Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: Production 7: Attempted City Hall Bombing (EP1364)

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Dragnet: Production 7: Attempted City Hall Bombing (EP1364) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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Now it's time to get into today's episode of Dragnet. Production seven,
1:57
better known as the Attempt at City Hall Bombing Ladies and Gentlemen. The story
2:12
you were about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to
2:16
protect the innocent. NBC brings you drag Net. You're a detective sergeant.
2:32
You've been off duty two hours to receive an emergency call from the Chief of
2:37
Detectives. An entire block in the heart of your city is threatened with complete
2:42
destruction. Your job report at once. Drag Net the documented drama of an
2:51
actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the
2:55
security of your home, your family, and your life. For the next
3:00
thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel
3:04
step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official
3:07
police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Drag Net
3:13
is the story of your police force in action. It was Tuesday, November
3:23
fifteenth, was reigning in Los Angeles. We were off duty, reporting in
3:27
on an emergency call. My partner's Ben Romero, the boss is at backstrand,
3:31
Chief of Detectives My name is Friday. It was eight thirty two am
3:36
when I walked in the Spring Street entrance to the City Hall. You,
3:38
Sergeant Friday, Yeah, that's right. I take my elevator, sergeant,
3:43
it's the only one is service. All right, I'll run you up to
3:50
sixteen. The chiefs waiting for you up there. What's the pitch? Only
3:53
one elevator in service out of ten. The place looks deserted. What's going
3:57
on? Nobody in the building. Only office people have been sent home.
4:00
Lots of trouble. Somebody declare a holiday no joke, sergeant, big trouble.
4:03
All right, you convinced me. What is it here? We are
4:09
sixteenth for over here? Friday? All right, Joe, Hello, Ben.
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He made good time. He came as soon as I got the call.
4:16
Ed, sorry to have to bring it back in. He worked last
4:19
night, didn't you? Yeah? Midnightete? Eight this morning? Sorry?
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Come on? What is it? Skipper? While lahas suh? Wait till
4:26
we get inside in here? Okay, number one, Let's keep our voices
4:32
down, all right. I'll make it as brief as I can. Every
4:35
minute counts. What time he got Friday? Eight thirty three? All right?
4:39
Here it is fifty five minutes ago, a man walked into this building
4:42
with a homemade bomb under his arm. We don't release his brother from the
4:45
county jail by nine o'clock this morning. He says, he'll pull the trigger
4:47
on the bomb and blow up the whole building. He's kidding, Skipper.
4:50
Who is the guy? Name's Brendan Karne. Here's his package. He and
4:55
his brother have been in and out of jail since nineteen thirty seven. Small
4:58
time thieves. Yeah, where's the FBI kickback? We had him once before,
5:02
both of them. Brother's name is Elwood. Serve me a year for
5:04
car stripping. And there's two bit thief is sitting here in a city hall
5:08
with a bomb on his lap. That's right in the next room. What
5:11
kind of a bomb? Is it? Dead? Do you think he's bluffing?
5:13
Could be bluffing, but the crime lab says no. Lee Joanes from
5:15
the lab get a look at been in there twice one into the box's glass.
5:20
Says you can't see much without a closer look. But you can't get
5:23
near the guy. What do you want us to do? It's a volunteer
5:26
job. You can take it or leave it. I won't order you to
5:29
do it how you want to handle it. You sure, we will want
5:31
a piece of this one room. Marw No, he doesn't dead, he's
5:33
got a family. Get me another single man. We'll give it a try.
5:35
Wait a minute, Joe, what makes this job's different? Anytime we
5:40
kick a door and we never know what's on the other side, that's what
5:42
makes it different. This time we do. No, you're not gonna cut
5:44
me out. Not the only time. I know what I'm getting into.
5:46
All right, Chandler's tried Hannon, Davis, Watson, They've all tried this
5:51
guy. Connie knows what he's doing. He's no pushover that. Somebody's got
5:55
to get that bomb away from Friday. Romero. It's your baby now.
