Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Kallispell, Montana.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But
before we get started, I do want to let you
know that today's program is brought to you in part
by the financial support of our listeners. You can support
the show on a one time basis by mailing a
donation to Adam Graham Peelbox one five nine one three.
That's peel Box one five nine thirteen Boise, Idaho eight
three seven one five, and you can become one of
our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as two dollars
per month by going to Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net.
But now, from October twenty six, nineteen fifty, here's the
big mate.
Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Here,
Detective Sergeant here, assigned to Narcotics detail. A gang of
veteran dope peddlers moves into your city. They offer one
hundred thousand dollars worth of heroin for sale. They make
their contact. They're ready to do business. Your job stop them.
Speaker 3: Drag Net 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 folence, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
Drag Net is the story of your police force.
Speaker 4: In action.
Speaker 5: Was Wednesday, June twenty fourth with Psultry in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out in arcotics. My
partner's Ben Romero. The boss's Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives.
My name is Friday. Was nine twenty seven am when
I got to the Charing Cross apartments on Twelfth Streets,
a side entrance.
Speaker 4: Hi, Hi, anything doing nothing? How's the bug working better?
Speaker 6: When of the fellas in the crime lap came out
and faced it last night, went next door and replaced
the microphone.
Speaker 4: I'm getting real sour on this details. Joe. Well here,
let me take over for a while.
Speaker 6: Yeah, you bet you here my years She like a
couple of big califlowers. Two solid weeks hold up in
this place with a pair of earphones on.
Speaker 4: Yeah, what do we got the show for? If?
Speaker 6: Woman next door hasn't even mentioned narcotics in two weeks.
All she does is eat, sleep, and play. Solidaire goes
out for groceries once in a while. Hold it somebody
ringing the buzzer next door? First visiting a week?
Speaker 4: Yep, it's a minute.
Speaker 7: Yep, that's right.
Speaker 8: I talked with a friend of you, is George, So
it might be a good idea if I let you.
Speaker 7: What do you want to see mean about its business?
Speaker 8: Miss Washburn? Could we were talking to?
Speaker 9: All right?
Speaker 8: Come on, you.
Speaker 4: Let me plugging these airphones?
Speaker 8: You know?
Speaker 4: Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 8: I'd like to introduce myself in Washman. My name is
Howard Scully. You and George were former as social statistuff
and we worked together a little.
Speaker 7: What can I do for you?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 8: George and I old friends. We're in business in Hong
Kong before the war. It's a nice fellow, George.
Speaker 7: Now I have a date down town. Happen now, I
don't have much time to talk.
Speaker 8: Sorry, I didn't realize you in such a way. I'll
get right to the coins. Yeah. My business partners and I
just came up in Mexicali a few days ago, and
we had some merchandise it's ready for the marketer. It's
good quality. I contacted George, thinking he might introduce me
to some perspective Bias said he didn't want to handle
any merchandise at this time. Why not, Oh, it's something
about the police. I seem to be watching me. I
just didn't want to take any part in any business
in George.
Speaker 7: Gave you a bump stair sending it to me.
Speaker 8: I can't help you haven't heard my proposition.
Speaker 7: I don't have to hear it. Count me out. I
don't fool around with junk any of it.
Speaker 8: It's a tough wrap out here. Well, you just listen
to my propositions. I'm not please. I'm not asking you
to be involved perfectly safe and legitimate transaction. In mind,
you'll be well paid for your time and effort with
no risk whatsoever.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I know, all you big connections make it sound good.
Speaker 8: George tells me you're acquainted to the right kind of people,
people with money. That's kind of people. Because my partners
and I want to meet you. All I'm asking you
to do is introduce me to a show such persons
for our mutual benefit, and then you just leave the
rest of me.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's still too much. If I give you an
office to a buyer and you were caught, they get
me conspira. I seen too much of it's alway's no.
Speaker 8: Say, well, you'll just have to believe me in this worseman,
no one's going to be caught. I'll we work in
an entirely different manner. But police haven't any idea of
our method of opera. We've tested it in six big
cities in the Orient and not once did it fail us.
