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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: On July 19th, 1955, NBC brought listeners Dragnet, episode 309,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Big Bobo. Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: assigned to the Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs Division,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: after a bribery complaint raises the question of whether a
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: man accepting money to arrange a prisoner's release is actually
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: an officer. In Los Angeles, Friday checks the accusation against
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: official personnel files and identification, seeking to determine whether the
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: evidence points to a member of the force or an impersonator.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Chesterfield Cigarettes sponsored this approximately 26-minute broadcast. We now take
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: you back to the original broadcast.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, The story you are about to hear
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: You're a detective sergeant.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: You're assigned to Internal Affairs Division. A man who claims
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: he's a policeman has been accepting bribes in your city.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: Evidence points to.
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: The fact that he is an officer. Your job? Check
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: it out.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Oh, my God.
• 1:36
  Speaker 5: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime.
• 1:39
  Speaker 6: For the next 30.
• 1:40
  Speaker 5: Minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through
• 1:46
  Speaker 5: an actual case transcribed.
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: From official police files.
• 1:50
  Speaker 5: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 1:54
  Speaker 5: the story of your police force in action.
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: It was Monday, April 18th. It was cold in Los Angeles.
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: We were working the day.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: Watch out of Internal Affairs Division.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: My partner's Frank Smith.
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: The boss is Captain Fulton. My name's Friday.
• 2:09
  Speaker 4: I was on my way into the office and it
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: was 7.58 a.m.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: When I got to room 36. Squad room.
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: Good morning. Hi. Are we keeping you up? Huh? There's
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: a couch down the hall. Maybe you can use that.
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Remember a couple of months ago Faye was on
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: that quiz show?
• 2:29
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, I heard something about that. Well, one of
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: the prizes was a dog.
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: You know, they were going to give us a little pup.
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: Turned out they were giving away cockers.
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: They're nice dogs.
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: They're a bad fool. Faye and me talked it over
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: and decided we'd rather have one.
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: Of those basset hounds. What are they?
• 2:46
  Speaker 7: One of those dogs with a little short hind legs
• 2:48
  Speaker 7: and long ears. You know, long-faced basset hounds.
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Let's see them in the magazines. You know, they got
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: sad eyes, always look so sad.
• 2:58
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: They were hard to get. We had to wait a while.
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: I got the call Saturday.
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: Pup was there.
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: Went out and picked him up.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: Named him Hector. Yeah. That's it.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: Hector. Why? Why? Because the old expression kind of fit.
• 3:16
  Speaker 7: Since Hector was a pup, get it, Joe?
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: Hector, see?
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: Still a pup.
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: Oh, Hector the pup. I was up with him all night.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: He couldn't sleep and kept whining. You still work here,
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: don't you? I just stayed up and kind of hummed
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: to him and his company.
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: You still working here? Oh. Anything come in this morning?
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's a couple of mug shots over there.
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: Thank you. I'll be glad to get to bed tonight.
• 3:48
  Speaker 8: Excuse me.
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am. Something we can do for you?
• 3:51
  Speaker 8: Man down room 38, Bunko, told me to come here.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
• 3:55
  Speaker 8: DeBetta, that's his name, said to see you.
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 3:58
  Speaker 8: Want to report something?
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: All right, would you like to sit down?
• 4:00
  Speaker 8: Thank you.
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: Now, what can we do for you?
• 4:06
  Speaker 8: I think it's been too long.
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 4:08
  Speaker 8: Well, I paid for it over a month ago. I'm
• 4:10
  Speaker 8: tired of waiting.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: You want to tell us about what you mean?
• 4:12
  Speaker 8: Well, Henry should be home by now. It's been over
• 4:14
  Speaker 8: a month.
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: Who's Henry?
• 4:16
  Speaker 8: My husband, Henry Farwell. When I gave the man the money,
• 4:19
  Speaker 8: he said he'd get Henry out of jail right away.
• 4:21
  Speaker 8: That's what he told me.
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: What man?
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  Speaker 8: The man who came to see me.
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: Well, yes, ma'am, but who was he? A policeman. 8.12 a.m.,
• 4:33
  Speaker 4: we continued to talk to the woman. She identified herself
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: as Mrs. Henry Farwell, and she gave us the full story.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: When did this man approach you, ma'am?
• 4:41
  Speaker 8: Just a minute, Mr. Smith. I got it all written down. Ma'am?
