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 get into this week's episode of Dragnet, but
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dot Great Detectives dot nit Now. From April twelfth, nineteen
fifty one, here is the Big Threat.
Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail. A middle
aged businessman in your city has robbed and beaten senseless,
The hold up men escape, the victim refuses to report
the crime. Your job investigate.
Speaker 3: 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 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, October eighth, was overcast in Los Angeles.
We were working the day Watch out of Robbery detail.
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Bideon. My
name is Friday. Was eleven twenty three am when we
got to seven hundred South Hill Boulevards, the Butler Accordion
Studios thing. Oh, I don't know, it must be upstairs,
I guess, huh oh, yeah, yeah, there it is main office,
second floor. Yeah. Who is that?
Speaker 5: Joe right, had portrait up there on the wall in
a minute, some printing underneath here, nice finny, that says
Damian the father of the Accordion Vienna eighteen twenty nine.
What do you know about that? Must be it down there? Huh, yeah,
I want to try. Yeah, yes, sir.
Speaker 4: Are you Lewis Butler?
Speaker 6: Yeah, that's right. Can I help you?
Speaker 4: Police officers? Mister Butler like talk to you for a minute.
Is your name Friday, Yes, sir, that's right, that's my partner,
Sergeant Romero.
Speaker 7: How do you do?
Speaker 6: I'm sorry, sergeant, I told you on the floor and
I just don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 4: We'd appreciate it if we could have your cooperation. It's
pretty important matter.
Speaker 6: Well, I'm the only one concerning it as far as
I can see. I just assume forget the whole thing. Besides,
I got a pretty busy day ahead of me.
Speaker 4: Well, we'd like to straighten me out, mister Butler. Concerns
a lot more people than just yourself. No, we're not
going to take much of your time. Just a few questions.
Speaker 6: That's all I told you on the phone, Sergeant, I
don't want to talk about it. Can't you just forget
about the whole thing.
Speaker 4: It's only going to take a few minutes there, all right,
come in if you want, thank you.
Speaker 6: Places in kind of a mess. Wife's away to mother's.
You can sit down if you want. Oh, thank you
very much. All right, Pepper, I'll feed you just a minute.
Speaker 4: It's some nice cats you got there, Siamese a little bit.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's my wife's. Don't care too much for cats myself.
All right, Pepper, No, wait a minute, dude knows that.
Heny go, Pepper to hold you for a while.
Speaker 7: Look at that.
Speaker 4: Jill sure goes for that mail confidence, he sure does.
Speaker 6: I'm gonna have to make it fast, Sergeant, I got
appointment for lunch down town.
Speaker 4: All right, sir, I'd just like to have you elaborate
on what doctor Hart told us.
Speaker 6: Is he your family doctor, by the way, Yeah, that's right.
He had no business calling you in the first place.
I told him I didn't want it to get out.
What'd he tell you?
Speaker 5: He said you came to him for treatment night before last.
He told him you had been beaten up and robbed.
He treated you for cuts and bruises about the face
and head.
Speaker 6: No, it was nothing, didn't amount anything.
Speaker 4: Well, was there actually a robbery, mister Butler?
Speaker 6: Believe me, sergeant, it didn't amount anything. I don't even
want to go into it.
Speaker 4: How much did the robbery involve money?
Speaker 6: I mean, I'd rather not say. I don't want any
fuss mate about it. That's why I didn't report it.
Just thisn't worth it to me.
Speaker 4: We understand the hold up man took more than eight
hundred dollars from me. Wouldn't you like to get that
money back?
Speaker 6: I don't want to be nasty about this thing, but
I was the one who was held up. Now, if
I don't want to press the case, I don't see
why anyone else should worry about it. It was my money.
Speaker 4: How about the beating of the thieves gave you?
Speaker 6: It's nothing serious. It's like I told you on the phone,
I want to forget about the whole thing.
Speaker 4: Well, it must have been involved more than just a
few scratches from the looks of you, and the doctor
had to treat you.
Speaker 6: Take my word for a police. I'm all right. I
don't want to press charges.
