Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: The Big Job (EP1568)
Transcript
- Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Kallispell, Montana. This is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we do get started, I do want to let you know that this program is brought to you by the financial support of our listeners, and I particularly want to thank Rachel and Margaret for their support. You too can support the program at support not Great Detectives dot net and we'll send along access to our premium side as we do with all donations of seven dollars or more. You can also mail in a donation. Make your check payable to Adam Graham peelbox one five nine one three boise idahol eight three seven one five. Well, now it's time for today's episode of Dragnet. The original aired eight April the twenty seventh of nineteen fifty and the title is The Big Job. The story you were about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent Dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to Bunco Fugitive Detail. You receive information an escaped criminal is hiding out in your city. He's dangerous, he may be armed. Your job get him. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story. If you are police force in action. Was Thursday, April twenty seventh, was warm in Los Angeles. We're working a night watch out of Bunco Fugitive Detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Blaine Steed, captain of Bunco Fugitive My name's Friday. I was on the way back from communications. At was six forty five pm when I got the room thirty eight squad room. Hi, Hi, how about some dinner? Then we got one to check out. First. Here's a teletope you ever just brought it in? Thanks San Rafel. Huh pick up and hold for this department. One Alfred Garvey wanted for suspicion forgery robbery. This man poses as a fingerprint expert from Santa Refel Police Department. Here's his mother book from the record, Girl, we're informed Garvey is registered at the Fair Deal hotels or city. We're saying over your person Broadway, please advise us on his arrest and officers will arrive with Warren sign Chief Police Frank Kelly Sandrafel, California. Shouldn't take long to pack him, then, all right, we can eat later. I guess, hi, Max, what are you doing around? I thought you took off on vacation. I am just came back to pick up some stuff in my locker. Oh Dutch, Sure, listen, the wife's got the car. There are you guys going anywhere near North Maine and daily? Yeah, we're gonna leave right now. Okay, let me grab my coat. All right? You live out near Hiding Park, don't you? Man? Yeah, like the kids shopping in the cars afternoon and get them shoes for our vacation. Did sure? Scuff up the toes in a hurry? All right, y'all said, let's go. Where are you going on your vacation? Big bear? You un I stayed a whole three weeks Ian while I was on the cabin up there. They even pay the utilities for us. It's pretty nice. Only one trouble. What's that they're coming with us? Oh? What'd you brought in? The captain? Stall on? All right in the back? Okay, you too? Still working on that valley case? No, we washed it up monday. What's this one? Sell tite from San Rafell and once some guy picked up? Here's a mud shot. Who's Richard's gonna work with? Where he's gone? There? I don't know what's the crowd up ahead? No? Yeah, Priner's convention. I forgot they were having the parade tonight. You better stay over to one side. I think we can get through, all right, watch those kids there? There we go. That's the place up ahead and here indeed, yeah, we got to stop by his hotel a minute, Max, you want to wait here? Alchemy a big turnout for the parade now, yeah, it's a big crowd there a deal hotel. Look at those rates thirty five cents a day, two dollars a week. Yes, I can I have you police officers? Would you look at this picture? Please? All right? Maybe registered as Alfred Garvey, Garby Short came in yesterday. The picture makes him look old? Is he in? Now? Let's see Garvey wrong? Three or seven? The kid's gone. He must be end. Thank you. Yes, elevators down there at the end of it all, okay, the elevators in youth. Let's take the stairs. I'll wait for you here. I want to see the parade came in. I've never seen it to fail. It's said stairs. Every time my archie is hurt, we get a thief to check who lives upstairs? Just one more flight? Yeah, three or five? Three? Seven? Nors. Let's have a look. Man, m's empty. That's in the plush? Yeah, pretty fast? Check on. You came from downstairs the lobby. Come on, ye hurry up? Stop, okay, please please, it's Maxwell, Max, MAXI all right, run out the door, blue suit? You shoot your friend? Pall an ambulance. You run out the door to shoot your friend? Come on, Ben Caul that ambulance? Will you? Hey you did you see a man come out of this hotel? Did you just see a man come out of this hotel? I don't know. All right, Ben, you go that way. I'll check up this way right. Why doesn't matter what's where you're going? Do you see a man running up this way just now? But my height, blue suit, I didn't see anybody. Did you see anybody? Wait? Hey, boy, no, listen, did you see him? A man running by here a minute of go in a blue suit? Maybe I