Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnant. But
first I do want to encourage you. If you're enjoying
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
But before I do anything else, I do want to
do what I wanted to do yesterday and recognize our
platinum Patreon supporters. And I want to go ahead and
thank Lisa and James, both of whom have been supporting
the podcast since April of twenty sixteen. Again, thank you
so much for your support. Now, from January tenth, nineteen
fifty two, here is the Big Red, Part two.
Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true. The
names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a
detective sergeant. You're assigned in narcotics detail. You're in the
middle of a drive to break up one hundred thousand
dollars narcotics ring. You apprehend two of the lesser gang members.
You still haven't reached the big operation. You still haven't
found their store of heroin your job get them Dragnet.
Speaker 3: 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 transcribed from official police violence,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4: It was Sunday, August fourteenth. It was cool in Los Angeles.
We're working a special detail on a narcotics division. My
partner's Ed Jacobs. The boss is Captain Kearney. My name's Friday.
There was one twenty three am when I got the
fifth and series Southwest.
Speaker 5: Corner hije Ed, Captain. We've been waiting long.
Speaker 6: Just got here, all right, chickens, you can't.
Speaker 5: What'd you finally book?
Speaker 6: In?
Speaker 5: The two of them?
Speaker 6: Seventy seventh division substation Watch.
Speaker 7: Perry here is willing to cooperate, told us everything he
knows about the game.
Speaker 8: I'm glad you feel that way, you stand, You won't
regret it. Yeah, what's the matter? I hope it helps
Read and the other guys find out about it. It's
gonna be rough, and're not gonna find out from us.
We're heading out for East Hollywood.
Speaker 7: Joe apartment house out there, Perry says, that's where Red
makes his pickups.
Speaker 8: We're about to sad stand I know the address, I
know the neighborhood, though, I'll recognize the place when I
see it.
Speaker 6: How you feel now, Stan? Any better? Oh? Lousy sugard.
Here's a fix about now. Sorry, Perry just can't help
you there.
Speaker 4: How are you gonna handle this thing, Captain? I mean
picking up Stan and Max Higby? You figure we can
keep it quiet?
Speaker 7: Newspapers are going to cooperate. They're not gonna print a
word about it.
Speaker 6: I'm gonna handle a court work.
Speaker 9: Stan and Max are gonna wave there preliminary Oh, to
give us five to six weeks quiet if we needed.
Speaker 6: You can't reach the rest of the gang. But then
we'll never reach them. Sure, feel lousy sick? I never
tried to kick the habit before. How long does it take?
Speaker 5: It all depends how bad are you hook?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 10: Not bad.
Speaker 6: I'm just chippy with it? Not more in a cap
a day? Where are we going out of Stan? Keep
going straight?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 6: Straight ahead? Turn off snuft for a while.
Speaker 5: Yet, Well, how do you figure it from here on in? Captain?
What do I do about Red?
Speaker 7: You're gonna have to con your way through. I had
the crime lad to fix up a dummy package for you.
I'm a seat thick as the same rappings as the one.
The real stuff came in package Stan gave you in
the restaurant. Take it back to Red and scream your
head off. Yeah, you're telling me you got the package
from Stan and Max and you paid them the six
geese for it. You opened it up and found it
pull of powdered sugar bread them off. Put it on big.
You got a gun?
Speaker 5: No, I haven't. I checked it in my locker when
I started on this sort.
Speaker 7: Take mine bay, make it heavy. Pretend you're going to
gun him. What if it doesn't work, skipping that's taken
care of too. There'll be a couple of men on
the street, Joe. If you get your back to a wall,
break the window, they'll come running.
Speaker 5: Okay, I'll give it a try. You think Red still
his hotel? Stand sure?
Speaker 6: It's probably waiting for me and Max.
Speaker 5: Anybody with him. You think no?
Speaker 4: I don't think so, all right, Bet, I wonder if
you'd call my mother the first chance you gets.
Speaker 5: You might be a little worried.
Speaker 9: You don't have to. She called the office before we lap. Oh,
I think I convinced her everything was rying.
Speaker 7: Oh, thanks a lot, Yeah, that's it. We'll let you
out at the next corner. Head back for the hotel. Right,
good luck, Joe, Thanks, how about it, Perish anything else
you can give us, it might help him.
Speaker 6: I don't know. I'm gonna take a lot of fun.
Only one way you can get that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you better get yourself a good fix.
Speaker 4: I left Captain kearney ed Jacobs in the Narcotic Suspect
Stan Perish on the corner of Western and Wiltshire and
made my way to Red's hotel on West fifty fourth Street.
I went up to the second floor on found his
door open.
Speaker 5: I walked in.
Speaker 4: Red was sitting in an overstuffed chair next to the radio,
listening to the police calls coming in.
Speaker 6: It's why the gun.
Speaker 5: Don't try any your cunning this time. You're two bit
with it, no matter with you.
Speaker 6: Put the gun down, No, not.
Speaker 5: Before I get what's coming to me? You and your
lousy punks.
