Speaker 1: Welcome to the great Detectives of Old time Radio. In
a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode
of Dragnant. Before we get started, I want to encourage you,
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use the code box thirteen now from January twenty fifth,
nineteen fifty. Here is the baked Tomato.
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 narcotics detail. A band
of dope peddler's launch is a full scale operation in
your city. Their merchandise marijuana. They're victims, high school students.
Speaker 3: Your job get them.
Speaker 4: Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. Well 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 5: It was Thursday, April eleventh. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out in Narcotics Detail.
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Kearney. My
name is Friday. I was on the way back from
R and I and it was ten twenty five am
when I got the Central.
Speaker 6: Station Narcotics Detail. Yo, Hi, le'd you find out? Talk
to the corner he finished posting the broading. Cause of
death multiple fractures of the skull, internal injury.
Speaker 7: The boy was seventeen years old.
Speaker 8: To check the car, well, the kid must have been
doing at least seventy when he hit that streetlight.
Speaker 6: It's a real mess. Car was really wound around that pole.
We're going to have to dig up a fast dan
you somewhere I was racking.
Speaker 8: There was only one way to burn it out, To
find the big man and throw the book at him,
make him an example. I'll never forget.
Speaker 7: If you check with juven bureau.
Speaker 5: Yeah, the evidence has been booked with the property clerk.
How about the boy's parents? Missus Moore wasn't feeling too early,
drove her home. Father still down in the hall Inspector
Walker's over.
Speaker 6: Can we talk to him now? Yeah, he should be
free by now. Let me check the book. Already dead,
there's no calls.
Speaker 7: Oh, okay, let's go.
Speaker 8: Well, there's only one thing fortunate about this whole thing.
Speaker 7: What do you mean a.
Speaker 8: Kid being alone when he cracked up would have been
a slaughter if he had a car full of his
friends with him.
Speaker 9: It's still pretty grim.
Speaker 8: How's the boy's father taking it?
Speaker 7: Usually pretty Rauh. He should be able to help some.
Speaker 6: Yeah, mister Morrow, Yes, Sergeant Inspector asked me to wait.
Speaker 8: Here for him.
Speaker 7: Yes, sir, this is my partner, Sergeant Friday.
Speaker 6: Mister Tomorrows, I just don't understand it's, Sergeant, I don't
understand any of it.
Speaker 7: My boy can wasn't a type to go racing around
like that in the car. He never took the car
without permission. I just don't know what got anyway.
Speaker 6: Had you noticed it all, whether your boy was acting
a little strange.
Speaker 7: Last few weeks or so?
Speaker 10: No, of course I only saw ken in the morning,
a few hours in the evening.
Speaker 7: I'm at the office all day. Why'd he last well?
Speaker 8: Was he going out very often on school nights? Uh?
Keeping odd or unusual hours.
Speaker 10: You used to go to the library three or four
nights a week to do a school work. Got home
about midnight a few times, and I warned him about, Uh,
did you.
Speaker 8: Have any way of knowing if he was really spending
his nights at the library?
Speaker 7: No, what, I took his word for it. Ken didn't
lie to me. What's this have to do with the
auto accident? Size? And I don't think I understand.
Speaker 6: The officer's investigating the accidents there they checked over the
car after where was it?
Speaker 7: Where the break's bad? What they find?
Speaker 5: Yeh, yeah, when you see this small metal case, we
found it in the front seat, on the floor of
the car.
Speaker 7: What's that stuff inside of this belonged to Ken?
Speaker 8: Yes, sir, we think he was usually one four, but
I don't know. It's marijuana.
Speaker 5: Men and women who traffic in narcotics all the way
from the small time peddler to the big wholesaler. Rated
among the lowest kind of criminal. One step lower you
find an even more vicious kind, those who lure youngsters
into the deadly trap of narcotics, who feed on the
nickels and dimes by supplying their young victims with dope.
Speaker 8: The death of.
Speaker 5: Seventeen year old Kenneth Morrow was the second of its
kind within eight months. It seemed to stem from unidentified
suspects who were making it their business to build a
thriving marijuana trade among.