6:00
I looked at my watch. It was eight thirty six. We left Backstrand
6:04
and started down the hall. If Carne was going to make good his threat
6:08
to blow up the building by nine o'clock, we had exactly twenty four minutes
6:11
to talk him out of it. Ben and I figured we'd better look him
6:15
over first and then work got some kind of a plan. Maybe just talking
6:18
to him would do it. Vernon Kearney was sitting in a straight backed chair
6:25
against the fire wall facing the door. He was seated between two windows that
6:29
looked out over the city. Along the left wall was a row of six
6:32
wooden chairs. In the center of the right wall was a connecting door leading
6:35
to the office where back Strand had briefed us. The door was locked on
6:40
both sides. Just off center and favoring the left of the room was a
6:43
small filing table. The other furniture in the office was a desk just forward
6:47
of the connecting door. On the right. There was a dictaphone on the
6:50
desk. In the near left corner, shielded by a white screen, was
6:54
a small wash basin. The faucet leaked Vernon Kearney was middally. He sat
7:00
erect holding a black box on his lamp. He held his right hand inside
7:04
one end of the box. Ben and I stood there for a minute and
7:08
looked at him. Then we walked in the room. What do you say
7:13
to a man with a bomb that's close enough? Cigarette, Carnie, I'm
7:19
not smoking right now. What are you trying to prove? You know what
7:24
I want. We're not gonna let your brother out of jail. You got
7:27
until nine o'clock to change your mind. According to that clock on the wall.
7:30
You got twenty four minutes. If we go, you're going with us,
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Carnie. Don't take much of a brain to figure that, Copper,
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What made you think you could get away with it? Haven't yet? It
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ain't nine o'clock unless that clock slow. Haven't checked it against my pocket watched
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lately. That's the one that's running this show. Have you given any thought
7:49
to all the innocent people that are going to go up with that thing of
7:51
yours? There? My brother's innocent. I want him out of jail.
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The court says he's guilty. You'll get out when he serves his time.
7:59
That's where you're wrong, Copper. He gets out at nine o'clock this morning.
8:03
All right, come on, Connie, get your hand out of that
8:05
box. Put the box on the table. You think I'm bluffing, don't
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you. I'm gonna let you get within five feet before I make a liar
8:16
out of him. It's okay, Kennie, I guess you mean business.
8:22
You can take three more steps and find out for sure. Well, if
8:24
we did let your brother out, we just come out and pick him up
8:28
again, you along with him. If you could find this, let's get
8:31
this straight. If we let your brother Elwood out. How do we know
8:35
you're going to keep your prom What promise? I ain't made any promises.
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You just get Elwood down here first, and then we'll talk about it.
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There's only one thing I can't figure Kearnie, Yeah, what's that? If
8:46
we don't let your brother out? You say you'll pull the trigger on that
8:48
bomb. You're gonna kill a lot of innocent people. What are you gonna
8:50
approve by that? It's eight thirty seven, you got twenty three minutes left.
8:58
I wish you'd answer that one for me. Why do you want to
9:00
kill a lot of innocent people? Don't cry that con me, Copper.
9:03
I know they cleared everybody out of this building forty five minutes ago. I
9:05
know they cleaned out the whole block. They got it roped off. Where'd
9:09
you get your information? I got a couple of windows here to look out
9:13
of. Don't you think it's about time to send somebody over to get Elwood?
9:18
You know, Corney, we've got a way out of this. We
9:20
don't have to let your brother out neither. I've heard that before. What's
9:24
to stop us from leaving the building along with other few officers and let you
9:28
sit here and touch off fat bond. Go ahead, It won't be a
9:33
long wait without you. Who are you trying to kid? You? Let
9:37
me blow up ten million dollars worth of taxpayer's money. Oh no, you're
9:41
going to let Elwood out. You'll wait till the last minute to do it,
9:46
but you'll let him now ed. I'm still not convinced Cornie can back
9:58
up what he says and wh should take the box away from him? Yeah,
10:03
we're in a spot, let's face it. How about an eye for
10:05
an eye, skipper. What do you mean if he pulls a trigger on
10:07
that machine, he kills us? How about us getting him first? All
10:09
right? From our own Are you going to handle it? I'm not top
10:13
man on a pistol range, but I could wing and then he hands the
10:16
box to you. Or maybe he falls and his reflex action pulls the trigger.