Speaker 6: What are you talking about? Where's standing Max dead?
Speaker 4: I hope that leaves only you to deal with. I
should have known better the first time when you had
me tamp I should have gotten out right.
Speaker 5: Then what's your craw?
Speaker 6: Guy? Come on, let's settle.
Speaker 5: You know what I look for yourself? Six g's worth,
powdered sugar. You didn't think he could beat me for this,
did you?
Speaker 6: I don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4: There's more in this than me. If you don't square
up this thing with us, there's ways of taking care
of you. I'm on the lamb anyway. Now, one more
Beefer is gonna make that.
Speaker 6: Much a gun down? Will you? Now, let's talk it out.
It doesn't make sense if you've been beaten so of I.
Speaker 5: I will try to sell me that line. Get both
of them out. I know they're here, now, come on,
get them out here.
Speaker 6: We watch that gun?
Speaker 5: Were you?
Speaker 11: I don't know what you're getting at, lindsay they're not here.
Didn't you see him? Max and staining h I saw him.
Speaker 4: That's why I'm here. I gave him the money, six
yards of it, and that's what I got, powdered sugar.
And you start explaining, smart guy, it's the truth.
Speaker 11: I don't know where they are. I gave Stan and
Max twenty ounces to take to you. I told Stan
and make the meat with you inside. The rest of
max is supposed to be the look at it.
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, sure, so help me.
Speaker 11: I don't get it. You have never tried anything like
this before. Once you tipped off at all. Maybe the
way they acted something I said.
Speaker 4: Oh, nothing, that moot. Stan was a little unhappy. He
said he wanted to fix and you wouldn't give it
on him.
Speaker 5: That's right, I wouldn't, well, and you should have known better.
It's no time to get stingy with him when he's
gonna make a deal for you.
Speaker 11: You know what happened the last time he took a
fix before a job. I sent him out to that
park to watch you. He ends up by tamping. I'm
leveling with you, Lindsay. I think we've both been taken.
I still don't get it, though, I can't understand why
they'd run out on me.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 4: Look, I haven't got the time to draw you pictures, mister.
All I know is Mike Do's gone and you haven't
delivered the stuff. Now you get with it.
Speaker 6: I'll wait, I'm minute. How do I know for sure?
Speaker 5: What?
Speaker 6: How do I know?
Speaker 11: You didn't get the real merchandise and you took care
of maxims. Stand, how do I know you didn't build
a frame?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 4: Sure, that's why I'm back here. I got twenty ounces
free and I want another twenty. I met those mooches
of yours and took care of them all by myself.
Now that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it. Now,
get off at Red. You're not going to pour them
mouth of me out of this. I paid my six
g's and I want the merchandise full, twenty ounces, and
I want.
Speaker 5: It right now.
Speaker 11: Crazy, I can't do that. You have to give me time.
We don't keep this stuff here. It isn't mine in
the first place.
Speaker 5: What are you handed me?
Speaker 11: It isn't I'm just a middleman, that's all. You'll have
to give me time. Maybe we can work out something
for you.
Speaker 4: You bet you're going to work out something for me.
You've got my six g's. Why'd you try and big
shot me in the first place?
Speaker 6: Calm down?
Speaker 4: Trying to make me believe you were the big man.
You gotta get wise to yourself. Read why should I
deal with a middleman? I can probably buy the junk
cheaper from your boss. Now, where's heat?
Speaker 11: You couldn't buy it a two g's an ounce he
wouldn't sell it to you. I handle all this stuff.
I'm the only one he works through.
Speaker 4: What makes you so special? You can't even handle a
twenty houns deal and keep it straight?
Speaker 6: Stay cool? Will you give me twenty four hours?
Speaker 5: What am I supposed to be doing in the meantime.
Speaker 6: Same thing I'll be doing, worrying about getting that stuff back?
Speaker 5: Why try and cover up your mooch? Is Red out
on you?
Speaker 11: Maybe I want to make sure I'll get the word out. Yeah,
I'll find out what happened before I left Red.
Speaker 4: We set up a meet for the following night in
his hotel room at seven pm. Then I left, went
downtown to an all night drug store and put in
calls to Captain Kearney and my partner at Jacobs.
Speaker 5: I briefed him on what had.
Speaker 4: Happened with Red, and the Captain set it up for
the three of us to meet early that morning and
plan the next move.
Speaker 5: The meeting point was down off Gallardo Street, alongside the
Santa Fe train yards.
Speaker 6: Y'all over here, Hi ed Cap. Hi.
Speaker 5: A little late.
Speaker 6: Anything happened, but I did some doubling back.
Speaker 5: I wanted to make sure.
Speaker 6: I wasn't followed things worked out with Red high not trouble?
Speaker 5: Why not so far?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 5: I think he went for my story.
Speaker 4: He said he's going to do some checking around though,
try to find out what happened to standon Max.
Speaker 9: Yeah, halfway figured then that story you told him. I
thought if Red bought that, you'd be in.
