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Dragnet - "Big Grab" (Old Time Radio, 1950) · Dragnet | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A Los Angeles professor's wife is lured from her home
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: by someone claiming to be a police officer, and the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: case soon brings ransom demands. Sergeant Joe Friday and Sergeant
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Ben Romero of Homicide Detail follow the leads as the
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Kessel family faces its first night Passover observance under mounting strain.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Jack Webb and Barton Yarborough star in Dragnet, NBC's Episode 55,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Big Grab, first broadcast June 29, 1950. The program's on-air
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: framing draws upon official Los Angeles Police Department case files
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: with Chief W.A. Wharton serving as technical advisor. Here is
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: the original broadcast. Follow Dragnet for more classic broadcasts.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: The story you.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: Are about to hear is true.
• 0:59
  Speaker 4: Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 1:02
  Speaker 5: Fatima Cigarettes. Best of all long cigarettes. Brings you Dragnet.
• 1:18
  Speaker 5: You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned the homicide detail. A
• 1:23
  Speaker 5: woman has disappeared, taken from her home by a man
• 1:26
  Speaker 5: posing as a police officer.
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: Your job, find her.
• 1:34
  Speaker 6: If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of
• 1:37
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• 1:42
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• 2:02
  Speaker 6: Fatima yourself. Best of all, long cigarettes. It's wise to
• 2:07
  Speaker 6: smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 2:10
  Speaker 7: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 2:13
  Speaker 5: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 2:23
  Speaker 5: next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 2:27
  Speaker 5: you will travel step by step on the side of
• 2:30
  Speaker 5: the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files.
• 2:34
  Speaker 5: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 2:38
  Speaker 5: the story of your police force in action.
• 2:44
  Speaker 8: It was Tuesday, April 4th.
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: night watch out of homicide detail. My partner's Ben Romero.
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: The boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives. My name's Friday.
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: It was 10 minutes past 6 p.m. when I got
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: to the basement of the city hall.
• 2:59
  Speaker 9: Carpool.
• 3:01
  Speaker 8: Over here, Jones.
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: Hi. Thad Brown will be down in a minute. Captain
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: will follow us out later. Okay. No contact yet? No,
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: he's still waiting. Will you take care of the local broadcast?
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: It's already gone out. They'll put the descriptions on the
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: air every hour. How's it look to you now? I
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: don't know. Nothing more we can do to make a contact. Oh,
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: here's Thad Brown now. You want to squeeze over a little?
• 3:29
  Speaker 8: Oh, yeah, sure.
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: Hi, Chief. Hi. Let's go.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: Let's go.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: Might as well take Beverly Boulevard, huh, Ben? Yeah, it's
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: as fast as any.
• 3:39
  Speaker 8: You got the address there Friday?
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's 617 Paris Avenue.
• 3:42
  Speaker 10: It's out by Echo Park.
• 3:43
  Speaker 8: Who's covering the house now?
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Ross and Pacelli are staked.
• 3:46
  Speaker 9: Out in a private garage across the street from the house.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: Donahoe and Wiseman are on duty inside the Kessel place.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: You want a smoke?
• 3:53
  Speaker 6: Mm, thanks.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: I'd make one, would you, Joe? Yeah.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: But you got the story from the maid at the
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Kessel's house, is that right?
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
• 4:03
  Speaker 8: You check it out?
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: I'm pretty sure she was telling it straight.
• 4:07
  Speaker 7: Anything?
• 4:09
  Speaker 11: Anything's wrong.
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: I don't think she's got a hand in it. There
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: you are, Ben.
• 4:14
  Speaker 8: Oh, huh. You got the call about three this afternoon?
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: A few minutes after, we went right out and talked
• 4:19
  Speaker 4: to the maid.
• 4:19
  Speaker 8: How'd she tell her?
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: Said she was fixing dinner about two this afternoon when
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: the doorbell rang. She answered it, and the young man
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: in the gray suit asked for Mrs. Kessel by name.
• 4:28
  Speaker 4: He told the maid it was an emergency. Oh. Well,
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: a maid said Mrs. Kessel came to the door and
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: the man identified himself as a police officer. Told Mrs.
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: Kessel her husband had been hurt in an accident and
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: she was to come right away.
