Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: Production #2: Robbery (aka: The Nickle Plated Gun) (EP1334)

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Dragnet: Production #2: Robbery (aka: The Nickle Plated Gun) (EP1334) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
0:34
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
0:39
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
0:44
Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
0:50
slash Radio Detectives. Well, after eighteen months, I'm pleased to present Dragnet
0:59
as a beginning a second run through the series, the first on The Great
1:02
Detectives of Old Time Radio. Dragnet had an origin that began in a couple
1:08
of different places. The idea of Dragnet came up on the set of He
1:15
Walked by Night, a program will no doubt bring you on Video Theater this
1:22
fall, and Marty Winn of the LAPD was a technical advisor. Web played
1:30
Lee Jones of the Crime Lab in that film, and web was just a
1:34
very curious, a sort of natural student, particularly when it came to film
1:42
and studying how that worked and asking people what their jobs were. And so
1:47
he struck up a conversation with Marty Winn, who, in finding out he
1:53
was one of those radio private eyes, wasn't too happy with Webb. When
1:57
a sergeant with the LA really thought that the radio private detective shows didn't fairly
2:06
represent the work of policemen, and he made an offer to Web to get
2:14
him case files and really challenge Web to create a series that portrayed what policemen
2:23
were really like, what their jobs really entailed. Well, that proposal was
2:28
mostly tabled, and if events hadn't gone a certain way, it may never
2:36
have been picked up, at least not by Jack Webb. But Web got
2:39
news that ABC was going to be putting a patent Novak for hire on hiatus
2:47
for the summer, and that definitely put Web in kind of a tough spot.
2:53
He'd just gotten back together with his wife and she was expecting their first
2:59
child stay and Web needed steady work, and so he approached NBC with this
3:06
idea. He got it greenltted and he began to study the LAPD and Webb
3:14
was the perfect person to make Dragnet because he was such a student, such
3:19
a stickler for accuracy in detail, and he told When and another officer who
3:28
were showing him around to talk like ops. That was what he wanted to
3:32
have, that feeling on the show, that absolute sense of accuracy, And
3:38
so Dragnet first hit the air on June third of nineteen forty nine. That
3:46
episode Production one Homicide is missing, but we do have Production two Robbery,
3:53
also popularly known as the nickel Plated Gun. I can safely say of that
4:00
this episode the earliest Dragnet episode in existence, that it is the least dragnetlock
4:06
episode of Dragnet. Theory is you'll notice it from beginning to end. We'll
4:11
talk about that at the end of the show, but let's go ahead and
4:15
we'll take a lessen now to Production two Robbery, aka the nickel Plated God.
4:25
Ladies and Gentlemen. The story you were about to hear is poo,
4:30
only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Dragnet. Drag meant
4:47
the documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who
4:53
unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home, your family, and your
4:57
life. Well the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police
5:00
Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through
5:04
an actual case from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime
5:11
to punishment. This is the story of your police force in action ray Net.
5:27
It was Tuesday March twenty fifth was cold in Los Angeles. We were
5:30
working the night watch out a homicide. Detectives in Los Angeles work in pairs.
5:35
My partner's Ben Romero. He's a sergeant, so am I. My
5:39
name's Friday. The boss is ed Backstrand, Chief of Detectives. I was
5:44
on the way back from the Record Bureau and it was thirteen minutes past eleven
5:46
when I got to Room forty two homicide. That's a hot shot. Somebody
5:53
grab it. I got it ed at one two four or five East Ohine's.
6:00
Two officers shot at one two more five East Oheeney Street, two officers
6:08
shot. Have you got Friday? Read it? Two officers shot? Where's
6:14
Romeo? All right? Here's Guber. Okay, you've got one to roll
6:16
on. Get going. Both Ben and I knew where we were heading.
6:26
We'd recognize the address. It was the trap Door Cafe ad joined in the
6:29
south end of town that did business with a pretty rough crowd. Thirteen minutes
6:33
later we pulled up in front. Two patrolmen had the crowd pretty well pushed
6:40
back. There was a cruiser car in front of the cafe. The car
6:43
door was opened and an officer was sprawled across the sea. He was conscious
6:46
but weak, and one of his pant legs was pretty red. Hello,
6:49
SERGEI, how you doing? I've done better? Yeah, well what happened?