Speaker 5: We didn't buy it that far. I guess it made
an impression. Waving again. Nobody still has some doubts.
Speaker 6: What else can you do to get yourself in solid?
You tried about it everything, Joe. I've been kicking around
an idea. It might work for you. I don't know.
Speaker 7: Put on a phony shakedown for him might give you
a chance to show him how tough you're supposed to be.
Speaker 6: What do you think?
Speaker 5: Well, maybe I ought to help out. If we stage
it right.
Speaker 6: When's your next meet with Red?
Speaker 5: Seven o'clock tonight his hotel, room.
Speaker 6: Two thirty one, then be honest or right?
Speaker 5: How do you want to work it?
Speaker 7: Oh, I'll get a couple of men from metro Vision,
have him in uniform. We better have him work in
a radio car. We're gonna have to have a good
reason for him breaking in on you. How about a
four or fifteen. Skipper Joe could go up to the room,
pick an argument with the Red and make noise a lot,
a lot talking.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that sounds okay.
Speaker 7: All right, both of the men in the radio car'll
be thoroughly briefed. You'll know what to do Friday. You
out to sell yourself. Act as tough as you think
you have to. All right, don't give it a try,
play it after the hilt. You give Red the least
idea of the shakedowns a phony, and we're washed up.
No phone, meet the off as soon as you can
the inside line. We'll be waiting for the call.
Speaker 4: Right, It's just one more thing. Yeah, how about that
apartment house. Dan was gonna show you last night, the
place where Red's supposed to pick up the junk.
Speaker 6: He pointed the place out. All right, it's gonna take
some checking.
Speaker 5: What do you mean?
Speaker 9: Stan said? He drove read to this apartment house about
a dozen times. I always had to stay in the car.
They were Red one in alone. Didn't know which apartment
Red went to.
Speaker 5: Can't we check him out him?
Speaker 6: We got some men on it.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 7: I'm gonna take a little time. Big layout, all right,
forty seven apartments, I.
Speaker 4: Left dead and Captain Kearney and caught a street car
back to my hotel. I had some scrambled eggs, toasting
coffee and the grill next door, and then I went
up to my room and got.
Speaker 5: A couple hours sleep.
Speaker 4: Late that afternoon, I took in the show at a
newsreel theater, had a bite eat, and then headed out
for Red's hotel on West fifty fourth Street. I got
there a few minutes before seven. Red was waiting, apparently
failed to dig up any information on what had happened
to his two operators standing max. I accused him again
of trying to swindle me out of six thousand dollars.
I demanded the twenty ounces of heroin. Red had nothing to.
Speaker 5: Offer, but apologies.
Speaker 6: All right, all right, relax, Will you take it easy.
I'll work out something.
Speaker 5: Take it easy. Nothing you do enough of that for
the both of us. You sit there and listen to
that radio.
Speaker 4: Why don't you ge out and hustle up those two
mooches of yours and get my dough ball?
Speaker 5: All right?
Speaker 6: All right, you don't have the scream. I said, I'd
work something out.
Speaker 5: All right, then start working. Get it the dough or
the white stuff. I gotta have it at the end
of the week.
Speaker 6: What do you want to do? Have it all over
the hotel? Keep it down?
Speaker 5: Why you take me for six g's and I'm supposed
to play it nice. Now, come off it, mister.
Speaker 6: I didn't take it for six cheese.
Speaker 5: Those two mules did, and you own them. Either you
square this.
Speaker 4: Up or everybody in the business is going to know
about this.
Speaker 6: It's got into you anyway. You've been boozing it up today.
Speaker 5: Don't you worry about me. I'll take care of my end.
Speaker 4: Real big operator, huh right, you had all the h
you handled everything.
Speaker 5: A real big shot out.
Speaker 6: I forget it.
Speaker 5: Read the big wheel. He handles all kinds of deals
fifty cents to five dollars. After that, they get.
Speaker 6: Too big for it. I said, forget it, Lindsay.
Speaker 4: When this one gets around, they're gonna laugh you right
out of the business. You can go back to selling
razor blades and knock that radio off. I'm sick of
hearing that.
Speaker 6: You got quiet down.
Speaker 5: Do you think you're ready to handle it?
Speaker 6: Do you?
Speaker 11: I told you I'd try and work out something for you,
and I'm playing tough. It's gonna get your nothing.
Speaker 6: You want to know that? What's it?
Speaker 5: What's it sound like? Yeah? Who is it? Police officer
is helping up? What is this?
Speaker 6: What do you got me?
Speaker 2: What do you take it?
Speaker 12: Easy?
Speaker 6: You can't take guess right?
Speaker 13: All right?
Speaker 12: Up and up?
Speaker 5: But I'm getting out of here. I'm not going to
any shake down your mind?
Speaker 6: Hold it. I didn't mean you keep you waiting?
Speaker 5: Come on in.
Speaker 6: That's all the noise about up here. Nothing just saying
a friendly argument. That's it, that's your identification. Sure you'll
stay put? Yeah, Harry, better shake him down? Yeah right?