And I tell you it's not going to fail us
here it's your story.
Speaker 7: Well it's I'm not chancing a wrap.
Speaker 8: To prove you're wrong. Boy. Yeah, do you want a cigarette?
Speaker 4: Yes?
Speaker 8: All right, that's right.
Speaker 7: Thanks.
Speaker 8: Now I'm only asking one thing, miss, was an introduction
to the right party, and that sort. Now you know
my reputation.
Speaker 4: I'll make it well where you was.
Speaker 8: If the connection is right. You can live on your
take for the rest of the year.
Speaker 7: I don't have many friends, just a few whom I
guaranteed for my payoffs.
Speaker 8: I like and deposit the money with George. You'll hold
it until the deal is made. Be real rich, miss Washman.
Come on, what do you say.
Speaker 7: An introduction that's all.
Speaker 8: That's all. We'll need product speaks for itself.
Speaker 7: I know a fell out in Hollywood. His name's McMillan.
I can call him, tell him to meet you.
Speaker 4: I'll be fine.
Speaker 7: I'm not going to introduce you. I'll set up a
meat for you. That's all.
Speaker 8: That's all we ask. Do you have this, mister McMillan. McMillan,
you have meet tonight. I think that's fine. Now to night,
at eleven thirty, I'll be at the corner of seventh
and Alimea. Remember this now, one, yeah, corner of seventh
and Alimeter at eleven thirty exactly. I'll have on a
great coat and I'll be carrying a book. McMillan shouldn't
have any trouble recognize you. Just tell him to walk
right up to me, put out his name and say
my name is McMillan. That's all I'll know if he's
the right party, my name is mcmellan.
Speaker 4: That's all.
Speaker 8: Yes, all right, Well, I'll make arrangements with George so
I as possible to take care of your fee. Thank
you very much, not at all.
Speaker 7: Just don't be too assured yourself.
Speaker 8: The fuzziness.
Speaker 7: Time to smell by three miles away.
Speaker 8: Take care of the police. Miss Washburner system shure to
teach him a few lessons. Well buy him, yeah a doctor,
don't come here after day call me on the phone.
Speaker 4: Yo, Wait a minute, she's going for the phone.
Speaker 7: Come on, just a manner.
Speaker 4: Try the doors locked.
Speaker 7: What do you want?
Speaker 4: Police officers? Alright? What's the pitch like to talk to
you downtown about? What? Howard Scully? What about him? We
know why I was here.
Speaker 6: I haven't done anything, lady, let's go.
Speaker 7: I told Sully I didn't want any He made the proposition,
but I didn't buy it.
Speaker 4: You know that I didn't buy a word of it.
Speaker 6: We did.
Speaker 5: Before the suspect was taken downtown, we informed her landlady
to tell anyone that she'd be out of town for
a week. That information was to be passed on any
of her friends or acquaintances who might try to contact it.
After that, we took May washburn back to the office
after being questioned thoroughly. She was detained for further investigation.
At two pm, Ben and I met with Captain Kearney,
sent for Narcotics and Inspector Virgil Beckner, State Narcotics Bureau
Southern Division one.
Speaker 6: Hundred thousand dollars buy?
Speaker 4: Is that what they have in mind?
Speaker 6: That's the word around Tom's gipper. Washburn girl told us
the same thing washburon the one was the approach for an office.
Speaker 5: Huh, yes, that's right, Beck. She was ready to go
when we picked her up. Pusher's Howard Scully. You remember
him about nine years ago, wasn't it? The two want to.
Speaker 4: Do eight or nine years?
Speaker 5: Yeah, that big heroin by They tagged every one of
the gang, but Scully.
Speaker 9: Yeah, he's no Amazon. He's got every narcotic law on
the book memorized. He sets the deals, takes the gravy,
but he never gets tagged. How about the federal narcotics
men and Romara. They've been briefed on this deal.