• 4:38
  Speaker 8: Did the man show his identification?
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: The maid said no. Said Mrs. Kessel just took it
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: for granted he was a cop. Yeah. Go ahead. Mrs.
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: Kessel got her coat and left with the man. About
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: an hour later, her husband, Professor Kessel, got home. He
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: wasn't hurt. He hadn't been in an accident. He hadn't
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: seen his wife.
• 4:52
  Speaker 8: As soon as he.
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: Heard from the maid what had happened, he got on
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: the phone and called us.
• 4:56
  Speaker 8: What's the background of the husband, this Professor Kessel?
• 4:59
  Speaker 4: Supposed to have quite a name. He's a professor of
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: philosophy out at Simmons College. That's a small school out
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: near Glendale. Oh, yeah. Devout man. President of one of
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: the local synagogues.
• 5:09
  Speaker 8: Sure about the maid story, huh?
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: Sure as we can be. She gave us a good
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: description of the man who picked up Miss Kessel. I
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: got it right here. Yeah.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Here.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: White male, American, 25 to 30 years old, 6 feet
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: 170 to 80 pounds, gray suit, gray head, brown shoes.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: What about the car he used?
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: Late model Chevrolet. Dark blue, white sidewalls. That's on the
• 5:30
  Speaker 4: maid to tell us.
• 5:30
  Speaker 9: She didn't notice that I.
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: You better cut over on Westlake. That'll take us past
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: the teacher, won't it? Mm-hmm.
• 5:35
  Speaker 8: This is Professor Kessels. He been told what to do?
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: Yeah, he's been briefed. We've had a couple of men
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: with him since this thing broke. Shaken it pretty hard.
• 5:43
  Speaker 8: How old a man is he?
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: Oh, he's late 30s. Wouldn't you say so, Ben? Pretty
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: close to 40. Nice little squad. Two kids in the family.
• 5:50
  Speaker 9: Just about school age.
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: Boy and a girl. This next one ought to be
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: Paris Avenue. Yeah. There's a big gray house down there, Skipper.
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: White trim.
• 6:00
  Speaker 8: Don't park too close to the house.
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: This ought to do it right here, don't you.
• 6:05
  Speaker 8: Think?
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 6:06
  Speaker 8: What time you got?
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: Six-fifteen. Almost dark.
• 6:11
  Speaker 8: Where's the garage our men are covering from?
• 6:13
  Speaker 4: Can you see beyond that light pole there, the white
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: stucco place?
• 6:16
  Speaker 7: Oh, yeah.
• 6:17
  Speaker 4: Next one here is a castle home.
• 6:19
  Speaker 8: Doesn't look very rich.
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: Neither do the castles.
• 6:21
  Speaker 9: I don't think they got much money here.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: I don't know.
• 6:34
  Speaker 8: Come in.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: That the husband?
• 6:42
  Speaker 8: Yeah, I just got a phone call a couple of
• 6:44
  Speaker 8: minutes ago. I listened on the extension. Who called? Tried
• 6:48
  Speaker 8: to trace it. The guy wouldn't stay in the line
• 6:50
  Speaker 8: long enough.
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: What'd he say?
• 6:51
  Speaker 8: Tell the cops to stay away.
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: Said it twice.
• 6:54
  Speaker 9: Tell the cops to stay away.
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Said if they don't, I'll kill her.
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: The Kessel house had already been placed under strict surveillance
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: and the victim's husband instructed not to contact the abductors
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: without knowledge.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: Of the police.
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: To the working detective, there's only one rule to go
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: by when the job of solving an abduction is put
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: in his hands. Find the victim as fast as possible,
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: get the victim to safety, then go after the criminal.
• 7:22
  Speaker 8: It's not an easy job.
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: The responsibility isn't light and the outcome isn't always successful.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: If you press too hard, the abductor gets frightened and
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: kills the victim. If you don't press hard enough, the
• 7:32
  Speaker 4: criminal has more time to work for his payoff than escape.
• 7:36
  Speaker 4: Somewhere between the two was the right answer. We had
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: to find it. 6.30 p.m. Special details of men were
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: ordered out to the bus depots, the railroad terminals, and
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: the airports. Roadblocks were set up at all main arteries
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: leading into and out of the city. Every branch post
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: office in Los Angeles was covered to watch for possible
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: ransom notes addressed to Professor Kessel. 6.40 p.m. We met
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: in the Kessel's living room. Chief Wiseman? Professor Kessel will
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: be down in a minute. Says he's sorry to keep
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: you waiting. You feeling any better?