• 4:44
  Speaker 8: It's got it right here in my bag. Yep, here
• 4:48
  Speaker 8: it is. March 6th. That's when I met him.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: Where was it?
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: What?
• 4:54
  Speaker 4: Where'd you meet him?
• 4:55
  Speaker 8: He comes to the house, my house. Told me he
• 4:57
  Speaker 8: wanted to talk to me about something. Said it was important.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.
• 5:00
  Speaker 8: I didn't know him. There wasn't any reason he'd have
• 5:03
  Speaker 8: anything important to talk to me about. But he said
• 5:05
  Speaker 8: he knew the mister.
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: You mean your husband?
• 5:07
  Speaker 8: That's right. Henry Farwell.
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: Is he in prison?
• 5:10
  Speaker 8: Yes. Been there for three and a half years.
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: We don't like to ask this, Miss Farwell, but it's necessary.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Burglary.
• 5:18
  Speaker 8: That's what he was convicted for. Judge told him he'd
• 5:22
  Speaker 8: go to jail for five years to life.
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Was this the first time he's been in jail?
• 5:27
  Speaker 8: I thought so. First, I thought it was all a mistake.
• 5:30
  Speaker 8: They was wrong about the mister.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 5:32
  Speaker 6: They weren't.
• 5:34
  Speaker 8: Came out in the trial. Seems he'd done the same
• 5:36
  Speaker 8: thing before, twice before.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: I see.
• 5:39
  Speaker 8: I didn't know about it when we got married. Didn't
• 5:42
  Speaker 8: have any idea.
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 5:44
  Speaker 8: The mister's my second husband. First one died ten years ago.
• 5:49
  Speaker 8: Woman my age gets lonely. So when Mr. Farwell asked
• 5:52
  Speaker 8: me to marry him, I said yes. Then I found
• 5:55
  Speaker 8: out about the stealing.
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: And this man said he knew your husband, is that right?
• 5:59
  Speaker 6: That's right.
• 6:00
  Speaker 8: Told me they met several years ago. Then he went
• 6:03
  Speaker 8: on to tell me how the mister could get out.
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 6:08
  Speaker 8: The way he told it. If you had friends who
• 6:10
  Speaker 8: knew the right people, you could get out of jail.
• 6:13
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 6:14
  Speaker 8: If the right people were paid, a man could get
• 6:16
  Speaker 8: out of prison.
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: And he wanted you to give him some money?
• 6:20
  Speaker 6: Not at first.
• 6:21
  Speaker 8: When he came to the house at the beginning, he didn't.
• 6:23
  Speaker 6: Even mention it.
• 6:24
  Speaker 8: Not at all.
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: When did he bring it up?
• 6:26
  Speaker 8: Oh, about a week later. Came over in the afternoon.
• 6:30
  Speaker 8: I was out in the yard, and he said he'd
• 6:33
  Speaker 8: met the people who were important. The ones who could
• 6:36
  Speaker 8: get the mister out of prison.
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: Did he say who these people were?
• 6:39
  Speaker 6: No.
• 6:40
  Speaker 8: Just told me he'd met them.
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm. So what happened then?
• 6:44
  Speaker 8: Well, on March 14th, he told me that it could
• 6:48
  Speaker 8: be arranged for the mister to get out of jail.
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: Tell me, did he tell you how this could be done?
• 6:55
  Speaker 8: Well, from what he told me, he talked to the
• 6:58
  Speaker 8: right people. That's the way he said it. The right people.
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: I see.
• 7:02
  Speaker 8: If he gave him $ 5, 000, the mister could be turned out.
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: $ 5, 000? Yes.
• 7:08
  Speaker 8: I told him I couldn't give him that much, that
• 7:11
  Speaker 8: I just didn't have it.
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: What did the man say when you told him that?
• 7:14
  Speaker 8: Asked me how much I could give him. I said
• 7:18
  Speaker 8: if I sold a few things, did what I could
• 7:20
  Speaker 8: to get more money, I might be able to pay $ 3, 500.
• 7:23
  Speaker 8: What did he say about that?
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: That he'd be all right?
• 7:28
  Speaker 7: No, no, no.
• 7:29
  Speaker 8: He told me he'd have to go back and talk
• 7:31
  Speaker 8: to the people. Asked them if it'd be enough.
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: When did you see him again?