Speaker 5: Appreciate it if you'd give us some kind of an explanation,
Miss Butler.
Speaker 6: Why I don't want to bother that's all. There's nothing
to explain.
Speaker 4: But you would have to admit that this is a
little unusual. Somebody beats you up, slugs you, takes eight
hundred dollars from you, and you don't want to do
anything about it.
Speaker 6: You're going to have to excuse me a minute. I
have one of my accordion students down the hall in
the practice room, almost time for him to go. I
have to give him his lesson for next week, all right,
So go out ahead. It'd long to be a me.
Speaker 7: How about that?
Speaker 4: Yeah, it acts like you're scared to dead. Well, whoever
it was, they gave him a going over half of
his head and bandage, his face all swollen. Sure, something funny. Well,
he's not going to be much help unless we can
talk him into a crime report. Somebody's got to him.
Speaker 7: I'm bet on it.
Speaker 4: Oh Ti there, kiddy, Hi kitty.
Speaker 6: I've been thinking it over. Officers. Sorry, I had to
come out here go to all this trouble, but I
just as soon forget the whole thing. I don't even
want to talk about it, if you don't mind.
Speaker 4: We don't mean the high pressure you butler, but we
like some kind of an explanation.
Speaker 6: Can't you understand. I just don't want to make a
big fuss about it. I'd like to have you go
along with my feelings in the matter. It's my affair,
isn't it.
Speaker 4: No, sir, it's ours too. Half a dozen people like yourself.
I have been beaten up and robbed in this neighborhood
all in the last five weeks. Now, if we can
find the thieves, we can put a stop to it.
We can make sure the same thing doesn't happen to
your neighbors.
Speaker 6: Well, they're going to have to look out for themselves.
I'm not getting tied up in a big investigation. The
neighbors don't worry about me.
Speaker 5: Freddie Good's a little further than then. You've been beaten
up and robbed once. How do you know it isn't
going to happen again.
Speaker 6: Well, it's not, that's all. I'll make sure it doesn't.
Speaker 4: How what's going to stop the same thieves from knocking
you over again?
Speaker 6: Look, if it's all the same to you, I want
to forget about this. I'm going to have to be
running along. It's getting late now.
Speaker 4: It's just one more thing. Butler, when the doctor was
treating you the other night, this doctor Hart, he says
you told him that you knew who the hold of
men were? Now, is that right?
Speaker 6: No? He got it all mixed up. I didn't mean
it that.
Speaker 4: How did you mean it?
Speaker 6: I'm in a funny position. I just can't explain, that's all.
I can't take the chance good to hold up men
threaten you. I can't talk about it. Give me a.
Speaker 4: Break, please, you're making a mistake, mister. Play ball with
those thieves and they'll ruin you.
Speaker 6: It's not only me, it's my family too. I'm not
going to take the chance.
Speaker 4: If they threatened you and your family, you're taking more
of a chance keeping quiet about it. They'll bleed your
white blackmail, robbery, anything you can think of. Now, this
has happened before. Can't you see the spot? I'm mean,
I know who they are, I know what they can do.
I got a wife to think about. Would you put
your family in that position? If you're buying protection from
a couple of hoods and now figured out, how much
does it work? How far can you trust them?
Speaker 6: If you pick them up, they'll know I told you
I don't want anything to happen. Can't you see that?
I haven't any choice? What else can I do?
Speaker 4: Help us? Put the thieves where they belong. You'll have
all the protection you needle.
Speaker 6: Are locked up. It's a big order.
Speaker 4: I don't know you and your wife will be under
twenty four hour guard. Now that's a promise.
Speaker 6: How long would that have to go on?
Speaker 4: Long enough to bring them to trial and convict him?
Speaker 6: How about it? They warned me about telling the police.
They said they'd get both of us if I did,
me and my wife. Now they meant it too, they'd
get us. What can you do about it?
Speaker 4: Them first? After another hour of talking, we finally persuaded
the robbery victim, Lewis Butler, to come downtown with us.