didn't notice a block papers. I'm sorry, sorry, lady man man over here? You just fought him. No, we're gonna need heir, right, come on, what call the obuls? You better have your friend. He's bleeding. I don't know what to do, Ben, get a whole communication to get some help out here. Right, he is the guy you've done the elevator. He was Garby. Your frank to right to stop your gardis show you right in the far right. Stop yelling. He was terrible. Now look he's bleeding. You better do so. Yeah, shut up, Max, Max? How is it? Chest? You all right? Easy? Huh? Garby came onto the elevator fast with a gun. All right, take it easy now, yoh, I got communications there blocking off the area. It's fine. What's that front door? Will you keep those people out of Hereah? Yeah, Chest, I'll be here in a minute. Boy, call the wife eleanor ambulance this year. Yeah, you looks bad He's not going to get any worse. He's dead. The name on the personnel report said John Warren Maxwell, Sergeant, Los Angeles Police Department, badge number one O three seven seven. The nearest living relative wife eleanor Jean Maxwell. Dependents John Maxwell Junior six years, Deborah Lee Maxwell two years. Death in line of duty. April twenty seventh, seven fifteen pm. John Maxwell's body was removed from Georgia Street to the County Morgue at seven forty five. A special detail of men from Homicide and Bunco Fugitive were on the scene to aid in the investigation of the killing. The neighborhood where the Fairdeal Hotel was located, was covered for a half mile around By nine o'clock, the parade was over and the area was cleared. We had a single lead to work with in checking out the different taxicab stands in the neighborhood. We found out that three separate fairs had been picked up within two blocks of the hotel. Four minutes after the shooting, Ben and I went to the offices of the taxicab company. The cabs in question were called in and the waybills were checked. The times of the three different trips were listed, and so was the address of each destination of We copied down the addresses and then interviewed the drivers. We're gonna give each one of you half a dozen fixtures, like to see if you can identify any of them as passengers you picked up to night near the Fair Deal hotel. All right, here you go, Yeah, four, five or six? Check them carefully here yours right here. Take a good look at each one of them. Okay, right now, fellas, take your time. Look them all over, real good before you make up your mind. Yeah, here's the one se no mistake. Let me see where'd you pick up this man? About a block from a hotel. I drove him to a place on fourteenth Street. Say your address on the way boat Ben, Yeah, Alford Garvey, Ben, and I, along with Ricketson Chandler from Homicide, drove out to the fourteenth Street address another small trenchon hotel. The clerk on duty identified Garvey from his mugshot. He said, the suspect that called at the hotel at about seven forty I have that night and asked to see one of the guests, missus Lorraine Thomas. The clerk said. He told Garvey. Missus Thomas was out that she hadn't been there for four days. Ricketson Chandler went on the steakout in the lobby of the hotel, and Ben and I went up to the second floor to stake out missus Thomas's room. Friday eleven, twenty five am, Lorraine Thomas returned to the hotel and was taken into custody, who took her a homicide and questioned her for more than an hour. She admitted that she was acquainted with Garvey, but that's all. One o'clock we went to Clifton's cafeteria for lunch. Yeah, I can't take this track. Thanks Silverware. Get here a little earlier and you wouldn't get look at that line. You were the first one he ran too after the shooting. Garvey doesn't have any friends in Los Angeles. Maybe that's why I look me up. I'll have the mixed green salad. Urch kind of worked as Garvey, dude. You know he told me it was in the Merchant Marines. Old swap, none of that potato salad. Please. Do you know what he does in the Merchant Marine? He told me a steward French dressing. Do you know any of his friends in town? No, I don't ride. Can I have an extra butterfih? Pradwell, what kind of you want in? Give me some of those business and I thank you. I don't know. Garby usually stay at the Fair Deal Hotel when he's in town. I don't know. I split pea soups and looks good. And we told you that the police up the north were looking for him. Yeah, I know you did. Like I told you, I've been out with him a few times. That's all I know about him. He must have introduced you to some of his friends. I'll have the prime bridge. They're rare, that piece. How about it. Did you ever meet any of his friends? Yeah? One or two? No, No, gravy, meet low brown gravy. Remember any of the names of his friends. I just met him, that's all I don't remember. Let me have a roast turkey, go kind of heavy on that dressing way. Did you ever go out with any of m No? Why do you think Garby went to your hotel after the shooting? I don't know. Maybe you figured you to hide him. I don't know why you should. You killed a man and had it straight for your place. Doesn't make you look too good. I can't help that. I like some of those string beans. Please, it's