Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: The Big Man, Part One (EP1490)

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Dragnet: The Big Man, Part One (EP1490) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
0:33
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
0:37
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net. Follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, Become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com slash
0:48
Radio Detectives. Well, before we do get started, I do want to
0:54
remind you, if you've not already, you pick up your copy of All
0:57
I Needed to Know I Learned from Dragnet. In it, we examined the
1:02
career and history of Sergeant Joe Friday and five lessons that can be learned from
1:07
it, as well as the careers and histories of six other great fictional policemen
1:14
and detectives, including Poirot, Reading Malloy, and Frank Cannon. Is available
1:21
as an ebook wherever fine ebooks are sold. Also over a Great Detectives dot
1:25
nett this weekend, because you can read my essay on why some people can't
1:30
quite get into Old time radio. Well, today's episode is from January twelfth,
1:34
nineteen fifty and it's The Big Man Part one. Ladies and gentlemen,
1:46
The story you're about to hear is true only the names have been changed to
1:52
protect the innocent. Drag Nets. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to
2:07
Narcotics Bureau. A vicious criminal has resumed operations in your city. His profession
2:14
dealer in narcotics. You know his name. You know he's guilty. Your
2:20
job prove it. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
2:30
next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will
2:35
travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case,
2:38
from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
2:44
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. Was Thursday, January
2:50
twenty first, was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch
2:53
out of Narcotics Bureau. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown,
2:58
Chief of Detectives. My name is Friday. I was on the way
3:00
back into work and it was three forty nine pm when I got to the
3:04
main lobby of the City Hall Public Home booth. Hello, oh my,
3:30
this is Joe Joseph. You said you were going to be home o'clock.
3:35
I couldn't help, but Minley changed the schedule. I got my stuff,
3:38
all right, thanks for packing it. Put your socks and your clean T
3:40
shirts on the bed. You put them in your bag. Yeah, I
3:44
got them, got them off the clothesline right after you called, and we're
3:46
quite dryer I would I got them all right. Listen, Ma, I'll
3:51
call you whenever I get the chance. And I don't worry how long you're
3:53
going to be gone, having any idea? Maybe a month, all depends.
3:57
Can I get in touch with you? You can't call Ben. He'll
4:00
get the message to me somehow. Where is it you're going. Well,
4:03
I'm not going anyplace, Ma, I'll be right here in the city.
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But I just won't be able to come home for a little while. It's
4:08
a special job. Yeah. Well, you be careful. Now, watch
4:13
what your order when you're eating out, and those awful rest then you get
4:15
your rest. Okay, Now, I'll be all right. We're shopping today
4:21
about a nice loin roast for dinner tomorrow night. You won't be here.
4:25
Why don't you invite the neighbors over. The Newtons will be a good coming
4:28
for you, May Elizabeth over. Yeah, I don't worry. If you
4:30
want to get in touch with me, you deliver the message to Ben Okay,
4:33
yes, what kind of work you be doings? Oh it's just another
4:40
job by I'll work out. I'll call you when I can. Be careful.
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Now take care of yourself. Yeah you too, Bye myne Joseph.
4:48
Bye. I left the phone booth and started down the corridor. I went
5:00
up a short flight of stairs and turned left. The afternoon crowd in the
5:02
City Hall seemed heavier than usual. I walked past the elevators and turned right
5:06
down another corridor. Was three fifty eight pm when I got to Room twenty
5:11
four Narcotics. Burel Gopham point, Hi, job you want to take these?
5:18
Yeah? Sure, it's my badge okay, all my identification and my
5:27
gun. All right, I'll take care of them for you. He's clothes,
5:30
lookori it us a minute now, let's see. Yeah, I don't
5:39
like that tie, romero es Gibber. Let's see your tie? Yes,
5:43
swap with Friday? Will you been Christmas? Dies? Pretty loud? Mine's
5:46
not. That's the idea. Kay. Here's some stuff carrying in your pocket,
5:51
social Security card, ID card all made out to Joe kaybrit and some
5:55
book matches from Saint Louis. Couple from Reno, Nevada. Okay, you
5:59
pick up another. I'm loaning my twenty five oat of may. It's small,
6:01
it's easy to carry suit yourself. I don't have to tell you to
6:04
be careful. No, it's a chance. We've been waiting for Joe.