• 7:36
  Speaker 6: Two days.
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  Speaker 8: He came back.
• 7:38
  Speaker 4: What did he say then?
• 7:39
  Speaker 8: Told me it'd be okay. The money would be enough.
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 7:43
  Speaker 8: I got it together and gave it to him.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: That same day?
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  Speaker 8: No. No, it was two days later, on March 16th.
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  Speaker 8: That's when I gave him the money.
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  Speaker 4: I see.
• 7:53
  Speaker 8: It's been over a month now, and the mister still
• 7:54
  Speaker 8: hasn't been turned out. I wrote to him, but he
• 7:57
  Speaker 8: doesn't say anything about coming home. I don't think he
• 8:00
  Speaker 8: knows anything about it.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
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  Speaker 8: Now, I don't want to cause any trouble. Just want
• 8:04
  Speaker 8: the mister out of prison, or else I want my
• 8:06
  Speaker 8: money back.
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: You told us this man was a policeman?
• 8:09
  Speaker 8: That's right.
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  Speaker 4: In what city?
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  Speaker 8: I don't understand.
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: Well, what city did he work in, or what city
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: did he say he worked in?
• 8:14
  Speaker 8: Here, in Los Angeles, right here.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: Did he show you some identification?
• 8:19
  Speaker 8: Oh, yes. I wouldn't just hand over the money without that.
• 8:22
  Speaker 8: I saw his dad.
• 8:23
  Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Does it look like this one?
• 8:28
  Speaker 8: Let me see.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 8:31
  Speaker 9: Mm-hmm.
• 8:31
  Speaker 8: Just like that one. Same thing.
• 8:33
  Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: Did he give you a name? Yes.
• 8:36
  Speaker 8: He said he was Jim Sorvell. Sergeant Jim Sorvell.
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: That's S-O-R-V-E-L-L?
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: That's right. I'll check. Did you see anything else to
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: identify him?
• 8:47
  Speaker 8: What do you mean?
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: Well, did he show you any other cards, anything else?
• 8:51
  Speaker 8: You mean it might be a wrong name?
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 8:54
  Speaker 8: Oh, no, I'm sure about that. I wouldn't just hand
• 8:57
  Speaker 8: my money over to anybody. I was sure.
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 9:00
  Speaker 8: I saw his driver's license.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: Did he tell you where he worked?
• 9:04
  Speaker 8: You mean in what department?
• 9:05
  Speaker 4: That's right.
• 9:06
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 9:07
  Speaker 8: It's one of the reasons I believed him, because of
• 9:09
  Speaker 8: where he works.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 9:10
  Speaker 8: Right here in the city hall.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: Well, I continued to talk to Mrs. Firewell. Frank put
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: in a call to personnel. Three minutes later, he called
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: me out into the hall. Let me close the door.
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: What do you got?
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: Well, I checked the personnel records.
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah, what'd you find out? Looks like she was telling
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: the truth. What? There is a Jim Farvell. City Hall? Well,
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: closer than that. Huh? Auto theft detail. We put in
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: a call to auto theft detail and asked that Sergeant
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: James Sorvell see us right away. While the victim waited
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: in the squad room, Frank and I took the officer
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: down to the interrogation room.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: Go ahead, sit down, Jeff.
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 10:00
  Speaker 6: What's this all about?
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: Well, it's a rough one, Jim. We hope you got
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: the answers.
• 10:04
  Speaker 6: Now give me a try.
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: How long you been a policeman? Twelve years. How long
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: you been working auto theft, Jim?
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: Two years this time. I worked there before about five
• 10:15
  Speaker 6: years ago.
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: Uh-huh.
• 10:18
  Speaker 6: Well, what's this all about anyway?
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: You know a woman named Farwell?
• 10:21
  Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: No, I don't think I do. How about a man,
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Henry Farwell? No, I don't think so.
• 10:29
  Speaker 6: No, wait a minute. Who?
• 10:31
  Speaker 9: Um, a few years ago when I was working at Burberry,
• 10:35
  Speaker 9: seems we had a suspect of that man.
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: Who? Big guy.
• 10:38
  Speaker 6: Fallen twice before, the way I remember. Bad name around, sir.
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: Might be the same one.
• 10:43
  Speaker 6: What about him? I already went to the joint a
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: couple years ago.
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: Well, his wife came in here this morning. Yeah. Says
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: she gave a man $ 3, 500 to get Farwell out of jail. Lawyer? No.
