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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: An informant reports that a known user is selling heroin
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: from his home. That report brings Detective Sergeants Joe Friday
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and Frank Smith of Los Angeles Narcotics Detail to a
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: converted garage residence near 8th and Temple, where nighttime surveillance
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: begins across the street. From NBC, this is Dragnet, episode 317,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Big Daughter, originally broadcast September 13th, 1955. Jack Webb and
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Ben Alexander had a cast that includes Herb Ellis, Virginia Gregg,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Joyce McCluskey, and announcer Hal Gibney. This broadcast came near
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: the end of Dragnet's original radio run, with just one
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: newly produced episode still to follow. And now, our story begins.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: is true.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: a detective sergeant. You're assigned a narcotics detail. You get
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: a tip that a man is peddling heroin.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: At his place of residence. He's a known user. Your job?
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: Check it out. Drag Miss, the documented drama of an
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: actual crime.
• 1:36
  Speaker 5: For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los
• 1:39
  Speaker 5: Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on
• 1:42
  Speaker 5: the side of the law through an actual case.
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: Transcribed from official police files.
• 1:47
  Speaker 5: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 1:51
  Speaker 5: the story of your police force in action.
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: It was Tuesday, September 6th. It was hot in Los Angeles.
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: We were working the night watch out of narcotics detail.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: My partner's Frank Smith.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: The boss is Captain Walter. My name's Friday.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: We're on our way out from the office, and it
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: was 9.33 p.m. when we got to the corner of
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: 8th and Temple.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Converted garage. Is that the right address? Yeah, why don't
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: you swing around here at the corner? We can park
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: across the street up there.
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Okay. Yeah, right up here will do. All right. Sure
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: isn't much of a house. Looks more like a store
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: or something.
• 2:23
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: You sure that's where he's living, Joe? Yeah, Nicky says
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: the place used to be a garage. Oh? Fellow ran it,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: went broke. Turned it into living quarters. Oh, I see.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: How long's Benson been staying here? About six months. How long? Well,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: he's got his family with him. Wife, two or three kids.
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Now, what do you think? Should we tap him now?
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: Let's give it a couple of minutes, see if he's
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: drawn any customers.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: Is this Nicky sure about all this? Yeah, he says
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: he is. Says Jensen's loaded for action, 30 to 40 cap.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Just got him tonight, huh? Yeah.
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: Nicky know who he got him from?
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: If he does, he wouldn't tell me.
• 2:57
  Speaker 6: Joe.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: Hmm? Front door.
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Must be the wife. Wonder who she's looking for. I
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: don't see anybody. Guess she doesn't either.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Well, that might make it a little easier for her.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: What do you mean? She left the door open.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: Approximately 45 minutes earlier, we received a telephone call from
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: an informant named Nicky Corbin. Corbin had reported that Slim Denson,
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: a known narcotic user who lived at the corner of
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: Temple and 8th, had some 30 or 40 caps of
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: heroin in his possession.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: Corbin said Denson was getting ready to push the stuff.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Frank and I waited across the street.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: From the Denson residence for 26 minutes. During that time,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: no one came in or out of the house, but
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: the front door remained open. 9.59 p.m., a young man
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: turned the corner and headed into the converted garage.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Five minutes later, he reappeared and started down the street.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: Should we talk to him? Yeah. Wait a minute, Frank. Huh?
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: We got something.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Going back inside. Well, let's give him some company. The
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: man re-entered the Denson residence. As soon as he disappeared
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: through the front door, I moved in after him. At
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: the same time, Frank went around to the rear of
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: the building. The garage had been crudely partitioned into rooms,
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: and the front area contained an overstuffed sofa, a dining
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: room table, and chairs, and a TV set. In addition
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: to the young man who had gone in ahead of me,
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: there were two other people in the room. The woman
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: who had previously appeared in the doorway, and a sallow-faced,
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: middle-aged man.
• 4:26
  Speaker 7: Now, hold on, mister.
• 4:27
  Speaker 4: Where do you think you're going?
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Please, doctor. You're under arrest. Please. That's right. Don't move
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: any of you.
• 4:30
  Speaker 8: It's fine time for you to be showing up. You
• 4:32
  Speaker 8: ought to be ashamed.
• 4:33
  Speaker 9: How's that?