Speaker 6: I called Harry Steono that this morning. They've been following
it too, so he'd be over this afternoon. The setup
with this PC Millan guy, What do you think? Clear
sailing their Beck? As far as I can see, Scully
set up to meet with May Washburn, Ben and Joe
grabbed her before she could contact with Milan. As Scully's
got ouiji board, he still must figure everything's Jake.
Speaker 9: And then we could have a man meet with Scully
tonight and pass himself off as McMillan.
Speaker 5: There shouldn't be too much trouble. From the way he talks.
Scully's never seen McMillan, has no idea what he looks like.
Speaker 4: It's just a guess. Neither one of you are known
to Scully, are you? I never met him or his friends.
Speaker 6: I worked that case last February of when we grat
Ray Mardick. He used to be a meal for Scully.
That's suppose I've been. I'm afraid that's too close. You
know how many high friends Murdoch.
Speaker 4: Has in this town.
Speaker 6: If any of them spots him passed the words the Scully,
the whole deal's choked off. Joe, you think you could
pass yourself off as McMillan for a couple of days,
Like to give it a try back.
Speaker 4: What do you think? Good? As me? We can help
with the tailing. Only one possible hitch, I can see.
You know.
Speaker 9: We're not positive this guy McMillan is a total stranger
the Scully.
Speaker 4: And sure sounded like it didn't in Joe Westcully and
the Wissman girl would talk.
Speaker 9: It's possible Scully, he might have seen a picture of McMillan.
Maybe he knows something on his background, his habits, how
he does business as possible. Yeah, suppose Scully starts asking
the questions, Joe, how are you gonna come it?
Speaker 4: Well, we could talk to the Washburne girl again. She
might brief us.
Speaker 6: Now if we the guy's life history, let's pick it
up firsthand. Honeyman ket mc millan.
Speaker 5: Late that afternoon, Stanley McMillan was located at a small
restaurant out in the valley and quietly placed under arrest.
He was booked at one of the outlying stations on
suspicion of violating the State Narcotics Act. We questioned him
and got all the necessary information on his background that
we needed. He told us that he had never seen
or had any dealings before with Howard Scully. Seven thirty
p m. I went home, changed my clothes, put away
my gun, ID card and the rest of my identification.
An hour later, I checked in at a small hotel
near Fifth and Main Streets.
Speaker 4: Eleven fifteen p m.
Speaker 5: I left the hotel and started for Seventh in Alameda Streets,
where the scheduled meet with Howard Scully was to take place.
As in most cases, there was one all important rule
that I had to work by. If the suspects were
to be arrested and successfully prosecuted, we had to get
them with narcotics in their possession or under their control.
And one of the first things that the working detective
learns is the dealers such as Scully, rarely do the
actual handling of narcotics except at the actual moment of sale.
If the officer fails to make an arrest at that moment,
the odds are stacked heavily against the conviction.
Speaker 4: Of the narcotics criminal.
Speaker 5: Eleven thirty PM, I got to the corner of Seventh
and Alameda Streets. I walked up to a man standing
by the lamppost with short, heavily built, dark haired, dark eyes,
and the small scar in his chin. He had on
a gray coat and he carried a book under one arm.
I put out my hand. Yes, my name's McMillan.
Speaker 8: Oh, glad name, miss mc millan. My name is Scully.
Quiet understand we have a Mitchell friends, Is that Craig.
Speaker 4: That's what I'm told.
Speaker 8: You're from Louisiana originally New Orleans.
Speaker 4: No Oh, it's so. I thought you were from Louisiana
or Missouri Saint Louis. Oh, I see, I suppose we
go for drive. My hotel's down on fifth. We could
talk there. Oh, I think my cow would be better
when I can't afford to waste time, I get customers waiting.
Speaker 8: Oh, you can believe me, this won't be a waste
of time. I'm prepared to do business.
Speaker 4: I must go.
Speaker 8: Fine, O, correat, thanks. How will you raise a handling
the other side?
Speaker 4: So I get yeah, sure, fine, thank you. You can't
be too careful in la, I hear. Yeah, that's right.
There's a lot of heat. Oh, I hope now that's on.
