Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from
boy Sea, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In
a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode
of Dragnet. But first, I do want to encourage you,
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And now from February first, nineteen fifty one, here is
the Big.
Speaker 2: Children, ladies and gentlemen, is proud to bring you its
prize winning radio program, winner of the Motion Picture Harald
Fame Award. The story you were about to hear is true,
only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant. They're assigned to Juvenile Bureau. They
receive a complaint about an eight year old boy and
his sister. A neighbor reports they've been going from door
to door begging for food. Supposedly the children are from
well to do parents. Your job investigate.
Speaker 3: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. While 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 files,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4: It was Tuesday, April twenty seventh. It was overcast in
Los Angeles. We were working the daywatch out a juvenile bureau.
My partner's Ben Romero, the boss's Captain Kinsling.
Speaker 5: My name's Friday.
Speaker 4: I was on the way back in communications. That was
four point thirty eight PM when I got to thirteen
thirty five Georgia Street, second floor, room fourteen. Hi, joll
I've been waiting long. I'm just checking with the record.
I just got here. What's this thing all about? Well,
just what I told you on the phone. Seven year
old boy and his sister covering the neighborhood bagan food.
Speaker 5: You ready to go, man, let me put this away.
For kid's supposed to be from a wealthy family.
Speaker 4: Huh, wealthy enough to live in the best part of
bell Area.
Speaker 5: Doesn't make much sense. It must be some kind of
a gig, you know. No, not, according to the neighbor
who called in.
Speaker 4: Yeah, she says, the kids are half starved. Ben and
I got in the car and drove out Sunset Boulevard
at the bell Air District. They pulled up in front
of a large, two story home near the corner of
Brookline Avenue and Knightsbridge Drive. Was a white frame colonial
mansion set back in the middle of well landscape, lawn
and gardens. The other homes in the neighborhood were just
as large. Fifty thousand dollars enough was the last place
in the city that you'd expect to find neighborhood children
bagging food. Five twenty PM, who went around at.
Speaker 5: The rear entrance of the colonial mansion.
Speaker 4: As we'd been instructed on the phone, we located the
woman who had called in the complaint, a miss Janette Beijean.
She was employed as laundress and cooked by the owners
of the house. She was busy fixing dinner.
Speaker 6: They're from next door, officer.
Speaker 7: The children, as I explained on the phone, A boy
about seven years a girl or five years old.
Speaker 5: I guess which side do they live on, Miss beiji
on the house on the.
Speaker 7: Car nor the other side up here the rown and
white house just up the street next door.
Speaker 5: Other children there? Now do you know that?
Speaker 7: No, but they were here this afternoon again, here to
the back door, asking for something to eat.
Speaker 6: I don't understand it. Something must be wrong.
Speaker 5: Well have they been around off in this.
Speaker 7: Two or three days? Maybe four days? First I thought
they were fooling, but they were not. I gave them
some cookies sandwishes. They were very hungry. They ate them
like they were starving. The little girl saved her cookies.
She took them with her.
Speaker 5: How about their parents? Are they at home?
Speaker 7: Excuse me? Potash there that's there. No, I haven't seen
the mother the last few days. I understand they are
divorced the mother. She lives there with the children, the father.
I don't know.
Speaker 5: Well, what's their name? Do you know Kessler?
Speaker 6: Madam?
Speaker 7: The woman I work for? She says there are three
children in the Kessler family, but I don't know. I
have only seen the two, the boy and the girl.
I would go over and see what is wrong, but
I do not know the Kessler. It is not my place.
Speaker 6: That's why I called your officer.
Speaker 7: I don't thank you very much, not at all, Officer. You
understand I do not mind giving the children food. Well,
I think only something is wrong doing to get it
at home.
Speaker 5: Well, thank you very much for notifying us. We're gonna
check you into it. I'm just a little curious, miss Beage.
Uh what set you're making this?
Speaker 6: Napoleon?
Speaker 5: Huh?
Speaker 6: How's that Lapoleon?
Speaker 4: You know?
Speaker 6: Lapoleon Piastree?
Speaker 5: Oh oh yeah, here's me. I's good. Well, thanks again, certainly, officer.
Speaker 6: If there is anything I can do, you will let
me know, Yes.
Speaker 5: Ma'am, we will. Goodbye, goodbye, Thank you very much. It's
a beautiful place. Yeah. Those Swedish women make pretty good cooks,
don't they. I don't know. She sounded French to me.