6:54
Williams and I were cruising. We've been keeping an eye on this cafe
6:57
lately. Tonight we decided to take a look, and just as we went
7:01
in, two guys left in a hurry the back door. We followed them
7:05
out into the alley. It's dark out there, and I called them.
7:09
I said, hey, fellas, just a minute, I want to talk
7:11
to me. You stop, I'll see. One of them whirled. He
7:15
had a gun in his left hand. He shot both of his left hand.
7:17
Williams went down and out. I went down, but I took a
7:21
shot at him, no effect, and I started crawling out here to the
7:25
car so I could call in. We started crawling. Yeah, wait a
7:29
minute, Emerson, weren't there any people around by that time? I got
7:31
quite a few ran out at the shots. You mean nobody would help you
7:34
to the car. That's right. You get a good look at either of
7:40
the gunmen. Well, one of them was tall. I think he was
7:44
a redhead. There was something funny about his nose, that's all I saw.
7:48
It's too dark out there. Williams was closer. I think he got
7:51
a good look. The other off for Williams. It's in pretty bad shame.
7:55
Is he breathing? He's still alive, Emerson, I don't know how
7:57
much time is good. Ambulance on the way. Okay, let's round up.
8:00
All the men are when the cafe, we're taking them in. We
8:09
took all the men back to the city Hall. There were twenty three in
8:11
the trapdoor cafe at the time of the shooting. We questioned all of them.
8:16
One of them said there had been a redhead in the place, but
8:18
he couldn't describe him. Ben and I left the interrogation room and we went
8:22
back to the squad room. Friday Romero got a minute. Yeah, Ed,
8:28
come on, Ben, sit down. Okay, you got anything from
8:35
those people? You question? Nothing we could use. I was Williams.
8:39
It's pretty bad under. They operate soon as he comes out of shock,
8:41
probably in the morning. You boys will be there, Yeah, we will.
8:45
When the surgeon digs that slug out. Get it in market for evidence.
8:48
Yeah, scare for them. Two men shot without asking any questions.
8:52
They must be hot. Yeah, same thing occurred to me. When we
8:56
get that slug, the ballistics can tell us whether that gun's been used on
8:58
other Joe, we've got enough of their modus operandi to have the statistician give
9:01
us a run through on the IBM. Now one of them is left hand
9:05
an, he's huge quick, Okay, be in surgery tomorrow morning at nine.
9:13
Neither Ben or I said much on the way home, but we were
9:16
both thinking the same thing. I knew the chief was thinking it too.
9:22
Here were two men who'd shot a couple of police officers without asking any questions.
9:26
Now, I suppose you've heard a lot of stories about what the force
9:30
thinks of cop killers. Sure, we don't like to lose our friends and
9:33
partners any better than anybody else would. Why not figure it this way.
9:37
If these two guys would gun a couple of armed police officers, do you
9:41
think they'd hesitate to shoot you, the unarmed citizen. The next morning,
9:48
at nine o'clock, Ben and I had scrubbed up and we were in surgery.
9:54
Williams was on the table. The surgeons started in. One minutes later
10:00
he got this slug. As for Williams, they took out seven feet of
10:07
his Intestine and said he might pull through yore. Here's the report from ballistics.
10:18
Slug they took out of Williams come from a forty four Smith and Wesson.
10:22
The same gun was used in a liquor store killing about a month ago.
10:24
You call the statistician. Yeah, huh, she's running all the card
10:28
drone previous shooting through the IBM machine. Sure to be through about now.
10:31
Let's take a look, okay, hi Helen, Okay, well I said
10:46
for it. Cards a god? You all the shootings pulled by two men
10:50
on foot of shot quick, one of them left handed. They're all yours.
10:52
Sure can't tell a lot from just a bunch of little holes in these
10:56
cars, can't you? I can't, But this IBM machine can never cease.
11:00
He's too amazement. Okay, shall we check the cards? Huh yeah,
11:03
sure, sure, Wait a minute, Ben, here we are.
11:11
Huh yeah, here's that liquor start killing ballistics tied to Smith and Wesson in
11:15
on same gun and Emerson Williams a shot with it. Checks out. The
11:18
liquor store was in the same neighborhood as the trap doork cafe, same gun.