All right? Back against the wall. Come on, hands behind
your head, keep him here.
Speaker 1: Today?
Speaker 5: Grab the other one? All right? Good, both of them?
Speaker 6: You crazy fool? Now what do we do?
Speaker 4: I don't have to worry about the other one. He's
out cold. Take the gun off this one here, I'll
get his handcuffs.
Speaker 5: Good.
Speaker 6: Why'd you have to do it? Why did you have
to start something?
Speaker 5: I can't afford a shakedown? You want to know that?
Speaker 6: Better give it up both here. You're not going and
get away with it?
Speaker 5: And shut up.
Speaker 6: You won't go far.
Speaker 4: Come on right, help me drag him over here. What
are you gonna do a bedpost here, like, get his
wrists around here.
Speaker 6: That's it.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 6: Hold him ends here out of your mind? What do
we do with him now?
Speaker 5: I'll worry about that. How's his partner doing? He's still
out all right? Now? Cop, let's have it. What's the
idea of the shakedown?
Speaker 6: Well we pick you up again, you'll get the idea.
Speaker 5: Come on, let's have it.
Speaker 6: Why don't you lay off? It's not going to get
us out of this for.
Speaker 5: A big dealer. You got a lot of chicken in
you now, look cop, give why they shake down?
Speaker 6: You're wasting your time.
Speaker 5: Maybe I can change your.
Speaker 6: Mind, lindsay you're crazy. Put that gun away?
Speaker 5: Now, come on, cop, talk who gave you the tip?
Gun away?
Speaker 6: It's only going to get us in deeper.
Speaker 4: I want some answers. These buzz didn't come along by accident.
There had to be a tip off.
Speaker 6: How do you know?
Speaker 11: You were talking up a storm in here, making a
lot of noise. Somebody in the hotel could have complained.
Come on, come on, get.
Speaker 5: Out of here and leave the two of them behind
to identify us. That ain't gonna work.
Speaker 6: It's got to what else can we do? We can
kill him out of your mind.
Speaker 5: I can kill him right now. The probably wouldn't find
him in the morning.
Speaker 6: Or you'll do it alone. Lindsay, I'm getting out.
Speaker 5: We still got business to do.
Speaker 11: I'm not looking for a murder right now. Come on,
get it up, Let's get out of here.
Speaker 4: As soon as we leave, we're gonna have to start running.
I won't be good for more in a day.
Speaker 5: In this time. What I would do about my deal?
Speaker 6: Come on, we can talk about it later.
Speaker 4: Come on, we can talk right now. You handed me
the stall long enough, I got twenty four hours left.
I want it settled.
Speaker 6: Okay, okay, I'll talk to the big man.
Speaker 5: I promise you. I want to have a meet with him.
I don't know you listen at six.
Speaker 4: Grand By was a dropping the bucket. I want to
buy more. If the big guy's ready, saw.
Speaker 6: Am you got the money?
Speaker 5: I got it cash? How about the meat? How about it? Red?
Speaker 6: K okay, okay, I'll set it up.
Speaker 4: Red got his things together and we took the rear
fire escape that led down to a service alley behind
the hotel. Before the two of us separated, we agreed
that Red would call me at my hotel at ten
o'clock the following morning. I wasn't altogether sure, but it
seemed as though the act I'd put on at the
phony shakedown it impressed Red quite a bit. Before I
went back to my hotel, I called Ed Jacobs and
Captain Kearney and briefed them on the developments. At ten
o'clock the next morning, I was waiting for the phone
in my hotel room.
Speaker 5: At ten point fifteen, Red call, I.
Speaker 6: Talk to the big Man this morning.
Speaker 10: I told him what you wanted.
Speaker 5: Yeah, what's the answer.
Speaker 2: You got to be a fastye Oka car.
Speaker 5: Well, I'm ready, is he?
Speaker 6: I think?
Speaker 5: So? Talk all right? What about the meat? I'll take
it to it when.
Speaker 3: You are listening to Dragnet authentic stories of your police
force in action.
Speaker 4: Tuesday August sixteenth, ten thirty three am. As soon as
I got word from Red about the meat he'd set
up for me with a big man, I called Captain
Kearney on the inside line and briefed him on the
way things stood. He said he'd have three teams of
men ready to tail me and cover the meat. They'd
work alternately in three way radio cars in order to
reduce the risk of discovery. To the minimum. He also
told me the check of tenants was continuing at the
East Hollywood apartment house where Red apparently was picking up
his supply of heroin for distribution. So far, the detail
of man assigned to the job had failed to uncover
any definite leads.
Speaker 5: At eight minutes.
Speaker 4: Past eight o'clock that night, Red picked me up at
my hotel and together we drove out along Alhambra Avenue.
We parked alongside the edge of a private golf course
just north of the Ocean Highway.
Speaker 6: Smoke, Okay, thanks, gotta mention it.
Speaker 5: Yeah nice, Well what about it? We've been here fifteen
minutes already, a lot.