• 4:33
  Speaker 8: Three hours ago. That's when you should have been here.
• 4:35
  Speaker 8: That's when we needed you.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: Oh, now, take it easy, Alice. Don't start raising those things.
• 4:38
  Speaker 8: A little girl only seven years old running around the
• 4:41
  Speaker 8: city like this. Lord knows what could have happened to her.
• 4:43
  Speaker 8: You call a cop and don't even show up till
• 4:45
  Speaker 8: three hours later.
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: I told you, hold your mouth.
• 4:47
  Speaker 8: The else is my baby. I was half out of
• 4:49
  Speaker 8: my mind when she didn't come home from school. No
• 4:51
  Speaker 8: thanks to you that she got home at all.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: I don't know what you're talking.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: About, lady.
• 4:54
  Speaker 8: Elsie, that's what I'm talking about.
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: My baby.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Anybody else around, Frank?
• 4:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, a couple of youngsters sleeping in one of the
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: back rooms.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: That's it.
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: Now move over to that wall. Go on, move.
• 5:04
  Speaker 8: I heard such a thing. A little girl gets lost
• 5:05
  Speaker 8: on her way home from school. You send for a
• 5:07
  Speaker 8: policeman to treat you like it was good.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: You better get it straight, lady.
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: You're under arrest.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: All of you. And it hasn't got anything to do
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: with your daughter. Arrest? Hey.
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: But you can't arrest me. I ain't done anything.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Is that so?
• 5:17
  Speaker 4: You've got to have a reason for picking somebody up,
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: a good reason.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Suspicion of violation of the State Narcotics Act.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: Is that good enough? What? Come on, over against the wall.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Come on, move. I'll check them, Joe.
• 5:29
  Speaker 4: Well, I see you sure are making a mistake.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we always do.
• 5:32
  Speaker 8: Well, if there's any mistake, you plumb out of your mind.
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: That's what you are. Sure.
• 5:35
  Speaker 8: I called you on account of Elsie, on account that
• 5:38
  Speaker 8: she got lost.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: All right, there's nothing to it.
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: That's why we wanted you.
• 5:43
  Speaker 8: You'll find her.
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: She doesn't have nothing to do with no narcotics.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: If your daughter was missing and you reported it, you'd
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: have had plenty of help.
• 5:48
  Speaker 8: Of course we reported it three hours ago. That's when
• 5:50
  Speaker 8: you called them, Slim.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Huh?
• 5:52
  Speaker 8: When you went down to the drug store, you said
• 5:53
  Speaker 8: you was going to use their phone.
• 5:55
  Speaker 9: Oh.
• 5:56
  Speaker 8: Well, you called them, didn't you?
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: I guess maybe I forgot.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: Forgot?
• 6:01
  Speaker 8: Your own flesh and blood? Your own baby?
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: What's the difference? She's home, ain't she?
• 6:06
  Speaker 8: Blood, isn't she?
• 6:06
  Speaker 9: Give me your word, you're home. Now, look.
• 6:07
  Speaker 10: Look, look.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: You found your little girl. You've got something else to
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: worry about now.
• 6:12
  Speaker 4: I sure don't know what you're aiming at, mister.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: You don't, huh?
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: Neither do I. You're accusing me of having something to
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: do with narcotics, and I ain't never been mixed up
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: with dope. I never even touched the stuff, not once.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: Well, then we'll start with you.
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: Well, go right ahead. I ain't got nothing to hide.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: What's your name? Boston, Jerry Boston. How old are you?
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: 23.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: You live around here?
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: Down the street, four houses east.
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: What do you do for a living, Jerry?
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: I work in a selling station over on Pico.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: You married?
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: You got any kids?
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: No, not yet. We're expecting one next month.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: What do you think you're going for?
• 6:41
  Speaker 8: I just wanted to see if the youngsters are still sleeping.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: They'll be right here. They'll be all right.
• 6:44
  Speaker 8: You're only talking to Jerry.
• 6:46
  Speaker 9: I don't know why.
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: We'll get around to you soon enough.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: Now, why don't you sit down and take it easy, lady?
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: Better do like she says.
• 6:50
  Speaker 8: I'm a bully and a prisoner now.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Why'd you come over here tonight, Jerry?
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: I heard about Elsie that she was missing. I wanted
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: to find out if they'd found her.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: You came in, you went out, and then you came
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: back in again. Is that it?