6:09
A lot depends on you. I'll do what I can. It's just one
6:12
thing I want to tell you. Take your time. Take all the time
6:15
you need. Don't push it. I understand no time limit. Your time's
6:18
up when they find out who you are. Captain Lynn White and I left
6:26
the Narcotics Bureau together with Ben and Johnny Bingham. We went down the hall
6:29
to the office of Chief of Detective's Thad Brown. As in most major narcotic
6:32
cases, the plan involved the coordinated work of all three officers, a federal,
6:38
state and our own local bureau. The operation involved a great many men
6:41
and a lot of time. When we got to the Chief of Detective's office,
6:45
two men were with him, Bill Craig, the Agent in charge of
6:47
the Federal Bureau of Narcotics for the Southern California area, and Inspector Virgil Beckner,
6:51
head of the State Narcotics Bureau for our district. All of us had
6:55
one common goal, the apprehension and conviction of two men, Arthur bellm and
7:00
Ralph Costello. The first man on the list, Ralph Costello. Chief Brown
7:04
outlined the overall plan, Creig, your federal men have been tracking Costello off
7:09
and all for three years now. Beck's of your state agents, same for
7:12
our men. It's time we can't afford to miss you figure an undercover man
7:15
working locally, That right, Chief, Yeah, Greg, you start right
7:18
from the bottom, work up the lindily gets to Costello. If he gets
7:21
there, Beck, where are you gonna start? Uh? Kevin White,
7:26
would you laid out to Beck mcgreg Yeah, Friday here is going to handle
7:30
the job. He's got his full instructions, Joe, you want to fill
7:32
them in? All right. I'll make my first contact tonight. I'll meet
7:36
in a bar down on South Pico with another one of our undercover men,
7:39
Benny Rodondo. He'll introduce me as Joe Kayber to one of his informants.
7:44
The informant is supposed to help get me into the flats game, the same
7:46
bunch running on the south end of town. Yes, small time peddler's precurious.
7:50
A little bit of everything go on Friday. When I get in the
7:53
gang, I run with him until I find out where and how they make
7:56
their buys. After you get a contact, you make buys all the way
7:59
up the line and get as close as you can to the top. Yeah,
8:01
that's right. Word out your contact with us. He knows that undernow
8:05
conditions will he be seen around the department. Here spin set up and I
8:07
have a hotel room land up down on the east side, a marrow here,
8:11
and Captain White will be my only contact with the office. I'll be
8:13
using the name Joe Hybrid, So it's all right to me. How about
8:16
you, Craig? How about that? Infallment Friday? Can you count on
8:20
Rodondo thinks a lot of him. He says he's a good man. He's
8:22
the first rung on the ladder. He's got to be solid. If he's
8:24
not, we won't have fire. A fall depends on how you look at
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it. You can kill yourself in the bathtub. Eight pm, Thursday,
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January twenty first, I checked in at the Casino Hotel on Terminal Street.
8:39
I registered as Joe Kybert, Omaha, Nebraska. I was given the key
8:41
for room five. The rent was seven dollars a week, I unpacked a
8:46
few things I had in my bag and went down the hall and took a
8:48
shower. I went down to the lunch room on the corner. I had
8:52
an egg sandwich and a cup of coffee. It was eleven eighteen pm when
8:54
I walked into Blue Rights Bar and grill. I ordered a beer and sat
8:58
down. I watched the Missing Person's program on the television set above the bar.
9:05
Low, somebody Kyber, Hello, Benny, been there long? I
9:09
just got here. Where's your boy sitting over there with that fell in the
9:11
blue suit? Name's Jean. Who is the guy in the blue suit?
9:15
Marble flats? Gang? Jean's lining up your introduction? Now. The guy's
9:18
name is Ludwig. I call him lud He knows me as Steve. Right,
9:22
what do we do? Sit tight till Jane gives us the word tie?
9:26
Yours looks like it's on fire. Look all right, I wouldn't wear
9:30
blood, would don't know. Tell okay, yeah, all set room five.
9:35
Jeane wants us Let's go okay, Hi, Steve, So your boy
9:43
got here? Yeah, Jeane? Mate, Joe Kaiber, all right,
9:48
this is lud Joe kber Blood. Sit down? Do you like to fights?