11:20
Huh. Got to be how long ago? A month ago. Yeah,
11:24
Ben, take the dr number off this card and let's pull the crime
11:26
report on that job. We pulled the crime report out of the files.
11:35
It said that there was only one witness to that liquor start killing a month
11:37
ago. That witness was a woman, Miss Form. Sorry to disturb you
11:45
like this, but we'd like to ask some questions about that liquor store killing
11:48
you witness little over a month ago. I told the police everything I knew
11:52
about it then. Yeah, we know, but maybe you wouldn't mind telling
11:54
us again, Huh, I guess not. I've been trying to forget to
12:00
tell the truth. It was terrible. I really didn't see so very much
12:03
because I was awful scared, I understand. But try to describe again just
12:07
what happened with you. Well, it was about ten o'clock at night.
12:11
I was walking down the street toward home and I realized I was a lot
12:15
of cigarettes. Well, I was right in front of the liquor store then,
12:18
so I went in. The clerk was behind the corner and there were
12:20
two men standing there arguing. Once the idea had changed in your mind,
12:24
I thought we was gonna get bourbon. No, let's get the wine.
12:28
I want bourbon. Gosh, too much. Wine's good enough. The rest
12:31
of them want bourbon, so we better talk to him. Wow, Okay,
12:35
we'll be back when we make up our mind. Miss. The two
12:37
men walked out of the store, and the clerk smiled at me and shrugged
12:41
his shoulders. I bought a pack of cigarettes and turned to leave. Just
12:45
then the two men came back in again, and each of them had a
12:46
gun in his hand. There's a stick up, mister. The clerk just
12:52
sort of crumpled at the floor. I couldn't believe my eyes, but that's
12:56
just how it happened. The men said, this is a stick up,
12:58
and then they shot him right away, right against the wall. Lady,
13:00
or you'll get the same. One of them punched the no sail on the
13:03
cash register. I was shaking, so I almost caved in. He scooped
13:07
the money out of the drawer and stuffed it into his pocket, and then
13:11
then the other one went over to where the liquor clerk was lying face down,
13:15
knelt down beside the clerk, but he's gune against the clerk's spine,
13:20
and they both ran out of the store. I think it was terrible.
13:24
Like clerk, he was lying there helpless and wounded me deliberately. Yeah,
13:28
Miss Forbes, I understand, Oh, Miss Forbes. Yeah, he said
13:33
that both of the men had guns. Yes, one of the guns was
13:37
black and the other was sort of sort of fancy looking. What do you
13:41
mean, Miss Forbes. Well it was real shiny. I wouldn't know about
13:45
that, but it was shiny. There were two guns. Yes, Well,
13:48
now about the men themselves, I was so scared. Their faces just
13:52
didn't register with me. The one who when we shot the clerk at the
13:58
back was sort of stocky. That's about the best I can do. You
14:01
mentioned in the report that one of the men was left handed. Yes,
14:05
I do remember that. Uh huh, I look, Miss Forbes, this
14:09
is very important to us. One of the men was a redhead. Redhead?
14:16
Why No, I didn't see any redhead. Scare from me and Jeege
14:26
run right smack into a stone wall on this thing. What's the complication,
14:31
Well, there's more than one head in the first place. We know that
14:35
the forty four Smith and Weston was used in both shootings, but the descriptions
14:37
of the men involved don't check. Police Officer Emerson said he thought the man
14:43
had shot him in Williams outside the trapdoor cafe was a tall, left handed
14:48
redhead. He said, he's something funny about his nome. You think Williams
14:52
got a better look at him. Probably did, but Williams isn't strong enough
14:54
to talk yet. And a girl had witnessed the liquor store killing a month
14:58
ago, said that one knows me man was left handed, but she said
15:01
neither of them was redhead. And on top of all that, now we've
15:05
got two guns to worry about. The girl mentioned two guns, so we
15:07
checked the autopsy report on that liquor clerk and ed the bullet that actually killed
15:11
him came from a thirty two to twenty, not a forty four Smith and
15:15
Wesson. That fact didn't get any publicity at the time, did it.
15:18
No, it didn't. Okay, we won't give it any publicity now either,
15:22
a lot of them. It's just the forty four Smith and Wesson were
15:24
after. Because of whoever owns the thirty two twenty finds out it's hot,
15:28
we'll never get it anything else. Well, we sent teletypes to all out
15:31
land stations neighboring cities, told of them if they get any red headed suspects,
15:37
no matter what charge. I got him on to hold them for questioning.