He dictated a full statement about the hold up and
filed a crime report. He told us he'd been robbed
and slugged late at night a few blocks from his
music studio. Eight hundred and twenty dollars had been taken
from him by two bandits, both of whom were armed,
both of whom he recognized. He said. One of the
men was a Marvin Carter, a former bartender at a
neighborhood tavern. The other was Ralph Quincy, a merchant seaman.
We went across the street and met with Deputy District
Attorney Fred Henderson. The next day, the case was presented
to the grand jury and a true bill was returned.
The two suspects, Marvin Carter and Ralph Quincy were indicted
on one count of armed robbery. That afternoon. Both of
them were booked at the main jail and then released
after posting a required bail of ten thousand dollars. Four
point thirty PM. Ben and I went back to the
office and met with Captain Dideon. I'm making out on
a pretty fair shape, Skipper. The arraignment set for two
weeks from Thirsty. How about protection for the victim?
Speaker 6: Now it's all set up.
Speaker 4: Butler and his wife are under twenty four hour guard,
three teams of men on it.
Speaker 5: There's two thieves getting out on bail. It's not going
to make it any easier. I'll be working with from
the DA's office.
Speaker 4: Anderson seems to think we've got enough to convict both men.
Speaker 6: What makes them so sure?
Speaker 4: Well, for one thing, we got a line on a
couple of good witnesses to the whold up.
Speaker 6: Excuse me, robbery did in?
Speaker 7: Yeah?
Speaker 6: Might no, I'll check it before I leave, right.
Speaker 4: I was that about witness. The man by the name
of Bartlet runs a drug store. He and his son
were in the neighborhood when Louis Butler was held up.
They're supposed to have spotted the two thieves running from
the scene.
Speaker 5: Have you talked to him yet, just over the phone.
We've got an appointment with him at six o'clock tonight.
Take their statements. I guess I don't have to tell
you to stay as close to this thing as you can.
If we miss this time, we may not get another chance.
You know as well as anyone out tough it's been
reaching these things.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we wouldn't be this far along if Butler didn't
decide to cooperate and file charges.
Speaker 5: I wish I knew how many victims there are and
this thing just like Butler, people we don't even know about.
Speaker 4: Scared they don't dere file charges. Yes, there's a dozen
of them anyway.
Speaker 5: I can't figure people hire a police force on salary
to protect them and their property, then they turn around
try to make a deal with a bunch of hoods
buy them off. How far have you gotten on the
hold up gang behind me? The two men you've got
Tam Carter and Quincy. Anyone else working with him possible?
Speaker 4: I'm not sure yet. Both Carter and Quincy have juvenile records.
That's about it. We're still checking on them.
Speaker 5: Robbery didon yeah, Tom right.
Speaker 7: No, I'll tell them.
Speaker 6: They're here with me now, right, Thank you started already.
Speaker 7: How's that?
Speaker 5: The victim, Lewis Butler, he got a phone call at
his house a few minutes ago. Yeah, I figured it
was one of the hold up gang. They gave Butler
a choice for They say either he drops the charges
or they'll kill him.
Speaker 4: Five pm Captain Diddion issued orders that the two suspects
in the case, Marvin Carter and Ralph Quincy, be placed
under twenty four hour surveillance. An additional team of men
was assigned to guard Lois Butler. Each officer was carefully
instructed to take all possible precautions to prevent the robbery
victim and his wife from being harmed in any way.
Six pm, Ben and I met with the two witnesses
to the hold up, a drug store proprietor Sam Bartlett
and his teenage son Harold. They told us that they'd
been in the immediate vicinity the night Butler was robbed,
and that they'd gotten a good look at the two
gunmen as they ran from the scene of the hold up.
Bartlett and his son Harold identified the suspects as Marvin Carter,
and Ralph Quincy. Statements were taken and both witnesses were
warned to maintain absolute secrecy about their part in the case.
