Latest / Dragnet | Old Time Radio / Dragnet - "Big Grandma" (Old Time Radio, 1950)

Transcript

Dragnet - "Big Grandma" (Old Time Radio, 1950) · Dragnet | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: From the LAPD's forgery detail comes a case involving a
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: seemingly harmless older woman and a run of bad checks.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: On October 19, 1950, NBC presented Dragnet, Episode 71, Big Grandma.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Jack Webb is Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, joined by Barton
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Yarbrough as Sergeant Ben Romero as the two officers follow
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the paper trail through Los Angeles. Their assignment is to
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: connect the forged checks, the handwriting, and the woman responsible
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: before the latest round of passing them can continue. It
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: is the familiar police routine of Dragnet, the assignment, the evidence,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: and the patient work of the detectives. And now, our
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: story begins.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: The story you are about to hear is true. Only
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, brings you Dragnet.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: You're a detective sergeant.
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: You're assigned to forgery detail.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: An accomplished check forger resumes operations in your city. The
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: suspect's described as a middle-aged woman... She's written more than $ 20, 000
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: in bad checks. Your job.
• 1:32
  Speaker 4: Get her.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: In a moment, an authentic case from official files. Oh, no!
• 1:46
  Speaker 5: Ah, that's different.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: Yes, what a difference. In Fatima, the difference is quality.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: You see, Fatima is the quality king-size cigarette because it
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended. And
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Fatima is extra mild with a much different, much better
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. Because of
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: its quality, its extra mildness, its better flavor and aroma,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: Fatima's cost the same as other long cigarettes, but your
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: first puff will tell you.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Ah, that's different. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Ask your dealer for Fatima, the quality king-size cigarette. Best
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: of all, long cigarettes. Start enjoying Fatima tomorrow.
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: you will travel step by step on the side of
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: the law through an actual case from official police files.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: the story of your police force in action.
• 3:07
  Speaker 6: It was Monday, April 17th. It was warm in Los Angeles.
• 3:11
  Speaker 7: We were working the day watch out of forgery detail.
• 3:13
  Speaker 7: My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Elliott. My
• 3:16
  Speaker 7: name's Friday. I was on the way back into work,
• 3:19
  Speaker 7: and it was 7.53 a.m. when I got to room 29.
• 3:22
  Speaker 7: Forgery detail.
• 3:23
  Speaker 8: Morning, Joe.
• 3:26
  Speaker 9: Hi.
• 3:27
  Speaker 6: How'd the weekend go?
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: Oh, pretty slow. Stayed home, did some gardening.
• 3:31
  Speaker 6: How about that new lawn you put in? How's it doing?
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: If we want a lawn, we're gonna have to move.
• 3:35
  Speaker 6: What's the matter now?
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: Same old thing.
• 3:37
  Speaker 6: Gophers?
• 3:38
  Speaker 10: Must be hundreds of them. So many holes at the
• 3:40
  Speaker 10: top of the lung. Looks like an old punch board. No,
• 3:42
  Speaker 10: that's too bad. Can't you try some kind of poison
• 3:45
  Speaker 10: on them? How about those new things they got out?
• 3:48
  Speaker 10: What do they call them?
• 3:49
  Speaker 6: Gopher bombs?
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: I use them, but it doesn't. They eat anything.
• 3:53
  Speaker 9: Joe?
• 3:53
  Speaker 5: Ben?
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Ferguson.
• 3:54
  Speaker 8: Come on in, Captain.
• 3:55
  Speaker 5: Let's see it.
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: Okay. What's up, Fergie?
• 4:00
  Speaker 6: You ain't gonna like it.
• 4:01
  Speaker 9: Hmm?
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Skip will brief you.
• 4:06
  Speaker 10: Morning, Skipper.
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: Hi. Have a seat. Yeah, thanks. You two finished up
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: with the Benson case yesterday, that right?
• 4:12
  Speaker 6: Yeah, it's all washed up. We're clear.
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: Good.
• 4:14
  Speaker 7: Then you can start on this one right away. You'll
• 4:16
  Speaker 7: work with Frank Besser and Ferguson here.
• 4:19
  Speaker 6: What is it? Grandma.
• 4:21
  Speaker 7: I had a hunch, Joe. What have we done to
• 4:23
  Speaker 7: deserve this? It's nothing any of us have done. It's
• 4:26
  Speaker 7: what we haven't done. That water stopped once and for all.
• 4:29
  Speaker 7: Are we any closer to her than we have been, Fergie?
• 4:31
  Speaker 7: Just about the same, Joe. That's why I'm putting two
• 4:33
  Speaker 7: more of you on it. How well do you know
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: the case? Just what we've heard around the office.
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: Same here. I could stand some briefing. Ferguson?
• 4:40
  Speaker 6: Well, you must have heard how she operates.
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: Three months out of the year, April, October, and December,
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: that's all.
• 4:46
  Speaker 6: She's never been known to change that schedule? Not as
• 4:48
  Speaker 6: far as I know.
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: She's been doing it the same for nine years. All
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: the phony checks she cashes are personal checks.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 4:55
  Speaker 11: She never writes them less than $ 2 and never more
• 4:57
  Speaker 11: than $ 100.
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: Nine years? She been going that long?
• 5:00
  Speaker 6: Nine and a half.