• 8:04
  Speaker 10: A little.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: Phone call about his wife shook him up a bit.
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: How about those people who came in a few minutes ago?
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: Who are they? Relatives.
• 8:11
  Speaker 4: Half a dozen of them. They're waiting back in the kitchen.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: How'd they know about Mrs.
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: Kessel? They didn't. They'd been invited to dinner. They didn't
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: know anything was wrong until they got here. Kessel asked
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: them to stay for the meal. Wants to keep up
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: appearances for the sake of his kids. Doesn't want them
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: to worry about their mother. Was dinner that important to him? Well,
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: tonight's the start of the Pesach, the Jewish religion Passover. Oh, yeah.
• 8:30
  Speaker 8: It's one of the big holidays.
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: Oh, I see. Well, they started off with this dinner tonight,
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: is that the way?
• 8:35
  Speaker 5: Yeah, big dinner.
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: They call them seders. Tonight they have the first seder.
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: Good evening. Sorry to keep you waiting. How are you?
• 8:42
  Speaker 8: No, please sit down.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: We don't like to intrude on your privacy, Professor Kessel,
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: but I think you can see it's necessary.
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes, of course. I'm very grateful.
• 8:52
  Speaker 12: If there's anything at all I can do to help.
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: Do you have any idea who might be responsible for
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: abducting your wife?
• 8:58
  Speaker 8: That's what has me so confused.
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: How do you mean? Well, I'm sure.
• 9:03
  Speaker 12: I have people who don't like me, who don't like us,
• 9:05
  Speaker 12: but someone who would take my wife, who says they'll
• 9:08
  Speaker 12: kill her?
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: No, I don't know who it could be. How about
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: the voice on the telephone, Professor? Did you recognize it
• 9:14
  Speaker 4: at all? No, it didn't sound like anyone I knew.
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: He talked so fast, I could hardly understand the man.
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: Do you think the person who took your wife has
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: some other motive besides holding her for ransom?
• 9:25
  Speaker 8: I can't understand that either.
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: If it's money they want, why go after a teacher's wife?
• 9:30
  Speaker 8: Fifteen hundred dollars in the bank, that's all I have.
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: That and this house.
• 9:34
  Speaker 8: How about your immediate family, Professor?
• 9:36
  Speaker 12: Well, my wife Ruth, her people have quite a bit.
• 9:41
  Speaker 12: I guess you would call them rich. But it's their money,
• 9:43
  Speaker 12: not mine.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: I can't understand.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Why anyone would do it.
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: For Ruth, if things happen, children... I don't know. Poor Ruth.
• 9:52
  Speaker 8: Anything happen?
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: Children? Albert? I'm sorry. It's all right. We understand. Albert?
• 10:03
  Speaker 12: Yes, Bertha, come in, would you, please? Gentlemen, this is
• 10:07
  Speaker 12: my sister, Bertha. She's here with her husband for the safe.
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: How are you? Albert, it's late.
• 10:14
  Speaker 7: Calm down. It's time to start the kitchen.
• 10:15
  Speaker 8: Oh, yes.
• 10:17
  Speaker 4: All right, Bertha, you tell everyone to come to the table.
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: I'll be right in.
• 10:21
  Speaker 7: The officers will have the first Seder with us?
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: Yes, Bertha. You please set them places. Yes, I will. Say,
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: we don't mean to intrude here. We can wait outside
• 10:31
  Speaker 4: while you have your dinner. Oh, no, please.
• 10:33
  Speaker 12: I'd be honored to have you sit at the table
• 10:35
  Speaker 12: with us.
• 10:36
  Speaker 8: Nowhere in the house should be without food tonight.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: First Seder for Passover. It's the law. How's that, sir? Oh,
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: excuse me. The Hebrew law. Would you come this way, please?
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: Yes, Professor.
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: He turned and led us down the hallway into the
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: dining room. A long white cloth covered the table, and
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: the center was a brightly polished brass candelabra holding four
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: lighted tapers.