tell me if you know it's gonna go hard on you. If you're holding back information on Garvey, I'm not. Why don't you take some of that summer squashed Joe? Good for you, but I can't eat that much. When'd you first meet Garvey? About three years ago up in Saint Jleno. You might as well keep your nose clean. How do you mean we're gonna reach you? Miss Thomas? You might as well tell us all you know. Look, if Garvey's killing people, I don't want to have any more to do with him. We do? Now? Where is he? I told you? I don't know? Squashed? Please? You said you had a little boy, didn't she? Miss Thomas? Do we have to talk about it now? I thought we were gonna have lunch. I told you little boy he's seven years old. Where is he now? He's in school? Up Francisco business line going off a slow lunchtime. You know that top that Garby killed last week? Mashed potatoes, country gravest. See what I said? Yes, I know he killed a cop. He had a little boy too. There's nothing I can do, no potatoes. Yeah, there's something you can do, Miss Thomas. You can tell us where Garvey is. If I know, i'd tell you French Priestley. We're kidding as missus Thomas, but we're not going to kid you. You know a lot more about this than you're telling us. Maybe I do, but I'm scared. Who are you afraid of? Well? Why can't you count me out of this? I don't want any part of it. You're in all the way. The only way you're gonna get out is to tell us what you know. You kill me, Oh, something happens to me. Nobody's gonna worry about Mikey. You don't have to worry. He's not gonna find that. Uh no, no desert, Please both kill me both. Who's the other one? Trouble? No matter what you trying to do? Nothing. Garby's working with somebody is? His name's Jack Flemming. Yeah, it made me promise to cover for him. Give him a place to hide out whenever the heat is on. Then you know where they are? No, I don't, that's the truth. Why do they need a place to hide out? You said Garby killed a cop? What about Flemming? In Joe. I'm better move along one side. What about Flemming. I'm gonna pull some jobs, all right, we can skip the dessert. Come on, I'll take a check for rollin. Let's go. What kind of jobs? Where hold up? Tomorrow night? Three Kings liquor store out in Wiltshire. Let's sit down. They're both the same, Garby and Flimming. They can't hold a gun without using it. You dropped your tray. I'll get you small. Don't bother. I'm not hungry anymore. You are listening to Dragnett The case history of a police investigation. Saturday, April twenty ninth, last rites were held for Sergeant John Maxwell and he was buried at holy Cross Cemetery. A guard of honor from the Police Department was present, along with most of the men Maxwell had worked with in Monco fugitive Detail. The Chief of Detectives delivered a short eulogy and one of the men from the department band sounded taps over the grave. We got back to the opposite at noon checked in at the record bureau. A photo copyroom had taken negatives of Garvey's and Flemings coming out mugs and made duplicates that were distributed to all officers. The steakouts continued at the Fair Deal in the fourteenth Street Hotel, where Lorraine Thomas was stayed. She was put under protective custody. Ben and I Rickittson Chandler went on steakout at the Three Kings Liquor Store on Wiltshire Boulevard. Was a large, modern place and that did a volume business, especially on Saturday night. Becketson Chandler covered the store from the outside. Ben and I were stationed in the supply room at the rear of the place, where we had the main counter and most of the store in full view. We set up a pre arrange signal with a clerk on duty, and if and when Garvey and Fleming showed up, the clerk was to accidentally knock an empty bottle off the counter. Were waited until midnight. Nothing happened. It's the first customer in half an hour's kind of slow. Yeah, wait a minute, here comes another one. No soon, it's a woman clerk. Sure got the jitters and I oh, I could go for a hamburger? What did I wasn't very hungry? Then I could anoun them bory boy. Yeah, thanks wait a minute, another customer. Yeah, man can see his face too well with a I don't unders you. That's Fleming. Come on, police officers, get your hands up. Why should go you're hitting, it's going out the front. Come on, Rickets in China stopping. Yeah, he's down, Watch him get the gun. Yeah yeah, here, that's Fleming all right, Ricketts fall an ambulance. What's the score? It's like one in the shoulder and legs too. What about Garvey? I don't know. What do you think Fleming stopped all the slugs? Yeah, let's ask him. The wounded suspect was tweeted at Georgia Street Receiving Hospital and then booked into the prison ward at the General Hospital at eleven am the next day. We questioned him, but he refused to admit that he even knew Alfred Garvey. We requestioned Fleming for the next three days, with no results, The steakhouts continue. The search went on. There was no response to our APV. Garvey was still at large. As far as we were concerned, there was only one way to get directly to Garvey, and that was through Fleming. We called on Lorraine Thomas again and asked her that if she'd try to get some information