You don't worry. I'm clean now tumbles. Would I be
here for there were? I got customers to protect, good customers. Fine,
you know right, we can do business. How much can
you handle it? How much you got? How about ten
thousand worths? Standard? Right for measure on the cut of
the sounds fair.
Speaker 5: We drove three more blocks, and then Scully pulled the
kit of a stop underneath the road of spreading palm
trees on a deserted street. He pulled the emergency brake
on and he turned to me, clamped my arms to
my side, shook me down.
Speaker 4: What's the pitch here?
Speaker 8: What's the idea? No offense, Collen, simple precaution in case
you had a gun.
Speaker 5: What do you take me for, mister, I'm not used
to doing business this way. That might go real great
and these but it's nothing out here.
Speaker 8: I said, no offense. It's a hot town. You could
be a fuzz. You can't be too careful, you know that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you don't have to pull that careful stuff with me.
Who set up this meat anyway?
Speaker 4: May all right? If you can't trust her, you can't
trust me, or maybe I'm not in the mood business.
Speaker 6: Come on, take it easy, Mac, work this right, and
we both got a good deal. Let's get to the point.
Where's this stuff?
Speaker 4: You bring the money, we'll bring the merchant. Wait a minute,
a car that pulled up behind this. Let's get out
of here.
Speaker 8: Get a nervous Mac. That acs that's my partner. Come on,
I'll in addition, all right, huh Jim, Jim, This is
mcmello Mac, my partner.
Speaker 6: Jim Rhoads, all right, yeah, do we do business hard guys?
All right, Jim, he's ready to score how much does
you want? Old bundle, Let's start with ten Can you
handle it?
Speaker 4: I'd say so If I couldn't, I don't give it away.
Speaker 6: You get the money, you get the stuff. When ten
g's worth tonight, the rest next week?
Speaker 4: Well midnight. Now, what do you expect me to do?
Bring the money with me hour to pick you up
at three am the same corner. Sure, it doesn't give
me much time.
Speaker 6: It's enough of time if you're really looking, If you're
just shopping, we forget about it right now.
Speaker 4: A lot of my customers live out of town.
Speaker 6: That's interesting.
Speaker 4: Ten grand is no geezer.
Speaker 5: Suppose I can't get all the money together, then don't
show up all or nothing.
Speaker 3: You are listening to dragnet authentic stories of your police
force in action.
Speaker 5: June twenty fifth, Thursday, twelve thirty am. I had two
and a half hours to raise ten thousand dollars the
narcotics dealers.
Speaker 4: Howard Scully and.
Speaker 5: His partner Jim Rhodes had laid it out for me.
Either I had the money by three am or there
was no deal. If it failed to come off, our
plan to trap the narcotics gang would be worth nothing.
Roads in Scully could possibly find another buyer without our knowledge,
make a deal and flood the market with their store
of narcotics. I knew it'd be impossible to get the
ten thousand dollars together. Had only one alternative, fake our
way as best we could. I went back to the hotel,
put a call through to Captain Kearney at the office
and told him what had happened.
Speaker 4: He went to work on it.
Speaker 5: From the narcotic Details emergency fund set up for such purposes,
we got together six hundred dollars from Chief of Detective's
Thad Brown, Deputy Chief White State Narcotics Bureau, and anyone
else available by phone. We succeeded in rounding up another
three hundred and fifty dollars two thirty am. The money
was tied in two small bundles with hundreds, fifties and
twenties on top. One dollar bills were sandwiched in between.
The two bundles were placed in a briefcase and delivered
to me at the hotel on Fifth Street. The gun
was also in the briefcase. I took it out, put
it in my pocket, closed the briefcase. Two forty five am.
I left the hotel with the money and started for
the big meat. Three am, seventh and Alimeter.
Speaker 8: Like Mela Scully, We're down this way.
Speaker 4: You have the money, your.
Speaker 5: Pal said, all or nothing? I got it, said a look,
how about the merchandise.
Speaker 4: You can check at the cards right down here.
Speaker 6: Roads. Hi got the money.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's right, I got the money. How about a
look at this stuff. I like to know what I'm buying.