Speaker 8: High school students.
Speaker 5: Thursday, eleven am, we continued to question the dead boy's father,
Thomas Morrow.
Speaker 8: What he couldn't tell is anything further that might help.
Speaker 5: Friday, April twelfth, we checked with the principle of the
high school which Tomorrow boy attended. We talked to the
boys teachers and checked the school record. His marks had
been above average till about three months before, when they
began to fall off for no apparent reason. We got
a list of most of the boy's friends from his
teachers and we started checking them out. One was a
sixteen years old blonde girl, Peggy Keane, supposed Lukenneth Marles's girlfriend.
We found her waiting outside the music room.
Speaker 11: Yes, Ken and I went around together for a while.
He was a real nice boy.
Speaker 7: Did you see each other quite a bit, BigGAN for
about five.
Speaker 11: Or six months. Yes, we got along fine. Just after
Christmas was the last time I went out with him,
and we double dated.
Speaker 8: Did he seem all right to you then, I mean
did he act different at all?
Speaker 11: Well, a little different, yes, not silly, you know, he
just wasn't like he used to be. You mean, well,
he didn't talk the same. Ken was a real nice
boy most of the time. Because he started getting in
with their own crowd, he began to swear, you know,
bad talk things like that.
Speaker 7: When did all this start? Peggy, do you remember just
before Christmas?
Speaker 11: I think I'm not sure, poor Kim.
Speaker 7: Is there anything else you might have known it?
Speaker 11: I don't know. Ken used to be pretty good about
his studies, and all of a sudden it seemed he
just didn't care. Sometimes he'd come into the library. We
used to study there, and he'd make a lot of noise.
He just changed, that's all. For a while, we didn't
see each other there anymore.
Speaker 8: Well, why was that paid?
Speaker 11: We just didn't come down. I called his house a
couple of times. His folks said he was at the library.
I didn't say anything to him.
Speaker 8: Well, Ken have many friends here at school? Do you
know that?
Speaker 11: Not many?
Speaker 8: No, I see all those he did have. Who would
you say was closer to him?
Speaker 11: Gee, I don't know, sergeant or half a dozen of them.
Ken used to be with all of them.
Speaker 7: No one boy in particular, well, Bob Leavelle.
Speaker 11: Maybe I saw Ken and Bob's car a few times.
Speaker 7: Does Leavelle go to school here, Yes.
Speaker 11: He's a senior. Ken used to work with Bob down
the cafeteria after school, but he got in the mix up.
He was fired, Bob was fired. No, Ken, he was
really doing the ladies down there. Does the cooking Bob
still works there?
Speaker 7: Would he be at the cafeteria now?
Speaker 9: Do you know?
Speaker 7: Yes?
Speaker 11: I think so. The fountain's open until about three to thirty.
Speaker 8: And you think that this Bob Leavell was about the
closest friend that Ken had, Huh?
Speaker 11: I think so? The only one I know. Anyway. Have
you talked to Ken's folks?
Speaker 8: Yeah?
Speaker 7: We have.
Speaker 11: I feel so sorry for him. Gee, I think I
have to go now, Sergeant, I have a chemistry class.
Speaker 6: Just one more question, Peggy, last time he went out
with Ken on this doubles date?
Speaker 7: Who was the other couple?
Speaker 8: Do you remember?
Speaker 11: I don't remember their names. There were some kids I
never saw before Kim knew them. It wasn't much of
a date.
Speaker 8: Where did you go?
Speaker 11: We started for the show, but Ken changed his mind.
He wanted to go to the beach, and Park was
acting funny, talking all the time, saying silly things. The
other boy was the same way.
Speaker 8: Oh were they drinking?
Speaker 7: No?
Speaker 11: I never saw Kim take a drink. I couldn't smell
any liquor on his breath.
Speaker 7: I don't know.
Speaker 11: It was such a silly thing.
Speaker 9: Was that?
Speaker 11: Well maybe it's just my imagination, but Ken and this
other boy had a real terrible musty smell about him.