Speaker 6: Of sign feels like a sybost doesn't like to hurry things.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, maybe he ought to get with it relaxed.
So we waited nine thirty, ten o'clock, ten thirty eleven,
still no sign of the big man. Eleven thirty eleven,
forty five, no sign? What time he got, lindsay, ten
minutes to midnight? And you got any ideas?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I guess I can tell you now.
Speaker 5: Well, you make this one real good with you. It's
been a long wait.
Speaker 6: Boss wants to make sure about you. That's all. He's
checking his context. Where you said you operate up around Fresno?
Isn't that right?
Speaker 5: All right? So he's checking on me. What's he want
of a blood sample?
Speaker 6: He's careful. He wants to make sure it didn't show.
This is what he told me to tell you.
Speaker 5: Yeah, if you're cleared all.
Speaker 6: Around with his contacts and meets set for tomorrow afternoon
where I'll get to it. That deal to this. You
said you wanted a big buy. The boss has got it.
Speaker 5: How much?
Speaker 6: Two kilos, same good stuff you sampled, high grade Mexican.
You can get it at ten grand akilo.
Speaker 5: Well, it's not bad if it's good quality. What's the breakdown?
Speaker 6: It's forty percent. You're getting a fat discount, you know that.
Speaker 4: Well, that depends two kilos ten GI's apiece, twenty thousand bucks.
Speaker 6: You've got education carry.
Speaker 4: It's a lot of scratch to get together in a hurry.
You got a whole day, No, don't no jump, All right,
I'll get it. Where's the meat up by South Pasadena.
They're holding a big flower show in the neighborhood. You'll
meet him there. Contact me for the time.
Speaker 5: When will it be? When do I meet him?
Speaker 6: When you got the twenty thousand.
Speaker 4: Eleven fifteen PM, Red drove me back downtown and dropped
me off at Fourth and Maine. Before we separated, he
told me he'd call me early the following afternoon regarding
the time of the meet with a Big Man, providing
I had the twenty thousand dollars for the narcotics buy.
One am, after stopping off at a cafeteria and then
a coffee counter to make sure I wasn't being tailed,
I got to a public telephone.
Speaker 5: Put in a call to Captain Kearney South.
Speaker 7: Pasadena Flowers Show sometime tomorrow afternoon there.
Speaker 5: Right, Yeah, that's it, Ken, all right, we'll cover it
all the way. Well, how about the money? What do
you think he got a little with you, haven't you? Well? Little? Yeah?
Speaker 7: Okay, fake it the best way, you know how.
Speaker 2: We'll be a right.
Speaker 6: So as you make sure the guy has the junk with.
Speaker 5: Him past the signal, we'll move in right.
Speaker 7: Something else, You get any lead at all on the
big man tonight?
Speaker 5: No? Nothing? How about you a piece of luck?
Speaker 7: I think we got him spotted.
Speaker 4: Before he hung up, Captain Kearney told me that the
careful screening of tenants in the East Hollywood apartment house
pointed out to them by Stan had netted a couple
of prime suspects. They were an elderly couple, a mister
and missus Thomas Leslie. Besides the fact that he had
a narcotics record in the East, mister Leslie operated a
second hand bookstore on Beverly Boulevard, which apparently was being
visited often by known narcotics peddlers. Early the following afternoon,
Red called me at my hotel room and I told
him I had the twenty thousand dollars for the buye.
Speaker 5: He picked me up at one forty five pm.
Speaker 4: I flashed a stack of money, containing mostly one dollar bills,
and he seemed satisfied. He drove me out to the
site of the flower show in South Pasadena, a large
glass domed conservatory just off the Royosco Freeway.
Speaker 10: I said, say, yeah, sure, nice flies.
Speaker 6: Huh, it's beautiful.
Speaker 4: How many times we're gonna have to cover this route?
I've seen everything twice already.
Speaker 6: Won be long a couple of minutes, Oh this way,
come on? Yeah, the ship grat.
Speaker 4: Look, I don't get any of this. If we got business,
why can't it be in private. This is your big
man's idea of a joke.
Speaker 6: It's protection. Lindsay, he's got to be careful. I guess
you figure this is the last place they look for.
Speaker 4: We'll make another round of this place. We'll stand out
like a sore thumb.
Speaker 6: I'll relax. You'll make you buy. Coming up right now, right,
come on following me, Tom, What do you say?
Speaker 12: Oh, oh you're in.
Speaker 14: What do you think of my glady old antrees? Those
up there? When you say the beauties?
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, that real great time.
Speaker 14: Took me three and a half years to get blooms
like that South African species, you know, the Chilsea type.
Raised them bright in the little greenhouse back of that place,
right you see the scarlets and the whites. That was
the mine.
Speaker 6: Yeah, ah, Tom, like you have you meet that friend
of mine? Lindsay, it's just Tom.
Speaker 12: How do you do? What do you think of my entries?
Raised every one of them from seeds? Lindsay.