15:39
Yeah, now how about this thirty two twenty the actual murder weapon,
15:43
and he leads on it. We've got one ed. We've been checking the
15:46
records, and we discovered that four hours after the liquors start killing, a
15:50
taxi driver in the neighborhood was shot and robbed. His blood was pretty well
15:54
mashed, but there was enough to tell it was from a thirty two to
15:56
twenty. So we're going over to question and texted driver. Now, good,
16:00
Well, I think you boys are on the right trail. So far,
16:03
what we've got is mostly unrelated facts, but sooner or later those facts
16:07
have all got to tie in at some point along the line. Find that
16:11
point, yeah, find the point. Find the tie in. Well,
16:19
Ben and I went over to see the taxi driver, a guy who was
16:22
living on borrowed time. Yeah, it was about two o'clock in the morning
16:26
when it happened. I got to call a pickup a fare near one hundred
16:29
and fifth in Avalin, you know. Yeah, Well I got there,
16:32
somebody came over, pull up my cap door and said this is a stick
16:34
up. Then blowy, you let me have it just like that. Yeah,
16:38
just like that same deal as others. Joe, you cheap trigg your
16:41
things. Yeah, do you get any kind of a look at the fella?
16:45
No, No, it's too dark. Hey, according to the report,
16:48
you got shot in the jat. Yeah that's right. Oh you're maybe
16:52
wondering how come I'm still alive. I'll tell you a fella, It's like
16:56
something you've seen a bad movie. You know. I'm carrying a few silver
16:59
dollar with me, nine of them to be exacted, so I decided to
17:02
stick them in my breast pocket. Well, mister, thatcher saved my life.
17:06
The slug hit them silver dollars. That's the one for the book.
17:08
Huh, yeah you said it. Well, thanks very much. Say incidentally,
17:12
we had a little trouble finding you today, he warned the stand you
17:15
operated out of last month. Oh look look, uh, I'm not only
17:18
not my usual stand, I'm not driving a hack no more. Oh look
17:22
after what happened? Are you kidding? No? I don't want to push
17:25
my luck any further than it's been pushed. I figure I had it,
17:29
you know. And about that time Ben and I were beginning to figure we'd
17:37
had it. We were getting nowhere fast. We had a few informants nosing
17:41
around, but so far they hadn't come up with any leads. Oh,
17:45
Ben and I have followed up all the teletypes that poured in. We just
17:48
got back from Santa Ana, where we've been questioning our redheaded suspect, and
17:52
we'd flopped in the squad room when Chief Backstrand's door opened. Riday Omel not
17:57
a minute, Yes, GiB Any luck with the sun and the redheads?
18:03
No, none at all. I guess you haven't heard the latest. We
18:07
just not got back in town. Early this morning. Another cab driver got
18:11
shot. What yeah, and came up to his taxi, opened the door,
18:15
said this is a stick up and shot him. Well, it went
18:18
through one leg and into the other, but the driver managed to start his
18:22
cab and drove over to a cafe called In. From there, boys recovered
18:25
the slug. Yeah, it came from the same forty four smith in Western
18:29
that was used in the other two jobs. The cab driver get a look
18:32
at the gunman. Yeah, briefly, was it the redhead? Noll a
18:33
stocky guy. It wasn't red headed, and he wasn't stocky. It's all
18:37
the driver knows. That's great here for this is beginning to sound like a
18:41
gun of a month club. You reckon, somebody's renting them guns out.
18:45
Well, they're passing the guns around, all right, but I think they're
18:48
working together. The way they operate indicates that, yeah, the trigger had
18:51
the root in killing was apparently more than a business to them. It's pleasure
18:55
too. That's why we've got to get to them fast. Come over here,
18:57
all right, then, here, take a look at this map.
19:04
Here's the trap door cafe, and no, where's the liquor store? Down?