• 5:01
  Speaker 7: It'll be an even ten this October. You want to
• 5:03
  Speaker 7: check them out on the totals, Ferguson? Mm-hmm.
• 5:07
  Speaker 11: Up to and including the first of this month, she's
• 5:09
  Speaker 11: cashed 1,273 checks.
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: The total's a little over $ 22, 000. Mm-hmm.
• 5:13
  Speaker 7: Anything special about the way she writes the checks? Nothing
• 5:18
  Speaker 7: but the signatures. There's an alias list down there that'll
• 5:20
  Speaker 7: knock your eye out. More than 200 different names.
• 5:23
  Speaker 10: Her description's still the same, about 50 years old, kind
• 5:25
  Speaker 10: of plump, nice face.
• 5:27
  Speaker 11: A few minor changes. Last year, she had gray hair,
• 5:31
  Speaker 11: dress very plain... This year she dyed her hair black,
• 5:34
  Speaker 11: dresses a little more expensively.
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: Nine years.
• 5:36
  Speaker 10: That's a long streak of luck for any paper hanger.
• 5:39
  Speaker 7: That's just it. This old gal's not just an ordinary
• 5:41
  Speaker 7: paper hanger. She's no amateur, don't get me wrong, but
• 5:44
  Speaker 7: she doesn't operate like any check forger I've ever known.
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: She contradicts part of her M.O., part of it she doesn't.
• 5:50
  Speaker 7: She takes chances an ordinary paper hanger would never take,
• 5:53
  Speaker 7: and she gets away with them.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: Take a look at just one of these exhibits.
• 5:56
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: This one here.
• 5:58
  Speaker 7: 28 checks passed on the same chain of grocery stores,
• 6:02
  Speaker 7: same company.
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: She passed them all in one month? No, that's just
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: the point.
• 6:06
  Speaker 7: Two years ago, she passed 14 of them, spread them
• 6:09
  Speaker 7: out over a period of a month. Last year, she
• 6:11
  Speaker 7: passed another batch of 14, all within three days. One year,
• 6:15
  Speaker 7: she used a different name on each check. On this batch,
• 6:17
  Speaker 7: she used the same name. Well, does she have any
• 6:19
  Speaker 7: identification when she passes these checks?
• 6:22
  Speaker 6: Always.
• 6:22
  Speaker 11: Phony driver's license, social security cards, it works. And she's
• 6:26
  Speaker 11: got that sweet grandmother smile to hers. Cooks rarely turn
• 6:29
  Speaker 11: her down when she shows up with a check.
• 6:31
  Speaker 7: You can get used to different descriptions of her, too.
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: Give the file a look.
• 6:34
  Speaker 7: Hardly three of the check victims can get together on
• 6:37
  Speaker 7: what she looks like exactly.
• 6:38
  Speaker 6: Where are they getting stung most, downtown or.
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: Out in the neighborhoods? The neighborhoods.
• 6:43
  Speaker 7: Anywhere from the beach area to the valley.
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: This whole file, Skipper, that's not just her work, is it?
• 6:48
  Speaker 7: Every last bit of it. We can't fit it in
• 6:50
  Speaker 7: a six-foot shelf. In nine years, I've had five teams
• 6:53
  Speaker 7: of men work this thing. None of them reached her.
• 6:55
  Speaker 7: You and Friday make the sixth.
• 6:57
  Speaker 6: It's April 17th. How's she doing so far this month, Fergie?
• 7:01
  Speaker 11: Cast $ 624 in checks we know of since the first
• 7:04
  Speaker 11: of the month. Same general description, same general M.O.
• 7:08
  Speaker 6: No fresh leads?
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: She's been operating nine years, Joe. Yeah.
• 7:11
  Speaker 6: Just as good as ever.
• 7:17
  Speaker 7: To the working detective, there's no tougher job than tracking
• 7:20
  Speaker 7: a lawbreaker who's half professional and half amateur. You can
• 7:23
  Speaker 7: expect a criminal who's entirely professional to react generally the
• 7:27
  Speaker 7: same in a given set of circumstances. The same with
• 7:30
  Speaker 7: the amateur. But take the two, the professional and the amateur,
• 7:34
  Speaker 7: and intermingle their possible and probable reactions. You'll likely have
• 7:38
  Speaker 7: a sound reason why and how an elderly woman could
• 7:40
  Speaker 7: victimize merchants with $ 20, 000 in bad checks over a period
• 7:43
  Speaker 7: of nine years without being caught. Grandma, as she'd come
• 7:48
  Speaker 7: to be known, worked only three months out of each year, April, October,
• 7:52
  Speaker 7: and December. Her apparent fine sense of timing and her
• 7:55
  Speaker 7: knowledge of psychology was far and away superior to.
• 7:57
  Speaker 6: That of the ordinary paper hanger.
• 7:59
  Speaker 7: If the file on Grandma was any indication, she apparently
• 8:02
  Speaker 7: had been born to be a successful check forger. After
• 8:05
  Speaker 7: Ben and I spent three days on the case with
• 8:07
  Speaker 7: Sergeants Ferguson and Besser, we were almost convinced that there
• 8:09
  Speaker 7: was only one way we could reach the suspect. She
• 8:11
  Speaker 7: had to make a mistake.
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: Bergen, how'd you do?