Speaker 4: Uh, huh, maybe so most good at cooking anyhow.
Speaker 5: Or yeah, they a little white house next door. That
must be it.
Speaker 4: Uh that name Castler. They fairly prominent around town society.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 4: There's quite a few of 'em. Could be any way
you look at it. It's hard to figure. And the
kids has.
Speaker 5: Been at it for four days. It's on the level.
They really might be in a bind. Garage door is
opened back there no sign of a car, kid's bicycles. All.
Let's try at the front door.
Speaker 4: Hu, just better try to get a yeah.
Speaker 8: Yes, sir, Hello son, your name's Kessler. All right, Yes,
I'm Richard. My mother's not home right now. Maybe you
can come back tomorrow.
Speaker 4: We're police officers, Richard. If you're not busy, we like
talking for a minutes.
Speaker 5: That alright?
Speaker 8: Well, yes, sir, that'd be all right. Would you come
in please?
Speaker 4: Richard Kessler was a blonde haired, wiry boy, polite, well mannered.
He told us that he was eight years old and
he attended the neighborhood grammar school. He showed us back
to the kitchen where he was warming a can of
soup that he borrowed from a neighbor. Was a large house,
richly furnished, but it hadn't been cleaned for weeks. Dust
was piled up thick on the furniture, and children's books
and toys were scattered around the rooms, along with scraps
of dried bread half eaten. The house was cold and musty.
On a small bar in the dining room there were
three half filled cocktail glasses and plate full of cigarette butts.
Evidently they've been standing there for days. On the sink
in the kitchen there were a few pieces of stale
bread and an open bottle of milk it had turned sour.
Next to it were a half a dozen empty whiskey bottles.
The Kessler boy was well dressed, except for the shirt
that he had on looked as if he'd been wearing
it for a week.
Speaker 8: What did you want to talk to me about, officers,
I haven't done anything wrong.
Speaker 4: Oh we know that, son. We'd just like to find
out how you've been getting along.
Speaker 8: I've been getting along all right. Two ways and four
bees on my report card last month. Where's your sister, Dick, Judy.
She's down the street. She'll be back in a minute.
Speaker 5: How about your mother, Pus.
Speaker 8: She's out too, she'll be back.
Speaker 5: What do you expect hers? Huh?
Speaker 8: Pretty soon? He's coming back pretty soon.
Speaker 5: Your sister, Judy, she's younger than you, didn't she Dick?
Speaker 6: Uh?
Speaker 8: Yes, Judy's only six.
Speaker 5: I made any other grown ups live here with you?
Besides your mind?
Speaker 8: No, Mom takes care of us. She'll be back pretty soon.
Speaker 5: We'd like to have you tells the truth now, Dick.
How long she been going?
Speaker 8: I don't know. It's probably important taking her a long time.
You can come back tomorrow. She'll probably be here.
Speaker 5: Then. When was the last time you saw us? Huh? Son?
How about that?
Speaker 8: A couple of days ago?
Speaker 5: Missus?
Speaker 8: Tuesday? You mean she left the house Sunday? No before that?
Last Friday night she went out, said she'd be back.
I don't know.
Speaker 5: Does your mother say where she was going, Dick?
Speaker 8: No, her boyfriend was here, Larry, I don't know his
last name. Mom went out with him to a party.
I think I don't know where she'll be back? All right?
Did you leave anyone to take care of No, we
can take care of ourselves. Nobody to fix the cooking, though,
I don't know how yet.
Speaker 6: I'd better look at.
Speaker 5: The soup on the store I'll take care of us
when you go ahead and sit down. Has your mother
ever left you like this before?
Speaker 8: Sir M maybe once or twice. She never stayed away
this long long.
Speaker 6: I don't know.
Speaker 5: It's no matter, Dick.
Speaker 8: Well, it's Johnny Officer, my little brother. He hasn't eaten
much for a while, must be hungry by now. I
was fixing the soup for him. Now, where's Johnny. He's
upstairs in the nursery. He's been sick with a bad cold.
Mom knew Johnny was sick. That's why I wondered. She
hasn't come back yet. I don't think Johnny's feeling good.
Speaker 5: Do you wanna take sept to see him?
Speaker 8: Sir?
Speaker 6: Yeah, all right, if you want.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Huh. How long has Johnny had this cold? Dick?
