Latest / Dragnet | Old Time Radio / Dragnet - "Big Limp" (Old Time Radio, 1955)

Transcript

Dragnet - "Big Limp" (Old Time Radio, 1955) · Dragnet | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: On June 7th, 1955, NBC Radio aired Dragnet, episode 303,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Big Limp. In this late-run radio broadcast, Detective Sergeant Joe
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Friday and Officer Frank Smith are working the Los Angeles
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Police Department's robbery detail. They receive information that Brothers Loan
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Company may be targeted for a holdup, and their assignment
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: is to check the lead and determine whether the reported
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: plan poses an immediate threat... That opening report sends Friday
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: and Smith into an investigation before any robbery has been confirmed.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Jack Webb and Ben Alexander appear as Friday and Smith
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: in a program sponsored by Chesterfield for Liggett and Myers
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Tobacco Company. And now, our story begins.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. You
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: get a call from an officer in another division. He's
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: come across some information about a robbery. Your job? Check
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: it out.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: you will travel step-by-step on the side of the law
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: story of your police force in action.
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: It was Wednesday, May 18th. It was hot in Los Angeles.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: We were working the day watch out a robbery detail.
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: My partner's Frank Smith, the boss of Chief of Detectives
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: Thad Brown. My name's Friday. We're on our way down
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: from the office. It was 10.47 a.m. when we got
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: to the R & I counter. Coke machine. I don't
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: see him.
• 2:20
  Speaker 5: No. It's quite a gadget, huh, Joe?
• 2:23
  Speaker 6: What?
• 2:24
  Speaker 5: A machine here.
• 2:25
  Speaker 4: Real piece of work. Sure is.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Here you are.
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: Thank you.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: You stop and figure, Joe, all the wires in there, levers.
• 2:31
  Speaker 4: Must be a couple hundred wheels. Yeah. Johnny say why
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: he wanted to see us?
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Mm-mm.
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: Yes, there must be four or five miles of wire
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: in that thing. Yeah, at least.
• 2:42
  Speaker 5: Why do you think he did it, Joe?
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: What?
• 2:45
  Speaker 5: Invent the machine.
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: I don't know. Maybe he just liked to invent things. No,
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: I don't think that's it. What's your idea?
• 2:51
  Speaker 5: Well, a guy'd have to spend a.
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: Lot of time to build something like this. Maybe a
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: couple of years. Yeah. Figuring how a person just has
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: to step up, put a coin in, cup drops down....
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: Syrup pours in.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Seltzer.
• 3:04
  Speaker 5: The way it's all measured out.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd have to.
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: Spend a lot of time on that. Yeah, I guess so.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Sure.
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: Gotta be a good reason for thinking it up. What's
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: your idea?
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: I don't think you can find a bottle opener.
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: Joe.
• 3:20
  Speaker 5: Frank.
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: Hi, John. Oh, hi, John.
• 3:22
  Speaker 5: Sorry I'm late. I got a call on my way out.
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: No trouble. What do you got?
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: Picked up a kid day before yesterday. Carrying a can
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: full of grass. Pretty rough kid when we tagged him.
• 3:30
  Speaker 5: Wouldn't give us a time of day.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: How old is he?
• 3:31
  Speaker 7: 17, just out of the line. We got to talking
• 3:34
  Speaker 7: to him last night, started to relax. Guess he knew
• 3:37
  Speaker 7: he was in trouble.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 3:38
  Speaker 5: One thing led to another and the kid ended up
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: talking pretty good.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: What'd he give you?
• 3:42
  Speaker 5: Rumble about his brother. Got big plans.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 3:44
  Speaker 5: And a knock over a loan company.
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: Captain Powers, Frank and I left the city hall, drove
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: over to Georgia Street Juvenile. We had the suspect brought
• 3:58
  Speaker 4: to one of the interview rooms.
• 3:59
  Speaker 7: All right, sit down on me. Homer, this is Sergeant
• 4:03
  Speaker 7: Friday and Officer Smith. They want to talk to you. Joe, Frank,
• 4:07
  Speaker 7: this is Homer Rankin.
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: How are you?
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Hi, Sam.
• 4:10
  Speaker 5: What do you want? Well, I told them what you
• 4:12
  Speaker 5: said about your brother, Homer. They'd like to go over
• 4:13
  Speaker 5: it with you. That's a lousy deal.
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: What do you mean by that, son?