• 8:16
  Speaker 6: Pretty sour.
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: Four checks in two days. What'd you fellas get? Two.
• 8:21
  Speaker 6: Don Meyer checked the signatures. They're all hers.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Here's our list, if you're interested.
• 8:26
  Speaker 11: Meat market out in Pico, $ 25. Grocery in West Hollywood, $ 48.
• 8:31
  Speaker 11: Two department stores downtown.
• 8:32
  Speaker 6: $ 100 a piece. How do they describe the woman?
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: Same old yarn.
• 8:36
  Speaker 11: She was a nice, charming little lady, about 55 or 60. Small,
• 8:40
  Speaker 11: dark hair, green. Dark eyes, nice smile. Clerk told me
• 8:44
  Speaker 11: she reminded him of his mother.
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: Yeah. How'd you make out on those two of yours?
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: All about the same. Even the story about her looking
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: like somebody's mother.
• 8:52
  Speaker 6: One thing's sure. Her timing's just as good as it
• 8:54
  Speaker 6: was nine years ago.
• 8:55
  Speaker 10: Downtown Merchants Association's screaming again. They're looking for action.
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: So are we. Did you talk to Captain today?
• 9:01
  Speaker 6: Yeah. He's looking for action, too.
• 9:03
  Speaker 7: I don't know what we can do unless we get
• 9:05
  Speaker 7: some kind of cooperation from the merchants. Every time the
• 9:08
  Speaker 7: old gal pushes a bum check, it's three or four
• 9:10
  Speaker 7: days before it gets to the bank and we hear
• 9:12
  Speaker 7: about it.
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: The trail's pretty cold by then.
• 9:15
  Speaker 10: Joe and I were talking just before you came in, Fergie.
• 9:17
  Speaker 10: We can't expect too much to happen the way we're going.
• 9:19
  Speaker 11: Any ideas?
• 9:21
  Speaker 6: More men and more stakeouts. The captain says he'll buy that.
• 9:23
  Speaker 6: That's about all we can do.
• 9:25
  Speaker 11: Another ten days and April will be over. Grandma will
• 9:28
  Speaker 11: be through pushing checks till October again.
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: I don't know, Joe.
• 9:32
  Speaker 10: Her formula's too perfect for me. There's got to be
• 9:34
  Speaker 10: a flaw in it someplace.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 9:37
  Speaker 7: You got out a bulletin of that revised description of her, Fergie?
• 9:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's all taken care of.
• 9:41
  Speaker 11: Special notices were mailed out to the merchants, too.
• 9:44
  Speaker 9: Again?
• 9:44
  Speaker 12: Yeah.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: Forgery, Romero? Yes, sir. What's that? That's so.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Here right away, thank you. Supermarket on Temple Street. Grandma.
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: Hit him with two checks.
• 10:00
  Speaker 6: Any lead?
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: Clerk says she reminded him of his money.
• 10:03
  Speaker 8: A week passed.
• 10:10
  Speaker 6: The number of stakeouts on business places throughout the city
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: was doubled. The M.O.
• 10:14
  Speaker 7: And description of the suspect was circulated among the merchants
• 10:17
  Speaker 7: in the downtown and suburban shopping centers.
• 10:19
  Speaker 6: Clerks were especially warned to be on the lookout for.
• 10:23
  Speaker 7: The precautions went for nothing. Grandma's checks kept showing up
• 10:26
  Speaker 7: at the rate of two and three a day. On
• 10:28
  Speaker 7: April 27th, she passed a check for.
• 10:31
  Speaker 6: $ 50 at the Delicatessen on Hollywood Boulevard. We drove out
• 10:33
  Speaker 6: to interview the owner, Mr. Hemmerson.
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: Do you have one of those circulars we sent out
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: on this woman?
• 10:39
  Speaker 13: Well, I'm ashamed to say it, Sergeant, but I have,
• 10:41
  Speaker 13: hanging right back there.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: In the storeroom.
• 10:44
  Speaker 13: The thing of it is, I never connected the two,
• 10:47
  Speaker 13: the woman and the notice.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: The way she looks.
• 10:49
  Speaker 13: At you, you know Like you'd be a heel to
• 10:52
  Speaker 13: even question her How was.
• 10:54
  Speaker 6: She dressed the last time she was in? Do you remember?
• 10:56
  Speaker 13: Well, she had kind of a plain black coat on.
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: Say, would you excuse me a minute? I don't like
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: to keep customers waiting Oh, sure, go ahead, yes How.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Are you, Mrs.
• 11:08
  Speaker 4: Lyons?
• 11:09
  Speaker 12: Need some cold meat for kids' lunches What do you
• 11:11
  Speaker 12: got nice and fresh?
• 11:13
  Speaker 13: See right there in the case Head cheese is very
• 11:16
  Speaker 13: fresh Good for the kiddies Mendo loaf's nice, too.
• 11:20
  Speaker 14: Oh, kids don't like either one.
• 11:22
  Speaker 5: Bussy.
• 11:23
  Speaker 12: You better give me 35 cents that small bologna, would you?
• 11:26
  Speaker 8: Yes, ma'am.
• 11:43
  Speaker 12: Kids are so fussy nowadays.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: Ought to be in Europe.