10:18
Okay, I don't wing. You must stop him for keep. You
10:22
just can't walk in there and shoot him down. Why not you do the
10:24
same thing with arm criminal? Yeah, but you warn him first. I
10:26
warn him, and after you shoot him you find out it's a harmless gadget.
10:28
Couldn't have gone off in a million years. No, No, a
10:31
gun's not the answer. We can't shoot him until we're positive, be positive,
10:33
but nine o'clock and it might not be anybody around the shooting. We've
10:37
located Kenney's apartment. There's a detail out there checking it now for Kellyan Morris.
10:41
And have you got any ideas at all anything we could try. That's
10:43
why I called you, and none of us have gotten any further than you
10:46
did just now. There's just one thing I want to know for sure.
10:50
Yeah, Friday, is it or isn't it? We all want to know.
10:52
Either way, We've got to get that box away from him. Thanks
10:56
Brandon, Yeah he did. Yeah, I was stay out there till I
11:03
call him. All right, here's half the answer. That was Patchilli.
11:07
They found twenty eight sticks of dynamite and Carne's apartment. We knew Carnie wasn't
11:13
kidding. Now. We could see into the bomb through that glass window and
11:16
went in. It looked like dynamite inside, and there was dynamite in Carne's
11:20
room. We didn't know if he had the nerve to pull the trigger.
11:24
We didn't know if it would go off when he did. But with only
11:26
minutes remaining, nobody wanted to take the chance. From here on in,
11:31
all of us agreed that Vernon Carney sat in the next room, holding in
11:33
his two hands a force powerful enough to destroy us. All we had to
11:37
get that box away from him. And to get that box we had to
11:41
have a plan. I looked at my watch. It was eight forty twenty
11:46
minutes till nine o'clock. How do we get it away from him? I
11:48
got an idea it might work. I to have it Carne sitting against the
11:52
fire wall between two windows. They're both open. Yeah right, all right.
11:54
If we could get a man through one of those windows, we might
11:56
get Carnie from behind. How are you going to get him? Whoever gets
11:58
through the window could slug him. What do you do? Then somebody grabs
12:01
the box? The crime lab can tell us what to do with it.
12:03
How do we get a man through one of those windows? We're on the
12:05
sixteenth floor. Well, there's some kind of a ledge that runs around the
12:07
building on each story, wide enough for a man to walk on. And
12:09
let's take a look. All right, it's pretty narrow, Joe, that's
12:13
a good eighteen inches. Could be done too risky. It's raining out.
12:18
That ledge is slippery, strong, wind out there, Joe tear a man
12:20
right off the building. Yeah, I guess you're right, and there's still
12:22
away. How about a ladder sixteen floor skipper? It might be away.
12:26
Friday Department would know that. I'll get be tired in. Chief Erickson is
12:28
Lee Jones in the building now, he's over in the crime lab. I'll
12:31
get him up here too. I don't know, Friday. Maybe it'll work.
12:35
It's got too it all right. Now, Look, it's going to
12:37
take a couple of minutes to set this up. We've got to know what
12:39
Connie's doing every second of that time. Well, how about the dictaphone in
12:43
there on desk? Good, get it on without him seeing you. We'll
12:46
try dictaphone in there is connected to this one in here. This room is
12:50
sixteen fourteen. You got that? Yeah? All right? Push down key
12:52
sixteen fourteen on that machine in there and leave it down. Get the receiver
12:54
off the hook and leave it off. Leave a receiver off, that's right.
12:58
You know. If it isn't off the hook, we won't be able
13:00
to hear a thing in here. Right, Come on, Ben, it
13:05
is back friend, give me Chief. Where's my brother still in his cell?