• 4:17
  Speaker 5: Stinks, that's what I mean. What I told you wasn't
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: supposed to be broadcast. I'm just trying to help you out, kid. Yeah,
• 4:23
  Speaker 5: where's your shovel? Word leaks I turn fake and the
• 4:26
  Speaker 5: services will be real nice. You're all invited.
• 4:28
  Speaker 4: Look, boy, you're not going to help yourself by acting
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: like this. And you're not going to do your brother
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: any good either.
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: You tell me all about it, huh? What are you
• 4:33
  Speaker 5: trying to.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Build, Homer?
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: What do you want?
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: Leave me alone.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: We can't do that, you know it.
• 4:38
  Speaker 5: Try. Homer, you're in trouble. Why make it any worse, huh?
• 4:42
  Speaker 5: You got me for possession, that's all. You ain't gonna
• 4:44
  Speaker 5: make any more out of it.
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: All right, let's go.
• 4:47
  Speaker 5: Come on. Where to now? The basement for the rubber hose?
• 4:50
  Speaker 5: You're going back to your cell. Good. I didn't sleep
• 4:55
  Speaker 5: good last night. Maybe I can get some sack time.
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: You better do it while you can.
• 4:59
  Speaker 5: What's that supposed to mean?
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: The time the court gets through with you, you're not
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: going to feel like sleeping, I'm afraid.
• 5:05
  Speaker 5: What do you do? Hmm? Where do you work? What's
• 5:07
  Speaker 5: your job around here?
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Robbery.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Big guys, huh?
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: No.
• 5:12
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I heard about you fellas. Big time operators. Guess
• 5:15
  Speaker 5: I should feel pretty good you come to see me.
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: How do you figure that?
• 5:18
  Speaker 5: You don't waste your time on small time stuff.
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: Well, you better take another look.
• 5:22
  Speaker 5: Huh?
• 5:22
  Speaker 4: We did this morning. We sent back to Captain Power's
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: office and got the name and address of the subject's brother. 12.10 p.m.
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: We drove back to City Hall and had the name
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: checked through R & I.
• 5:36
  Speaker 5: Here you are.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: Thanks, Owen. That's a fat package. Well, let's see the
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: arrest report. Long.
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: Salt, Burglary, 211.
• 5:51
  Speaker 5: He's been busy.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 5:54
  Speaker 5: You got a 5-2 there?
• 5:55
  Speaker 4: There it is.
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: Who's he listed as the next of kin?
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: White, Paula Rankin. 101st Street address. Better talk to him. No.
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: You think the kid told Powers the truth? I don't know.
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: Maybe he just wanted to sound big.
• 6:10
  Speaker 5: It's possible.
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: Brother sure fits, though.
• 6:12
  Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
• 6:13
  Speaker 4: Guy's been lucky.
• 6:14
  Speaker 5: What do you mean?
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: Well, the arrest has never stood a conviction. Let's see
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: if we can change that. We got a copy of
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: the suspect's mugshot and we went out to see his wife.
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: She lived in one of the new housing projects on
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: the south side of the city.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: Tim?
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: Miss Rankin?
• 6:36
  Speaker 6: That's right.
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: Police officers. We'd like to talk to you.
• 6:39
  Speaker 6: I don't know anything about the marijuana. Kid got it someplace.
• 6:42
  Speaker 5: It's his problem.
• 6:43
  Speaker 6: I got enough of my own.
• 6:44
  Speaker 4: We'd like to talk to you about your husband.
• 6:46
  Speaker 6: Tim?
• 6:46
  Speaker 4: That's right.
• 6:48
  Speaker 6: Come on in.
• 6:49
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 6:49
  Speaker 6: Want to sit down?
• 6:54
  Speaker 5: Thanks.
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: This is my partner, Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Yeah.
• 6:59
  Speaker 5: Now, what's the beef about Tim?
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Is he here?
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: No.
• 7:01
  Speaker 5: You know where he is?
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: No, I don't.
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: When did you see him last?
• 7:04
  Speaker 6: A couple of days ago.
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: Is he out of town?
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: I don't know.
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: Couldn't care any less.
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: Do you have any idea where we can get in
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: touch with him?
• 7:10
  Speaker 8: Listen, mister, if I knew, you'd have it. I got
• 7:13
  Speaker 8: nothing to save him from. As far as I'm concerned,
• 7:16
  Speaker 8: he can boil.
• 7:17
  Speaker 5: You think so? Yeah.
• 7:19
  Speaker 6: Since the day I.
• 7:19
  Speaker 8: Met him, I've been carrying the economy's size of trouble.