• 11:00
  Speaker 8: There were a few platters of food.
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: Already set out, and at the head of the table
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: where Professor Kessel stood an open prayer book.
• 11:06
  Speaker 10: In order not to add.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: To the alarm of his two small children at the
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: absence of their mother, Professor Kessel introduced us as friends
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: from Simmons College. This is Mr. Brown, Mr. Friday, Mr. Wiseman, Mr.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: Romero.
• 11:22
  Speaker 4: Of course. Now, sit down, please. Sit down.
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: It smells good.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 11:31
  Speaker 8: You got enough room there, Joe?
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: Oh, fine. Say, how's it work, Wiseman? Should we join
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: in the prayers? Not unless you speak Hebrew. Oh.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ve'olam.
• 11:44
  Speaker 8: Bo'er e'er e'er.
• 11:47
  Speaker 11: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ve'olam.
• 11:51
  Speaker 8: Yeah, telephone call.
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: All right. All right. Friday talking. This is Lacey, Joe.
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: Just got a call to a morgue. Yeah?
• 12:25
  Speaker 8: They brought in a body a few minutes ago.
• 12:28
  Speaker 4: They checked the description. Yeah? I think it's Mrs. Kessel.
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: I went back into the dining room and told Chief
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: Brown about the call. He told Professor Kessel. He said
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: he'd finish as quickly as possible so as not to
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: alarm the children and then go with us to the
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: morgue to check the identity of the body. The prayers
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: continued along with the dinner.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: John?
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: Yes, Papa. I'm sorry. Excuse me.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: Excuse me.
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: Papa? What was it, Wiseman? What was the boy saying?
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: It's part of the ceremony during the meal. He's supposed
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: to ask his father certain questions about the Passover, and
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: then the father answers him. I guess it was too
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: much for Kessel. I feel a broken mind. What'd the
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: boy ask him? Why is this night different from any
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: other night?
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: 7.30 p.m.
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: Sergeants Wiseman and Donahoe stayed on duty at the house
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: while Chief Brown, Ben, and I drove Professor Kessel to
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: the county morgue. On the way, we called in and
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: checked with Captain Steed of Homicide. He told us there'd
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: been no reports on Mrs. Kessel.
• 14:21
  Speaker 8: 7.43 p.m.
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: Ben and I took Kessel to the basement of the
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: Hall of Justice, county morgue. This way, Professor. Oh, yes.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: You sure you feel up to it? Thank you. I'll
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: be all right. Hold in here.
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: All right, fellas. It's back here.
• 14:42
  Speaker 8: Okay, Archie.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: This is Professor Kessel, Archie.
• 14:46
  Speaker 11: How do you do?
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: This way. Chained door number five.
• 14:51
  Speaker 8: I called over as soon as they brought it in.
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you. Found the body near Avenue 19, the
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: riverbed crossing the auto cam. No identification?
• 14:58
  Speaker 11: No.
• 14:59
  Speaker 8: Here we are.
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: All right. Thank God.
• 15:22
  Speaker 8: Thank God.
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: Professor? No, it's not my wife. It seemed as if
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: both the victim and whoever had taken her had vanished completely.
• 15:43
  Speaker 4: At 11.30, Captain Steed, Ben, and I went across the
• 15:45
  Speaker 4: street for a cup of coffee and a fried egg sandwich.
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: We got back to the office at 10 minutes to midnight.
• 15:51
  Speaker 9: Still no word.
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: At 2 a.m., Ben and I drove back to the
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: Kessel house to relieve Donahoe and Wiseman. We stood our
• 15:58
  Speaker 4: watch in the living room. In the bedroom directly above,
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: we could hear Professor Kessel pacing the floor most of
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: the night. At 5 a.m., Captain Steed called. He told
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: us a letter addressed to the professor had been reported
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: at the arcade post office. As soon as the outside
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: of the envelope had been photographed and checked for prints,
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: it would be brought out for Professor Kessel to open.
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: Go on, Bill. Yeah, I'll get it. Chief. Morning. Hi, Lee. Hi, Joe.
• 16:31
  Speaker 4: In here.
• 16:32
  Speaker 9: Did you lift anything off the envelope, Lee?
• 16:35
  Speaker 11: Nothing we can use, no.