Next day we made arrangements to have the druggist and
his son subpoena for the Superior court arrangement. Six days
went by Thursday, October seventeenth, eight am, we checked in
the office and found the message waiting for us. What
is it Joe the druggist's son, Harold Bartlett? What about
farn him in an alley three o'clock this morning? What
slugged and eaten? Late that afternoon, Ben and I received
permission from the doctors to visit briefly with our witness,
seventeen year old Harold Bartlett. His injuries were painful, but
not critical. The beating he'd received was nothing less than brutal.
His left forearm had been broken, and he'd been beaten
viciously about the face and chest. He told us that
he was on his way home from a neighborhood movie
just before midnight when two men jumped him from behind
on a deserted street.
Speaker 8: I drove around some maybe five or ten minutes. It
must about at least three minutes in.
Speaker 4: The car, And why do you say that?
Speaker 8: There were two men in the back sat with me.
Somebody else had to be doing the driving, and it
had to be a sedan in a club coup.
Speaker 6: I guess.
Speaker 8: So after he drove around a while, they stopped the
car and then they began slugging me. Didn't say a
word the whole time, just started slugging me. I asked
him why I just kept slugging me. See, at first,
I think they were hit me with their fists. I
felt like something to lock it a lot harder, a
piece of iron or metal or something. That's when I
grabbed the cloth off of my face and I started
to holler what happened?
Speaker 4: Then?
Speaker 8: Ah, yes, nobody heard me. Nobody came anyway. One of
the men swore at me and grabbed my arm hit
it with something. Sure, Sure they didn't say anything to
you all this time, Just before they pushed me out
of the car. It seemed like I was at that
car for hours.
Speaker 4: When they started to talk to you, Harry, what they say.
Speaker 8: I was about that robbery my father and we saw
the one you talked to us about last week.
Speaker 4: What they say about it?
Speaker 8: I said, maybe this will help you keep your mouth shut,
stay out of the people's business. I said that a
couple of times. I said a lot more. It happened
to Dad and me if we went to the police,
if we were witnesses at that trial.
Speaker 4: Do you remember if some men called each other by name?
Speaker 6: No, I don't.
Speaker 8: I don't remember anyway.
Speaker 4: Well, Son, you remember when we talked to you and
your father last week. We told you to say nothing
about the case to anyone.
Speaker 6: I remember. I guess it's my fault.
Speaker 4: Well, did you tell other people that you were a
witness in the case. Did you mention it in public?
Speaker 6: Yes?
Speaker 4: I did.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I didn't think it was that important. I guess
I talked about it quite a bit. I'm sorry. It's
my fault, all right.
Speaker 5: All right, Harry, if you remembered from now on, it'll
save a lot more drum.
Speaker 8: I remember, Sergeant, those two men last night scarving for
a while. I guess most of us talk. Huh, how
do you mean? So they never warned me about staying
away from the cops that said they killed me and
my dad. If we were witnesses, they were probably just
trying to scare us.
Speaker 6: They were fooling you know.
Speaker 4: You had a sample last night, so yeah, where are
they fooling? After we left Harry Bartlet, we went back
to the office and arranged for a twenty four hour
guard to be assigned to the teenage boy and his father.
A thorough investigation of the attack on the boy failed
to turn up any leads. On the surface, the two
robbery suspects, Carter and Quincy were not involved. During the
week that followed, we heard of no further threats or attacks,
either on the victim, Lewis Butler, or the witnesses involved
in the case. Ben and I worked with Deputy District
Attorney Henderson preparing the case against the two suspects. Two
days before the trial opened in Superior Court, we got
an urgent call. Yeah I know, but how did it happen?
Speaker 5: Mm hmm, yeah, all right, Tom'm saying, what's the trouble?
Speaker 4: Couldn't be worse? No victim? What do you mean, mister
and missus Butler and disappeared.
Speaker 3: You are listening to dragnet from beginning to end? Is
the authentic story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4: Tuesday, November fifth, nine am the trial of robbery suspects
Marvin Carter and Ralph quincy opened in Superior Court, Department
eighty eight. The complaining witness, Lewis Butler, failed to appear
for two solid days. We'd been busy checking all of
the Butler's friends and relatives in the city. They couldn't help.