Speaker 8: A couple of days before Friday, before mom left.
Speaker 5: How old is he?
Speaker 8: Johnny's just a little kid. You won't be two years
old until July. I've been wondering about him. Coughed a
lot at first. I've been giving him milk and cookies.
That's Judy and I had. I don't know.
Speaker 5: Has a doctor been to see Johnny? Oh?
Speaker 8: No, I thought of calling him and I didn't know
the doctor's name. I was waiting til mom got home.
Wanted this Johnny's rom here and in the crib, Officer,
that's my brother Johnny pretty.
Speaker 5: Gold in here. Yeah, what's happened like that? Yeah? Alright there,
young fella.
Speaker 8: Hi Johnny, you're hungry now?
Speaker 5: Yeah? Hug at his eyes? Yeah, I wanna get to
a phone doctor name, but let's te him to Harry Bright.
Speaker 8: Oh what's the matter, officer? What about Johnny's eyes?
Speaker 5: And would be alright?
Speaker 8: Oh, he's been acting offul quiet though hardly moved around
a tall most of the time, he's jumping up and
down his crib like anything.
Speaker 5: Has anyone had all been in here to see him
since Friday?
Speaker 8: Yes, sir, my sister Judy and I. We change his
diapers and give him something to eat.
Speaker 5: I see she.
Speaker 8: I sure wish momm would get home and I'd like
to talk to her.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so would I.
Speaker 4: Five forty eight pm we put in a call to
the office for a policewoman, and then we got in
touch with Lieutenant Lee Jones at the crime Lab and
he sent out a man to photograph the condition of
the Kessler home and the children. The doctor and The
ambulance arrived and little Johnny Kessler was taken to the
General Hospital.
Speaker 5: In critical condition. The twenty two month old boy was
in a coma.
Speaker 4: Richard Kessler and his sister, Judy were taken to Georgia
Street Juvenile Bureau and then transferred to Juvenile Hall and
placed under protective custody Section seven hundred subby Welfare and
Institution Code. The two of them were given a bath
and something to eat. Judy Kessler was interrogated separately by
a policewoman.
Speaker 5: Ben and I talked to the boy Richard.
Speaker 4: After a few minutes, he broke down and admitted that
his mother had gone off and left the three children
alone on at least a half a dozen occasions. He
told us his parents were divorced. He rarely saw his father,
but his mother had had two or three boyfriends at
the house during the past year. He also told us
his mother drank quite a bit, but.
Speaker 8: She's never been gone this long before. Sergeant. She's out
somewhere and has no way to get home.
Speaker 4: We'll find her, all right, cent Don't you worry about
this boyfriend of your mother's Dick.
Speaker 5: His first name was Larry. Is that all you can
tell us.
Speaker 8: Yes, sir, I don't know his last name. Are you
gonna keep us here all night?
Speaker 6: Judy and me just for.
Speaker 5: A day or so? They'll take good care of us.
Speaker 8: Huh where'd you take Judy?
Speaker 5: Well, she's just next door, Dick, you can see her
in just a minute now.
Speaker 8: And Uh, how about Johnny? I always take care of him.
He's pretty fussy around strangers.
Speaker 4: Well, they've got him over at the hospital deck. They're
gonna take good care of him. Now you can count
on that.
Speaker 8: I don't know, Officer, I better see him. He might
get off of fussy. All right, we'll fix that up
for you. Do you have any relatives in Los Angeles? Son, aunt's, uncles,
anyone like that. No, just my father, but I don't
know where he lives. We had a nurse who used
to take care of us, missus McIntosh.
Speaker 6: She was swill.
Speaker 8: My mom fired her though.
Speaker 5: Oh how'd that happened? Do you know?
Speaker 8: No? I'm not quite sure. Maybe my mom was drinking.
Missus McIntosh got mad at her, had a big fight,
Mom fight.
Speaker 4: Oh now this missus mac and dush you know where
we can find No, sir, I don't how about Uh?
Some of the other boyfriends that your mother had. They
do you remember any of their names?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 8: One of 'em was George something. I don't remember the
other one, Joe.
Speaker 5: See you a minute, Yeah, I may. You want to
stay with the boy? How bet? Yeah? Hospital call. It's
a lousy thing. What's that? A Kestler boy?
Speaker 4: Little Johnny?
Speaker 5: Yeah, he just died.
Speaker 4: John Albert Kessler, white male American, aged twenty two months.