9:52
Kyber. Yeah, I got nothing out here in that line. I
9:56
used to go to the garden when I was east. I got some fine
9:58
cuts. Legion where Hollywood Legion Friday nights, some classy looking fighters out there.
10:03
Where's that out in Hollywood? Nice little stadium. I'd like to go
10:07
with you sometimes tomorrow I got a date. Maybe next week, Dringer along.
10:11
A lot of women go not this one. Okay, Hey, you
10:15
guys, shall be I could eat yeah, jee, sure, I'm out
10:18
here. Nobody eats shit steam table over there. This stuff smells pretty good.
10:22
So does garbage. If the wind's flying the other way. Let's got
10:24
a fresh step sandwich you how about galbris? Every wants to tell them?
10:28
Okay, how about you guys? Sure, let's go. All right.
10:33
You're from the East, Carver, Omaha, Memphis, all around, and
10:39
you don't talk very much? You do you talk tough? Are you tough?
10:45
Sometimes? This place we're gonna go eat. Sometimes a meat's tough too,
10:48
you know, just like a piece of tough meat. You can always
10:52
cut it down the size. The following week, at the fights, I
10:58
met some of the other men of the Flats Gang. They were a typical
11:01
group of hoodlums, unlike fiction writers of portrayed them. Generally, gangs of
11:05
this type do not operate under a gang leader. Each member considers himself the
11:09
best of the lot. For all practical purposes, they didn't need a leader.
11:13
But as in any group, some men are more dominant than others.
11:16
Blood was one of these because of his tough manner. I observed that the
11:20
gang members placed confidence in Luod was Then I decided that I had to be
11:24
tougher than he was if the gang was going to accept me. Five weeks
11:28
went by March seventh, there was still no mention by any of them that
11:31
they were either using or dealing in narcotics. I'm on blud Kaba and Jerry
11:39
phil Bye. I picked up the tickets for the basketball game tonight. Good
11:43
seats. Yeah they look okay, got an extra ducky maybe I tag along?
11:46
Yeah we got four. You look kind of sad, Keba. He
11:50
always looks sad. Way first he was tough and eye you in that mouth?
11:54
You know it all, don't you? No offense? You look a
11:56
little low. I don't know about you, Kabba, but I'm a little
11:58
on the par to have myself a pop. You're interested. No, I
12:03
don't use it. Why don't you try it? Tim, I got a
12:03
kick out of it. I have. It's all right going up, but
12:07
it's nothing coming down. That's why you're make a mistake. Stay up,
12:09
don't come downed what he said, Jerry, you don't like it? How
12:13
does he know you never stayed up long enough? Take your pop and shut
12:18
up. You talk about kay but trying to be tough. You think you're
12:20
the big wheel around here. That's a n a quick giving orders blood.
12:24
You know better than the wrist. Look lett a man, knock off.
12:26
I kind of talk and keep us both happen. You you the boss man.
12:31
You know I got one positive way to shut you. Why don't you
12:33
too? Quit? This concerns me and fail you keep your mouth shut.
12:35
Well, don't get mad at me. I only want to save an argument
12:39
I said. Now, look, big mad you can push fell around,
12:41
but not me. Now you're playing the tough guy again, ain't you.
12:43
Why don't you go over there and sit down? Here'll set me down all
12:50
right? Now, listen to me, both of you. I'm tired of
12:52
being talk down to like a junior member of the firm. You either treat
12:54
me equal or leave me alone. You understand you got to come in life.
13:00
Yeah, i'd put that bottle down lead. Will you get that gun?
13:03
Carry that thing right along? Right along? Put it down load.
13:07
Okay. I'm long on memory, Kevin, remember that. Yeah, and
13:11
I'm real short on patience with you. Well, I steal and had my
13:15
pup. Better hurry, I don't want to miss the game. You've got
13:18
good seats. They're not too low. I can't see nothing if they're too
13:22
low. Don't worry. You'll be high enough. Two months went by.
13:30
By playing the tough guy, I gained a great deal of prestige in the
13:33
eyes of the other gang members. Jerry Fell made sure that all the members
13:37
heard about that episode up in Lud's room. Dealers and users of narcotics rarely
13:41
carry guns. The members of the Flats gang were small time peddlers and users.