• 7:22
  Speaker 8: A week goes by and he ain't pinched. It's a
• 7:25
  Speaker 8: cause to get arrested for shooting off sky rockets.
• 7:28
  Speaker 6: Always something. I'm tired of it. And I'm through with him.
• 7:30
  Speaker 6: If I ever see him again, I ain't gonna cry
• 7:33
  Speaker 6: about it.
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: You got any other relatives in town?
• 7:36
  Speaker 6: Just the J.D.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: Ma'am?
• 7:38
  Speaker 6: The kid, Homer. He's the only one.
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: The boy lives here, is that right?
• 7:41
  Speaker 6: He's got a bed. Don't use it much.
• 7:43
  Speaker 5: Like his brother.
• 7:45
  Speaker 6: All the time out trying to get himself hung up.
• 7:46
  Speaker 6: I've never seen such a troubled family.
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: Any place your husband might go?
• 7:52
  Speaker 6: I told you before, if there is, I don't know
• 7:54
  Speaker 6: about it.
• 7:54
  Speaker 5: Does he have a job? Tim? Yes, ma'am.
• 7:57
  Speaker 8: Honey, if you got paid for goofing, Tim could retire.
• 8:01
  Speaker 8: Only thing wrong is he ain't got nothing to retire from.
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: He doesn't have a job.
• 8:05
  Speaker 6: That's the general idea, yeah.
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: And where does he spend his time?
• 8:08
  Speaker 6: He ain't around here.
• 8:09
  Speaker 5: Well, where?
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: Do you know?
• 8:10
  Speaker 9: I don't know.
• 8:12
  Speaker 6: Guess it'd be the hot dog stand. A couple of
• 8:14
  Speaker 6: times when I needed some money, I caught up with
• 8:15
  Speaker 6: him there.
• 8:16
  Speaker 5: Where is the place?
• 8:17
  Speaker 6: Down on 114th, a couple of blocks over. You can't
• 8:19
  Speaker 6: miss it. It's one of those all-night places.
• 8:21
  Speaker 5: All right.
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: Your husband have any close friends?
• 8:24
  Speaker 6: What do you mean, close?
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: Well, people he'd spend time with.
• 8:27
  Speaker 6: Yeah, a couple of guys did that.
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: You know their names?
• 8:29
  Speaker 5: No.
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: You ever seen them?
• 8:31
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 8:33
  Speaker 6: One of them was here once. I saw him.
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: Can you give us a name?
• 8:36
  Speaker 6: No, I don't remember. Me and Tim had a beef
• 8:38
  Speaker 6: about it.
• 8:39
  Speaker 8: I came home and found him and this bum crocked
• 8:41
  Speaker 8: on beer.
• 8:42
  Speaker 6: Had a beef about it and ended up with both.
• 8:43
  Speaker 5: Of them leaving.
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: Can you describe the man for us?
• 8:46
  Speaker 6: He's a man. Got a head, two arms, two legs.
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: That's all you can tell us?
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 8:53
  Speaker 5: All right.
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: Thanks for the time.
• 8:54
  Speaker 5: Don't worry about it. It's free.
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: I'm going to leave you a card. If you hear
• 8:57
  Speaker 4: from your husband, we'd appreciate a call. Sure.
• 9:00
  Speaker 6: Don't hold your breath. It isn't likely he'll come back
• 9:02
  Speaker 6: this time.
• 9:02
  Speaker 5: All right.
• 9:04
  Speaker 6: Can you tell me what it's about?
• 9:05
  Speaker 4: It's a police matter. It'd be better if we talked
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: to him personally.
• 9:09
  Speaker 6: Can I get you anything? A drink, maybe?
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: No, thank you.
• 9:11
  Speaker 8: No.
• 9:11
  Speaker 6: Too bad. Sometime when you're in the neighborhood, you know,
• 9:16
  Speaker 6: not working. Stop in. I'll pour you a drink.
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure.
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: No, I mean it. The girl gets lonely just sitting
• 9:23
  Speaker 6: by herself. The company would be nice.
• 9:25
  Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
• 9:27
  Speaker 6: You're not married, are you?
• 9:29
  Speaker 4: No, ma'am. That's nice.
• 9:31
  Speaker 6: You drop by now.
• 9:33
  Speaker 5: Anytime. You bet.
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: Thanks again. Goodbye, Ms.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: Rankin.
• 9:38
  Speaker 5: Bye.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Hey, Joe.