13:13
You coppers? Are long on top but short on time. Yeah,
13:16
we know. I'm telling you for your own good, you'd better get Ellwood
13:22
over here, Carnie. I'll bet if we get your brother on the phone
13:24
here, he'll tell you he doesn't want any part of this. You mean,
13:26
Elwood don't want out since when Jory wants out, but not your way.
13:31
He's only got a year to serve. Why don't you leave him alone?
13:33
I told Hill, I told him i'd get him out. You didn't
13:37
think I could do it, but I'm doing it. I'll make your bet,
13:41
Cournie. Let us get your brother on the phone. He won't walk
13:45
out of here with you. Get him on the pipe where you go on?
13:48
The phone's over here. After he was the dictaphone had to get an
13:52
no ok from the chief. Elwood still a prisoner. What's the matter with
13:54
the phone? No operators? You know the building's been cleared. Oh yeah,
13:58
that's right, almost forgot. Okay, you can use the dicta phone
14:07
this Friday ed Cannie wants to talk to his brother. Yeah, I know,
14:11
you'll have to send somebody over have him. Put the call on extension.
14:15
Wait a minute, what's that extension number? Ben three two three five
14:18
one, ed right, it'll take a minute. Yeah, I'd kind of
14:26
like to talk to L. Been a couple of months since I've seen him.
14:30
We've always been together, me and L most of the time. Joe,
14:33
it's going to see if we can hurry that call. Good idea boy.
14:37
Sixteen minutes to nine. Hey cough, Yeah, forgot to hang up
14:43
the dictaphone, didn't you. I put the receiver back on the dictaphone.
14:52
Ben and I had failed to make good on the first step of the plan.
14:56
When we got outside the door, we briefed Davison Watson. They went
15:00
in to sit with Carne. It would be their job to keep us posted
15:03
on Carney's movements. The dictaphone was out. We went back into the office
15:07
next door, Chief Sam Erickson of the Fire Department and Lieutenant Lee Jones from
15:11
the Crime Labor already there. We told Backstan what happened would have been a
15:13
help. We haven't got time to cry over it. Orney's wide awake,
15:16
skipper, he doesn't miss a thing. Backstrand told us the plan. Friday,
15:20
we camp on a ladder up from the street too high. Chief Bestly
15:22
got us one hundred foot area figure twelve foot to the story that'll take you
15:26
up ninety six feet eight floors, and we've got the latest equipment. What's
15:31
the idea you had, Jones? Sam? Could you get hold of a
15:33
palmpire in a hurry? Sure? We got a lot of scaling ladders,
15:35
but you got nothing up there to hook him. You figure on dropping down
15:37
from the floor above. That's right now. I figure pomp Pere would do
15:39
it? Should would? You could make it faster to the window sill up
15:43
there, but you got a foot and a half ledge in the way.
15:45
Know what you want us? A lifeline? You mean Laura man on a
15:48
rope? Chief? Yeah, Romeo, that's the quickest and the quietest.
15:50
Could your rig it to? One of my boys could do it? Sure?
15:54
What's the risk none? If you work it right, We'll strap on
15:56
a life belt, give the man heavy leather gloves. My man will lower
16:00
him down. Pick your lightest man. What do you think leeve? That's
16:03
it? What do we do with the bomb when we get it? I
16:06
figure that box Conney's holding is about a foot square. Here's what we all
16:08
do. I'll get you a bucket with a foot and a half mileth it'll
16:11
be full of water. Yeah, I'll have it right outside the door of
16:14
that office. When you get that box places in the water, we'll get
16:17
the bucket out of the building as fast as we can. And once we
16:18
get the bomb on the water, wind and clear. And I can't promise
16:22
you that, but it's the safest way to handle it under the circumstances.