I kidded them about it, and they said they'd been
to a tea party. That's where they got it. They
kept talking silly like that all evening.
Speaker 8: Let's see. Was the musty smell all over the car,
just on the bat.
Speaker 11: All over kind of made me sick, but they didn't
seem to mind it.
Speaker 8: Well, look, I'd like you to think real careful, Peggy.
Have you ever come across that musty smell in anybody
around the school here?
Speaker 7: Yes?
Speaker 11: I have a couple of times. Makes me sick.
Speaker 7: What is it?
Speaker 8: Who did you notice it on? Peggy?
Speaker 5: Bob Levell, Ben and I went back to the principal's
office and checked the record on Robert Leavell, who was
eighteen years old, and he was scheduled to graduate in June.
The registrar told us that there was a good chance
that he wouldn't be graduated because his marks had been
poor for the.
Speaker 8: Better part of the year. They dropped even lower during
the present semester. Lavell had played football the year before and.
Speaker 5: Had made third string on the All city team. Who
was well liked by his teachers. For the last two years, he'd.
Speaker 8: Worked part time at the school soda farmer. We went
down to interview him.
Speaker 9: Nice said up, huh yeah, catfeteria soda farm. Wasn't like
that in my day.
Speaker 8: There must be the boy there behind the counter.
Speaker 9: Oh yeah, let's sit down. How about that, Jill?
Speaker 8: What's that?
Speaker 9: That's sign hanging up their idiots?
Speaker 6: Spatial five scoops of ice cream, marsh mallow, bananas, chocolate,
strawberry flavoring, whipped cream topping, maurso, cherry chop, nuts and onion.
Speaker 8: No, you're reading over. That's on the Hamburger sign there.
Oh yeah, you want something chocolate soda?
Speaker 9: Could you make it with vanilla ice cream? Plea chock
soda with vanilla cream?
Speaker 8: Are you Bob Lavelle?
Speaker 7: Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 8: Police officers, Bob, we'd like to talk to you.
Speaker 12: Oh, I'm pretty busy right now. Got to clean up.
Were you closing a few minutes. I'll make you soda
right away.
Speaker 9: You say chocolate.
Speaker 8: Yeah, that's We'll make it brief. Did you know kenmor oh.
Speaker 9: Bob, Oh, yeah, he used to work here. You you
spend much time with him outside of school? I mean
not much. Went a couple of shows together, it's about all.
Speaker 7: I'm kind of rush now.
Speaker 8: When was the last time that you saw him? You
remember a week ago?
Speaker 7: I guess too bad about Ken?
Speaker 8: How about the night he was in the accident. Did
you see him live?
Speaker 9: No?
Speaker 7: I didn't want too well. Went around with a different crowd.
Speaker 9: It reached me in the back of those cashiers. Aunt
Joe on the card there, yeah, oh you go, oh,
I think.
Speaker 7: One time grasping those things. The nuts are a dime.
Speaker 9: Officers right down the counter, Bob. Oh, yeah, I.
Speaker 12: Gotta get go as soon as I close.
Speaker 7: I have to get on town.
Speaker 5: We talked to some of Kim Murrill's friends around the school, Bob.
They tell us that he used to drive around in
your car with you quite a bit.
Speaker 7: Just a couple of times around school.
Speaker 9: And you haven't been with him for about a week
before they acted me. And that's right, just what I
told you.
Speaker 7: You want a little whooped cream on that?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 8: Yeah, theyll.
Speaker 9: How about cherry good?
Speaker 8: Yeah?
Speaker 13: Are you.
Speaker 8: There?
Speaker 9: You are?
Speaker 7: Thank you too?
Speaker 9: Night to fix a hamburger? Yeah?
Speaker 7: I really got to close up.
Speaker 8: It's got a little late.
Speaker 12: Officers, I'm gonna catch close up right now.
Speaker 8: We'll make it fast.
Speaker 5: Did you notice anything different about the Morrow boy in
the last few weeks?
Speaker 8: Anything peculiar at all?
Speaker 9: You know he was saying?
Speaker 8: Was ever?