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: Just do me a favor, will you? Sure, old buddy.
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: What is it?
• 9:46
  Speaker 6: Be quiet.
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: We checked with the neighbors and they verified Ms. Rankin's
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: story about her husband's absence. None of them were able
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: to tell us where he might be. have gone. Other
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: than saying that the Rankins fought constantly, they were not
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: able to give us any new information. 2.15 p.m. We
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: drove down to the hot dog stand on 114th. There
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: was no one at the counter who looked like the suspect,
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: Tim Rankin.
• 10:14
  Speaker 5: How will it be?
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: A cup of coffee.
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: Okay, how about you?
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: Number six, I guess.
• 10:20
  Speaker 5: You make that with cheddar cheese?
• 10:21
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: Okay, I'll have one of those.
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: Glass of milk, too, sir. Sure.
• 10:25
  Speaker 5: Want your coffee now?
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: Please. Hot. That's good. That's the way we like it.
• 10:33
  Speaker 5: Oh, not the coffee, the sun.
• 10:35
  Speaker 7: Oh, yeah.
• 10:36
  Speaker 5: And the paper says it's 91 Pacific Center. Uh-huh. Yeah,
• 10:39
  Speaker 5: we should be doing more business than we are. I
• 10:41
  Speaker 5: don't understand it, though. Is that right? You know, cold drinks.
• 10:45
  Speaker 5: Hot day, people all the time drinking something cold.
• 10:48
  Speaker 8: Yeah.
• 10:48
  Speaker 5: No offense. That's all right. Malamute will be ready right away.
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: Huh?
• 10:53
  Speaker 5: That's what the number six is, Malamud. Oh.
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: You seen Tim Rankin around this morning?
• 11:00
  Speaker 5: Uh, yeah, he was in about ten. You guys friends
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: of his?
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: We like to talk to him.
• 11:05
  Speaker 5: He came in, had a cup of coffee with Shelly.
• 11:07
  Speaker 5: Two of them left, oh, I guess about 10.30.
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: Who was he with, do you know?
• 11:11
  Speaker 5: Shelly, you know, Shelly Mitchell.
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: Oh, yeah.
• 11:14
  Speaker 5: Big buddies all the time together.
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: You know where they went?
• 11:17
  Speaker 5: No, I don't know, maybe over Shelly's.
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: Do you live around here?
• 11:20
  Speaker 5: Yeah, he's got a pad a couple blocks over him. Hey,
• 11:23
  Speaker 5: your dog will be ready.
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: You know the address of that place?
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: Uh-uh.
• 11:36
  Speaker 5: I've never been there. Heard the two of them talk
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: about it, though. This guy Mitchell work?
• 11:42
  Speaker 7: No, I don't think either one of them do. Want
• 11:44
  Speaker 7: to leave your names? Guys come back, I'll tell them
• 11:47
  Speaker 7: you're here.
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: Well, it'd be better if you didn't say anything about it.
• 11:50
  Speaker 5: Why not? We're police officers. Both of you? That's right.
• 11:56
  Speaker 5: Sure never guessed it. Cops.
• 12:00
  Speaker 7: Never would have known. Just like anybody else. What are
• 12:03
  Speaker 7: you after Tim and Shelly for? I bet it's a
• 12:06
  Speaker 7: loan company job, huh?
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Huh? Is that it?
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: What do you know about it?
• 12:10
  Speaker 7: Oh, look, mister, I didn't have any part in the action.
• 12:12
  Speaker 5: I just heard them talking.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: That so?
• 12:14
  Speaker 5: Yeah, gospel. I didn't even think they were serious. If
• 12:17
  Speaker 5: I'd have known they meant it, I'd have called the
• 12:18
  Speaker 5: cops myself. I don't want to get mixed up in
• 12:20
  Speaker 5: nothing like that. Not me. I ain't about to put
• 12:22
  Speaker 5: my neck out. What'd they say about the job? Oh,
• 12:25
  Speaker 5: just they're gonna pull it. Last time I thought they
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: were kidding, talking big. I sure never figured they'd really
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: do it.
• 12:30
  Speaker 4: What's the name of the company?
• 12:32
  Speaker 5: Hmm?
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: That place they talked about, what's the name of it?
• 12:35
  Speaker 5: Uh, Timely Loan Company over on Western.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: They say when they were gonna make it?
• 12:39
  Speaker 7: They talked about Monday afternoon. I guess they decided not
• 12:42
  Speaker 7: to wait till, huh?