Speaker 14: They take a lot of care. Yeah, they're all right,
plenty of care, especially those the South African type. They
take a good stiff sandy loam, quality fertilizer, just the
right kind of heat and water, takes a lot of work.
Speaker 5: Problem. Yeah, the guy haven't got too much time to spend.
Maybe we better talk outside.
Speaker 14: Yes, it takes quite a lot of work. Beautiful blooms.
You have all the money within all of it.
Speaker 5: We got two kilos.
Speaker 12: That's correct. You can go out the sideway.
Speaker 14: They read you followed behind and keep an eye open
right this way. Sorry for the delay, it's necessary sometimes. Yeah,
you came out and read your double checked you weren't followed.
Speaker 5: I double checked. I've been doing business longer and red.
Speaker 6: Mm.
Speaker 12: Maybe we can make it a permanent tie.
Speaker 6: Not here.
Speaker 12: My cars this way?
Speaker 5: You always make deals in the open public places.
Speaker 14: Always it hazards advantages you sure this.
Speaker 5: Is the hi sampled now? I don't want another phony buy.
Speaker 14: It's no Maybe can be sure. Then here's a car.
Well the money?
Speaker 5: Will you show me the stuff? Red nose? I got
the money you read?
Speaker 14: Yeah, Tim, the money you saw it before you brought
him here. Yeah, showed it to me right here in
my pocket. Have a look if you want. Now, come on,
I can't afford to camp on this thing. All right,
people look out Red all right in the car wend
there under the deskboard. Here I always find. That's the
best place.
Speaker 12: You have a car.
Speaker 5: Of course, I go back with Red.
Speaker 12: All right, they are two kilos, not the money.
Speaker 5: What about breaking the package? Oh, I know it's not
more powdered sugar.
Speaker 12: Of course it's not. Wait a minute, what is this
those men coming up.
Speaker 6: To the car.
Speaker 5: Takety is he missing?
Speaker 12: I'm getting out of here?
Speaker 6: In here, all right, Joe, I got him, pull him in.
Speaker 5: I'll shake him down.
Speaker 6: We got the other one, Red, no trouble.
Speaker 5: Good, Okay, he's called Red.
Speaker 12: It's stupid Red. I should have known. I should have know.
Speaker 6: Joe, good work stuff all day.
Speaker 5: Yeah, two kilos.
Speaker 6: Want us to take him back in our car, skipper?
All right, I'll take in the other one. Meet you
at the parking lot gate. We'll folly in.
Speaker 5: All right, all right, mister, that's why.
Speaker 14: Look, if you ask you a favor, I won't take
a minute. Yeah, let me call my wife. I want
to let her know what's happened. I wanted to come
out here and get my flowers. I got some valuable
plants in that show.
Speaker 6: I'll be taken care of. Your wife couldn't make it anyway.
She was picked up an hour ago.
Speaker 14: Oh, couldn't be. What's gonna happen? Every dollar I own,
all my merchandise, took care of the best quality, all
of it.
Speaker 5: We'll take care of that. Come on, let's go.
Speaker 12: Well, I got those beautiful plants. You can do that
much for me.
Speaker 14: Let me go back and get my flowers their prize, Glady, ALUs,
It won't hurt anything.
Speaker 12: Just let me take some with me. Just a feudil
I get back?
Speaker 5: Why I bother? They won't last that lot.
Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true. The names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3: On December fourth, trial was held in Superior Court, Department
eighty four, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment the results of that trial, Thomas Leslie
and William red Forrester were filed on in the District
Attorney's office for violation of the State Health and Safety
Code Section eleven thousand, five hundred. Both men were tried
in Superior Court and found guilty of the charge. The
violation carries a penalty of imprisonment in the state penitentiary
for not less than five nor more than ten years.
Because of their co operation in the investigation and apprehension
of the narcotics gang ring leaders Stan Parrish and Max
Higby were given one year sentences in the County jail
with five years probation. You have just heard Dragnett, a
series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes
from the Office of Chief of Police wh Parker, Los
Angeles Police Department. Heard Tonight where Barney Phillips and Stacy Harris.
Script by Jim Mosey, music by Walter Schumann, Hal Givney speaking.
Speaker 4: Next, It's David Harding and Counterspy on NBC.
Speaker 1: Welcome Back, Okay, a great conclusion to this episode. I
really found this fascinating. And even though Friday's a policeman,
his play is as daring as the most out rageous
con scheme. And he did thoroughly Conrad. That's why Red
didn't dig deep into the money. He was sold on
Friday being this big time drug operator. And of course
the takedown at the apartment was just icing on the cake.
Speaker 5: Oh.
Speaker 1: I will say, I do feel bad for those guys
for Metro Division because it sounds like they got worked
over because Red checked one of them and confirmed that
they weren't conscious. So I hope for Friday's case, give
them a concussion was within the realm of showing yourself
as tough as you needed to. I would be horrible
at an assignment like that, and I would get really
nervous when he suggested killing us. I'd be like, does
he need to show himself that tough? But again, I
think Friday had a sense of who Red was and
how we approached things, and his general caution, and that
the last thing in the world Red was going to
want would be for him to kill two police officers
in his hotel room, because if reded called his bluff,
that would have been problematic. And I love the Flower
Show as the setting for the drug boss. Ye not
something you'd expect, but really does work well. And it
also adds some depth to the mister Big of the
story and a sign that at least in the early
nineteen fifties, drug dealers were not always who you'd expect now.