16:23
All right, that's the procedure. Sam, you take care of your end
16:26
right away. I'll get a detail to get me a hand down on the
16:30
street. We'll have a car ready to take the bomb to a safe area
16:32
to decommission it. Work as fast as you can. Come on, Sam,
16:36
our baby, Joe, that's right. Which part of it you want
16:38
to rope with the bomb? You call it fire Chief Verykson, says,
16:41
the lightest man on the rope, that's me and Joe. All right,
16:44
I'll get the bomb out of the building. Okay, that's the routine.
16:45
But carry this with you. The man that comes down in that rope has
16:48
one chance to make good. You slug him and make it count because there's
16:52
no second try. And Joe, when you grab that box, you got
16:55
to get it away from Carney before you can squeeze the trigger. Then you've
16:57
got to get it down into the street. Yellow. You know how to
17:00
operate it. That's pretty simple, but I'll double check with the operator.
17:03
You better do it right now. Okay, Yed, we better get Carnie's
17:04
brother on the phone for him. He seemed anxious. Might be a pretty
17:07
good stove. All right. That's the outside phone at the city jail camp.
17:11
They're going Friday. Okay, hey you elevator man, yeah, Sogan,
17:22
let me see if I know how to work that thing you taken over
17:23
the elevator in a couple of minutes. You want to check me out.
17:26
Nothing towards sergeant. All right, here's the control saying. You push this
17:30
lever right to go up, left to go down. You see this little
17:33
trigger on the underside of the handle. Yeah, that's the safety lock.
17:37
Be sure you squeeze it or you can't move the lever. Let me try
17:41
it. That's it. Right to go up, left to go down,
17:45
right to go up, left to go down. How to operate the doors
17:48
automatic? They work off the control lever. When the control lever is locked
17:52
and the upper down position, the doors will close. I get it now.
17:55
In case they jam this red emergency button up here, yeah, push
17:59
it. If that doesn't close him. We call the repair man. Okay,
18:03
I think I got it. You sure Now I've had my orders to
18:06
get out of the building. I'll just leave the elevator right here and take
18:07
the stairs down, all right, Thanks a lot. Sergeant's just curious.
18:12
You're going to take the bomb down in this car. We're gonna try.
18:15
You won't have any trouble. We haven't had an elevator failure in eighteen months.
18:22
The elevator man turned and went down the stairs outside of a handful of
18:26
volunteers and a man with a bomb. The City Hall was now cleared.
18:32
I started down the corridor and met Ben outside the office. He told me
18:36
that Lee Jones and Chief Erickson were on their way up in the freight elevator
18:38
at the rear of the building with the necessary equipment. The two fire department
18:42
volunteers were with him. The phone call had been put through to the city
18:47
jail and in a moment Elwood Carney would be ready at the other end of
18:49
the line. We went in to tell Corney. I told a moment to
18:56
jail, put all through on extension two three five one. Yeah, when's
18:59
it come. I'm true right now. You got Ellwood with you no,
19:06
Look, Cannie, we told you we'd get him on the phone for you.
19:07
They call will be through in a minute, minutes, A long time.
19:11
Cup. You only got twelve of them left. Ellwood's going to talk
19:15
you out of this. Sure, Sure, everybody's gonna talk me out of
19:19
this. Bursted with them other two cups, the little porky guy and that
19:23
other monkey, then you and this Dixie doughhead here now it's Elwood, Come
19:29
off it, will you? And get my brother over here? That's him,
19:33
it's your brother, Connie. I'll get him. Stay put. You
19:36
just gonna get the phone. You want to talk to your brother, don't
19:37
you. I'll take care of the phone. We'll just connect it for a
19:41
while. I'll get a straight copper. I'm through with your stink and rotting
19:47
lying. I want Elwood here, and I want him not bring in here
19:51
before I blow all the feces. What's going on? Who threw that phone
19:53
out in the hall? I did you want me to go out and pick
19:56
it up? Kennie. That's not going to get you anyplace. You're the
19:59
big boss aro here. Maybe why you aren't? I answered you? All
20:02
right, big boy, I've got a piece of advice for you. Take
20:06
your rookie cops here and get it through their heads. I mean what I
20:08
say, I want my brother over here in this room, and you've got
20:14
just eleven minutes to get it done. Tell him that, will you?