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right.
• 7:02
  Speaker 9: Well?
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: Well, Kitty wanted me to ask Mrs.
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: Benson here something. Kitty's my wife. Yeah. I forgot when
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: I was here first, so I had to come back.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: What was it your wife wanted to find out? Come on, Jerry.
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: Wasn't nothing important, just something about when you're having a baby?
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Uh-huh. You want to step over here now, Jerry?
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: Huh?
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Over here, please. Side the table.
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: All right, empty your pocket, please. Yes, sir.
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: Take everything out.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: How much money you got there, Jack?
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: Twenty, twenty-five bucks.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: You always carry that much gas, too?
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: Well, I got paid today. Mm-hmm.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: Okay, son, roll up your sleeves. Do what?
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: Your sleeves.
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: Come on, roll them up. All right.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: A little higher.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: Okay, roll them back down. You and the dancing's pretty
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: good friends, aren't you? Well, we're neighbors. How long you
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: know each other?
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: Four or five months, I guess. However long they've been
• 8:11
  Speaker 4: living here. What the heck are you doing with that lamp?
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: Why, is the light bothering you?
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: It's kind of bright when you're looking right into it.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: Okay, Jerry, put your stuff back in your pocket. I'm
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: going to take a seat someplace.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Wait a minute. You mean I've got to stay here?
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: For the time being, yeah.
• 8:26
  Speaker 4: Look, Kitty, I'll be worried. I only thought I was
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: going to be gone a couple of minutes. Ah, dear,
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: putting a nice young fella like Jerry through all this foolishness.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: Well, let's see how well you do it now, Denson. Huh?
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Come on, over here.
• 8:38
  Speaker 4: You've already been wrong once, haven't you?
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Maybe.
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: No sense carrying on like this. No sense at all.
• 8:45
  Speaker 9: Now, why don't you fellas just admit you made a
• 8:47
  Speaker 9: mistake and go on your way?
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: Over here. Come on. Quick, Foley, will you?
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: Move.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: Now, go ahead. You empty your pocket. Is that all
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: of it?
• 9:05
  Speaker 4: You got every little doodad.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Turn them inside out.
• 9:08
  Speaker 9: Whatever you say.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: What do you do for a living?
• 9:12
  Speaker 9: Well, at the moment, I'm sort of looking around, you
• 9:14
  Speaker 9: might say.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I bet you are. You got a family, Denison.
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: How do you see them?
• 9:18
  Speaker 10: Oh, we manage.
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: We manage pretty good.
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: How?
• 9:21
  Speaker 8: Don't you worry none about my children. They ain't going
• 9:23
  Speaker 8: hungry as long as I can work.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: You live off your wife, do you?
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: Now, ain't no way to put it at all. She's
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: just helping out while I'm having a rough spell.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: All right, Denison. Roll up your sleeves, will you?
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: Come on. Get them up, will you?
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: Hmm. Yeah. Look at this. He's got more tracks than
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: the Southern Pacific. Yeah.
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: Well, looky here.
• 9:46
  Speaker 9: I must have scratched myself the other day.
• 9:48
  Speaker 4: You know, I was doing some carpentry work.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: How long have you been on high, fella?
• 9:51
  Speaker 4: Afraid I don't know what you mean.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Quit wasting our time, Jensen. Now, how long?
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: Well, I reckon ain't no point in lying to you gentlemen.
• 9:59
  Speaker 10: Fact of the matter is, I did do a little
• 10:01
  Speaker 10: chipping once in a while when I was young.
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: Of course, that was some years ago.
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: Those marks haven't even started scarring yet. And from the
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: looks of them, you're building up to a big batch
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: of infections there.
• 10:09
  Speaker 9: Must be them scratches I was telling you about.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: All right, Jensen, where is it? Oh. The stuff, where'd
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: you stack it? Come on, Benson. We know you got
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: 30 cats. We're going to find it anyway, so why
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: hold out?
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: 30 cats? A guy like me couldn't afford that much stuff. Now,
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: you ought to have more things.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: What'd you do? Give it to your wife?
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: You ought to say a thing like that.
• 10:32
  Speaker 10: Well, even if I did have a little age, I
• 10:33
  Speaker 10: sure wouldn't want her to get involved. Last person in
• 10:36
  Speaker 10: the world. Now, you can.