Speaker 6: We can stop on the way for a sample. Okay,
hard care, have some mcmont.
Speaker 4: What do you got cash?
Speaker 6: Your nuts?
Speaker 8: Have some?
Speaker 4: Thank you.
Speaker 6: There's lots of heat in this town, cops, I think
us flies.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's rights. Rough time. I gotta be careful.
Speaker 6: That's raising anyway, when to start?
Speaker 5: About six weeks ago, bulls tagged some high school kids
half that number, huh or for Raley were regular hypes.
Speaker 4: Just punks, eighteen year olds, A couple of them or seventy.
You squirtch gay in.
Speaker 5: The heat's gonna get worse. One of the punks cash
in yesterday, read it in the paper overdose.
Speaker 4: I gonna help business. Well, I'll tell you one thing.
I'm playing close. I got good customers, and I'm not
gonna risk my neck.
Speaker 6: How much stuff do you think you can handle a month? McMillan, no, thanks,
no more.
Speaker 4: Oh I got about thirty main rinners.
Speaker 5: They're regular and they're sure eight ten ounces a week,
but they like good stuff.
Speaker 4: No Alley, hype jump Howard Massatodia's alway handle good stuff?
Goes right.
Speaker 6: We could make it a permanent connection with you.
Speaker 4: Well, like to see what you're offering first.
Speaker 6: I'll have a good look, all right. How are you
know where to pull up?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 6: You stand a comic mountain?
Speaker 4: All right, what do you want to take? Any want.
Speaker 9: You heard?
Speaker 6: All right, Mike, you can get out. Yep, there you go.
Some of the best white stuff you've seen in a
long time. Satisfy yourself. Oh all right, okay, standard, it's
all good, not just that sample.
Speaker 4: Okay, I'll go okay, now how about the money? All right?
Have a look. You are.
Speaker 5: One stack, two stacks, hundred and twenty tens, few five's
in there. It's ten grand satisfying.
Speaker 8: Okay, Jim, right, or excuse me, Mac just a minute,
I'm just checking.
Speaker 4: What do you think you're doing? Get your lousy hands
off of me. No, no offense. Mc millan needs a
simple precaution precautions. Nothing.
Speaker 5: We're doing business, aren't we. You shook me down once tonight?
Now how many times are gonna.
Speaker 4: Take you offense? Mac Us? Just check him? That's all? Well?
Speaker 9: Right?
Speaker 4: Then suppose I fan you two down? I got the dough.
How do I know this isn't a hijack deal? Now?
Speaker 5: Come on, this business works both ways. Either we have
a dealer, we don't, we play ball on both sides,
or not at all. I'm getting second tied of taking
second place.
Speaker 6: Okay, mac Okay, take it easy, forget it. How let's
all go back to the car. Sure, I'm sorry back
no offense?
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, let's close the deal. Where are were gonna go?
Speaker 6: Don't worry, it's a safe place, okay. Three point thirty
five am. In another hour, it'd start getting light. I
knew they'd planned to have the by take place before then.
According to our plan, Ben and Sergeant Hunt, along with
the other team of men from the State Narcotics Bureau,
they were to tail us to the place of the
meet and move in on a signal from me when
the by was actually in progress.
Speaker 4: Three forty five am, Scully drove.
Speaker 5: Out north figure Row on to Pasadena, Avenue and turned
right onto Avenue forty three.
Speaker 4: We headed up Montecito Drive. The area became more deserted.
Speaker 5: There were no homes around, no buildings of any kind
to provide cover for anybody that might be following. Somewhere below,
we could hear the rattle of a freight train on
its way to the Southern Pacific. Yards off in the distance,
I could see the lights of the city. I looked
pretty far away. Scully finally pulled the car to a
stop on the crest of the highest hill in the area.
Speaker 6: When we got out, what do you think make.
Speaker 4: A nice view?
Speaker 6: Yeah, spend a long time finding this spot.
Speaker 4: We'll prove Yeah.