19:10
Here is where the first cab driver got shot. And here'shere the second
19:12
one got it. All of the shootings have taken place within an area of
19:18
ten square blocks. Okay, tonight, we're going to throw a blockade around
19:22
that whole area. Good. It'll go into effect at ten pm. At
19:30
nine pm, cars and officers started drifting into the area by twos and threes
19:36
at a ten When Backstrand, Ben and I arrived, the whole area was
19:38
sewed up tighter than a tick. Good now, Davis, cat, I'll
19:45
i'll set We've got a primary line on the secondary line. If anyone tries
19:49
to make a break, we'll pick him up in the secondary Okay, Friday
19:52
and Romero here will cruise around the area with me, go to work.
19:56
Man. Every car in the area was shaken down. The same process was
20:03
also followed on all persons on foot. The blockade went on all night.
20:08
By the end of that time, we'd brought in two hundred and seventeen suspects,
20:11
twenty six of them were redheads. What's your name, Hendy leg gun?
20:18
Where do you work? Which one stole? What times you get through
20:21
work? Last night? About siks? I guess what'd you do then at
20:25
some day night where Harry's grim? Then what shot the little pool? Look,
20:30
I tell you I ain't done nothing. Well, let's go back to
20:33
the day before yet. And that's the way it went. All day long.
20:37
We shot question after question at them, working them gradually back to the
20:41
days on which the shootings had taken place. When it was all over,
20:45
we got six men wanted in other cities on various charges. We got quite
20:48
an assortment of guns and knives, but as far as the shootings were concerned,
20:52
we got nothing. Well, I guess that's the last of them.
20:56
I was running out of questions. Are they and you two boys better gone
21:00
home get some sleep? Well? I was kind of figuring on checking back
21:04
over the reports to see if we might have overlooked something. I said,
21:08
go on home. Two boys have been at it for thirty two hours straight.
21:14
Look at you both so groggy, can hardly stand up. You need
21:17
sleep. It's four pm now, don't come back until ten pm. When
21:30
I walked into the squadroom at ten Ben was already there. An informant had
21:34
just phoned in a new lead. He told Ben he'd heard about a gang
21:37
that had been hanging out down around the Devere Bungalow Court in the south end
21:41
of town. We knew that the Devere was close to the Trapdoor Cafe,
21:45
so we went over to talk to the manager. Joe, I've been meaning
21:49
to ask you. You checked on how Williams is getting along? Yeah?
21:53
I did. I called the hospital this afternoon. It's going to be all
21:56
right. Oh that's fine. Here we are, Yeah, managers open,
22:02
you've got a line on. Yeah, I'm Sergeant Friday Police. This is
22:11
Sergeant Romero. Yeah, we'd like a little information. Sure, come in.
22:15
Thank you. What can I do for you? Well? Did you
22:19
hear anything about a gang that hangs out down around here anywhere? Yang or
22:23
no? How about your tenants here, any of them ever been in trouble
22:26
to you or not? No, I ain't exactly the best neighborhood in time.
22:30
We try to keep things under control. Once in a while one of
22:34
them get out of line, but when that happens, we heat him out
22:37
of here. He heaved anybody out lately? Yeah, I did. Following
22:41
his wife a few weeks ago. They had a fight and one of the
22:42
bungalows. She took a shot down, but she missed. Party by the
22:47
name of Stupa Karl Stuba. What did this Stuba look like? Oh?
22:52
Sort of tall, skinny? Was he a redhead? No? Now,
22:56
we'd like to take a look at that bungalow that he lived in. Sure,
22:59
help your u down the end there? Number five still vacant? Well,
23:14
yes, that does it. Stuba didn't leave a thing behind. Matter
23:18
of fact, we don't have anything to prove that this Stuba is tight end
23:19
at all. We're only working on our arms. Hey, Joe, look
23:22
up on the wall there, just for the window. Oh yeah, yeah,
23:26
that's plaster there. It's newer than the rest. You got a knife,
23:30
I'm sure I have, boy, and I'm carving that The manager'd be
23:36
awful unhappy with me if he is here. Yeah he would. Yeah,
23:40
hey, Joe, here it is a slug a plastered right over. Okay,
23:44
dig it out and let's hope it matches. Get matched. The slug
23:52
from the wall came from the same forty four Smith and Wesson that had been
23:55
used in the other shootings. So now we had a name to work on,
23:57
Carl Stuba, but he'd done a good job of dropping out of sight.