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: Some kind of a deal. This fellow said he knew
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: the right people. Told her a little juice would open
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: the doors for her old man.
• 11:03
  Speaker 6: How do I fit into this?
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: Well, this guy told her he was a policeman. Showed
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: her I.D. to prove it.
• 11:11
  Speaker 6: What name?
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: Yours. You believe her? Well, no, we don't want to.
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: We figure we get your side of the story first.
• 11:21
  Speaker 6: Well, there's nothing to tell you, Freddy. I had no
• 11:23
  Speaker 6: part in the action.
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: That's the truth. I hope it stands up. It's got to.
• 11:27
  Speaker 6: I don't know anything about the deal.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: Nothing at all.
• 11:29
  Speaker 6: I wouldn't know the woman if she walked in here
• 11:30
  Speaker 6: right now.
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: Well, then you don't mind letting her take a look
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: at you, then?
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: No, no.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: Bring her in. Right. Yeah.
• 11:41
  Speaker 6: How'd she happen to pick me up?
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: Told us the fellow that took her gave you her name.
• 11:47
  Speaker 6: Must be a goof-up someplace.
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm. You got your driver's license?
• 11:52
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: Want to show it to me? Sure.
• 11:59
  Speaker 6: Next line is, take it out of your wallet, isn't it?
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: I don't like this any better than you do, Jim. Here.
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: Here you are. You got your badge on you? Yeah.
• 12:09
  Speaker 6: You want that, too?
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: Well, I want to see it.
• 12:12
  Speaker 8: All right.
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: Ms. Farwell says the suspect showed her her badge. Said
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: it looked good.
• 12:20
  Speaker 6: I don't think it was mine.
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: Well, here. You want to step inside, Miss Farwell?
• 12:26
  Speaker 8: Yes, thank you.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: All right, Miss Farwell.
• 12:34
  Speaker 4: Do you know this man?
• 12:36
  Speaker 8: Yes. Seems I've seen him someplace before.
• 12:39
  Speaker 6: Yes.
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: Now be careful and look carefully. Do you know where
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: you've seen him?
• 12:45
  Speaker 8: I'm trying to think.
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: Take your time. Be sure. Yes, ma'am.
• 12:50
  Speaker 6: Please be sure.
• 12:50
  Speaker 8: Yeah, hair's a little shorter. Had a mustache before. But
• 12:57
  Speaker 8: I can tell. I can tell for sure.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 13:00
  Speaker 8: He's the one that took my money.
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: Mrs. Farwell was taken down the hall where she made
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: a complete report. We continued to interrogate Sergeant James Survell,
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: but he maintained his innocence. He was suspended from the
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: police department pending an investigation by our detail and the
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: district attorney's office. A week went by. During that time,
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: we talked to Sorvell's friends and the men he worked with.
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: His financial condition was investigated. He owed some money, but
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: he was not behind in his payments. His bank account
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: didn't show any large deposits, and from what we could
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: find out, he was not living beyond his means. If
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: he was guilty, he hadn't spent any of the money
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: that he'd taken. We asked the stats office to make
• 13:40
  Speaker 4: a run on con men who had used a similar approach.
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: They came back with a list.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: Of 18 possible suspects.
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: We pulled the mug shots from the packages on the
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: men and we drove out to see Mrs.
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: Farwell.
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: She showed us into the living room of a very
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: small house.
• 13:53
  Speaker 8: Now then, what is it this time? You come to
• 13:55
  Speaker 8: bring my money back?
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: No, ma'am.
• 13:57
  Speaker 8: Well, when am I going to get it? Seems like
• 14:00
  Speaker 8: a long time. The mister's still in prison and I
• 14:02
  Speaker 8: haven't got my money.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: We'd like you to look at some pictures, if you would.
• 14:05
  Speaker 8: What for?
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: We'd like to see if you recognize any of the men.
• 14:08
  Speaker 8: Sure, I've got nothing else to do. Let's see them.
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: There you are, ma'am. Mm-hmm.
• 14:15
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. Yes, sir.
• 14:19
  Speaker 8: All right. Now, looked at the pictures. Now I get
• 14:22
  Speaker 8: the money.
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: No, ma'am.
• 14:24
  Speaker 8: When do I get it?
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: Well, we haven't been able to recover it yet.