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Either one of them drive a car, do you know?
• 12:45
  Speaker 5: Shelly does. I don't think it is, though.
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: You ever seen it?
• 12:47
  Speaker 5: Yeah, a couple times. He's had it there.
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: What kind of a car is it?
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 12:52
  Speaker 5: Pontiac, four-door.
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: Happen to know the license number?
• 12:56
  Speaker 5: No, sorry. Fellas never pay much attention to it.
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: Either one of them say when they'd be back?
• 13:00
  Speaker 5: No, could be any time. I'll let you come and go.
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: You know if this Mitchell's ever been arrested? I can't
• 13:05
  Speaker 5: give you an answer. Never heard him talk about it. Oh,
• 13:08
  Speaker 5: one day hit the place. What? One day robbed a
• 13:11
  Speaker 5: loan company. I never read nothing about it.
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: Capers haven't got it yet.
• 13:14
  Speaker 5: Anybody hurt?
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: Why do you ask that?
• 13:17
  Speaker 5: Figures, it's all. Yeah? Yeah. Sure, I know one thing
• 13:20
  Speaker 5: for sure. I don't want to get in Shelly's way.
• 13:22
  Speaker 5: The leg don't slow him down a bit.
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 13:24
  Speaker 5: He's got a wooden leg, you know. Here, the right one.
• 13:28
  Speaker 5: Told me once he got wounded in the war.
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: Is that right?
• 13:30
  Speaker 7: He still walks with a little limp, like this. I
• 13:33
  Speaker 7: saw him tangled with a guy once, happening in the
• 13:35
  Speaker 7: alley out in back.
• 13:36
  Speaker 5: Yeah. He almost knocked the fellow's head right off his shoulders.
• 13:38
  Speaker 5: Real punch.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Is that right?
• 13:40
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's why I asked if anybody had been hurt. Shelly,
• 13:42
  Speaker 5: being like he is.
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 13:44
  Speaker 5: Of course, I guess he wouldn't hit anybody if he
• 13:46
  Speaker 5: had no need for it.
• 13:47
  Speaker 7: What do you mean?
• 13:48
  Speaker 5: Well, you wouldn't have to, that's all. Yeah. Both of
• 13:50
  Speaker 5: them got guns.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: Frank and I arranged for a stakeout on the hot
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: dog stand, then we went back to City Hall and
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: ran the name Shelly Mitchell and his description through R
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: & I. We came up with a possible that looked good.
• 14:04
  Speaker 4: The mugshot was pulled and shown to the owner of
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: the hot dog stand. He gave a positive identification. We
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: contacted Army authorities and requested what information they could give us. Yes, sir, huh?
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: When was it? Let's see. You have those numbers?
• 14:22
  Speaker 5: Right.
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: No, I haven't. All right, Lieutenant, thanks again. Friday. Michigan, 5211.
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: Extension 2511. No, it's 25.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: Okay, many thanks. How about it? Looks good. He was
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: given a dishonorable discharge.
• 14:40
  Speaker 5: For what? Theft.
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: Spent a couple of months in the stockade and then
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: the Army kicked him out.
• 14:43
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: I'd like to talk to him again, though. Well, I'll come.
• 14:47
  Speaker 4: According to the lieutenant, it seems after he left, they
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: got the check and he didn't leave alone.
• 14:50
  Speaker 5: What do you mean?
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: Took 345 automatics with him. An immediate check was made
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: at the last place listed in Mitchell's package, but he'd
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: moved and left no forwarding address. Additional officers began to
• 15:08
  Speaker 4: canvas the area where he was supposed to be living.
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: Local broadcasts and APBs were gotten out on both suspects
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: and a stakeout was set up on Tim Rankin's home.
• 15:16
  Speaker 4: That afternoon, we met with Captain Donahoe, and it was
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: decided to put a stake out on the loan company. 4.50 p.m.
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: Frank and I were leaving the office to make the
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: necessary arrangements.
• 15:25
  Speaker 5: You got the mug?
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we better get on it right away. Yeah.
• 15:28
  Speaker 5: Hot shot.
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: We missed it. Huh? Timely loan company.
• 15:37
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: We just held up.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: Frank and I left the office and drove out to
• 16:05
  Speaker 4: the timely loan company on Western Avenue. By the time
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: we got there, a radio card answered the call and
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: the officers were checking the neighborhood. A broadcast had already
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: been gotten out carrying their description. Frank and I talked
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: with a manager, a Mr. Richard Conover. Is there anything
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: we can do for you, sir? No. I wonder if
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: you'd take a look at some pictures and see if
• 16:21
  Speaker 4: you can recognize the holdup man.