Speaker 7: I didn't notice anything.
Speaker 8: Right, Look, Bob, we're gonna lay it out to you.
Did you know he was using marijuana?
Speaker 7: No, I didn't know anything about it.
Speaker 9: You have any idea where he might have gotten it?
I wouldn't know that.
Speaker 12: Look you mind if I lock up the counter and
I'll come around.
Speaker 7: The other side. Go ahead.
Speaker 12: I didn't know that about can officer. I wouldn't know
where he got the stuff.
Speaker 7: You sure he was using merry?
Speaker 11: Oh?
Speaker 8: We found some in his car. We found some more
in his locker upstairs.
Speaker 7: That's tough. Anything more, officer, I got a hurry.
Speaker 5: It's just routine, Bob. We did the same with the
other boys we talked to. We'd like to check your locker.
Speaker 8: You don't mind, do you.
Speaker 7: I gotta get out ontown. I'm late now. Your locker
just upstairs, isn't It won't take that long. It's important
to me. I gotta get ontown.
Speaker 8: We've got our car outside. We'll drive you down. We'll
be down there in no time.
Speaker 12: No, I'm already gonna ride. Can't you check it tomorrow?
Speaker 8: Not going to take a minute, Bob, let's go.
Speaker 7: Huh, All right?
Speaker 12: Say, I happened to remember I didn't bring my locker
key today.
Speaker 8: That's so.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 12: Come to think of it, I don't know where it is.
Speaker 8: I guess I lost it. Well, we must have a
pass key around here, don't they.
Speaker 7: I don't think so.
Speaker 8: We'll ask at the officer.
Speaker 12: You're putting me in a jam, Officer. That's going to
take time. I'm due downtown.
Speaker 8: I'm sorry, Bob, we got to check it.
Speaker 12: I got my locker all jammed up with stuff. It'll
take us an hour.
Speaker 7: Office is down there, Jim.
Speaker 8: Yeah, all right, let's go.
Speaker 12: I don't know why you're picking on me. My locker's jammed.
They can't get it open.
Speaker 9: Why are you picking on me?
Speaker 7: Let's ask him here. Sorry, bou close the door. Yeah,
I got my key, I'll show you.
Speaker 8: Robert Levell took us to his locker and opened it.
Speaker 5: Getting inside one of his gym shoes, we found four
sticks of medium grade marijuana.
Speaker 8: We took them, put him in an envelope, and sealed
it on the way downtown.
Speaker 5: The boy told us that he'd been buying this stuff
for about six months and reselling it to some of
the students at.
Speaker 8: The high school.
Speaker 5: Said that he paid fifty cents a piece for the
sticks and sold them for seventy five.
Speaker 8: He was an occasional user himself. Before we turned him
over to the juvenile officers. He told us that a.
Speaker 5: Man named Ray Jensen supplied him with a marijuana. Jensen's
address was a trailer camp in the southwest part of
Los Angeles. We drove out and checked with the operator
of the camp. He pointed out Jensen's trailer at the
rear of the camp.
Speaker 9: That one's Joe, the blue and gray one.
Speaker 14: Yeah, this is good right here. Okay, looks like Jensen's
doing well.
Speaker 7: Yeah, nice looking forty.
Speaker 9: Best of mint.
Speaker 8: Yeah, police officers, all right, open it out.
Speaker 2: Out of here?
Speaker 9: What's your joke?
Speaker 8: All right?
Speaker 9: Hold on, mister, get out, get out, all right, Jensen?
Speaker 8: That's good bet. I'll get him a right, come on,
get out. What's the pitch?
Speaker 7: Where's your warrant?
Speaker 9: It's all over the floor of Jensen marijuana?
Speaker 7: Who tipped one of those lousy kids? Which one?
Speaker 8: I guess you know enough of them?
Speaker 7: You can't tab me for all that. I'm not the
big guy? All right?
Speaker 8: Then?
Speaker 7: Who is? I don't know. I'm only one of the mules.
Speaker 9: Where do you get your the big guy? The big
Tomato that's what they call him, Yeah, big man.