on Fleming, try to get him to talk and to tell her where Garvey was. I'm not even sure if he knows where Garby's hiding. You must have a good idea. Even if he has, you're not going to tell me. He wouldn't trust me. That fun go further with you, and he will with us. He wanted to give us his name. I'm free. It's up to you this times. Why can't you let me out of this? I looked figured it this way. You knew about Fleming and Garvey, you knew they were in town, you knew what they were up to. You didn't break your back to save that dead cops life. Garvey shot him. I did you know he was a killer. You know he had a gun. What do you want me to do? Get close to Fleming, visit him every day till he talk. But he doesn't trust me. I told you, and get him to trust her with you two favors for him. He wants to contact friends to raise money for a lawyer. Help him do that, run errands, do anything for him within reasons. He finds out about the holder that I told her about it. He's got a long stretch a hit him. He won't bother you. They'll kill me if they find out. They wouldn't wait a minute. They won't find that, all right, won't be my fault. Al did the shooting, he killed the cop. Let him square it up. He'll square it with the cork. There's only one trouble. Yeah, Maxwell's wife and kids. How does Al square it with them? In the morning of May eighth, suspect Jack Fleming was removed from his private room and wheeled down to the X ray lab on the pretext of treatment. While he was absent, addictive phone was placed in his room by a sound crew from the crime lab. Fleming was then returned that afternoon while Ben and I listened in on airphones in the next room, Lorraine Thomas paid her first visit to Fleming. We had briefed her on how to proceed in getting a suspect to talk, in particular to reveal Garvey's hideout. It was a slow process. For the next fifteen days. Between the hours of two and four in the app afternoon, Missus Thomas visited Fleming while Ben and I monitored their conversation in the adjoining room. For fifteen days, despite all our shows of confidence. Fleming refused to confide. He was sullen in a close mouth. Some afternoons he would hardly speak to her. On the sixteenth day, his mood seemed to be improving. Here, let me fix that tillerk for you, Jack. Is that that's good? Thanks? I got in touch with Dave and Johnny like you asked me to. Let me say Realie said they could get you the money for the lawyer of the day after tomorrow, and Dave said he might be able to see you tonight. It's fine. Once I get a lawyer, I'll stop worrying. I stopped by Danelli's place too. Pop Royce was in there, going back tomorrow to see you. He ought to be able to help. H You've been okay, Larry. I won't forget it four Yeah, sure, sorry, you had to get at this point. Forget it. I can give it back where it came from. But some new magazines A couple of candyguards put him over here and there the bad one. Yeah sure, let me get him for you. Yeah, Jack, I'll put him right here on the table. I'll bring you some more. Tomorrow's fine. You're gonna try and see proper Rice again tomorrow. Yeah, they told me being around noon for sure I don't see him, then I'll keep trying until I do. Yeah, that's it. Oh, listen something else. I don't want to talk loud that cops might have bout this route. Yeah. Well, clus tonight, I want you to go to Georgia's giant, the Blue moonin down on South Flower. Yeah. And as for George at the bar, he's usually around from eleven nine. Tell George you've seen me. He'll know it, and tell him to take you to hell take me down, yeah, el Garvey, George knows the place. Yeah, okay, Jick and keep your mouth shut. I don't talk to anybody but George. He knows the place, all right, Ji, he'll help you on it. Well, yeah, it's a long link. I paid. Let's go. Ten pm. The detail of three cars followed Loraine Thomas to the Blue Moon Tavern on South Flower Street. We parked down the block and watched her go in. At fifteen minutes past eleven, she came out with a small, fat man in a dark blue suit. They got in a tan colored coop and drove south. The cruiser cars, using three way radio, tailed the coop alternately out through the Echo Park area and then back to the starting point at the Blue Moon Tavern. Lorraine Thomas went back into the bar with a man and twenty minutes later came out, caught a taxi and took it to our hotel on Fourteenth Street. We drove back to the office. It was five minutes past one am. That's it, I get it, my confus itive Friday, Lorraine Thomas, sergeant. He showed me the place George did where we drove past it ten thirty two Alamo Apartment three. Garvey there now no, George said, He's supposed to be there tomorrow in the afternoon at five o'clock. George said, all have to go alone. Are they watching the place? I think so? Garby stand with another man. I got guns. You know where Garvey is now? George wouldn't tell me. We can't afford to tip our hand. How do we know Garby will be there at five o'clock tomorrow? That's just it. We don't May ninth, three pm, an immediate stakeout was placed at the suspected hide out. The detail of twenty plain clothesmen began filtering into the neighborhood in the vicinity of ten thirty two Alamo