13:45
They're referred to as mules or small fry. When they found that I
13:48
carried a gun at all times, they were impressed. They considered me one
13:52
of them. Since the very beginning of my undercover work, I met weekly
13:54
with Ben Romerow and Captain Lynn White of the Narcotics Bureau. I would be
13:58
picked up at a different location each time, making sure that I wasn't followed,
14:01
and we would remain in the car and drive around in a remote section
14:05
of the city, discussing my progress with the game. During this first three
14:09
month period, under the pretext that I had plans to furnish, I made
14:11
two small narcotics buys, one for thirteen dollars and one for eight dollars.
14:16
As soon as the purchases were made, I would mark them for identification,
14:20
contact Ben and then turn the narcotics over to him to be booked as evidenced
14:24
by the property clerk at Central Division. Another month went by Thursday, June
14:28
fifth, eleven PM. We had just returned from the midget auto races and
14:31
we were sitting around in Lud's room. You mentioned something out the racist cabin.
14:35
I was on your mind. I told you lot, I need a
14:37
half a dozen camps right away. I got people putting the bite on me.
14:39
Old customers. How can they be only been out here five months?
14:43
Remember when they're hooked, they get to be old customers. In a month,
14:46
I fixed up two buys with Morse for you. Tony says he can't
14:48
handle anymore. I hasn't got enough a round. You got on board,
14:52
Lake, You know all of us are ahead of you. Tony can get
14:54
more. Who's his source? A couple of guys. I how about an
14:58
office to one of them? You deal with Tony? He said, he
15:01
hasn't got enough. That's right, I did. Okay, how much do
15:05
you want? Are your customers? Was it worth? They'll pay? What's
15:07
the guy's name? Costello's one of them. They have enough for you.
15:11
Who's the other guy? He'll deal with? Costello? And where can I
15:15
meet him? Mussel set it up for you. I got to meet him
15:18
in an hour. Comment Police officers shake it down? Down a hope.
15:28
What's the trouble checking for a robbery suspect? Find anything? George, We
15:35
don't know anything about a heist. You'll have to come downtown answer a few
15:39
questions. It's a matter of what you fellow. You look like we spoiled
15:41
your party. Yeah, you spoiled it. You are listening to drag nets
15:56
authentic stories of your police force and action. The chance of my being picked
16:03
up while working on an undercover assignment was one which all of us had considered,
16:07
since only a handful of men out of some five thousand working police officers
16:11
in the department knew anything about our narcotics investigation. We knew that such an
16:15
occurrence was not impossible. It's one of the chances we had to take.
16:18
In this instance, we lost, and the critical meeting with one of the
16:21
men we were after was forestalled. How long our detention at police headquarters would
16:25
delay my meeting with Ralph Costello was anybody's guest. Could mean weeks or maybe
16:30
months. I was booked on suspicion of two eleven PC robbery, so was
16:34
lud. The next afternoon, I was taken from cell Block ten D two
16:38
to the interrogation room. Come on in and sit down, Kaiber, how
16:45
are you Friday? It was a tight squeeze book and numbers been canceled.
16:48
Joe prince Minster. There's two men from robbery who pulled me and Win and
16:52
Donaho. I thought I was in trouble for a minute. They had no
16:56
idea you were in that room. Once they got up there, they had
16:57
to follow throat. I played it. They remember their ettiquette. Either one
17:00
of them had said hello before you did, you might have been in big
17:03
trouble. I'm in big trouble anyway. I had a meet all set with
17:06
Costello almost set anyway. It's just a case of bad timing in that pickups.
17:11
I don't know if they'd got there two hours later, it might have
17:11
been different. Well, how do you stand now? How close are you
17:15
to Costello? I need some more money. I got to pay off Blood
17:18
and he'll take you to Costello if you pay the right price. Yeah.
17:21
Blood's working through Morse. You know about him, Remember Friday. If there's
17:23
any questions when you get back to that gang, you were booked for CCW.
17:27
You're out on bail. Yeah, I've got you now. The guns
17:30
you know, thirty two automatic? Okay, yeah, thanks, I couldn't
17:33
go back with the same one. What about the federal and statement? How
17:36
are they doing? Pretty good? Federal men picked up Costello and Fresno.
17:40
He was connected with the sale of six cans of H's not much harrowing up
17:44
there, and I wonder lud can afford to hold me up. He knows
17:45
there's a shortage down here. The case isn't too strong against him, but
17:49
it looked definite that we had him. They were going to call you off.