20:18
Boy? All right, Connie, it's your show, all right. We
20:29
got to work fast now, Jones, everything set for you and put the
20:30
bucket with the water right here. Cars waiting on the street right Eric's and
20:33
your boys ready upstairs waiting, and we all know what to do. Ed.
20:37
I gotta have somebody to give me a hand with Carnie when he falls.
20:40
I'll be in there with your Freddy to go upstairs. Gee anytime?
20:42
Oh one thing, you ought to know. What's the strong wind coming up
20:45
about twenty mile an hour out there right now? That's going to allows us
20:48
up? No, what is going to increase this way? Got to allow
20:49
for it. How you mean wind's coming from the south. We'll lower you
20:53
just to the right of the window. If I figure it correctly, the
20:56
wind will do the rest. Bigger risk. But we don't control the weather.
21:00
How are you going to do it? Ben? As soon as I
21:02
get in position, I'll reach in through the window on his right I'll use
21:04
the belly, try to catch him on the right side of his head.
21:07
One good hit should put him away. Let's make it too and be sure
21:11
right you're read. Gee, let's go Ben. Yeah nothing, I'll be
21:21
careful you too. Huh. What's the time? Friday shouldn't take more than
21:26
a couple of minutes for Romero to get down to that window. Let's the
21:30
win. Get some trouble Jones. No use your sticking around. I'll give
21:33
Friday man, that's my job. We've got to keep you alive to decommission
21:37
the bomb bump joke. See you downstairs? You ready ed? Yeah?
21:48
Scared? Friday? Yeah, that makes us even come on at back.
21:59
Strand and I went in the next room with Vernon Carney. Our job was
22:03
to keep him occupied and until Ben was lowered to the window sill from the
22:06
floor above. Ben was going to make a try from the window on Carney's
22:10
right. Somehow, we had to keep Carne's attention on us and away from
22:14
that window. If anything went wrong and Carney got out of position, the
22:18
plan would fail. If Ben was spotted, the plan would fail. If
22:25
Chief Rickson didn't estimate the force the wind correctly, the plan would fail.
22:30
After Ben slugged Carney. My timing had to be perfect. If it wasn't,
22:33
the plan would fail. I looked at my watch. It was eight
22:40
minutes to nine, Carney. Anything we can say that'll make a change of
22:42
mind. I've asked you one hundred times. Now I'm ordering you. You're
22:48
going to get to a phone and have somebody send Elwood over here. Right
22:52
now. I'm through waiting. I'll move you ripped out the phone card.
22:56
I'll find another one. I told you, I'm second your two. It's
23:00
stalling. We've got until nine o'clock to make up her mind about this.
23:03
You had until nine, but you wouldn't do what I told you. Now
23:07
I'm cutting your short. You guys have got exactly one minute to get off
23:11
phone in this room where I can hear you. Call the jail and have
23:15
him send Elwood over here. You said nine, Carney. All right,
23:18
Joe, we'll give him what he wants. Davis unlocked the connecting door to
23:22
this office. I'll get the phone. D Will the cord Ridge. Yeah,
23:32
yeah, brother's a prisoner. He's in our custoding and he's under our
23:34
protection. We can't place his life in jeopardy. Why not leave it up
23:37
to l here's the phonehead. Yeah, Ken, Willie, this is Backstrand
23:47
won Elwood Kearney over here at city Hall. His brother wants to see him,
23:51
explain the situation. If he wants to come get him over here,
23:52
leave it up to him, Room sixteen fourteen. You'll have to use the
23:56
freight elevator and tell him to hurry. Yeah, tell him to hurry.