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: Say whatever you got a mind to. Where I'm concerned, now,
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: you just leave her.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Out of this. You were pretty anxious to go into
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: the bedroom a little while ago, Mrs. Benson.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: I told you, leave her out. Now, if you won't
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: do what I tell you.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: Take it easy, Benson.
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: It don't matter what happens to me. You can lock
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: me up, give me the gas chamber. It don't matter.
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: But my wife, she's a fine woman. I won't have
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: you attacking her reputation. You can throw me in jail
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: if you want to. Stand me up in front of
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: a firing squad.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: Come on, Benson.
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: But there's no reason to drag her into this.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: Sit down.
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: She ain't done nothing. No reason to drag her in.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: How about it, Mrs. Denson?
• 11:04
  Speaker 8: I just don't know what you're looking for, mister. I
• 11:06
  Speaker 8: swear I don't.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Well, either you've still got it on you or you've
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: got it in the bedroom. Which is it? Well, you're
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: not giving us any choice. You better put in a
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: call to the office, Frank.
• 11:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: Ask them to send a team over to take this
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: joint apart. Right.
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: Tell them we're bringing in a couple of suspects. See
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: if they can get a policewoman to stand by so
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: there'll be somebody to search Mrs. Denson when we get there.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 11:26
  Speaker 4: May I?
• 11:27
  Speaker 8: You just wait a minute, mister. Can't arrest us. Not
• 11:30
  Speaker 8: both Slim and me.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: Is that right?
• 11:32
  Speaker 8: What about my youngsters? I won't leave them here alone.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: Can you get somebody to stay with them?
• 11:37
  Speaker 8: Well, I guess Josie will be home before too long.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Who's Josie?
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: Our oldest girl.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: Where is she now?
• 11:42
  Speaker 8: Went to the movies with her boyfriend.
• 11:45
  Speaker 4: She's full-grown.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: Almost 19.
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: How soon do you expect her back?
• 11:49
  Speaker 8: I don't know for sure.
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: Pretty soon.
• 11:52
  Speaker 8: Now, maybe.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: Uh-uh. We can't wait that long. Looks like we'll have
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: to take the kids in, too. All right, Joe. I'll
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: tell them downtown.
• 11:57
  Speaker 8: You hear that, Slim? You hear what they're saying?
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 12:00
  Speaker 8: You just gonna sit there? You gonna let them drag
• 12:02
  Speaker 8: our youngsters out of bed in the middle of the night?
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: Isn't there a thing I can do? I tried to
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: tell them. You heard me try.
• 12:07
  Speaker 8: I'm not gonna have my kids in jail. Not for you.
• 12:09
  Speaker 8: Not for nobody.
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: It ain't right to get a man through his family, Mr.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: Pell.
• 12:14
  Speaker 10: I told you before. Don't make no difference what becomes
• 12:17
  Speaker 10: of me. You can send me away. You can put
• 12:19
  Speaker 10: me in prison the rest of my life. You can
• 12:21
  Speaker 10: give me the gas chamber.
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: Oh, good. You're all through now.
• 12:28
  Speaker 4: You see, hon, I tried.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: Want to go ahead with the call, Frank?
• 12:31
  Speaker 10: Yeah.
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: Probably take five or ten minutes to get the kids dressed,
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: then we'll shove off.
• 12:34
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 12:34
  Speaker 8: I ain't going to stand for it, Slim. I warned you.
• 12:38
  Speaker 8: Those kids ain't going to jail on account of you.
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: Alice.
• 12:41
  Speaker 8: He asked me to hide it when we heard Jerry
• 12:43
  Speaker 8: Boston coming up the block.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: Well.
• 12:45
  Speaker 8: I put it inside my dress. All right, if I
• 12:48
  Speaker 8: turn around.
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 12:54
  Speaker 8: I reckon it's just what you want.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: You know better than this, Mrs. Benson.
• 13:01
  Speaker 9: Huh?
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: There's no H in here. This is just his layout.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: It's what he gave me.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: You're married to a guy.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: Who's been hooked for a long time. You've got a
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: pretty good idea what this stuff looks like. We're not
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: going to waste any more time here. Either you give
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: us the cap or you go downtown.
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: All four of us.