Each time the Butlers had left their residence, they'd been
under surveillance. We'd had an understanding with them that in
the event that they were in their automobile and for
some reason the officers assigned to them lost them in traffic,
the Butlers would immediately return to their home. On the
night of November three, under the pretext of going to
a neighborhood theater, the Butler's made a right hand turn
from a left hand lane of traffic, so it became
obvious that they were trying to elude the officers following them.
A check was made at their home as pre arranged,
and they failed to return. When they failed to appear
for the trial, a bench warrant was issued by Superior
Court for the missing couple. Deputy District Attorney Henderson asked
the court to grant a delay in order to find
the Butler's. It was granted. In the meantime, we'd gotten
out a broadcast and an APB Missing Persons detail helped
out in the search. Still no sign. Tuesday, November twelfth,
eleven am Deputy da Henderson phoned us from the Hall
of Justice. When was that Fred?
Speaker 6: Is that right?
Speaker 7: Hey?
Speaker 6: Well?
Speaker 5: Thanks a lot, What do you have to say? The
attorney for Carter and Quincy asked the court for dismissal.
Speaker 6: No complaining witness. Well the judge rule on it hid.
Speaker 4: Yeah, case dismissed. No matter how guilty the two men
might have seemed. There was nothing further anyone could do
without a complaining witness. Our case was finished. The two suspects,
Carter and Quincy, were released from custody in a few days.
Quincy left town for the East. Carter remained in the city.
The search for mister and Missus Butler went on, no
sign of either one of them. December came, and then
the Christmas holidays New Years. On January sixteenth, Louis Butler
suddenly reappeared back in town and surrendered on the bench warrant.
They explained to the judge that because of the numerous
threats on their lives just before the trial, they were
afraid to appear, and that they left the state without
telling anyone. The judge gave them a lecture in a
warning and dismissed charges. Another month passed February and then March.
On April second, we got word from Denver, Colorado, that
one of our former robbery suspects, Ralph Quincy, had shot
and killed a twenty four year old policeman while attempting
a robbery in that city. Quincy was tried and convicted
of murder and received a life term. In the meantime,
we'd heard little or nothing about the other former robbery suspect,
Marvin Carter. Another two months passed. Spring months wore on
into summer. Monday, July eighth, eight am.
Speaker 6: Friday, Romera.
Speaker 4: See you a minute, yea skipper, you want to sit down?
Speaker 6: You got something before? Yeah?
Speaker 5: The hold up victim man, but the name of Sheridan
came in late last night. Filed this crime report here
ever looked thanks, So let's see, Joe. You can notice
that it happened in the same area where we had
that ration hold ups last fall. I see victim robbed
and beaten suspects. He used the same approach, same mo
followed it right down the line.
Speaker 4: Yeah, victim warned not to contact police, bodily harm threatened
if victim did so. How about the descriptions of the
hold up the man here? The victim pretty sure about them.
Speaker 5: Gaffney handled a report. The victim said he got a
good look at one of the thieves. Gaffney gave him
a bunch of mugshots to look at. Yeah, he's the
one he picked out of the line.
Speaker 4: Oh thanks, I have a look Jill Marvin Carter. As
soon as the robbery report had come in, an immediate
check had been made of Marvin Carter's last known address,
an apartment in the West Peico district. The landlord revealed
that the suspect had moved at least two months before.
We got out a broadcast and an APB on him.
Together with Sergeants Gonzales and Henry Ben and I started
on a systematic check of all of Carter's known friends,
relative and associates. After that, we started on the places
he was known to frequent hotels, bars, restaurants. No luck.
Two weeks went by, there were no further reports of
robberies where the m of the criminal matched.
Speaker 6: That of Carter's.
Speaker 4: Tuesday, July twenty sixth, two PM, we got a call
from one of our informants, Bertie Simmons, who told us
that he might have some information for us. He said
it concerned Marvin Carter. He told us he'd meet us
at MacArthur Park on the sixth Street side at two
thirty pm. Two fifty pm.
Speaker 9: You'll have to excuse me. Sorry, I'm late. I have
to move from that other place. Things haven't been going
to a good for me.