All the pertinent facts and data would be listed on
the crime report, and if and when the case was closed,
the report would be filed away. Wouldn't be any different
from a thousand other dead body reports, same size, same color,
same number up in the left hand corner, and the
course of ten or twenty years on the job of
police officer sees a lot of 'em. Most of 'em
he forgets, few of 'em he never forgets. The next morning,
the body was posted to the county morgue. It was
found that the youngster had been suffering from malnutrition, but
the cause of death was listed as a basal skull fracture.
Homicide detailed was notified. The search for the mother, missus
Gene Kessler, went on. We talked to her neighbors, all
of her friends that we could locate. We checked out
an address book that was found in missus Kessler's effects
at her home. We got out a broadcast in an
APB no luck, Thursday, April twenty nine. How about the
youngster's brother and sister, Ben Do you think it could
have happened that way?
Speaker 5: How do you mean?
Speaker 4: Well, they were taking care of the little fella. They
might have had an accident with him. They're afraid, don't
up to it. I don't think so, Jill, That's not
very likely.
Speaker 5: Mac.
Speaker 4: We talked to him quite a bit last night. A
couple of pretty honest kids. Pretty sure they wouldn't lie about.
Speaker 5: Something like that. Where does that leave it? The mother?
Speaker 4: Good possibility? We know Miss Cassler drinks quite a bit.
She could have lost patience with a little boy. More
chance of an accident there.
Speaker 5: I get a June old Friday, yep Bert Where huh right? Thanks? Yeah?
Speaker 4: Woman answering Miss Kesler's description checked in at a hotel
down on South Hope last night, still registered as she
checked out earlier this morning. They found a woman's sport
coade in the room. What about bloodstains on it?
Speaker 3: You are listening to drag Met call the step by
step solution to Tonight's authentic case history.
Speaker 4: Friday, April thirtieth, we were still without a lead as
to the whereabouts of the missing mother, Missus Gene Kessler.
The bloodstained coat which had been found in the South
Hope Street hotel was shown to Missus Kessler's friends and
to her children, Richard and Judy. They identified it as
belonging to the missing woman. Routine investigation of the hotel
room failed to uncover any further leads. We got out
of Supplementary APB, and then we started rechecking with a
Kessler woman's friends and acquaintances.
Speaker 5: Nothing.
Speaker 4: We rechecked a dozen taverns and cocktail lounges that she'd
been known to frequent, No sign of her, no sign
of her boyfriend. In rechecking her personal effects, we found
a canceled check payable to their former nurse, Missus mcintish.
The endorsement carried her address. We checked it out she'd moved.
We traced her to the forwarding address. There we were
told that she had a new job as a nurse
maid with a wealthy family living in the Los Phelis district.
We called there and talked to missus McIntosh, and she
told us that she was just leaving the house with
the three children for an outing at the park and
the zoo. We made arrangements to meet where her out
there one thirty pm, Ben and I located her at
the head of the path leading through the main part
of the Griffith Park Zoo.
Speaker 9: I read about it in the paper, Sergeant about Johnny.
I didn't know you wanted to talk to me. I
would have called in if I did.
Speaker 4: We're still trying to locate the mother, missus McIntosh. Can
you help us out there at all?
Speaker 9: No, I don't know if you asked at those places
she used to go to all the time where she used.
Speaker 5: To drink, Yes, ma'am, we have. They couldn't help us.
Speaker 4: Did you know any of missus Kessler's boyfriends, the ones
that had come to the house.
Speaker 10: Yes, I knew all of them. Donald, don't you want
to off now? Same for you, Patsy.
Speaker 5: You stay close the boy Richard. He was telling us
about one of the boyfriends, man Fellow down and Larry.
Speaker 10: Oh, yes, Donald, you heard what I said. You stay close? Yes,
I knew Larry.
Speaker 5: You remember what his last name was?
Speaker 10: Now, Yes, Bartel some kind of an actor in the movies.
Speaker 5: I think Bartell anywhere he lives.
Speaker 9: No, I think he had an apartment in Hollywood. I
wouldn't know the address.
Speaker 4: What kind of a man was this Bartel? I I
mean he's temperament and things like that.
Speaker 8: Well, I think he was kind of lazy. I think
Missus Kesler was giving him money.
Speaker 5: Did the two of them ever argue or have any fights.
Speaker 10: All the time? He had a terrible temper.