• 13:17
  Speaker 8: I'll get them for you.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: You just tell us where they are.
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: Don't listen to them, Alice, honey.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Don't listen. Bedroom. Which one?
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: Where the kids are sleeping.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Go on.
• 13:27
  Speaker 8: Under the pillow. Under Elsie's pillow, that's where he put it.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: She the youngest? Yes, sir.
• 13:33
  Speaker 8: I'd appreciate it if you'd try not to wake her.
• 13:36
  Speaker 8: She's a lot of wandering around when she's lost. She's
• 13:38
  Speaker 8: all tuckered out. I had to tell him, Slim.
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: I had to.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: It sure was a lousy trick, mister. What's that?
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: Holding them youngsters over her head, making a fret about
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: them just so you could break her down.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: Real lousy. You ain't got no kids you own, have you?
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: No.
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: That's how I had it figured. The way you talked
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: to Alice, the way you kept on her. A parent
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: wouldn't act that way. Never in a million years. Not
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: a real parent, that is.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: Well, there's just one thing that I don't understand here, Denzel.
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: What's that?
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: How would you know?
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: Hmm.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: One of the pillows in.
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: The children's bedroom, Frank found an envelope which contained 32
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: caps of heroin. Denson admitted that the H belonged to him,
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: but he refused to tell us where he'd acquired it.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Jerry Boston denied any knowledge of the drug. We made
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: arrangements for the two Denson children to be placed under
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: protective custody of the juvenile division.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: 10.42 p.m.
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: We took the Densons and Jerry Boston down to the
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: Narcotics Bureau for further questioning.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: Our investigation revealed that Boston.
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: Was not implicated in the case and he was released.
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: 11.17 p.m.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: While Frank interrogated the Denson woman, I talked to her
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: husband in the adjoining room.
• 14:56
  Speaker 4: Oh, I never saw the like. You sure are hard
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: to satisfy, mister. I told you this stuff was mine.
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: Now what more do you want?
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: It just doesn't add up, Denson.
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: Well, see, why not?
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: Well, you called it back at your place.
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: What's mean?
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: Well, where would a hype like you get enough money
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: to buy 32 cats?
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: Boy, I had me a little extra put away. Price
• 15:12
  Speaker 4: was right, so I made a buy.
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: Now, now, don't give me that. You're strapping just to
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: keep even with your habit.
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: I'll back you up.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Now, we've seen the marks on your arm.
• 15:23
  Speaker 9: You want me to guess?
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: Three caps a day. Is that about it? All right, Jensen.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: Who's the stuff belong to?
• 15:35
  Speaker 9: Look, fella, you're dead.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: We can make you on possessions, maybe even on sale.
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: Sale? You must be off your rocker. You know I
• 15:43
  Speaker 4: never sold none of them.
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: Story we got, you're already start pushing. For all we know,
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: you started.
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: Anybody told you that, he's a liar. I ain't no pusher,
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: never have been.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: Then what are you doing with 32 caps?
• 15:53
  Speaker 4: I keep telling you, mister, they were cheap. How cheap?
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: Five bucks a cap.
• 15:56
  Speaker 9: That's not reasonable for them these days.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: 165 bucks isn't reasonable. You never saw that much money.
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: All right, who'd you buy them from?
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: Oh... Wouldn't be nobody you know.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: What if you try me?
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: I don't know myself.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: Uh-huh.
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: Ain't from L.A.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 16:13
  Speaker 4: I met him last week. Took a trip down south
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: across the border.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Oh, sure you did.
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: That's how come I made me such a good buy.
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: You bet. Now, you listen, Denson. We didn't drop in
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: on you tonight just because we were in the neighborhood.
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: That so?
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: We wouldn't have been there if we didn't have information.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: You know that as well as I do. Well? Our
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: info is that you just got those caps tonight.
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: Well, I tell you, somebody sure has been spreading a
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: lot of wild stories about me.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: They've been on the nose so far. Where are you
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: spending your time these days?
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: I reckon we've covered that before.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: Well, I reckon we'll try it again. I stay at
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: home mostly. Were you home yesterday?
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: Sure was. Day before?
• 16:49
  Speaker 10: Yeah, as far as I can remember. A real homebody,
• 16:51
  Speaker 10: aren't you? Figure I ought to stick pretty close, seeing
• 16:53
  Speaker 10: as how the wife's working.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: Well, I'd sure consider it of you. When was the
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: last time you were downtown?