• 14:27
  Speaker 8: What?
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: We haven't found it yet.
• 14:29
  Speaker 8: What about that man you got, Sorvell? What about him?
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: No.
• 14:33
  Speaker 8: Make him tell you where the money is. He took it.
• 14:35
  Speaker 8: Make him tell.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: From what we've been able to find out, he hasn't
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: got it.
• 14:40
  Speaker 8: Now we get down to cases, huh?
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 14:43
  Speaker 8: Let's lay the cards on the table. I'm getting pretty
• 14:46
  Speaker 8: mad about it. When I first came to see you,
• 14:48
  Speaker 8: I wanted the money back. Either that or to have
• 14:50
  Speaker 8: the mister out of prison. Either one. It didn't much
• 14:53
  Speaker 8: matter which, but I did want one of them. Now,
• 14:56
  Speaker 8: you've got the man who took the $ 3, 500, got him
• 14:58
  Speaker 8: in jail, and you tell me you can't find the money.
• 15:02
  Speaker 8: Is that right?
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
• 15:05
  Speaker 8: You want to know what I think you want to know?
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 15:07
  Speaker 8: I think you're all in it together. That's what I think.
• 15:09
  Speaker 8: The whole bunch of you, all in the thing together.
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: That's not true.
• 15:12
  Speaker 8: You say so, but I think different. Now, I'm going
• 15:16
  Speaker 8: to tell you something, Mr. Friday. I'm not going to
• 15:19
  Speaker 8: wait anymore. I want the money back or I'm going
• 15:22
  Speaker 8: to the newspapers again. I'll tell them what's happened. They'll
• 15:24
  Speaker 8: get me some action.
• 15:25
  Speaker 6: Now, just a minute, Miss Farwell. No, I won't.
• 15:28
  Speaker 8: I've done all my waiting already. You think that just
• 15:31
  Speaker 8: because I'm an old woman you can push me around? Well,
• 15:34
  Speaker 8: you've just got another thing coming. I want that money
• 15:37
  Speaker 8: and I want it right now. And if I don't
• 15:38
  Speaker 8: get it, you're going to be in a lot of trouble.
• 15:40
  Speaker 4: We're doing everything we can to get your money back.
• 15:41
  Speaker 8: Well, then you better start doing more because I'm not
• 15:43
  Speaker 8: happy at all. All you cops, you stick together. Well,
• 15:47
  Speaker 8: this time it's not going to do you any good.
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: You don't understand, Miss Farwell.
• 15:51
  Speaker 8: I think I do. Maybe too much. I'll tell you
• 15:54
  Speaker 8: what I'm going to do. I'll give you just three
• 15:56
  Speaker 8: days to get that money back or I'll scream my
• 15:59
  Speaker 8: head off to the newspapers. You've got the man in jail.
• 16:02
  Speaker 8: Next thing, you'll be telling me he didn't do it.
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: We're not sure he did. Uh-huh.
• 16:06
  Speaker 8: Well, he did. I guess I know. I'm the one
• 16:08
  Speaker 8: he stole from. He's the man, and I want to
• 16:10
  Speaker 8: see him in prison, too.
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: Well, if he's guilty, that's where he'll go.
• 16:13
  Speaker 8: I'm telling you, he is. What more do you need?
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: Just one more thing.
• 16:17
  Speaker 8: What's that?
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: Proof. Frank and I went back to the office and
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: met with Captain Fulton. We laid out the results of
• 16:27
  Speaker 4: our investigation. According to what the victim had told us,
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: we had the right man in custody. But according to
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: the evidence we'd found, it was a case of mistaken identity.
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: Two days later, on Thursday, April 28th, we got a
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: call from a bartender out on Vermont Avenue. Frank and
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: I drove out to see him. Hi. I'd like to
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: see Vince Elkhart. I'm him. What do you want? Police officers.
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Oh, yeah? Want to come
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: back here?
• 16:53
  Speaker 6: We can talk.
• 16:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah, fine. All right, what do you want to see
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: us about?
• 17:00
  Speaker 9: I know I'm letting myself in for a lot of trouble.
• 17:03
  Speaker 9: Anything you guys can do to help me out, I'd
• 17:05
  Speaker 9: appreciate it. But I ain't asking for no special treatment. Well,
• 17:08
  Speaker 9: I suppose you tell us what it is. Well, the
• 17:10
  Speaker 9: night before last, a couple of kids came in. They
• 17:12
  Speaker 9: sat at the bar, ordered a drink.