17:52
He's out on bail. The Costel's back down here now. Yeah,
17:56
it seems like we get our hands on the guy, but we can't hold
17:59
him narcotics in their possession or under their control. That's what the book says.
18:03
That's the way we got to get him. We'll get him that way.
18:06
It's up to you now, Friday, stay with it and keep your
18:07
chee covering. If you need anything, Joe, call my Mother's been over
18:11
to house for dinner a few times. She's okay, thanks. Tell her
18:14
I'm all right with you. Sure she worries. Not about you, Joe,
18:18
anything happened to you and just about Killer. That makes two of us.
18:21
I'll see you. Before I left the City Hall, Captain White drew
18:27
out some more money from the Secret Service fund. This fund is for the
18:30
sole purpose of undercover work. This latest amount was for the narcotics buy that
18:33
I hoped to make with Ralph Costello. An hour before I left, Blood
18:37
was released on a rift that he had arranged for Saturday, June seventh,
18:41
nine am. I checked back into my room at the Casino Hotel. During
18:45
the three weeks that followed, I kept asking lud to arrange a meeting for
18:48
me with Tony Morse, the next man on the ladder. On the way
18:52
up to Costello. Blood kept stalling me. Another week went by. Captain
18:56
Lynn White, Ben and I held our regular weekly meeting. On July sixth.
19:00
Blood told me that a meeting with Morse had finally been arranged for eight
19:03
pm. That night. I called Ben and told him i'd meet him and
19:07
the Captain immediately after. I talked with Morse. At eight pm, following
19:11
the instructions Blood had given me, I was in the downstairs waiting room at
19:14
the subway terminal at Fifth and Hill. I was told to wait for the
19:15
apple vending machine. Excuse me, mister, Oh yeah, sure, kiber,
19:37
Yeah you're Morse. That's right? When an apple? No, no
19:40
thanks, let's it down all right? Now? What do you have in
19:48
mind? I got a couple hundred bucks to spend. Can you handle it?
19:51
Who sent you? You know who sent me? Sure? I do.
19:53
I just want to hear you say it, Luod. We can handle
19:56
it. But you haven't mind. I said, two hundred dollars worth.
19:59
It's forty caps. We got it, None of that Mexican junk. I
20:02
want European stuff you, but before you'll take what we got. That last
20:04
buy I made through lead. The junk was cut to nothing. It can
20:07
only use so much milk of sugar. You know, by the time it
20:10
got to you was probably cut pretty thin. So is the price you paid
20:12
for. I'm not looking for bargains. I've pushed the good people and want
20:15
good stuff. Do better this time. You're not dealing with Luod. Sure
20:18
we cut it and want anybody else not as much as Lud. When can
20:22
I get it? You got some sick people. Couple have it for you
20:25
in an hour? Where's the meat? You gotta watch? Yeah? What
20:27
time you got? Twelve minutes after eight? Ad am? Minute? Make
20:32
it thirteen after? Okay, an hour from now? Nine thirteen meat leaded?
20:37
May see in Brooklyn on the corner. He'll tell you what to do.
20:41
We'll lead have it meet lead at nine thirteen. See you later,
20:44
Cimer. Oh wait a minute, How do I know you're leveling? How
20:47
do we know you are? I went out the front of the subway terminal
20:52
building. I took a cab down to seventh in Maine. I got off
20:56
and walked into Pop Sherman's bar. I called the office and set up a
20:59
meeting with band and the captain. I ordered a beer, paid for it,
21:02
left my change in the bar asked the bartender to watch it, told
21:04
him I'd be right back. I went out the back way across the alley
21:07
and got down to Los Angeles Street. I walked up to ninth and picked
21:10
up a cab to take me to Fulton and Covina Avenue. I got out
21:12
and walked two blocks. It was eight forty one. We're all Hi,
21:22
you ate Morse? Yeah, sure, nobody tailed you. I took all
21:25
the precautions. What you said, I'm not sure, and I don't have
21:27
much time. I'm gonna make the bye to ninth when nine thirteen you don't
21:30
have much time? Kind of rushing it, aren't think? I figured i'd
21:33
better play along. Who was a meet with? Morse? Told me to
21:36
meet Luod at Macion Brooklyn said that he'd carry from the Costello in on it.