• 11:47
  Speaker 12: That's what I tell him. I know what it is
• 11:50
  Speaker 12: to go hungry. Oh, you better give me a couple
• 11:56
  Speaker 12: of those large kosher pickles, too. Husband's crazy for them.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: Yes, ma'am.
• 12:03
  Speaker 12: And a loaf of the rye, too. Would you no see?
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am. How are the kiddies doing in school, Mrs.
• 12:11
  Speaker 9: Lyons?
• 12:11
  Speaker 12: Oh, it's fine, fine. Marilyn's in a school pageant next month.
• 12:18
  Speaker 14: She's going to be the queen.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's nice.
• 12:21
  Speaker 12: Well, I don't know how nice it is.
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: More work, that's all.
• 12:26
  Speaker 12: I have to make her costume.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: There you are, Mrs.
• 12:31
  Speaker 6: Lyons.
• 12:32
  Speaker 13: Put it on the bill?
• 12:33
  Speaker 12: Yeah, would you do that? I'll see you the 15th
• 12:35
  Speaker 12: of the month.
• 12:36
  Speaker 10: Yes, ma'am.
• 12:36
  Speaker 6: Goodbye.
• 12:37
  Speaker 14: Uh-huh, goodbye.
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: Sorry to keep you waiting, officer.
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: That's all.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: I see now.
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: Where was I?
• 12:47
  Speaker 6: Well, we asked you how the woman was dressed. Oh, yeah.
• 12:49
  Speaker 13: Had a black coat on.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: I told you that.
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
• 12:52
  Speaker 13: Very plain-looking clothes, like any other housewife. Print dress, some
• 12:57
  Speaker 13: kind of a scarf around the neck. That's about all
• 13:01
  Speaker 13: I noticed.
• 13:01
  Speaker 10: How about that description of her in the bulletin we
• 13:04
  Speaker 10: sent you?
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: That fit her pretty well? Yeah, I guess so.
• 13:06
  Speaker 13: She didn't exactly seem plump to me, though. Kind of
• 13:09
  Speaker 13: a nice figure for a woman of her age.
• 13:12
  Speaker 6: Do you know if any of your customers were acquainted
• 13:14
  Speaker 6: with her?
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't know that.
• 13:17
  Speaker 13: She acted as though she knew some of them, but
• 13:19
  Speaker 13: now that this has happened, I can see she was
• 13:21
  Speaker 13: just putting on.
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: She was a great disappointment to me.
• 13:25
  Speaker 6: She is to a lot of people.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: I used to josh with her all the time.
• 13:28
  Speaker 8: I'm a widower, you know.
• 13:30
  Speaker 13: Thought once or twice I might even date her up.
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: That so?
• 13:34
  Speaker 13: Yeah, she seemed like a real good sport. Joshing all
• 13:36
  Speaker 13: the time, fine personality, just as homey as you please.
• 13:40
  Speaker 6: Well, that fits in with the other descriptions.
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: How are you ever going to catch somebody like that?
• 13:48
  Speaker 7: Two days later, on April 30th, right on schedule, the
• 13:51
  Speaker 7: flow of bogus checks in Grandma's handwriting suddenly stopped. If
• 13:55
  Speaker 7: she continued to work by the same timetable she'd been
• 13:57
  Speaker 7: using for the last nine years, she wouldn't start operations
• 14:00
  Speaker 7: again until the first of October. During the next five
• 14:03
  Speaker 7: months that followed, from May to the end of September, Besser, Ferguson, Ben,
• 14:06
  Speaker 7: and I handled the usual run of check cases. At
• 14:09
  Speaker 7: the same time, we used up every spare hour we
• 14:11
  Speaker 7: had making preparations for the suspect's next appearance. Every businessman
• 14:16
  Speaker 7: throughout the city who might be a possible victim was alerted.
• 14:18
  Speaker 7: A revised description of the suspect, together with her M.O.,
• 14:21
  Speaker 7: was printed up and given wide distribution. Every possible precaution
• 14:24
  Speaker 7: was taken. October came. Grandma started on the tenth year
• 14:29
  Speaker 7: of her forgery career without a hitch. On October 1st,
• 14:32
  Speaker 7: she cast a check for $ 75 at a large downtown
• 14:35
  Speaker 7: women's shop. As soon as we got the report, we
• 14:37
  Speaker 7: went to the department where the check had been received.
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: A fashion show was in progress.
• 14:43
  Speaker 14: She's wearing an evil black velvet dinner suit.
• 14:46
  Speaker 12: The newest shade for evening wear.
• 14:48
  Speaker 14: You will notice the pencil-slipped skirt and the doll with
• 14:51
  Speaker 14: three-quarter sleeves.
• 14:53
  Speaker 8: Excuse me.
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: Are you Mr. Montrose?
• 14:57
  Speaker 9: Yes.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: What is it? Police officers, sir.
• 14:59
  Speaker 6: Forgery detail.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: Oh, yes, that check. I wonder if you could hold
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: on for just a moment.
• 15:05
  Speaker 6: Yes, sir.
• 15:07
  Speaker 12: Miss Janet Forgynex.
• 15:08
  Speaker 15: She wears a gown of striking originality with rich.
• 15:11
  Speaker 10: But simple lines.
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: Hey, Joe.
• 15:16
  Speaker 9: What kind of outfit is that that the model's wearing?
• 15:20
  Speaker 14: I don't know.