Speaker 4: That's all right, Bertie. What's the matter? No luck with
the horses, Yeah, a lot of luck.
Speaker 7: It's all bad.
Speaker 9: If it's a pig in the race, I have to
bet on him every time, getting so I can't even
pick them to show anymore.
Speaker 4: I don't know what else is new with you, Bertie.
Speaker 9: I'm still looking, but down around some of the joints
south May now I meet it, keeping the near to
the ground. Want to smoke, Yeah, thanks, don't matter if
I do you.
Speaker 4: Like for you?
Speaker 7: Hm?
Speaker 9: What have you heard, Bertie? Anything in the layout that
Marvin Carter? You're still looking for a man't you?
Speaker 4: That's right, any Rember?
Speaker 7: I heard it.
Speaker 9: Last night having a beer downtown. I knew you fellas
were in a little bind on a thing. I always
like to help you when you're in a bind. Well,
what'd you hear Burt Kitter's still in town hiding out?
Like I say, I always like to help you out
when you need it. I know what it is to
be in a bind. That's when you appreciate help most.
I'm kind of in a bind right now, little short.
Speaker 4: You know, couple of dollars Burke, that's all I have
on me. WI might help you out at me?
Speaker 9: Saved my life, sergeant, tell you the truth. I didn't
know where dinner was coming from tonight, No need telling you.
Speaker 7: I appreciate it.
Speaker 9: What was this you heard about? Carter still in town?
It's a place down by Venice to the beach. Kyle
has been seting there once twice lately. It's a little seafook, joint,
beer and clams down by the beach.
Speaker 4: Well, now is that somebody's story or is it the
real thing?
Speaker 7: The real thing? So I don't you know me better
than that? No phony leads from me?
Speaker 4: Where's Kurt is supposed to be staying down there?
Speaker 6: You know?
Speaker 7: Well I do, and I don't. I guess what do
you mean? This move to? Told me about Kyler last night?
Speaker 9: He didn't know the address, but he described the place
God is supposed to be hiding out, and I know
the joint.
Speaker 4: He mean, But you don't know the address.
Speaker 9: No, but I can point out the place he means.
It's a shack.
Speaker 4: Right along the speedway down there, down by the beach.
Speaker 7: I want to run down there with us, now, sure
I've pointed out for you.
Speaker 9: I'm not going near it, though, Why do you say that?
I don't want to mix with it. That's all I
got the wood? What do you mean, Kyla won't be
an easy one to take? How do you know he's
got a gun?
Speaker 4: Two fifty five pm, along with our informant Bertie Simmons,
Ben and I drove down to the beach town of Venice.
Bertie pointed out of brown wooden frame cottage where Carter
was supposed to be hiding out. While Bertie waited in
the car, Ben and I checked it out. Was nobody
at home, but there was plenty of evidence inside the
cottage that Carter was living there. I went back down
the street to.
Speaker 6: Where we parked our car.
Speaker 4: I kept an eye on the cottage while Ben got
to a phone to call the office.
Speaker 7: Pretty down here, I saga.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a nice day.
Speaker 9: I don't get out in the air, and I think
that's my trouble. Some of this good ocean there makes
you feel like a million.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 9: Did you notice the place where your partner went to phone?
Down the street there?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 4: What about it?
Speaker 7: You see the.
Speaker 9: Sign beer and clam right over the door, Beer and clams. Yeah,
best in the city. I know, I've been there. Only great,
good beer for a dime, fresh clams. Nothing better. You
like clams?
Speaker 4: Yeah, they're all right once in a while.
Speaker 7: What am I going to do? So if you two
have to wait here all night.
Speaker 4: Well we'll get you back to town Burg and figure
out something for you.
Speaker 5: Hi, Ben, did you get a hold of Captain Yeah,
Marvin Carter was picked up downtown twenty minutes ago.
Speaker 4: What yeah, driving a rended car. Traffic un picked him up. Well,
they tab him on his description. Not at first. The
reason they noticed him was because he was double parked
on a busy street and they pulled him over and
got a better look at him. I did any trouble with.