Speaker 5: Do you ever strike miss Kessler?
Speaker 10: Yes?
Speaker 9: I saw it happen several times, not too close to
the cage.
Speaker 10: Donald back a little.
Speaker 5: How did this Bartail act? Children? Missus mcintie indifferent?
Speaker 10: I guess they annoyed him sometimes.
Speaker 5: Well that was after that you had the argument with
miss Casser.
Speaker 9: Yes, it was about her drinking and the boyfriends and
all the rest. I just got sick of it and
I told her what I thought. She didn't want to
admit she was getting old, not caring for the children,
pretending she was still in the twenties.
Speaker 5: Well, do you have any idea where he might look
keep the father? Well they're divorced.
Speaker 9: You know, he's a head salesman for a lumber concern downtown.
He inherited most of his money. I have the name
of the company at home.
Speaker 5: You can have it if you're like, yes, mam, we'd
appreciate that.
Speaker 10: You know.
Speaker 9: It's the children I feel sorry for, yes, ma'am. Three
beautiful children. That poor little Johnny. I just can't understand.
Speaker 5: What's that?
Speaker 10: How could anyone deserve a helpless.
Speaker 5: Baby like that? We'll ask his mother.
Speaker 4: Friday, five pm, Missus mcintie called us at the offic
us and gave us the business address of the missing
woman's ex husband, Richard Lane Kessler. We called there, but
they told us Kessler was away on a week's vacation.
They had no idea where to contact him, but he
was expected back in a few days. We called Central
Casting and asked them to check their talent list for
a bit player by the name of Larry Bartel.
Speaker 5: They had no such name listed.
Speaker 4: Saturday eight am, the Kessler children, Richard and Judy, remained
in the custody of juvenile authorities. The search for their
mother continued all day Saturday. Ben and I ran down
what few leads we had.
Speaker 5: They went nowhere.
Speaker 4: Checks of the moor and of the city hospitals and
the drunk tank at the main jail still failed to
turn up the missing woman. We checked again at the
different drinking places she used to patronize. No one had
seen her. Five point thirty pm we went back to
the office. A lot of mileage today. Man, there's not
much to show for it. Not going to be much
fun for us, Cassel the kids. Is Sunday. What do
you mean, first Sunday in May.
Speaker 5: It's mother Day.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, Hi, mic Hi, got a piece of news
for you. Yeah, Cassler woman's boyfriend, Larry Bartel, What about him?
He's been located. When he'd seen his name mentioned the
previous night in the newspaper stories concerning the case, Larry
Bartel had contacted the office to let us know that
he didn't consider himself a fugitive.
Speaker 5: At least that was his story. He called just a.
Speaker 4: Few minutes before we got back to the office. He
left word that he could be found at a Wilshire
address all day Sunday. In the meantime, he'd be at
the Spotlight Club. It was a club for theatrical people
located in West Hollywood. Six twenty five pm, Ben and
I located him at the club. Back in the billiard's room.
He was tall, dark haired, dressed expensively.
Speaker 5: I told the cup when I called in, you weren't
supposed to contact me here. This was important.
Speaker 4: That little Kessler boy's dead, Bartel, we think gets pretty important.
I didn't know anying about that. You didn't have to
interrupt me. That's an important man I was playing with. Now,
what do you want to know?
Speaker 5: Where's miss Kessler? Why ask me? I don't know. You're
a pretty good friend of hers. You were the last
person seeing with him.
Speaker 4: Oh, it was a week ago. He went out to
a party last Friday night, Innocence the following Monday. Uh, yeah,
last Monday. I'm through with her anyway. What do you mean, Well,
I just got sick of her, that so pawing all
over me, asking me to marry. I just got sick
of it. Wasn't worth it. You accepted money for it
just to tide me over. She had plenty of it.
Speaker 5: Why not?
Speaker 4: Where'd you last see her? Keep your voices down. I
would like this stuff to get around the club. Yeah,
there was a hotel downtown on South Fower. I could
give you the address.
Speaker 5: Were you at another hotel with miss Kessler? Last week?
Speaker 4: Mm yeah, yeah, on South Hope run ninth Street. I think, oh,
that's where you find a coat. Huh, you've got an
explanation for that bloodstain? Sure, Crazy Day told her. I
saw then she tried to hit me in the bottle?
Can I sell boy? I tell he just wasn't worth
it that to him.