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: How much do it?
• 15:21
  Speaker 4: All right, officers.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: Would you like to step this way, please?
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: This is my office here.
• 15:46
  Speaker 16: Well, I don't know what I can do for you, gentlemen.
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: The check was passed. Very unfortunate occurrence.
• 15:51
  Speaker 7: You okayed the check for cashing, is that correct?
• 15:53
  Speaker 16: Yes, the sales girl handled the transaction. She showed me
• 15:56
  Speaker 16: the check. I knew the signature, so I okayed it.
• 15:58
  Speaker 6: Mary Walker?
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: Yes, that's how this check was signed.
• 16:01
  Speaker 10: What kind of identification did the woman have?
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: Her charge account plate.
• 16:05
  Speaker 16: You know, the small metal card charge plates we call them.
• 16:07
  Speaker 16: I recognized that from signature immediately. You know this Mary
• 16:10
  Speaker 16: Walker pretty well. She's one of our best customers.
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: You are listening to Dragnet. Authentic stories of your police
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: force in action.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Oh, no.
• 16:35
  Speaker 5: Ah, that's different.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: Yes, what a difference. There's a difference you can hear,
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: there's a difference you can see, but the difference in
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: Fatima is quality. Yes, friends, when you compare long cigarettes,
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: you'll find that in Fatima, the difference is quality. Quality
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: of tobaccos. The finest Turkish and domestic varieties, extra mild
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: and superbly blended to give you a much different, much
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: Quality of manufacture. Smooth, plump cigarettes rolled in the finest
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: paper money can buy.
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: Quality even to the appearance of the bright, clean, yellow package.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: Carefully wrapped and sealed to bring you Fatima's rich, fresh,
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: extra mild flavor.
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: Fatima's cost the same as other long.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: Cigarettes, but your first puff will tell you... Ah, that's different. Yes,
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: in Fatima, the difference is quality. Ask your dealer for Fatima,
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: the quality king-size cigarette. Best of all, long cigarettes. Start
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: enjoying Fatima tomorrow. Friday, October 4th, 2 p.m.
• 17:54
  Speaker 7: Before we left the store, we found that another worthless
• 17:57
  Speaker 7: check bearing the signature Mary Walker had been cashed in
• 17:59
  Speaker 7: a different department of the store the same day... The
• 18:02
  Speaker 7: woman had used the same means of identification, a metal
• 18:05
  Speaker 7: charge account plate stamped with the name Mary Walker.
• 18:08
  Speaker 6: We took the two checks back to the office and
• 18:10
  Speaker 6: had Don Meyer in handwriting compare the signatures.
• 18:13
  Speaker 7: There wasn't any doubt in his mind. The writing on
• 18:15
  Speaker 7: both checks was Grandma's. Well, it was only a hunch,
• 18:18
  Speaker 7: but it was beginning to look as though the suspect had.
• 18:20
  Speaker 6: Finally done what we'd been waiting nine years for her
• 18:22
  Speaker 6: to do. She'd made a mistake. Ben and I drove
• 18:25
  Speaker 6: out to an address in the Wilshire district to interview Mrs.
• 18:27
  Speaker 6: Mary Walker. She fit the same.
• 18:29
  Speaker 7: General description of the suspect, but she denied writing either
• 18:32
  Speaker 7: one of the checks, which bore her signature.
• 18:34
  Speaker 14: It's out of the question, Sergeant. I couldn't have written
• 18:37
  Speaker 14: the checks. I haven't even been in the city for
• 18:40
  Speaker 14: the past five days.
• 18:42
  Speaker 10: Then the signatures on these two checks here, Mrs. Walker,
• 18:44
  Speaker 10: they're not yours.
• 18:45
  Speaker 14: It looks like my handwriting, but it's not. I didn't
• 18:49
  Speaker 14: write those checks. They're forgeries.
• 18:51
  Speaker 6: Yes, ma'am. You do have a charge account at the store,
• 18:54
  Speaker 6: don't you, ma'am?
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes.
• 18:55
  Speaker 14: I've had an account there for years. Nothing like this
• 18:58
  Speaker 14: has ever happened, though.
• 19:00
  Speaker 6: Do you have one of those charge account plates?
• 19:02
  Speaker 14: Well, yes, I did have one.
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: You lent it to someone in your family? No.
• 19:07
  Speaker 14: As a matter of fact, I lost it. I meant
• 19:10
  Speaker 14: to report it to the store, but it slipped my mind.
• 19:13
  Speaker 6: Do you have any idea where and when you might
• 19:15
  Speaker 6: have lost it?
• 19:16
  Speaker 14: Well, I think it was last Sunday night. I'm not sure.
• 19:20
  Speaker 5: Oh.
• 19:21
  Speaker 14: Well, just a minute. I know who would remember. Inez Lambert.
• 19:25
  Speaker 14: She was there. I'm sure she'll remember.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: Who's she, ma'am?
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: A girlfriend of mine. She lives in the neighborhood.
• 19:39
  Speaker 14: Hello, Inez.
• 19:41
  Speaker 5: Mary Walker, Inez.
• 19:43
  Speaker 14: Oh, just fine.
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: And you?
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: Oh, good.
• 19:48
  Speaker 14: Say, Inez, what's... was it we went to the boosters
• 19:51
  Speaker 14: club meeting Sunday?