Speaker 6: Him, not at all.
Speaker 4: Got him booked at Maine jail. Say that's sure too bad,
And what do you mean by in short case. Isn't
it how long your fellaw's been working on her? M
just about a year, hon Joe, Yeah, just about it.
Speaker 9: Coming all this way from nothing, you're ready to make
the pinch and somebody else does it for you must
be kind of disappointing.
Speaker 7: Huh, all that time? All that?
Speaker 6: What?
Speaker 4: Well, Carter's in jail, that's the main thing. I guess
we better drive back in ib.
Speaker 9: Yeah, say just a minute, sidgeant, no use coming all
this way for nothing.
Speaker 7: One if you do me a favor.
Speaker 9: What's that burg that's signed down the street white the
blue and white signed Barren Clam. What if you could
drop me off right in front Barren Clam? Oh yeah, Berna, sure,
and nice of you. Just like I was saying, what's said,
no use coming all this way from that?
Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true, only the
names were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3: On October twenty ninth, trial was held in Superior Court,
Department eighty six, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that trial,
Marvin Lawrence Carter was tried and convicted on several counts
of first degree robbery and was sentenced to the State Penitentiary,
where he is now serving his term. First degree robbery
is punishable by imprisonment from five years to life.
Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Lyle Rooks, editor of Radio Television.
Speaker 10: Mirror, the readers of Radio Television Mirror have chosen Dragnet
the favorite program of its type for nineteen fifty. I
am privileged to present the citation to you on behalf
of the editors and readers of Radio Television Mirror throughout
the nation.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Miss Rooks.
Speaker 3: You have just heard Dragnet. A series of authentic cases
from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of
Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles, Police of Parker.
Speaker 5: Stay tuned for Counterspy next over many NBC stations.
Speaker 1: Welcome Back. This is a case where the show tells
a story that teaches a lesson without connecting the Oh
it's in a direct way, but it has to be
said that the refusal of the first complainant to appear
at trial led to the death of the policeman in Colorado.
It brings home the weight a failing to follow through
on your responsibility and goes back to what they were
trying to tell him earlier that the decision to report
the crime wasn't just about him. On a latter note,
I love Bertie Simmons. He has to be one of
my all time favorite Herb Butterfield characters. I didn't make
the connection that it was Butterfield in the past, but
I recognize it now and it's so different than nearly
every other character I've heard him do. Though, poor Joe
had to give away his last couple bucks for an
unnecessary tip that didn't help them solve the case. Though
on the bright side, Bertie gets beers and clams, so
I guess good for him. It's also worth noting that
this is one of those episodes where the title israe is.
That's why we designated it. If your look up at
the title, it says the Big Tried nineteen fifty one,
because there's another one, and I believe nineteen fifty three,
same title, entirely different in terms of its plot. Well,
we turn now to listener comments and feedback, and we
start with a note from Eddie, who writes, Steer Adam,
I've been listening to your Dragnet podcast for about two
weeks now. I've always loved Dragnet before and listening to
them again about two or three years ago, I got
the main theme of each but listening to your analysis closer,
I enjoy the show with a new perspective, and with
other shows, your thoughts of the end are interesting and informative.
I look forward almost daily. Thank you Eddie, well, thank
you so much, Eddie, And there's something to be said
for it, and your note kind of gives me some
insight into some of my own viewing habits, because sometimes
I find myself watching YouTube reactors reacting to movies that
I've already seen or TV shows. It's something that I enjoy.
I can't do a ton of it, don't have a
ton of time for that, but I struggle to put
into words, but I think that it's sort of the
same thing. You get a new perspective on the program
that you know, and therefore you kind of experience it
in a different way. I find myself saying, oh, well,
how is she going to react to It's a wonderful life,
and it is the power of getting new perspective, and
also sometimes it's just getting the joy of being able
to vi curiously experience something again for the first time
that you know quite well. I appreciate your insight, Aeddie.