24:03
Well. The next day Ben thought he had another lead. Just been
24:07
talking to another informant, Joe. He says he heard that there's a fella
24:10
down in that neighborhood been trying to sell a gun lately. What kind of
24:12
a gun? Nickel played with steer horn handles. Nickel played, maybe that's
24:18
our forty four Smith and Wesson. Maybe did the informant know who this man
24:22
was? They had The fella's name was Alonzo, Yeah, Alonzo? Who?
24:26
Yes, Alonzo. That's all they needed. So now we had two
24:36
names, Stuba and Alonzo, but no men to go with him. So
24:41
we went back to making the rounds of the sub stations, interviewing redheaded suspects.
24:45
We took a few of them to Williams, who was home from the
24:48
hospital by now, but he couldn't identify any of them as the man who
24:52
shot him. Still we kept checking. Finally we got around to the seventy
24:56
seventh Street station. We questioned the suspects they were holding there and we just
25:00
to leave, and one of the officers called us, we're holding somebody else.
25:03
You might want to look at him, redhead. You know what's the
25:07
joy suspicion of burglary? Small jab? Oh, I don't know. What
25:11
do you think? Ben? What's spacial about it? He lives in the
25:15
same neighborhood where the shootings took place, all right where you got him down
25:19
here? He admit anything. No, he's pretty surely here we are.
25:32
Thanks, Hi, what do you want. I'm Sergeant Friday. This is
25:40
Sergeant Romero. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Look, I
25:41
already told the other cops all I know I didn't steal my already open that
25:45
jerk. What's your name? We've been through all that one. Come on,
25:48
what's your name? Jackson? Alonzo? Jackson Alonzo? I looked at
25:55
Ben, and Ben looked at me. This could be the Alonzo had been
25:57
trying to peddle that Smith and Wesson, Ben and I both knew here was
26:02
one suspect. We'd have to be real careful with Alonzo Gordon. To the
26:07
record, just burglary, you'rs respected took place on the night of the twenty
26:11
seven. Look how many times do I have to tell you guys they didn't
26:14
have anything to do with it. You got an alibi for that night?
26:15
Sure, I got an alibi. I was out with a couple of friends.
26:18
I can tell you what your friend's names, Lonzo, Watams, Cranley
26:22
Other Stuba Stuba, the guy who used to live in the bungalow court.
26:26
Well. We told Alonzo he'd have to produce his two friends to give him
26:30
an alibi for the burglary charge, and he bit. He went with us
26:33
and he pointed out where Stuba was living. Now, no wonder we hadn't
26:37
been able to find him. It was a little shack at the back of
26:40
a lot behind two houses. We thought it was a chicken coop at first.
26:44
We took Alonzo back to the station, then we picked up Stuba.
26:47
He was surprised to see us and not very happy. We took him in
26:51
next to Alonzo, gave us Crandall's address. Yeah, mister Crandell in no,
27:02
will you be back soon? I don't know who are you, Sergeant
27:07
Friday, Sergeant Ramaro Police? What do you want with him? Oh?
27:10
Nothing important, lady. We just wanted him as a witness. Oh well,
27:14
I don't know just when he'll be back, Probably an hour or two.
27:17
Okay. Thanks. We went down the street away and we staked out
27:26
in the car. We sat there for about five hours, and then Ben
27:30
nuts me and the ribs. Thank Joe. Huh, Joe. Take a
27:33
look coming along the side wall. Yeah, and he's got red hair.
27:38
Come on, Crandell? Huh your name Crandell? Are you Friday? Ramaro
27:48
Police? Police? What you want with me? I haven't done nothing.
27:52
Well, then you've got nothing in the world to worry about. Come on.
28:00
We questioned Crandall for an hour, but he wouldn't give an inch,
28:03
denied everything. Then we put him in a car and we drove over to
28:07
Officer William's house. I left Ben in the living room with Crandell while I
28:11
went in Williams's bedroom. Hell outside, Hi Williams, how are you doing
28:18
a little better? I think that's fine. Look, we've got another redhead
28:22
outside, bring him in. Okay, all right, Crandell, come on
28:27
in here. Who's in there? Why'd you bring me over here? I'm
28:30
on in here? How about it? Williams, here's the guy. That's
28:41
the guy that shot me. Well, Crandell, no, yeah, it
28:45
was an accident. I didn't mean to shoot him. It was an accident.