• 16:36
  Speaker 8: Might have them all up in the letter.
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: Good morning.
• 16:39
  Speaker 5: Good morning.
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: You brought the letter?
• 16:41
  Speaker 8: It's right here, Professor Kessel. I'd like you to stand
• 16:44
  Speaker 8: by while we open it. This is Lieutenant Jones from
• 16:46
  Speaker 8: our crime lab.
• 16:47
  Speaker 4: Lieutenant?
• 16:48
  Speaker 8: You'll check the note for fingerprints.
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes.
• 16:50
  Speaker 8: I can get you a letter opener.
• 16:51
  Speaker 4: I think this one over here. Yeah, that's all right.
• 16:53
  Speaker 13: I could use my pocket knife. You want to grab
• 16:57
  Speaker 13: one corner of the paper, Ben? Just the tip of
• 17:00
  Speaker 13: the corner. Use your fingernail.
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 17:02
  Speaker 11: You'll have to open it. Pin down these corners here.
• 17:13
  Speaker 4: What is it, Fred? The words are put together with
• 17:17
  Speaker 4: small printed letters. They all seem to be the same
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: kind of typeface.
• 17:22
  Speaker 13: Letters were probably clipped from a book, then pasted together
• 17:25
  Speaker 13: to form these words.
• 17:26
  Speaker 4: Who sent it? What does it say? Thanks, Link. If
• 17:32
  Speaker 4: you want to see your wife alive, have 30,000 small
• 17:36
  Speaker 4: bills tonight. Tell police I kill her. Instructions follow in mail.
• 17:42
  Speaker 4: No signature. $ 30, 000.
• 17:44
  Speaker 8: I haven't got the money.
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: I can't get it. He'll kill her. Mr.
• 17:49
  Speaker 8: Castle, there's still a chance. But what can I do?
• 17:53
  Speaker 8: I haven't got that much money. He says he'll kill her.
• 17:57
  Speaker 11: What can we do?
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: What we've been doing. Yes?
• 18:00
  Speaker 9: Wait.
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: Wait.
• 18:12
  Speaker 5: You are listening to Dragnet, the case history of a
• 18:15
  Speaker 5: police investigation presented in the public interest by Fatima Cigarettes.
• 18:20
  Speaker 6: Fatima, the long cigarette that has more than doubled its
• 18:23
  Speaker 6: smokers coast to coast. And there's a very good reason
• 18:27
  Speaker 6: for this amazing increase. Men and women everywhere are finding
• 18:30
  Speaker 6: out it's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: I agree, says Lee Silver, news reporter.
• 18:36
  Speaker 7: I agree, says Jean Mattson, airline stewardess.
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: I agree, says Mike Charters, attorney at law.
• 18:42
  Speaker 7: I agree, says Bad Beckwith, fashion stylist.
• 18:44
  Speaker 10: Yes, all agree.
• 18:46
  Speaker 5: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 18:49
  Speaker 6: So, enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself. The king-size cigarette, which
• 18:54
  Speaker 6: contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended to
• 18:59
  Speaker 6: make it extra mild.
• 19:00
  Speaker 5: You will prefer Fatima's much different, much better flavor and aroma.
• 19:05
  Speaker 10: You will agree.
• 19:06
  Speaker 5: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 19:10
  Speaker 7: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 19:13
  Speaker 10: Best of all, long cigarettes. Wednesday, 7 a.m.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: With the aid of an iodine fume gun, Lee Jones
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: checked the extortion letter from Mrs. Kessel's abductor for fingerprints
• 19:31
  Speaker 4: and other marks of identification. He found nothing. The piece
• 19:34
  Speaker 4: of paper on which the cut-out printed letters had been
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: pasted was of a common variety sold in most stationery
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: and five and ten cent stores. Jones photographed both sides
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: of the envelope and the letter.
• 19:44
  Speaker 9: 11 a.m. Still no word.
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: None of the special details had anything to report. At 1.45 p.m.,
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: another letter was delivered to the house.
• 19:55
  Speaker 9: The envelope was open. The letter removed carefully and pinned
• 19:58
  Speaker 9: down at the corners.