Speaker 5: I guess you can prove everything you're telling us, So.
Speaker 4: Of course I can prove it. It's the truth. And
what about the little boy? How'd that happen?
Speaker 5: I didn't nothing to do with it, wasn't my vote. Well,
how did it happened?
Speaker 11: Now?
Speaker 4: It was that Friday night, just before we left the house.
Alady now downstairs having a few drinks. She put the
little kid to bed, but he wouldn't stay there. He
could getting up out of bed and run it down
stairs crying. Yeah, go on, Ash, you finally took a
kid game and good spanking through him back in bed.
I think he hit his head in one of the
post of the crew.
Speaker 5: Why didn't you do something about it? Well? I told her,
but she said it was nothing, didn't matter. Got our
coats left, that's all kids are, all right? When he left?
Speaker 4: You mean all the time you and Missus Kesseley went out.
You knew those children were being left all alone, and
then half.
Speaker 5: Oh what out of cheese? The mother? Not me? How look,
I gotta get back. I kept that game waiting on.
It's just a minute. It's going to wait a little longer.
Come on.
Speaker 4: Larry Bartel was taken downtown and held for questioning on
suspicion of seven o two WIC contributing to negligence of miners.
He gave us the address of the hotel where he'd
last seen Missus Kessler. Ben and I checked it out.
It was a typical cheap downtown hotel with the bar
opening off the lobby. The desk clerk told us a
woman answering Missus Kesler's description was registered.
Speaker 5: In a room on the second floor.
Speaker 4: They had an old fashioned player piano going full volume
in the bar. The sound followed us up the stairs.
Speaker 5: Tenants here, sure must like their music.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's it therein two sixteen. Yeah, an you better
try it. Yeah, let's have hello.
Speaker 5: Who's there?
Speaker 11: Who is it.
Speaker 5: You? Missus Jean Kessler? What is it?
Speaker 11: Who are you?
Speaker 5: Police officers like to talk to you.
Speaker 11: I haven't done anything. What do you want with me?
Speaker 5: I want to talk to you about your children, Miss Kessler.
Speaker 11: But I didn't do anything. Johnny was sick, that's all.
I didn't do anything.
Speaker 5: That's not what Bardail says.
Speaker 11: Larry, have you seen him? Is he coming back to me?
Speaker 5: You better get up, lady, get your coat.
Speaker 11: I gotta have Larry back.
Speaker 5: Is everything to me?
Speaker 11: I love him?
Speaker 6: Is he coming back?
Speaker 5: You've been going over a week? Aren't you a little
worldorried about your children?
Speaker 11: I'm too young to spend my life on children. I
need Larry.
Speaker 6: Where is he?
Speaker 5: See if you can find her code? Will you been? Yeah?
Speaker 11: I've been drinking office. I felt terrible. Yeah, I need
Larry so bad.
Speaker 5: He's young like me.
Speaker 11: I love him. I gave him moment love, gave him
every bit of it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you gave him too much. Well, you didn't have
any left for your kids.
Speaker 2: The story you've just heard was true, only the names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3: On July, second trial was held in Superior Court, Department
eighty seven, city in County of Los Angeles, State of California.
Speaker 5: In a moment, the results of that trial, now here
is our star Jack Webb. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 4: I like to take a moment to thank all of
you for your very fine response to our program, Dragnet.
Since the first show went on the air about a
year and a half ago, your cards and letters have
been a constant source of encouragement and guidance in the
field of radio presentations. We felt that we were attempting
something a little different, and we were not altogether sure
that it would meet with your approval.
Speaker 5: Possibly, we were sure.
Speaker 4: That our approach to this type of presentation was a
sound one, but the final approval had to rest with you.
If we may judge by your response, you've placed Dragnet
high among the programs.
Speaker 5: That you enjoy most. For this, were indeed grateful.
Speaker 4: We've tried to bring you, first of all, an adult
program worthy of the thirty minutes that you spend with
us each week. We've tried to bring you an honest
and authoritative report on the work of your police force.
We've tried to bring before you documented police cases that
were informative as well as entertaining. In forthcoming weeks, we
sincerely hope that Dragnet remains one.
Speaker 5: Of your favorite shows.
Speaker 4: Have been read by all members of the Dragnet production staff,
so if you like to listen to Dragnet. It's because
you our listeners have helped to guide us in presenting
the kind of entertainment that you want.