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 17:14
  Speaker 6: Well, they looked kind of young. So I asked to
• 17:16
  Speaker 6: see their ID.
• 17:17
  Speaker 9: Plain and safe, you know.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: Go ahead.
• 17:19
  Speaker 9: Well, they showed me their driver's licenses.
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: I checked them. Looked all right to me. So I
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: served them. Yeah.
• 17:24
  Speaker 9: Guess I made them kind and bad. They only had
• 17:26
  Speaker 9: one and then shoved off.
• 17:27
  Speaker 8: Mm-hmm.
• 17:28
  Speaker 9: There was no sooner out of the place when this
• 17:30
  Speaker 9: guy came up. Told me he wanted to talk.
• 17:32
  Speaker 4: What about?
• 17:33
  Speaker 6: Said the two kids were underage.
• 17:35
  Speaker 9: Minors.
• 17:36
  Speaker 4: That I'd served them and the beef was on. Who was?
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: That's why I called you.
• 17:40
  Speaker 9: Maybe I was wrong serving the kids. Maybe I did
• 17:42
  Speaker 9: make a mistake, but I sure ain't going to stand
• 17:44
  Speaker 9: for no shakedown. Not a penny's worth.
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: This man tried it, did he?
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 17:48
  Speaker 9: Told me if I paid off, he'd forget what he saw.
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: Who is it? Cop.
• 17:52
  Speaker 6: Name of Jim Cervell.
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: We got a description of the man who tried to
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: blackmail Vince Elkhart. It matched Sergeant Jim Sorvell. While I
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: continued to talk to Elkhart, Frank put in a call
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: to the policeman and asked him to come over to
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: the bar. It took him 12 minutes to get there.
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: He was brought into the place and confronted by the bartender.
• 18:33
  Speaker 9: Would you turn around?
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: Sure. How's that?
• 18:38
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh.
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, huh? How about it?
• 18:42
  Speaker 9: He hasn't any doubts as far as I'm concerned.
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: No.
• 18:45
  Speaker 6: He's the wrong man.
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: We made arrangements for Vince Elkhart, the bartender, to come
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: down to the city hall and go through the mud books.
• 18:56
  Speaker 4: He was unable to find a picture of the suspect.
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: We contacted CII up in Sacramento and asked them to
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: check their files. Thursday, 5.30 p.m. We returned to the bar. No.
• 19:08
  Speaker 9: Come right down to it, I guess I should have
• 19:09
  Speaker 9: known he wasn't a cop.
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: Should have known it all along. Have you seen this
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: fellow before?
• 19:13
  Speaker 9: I'm not sure about that. Seems like I might have,
• 19:15
  Speaker 9: but I can't be sure. We do a pretty good
• 19:17
  Speaker 9: business in here. A lot of people. He might have
• 19:19
  Speaker 9: been around, but I can't name a date or time.
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: Was he with anybody the night he was in here?
• 19:24
  Speaker 4: Do you remember?
• 19:25
  Speaker 6: I don't remember.
• 19:26
  Speaker 9: Matter of fact, I don't even remember him coming in.
• 19:29
  Speaker 9: Just all of a sudden after the kids left, he
• 19:30
  Speaker 9: was at the bar, tossing me the piss. Really sanded
• 19:34
  Speaker 9: me to think a cop would pull a stunt like that.
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: What did you tell him when he asked you for
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: the payoff?
• 19:37
  Speaker 9: I said for him to get out of the place.
• 19:40
  Speaker 9: That if he was going to make a pinch, to
• 19:41
  Speaker 9: go ahead and do it, or else clear out.
• 19:42
  Speaker 4: Did he leave?
• 19:43
  Speaker 6: Yeah. Said I didn't give him any choice.
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: Walked out. Hello. Yeah. that's right.
• 19:51
  Speaker 6: Just a minute.
• 19:52
  Speaker 9: Hey, Vince?
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Catch the phone, will you? Yeah. Excuse me. Yeah,
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: go right ahead.
• 19:57
  Speaker 6: Sure, go ahead.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: Hello?
• 20:02
  Speaker 6: Yeah, that's right.
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: Who?
• 20:05
  Speaker 6: Oh, yeah.
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 20:07
  Speaker 6: I don't know.