• 20:00
  Speaker 4: Put together the same as the last one. Tonight at
• 20:03
  Speaker 4: 11 o'clock, come alone in your car. Tell the police
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: I killed her. Is there more, Freddy? Yeah. Drive corner
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: Lake Shore, Charter Street. Wrap money, brown paper, small bills.
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: Come alone, your car. Put package by fireplug, then leave.
• 20:25
  Speaker 9: Tell police, and.
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: I kill her.
• 20:26
  Speaker 3: No signature.
• 20:28
  Speaker 8: I haven't got the money.
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: Lake Shore and Charter, that shouldn't be too hard for
• 20:32
  Speaker 4: us to catch.
• 20:33
  Speaker 9: Sounds pretty much like an amateur.
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: Makes it touchy. If he's green, he'll scare easy. He's
• 20:38
  Speaker 4: scared he may kill her. Not if we reach him.
• 20:42
  Speaker 4: How can I get the money?
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: You won't need any.
• 20:44
  Speaker 8: We'll have a dummy package made up. There'll be a
• 20:46
  Speaker 8: single dollar bill inside. Must be newspapers cut to the
• 20:49
  Speaker 8: size of currency.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: That's what you'll deliver.
• 20:52
  Speaker 12: But when he gets the package, when he finds out
• 20:54
  Speaker 12: it's not the money, what's he going to think?
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: We'll explain it to him. Starting at 10 o'clock that night,
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: more than a dozen cars from the detective bureau circled
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: the area around Lakeside Avenue and Charter Street, keeping a
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: distance ranging from three quarters to a full mile away
• 21:11
  Speaker 4: so as not to scare off the abductor. Some of
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: the cars were parked in service stations, some in private driveways.
• 21:18
  Speaker 4: The neighborhood was located in the heart of a new
• 21:19
  Speaker 4: veterans housing project. For a full five blocks in either direction,
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: there were no buildings of any kind where we could
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: keep an eye on the package of fake ransom money.
• 21:29
  Speaker 4: The owner of one of the completed houses nearest the
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: spot on Charter Street was contacted and he agreed to
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: let us use his.
• 21:34
  Speaker 9: Home as a lookout point for the stakeout that night.
• 21:36
  Speaker 9: 9 p.m.
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: Ben and I took up our positions on the roof
• 21:40
  Speaker 4: of the lookout house. We were equipped with two pair
• 21:43
  Speaker 4: of night binoculars and a walkie-talkie. I could think of
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: a few other places I'd rather spend the night. How
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: well can you see that intersection from here? Comes in
• 21:56
  Speaker 4: fine with these binoculars. The guy sure as we ought
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: to see him. Yeah. I better check with the captain again.
• 22:03
  Speaker 4: What time you got?
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: 925.
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: Where's the skipper parked? Private driveway near Charter and Hayworth.
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: Friday to 105K. Friday to 105K. Come in. Yeah, Joe.
• 22:16
  Speaker 4: Go ahead.
• 22:21
  Speaker 10: Got a clear view of the intersection.
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: Nothing yet outside of cramped legs. You reading me okay?
• 22:26
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 22:29
  Speaker 4: Yes, Joe.
• 22:30
  Speaker 9: Fine.
• 22:31
  Speaker 4: Over. Roger. Standing by. If you're lucky, my kid can't
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: see me now.
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: Why?
• 22:39
  Speaker 4: He'd never understand. Why should his father be sitting on
• 22:41
  Speaker 4: top of somebody's roof late at night? He'd never get in.
• 22:45
  Speaker 9: We waited.
• 22:46
  Speaker 4: Ten o'clock came. Ten-thirty. At exactly 11 p.m., as we
• 22:50
  Speaker 4: watched through our night binoculars, we saw Professor Kessel drive
• 22:53
  Speaker 4: up to the designated location five blocks away, place the
• 22:57
  Speaker 4: fake package of ransom money.
• 22:58
  Speaker 9: By the fire hydrant near the intersection, and then drive away.
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: 11.30, we waited. Midnight. 2 a.m., nothing happened. The package
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: was still lying by the fire hydrant, undisturbed. Captain Steed
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: checked with us periodically on the walkie-talkie. At 3.30 a.m.,
• 23:16
  Speaker 4: we were still waiting. At a few minutes past 6 a.m.,
• 23:19
  Speaker 4: Professor Kessel.