Speaker 7: Nobody sees him. I don't even know what he looks like,
neither you. You let us worry about that.
Speaker 8: Come on, big Tomato, that's what they call him.
Speaker 7: You won't get him. He's smart.
Speaker 15: You won't get him in eighty nine years maybe not,
but we'll get him.
Speaker 4: You are listening to drag met authentic stories of your
police force in action.
Speaker 5: Friday, April twelfth, seven pm, we searched the trailer and
a stakeout was placed on it, and then we took
Ray Jensen downtown to the main jail where he was
booked for suspicion of narcotics of felony.
Speaker 8: The next day, Ben and I went back and questioned him.
We got nowhere. The only thing he tell us was
that the leader of the marijuana ring was unknown to him,
the big Tomato. That's all he could tell us.
Speaker 5: We went back and started rechecking leads furnished just by
some of the high school boys who had purchased narcotics
from Robert Level.
Speaker 8: They all ended nowhere.
Speaker 5: Meantime, the flow of marijuana into the schools and into
the hands of the teenage students continued. We'd no sooner
choke off one source of supply when two more would
turn up. We knew that there was only one real solution,
find the gang leader and wipe out the entire supply
and distribution set up.
Speaker 8: We stayed on it.
Speaker 5: Monday, April twenty second, Ben got a call from one
of his informants that he had a lead on the
source of marijuana on the east side of town. The
informant's name was Willie Brick, a groundskeeper at a golf
course near.
Speaker 8: One of the city high schools. We go out to
talk to him. Were located back by the clubhouse near the.
Speaker 7: First t on the tea now arc you remember my partner,
don't you?
Speaker 9: Will it? Joe Friday?
Speaker 7: Oh yeah, and I'm busy today big tenement.
Speaker 8: Yeah, quite a crowd you got here. It's a nice turnout.
Speaker 7: You've been having trouble huh at a marrying town.
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 7: You think you can help us? An, yeah you can.
Dirty business. I'm working high school kids with that stuff.
Speaker 8: It's real dirty.
Speaker 9: Any ideas really don't know how much it's true. It's
off a grape line down town. The boss is somebody
they call a big tomato. It's funny man that any
idea who we are couldn't say. It's getting lots of
stuff in though usual feed line over from Mexico. What
else will we here? There's more on the way. Don't
know when though off for high school trick. I guess
they figure they got a good business.
Speaker 7: How beg getting to jump over?
Speaker 8: You know?
Speaker 9: But it's getting here most any kid can get them
over on this sid of town. Imagine that kids and
their team we did. How about this big tomato? Willie?
Speaker 7: No word it though?
Speaker 9: Just one pretty thin Yeah, there's a connection lives over
on Houser Boulevard.
Speaker 8: That is number.
Speaker 9: There's someone's supposed to be the main connection for this
tomato guy. Oh yeah, there's his address. A third number there,
it's just six. Guy's name is Tony Childs. Is she
supposed to handle all the stuff.
Speaker 7: Most of what I hear gets it off from the
big tomato.
Speaker 9: You got about it? It's it, Tony Childs, You've got
the address? How many thanks? Willing a thing comes up
your call? I'm sure think how's the job out here
better than yours? I sure wouldn't want it working every
day around joy poppers, mules, main liners and somebody's got
to do it Willie, Yeah, but.
Speaker 7: Not for me, Sergeant.
Speaker 9: Those dokes as are all nce selling jumped the kids.
I guess you met the lowest time that chat.
Speaker 8: We're looking for him.
Speaker 5: We went back to the office and checked the name
and address of Tony Childs through R and I no
previous record. A stakeout was placed on his home and
at his place of business. Childs himself was placed under twenty.
Speaker 8: Four hour surveillance.
Speaker 5: A week passed, nothing happened, Another week still nothing. There
was no let up in the supply of marijuana finding
its way into the city and then into the schools.
We couldn't see the beginnings of the recket, but we
saw the end result. The percentage of juvenile users was
still in the upswing. Wednesday May eight, we heard rumbles
of another big marijuana buy in the offing. Either it
failed to materialize or we missed it. Friday May tenth,
then and I took our turn shadowing the suspect, Tony Childs.