Speaker 8: Bring him all ahead, jam let's shot it.
Speaker 4: Huh.
Speaker 6: You see there, clear view of everything down below, at
least half a mile in every direction. No chance getting
trapped up here.
Speaker 4: Pretty smart. This is the way I like to deal.
Speaker 8: There's any cops following us, we can see the lights
before they get here. Ony time cover up any evidence.
Cops ask questions, We tell them we're just looking at
railer stayed up here. It's pretty good.
Speaker 4: Huh. Well, I got a hand it to you. You
can't be too careful what you do for lookouts.
Speaker 6: Let me show you sway I swayed. Who's that friend? Yeah, Jim,
Well what's the pitch? Who is this guy? Business?
Speaker 4: Power?
Speaker 6: Howerd me sway does Mister McMullan.
Speaker 4: What do you say? How I do? But how many
people do you need to make a buyer roads? Huh?
Sweets all? Look at it's a big fellow. We got
enough people here for a Sunday picnic.
Speaker 6: We need to look out. You just got finished saying it.
We can't be too careful. Well, come on, let's wrap
it up. Whards this stuff, Sweeten, you want to go?
Speaker 4: Okay? How far does you have to go?
Speaker 6: Close by? Stuff was put away down the tall grass,
nobody ever found it. It's a good idea. I like
the way you operate. Sweet'll have this stuff for you
in a minute. How about the money? Should we count
it rather wait till Swede gets back?
Speaker 4: Okay, sweet for the car?
Speaker 6: Can't beat this spot? Ken you mcmony, No, it's good.
Speaker 8: You had no idea.
Speaker 4: How much time we spent looking for it? He did?
Real good? Yeah? Yeah, though, okay, thanks? Not the money? Huh?
Speaker 5: Well, how about counting it out here? I'd feel better
keeping an eye on that road down below.
Speaker 4: Okay, good idea. Oh, let's kind of mac. Huh yeah,
all right, there you go. There's one bundle and there's
the other kind of jim Yeah, snap it up.
Speaker 6: We've been here long enough.
Speaker 8: Ready cool. And there's quite a few one dollar bills here.
Speaker 4: Huh. Well, there's a few of them, but it's all there.
How it could be with all these ones?
Speaker 6: And let me see, don't bother the roads? Yeah, what
are you trying to fall?
Speaker 4: Get away from the car's colors? You too sweet?
Speaker 6: Put the gun down, Mac. You won't get away with your.
Speaker 4: Hands behind your head. That means you two roads. Nobody's
hijacked usmc collin. You're not going to be the first one.
There's no hijack, mister. This is the pinch, he said, fight,
he said, he said lousy first. I know we should
have fund him again.
Speaker 6: Shut up, powered, you know we can square this with
your mac. Five grand cold cash, no questions.
Speaker 4: You're talking to yourself, roads.
Speaker 6: I'll make a ten ten grand cash now. You can't
afford to pass that up.
Speaker 4: Come on, how about it, Mac, human just like we are,
you use it. You keep your hands behind your head.
Speaker 6: Miss, here's some sense copper sweets as strong as a
I could put him on you, he'd break every bone
in your body.
Speaker 4: You'll have to get past this gun first.
Speaker 8: You're not gonna stop all three of us. How do
you think you're gonna get back to town?
Speaker 4: I'll worry. You won't have to walk.
Speaker 6: I'll never get us downtown. Swee will break you in happy,
I'll kill you. You just give me an idea of roads. Huh,
you're pretty tough. Shouldn't bother you. I'll kill the Swede
right now. You and Scully can carry his body in
front of me. We'll start walking down that road. We
get the nearest place with the phone. I think that'll take.
Speaker 4: Care of it. Won it? He doesn't got the guts, Jim, turn.
Speaker 6: Around, Swede, Well, don't kill me.
Speaker 4: Messed out, I'll go away. Don't shoot turn around, Stay
where you are, Scully, don't don't killing Copper, don't kill Swede.
We'll do anything you say. Somebody coming. Look, Mac will
give you every time. We own fifty thousand bucks. They
tell him.