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: Whereabouts downtown?
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: Maine, Alameda, anywhere in there.
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: Afraid I just don't recall.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: Last week, maybe?
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: Oh, no, wouldn't have been last week. I wasn't feeling rightly.
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: Didn't go no place last week.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: Then how'd you get to Mexico?
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: Guess my memory ain't as good as it used to be.
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: Except that I'm kind of mixed up.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: You sure are.
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: All right, Anthony.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: Sit right over there.
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: Now, now, honey, you take it easy. They can't do
• 17:25
  Speaker 4: nothing to you.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: She knew where the stuff was. That ties her right
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: into possession.
• 17:29
  Speaker 8: Told you where to find it.
• 17:30
  Speaker 4: What else do you want?
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: Who do the caps belong to, Mrs. Benson?
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: Just tell me, sir.
• 17:36
  Speaker 8: They belong to Kim.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: Where'd he get them?
• 17:38
  Speaker 8: I don't know. Honest, I don't.
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: Did you have any visitors tonight besides Jerry Boston? Well,
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: come on.
• 17:46
  Speaker 8: I can't think of nobody.
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: Slim, you've got to do something. You've got to get
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: me out of here. There's a single solitary thing I
• 17:52
  Speaker 4: can do. I want to know what's happened to my kids.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: All right, take it easy, lady. They're in good hands.
• 17:56
  Speaker 8: I want to know. They ain't never been away from me,
• 17:59
  Speaker 8: not since they was born. They'll be all upset if
• 18:01
  Speaker 8: I'm not there. Can't you understand how I feel?
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: Yes, we can.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: My fault, anyway.
• 18:06
  Speaker 4: It's all my fault. No, no, no. You don't talk
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: like that. Well, it is. I should have left you, Slim.
• 18:13
  Speaker 8: I should have left you ten years ago when you
• 18:15
  Speaker 8: first started digging dope. We wouldn't have had the other
• 18:18
  Speaker 8: two kids. It'd just be Josie. Bad enough what's happened
• 18:22
  Speaker 8: to her.
• 18:23
  Speaker 9: Alfie.
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: You start worrying about Josie.
• 18:25
  Speaker 8: It's like time somebody worried about her, ain't it? Going
• 18:28
  Speaker 8: out with a married man. If it wasn't for you
• 18:30
  Speaker 8: and your dirty, filthy dope, she'd never have married.
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: Alice, I'm telling you, shut up.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: That's enough out of you, then.
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: Oh, sure.
• 18:37
  Speaker 8: He can't do no wrong as far as you're concerned.
• 18:40
  Speaker 8: God give you a free bindle, that makes him a
• 18:42
  Speaker 8: fine fella, don't it? Fit company for your daughter.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: Who are you talking about, Miss Denton?
• 18:46
  Speaker 8: Kirk Helvey. That's who. He's the one that gives Slim
• 18:50
  Speaker 8: them caps.
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: He's the one.
• 18:51
  Speaker 8: Going out with Josie. First thing you know, she'll be
• 18:53
  Speaker 8: on the stuff, too, just like her father.
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: And who she's with tonight? Tonight.
• 18:56
  Speaker 7: Tonight.
• 18:57
  Speaker 8: Last night.
• 18:58
  Speaker 4: Every night.
• 19:00
  Speaker 8: I talked to her. I talked to her until I
• 19:01
  Speaker 8: was blue in the face. Just like her father. That's
• 19:05
  Speaker 8: what she is. Just like him.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: You know where they went?
• 19:07
  Speaker 8: They said to the movies. No reason to believe them, though.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: You could have given us all this, Denzel.
• 19:13
  Speaker 6: Well, they wore my caps. I was just keeping them
• 19:15
  Speaker 6: for perk. Until he brought me to Georgia home tonight. Boy,
• 19:19
  Speaker 6: he finds out what's happening, he's sure going to blow
• 19:21
  Speaker 6: his stack.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 19:24
  Speaker 6: Guess maybe I got the shooting off my mouth too much.
• 19:27
  Speaker 6: About having them 32 caps.
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: Made me feel like a big man.
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: Never had that much stuff for him my whole life.
• 19:34
  Speaker 4: Told some of the other boys it was mine.