24:03
That's the only smart thing you've done today. Now, why don't you go
24:07
next door and figure out another angle. We'll wait for Elwood too. You
24:11
don't think I'd let you get out, now, do you. We're all
24:15
gonna wait right here for my brother. In case you don't show up,
24:19
you're gonna see me pull the plot. Just sit down, not the post
24:26
write where you are? Sit down? Loud clock? Ain't it windy getting
24:45
cold in here? Sure? A loud clock? Real windy? Maybe I
24:59
ought to close the win. Don't want to catch me a cold. I
25:00
can turn on the hate stay but cop, Hey, what's that? What's
25:04
going on? Just the wind? There's somebody out there. I can see
25:07
his feet. You stupid cops pull up there to him to pull him out?
25:15
High All right, Kennie, you win. You bet I win?
25:26
You dumb coppers. You didn't think I'd missed a trick like that. We'll
25:30
just close these windows. Boys, there's one and lock it. Here's your
25:37
brother conye yeah? Oh hell hi, Verne, you did it. I
25:47
told you. I told you I'd do it, didn't I. That's far
25:51
enough for the rest of you. Hell, come on over here. You're
25:56
crazy, Verne, You're crazy. That's what they've been trying to tell me.
26:00
We're going home, man, How are you going to do it?
26:03
There's a million cops outside. People all over town heard about this. They're
26:07
holding the crowd bag. They ain't gonna stop us. Now, Well,
26:10
you'll never make it, either one of you. I got him this far,
26:11
didn't I We'll make it. You think we could do it? Hey?
26:17
You? Yeah, you're going to get a car ready for us,
26:19
a fast one. Have it in front of the building. Boom. All
26:23
right, Faddy, do what he tells you, right, hold it.
26:27
Yeah, if you ain't back by nine o'clock, the deal still holds.
26:32
I told him I'd pull a pin at nine. Now if they didn't let
26:34
you out, you ain't fooling, are you? Vern? Will that gadget
26:37
really blow four miles high? You know what that means? Yeah, but
26:45
they won't let you pull it. We're getting out, all right, Copper,
26:51
get the car. You got four minutes? Ben Ben, what happened
27:02
he's bought me? Yeah, there's no time to explain that listening. We
27:03
got to work fast. We had to bring Karnie's brother over from the jail.
27:07
I don't think he cares if they get out or not. He just
27:10
wants to use that bomb, and for some crazy reason, he's waiting until
27:12
nine. How much time will go? Let me look, less than four
27:15
minutes? How about the ledge? You think he can do it? Strong
27:18
wind? You'll have to hang on like a fly. I don't know.
27:22
I can give it a try, Okay, same plan. Every second counts
27:26
now. I can't brief d he's in the room with the guy. It's
27:29
up to you and me. I'll get on the ledge in one of these
27:30
offices, I hope the mate. If you don't want to know your tried,
27:34
hurry oay man, Wait a minute. Yeah, I forgot the windows.
27:41
The one on his right, he locked it. You'll have to crawl
27:42
around of the one on the left. You got it, right, Okay,
27:51
the car, I'll be ready in two minutes up front. Fine,
27:55
Ellen, I'll just sit here and wait. Gonna be good being back together.
28:00
High were always worry real good together. Verne. Yeah, that's the
28:03
way brothers ought to be together all the time together, Vern, I'd feel
28:08
better with a gun. We don't need no gun. Hell, we got
28:14
the bomb. We don't need a gun. And we get out and we
28:17
get on the road. Okay, take your pick. They all got him.
28:23
Hey, you give him yours. I'm not carrying a gun. I
28:27
left it in the other room. A cop without a gun. Who's kidding
28:30
who? I left it in the other room. Frist the big boy l
28:36
he's got one. About time for the car, and it's two minutes to
28:41
nine. Yeah, this feels like it right on his hip, bo look
28:45
out dub him. Joe. I got to get the bottle. Theyve that
28:49
gun along. I got him Ben, I gotta get his hand out of
28:52
it. Run, Joe, get it in the water. Run in a
29:10
fast elevator. Sixteen floors isn't very much, but I've never shared an elevator
29:14
with a live bomb. It seemed like minutes between floors. I kept watching
29:18
the bucket the bomb was completely underwater. A small stream of bubbles was kissing
29:23
to the surface. I waited main floor. I picked up the bucket and
29:33
ran for the street. I missed the first step. I fell forward.