Speaker 5: For this our thanks missus.
Speaker 3: Geen Kessler was filed on and found guilty in superior
court charge of manslaughter. She was sentenced to one year
in the county jail and deprived of the custody of
her children. You have just heard Dragnets, a series of
authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the
Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles
Police Department.
Speaker 2: Now stay tuned for cover Spy and if screen directors
play house on it.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. A really heartbreaking situation which is far too real,
and it illustrates the mistake of thinking these things can
only happen in poor neighborhoods. And of course both the
mother and her boyfriend are very heartless, but these sort
of people are out there. The one odd note about
this episode is perhaps the most inappropriate case of naming
a character after a living person that you'll find, because
Larry Bartell, the character is clearly named after the real
actor and frequent Dragnet guest star Harry Bartel, who I
never had the pleasure of meeting, but by all accounts
was a fine gentleman and nothing like the character in
the story. I wonder if he called Jack Webb up
about this, because I think in most cases actors were
fine with a character being named after them. You want
to name a room clerk or doorman, or some random
police officer after an actor, they wouldn't take offense. But
if you want to name a character who is selfishly
indifferent to the suffering and the fate of a baby,
and who is also a lazy actor whose name is
only one letter different from yours, I think most people
would pick up the phone if they found out about it.
Whether Bartel called Web or even knew about it, I
don't know. But in the TV version the character was
renamed Larry Carpenter, so apparently someone saw the need to
make a change. Web statement on the receipt of the
award was very classy and very heartfelt. It showed how
had really made a major impact, and certainly it had
been a boon to NBC after the talent raids. CBS
had dominated them in the nineteen forty nine poll, but
this poll for nineteen fifty found NBC pulling even with CBS,
and Dragnet and Jack Web were part of that, as
not only did Dragnet win the award for Best Mystery Program,
but Jack Webb was given the award for Most Promising
Star of Tomorrow. And so it illustrates what type of
cultural juggernaut Dragnet was and certainly what it meant for
Jack Webb. At the time this was aired, he was
twenty months removed from launching a program that was sustaining
over NBAC so that he could pay the bills with
a baby on the way, and his career had absolutely skyrocketed.
So I think Web meant every word of that, and
certainly listener feedback was very important to him. One thing
I remember reading in Michael Hayes's great biography of Web,
My Name's Friday, is that he tended to consider that
each person who sent a letter into Dragnet represented one
hundred people who thought the same way but didn't think
to mail it. So he took it very seriously, and
there's a degree to which the way that listeners and
later viewers responded helped to shape the way that he
made the show. All right, Well, now it's time to
thank our Patreon supporter of the day, and I want
to go ahead and think Deborah. Deborah's been one of
our Patreon supporters since October twenty twenty four, currently supporting
the podcast at the shamous level of four dollars or
more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Debrah,
and that will actually 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 podcast
wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Saturday
with another episode of drag Nat, but join us back
here on Monday or The Adventures of the Falcon Wear.
Speaker 6: So you are Johnny Stone?
Speaker 5: That's right?
Speaker 6: Well this is a great o.
Speaker 4: Heay, what's the idea?
Speaker 5: I wouldn't do that again?
Speaker 6: Why would you beat me up?
Speaker 11: Too?
Speaker 5: Looks? Who are you?
Speaker 12: Lisa Dollar? Oh you recognize the name. I believe my
husband works for you.
Speaker 5: You got your tenses wrong. He did work for me.
Speaker 6: How could you do such a thing?
Speaker 12: How could you hit a man half your size just
because they stood up to you? But you're not used
to that, are you, mister Stone? What you're used to
people falling all over themselves to cooperate in you're crooked
deals is that what you think? That's what I know,
But you don't frighten me. I've met men like you before,
bullies who always pick on someone weaker.
Speaker 5: Steve, anything else you care to say?
Speaker 6: No, I think I've said enough. You Just keep away
from Paul.
Speaker 12: You are never to go near him again.
Speaker 4: You understand, I understand you're going crazy or something, Johnny.
How could you take that, especially if that's slaping a puss?
Speaker 5: Forget it? Forget it.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't believe it if I didn't say it with
my own eyes. That Paul must have really sold her
a bill of goods.
Speaker 5: I guess she must trust him.
Speaker 4: Kind of nice, isn't it, Steve Huh, being able to
believe what someone tells you.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net,
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out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives From Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam graham Son and Off