• 16:23
  Speaker 5: I have to. Well, it'll help us. All right.
• 16:27
  Speaker 4: Here they are, sir.
• 16:30
  Speaker 5: No, they're not here. You sure?
• 16:32
  Speaker 9: I looked at him. You haven't got a picture. Would
• 16:34
  Speaker 9: you mind going through him again? I'll be honest with you.
• 16:37
  Speaker 9: I'd like to see you get the two men, but
• 16:38
  Speaker 9: the money's insured. I'm not going to put my family
• 16:40
  Speaker 9: on the block for it.
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: I don't think I understand.
• 16:43
  Speaker 5: It's just that I believe him, that's all.
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 16:46
  Speaker 9: On the way out, they told me. Said if I
• 16:48
  Speaker 9: helped the police, they'd find out and make me sorry
• 16:50
  Speaker 9: for it.
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 16:51
  Speaker 5: Said they'd get my family. Yeah.
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: We went over the description Conover had given the uniformed men.
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: It could have fit almost anyone. The crime lab came
• 17:05
  Speaker 4: out and went over the offices of the loan company.
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: They found nothing that would aid us. The people in
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: the immediate vicinity were interviewed. None of them were able
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: to give us a good description of the suspect. The victim,
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: Richard Conover, was taken to the city hall where Frank
• 17:16
  Speaker 4: and I talked to him for over an hour. 8.14 p.m. Mr.
• 17:20
  Speaker 5: Conover, we need your help.
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: If we don't have it, our job's going to be
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: five times as hard.
• 17:24
  Speaker 5: I've told you I'm not going to put my family
• 17:26
  Speaker 5: in jeopardy.
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: Well, now, look, we'll put a policeman in your house.
• 17:29
  Speaker 4: He'll be there 24 hours a day until we come
• 17:31
  Speaker 4: up with the thieves. There'll be an officer with your children.
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: Nobody's going to get near him.
• 17:34
  Speaker 5: That's ridiculous.
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 17:36
  Speaker 5: I'm not going to subject them to that kind of supervision.
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: Well, then maybe you better take another look, Mr. Conover.
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: There are two men in this city who've held you up.
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: They've made threats on your life. Now, we don't blame
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: you for being concerned, but this isn't going to help.
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: Unless you go along with us, our hands are tied.
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: There isn't anything we can do. You've got no reason
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: to believe that these men aren't going to try to
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: get at you, even if you don't talk. You're the
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: only one who can't identify him. Pretty soon they're going
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: to think about that and then we won't be able
• 18:00
  Speaker 4: to stop them. You and your family are in trouble
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: now whether you talk to us or not.
• 18:05
  Speaker 9: All right, I'll tell you.
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: The suspects were positively identified as Timothy Rankin and Shelly Mitchell.
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: Additional bulletins were gotten out on the two men and
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: the search for them was intensified. Officers were dispatched to
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: Conover's home in the event that the two thieves tried
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: to make good their threat. Franken's brother was re-questioned at
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: Georgia Street Juvenile, but either he couldn't or else he
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: wouldn't aid us in apprehending the suspect. 11.30 that night,
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: Frank and I were ready to leave the office. Did
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: you sign the logs?
• 18:37
  Speaker 5: Yeah, let's go.
• 18:42
  Speaker 4: I'll get it. Robbery Friday. Hello? Robbery Friday. Oh, yeah, Benson.
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute. Give me that again, Lee. You're right out.
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: Benson and Stromwell.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: They found the suspect. Encanvassing the area around the hot
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: dog stand, officers Benson, Stromwell, and Herman had checked the hotel.
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: When the clerk was shown pictures of the suspects, he
• 19:21
  Speaker 4: said the two men who looked like the pictures were
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: staying in the place. However, when the rooms were checked
• 19:26
  Speaker 4: at the suggestion of the manager, Rankin and Mitchell were
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: not there. They staked out the room and we were called.
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: When Frank and I arrived, we took up our positions
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: in the room while the other officers covered the entrances
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: to the hotel. 4.15 a.m. We waited.
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: What time you got?
• 19:39
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute.
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: It's not hard.
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: To see without a light.
• 19:44
  Speaker 9: 4.30.
• 19:44
  Speaker 5: Well, Hatch did a good job.