29:38
The bucket spun out of my hand. I sprawled flat on the sidewalk.
29:45
I waited for the explosion. It didn't go off. Friday, Yeah,
30:00
I gave it a good chance. Leave it's all there. Look at least
30:04
a dozen sticks of dynamite. Snyder, bring that over here. Yes,
30:15
why I didn't go off? Had it rigged for a hard trigger pull.
30:21
But it's taken a good yank to set this one off. Yeah, Hi
30:26
Joe, Hi man. The story you have just heard is true, only
30:44
the names were changed to protect the innocent. Vernon Connie was examined by five
30:49
different psychiatrists appointed by the Superior Court and was found to be incompetent. He
30:55
is now confined to the State Mental Institution for the criminally insane. Elwood Carney
31:00
is now serving the balance of his sentence with no time off or good behavior.
31:11
You have just heard the seventh in a new series of autemic cases from
31:14
official files. Technical advice forort Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department.
31:22
Tonight's program is dedicated to Town Marshall Lant Larson of the Mount Pleasant Utah
31:27
Force, who, on the night of October fifteenth, nineteen forty five,
31:33
gave his life so that yours might be more secure. Drag Net came to
31:42
you from Los Angeles. This is NBC the National Broadcasting Welcome. This is
32:00
a Dragnet classic and one of the few scripts that Dragnet would redo in totality
32:09
outside of Christmas episodes, at least over the radio. Many were done from
32:15
radio to television, but few were repeated over the radio the same way this
32:20
story was. This one has been around quite a while, and indeed it
32:23
was the story was based on was adapted by Calling All Cars back in the
32:30
early thirties. But it's such an exciting story and it's extremely suspenseful. Never
32:37
before or since have both partners been in such deadly peril. They faced firefights
32:46
and things of that sort, you know, exchange fire with people, but
32:51
this situation where everything could just be blown up. It's really a very tense
32:59
situation and the script is just perfect. This isn't my favorite version of it.
33:05
My favorite version would probably be the fifty one television version, and not
33:08
just because it was television, but because it actually brought back Raymond Burger as
33:15
it was Dragonet's first episode and it featured Stacy Harris as the bomber, which
33:22
is a very nice mix. You've had a great dynamic going there still with
33:30
the good actors we had today, still a very solid script. You have
33:35
to wonder too about the brother who just finished up his sentence without time off
33:40
for good behavior, because it comes back I guess oh, paraphrase Star Wars
33:46
and ask who is more crazy, the crazy person or the crazy person who
33:52
follows him. Now, there were certain things even if the if the brother
33:57
were sane or even semi normal, you could say, of all the ways
34:04
to break prison, this was probably the worst. But you wouldn't just go
34:08
out there and tell your brother, you know, I don't think I want
34:12
to do this, because you might end up getting shot yourself when he tells
34:15
him, you know, look out when Romero's going for the bomb. That's
34:21
a whole another situation, because at that point his brother could have blown all
34:27
of them sky high. But no one ever said that all criminals had very
34:31
solid reasoning skills. Still, what makes this episode stand out so much is
34:37
just the pure realism. We're not dealing with super smart, deductor genius police
34:45
officers. We're dealing with people who are intelligent and competent, but really running
34:52
out of options in the face of a madman, which makes for absolutely riveting
35:00
listening and watching. Well, that will do it for today. Before we
35:04
do sign off, do you want to remind you if you are in the
35:06
US or Canada. One of the available items we have as a thank you
35:10
gift is with a donation of seventy five dollars or more, is America's Dumbest
35:16
Criminals collection of twenty episodes. We will be back on Monday with the Saint
35:25
and join us next Saturday for another episode of Dragnet. In the meantime,
35:30
sendra comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, support our listener support
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Facebook, Facebook, dot com, Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
35:45
This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off