• 23:20
  Speaker 9: Was directed to return to the intersection, pick up the.
• 23:22
  Speaker 4: Package, and drive back to his home. His wife's abductor
• 23:25
  Speaker 4: had failed to show. Maybe the suspect had sensed a trap.
• 23:29
  Speaker 4: Maybe he had no idea of showing up in the
• 23:30
  Speaker 4: first place. Maybe Mrs. Kessel was dead. We didn't know.
• 23:33
  Speaker 4: 10 a.m., Thursday. No further contact from the abductor.
• 23:39
  Speaker 9: A special detail from homicide, including Ben and I, were
• 23:41
  Speaker 9: ordered on a door-to-door.
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: Canvas of the general area around Lakeside Avenue and Charter Street.
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: After seven hours of ringing doorbells and asking questions, we
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: came across a Mr. Harold Olander, one of the longtime
• 23:52
  Speaker 4: residents of the Silver Lake area. We showed him the
• 23:54
  Speaker 4: general description of Mrs. Kessel's abductor.
• 23:57
  Speaker 8: Yeah, that could be Thompson.
• 23:59
  Speaker 4: I don't know for sure, though. Where did you see
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: this Thompson, Mr. Olander?
• 24:03
  Speaker 8: Oh, I saw him lots of times.
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: He rents that cottage of mine down the street there.
• 24:07
  Speaker 4: You see? The white one?
• 24:09
  Speaker 8: Mm-hmm.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Does this Thompson have a car? Thompson?
• 24:12
  Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: A new one. I wonder if you could describe it. Chevrolet.
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: Nice looking. Blue color, I think. Could be, yeah. Is
• 24:19
  Speaker 4: Thompson in the house now, Mr. Orlando?
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: Nope.
• 24:22
  Speaker 8: So I'm driving away early this morning. I can show
• 24:25
  Speaker 8: you the house if it's official police business.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: It is.
• 24:29
  Speaker 4: Come on, then.
• 24:29
  Speaker 9: I got the key right here.
• 24:31
  Speaker 4: College is just down the block there. See the one
• 24:34
  Speaker 4: I need? The white one? Yes, sir. How long has
• 24:37
  Speaker 4: Thompson been in the house? Two weeks tomorrow. You noticed
• 24:41
  Speaker 4: anything unusual about him? Nothing special.
• 24:45
  Speaker 8: Comes and goes at odd hours.
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: Then a lot of people do.
• 24:49
  Speaker 8: I don't cry.
• 24:50
  Speaker 10: Sit up right here.
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: Does he usually keep all the blinds drawn? Yeah, now
• 24:56
  Speaker 4: that you mention it. A lot of people do, I guess.
• 25:06
  Speaker 9: Want to check back in the kitchen, Ben?
• 25:07
  Speaker 4: Yeah, all right.
• 25:12
  Speaker 8: Look at the living room, Sergeant.
• 25:13
  Speaker 4: Yeah. On a stick of furniture.
• 25:16
  Speaker 8: That's funny.
• 25:17
  Speaker 4: You sure you didn't see anybody else in this house
• 25:19
  Speaker 4: besides Thompson?
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: No.
• 25:21
  Speaker 9: No, he's the only one.
• 25:22
  Speaker 4: Looks like it, Joe.
• 25:23
  Speaker 11: Hmm?
• 25:24
  Speaker 4: Found this woman's purse stuffed in one of the kitchen cabinets.
• 25:27
  Speaker 4: This sales slip was in the purse. I see. This
• 25:30
  Speaker 4: is Albert Kessel. Is there a phone here, Mr. O'Leary?
• 25:33
  Speaker 4: Out in the hall. Is he still connected? Yeah. Joe,
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: I'll check back in the bedroom while you're phoning. Right, Ben. No,
• 25:46
  Speaker 4: you better stay with me, Mr.
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: O'Lander, if you will.
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: Oh, all right.
• 25:52
  Speaker 7: City Hall.
• 25:53
  Speaker 4: Homicide. Homicide? Do you have any idea where this Thompson
• 25:57
  Speaker 4: is now, Mr. O'Lander?
• 25:59
  Speaker 8: No, he comes and goes.
• 26:01
  Speaker 4: I don't like the pride. Homicide, Steve.