Speaker 6: Nothing's happened. Ben over here, fifty grand Mac.
Speaker 4: You can't lose alright, Joe, Bye bye, Hollo.
Speaker 7: That what.
Speaker 4: For three of them?
Speaker 6: Ben okay, all right, behind your back, come on, couldn't
get here any sooner, Joe, I had to park at
the bottom of the head well stand stillness yea. He
circled around on foot, climbed up through the grass.
Speaker 4: That's beginning to think I lost you. All right? You
two get him behind your back? Back, Hi, go, there's
the jump right here, these two packages. Yes, I let
us sew it up. Look, talk it all over your partner.
Is that fifty thousand bucks?
Speaker 6: You do the right thing.
Speaker 4: It's all yours. How about it? Fifty grands? You can't
lose what they're talking about, Jill. But they got a
big deal. They'll give us fifty thousand if we let
them go. How about it? Text?
Speaker 6: You could use the do new car, new house? Just
forget you ever saw us? He's he is a fifty
thousand cash.
Speaker 4: What do you say? Text? Huh, sorry, you got the
wrong man? What my name ain't text?
Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true, only the
names were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 4: In a moment, the results of their trial. Now here
is our star, Jack Webb, thank you.
Speaker 5: In his training, the working detective has taught the importance
of thoroughness is learn never to overlook even the smallest detail.
What may seem unimportant to the novice may well be
the one thing to help the working detective successfully culminate
his case.
Speaker 3: May Washburn, Howard Lewis, Kelly, James Henry Rhodes, and John
Swede Nelson were tried and convicted. They receive their sentences
as prescribed by law and are now serving their term
in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet, a
series of authentic cases portions transcribed from official files.
Speaker 2: This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. This is one of my all time favorite
Dragnet episodes. The whole subgenre of Dragnet episodes where Joe
Friday goes undercover to make a narcotics is one I
really enjoy, but this one particular is just brilliant because
Friday is operating in a very high risk situation and
is able to manipulate the criminals and overcome they're carefully
well thought out pre cautions. There's also a lot of
nerve with going into the drug buy with so little
of the money that's required. It's such a ticklish operation,
but he manages to make it work out by never
breaking character and always making subtle moves in a way
that the bad guys weren't going to get suspicious about.
It's just such a great story and such a great
undercover operation. Well, now we turn to listener comments and feedback,
and we have a really good question from YouTube, and
the listener writes, Adam, do you have any idea why
so many episodes of the original Dragon At TV series
are lost or missing? For me, it doesn't make sense.
The show was popular in syndication well into the seventies.
I might understand if the original films would go missing
and you're left with bad copies, or if only short
and syndicated edits are the only available ones, which would
rk me to know end, But perhaps half the series
vanished what happened. By comparison, Superman had a similar run,
and all but one episode from the first season had
their original masters accounted for, So for that one episode,
the names escaped me at the moment, were left with
a less than desirable copy, but at least we have
it in some form. Well, thanks so much. Now the answer,
and this is the best information I've been able to find,
comes back to syndication, and in many ways, the nineteen
fifties Dragnet TV series was a victim of the success
of the nineteen sixties TV series because, according to Hayde,
in the seventies, after Dragnet not to sixty seven through
seventy went off the air, it began to replace the
nineteen fifties TV series in syndication, which makes sense that
viewers would want to see the newer series. And there's
a reason for that as well, given that one of
the appeals of Dragnet originally was that it dealt with
the way police actually worked, and so in that regards,
it would be more interesting to see programs that were
recorded three or four years ago as opposed to programs
that were recorded fifteen or twenty years ago. And I
think to a lot of people, the nineteen sixties Dragnet
became Dragnet. It became the product that was really sold,
and the nineteen fifties series wasn't, And it was so
neglected that NBCU Universal neglected to renew the copyrights on
the entirety of the first three seasons of Dragnet, as
well as about a third of the fourth season, The
copyrights to most of season four and all of seasons
five and six would be renewed, but season seven wouldn't
be renewed, nor would most of season eight, And so
today it's safe to say that Dragnet as a property
is not particularly commercially viable. And that's an important distinction
with a Superman. The Adventures of Superman TV series was
often being re syndicated. There was no real later series
that took its place until arguably the nineties with Lewis
and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman. With Dragnet of
the nineteen fifties, you're dealing with something that essentially became
obsolete to what the copyright owners were doing, and which
is not particularly commercially profitable. Now.