Speaker 7: Can you see him from here, Joe?
Speaker 5: Yeah, we're still in the barbershop. There's two guys with him.
Speaker 6: Yea and past forward. We better check in huh yeah,
call in her drug store. There must have a phone.
Speaker 8: Yeah, all right, I'll be right back.
Speaker 13: Narcotics please, thank you. Yeah, Johnny, it's Joe Friday. M Yeah, yeah,
we got him paid, okay right away?
Speaker 8: By what have you got, Tony Chiles that want him
picked up right away?
Speaker 7: How?
Speaker 9: God?
Speaker 8: Well, I just rated this place. I found thirty two
ounces a week, and I'm supposed to have more on him.
Speaker 6: Let's go, Come on, what do you think trouble. Don't
be surprised. Childs like to talk to you.
Speaker 7: That's uh.
Speaker 8: Police officers like to talk to you and your two
friends here down.
Speaker 9: Can't make a copper mine in Vegas tonight. We want
to see you downtown. First, luck, don't push me. Huh,
nobody's pushing your child. We want to see you downtown.
Come on, let's go.
Speaker 8: Look out, Joe repend seven. Watch that's it. Three of them?
Speaker 7: Okay, I get him, Come.
Speaker 9: On you and I'm glad this doesn't come up. Where's
the barber who ran outside?
Speaker 8: Rough?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 7: What's your hunch, Joe?
Speaker 6: I think one of these three is the Big Tomato.
I don't know, let's ask him.
Speaker 5: In search of the barber shop failed to reveal the
presence of any narcotics. Tony Childs and his two companions
were found to have a dozen sticks of marijuana in
their possession. They were treated for cuts and bruises at
Georgia Street and then booked for suspicion of.
Speaker 8: Narcotics, a felony at the main jail. Three other men
found a child's apartment at the time of the raid
were also booked.
Speaker 5: We got nowhere questioning any of them. As usual, we
had the small fry, but the ring leader, the Big Tomato,
is still in the clear, still free to hire somebody
else to run the marijuana supply line into the high schools.
Speaker 8: Three weeks passed.
Speaker 5: Together with Captain Kearney and Sergeant Bob, Ben and I
re checked our earlier leads. We ran down anything that
even looked like it might be promising.
Speaker 8: Nothing panned out. Wednesday June five point thirty pm we
got a call from the main jail. Tony Childs wanted
to talk to us. Ben and I went over to
see him.
Speaker 6: Charles, I got something for you. Been playing the stoage
long enough. If I'm good enough for jail, so's he
all right?
Speaker 8: What do you got?
Speaker 7: It's a big by coming off when you get him.
Tell him how long I've been in here?
Speaker 8: What kind of a buy?
Speaker 7: Mary?
Speaker 6: One of the biggest. It was set up before I
got in here. Where's the mate going to be? Bruno
Street with the train yards. I'll draw you a map.
Set ups the same car pulls up and hanks a
couple of times in an alley down there? Who was
handling a bi A big man. Don't waste any time?
When is it tonight?
Speaker 5: We went back to the office and met with Sergeants
bar and Jacobson eight pm. Ben and I took up
our positions on the stake out, along with the rest
of the men we had a clear view of the
exact location where the buy was to be made.
Speaker 8: We waited ten pm, eleven pm, no one showed. Midnight
came and went. One thirty am, still no sign.
Speaker 5: At eighteen minutes or two we spotted the man carrying
a shopping bag emerged from behind a row of freight
cars near the end of the rail yard. He made
his way across the street to the alley. He stood
back in the shadows.
Speaker 7: As soon as the car gets in the alley, we
pull up and block it. Huh, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 8: Becky'll do the same thing down at the other end.
Speaker 7: Head light's coming in the alley. Women. Yeah, now they're
going on through. What's the time now? Thuman is to two.
Speaker 8: We waited eighteen minutes past, still no sign of the
car that, according to Childs, was supposed to be there
for the big buy. We could still see the figure
of a man with a shopping bag huddled in the alley.