• 19:54
  Speaker 12: Yes, I thought that it was.
• 19:56
  Speaker 5: Oh, nothing.
• 19:58
  Speaker 14: Just some silly misunderstanding. Well, all right, Inez. Thanks for
• 20:04
  Speaker 14: remembering for me.
• 20:07
  Speaker 15: Yes, goodbye.
• 20:10
  Speaker 14: It was Sunday night, Sergeant. Inez Lambert and I went
• 20:13
  Speaker 14: to the neighborhood boosters club meeting. I'm sure that's where
• 20:15
  Speaker 14: I must have lost it.
• 20:17
  Speaker 7: Well, you think the charge account plate fell out of
• 20:19
  Speaker 7: your purse, is that it?
• 20:20
  Speaker 14: Well, either that or it was taken.
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: Why do you say that, ma'am?
• 20:24
  Speaker 14: Well, it's a serious thing. I didn't want to mention it.
• 20:28
  Speaker 6: What's that?
• 20:29
  Speaker 14: I left my purse on the chair next to me
• 20:31
  Speaker 14: a part of the evening. When I got home, I
• 20:34
  Speaker 14: thought I was missing a $ 5 bill for my change purse. I...
• 20:38
  Speaker 14: I didn't notice at the time my charger plate was gone.
• 20:41
  Speaker 6: Do you remember who was at that meeting, Miss Walker?
• 20:44
  Speaker 14: Oh, 40 or 50 people at least.
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: How many women would you say?
• 20:48
  Speaker 14: A dozen or so, I suppose. I'm not accusing anybody
• 20:53
  Speaker 14: of robbery, Sergeant. I know it's a serious charge to make.
• 20:57
  Speaker 6: Do you know if one of the club officers might
• 20:59
  Speaker 6: have taken a list of those present?
• 21:01
  Speaker 14: Oh, they didn't have to. We do the same thing
• 21:03
  Speaker 14: at every meeting.
• 21:05
  Speaker 6: What's that mean?
• 21:05
  Speaker 14: We all sign the attendance book when we leave.
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: 3 p.m.
• 21:12
  Speaker 7: Ben and I contacted the secretary of the Neighborhood Boosters Club.
• 21:16
  Speaker 7: He gave us a list of those present at the
• 21:17
  Speaker 7: Sunday night meeting of the club. As Mary Walker had
• 21:20
  Speaker 7: told us, each person present had signed his or her
• 21:22
  Speaker 7: name and address in the attendance book. We took the
• 21:25
  Speaker 7: record downtown with us and had Don Meyer compare each
• 21:27
  Speaker 7: signature on the list with samples of Grandma's handwriting.
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: Number 32 on the list, fellas.
• 21:33
  Speaker 6: That's it.
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: Positive, Mick?
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: No doubt in my mind.
• 21:37
  Speaker 6: She signed it.
• 21:38
  Speaker 8: Mrs.
• 21:38
  Speaker 6: Inez Lambert.
• 21:43
  Speaker 7: We went down the hall to R & I and
• 21:45
  Speaker 7: had them check the name Inez Lambert through the files.
• 21:48
  Speaker 6: She had no criminal record.
• 21:50
  Speaker 7: Together with Besser and Ferguson, Ben and I spent the
• 21:52
  Speaker 7: next day and a half trailing Inez Lambert wherever she went.
• 21:55
  Speaker 7: She fitted the description of the suspect perfectly. We questioned
• 21:58
  Speaker 7: her friends and her neighbors. We dug back into every
• 22:01
  Speaker 7: corner of her life for the.
• 22:02
  Speaker 6: Past ten years. The results were pretty amazing.
• 22:05
  Speaker 7: We found that she was highly respected by everybody she knew.
• 22:08
  Speaker 7: She was active in a dozen civic and church organizations.
• 22:11
  Speaker 7: Her reputation was spotless. There was only one hitch.
• 22:14
  Speaker 6: Mrs. Lambert's hobby was charities.
• 22:17
  Speaker 7: By checking back, we found that during the past ten years,
• 22:20
  Speaker 7: she donated an average.
• 22:21
  Speaker 6: Of $ 3, 000.
• 22:22
  Speaker 7: Annually to various charitable organizations. Her husband's total annual income was.
• 22:27
  Speaker 6: $ 7, 000.
• 22:28
  Speaker 7: From her bank, we obtained specimens of Inez Lambert's handwriting.
• 22:31
  Speaker 7: It matched almost perfectly with every signature in the grandma file.
• 22:35
  Speaker 6: Monday, October 7th. Ben and I called on Mrs. Lambert.
• 22:39
  Speaker 5: Oh, yes, officers. Won't you come in? Mary Walker was
• 22:42
  Speaker 5: telling me about you. Come in, please.
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: Thank you, ma'am.
• 22:45
  Speaker 6: Thank you.
• 22:46
  Speaker 15: Mary told me about the things missing from her purse
• 22:49
  Speaker 15: at the meeting. Is that what you're inquiring about?
• 22:51
  Speaker 6: Yes, ma'am. We've got a few other questions to ask
• 22:53
  Speaker 6: you besides that.
• 22:54
  Speaker 15: Well, you sort of caught me at a bad time.