Speaker 8: Of course, there are all.
Speaker 1: Kinds of stories out there about what happened to Dragnet
tapes and transfers. As far as I know, there's not
a large official archive of all the episodes, and there's
no incentive for NBAC to maintain those. And when we
talk about episodes of the nineteen fifties Dragnet TV series
that are out there, we're talking about those which are
known to be easily available to collectors, which numbers are
around sixty odd episodes of the two hundred and seventy
six that were produced during the series eight year run.
There are a number of episodes that are not publicly
available that are of or in existence elsewhere. If you
go to the Pailey Center at UCLA, the news ZIM
of Broadcasting in Chicago, or the Library of Congress in Washington,
d C. Or a wide variety of different other places
that hold individual episodes, you'll find more than is circulating.
And then of course you have private collectors who may
have an episode or two or three and could be
spread throughout the entire country. And I think in all
those cases the programs exist, but it doesn't actually get
to all the people out there. In the case of
those that are held by institutions, they're not in the
business of publishing publicly or television programs, and of course
there are liability issues if they're dealing with the non
public main episodes. And for private collectors, there's really not
a potential for profit, and they did not get into
collecting these episodes, the most of them with the goal
of publishing them, and there's rarely money in selling the
episodes they have in their collections. There are exceptions, for example,
when the nineteen sixties Dragnet episodes were being released on DVD.
A gentleman who was making the DVD extras actually got
a collector who owned a copy of the Dragnet episode
The Big Smoke to sell them a copy to include
as a DVD extras. Now, of course, there aren't any
new Dragnet nineteen sixties DVD releases being made, so there's
really not a commercial opportunity for most collectors. So we're
left with a situation where where if new Dragnet episodes
come into circulation, it's going to be in drips and drops.
For example, there's a company that has a YouTube channel
that came across three rare season seven episodes, I think
about a year ago, and so there will be those
little random editions. But I think the status of the
whole series makes it very commercially difficult to assemble a
complete set, and there's just not the incentive to do that.
All right, well, thank you so much. Now it is
time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day, and
I want to thank Vincent. Vincent's been one of our
Patreon supporters since June twenty nineteen, currently supporting the podcast
at the rookie level. Of two dollars or more per month.
Thanks so much for your support, Vincent, 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 where where you download
it from. We'll be back next Saturday with another episode
of Dragging at and next Tuesday we'll be bringing you
Martin Kine. But join us back here on Monday as
we began our whole line up again with an episode
of the Adventures of the Fault and where I.
Speaker 6: Wouldn't bother you, but there's nobody else I can turn
to love forever in your debt.
Speaker 4: Well, I don't think you're going to afford my prices.
Speaker 8: Ty, ain't no waiting.
Speaker 4: What do you think? I think you've been seeing too
many B movies?
Speaker 5: Where'd you get the idea you could bribe a private
detective with a kiss?
Speaker 8: I'm sorry I lost my head.
Speaker 4: That's a very pretty one. And what's the problem and
you will help? Well, actually it's really very simple.
Speaker 7: Did the man register here at the hotel in.
Speaker 4: Raymond Spence, Raymond Spence. Didn't the room clerk mention something
about him? I don't know?
Speaker 6: Did he yes he did.
Speaker 9: Seems a Spencer character is cleaning a gun this PM
and next time they shut himself on the shoulder.
Speaker 7: Oh well, Ray works for a man named Rathio Hernandos.
Hernandos is due here tonight. I want you to meet
him at the airport.
Speaker 4: What four?
Speaker 7: Well, how as can you kill him?
Speaker 4: It can be difficult.
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 ATAHOL. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.