• 19:35
  Speaker 6: Just shows you how you can get in trouble from
• 19:39
  Speaker 6: a little exaggerating.
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: Only had them.
• 19:42
  Speaker 9: Caps a couple hours before you fellas showed up.
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: Couple hours.
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: That's all it took.
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: Look at this here mess on here.
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: Oh. it took you a little longer than that, didn't it?
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: What do you mean?
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: Ten years.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: From previous investigations, Frank and I knew that Perk Helvey
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: was involved in the narcotics trade. He'd been arrested several
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: times for possession, but so far he'd always managed to
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: escape conviction. At the time of his last arrest some
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: five months ago, he had been in the company of
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: his wife, Marjorie. When the wife was searched, three ounces
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: of heroin were found on her person. Marjorie Helvey had
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: not been known to us as a pusher or a user.
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: But when her husband was questioned, he denied any knowledge
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: of the dope. His wife was sentenced to a term
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: at the Women's State Prison.
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: 12.08 a.m. Frank and I drove back to the Denson residence.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: The place was deserted. We went inside to wait for
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: Helvey and Josie Denson. 1.16 a.m. Well, if he wouldn't
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: cop out to save his own life, he's not going
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: to give us nothing, you know. Well, it sure is
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: some family. Well, I can't help feeling sorry for the kids, though.
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah, me too.
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: Wait a minute. Somebody's out in front.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: How do you want to work it? Well, let's split
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: them up. I'll talk to the girl and you take
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: him in the other room and see what you can get.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 20:56
  Speaker 8: You want some infrastructure?
• 20:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's something to remember.
• 21:01
  Speaker 8: Just their own dad.
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: I hope your old man didn't choose too many of
• 21:04
  Speaker 4: my camps.
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: Police officer, you're under arrest. Don't try anything, Ellie. Okay.
• 21:10
  Speaker 8: Hey, what's going on here?
• 21:11
  Speaker 4: Where is everybody?
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: The folks are out.
• 21:13
  Speaker 8: What'd they do, get themselves pinned?
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: Let me see your purse.
• 21:16
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 21:17
  Speaker 8: Then you want to help yourself.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: Come on, move over here. Keep your hands out of
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: your pockets and stand still.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: It's a good thing I ain't ticklish, huh?
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah, all right.
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: All right, come on, Ellie. Huh? I want to talk
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: to you out in the back.
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure.
• 21:36
  Speaker 8: What'd you guys do? Draw straws for us? You don't
• 21:41
  Speaker 8: look so sad about.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: It, honey.
• 21:42
  Speaker 8: You won.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: I'm not so sure of that.
• 21:44
  Speaker 8: I got the smart one, huh?
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: Your mother and father have been arrested. Oh? And it's
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: not going to go easy on them.
• 21:49
  Speaker 8: Who cares? The old man's a bum. Always has been.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: I was a little girl.
• 21:53
  Speaker 8: He was a lush. Now he's a hype. I don't
• 21:54
  Speaker 8: notice any change.
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: What about your mother?
• 21:56
  Speaker 8: What about her?
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: She's been trying to hold the family together, hasn't she?
• 21:59
  Speaker 8: Might be better if it fell apart.
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: I'm going to give it straight to you, young lady.
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: Your folks say that the caps we found belong to
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: your friend Perk Helvey. Is that true?
• 22:08
  Speaker 8: I wouldn't know.
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: You'd know if you wanted to.
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: It's going to be their word against his unless you
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: step in.
• 22:14
  Speaker 8: Include me out.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: Maybe you've got a beef against your father.
• 22:17
  Speaker 4: Maybe.
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: Whatever you give me won't help him much. Might make
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: a difference in your mother's case, though.
• 22:23
  Speaker 8: Oh, come on. You don't care any more about my
• 22:25
  Speaker 8: folks than I do. You're after Perk.
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: It was his stuff, wasn't it?
• 22:28
  Speaker 8: I don't know.
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: You better think it over.
• 22:30
  Speaker 8: Why should I?
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: You don't mean anything to him.
• 22:33
  Speaker 8: Isn't what he tells me.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: He's got a wife, hasn't he?
• 22:35
  Speaker 8: The way I hear it, she's out of town.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: You know who sent her there? Nothing to keep the
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: same thing from happening to you.