• 22:57
  Speaker 15: Just getting ready to put some baking in the oven
• 22:59
  Speaker 15: for dinner tonight. Would you mind very much if we
• 23:02
  Speaker 15: talked back in the kitchen? I've got to get this done.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: No, not at all, ma'am.
• 23:05
  Speaker 15: It's back this way. Oh, there goes my cream sauce again,
• 23:14
  Speaker 15: boiled over. Just take a chair there, officers. I'll be
• 23:17
  Speaker 15: right with you.
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: Oh, thanks.
• 23:21
  Speaker 15: Cream sauce is so temperamental, can't take your eye off
• 23:24
  Speaker 15: it for a minute.
• 23:27
  Speaker 5: There.
• 23:27
  Speaker 15: Shouldn't boil over now. Would either of you officers care
• 23:32
  Speaker 15: for a cup of cocoa? Chilly out today.
• 23:34
  Speaker 6: Well, no, thank you, ma'am. We only have a few
• 23:36
  Speaker 6: questions for you. It won't take long.
• 23:38
  Speaker 5: Yes, all right. Would you mind holding this bowl just
• 23:41
  Speaker 5: a minute, Sergeant?
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: Oh, oh, yes.
• 23:44
  Speaker 15: I just have to get this in the oven for dinner.
• 23:46
  Speaker 15: My husband's favorite dessert. It's called pinch pie. It's kind
• 23:49
  Speaker 15: of a meringue tart.
• 23:50
  Speaker 4: Let me see.
• 23:53
  Speaker 5: Take two eggs, I guess. And there we are.
• 23:59
  Speaker 15: Get these egg whites beaten up nice and light. That
• 24:03
  Speaker 15: cup of sugar on the sink, Sergeant, would you be
• 24:06
  Speaker 15: so kind?
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, all right.
• 24:07
  Speaker 4: Here's your sugar, ma'am.
• 24:12
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 24:13
  Speaker 9: Now.
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: What is it you wanted to know?
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: Mrs.
• 24:16
  Speaker 10: Walker had her charge account plate stolen that night at
• 24:18
  Speaker 10: the boosters club meeting. Somebody's been using it to cash
• 24:22
  Speaker 10: bad checks in her name.
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: Is that so? Mary didn't tell me that.
• 24:26
  Speaker 7: The same person who's using that charge account plate has
• 24:28
  Speaker 7: been cashing bad checks all over the city.
• 24:30
  Speaker 6: She's been doing it for some time.
• 24:32
  Speaker 5: Oh, my.
• 24:34
  Speaker 15: Well, I don't think I can help you, Sergeant. I
• 24:36
  Speaker 15: went to that meeting with Mary. She says somebody must
• 24:39
  Speaker 15: have been in her purse, but I didn't see them.
• 24:42
  Speaker 6: Do you have that charge account plate, Mrs. Lambert?
• 24:44
  Speaker 10: Me?
• 24:45
  Speaker 5: Oh, no, I have my own.
• 24:46
  Speaker 4: Now, let me see.
• 24:48
  Speaker 15: Teaspoon vanilla, teaspoon vinegar, teaspoon water combined in a small
• 24:54
  Speaker 15: pitcher or cup.
• 24:55
  Speaker 10: We've got good reason to believe you have that charge
• 24:58
  Speaker 10: account plate, ma'am.
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: Did you take it from Mrs. Walker?
• 25:01
  Speaker 15: That's a silly thing for you to say, Sergeant. I
• 25:03
  Speaker 15: told you I have my own charge plate. I never
• 25:06
  Speaker 15: borrow anyone else's, no reason to. Add a few drops
• 25:10
  Speaker 15: of combined liquid and constantly.
• 25:14
  Speaker 6: Did you cash two checks last week and sign them
• 25:16
  Speaker 6: with Mrs. Walker's name?
• 25:18
  Speaker 5: Why, of course not.
• 25:18
  Speaker 15: Why should I do such a thing? Mary Walker's one
• 25:21
  Speaker 15: of my best friends. I wouldn't do that to her,
• 25:23
  Speaker 15: even as a joke.
• 25:25
  Speaker 6: Well, our handwriting man compared the signatures on those two checks, Mrs. Lambert.
• 25:29
  Speaker 6: Both of them match your handwriting.
• 25:31
  Speaker 15: And all of the ingredients have been added. Continue to
• 25:35
  Speaker 15: beat the meringue for several minutes.
• 25:39
  Speaker 5: Oh, I'm sorry. What was that you said, Sergeant?
• 25:42
  Speaker 7: I said that the signatures on those two forged checks,
• 25:46
  Speaker 7: our handwriting man compared them with specimens of your signature.
• 25:49
  Speaker 6: They both match.
• 25:50
  Speaker 15: Well, then your handwriting man certainly made a mistake.
• 25:54
  Speaker 5: There's a large white platter up in that cupboard there.
• 25:56
  Speaker 5: Would you read it for me, please?
• 25:58
  Speaker 6: All right.
• 26:05
  Speaker 4: There you are, ma'am.
• 26:06
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 26:09
  Speaker 7: Now, you deny that you wrote those two forged checks
• 26:11
  Speaker 7: last week? You deny that you've written and cashed about 1,500
• 26:14
  Speaker 7: worthless checks in the last nine years?
• 26:16
  Speaker 5: Well, of course I deny it.
• 26:18
  Speaker 14: You're sure you haven't made a mistake?