• 26:05
  Speaker 8: It's Friday, Skipper.
• 26:06
  Speaker 10: We got one for you.
• 26:07
  Speaker 8: I've got one for you.
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: Hmm?
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: Mrs.
• 26:14
  Speaker 4: Kessel was unharmed.
• 26:15
  Speaker 9: She had no idea where she had been or why
• 26:17
  Speaker 9: she had been suddenly released.
• 26:19
  Speaker 4: All additional information which she could furnish on the suspect
• 26:21
  Speaker 4: was immediately relayed to the entire state in an APB.
• 26:24
  Speaker 4: Two hours later, at a neighborhood garage Thompson patronized, we
• 26:28
  Speaker 4: got his license number. We ran it through DMV and
• 26:30
  Speaker 4: found the car was registered in the name of Charles Cottrell,
• 26:33
  Speaker 4: 10115 Green Oak Drive, 7 p.m. Yes? Police officers. Is
• 26:48
  Speaker 4: Charles Goudreau here? Yes.
• 26:51
  Speaker 7: Come in, please. I knew you'd find him. I kept hoping,
• 26:59
  Speaker 7: but I knew you'd find him.
• 27:01
  Speaker 4: Where is he, ma'am?
• 27:02
  Speaker 7: He'll get himself up. I'm his wife.
• 27:06
  Speaker 4: I talked to him. There won't be any trouble. No trouble.
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: Where is he?
• 27:12
  Speaker 7: You've got to understand, he didn't know what he was doing.
• 27:15
  Speaker 7: We needed money. He didn't know what he was doing.
• 27:17
  Speaker 10: We'll have to search the house, ma'am.
• 27:19
  Speaker 9: Charlie.
• 27:20
  Speaker 4: Charlie, come down, Sam.
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: Come down.
• 27:33
  Speaker 4: Get your hands behind your head.
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: I don't have a gun.
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: Charlie. Charlie. All right, Ben. Behind your back.
• 27:41
  Speaker 13: Adam, Charlie.
• 27:42
  Speaker 4: Charlie.
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: You didn't know what you were doing. Tell him.
• 27:45
  Speaker 4: We needed the money. I thought it'd work. What'd I
• 27:48
  Speaker 4: do wrong? Come on. Should've worked. I planned it all out.
• 27:52
  Speaker 4: Where'd I make a mistake? When you thought of it.
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: The story you've just heard was true.
• 28:05
  Speaker 8: Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
• 28:08
  Speaker 5: On August 2nd, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 86,
• 28:12
  Speaker 5: City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
• 28:14
  Speaker 8: In a moment, the results of that trial.
• 28:16
  Speaker 6: It's amazing how many long cigarette smokers are changing to
• 28:20
  Speaker 6: extra mild Fatima.
• 28:22
  Speaker 10: Here is the actual report.
• 28:26
  Speaker 8: Has more than doubled its smokers.
• 28:28
  Speaker 5: Yes, more and more smokers every day are discovering that
• 28:31
  Speaker 5: Fatima is the king-size cigarette that is extra mild.
• 28:36
  Speaker 6: Extra mild because it contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos,
• 28:41
  Speaker 6: superbly blended to make it extra mild, to give it
• 28:44
  Speaker 6: a much different, much better flavor and aroma.
• 28:47
  Speaker 5: Enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself. Best of all long cigarettes.
• 28:53
  Speaker 10: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 28:56
  Speaker 7: It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
• 29:09
  Speaker 5: Charles Cottrell was tried and convicted of kidnapping and received
• 29:12
  Speaker 5: the sentence as prescribed by law. He is now serving
• 29:15
  Speaker 5: his term in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet,
• 29:23
  Speaker 5: a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice
• 29:27
  Speaker 5: for Dragnet comes from the office of Chief of Police W.A. Wharton,
• 29:31
  Speaker 5: Los Angeles Police Department.
• 29:37
  Speaker 10: Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all.
• 29:39
  Speaker 6: Long cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet, transcribed from Los Angeles. Next,
• 29:49
  Speaker 6: here's Sarah Berner in Sarah's Private Caper on NBC.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: We close with Dragnet, episode 55, Big Grab. Follow Dragnet
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: for more classic broadcasts.