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah, like finding a needle. Mm-hmm. You heard how Herman's
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: coming with the books? I was talking to him the
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: other day. Said he doesn't think he's ever going to
• 19:57
  Speaker 4: make a lawyer. I guess it's rough with the hours
• 19:59
  Speaker 4: he's got. Yeah, it works out so. What do you mean?
• 20:02
  Speaker 4: He told me that when he and Stromwell got a
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: stakeout together, they'd ask each other questions. You know, try
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: to study that way. Yeah, that's a hard way to
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: do it.
• 20:08
  Speaker 5: Yeah. All right, Mr.
• 20:19
  Speaker 4: Holder, right there.
• 20:20
  Speaker 5: I'm doing like you say. I'm not going to cause
• 20:21
  Speaker 5: no trouble.
• 20:21
  Speaker 4: Turn around. Face the wall. Yes, sir.
• 20:23
  Speaker 5: Just like you say. Come on, move.
• 20:24
  Speaker 4: Hands up on the wall. Yes, sir.
• 20:25
  Speaker 5: I'm doing it just like you said. I'm not rough.
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: Got it.
• 20:29
  Speaker 5: Here you are, Joe.
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: Where'd you get this gun, I reckon?
• 20:31
  Speaker 5: Shelly gave it to me. That's the truth. Honest, mister.
• 20:33
  Speaker 5: I got it from Shelly.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: It's all right. Put your hands behind you.
• 20:34
  Speaker 5: Yes, sir. Right behind me.
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: I thought you could turn around.
• 20:38
  Speaker 5: Don't shoot, mister. Please don't shoot.
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: Turn around.
• 20:40
  Speaker 5: Yes, sir. Where's Mitchell?
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: I don't know. Oh, come off it.
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: Now, where is he? Well, I don't know, mister. That's
• 20:44
  Speaker 5: the truth. I just don't know. Well, look, if I did,
• 20:46
  Speaker 5: I'd tell you. Honest, I would.
• 20:47
  Speaker 4: When did you see him A couple hours ago. Where?
• 20:49
  Speaker 5: A coffee place on Vermont, sir.
• 20:51
  Speaker 4: Is he still there?
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: I don't know.
• 20:52
  Speaker 4: What was he doing?
• 20:53
  Speaker 5: He was talking to another fellow. Who? A guy named
• 20:56
  Speaker 5: Randolph Bennett, sir. I'm not sure that's his real name, though.
• 20:58
  Speaker 5: Is he coming back? No, sir. He doesn't live here.
• 20:59
  Speaker 4: The clerk says he does.
• 21:01
  Speaker 5: Who are you talking about?
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: Mitchell.
• 21:03
  Speaker 5: Oh, I meant Bennett. He doesn't live here. Mitchell does,
• 21:05
  Speaker 5: but Bennett doesn't.
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: Now, how about an answer?
• 21:08
  Speaker 5: Well, I'm sorry, sir. I don't know what you're talking about.
• 21:10
  Speaker 4: Mitchell, is he coming back?
• 21:11
  Speaker 5: Well, I don't think so. Why do you say that? Well,
• 21:13
  Speaker 5: we had a fight. I don't think he'll be back, sir.
• 21:15
  Speaker 5: What'd you fight about? Well, it was something he wanted
• 21:17
  Speaker 5: me to do. I didn't want any part of it.
• 21:18
  Speaker 4: What was it?
• 21:20
  Speaker 5: Well, he said if I didn't go along with him
• 21:21
  Speaker 5: and Bennett, they'd kill me, and I didn't like the deal.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: What deal?
• 21:23
  Speaker 9: Him and Bennett, they got a caper planned. I was
• 21:25
  Speaker 9: supposed to go with them, but I didn't want to, sir. Honest,
• 21:26
  Speaker 9: that's the truth. I really didn't want to.
• 21:28
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 21:28
  Speaker 5: You see, I was supposed to steal a car for
• 21:30
  Speaker 5: him to use, and the more I thought about it,
• 21:32
  Speaker 5: I didn't want to get in any more trouble than
• 21:33
  Speaker 5: I am now.
• 21:34
  Speaker 4: The two of you hit the loan company this afternoon?
• 21:36
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's right, sir. This fellow Bennett, he was with you? No, sir.
• 21:38
  Speaker 5: We met him tonight.
• 21:39
  Speaker 9: Him and Shelby planned this other deal. They wanted me
• 21:41
  Speaker 9: to go with them, but I didn't want to. Honest,
• 21:42
  Speaker 9: that's the God's truth, sir. I didn't want to.