• 26:22
  Speaker 6: We're sure, ma'am. I'm sorry. You'll have to come downtown
• 26:24
  Speaker 6: with us for questions. What's that?
• 26:26
  Speaker 4: Oh, my.
• 26:27
  Speaker 15: It's the cream sauce again. Sargent, I can't leave the
• 26:39
  Speaker 15: house now, right in the middle of getting dinner ready.
• 26:42
  Speaker 15: My husband would be furious.
• 26:43
  Speaker 5: If you want to talk, couldn't we do it later on?
• 26:46
  Speaker 6: I'm sorry, ma'am.
• 26:47
  Speaker 4: Afraid not.
• 26:48
  Speaker 15: But you certainly can't accuse me of doing anything wrong.
• 26:51
  Speaker 5: The folks at the church will vouch for me.
• 26:53
  Speaker 10: We've got just as many people who say you've cheated them.
• 26:56
  Speaker 10: People who cashed those checks for you.
• 26:58
  Speaker 6: Quite a few of them, ma'am. Nine years worth.
• 27:01
  Speaker 15: But that silly nine years cashing checks, I'm sure you
• 27:04
  Speaker 15: must mean somebody else, Sargent.
• 27:07
  Speaker 5: I've got to get this platter greased.
• 27:08
  Speaker 4: Let's see.
• 27:10
  Speaker 5: Heat meringue upon lightly greased platter here.
• 27:22
  Speaker 7: Look, we have a record downtown on every single check
• 27:25
  Speaker 7: that you've passed since you started, ma'am. We've got specimens
• 27:28
  Speaker 7: of your handwriting and people to identify you. We know
• 27:30
  Speaker 7: what your income is. We know how much that you've
• 27:32
  Speaker 7: given to charities.
• 27:33
  Speaker 10: Money's got to come from someplace. Is that what the
• 27:37
  Speaker 10: checks were for?
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: Excuse me.
• 27:39
  Speaker 5: I've got to get this meringue in.
• 27:42
  Speaker 14: The oven.
• 27:48
  Speaker 5: 275 degrees. Yeah. I hope I put in enough vanilla.
• 28:05
  Speaker 6: You want to tell us about it?
• 28:08
  Speaker 5: I never thought about anyone finding out. I guess I
• 28:12
  Speaker 5: should have expected it, shouldn't I?
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
• 28:16
  Speaker 9: It was all for charity. There were so many of them.
• 28:21
  Speaker 5: Orphanages. Old people's home. Christmas poor fund.
• 28:26
  Speaker 15: And then the overseas relief charities.
• 28:29
  Speaker 5: They all need money. Somebody has to take care of them.
• 28:33
  Speaker 4: Your husband knew nothing about this for ten years?
• 28:36
  Speaker 5: Nothing at all. They were my charities. I had to
• 28:41
  Speaker 5: have money for them.
• 28:43
  Speaker 9: I took money from people who had it and gave
• 28:45
  Speaker 9: it to those who didn't. What do you think, Sergeant?
• 28:49
  Speaker 6: Hmm?
• 28:52
  Speaker 5: Was I wrong? Do you think the good Lord will
• 28:54
  Speaker 5: say I was wrong?
• 28:55
  Speaker 6: I wouldn't know, ma'am.
• 28:56
  Speaker 5: I only wanted to help the poor like he did.
• 29:01
  Speaker 5: I came to help the poor.
• 29:02
  Speaker 6: Well, there's a big difference, ma'am.
• 29:04
  Speaker 5: Yes?
• 29:05
  Speaker 6: He didn't use a checkbook.
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true. Only the
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: names were changed to protect the innocent.
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: On December 18th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 91,
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In
• 29:26
  Speaker 3: a moment, the results of that trial.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: Now, here is our star, Jack Webb.
• 29:31
  Speaker 6: Thank you.
• 29:32
  Speaker 7: The efficiency of any local police department depends on the
• 29:35
  Speaker 7: quality of its personnel. Each and every man is carefully
• 29:38
  Speaker 7: selected and thoroughly trained. in uniform or plain clothes your
• 29:42
  Speaker 7: police officer knows his job and so with a cigarette
• 29:46
  Speaker 7: the men who make fatima cigarettes know their job they
• 29:49
  Speaker 7: carefully select and blend the finest turkish and domestic tobaccos
• 29:52
  Speaker 7: to make fatima extra mild different from other long cigarettes
• 29:57
  Speaker 7: They cost.
• 29:57
  Speaker 6: The same, but in Fatima, the difference is quality.
• 30:01
  Speaker 7: If you're a long cigarette smoker like I am, I'm
• 30:04
  Speaker 7: sure you'll like Fatima best.
• 30:06
  Speaker 6: Start enjoying Fatima tomorrow.
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: Inez Lorraine Lambert entered a plea of guilty to two
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: counts of forgery, and the remaining charges were set off calendar.
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: She was sentenced by the court for the term prescribed
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: by law. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of
• 30:32
  Speaker 3: authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the
• 30:36
  Speaker 3: Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes, has brought
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: you Dragnet, portions transcribed from Los Angeles. This is Robert Young.
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: Hear We the People next on NBC.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: That was Dragnet, Episode 71, Big Grandma. Follow Dragnet for
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: more classic broadcasts.