28:53
Once Crandell got started, he talked his head off. He also admitted
28:57
being in on the liquor store killing, but he assisted that he was only
29:00
the lookout. We took him back to the station and got his whole story
29:03
down on a tape recorder. Yeah, he was left handed. And then
29:07
we went back to Alonzo, who didn't know we had Crandall's confession. We
29:11
met the chief in the hall outside the room where they were holding Alonzo.
29:15
Are I ready to try the not? Oh hope, so geez. But
29:18
Alonzo hasn't given any yet, and we still haven't found those guns. We've
29:22
got one of them, which was Smith and Wesson. Stupa popped about that
29:26
from ten minutes ago. So he left it with his girl. A couple
29:29
of the boys are on their way over to get it. Now, that's
29:30
good. That leaves just the thirty two to twenty. You have mentioned the
29:33
thirty two, Alonzo. No, he still thinks we're after that Smith and
29:37
Wesson, and that's the way we're gonna play it right now, go ahead,
29:42
Look how much longer? Real guys gonna hold me here? Didn't you
29:45
check with us friends of mine? Alon So we got a tip that you've
29:48
been trying to sell a gun, lady, a gun, yeah, forty
29:52
four Smith and Wesson. Ah, No, it's not true that Smith and
29:57
Wesson's been using a couple of robbery jobs this month, and we think it's
30:00
your gun. That's a lie. Any proof of that? But yeah,
30:04
sure I got proof of that. I used to have a gun, but
30:07
it wasn't it a Smith and Wesson. Look if I tell you where it
30:11
is that ought to convence, you shouldn't it. It'll help things. Okay.
30:15
I sold it to a neighbor of mine. He give me seven bucks,
30:17
I'll give you his address. You sure it's not a Smith and Lesson?
30:19
Sure, I'm sure it's a thirty two to twenty. Yeah, it
30:26
worked. We went to the neighbor's address and he admitted having bought the thirty
30:30
two to twenty, but said he lent it to a friend who'd never returned
30:32
it. A friend had hocked the gun to a barber. The barber gave
30:36
him fifteen bucks in a haircut for it. We finally got it from the
30:38
barber and we came back to the station. I'm all, said Joe,
30:44
I'm being the neck room. Just give me a nuse. Okay, Hello,
30:49
Alonso, Hey you got the gun. Yeah, we got the gun.
30:53
Woah. Now maybe you'll believe I'm on the level. Okay. If
30:59
I go now, I guess we won't be able to hold you here much
31:00
longer. You can say that again, brother, you gotta saved a lot
31:04
of time. You listen to what I've been trying to tell you all,
31:07
Alan, I guess you're right, Alonzo, Sure, I'm right. You
31:10
know you guys would be a lot better off. You believe guys like me.
31:14
The first time we tell you something that was only a lookout. I
31:18
was outside. It was the other two bull that one stup Alonzo Alonzo killed.
31:29
Now come on, how about it? What's the use? All right?
31:37
It's like you said, Okay, Ben, bring the recorder in here.
31:42
Alonzo is ready to make a record now by playing back Crandall's statement that
31:52
we'd recorded earlier. We got a full confession from Alonzo. We took the
31:56
three of them out and had them reenact the four shootings, and we photografter
32:00
on sound film. Crandell, a redhead, was the one who shot the
32:02
two police officers, but he was only the lookout for the liquor store killing,
32:07
which explains why the girl witness didn't see him in the store. Stuba
32:10
and Alonzo were the ones who pulled that job, and Alonzo, the worst
32:15
of the bunch, was the one who put the thirty two to twenty against
32:17
the spine of the wounded clerk. The three of them took turns at shooting
32:22
the cab drivers and robbingham. That accounted for the mixed up descriptions, including
32:25
all that left handed business. Two of the three suspects happened to be left
32:30
handed. Well, that was the crop. Crandell, Alonzo, Stuba four
32:35
shootings, three robberies, four attempted murders, one murder. The three men
32:39
were tried and convicted. They're all in the state penitentiary. Crandall's there for
32:44
life. Alonzo and Stuba they'll be executed next week. Pilot will you ben
32:55
case closed, cried Net. The story you have just heard was true,
33:08
only the names were changed to protect the innocent. You have just heard the
33:19
second in a new series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for
33:23
Dragnet comes from the office of C. B. Horrel, Chief of Police,
33:29
Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated to radio Officer Delmer E.