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: It won't.
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: You ever seen your mother cry, Josie? Well, I did tonight.
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: She wasn't crying for herself either. It was for you
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: and your kid sisters. You got a choice. Who's it
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: going to be? Your mother or that two-bit pusher in there?
• 22:56
  Speaker 8: Not a very nice way to talk about a friend
• 22:58
  Speaker 8: of mine, is it?
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: Is that your answer?
• 23:01
  Speaker 8: I had a big night. I'm kind of tired. It
• 23:03
  Speaker 8: got nothing on me, so I think I'll just coddle
• 23:06
  Speaker 8: off to bed.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: You just stay put. Yeah, okay. Yeah. I'm not sure
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: if you'll get to stay here.
• 23:14
  Speaker 8: You were through before you ever started.
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: She doesn't care about her mother or anybody else. It'd
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: be easier to crack y'all down, I think. Well, it was. What?
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: He copped out. So this stuff is his? He's got
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: some more in his car. What turned the key? I
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: don't know. Maybe he likes this car. Maybe that's why
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: he held back on his wife to get rid of her.
• 23:33
  Speaker 8: When you guys get done comparing notes, I'd like to
• 23:35
  Speaker 8: get a little shut-eye.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: We're done.
• 23:39
  Speaker 8: Now you're playing it smart. No point in running to
• 23:42
  Speaker 8: a stone wall, is there?
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: Your mind's made up, huh?
• 23:44
  Speaker 8: It's a general idea. Want to pin something on Perky,
• 23:48
  Speaker 8: you'd better look someplace else.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: We don't have to, and we don't need you either. What?
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: Neither does your mother. For her sake, I'm glad she doesn't.
• 23:54
  Speaker 8: What are you trying to hand me?
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: I'm not handing you anything. Kirk gave us what we
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: asked for more than enough.
• 23:58
  Speaker 8: I don't believe you. Why should he?
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: Well, you better ask him.
• 24:01
  Speaker 8: Don't make any sense. I would have backed him up.
• 24:03
  Speaker 8: Whatever he told you, he knows that.
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: Sure he does.
• 24:05
  Speaker 8: Crazy jerk. Probably thinks he's doing me a favor, helping
• 24:09
  Speaker 8: out my folks.
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: Some joke, huh?
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 24:14
  Speaker 4: Who's it on?
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: The story you've just heard is true. The names were
• 24:23
  Speaker 3: changed to protect the innocents.
• 24:25
  Speaker 5: On December 28th, trial was held in Department 98, Superior
• 24:29
  Speaker 5: Court of the State of California, in and for the
• 24:31
  Speaker 5: County of Los Angeles.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: In a moment, the results of that trial.
• 24:42
  Speaker 5: Percy Foster Helsey entered a plea of guilty and was
• 24:44
  Speaker 5: sentenced for violation of the State Narcotics Act, a felony.
• 24:47
  Speaker 5: Porter Slim Denson and Josephine Annabelle Denson were tried and
• 24:51
  Speaker 5: convicted of violation of the State Narcotics Act, a felony.
• 24:55
  Speaker 5: Violation of the State Narcotics Act, a felony, is punishable
• 24:58
  Speaker 5: by imprisonment for a period of from five years to life.
• 25:02
  Speaker 5: The two young Denson children were placed under 24-hour supervision
• 25:05
  Speaker 5: in a foster home. You have just heard Dragnet, a
• 25:18
  Speaker 5: series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes
• 25:22
  Speaker 5: from the office of Chief of Police, W.H.
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
• 25:26
  Speaker 7: Technical advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brasher.
• 25:31
  Speaker 7: Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Virginia Gregg, Jack Crucian, Joyce McCluskey,
• 25:36
  Speaker 7: Herb Ellis.
• 25:38
  Speaker 4: Scripts by Frank Burt.
• 25:39
  Speaker 5: Music by Walter Schumann.
• 25:41
  Speaker 4: Hal Gibney speaking.
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: Watch an entirely different Dragnet case history each week on
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: your local NBC television station. Please check your newspapers for
• 25:50
  Speaker 3: the day and time. Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet, transcribed
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: from Los Angeles.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: This concludes Dragnet, episode 317, Big Daughter, first broadcast September 13th, 1955.
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: Follow Dragnet for more classic broadcasts.