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 20:09
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 20:10
  Speaker 6: No, I understand.
• 20:12
  Speaker 4: Uh-huh. Well, it's nice of you.
• 20:15
  Speaker 6: Sure, I thought about it.
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: Okay. Yeah. Goodbye.
• 20:23
  Speaker 6: You guys must live right.
• 20:24
  Speaker 4: Hmm?
• 20:25
  Speaker 6: That was him.
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: The phony cop? Yeah. He'll be right over. Frank and
• 20:34
  Speaker 4: I took up positions in the back of the bar.
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: Twenty minutes later, the suspect walked in. Hi, Alcott. Hello.
• 20:42
  Speaker 6: Want to give me a coke high? Sure.
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: Looks like it.
• 20:47
  Speaker 6: Well, it's sure been cold lately, huh?
• 20:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: Not so much business.
• 20:54
  Speaker 6: Slow night. Here's your drink. Thanks. Where can we talk?
• 21:09
  Speaker 4: All right, Dean.
• 21:10
  Speaker 6: What about the two guys in the back? They won't
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: bother anybody.
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: Both gassed.
• 21:16
  Speaker 6: All right, Alcott, what about it? You mean the payoff?
• 21:19
  Speaker 8: That's right.
• 21:20
  Speaker 6: I talked to the boys downtown.
• 21:21
  Speaker 9: They say they'll let you.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: Off the hook for $ 7. 50.
• 21:23
  Speaker 9: That's a lot of money.
• 21:24
  Speaker 6: Your license is worth more, isn't it?
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: I suppose so.
• 21:27
  Speaker 6: But I got to know what I'm buying. Who are
• 21:29
  Speaker 6: these guys downtown? Well, that doesn't come into it. All
• 21:31
  Speaker 6: you got to do is dig up the money. How
• 21:33
  Speaker 6: high does the juice go? What do you mean? Just that.
• 21:37
  Speaker 6: How far up does the payoff go? All the way
• 21:39
  Speaker 6: to the top.
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: All right. Yes, sir.
• 21:44
  Speaker 9: You play along with us and you'll do all right.
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: This is him. All right, mister. Let's go. What are
• 21:50
  Speaker 4: you talking about? What is this? Police officers. You're under arrest.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: For what? Suspicion grand theft, impersonating an officer, and we
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: ought to be able to figure up a couple more
• 21:56
  Speaker 4: on the way downtown.
• 21:57
  Speaker 8: Oh, you guys are wrong.
• 21:58
  Speaker 6: You made a mistake.
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: Sure we have. Stand still.
• 22:01
  Speaker 6: You're going to be awful sorry about this.
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: Is that right?
• 22:05
  Speaker 6: Sure.
• 22:05
  Speaker 8: I got a lot of friends in town.
• 22:06
  Speaker 9: Some of them pretty high.
• 22:07
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 22:08
  Speaker 9: You mind giving me your names and numbers?
• 22:09
  Speaker 6: I want to be sure I got the right dope
• 22:10
  Speaker 6: on you guys.
• 22:11
  Speaker 9: By the time I get through, you'll both be working
• 22:12
  Speaker 9: so far out, you'll need a passport to get home.
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: Got it all figured, haven't you?
• 22:17
  Speaker 8: Front, back, and in the middle.
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 22:19
  Speaker 9: Like reading a story.
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: Well, I don't know about the first part.
• 22:21
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 22:21
  Speaker 4: But I can tell you how it's going to end.
• 22:31
  Speaker 4: The suspect was taken down to the city hall. He
• 22:33
  Speaker 4: refused to give us his name, and a thorough search
• 22:34
  Speaker 4: of his purse and failed to turn up anything to
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: aid in identifying him. His fingerprints were rolled while we
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: waited for the results of the check. Frank and I
• 22:41
  Speaker 4: talked to the suspect in the squad room.
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: How long do you figure you're going to be able
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: to keep this thing up?
• 22:46
  Speaker 6: I don't know what you're talking about.
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: No, come off it. We've got you dead to rights
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: and you know it.
• 22:49
  Speaker 6: News to me.
• 22:50
  Speaker 9: Why don't you tell us who you are?
• 22:53
  Speaker 4: I forgot. You know a man named Jim Sorvell?
• 22:56
  Speaker 8: I don't think so.
• 22:57
  Speaker 3: According to that bartender, you said you were Sorvell.