33:36
Cook of the Los Angeles Police Department, who, on the afternoon of
33:40
December sixth, nineteen forty eight, gave his life so that yours might be
33:45
more secure. Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. This is NBC,
33:55
the National Broadcasting Company. Welcome back. As I said, this is a
34:09
look at Dragnet. Really a very rough version. There's so many things different
34:16
from beginning to end with this particular episode. The theme music that was used
34:23
here will be gone by next week. Apologize to anyone who expected the traditional
34:30
Dragnet theme. Probably the flashback in the witnesses testimony definitely not something we usually
34:38
see with Dragnet. Plus, you begin to get a reason why Web would
34:45
assist on a little more toned down delivery, particularly probably the most challenging act
34:52
in the turn that regard was Charlie McGraw, and i've heard some of McGraw's
34:58
other work, including Man from Homicide, which will probably end up playing next
35:04
season, and he can could definitely have some somewhat overdone mannerisms as Ed Bastrand.
35:14
Of course, that role would go to Raymond Burr later on in the
35:17
series. And perhaps the other thing that's very striking here is just the role
35:22
that the captain plays in this early episode. It's assigned a lot of prominence.
35:29
As a traditional dragnet, it's much more subdued unless they need to make
35:32
a report or the captain's concerned about progress on the case. In some ways,
35:37
the script had the captain stating obvious things like that most of what they
35:44
had was circumstantial evidence is somewhat of a device to make the audience more aware.
35:50
I'm not saying this just to criticize this completely, because in its own
35:54
right, it's still a very good radio program, but it's not quat Dragnet
36:00
as we came to know it. And the big benefit of listening to these
36:06
early episodes is you begin to see Dragnet take shape, and that can be
36:13
a trade in and of itself, because once you get past, say the
36:17
first you know, thirty or forty episodes. They've got this pretty down,
36:22
pretty pant. It's not completely formulaic, but you have certain things that you
36:29
expect of Dragnet, but they weren't all there at the beginning, and so
36:32
we get to see this show begin the genesis of Dragnet to become that truly
36:39
memorable program that aired more than three hundred radio episodes and more than three hundred
36:46
television episodes, a TV movie, and a big screen film. I also
36:52
should say that in some ways what Dragnet was doing was very unique, but
37:01
in other ways was a continuation of other efforts. NBC airing a program that
37:08
honored police as a summer replacement was certainly not a new thing. This was
37:15
the summer of nineteen forty nine. In the summer of nineteen forty seven and
37:21
nineteen forty eight, they aired a series we've already played on the great detectives
37:28
of old time radio, call Call the Police, which honored heroic policemen and
37:34
the work of the police. They had a Hero of the Week, though
37:37
they tended to honor people who admitted or lived and committed great acts of valor,
37:45
as opposed to those who died. But there was that style, and
37:49
there had been programs that attempted to encourage law and order and respect for the
37:58
law. Go on back to the nineteen thirties with Call the Police, excuse
38:04
me, not call the police, but police headquarters and calling all cars.
38:08
And at the federal level you had This is your FBI, and there was
38:12
also Gangbusters. What made Dragnets so interesting is it was a series that won
38:20
an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. There was little mystery.
38:24
In fact, many of the other programs spent most of their time following the
38:29
criminals around in order to illustrate a crime Doesn't Pay message in which lessons about
38:37
the dangers of crime, the causes of crime were taught. And it was
38:43
in that against that backdrop that Jack Webb promised that this was not going to
38:47
be a show that was preachy, and it was true, despite the way
38:53
many people have interpreted the show, as it focuses, by its nature,
38:59
on the investigation of the police force. And again, this is a fascinating
39:04
series and I really enjoy it, and I hope you enjoy it as we
39:08
bring it to you over the next six years. Well, that we'll do
39:13
it for today. We will be back tomorrow with a video theater episode of
39:19
Decoy. Then be sure and listen to us next Saturday for Dragnet, and
39:24
coming up this Monday, it's an episode of Pursuit. In the meantime,
39:29
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on
39:34
Twitter at Radio Detactives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook
39:37
dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host,
39:43
Adam graham Son and off