And then I got a postcard from the webs. No
relation to Jack, I assume, but this is a lovely
postcard from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park over in New Mexico,
and the postcard raads had and my dad and I
have been driving from Georgia to Washington State. On the way,
we've been listening to your podcast from the start. Saw
on our stop you could mail from the caverns themselves.
Hope you're doing well well. Thank you so much, Hope
you had a wonderful trip, and I appreciate you thinking
of me to send me a card while you're out
on your travels. And again I did post a picture
on Instagram. I'll have to scroll through some audiograms, but
it's there. We're at instagram dot com slash Great Detectives.
And then we have a comment on Spotify regarding the
episode The Big Trunk. Uh listener rights Lol. They need
to know why he jumped before they can do an investigation.
I feel like the investoration would be what uncovered that,
And honestly, when I first read it, I was confused
since that's not a main plot of the episode. But listening,
I recalled, I think that was the stuff they were
talking about at the beginning, and indeed, the opening narration
as Friday saying that they needed to know who he
was and why he jumped before they could proceed with
the investigation. And I think the listener is right, that
is a very odd statement to make, and it's easy
to overlook because it's just kind of a throwaway before
they got put onto the case of the retired performer
who got killed by a guy because they thought she
had valuables in her trunk. And it feels like that
got written because they're like, Okay, Friday has to say
something since they don't have the case at the beginning,
so let's just give Friday some words to say. Because
it doesn't make sense because, as the listener said, an
investigation would be what you would do to determine who
he was and why he jumped. Not only that, but
if you had this jumper and you knew why he
had jumped, and you knew who he was, what else
exactly do you have to investigate. It's not like some
complex robbery case where you know, you lift a toolprint
and then you have to go and do searches and
figure out what the exact tool was that made the mark.
I mean, once the two facts that Friday says that
you need before the investigation can proceed are obtained, there
is nothing really left to investigate. Now there might be
some police nomenclacier that we're missing here, some sort of
separation between investigations. So maybe this isn't quite as silly
as it sounds. And I mean, I would tend to
give benefit of the doubt to Dragnet, but if anyone
is an expert on why he would say that, because
it's such a weird thing to say. It's so weird
too on Dragnet because it's generally very well written, which
I guess is the reason why I just tended to overlook. Okay,
wait a second, that actually kind of sounds like nonsense.
Good catch, and if anyone has any way to make
sense of it, I would really love to hear from you.
All Right, Well, now it's time to think our Patreon
supporter of the day, and I want to go ahead
and thank Brett, Patreon supporter since April twenty twenty four,
currently supporting the podcast at the Shawmas level.
Speaker 4: Afford all are more per month.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your support, Bratt, 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 podcast wherever you download it
from public domain video Theater. First video will be dropping
this weekend. Hopefully we'll be bringing you our first summer movie.
And of course we'll be back next Saturday with another
episode of drag Nap. But join us back here on
Monday for the adventures of the folk and where hellon?
Speaker 11: Have I the pleasure of speaking with mister Michael.
Speaker 2: Wedding And that's your idea of pleasure? Who is this?
Speaker 11: I'm afraid my name won't mean much to you.
Speaker 4: It's George Venezuelo's George Venezuelas.
Speaker 11: Yes, your embassy suggested I get.
Speaker 4: In touch with you, and what can I do for you?
Speaker 11: I believe the shoe is on the other foot. I'd
like to do something for you. You're aware that the
Communist Party is outlawed in Greece. Yes, Well, suppose I
told you that the number one man is right here
in Athens. What would you say to that?
Speaker 2: Well, the first thing I'd say is, what's his name,
I take it. Then you're interested, interested as hardly the word.
Speaker 11: Well, I live at fourteen Tracopas Traycopas.
Speaker 2: That's the street right near the monument to Byron, isn't it.
Speaker 11: That's the one. Can I expect you at ten?
Speaker 2: You wouldn't want to make it earlier.
Speaker 11: Try to be patient, mister wedding. After all, you chaps
have been looking for this fellow for years. A few
hours more or less shouldn't matter.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from
Boise Aldohol. This is your host, Adam graham Son and
off