Three am z Yeah, car down there in the alley. Yeah,
that's it.
Speaker 16: You want to start up, yep, just enough to block
the alley. That's good, all right, come on, let's go,
Come on, all right, kill your engine and get out.
Speaker 15: Of the car.
Speaker 9: Joe, look out, they can't look fun. All right, let's
get him out of there. Yeah, there's three. Here's the
guy with the shopping bag, right, I got him cry
snapped him cold. Yeah, that's one easy there.
Speaker 8: Yeah, well right over there.
Speaker 11: Well yeah, that's get his cold over there.
Speaker 8: I got it.
Speaker 9: That's three.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 9: Hey, hey, look at this Joe. Fun one of him in.
Speaker 6: This guy's hand can pull on marijuana. You look at
the labels on those cans. Yeah, fancy solid packed tomato.
Speaker 8: There he is a big tomato.
Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true, only the
names were changed to protect the inner.
Speaker 4: And on October third trial was held in Superior Court,
Department eighty nine, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that trial,
John A. Stanton, alias the Big Tomato, along with his
associates in the Narcotic Gang, was tried and convicted for
violating the State Narcotic Act. He received sentences as prescribed
by law and are now serving their terms in the
state penitentiary.
Speaker 2: The radio editors of the United States and Canada the
name Dragnet the best radio program of its type for
nineteen fifty and Dragnet's Jack Webb the most Promising Star
of Tomorrow.
Speaker 5: In behalf of Dragnet, I'd like to thank the radio
editors of the United States and Canada and the editors
of Motion Picture Daily who conducted the voting in the
fifteenth annual poll for Fame Magazine.
Speaker 7: You have just heard Dragnet.
Speaker 4: A series of authentic cases from official files. A technic
advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police wh Parker,
Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 8: Later, here's Spellbound with Joseph Cotton on screen directors on NBC.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. This is a memorable episode because all of
these titles have the Big This and the Big That
in the tititle, but there's not actually a reference to
the Big Family. But here we get the Big Tomato,
and I love that we got an explanation for why
this guy was called the Big Tomato. Also, it's one
of those rare dragnettes where we get multiple bits of
action and even rarer Ben Romero actually got to eat something.
So it was a fun time, all right. Well, now
it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,
and I want to go ahead and thank Rosa Rosa
has been one of our Patreon supporters since January twenty twenty,
currently supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of
seven dollars and fourteen cents or more per month. Thank
you so much for your support, Rosa, and that will
do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please
follow us using your favorite podcast software, and please be
sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download
it from. We'll be back next Saturday with another episode
of Dragon. That next Tuesday, of course, we'll be bringing
you Charlie Chan, but join us back here on Monday
for the adventures of the Falcon Wear nice and quiet.
Speaker 4: Here, and I got a feeling it won't be for long.
Speaker 17: I got the same feeling.
Speaker 8: Wait, do you get that possle?
Speaker 7: What's it to you?
Speaker 17: Look, fella, don't get smart. Just lay it down on
the floor. I'll back up a couple of steps. Oh
that's fine.
Speaker 9: Tell me something about sure, Julian. What did you call me?
Speaker 7: Julian?
Speaker 9: Isn't that your name?
Speaker 7: How'd you know that?
Speaker 3: I got a great memory for faces. You were pointed
out to me about nine years ago in Detroit, when
you were running with.
Speaker 9: The Purple mob, and what do they call you like wearing?
Speaker 8: Where do you get that claim? Chick?
Speaker 3: I found it in the street.
Speaker 9: I asked you something and I answered it.
Speaker 17: John Calvin gave it to you, didn't.
Speaker 3: She look, Julian. I think I've been very patient. I
don't know what you want get back. You can't blame
a guy for trying.
Speaker 8: No.
Speaker 17: In your place, I'd probably do the same, you see,
But then I'm not in your place, and right now
I wouldn't change for the world.
Speaker 8: This is one thing I can't stand.
Speaker 9: It's a wise cut.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot NEP,
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out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from
Boys the Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.