job,
as you put it, discussing the controversial issue with inside and historical details.
Recently, you asked listeners to let you know how they started listening to the
Great Detectors of Old Time Radio. I'm not sure when I first discovered the
program. I'd been tuning into another Sherlock Holmes podcast during the evening, and
when I finished all the episodes, happened to discover your podcast, maybe two
to three years ago, and was intrigued by the number of Old Time Detective
programs, not only the mysteries, but the window that these programs provided into
the culture of the time, or in some cases, perhaps the cultures the
writers and producers were hoping to encourage. You're right, the listeners in that
era expected that most entertainment would generally include some top of lesson or moral thinking.
Here of the recent Johnny Doller The Lord Whatever whatever Matter, which apparently
a lot of listeners dislike, though I thought it was hilarious as well as
a commentary on fair economic policy or the forbest matter, if I have the
correct title that dealt with suicide. I really enjoy your commentary, always both
informative and entertaining. The information is also of historical value. I'm biased.
From time to time. I used to see a photo online of two actors
who played black and Blue detectives of the error, always with the description no
information available. In fact, I have the original photo and copy attached.
One of the actors black was some type of relation. I was thrilled to
discover that photo on your website, along with a few of the actual programs.
I really appreciated being able to listen to the recordings very interesting examples of
very early radio, although they are not of the caliber of subsequent productions and
some content would definitely be considered politically incorrect today. Well, I will thank
you for that, Holly. I don't actually remember. I think I may
have written something on detectives black and blue. But in fifteen years you write
a lot of things, and there have been times where I remember writing things
that I've only thought I've written. But I'm glad that that was helpful.
Holly had one more paragraph. I'm also intrigued about a lot of the music
and literature that listeners would have been familiar with, such as the Courtship of
Miles Standish in Who Is Sylvia? The score to that Let George Do It
episode was an orchestral version of Franz Schubert's setting of the Shakespeare poem till Uhlin
Spiegel's Mary Pranks was quoted. I think it was a casey episode with an
obnoxious prankster and the quote from Bizette's Carmen and the Mister Chameleon theme. The
tune refers to the smugglers hideout. Not sure how it relates to Mister Chameleon,
but it sounds so appropriate. Many thanks for providing listeners with such entertaining
and interesting programming. Well, thank you so much, Holly. I appreciate
your note. I think that one thing that they did far better in the
first half of the twentieth century is passing down knowledge and culture from previous generations
and the great works that came from them. So many books, so many
films, so many radio programs were dedicated to telling the history and passing along
the from time's past, and radio reflected that that happened, and it also
reflected a desire to further that end. I think what we have today with
our popular culture is very present focused with a slight tinge of nostalgia for the
nineteen nineties, and there are lots of reasons for why our culture has gone
that way, but I think it definitely has its downside. Then we go
over to YouTube and we have comments regarding the Garbage shoot murders. One listener
writes, I'm going to miss Raymond Burr as ed Backstrand. And in that
episode, I'd mentioned that later episodes of Dragnet had less instances of the death
penalty being applied, and Larry says the death penalty was given less because of
societal changes, and I kind of wondered about that, but Larry was all
right. While the sort of pause in the death penalty in the nineteen seventies,
you know, stopped executions for several years, there actually had been a
decline in executions for quite a while, and the nineteen fifties was right in
the middle of that decline. So it would make sense that as Dragnet went
on, we'd have less cases that would lead to the death penalty, even
if it was a case of murder. So thanks for pointing that out,
Larry. And then Michael says, thank you for another great episode of Dragnet,
and another listener writes, thank you enjoyed well, Thank you so much
and appreciate your comments. Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the
day. Thank you to Max, Patreon supporter since November twenty fifteen, currently
supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents or
more. Thank you so much for your support, Max, And that will
do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using
your favorite podcast soft. If you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure
to lock the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the notification bell,
all those great things that help YouTube channels to grow. We'll be back
next Saturday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us back here tomorrow for
our second listener support slash Appreciation special. Where you want web mister Stella Martin,
she live here? Yoh, Mike McCay Investigations. You got a cod
says let's go inside. As you got a cod, just show me this
Miss Martin here no cod? If I say yes, she's here. Then
what happens? I said inside? How where is she? I'm glad you
push me soon? Now I got a recent fine. You want web mister
Stella Martin? She live here? Huh yeah? Who Johnny Dollar Investigations.
You get a card that says that, let's go inside. Just you got
a cad? Just show me miss Martin here? No card? I tell
you, Yeah, she's here, And what happens? I sat inside?
I'm glad you did that, Sunny. Now I got a reason. Now
cut it out. I just want to kiss smaller than your little I hope
you'll be with us then in the meantime, send your comments to 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 from
Boise Adohol. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.