The earlier dialogue with the suspect that they captured and
who was cooperating is somewhat noteworthy, and I looked it
up when they were suggesting that he quit and he
asked how long he was asked, how bad are you hooked?
And he said, oh, not bad. I'm just chippy with it,
not more than a cappa day, which is a good
piece of writing because drug users often distinguish themselves from
occasional users who were called chippy or chippers and junkies.
But as the dialogue says, it's also kind of the
nature of addiction to minimize the problem. He wasn't hooked
that bad, and he used no more than a cap
of day. That's actually a pretty substantial amount for daily consumption.
And keep in mind that we've established through this episode
that this is Heroin with purity of more than forty percent,
which was a fairly high grade of junk for that era. Well,
now we turn to listener comments and we start on Spotify.
Some comments regarding the Big Sorrow, Peter Rights Adam. When
you mentioned last week that it was the last episode
featuring Barton Yarborough, I assumed that he left to pursue
another role on another program. When I learned today that
he had died of a heart attack, I was genuinely shocked,
so much so that I had to listen to the
episode twice to make sure that I heard it right.
I will miss hearing his voice. Can you recommend other
programs that he appeared in that I can listen to well,
I can talk about what he worked in, but listening
can be a bit of a challenge. Barton Yarborough's most
famous radio role among his contemporaries was as Clifford Barber
on the soap opera One Man's Family. He began playing
the role in nineteen thirty two and carried on to
his death. Like many soap operas, there are a lot
of missing episodes, more than it's actually around ninety percent
of One Man's Family is missing, and of course the
nature of soap operas and the fact that you have
this big family and only fifteen minutes a day and
is a situation where you will have characters on and
off the program. Now, there is a fairly substantial storyline
where he takes a major role starting in January of
nineteen fifty one, with most of that month's episodes in circulation,
though no promise that you get to the end of
the storyline. Yarborough also I Love a Mystery, in which
he played the role of Doc Long as one of
three intrepid mystery solving adventurers. This actually led to three
different spinoff movies in which Yarborough appeared on screen. Sadly,
the only complete I Love a Mystery serials are from
a nineteen forty nine revival of the series. However, you
can hear Bart and Yarborough playing doc in the sequel
series to the original I Loved Mystery, I Love Adventure.
He's also in Adventures by Morse again, another Carlton Moose series.
He also starred in the short lived and sadly well
circulated Western Hawk Larrabee, and he played a supporting role
in the Elliott Lewis series Hawk Durango, another Western. In
addition to that, Barbara did a pilot for a series
with Jack Webb and Elliott Lewis called Three for Adventure.
As I think about that series, and I don't think
I said it at the time, I played that as
part of our Jack Webb centennial celebration back in twenty twenty,
that pilot was really an attempt to kind of rip
off the Morse Adventure format. I think I might have
an Easter break coming up and I might go ahead
and play that episode on The Great Adventurers for our encore.
Then beyond that, though Yarborough was a very active character actor.
He was in a lot of different productions. He was
on Escape often, he did quite a few episodes of
Screen Director's Playhouse, and he would be in everything from
sitcoms to anthology shows, to Other Place and detective programs.
Even though this is the last of Ben Romero, we'll
run into him in quite a few other guyses. As
our full time radio listening continues, Doctor Who Done It? Riots,
I can't help but feel Jack's Webb's speech at the
closing was cut short by the music. It would be
a tough one to get through.
Speaker 13: Well.
Speaker 1: In that case, that all up to That is our
editing there. Want to include some of the remarks about
the season without also throwing in the fatima ad, which
is particularly important now that the podcast is actually broadcast
over the air every now and again over on Patreon.