• 21:44
  Speaker 5: That's why we had this fight.
• 21:47
  Speaker 9: Well, they figured to start out about nine in the morning.
• 21:49
  Speaker 9: Shelly's got it all figured. They say they can hit
• 21:51
  Speaker 9: about eight places and the two of them are going
• 21:52
  Speaker 9: to leave town.
• 21:53
  Speaker 4: What are you talking about?
• 21:54
  Speaker 5: Well, this deal. They're going to rob some loan companies.
• 21:56
  Speaker 4: What about this fellow Bennett?
• 21:57
  Speaker 5: You know him? No, sir. He's a friend of Shelly's.
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: They've known each other for a long time.
• 22:00
  Speaker 4: Where's he from?
• 22:01
  Speaker 5: Oh, back east someplace. I'm not sure where. I just
• 22:03
  Speaker 5: know the cops are after him.
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: Why?
• 22:04
  Speaker 5: Well, he broke out of jail while he was waiting
• 22:06
  Speaker 5: to be tried.
• 22:06
  Speaker 4: What was the charge?
• 22:07
  Speaker 5: Kidnapping and murder.
• 22:16
  Speaker 4: We left the hotel room and picked up the other officers.
• 22:19
  Speaker 4: We had Tim Rankin point out the coffee stand where
• 22:21
  Speaker 4: he'd last seen Shelly Mitchell. Then we called a radio
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: car and turned Rankin over to the uniformed men. While Benson, Stromwall,
• 22:27
  Speaker 4: and Herman covered the rear entrance of the place, Frank
• 22:29
  Speaker 4: and I went in the front door. There they are, Joe.
• 22:33
  Speaker 4: Halfway down. Yeah.
• 22:35
  Speaker 9: Let's go.
• 22:38
  Speaker 4: Oh, I should have known the guy was hot-faced when
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: he started doing something back down. A lot of fun
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: kids around.
• 22:44
  Speaker 5: We don't have to take.
• 22:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Yeah.
• 22:46
  Speaker 5: You guys got a license to listen?
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: Shelly Mitchell.
• 22:49
  Speaker 5: Come on, get up.
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: You okay, Joe?
• 23:11
  Speaker 5: Yeah. What about Bennett?
• 23:12
  Speaker 7: He's all right.
• 23:13
  Speaker 5: Lousy cops. Lousy, rotten cops.
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: Turn around. Give me your cops, will you, Joe?
• 23:17
  Speaker 5: Here. Come on, turn around.
• 23:20
  Speaker 4: I'll take care of Bennett. All right, Mitchell, turn around.
• 23:23
  Speaker 5: All a stick of dicks.
• 23:24
  Speaker 4: All right, come on, move.
• 23:26
  Speaker 5: How'd you get to me?
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: Don't you worry about that.
• 23:29
  Speaker 5: Rottenest, lousiest deal I ever heard of.
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: Where'd you get this gun?
• 23:33
  Speaker 5: I bought it.
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: From the government, huh?
• 23:34
  Speaker 5: Well, that's none of your business.
• 23:36
  Speaker 4: All right, we'll go your way.
• 23:37
  Speaker 5: Lousy 12 hours. 12 more hours, you'll have missed us.
• 23:41
  Speaker 5: This afternoon, we'd have been on the way to Nerf
• 23:43
  Speaker 5: on us.
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you really believe that, don't you?
• 23:45
  Speaker 5: Oh, sure. We'd have gotten the story you'd have been
• 23:47
  Speaker 5: dead looking all around Nerf on us.
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah, just like now.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: The story you have just heard is true. The names
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: were changed to protect the innocent.
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: On September 16th, trial was held in Department 92, Superior
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: Court of the State of California in and for the County.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Of Los Angeles.
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: In a moment, the results of that trial. Homer Norman
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: Rankin was referred to juvenile court and after a hearing
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: was made a ward of the state. Timothy Alfred Rankin
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: and Shelley Vincent Mitchell were tried and convicted of robbery
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: in the first degree, one count. They received sentence as
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: prescribed by law. Robbery in the first degree is punishable
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: not less than five years. Randolph Bennett, alias James Virgil Nicholson,
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: was held for New Jersey authorities to answer charges of murder, kidnapping,
• 24:54
  Speaker 3: and escape. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of
• 25:16
  Speaker 3: authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: We have reached the end of Dragnet, episode 303, Big Limp.
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: Follow Dragnet for more classic broadcasts.