• 22:59
  Speaker 6: Well, he's got a big mouth.
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: Look, have you ever been arrested?
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: I forgot.
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: You better get your memory back.
• 23:04
  Speaker 4: Why? I got it. I.D. Smith. Yeah?
• 23:13
  Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
• 23:14
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute. Talk to me after that. Here you are.
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 23:19
  Speaker 4: All right. Forty-six? Yeah. Yeah.
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 23:30
  Speaker 4: Fifty-two, huh? Okay. All right, thanks a lot.
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: You better get in touch with those big friends of yours.
• 23:39
  Speaker 6: I will when it's necessary.
• 23:40
  Speaker 3: Well, time just came up. We got your record.
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: Hmm?
• 23:43
  Speaker 3: Full name, Charles Bobo Kiernan Offner.
• 23:45
  Speaker 7: He's fallen twice in California, once for GTA, once for
• 23:49
  Speaker 7: attempted robbery. He's now standing one from Eureka and two
• 23:52
  Speaker 7: from out of state, all three uncharged with extortion.
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: Want to read the rest of it? How about it?
• 23:59
  Speaker 6: You don't have to. I'm in the box.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: Where's the badge and the driver's license?
• 24:02
  Speaker 6: My place.
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: Where's that?
• 24:03
  Speaker 6: Hotel over on Grand.
• 24:04
  Speaker 4: Where'd you get the badge? Bought it. Guy I know.
• 24:06
  Speaker 6: It's one of the old ones. Mark doesn't know it's different.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: How about the license?
• 24:11
  Speaker 6: Made that up myself.
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: Why'd you pick Sorvell? Looked like a good dodge.
• 24:15
  Speaker 6: A cop who was gonna cause trouble.
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: Why him?
• 24:17
  Speaker 6: Tagged a cleaning store out in Highland Park one night.
• 24:19
  Speaker 6: Must be the place where Sorvell does business. Clerk thought
• 24:22
  Speaker 6: I was him. We got to talking. Things just worked out.
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: What about the prison deal? How'd you build that for yourself?
• 24:27
  Speaker 6: Oh, I know a guy up at Q. He buddies
• 24:28
  Speaker 6: up with a prisoner, gets all the information, and cuts
• 24:30
  Speaker 6: a letter out to me, and I pull this one.
• 24:32
  Speaker 4: How many times you worked the deal? Collected three.
• 24:34
  Speaker 6: The last one was an old woman.
• 24:36
  Speaker 4: What'd you take?
• 24:36
  Speaker 8: $ 3, 500.
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: Just you and the guy up in the giant cellar, is?
• 24:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah. You willing to make a statement?
• 24:42
  Speaker 6: Sure.
• 24:42
  Speaker 3: All right, we'll call a stenographer.
• 24:44
  Speaker 6: Doc, can you tell me something?
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: What's that?
• 24:46
  Speaker 6: There are two out-of-state seats. You think the next is right?
• 24:48
  Speaker 4: We don't call it. Why?
• 24:50
  Speaker 6: I'd rather do my time here in California. It's nicer here.
• 24:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah. It's prettier.
• 24:55
  Speaker 6: That's a nice feeling, California.
• 24:56
  Speaker 4: Well, I wouldn't worry. You won't see much.
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: Of it.
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: The story you've just heard is true. The names were
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: changed to protect the innocent.
• 25:11
  Speaker 5: On July 28th, trial was held in Department 96, Superior
• 25:15
  Speaker 5: Court of the State of California, in and for the
• 25:17
  Speaker 5: County of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of
• 25:19
  Speaker 5: that trial. Charles Kiernan Offner was tried and convicted on
• 25:37
  Speaker 5: grand theft money three counts and received sentence as prescribed
• 25:40
  Speaker 5: by law. Grand theft money is punishable by imprisonment for
• 25:44
  Speaker 5: a period of not less than one nor more than
• 25:46
  Speaker 5: ten years in the state penitentiary. Sergeant James Sorvel was
• 25:50
  Speaker 5: reinstated in his duties with full back pay. You have
• 26:04
  Speaker 5: just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
• 26:08
  Speaker 5: Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. Parker,
• 26:12
  Speaker 5: Los Angeles Police Department.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: This concludes our presentation of Dragnet, episode 309, Big Bobo.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: Follow Dragnet for more classic broadcasts.