Emma's Riots. This was an extraordinary episode, unlike any other
in either radio or television that I remember. Clearly, Jack
Webb was devastated by Yarborough's death. They were professional and
personal friends, and I'm sure Web couldn't imagine anyone taking
the roll on because yard Borough was there. From the beginning,
The episode winds up to be fairly Bland as if
to emphasize the sarity of the first ten minutes. Well,
I definitely agree that Webb was devastated and there really
was no contingency plan. And web was not someone who
was close with a lot of people, but those that
he was close with it was genuine, and I think
it definitely was a blow because this is how the
series had been built, and what to do next was
a big question. I think that the smartest thing they
did is really something that a lot of productions would
be nervous with. I gave himself time. This period of
temporary partners would continue for a very long time, relatively
and essentially for the entire rest of the first season
on television after the two episodes which had been filmed,
which gave viewers a bit more visual continuity. But Webb
took his time and got a dynamic that will not
the same as what he had before, was right for
the show in a direction that would be very successful
in terms of the quality. I don't think making it
less interesting was a decision as much as it really
was a necessity because you only have so much time
in an episode, and if you do take ten minutes
of the episode to deal with this major event. You
just don't have time for the same quality of story
and involved investigation, and you've got to tell something that's
a bit simpler. But at the end of the day,
what really mattered there were the emotional stakes. For one,
I mean, just like Joe Friday, most of us were
not emotionally invested in the case as much as we
were with Ben's death, Brain's Benton rights on Instagram. What
a good way to honor Ben Romero in the show
and in real life. Jack Webb picked good replacement partners,
but Romero is my favorite. Too bad we didn't get
to see him in the TV show. Well, we actually did,
but very very briefly. Two episodes had been filmed when
he passed away. Suddenly those episodes are The Human Bomb
and The Big Actor. Now, his part in the Big
Actor is not all that large, but in the Human
Bomb that is. And I said that when we released
the episode on video theater last year, that was a
role that really only Ben Romero could fulfill. And it
is such a good episode. Of course, two episodes, it's
not even one percent of the nineteen fifties TV series,
But thankfully both of those are in circulation. We did
them on a public domain video theater, and of course
you can find those online. And then Brian writes, yes,
this one was different. Jack Web did things his way,
as you say in closing, and in this case it
gave us a somber, respectful reflection. Then we go over
to YouTube, where we have some comments regarding the Big Overtime.
Jeffrey raised some good questions about the practicality of some
of the measures poor trade, which in terms of quickly
identifying the bills, and I kind of talked about that
last week, but appreciate the comment, though I don't have
anything additional to add, but really to appreciate it because,
particularly on YouTube, because it helps us grow so much.
Sasoff says regarding my proposed Martian Manhunter series, I'm thinking
that the Martian Manhunter should star Wolson and Bill Bixby,
And of course that is a reference to the TV
program My Favorite Marshan, which aired from nineteen sixty three
to nineteen sixty six. Well, I was imagining this production
being done during the golden age of radio. Bixby didn't
work in radio. He was a little too young by
the time he got into acting. Radio drama was fading,
with the line shares of rules in Hollywood going to
already established actors. Ray Woolston was of the age where
he could have had quite a radio career, but he didn't.
He was really a stage actor until late fifties. The
only radio role he had we actually played a few
years back when we played an episode of The warth
Hour that was a tribute to Tony Barrett. It also
featured him reprising the role from his Broadway play, So
long story short or long story somewhat shorter. I would
say that Ray Wilson was a fine actor, but just
not what we had in mind for the part, but
appreciate the suggestion. Now it's time to thank our Patreon
supporter of the day, and I want to thank Jesse,
Patreon supporter since March twenty sixteen, currently supporting the podcast
at the rookie level of two dollars or more per month.
Thanks so much for your support, Jesse, and that will
do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please
follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure
to rate and review the pondcast Asked wherever you download
it from. We'll be back next Thursday with another episode
of Dragon at But join us back here tomorrow for
yours truly. Johnny, it all or where.
Speaker 13: The police found any actual clues to work on?
Speaker 14: Well, no, that's where you're wrong, said, it's Sergeant Drumming.
Speaker 15: That's right, Danny boy.
Speaker 13: Hi second, so they drag you in on this, Yeah,
Fred's all You know how it is drumming. When the
police can't get anywhere, you call in the experts.
Speaker 6: Oh and I thought you were a friend of mine.
Speaker 5: Ms.
Speaker 13: Pullman who said that Bill was wrong Sageant when he
told me your boy is havn't found any clues to
who did this job and knocked off Jimson.
Speaker 6: Cooley knocked him off? Huh know what's that mean?
Speaker 15: One of the boys picked up a drunk last night
right in this neighborhood. Yeah, late this morning, when he
sobered up enough, we sent him home for a little while.
Ago he comes budging back the headquarters. Seems he suddenly
remembered something he saw around here last night.
Speaker 6: Come on, Sageant. We must have been around two or
three am. That's when we figured the robbery.
Speaker 12: Could and the murder of Jimson Cooley.
Speaker 5: Yeah, please get to the point drumming.
Speaker 15: Well, he was holding up that building across the street,
mining his own business and his bottle, when all of
a sudden he saw a car come round from in
the back of this building and heading north on the.
Speaker 6: Trail, maybe two of them.
Speaker 15: He wasn't sure any I don't want he noticed was
a little pickup truck.
Speaker 13: But in his condition, I suppose he didn't get a.
Speaker 15: License mwhere he didn't need to, Johnny, because he recognized
that truck. Oh yes, sir, And he said it was
all loaded down with something with an old piece of
canvas stretched.
Speaker 12: Over the step that was stolen from me.
Speaker 13: Maybe you say he recognized that pickup Whose was it?
Speaker 15: Yeah, Johnny, was that old nineteen thirty model? He used
a whole shrimping. Why Who's that's right?
Speaker 3: That's right? Was that old truck in?
Speaker 6: Jimson Dooley.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net.