Street. The three story apartment house at that address was checked thoroughly and then covered on all sides. Apartment three on the first floor was checked out too. Was registered to a Thomas King, whom the manager identified as Alfred Garvey from his mugshot. To avoid pedestrian casualties, we toured the immediate vicinity between three and four thirty that afternoon, advising residents and storekeepers to clear the street and stay inside. At four thirty five pm, the men in the detail took up their assigned positions. We waited, hold that light, wags y, Yeah, a lot of trouble for that punk Garvey. It'd be more trouble if he doesn't show most sex left, tan coupe coming down the street behind it, saying one retail last night, a girl driving his two guys waiting. You know, Garvey's one of them. They're pulling up. Ready, Wait a minute, all right, let's go police officers. Hold it right there, get up, Throw him in, Garby, you haven't got a chance. That's come on. Most dead, the other guy, rotten case, rotten business. The story you have just heard was true, only the names were changed. To protect the innocent. On August, second trial was held in Superior Court Department ninety three, City in County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment the results of that trial, Jack Fleming, the only survivor of the hold up gang, was found guilty of several counts of armed robbery. Garvey's accomplices who aided him in hiding out were tried and convicted of being accessories. They are serving prison terms as prescribed by law. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files Technical Advice Board. Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief of Police W. A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department. The Halls of Ivy is pleasant listening tomorrow on NBC Welcome back. Well once again you see how dragnet manages to connect listeners to policemen who are slain in the line of duty, and that I think was something that particularly in the early days, Dragnet was very conscientious about. Most of the time, I think, particularly in the early going, when you saw a police officer killed, you saw a little bit of the man, uh so that you would connect with it emotionally, you know. Since the advent of Star Trek. The term red shirts, you know, has been applied to not to Star Trek, but a wide variety of different UH programs where unimportant characters are killed off as a plot point. And I think what Dragnett always tried to communicate was that the deaths of police officers weren't unimportant or incidental. Rather, they were real people with real families, real feelings, and their own unique outlook on life. And that clearly is communicated through the course of this episode. All right, well, now we turn to some listener comments and feedback. In terms of listener feedback, Margaret rits in thank you love the show, and we also have a very nice thank you from Susan, and then we have a very good question from Matt. Matt rits in over on Facebook, I've noticed that with a couple of the shows on the main feed there is some second person narrative, often at the beginning of a program or certain scenes. Examples Dragnet, You're a police officer assigned to the homus Kind squad. I think it's also used in Crime and Peter Chambers. I know this is a weird question, but I was just wondering if anyone had some thoughts on why this device is employed. Stylistically speaking, it seems unusual. It's really tough to figure with crime and Peter Chambers, I think it's a little bit easier to figure with dragnet. The point of a dragnet was really to be realistic, to take you on the side of the law. This was before, of course we had cops or even the radio predecessor to cops in not Watch, but it wanted to give you the feeling like you were, you know, going right in the story. You were going on this adventure, you were going on this case's device to make it feel more like you're actually experiencing it. You're not just watching some story or narrative about what's happening. You're rather experiencing it. It's trying to connect to that greater sense of experience. You'll also hear that on shows like Escape. Escape was a program that offered you escape from the four walls of today is taking you on a journey in your imagination. It wasn't just telling you a story. It was taking you to a boat with a killer snake on it, or a great spykeeper, or some mystery south of the border, or in each or a place where everyone was blind. That was the idea of escape. It was. It was a sales pitch of this is what we're doing. You're not just listening to a story. You're going on the adventure and you're following along. And that, I think is what they're trying to convey, and that's the reason for the stylistic choice. Now whether it always works or not is of course another matter, but that's what they were going for, I believe. All Right, Well, that will do it for this week. We'll be back on Monday with another episode of The Saint and then join us back here next Saturday another episode of Dragnet. In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot com, slash Radiodetectives From Boiseidaho. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.