21:38
I don't know you've got it all all right. I'm gonna start picking
21:41
up the flat skang everyone with Luod. What do you think the way I
21:45
got it? Figured? Morris is Costello's runner. He checked me out as
21:48
far as I could tell. He thinks I'm okay. You know, I
21:49
got a hunch of Lud's gonna take me to either Morse again or Costello or
21:52
possibly both. I don't know where the actual meat's gonna be. It means
21:56
it tails, Joe. We'll have to pick you up at Macy and Brooklyn
21:59
and stick with you until after lud leaves if he does, and follow through
22:02
with you. Figure it, why, Skipper, don't worry. I know
22:04
we're close. What time you got from arrow? Ten minutes to nine?
22:07
Turn down the next flock right? Pull up here, Ben, Kay,
22:15
here you go, Friday, keep your chin covered? Yup? Hey,
22:22
hello, fell friends of yours in the car. Why I know him?
22:26
They ain't friends of mine. I did to say I knew him. I
22:29
don't know the guy driving, but the other guy I've seen him lots,
22:33
just about four weeks ago. We all seen him, that fuzz white at
22:37
ex Man. Oh yeah, well they've been riding me since. They picked
22:40
me up with a gun. Won't do a cop a cot ex meaning got
22:42
nothing on you. That was robbery. Remember they got to make on me
22:45
from Nebraska. They've been on me ever since I got here. That figures
22:48
you're one of them. All right, Look, Jerry, I'll argue with
22:52
you later. I'm gonna hurry. I gotta meet lad. I take along.
22:53
I want to see lot too. You're gonna spill the lot about what
22:57
you think. Maybe I figure it to him. I know him a lot
23:02
longer than you. I know he ain't and you're sure that I am.
23:04
I know you are. Let's see what Lud thinks. Yeah, all right,
23:11
come on on your feet. I looked at my watch. It was
23:15
two minutes to nine and fifteen minutes. I had to meet Lud. I
23:18
had to get Jerry Fell. I couldn't take the chance of him getting to
23:21
Lud before I did. I couldn't leave him. I couldn't take him with
23:22
me. I pulled him to his feet and half dragged and half carried him
23:26
two blocks before I spotted up patrolman. Hey, officer, officer over here.
23:30
Yeah, what's the trouble. I'm Friday Central Narcotics. Yeah, take
23:33
this man and get him downtown. Contact Chief Brown. He'll identify me serial
23:37
number twenty two eighty eight, Friday Narcotics. The suspect's name here is Jerry
23:40
Fell. You got it? Yeah? You got some kind of identification.
23:44
No, I haven't, not a thing. It's a special duty. I'm
23:45
sorry, I don't know. You have to hold you like call in all
23:48
right, but hurry, huh car box right here? This is Carlson Box
23:57
one one seven. Check on matter with the chief of Detective Brown. Will
24:00
you Yeah, that's right. I have a man here who identifies himself as
24:04
Friday. What's your first name? Joe, Joe Friday. Tell him to
24:07
hurry, yeah, Joe Friday. Central Narcotics Serial number two to eight eight
24:12
says he's in a hurry holding a suspect, Jerry Fell. All hold on,
24:17
you might watch this five after nine? What time you got? I
24:19
got six minutes after It might be a little fast. Any cab stands around
24:23
here four blocks up the street? Which way that? Yeah? Okay,
24:27
well, thank you, okay, Sergeant, sorry to hold you up and
24:30
need me helping him. You just hang onto this guy, don't let him
24:33
go. I started to run Macie and Brooklyn six blocks away, and I
24:37
had eight minutes to make it. A narcotic spy is one date you're not
24:41
late for. Either you're there at the specified time or there's no deal.
24:45
The veteran narcotics peddler knows that that's the only safe way for him to operate.
24:48
A minute one way or the other could mean an arrest. I ran.
24:55
You're out of breath, Kaiber or anything wrong? No cab broke down.
25:00
You want to be late a You got forty seconds. That's cutting it
25:03
pretty thin, but it'll do. Come on, h right here by this
25:10
lamp post I had said right in front of it. Don't move to the
25:11
left or right. Stay but they'll handle the rest. So on, get
25:33
in, Kiber, shout the money right here? See six, yeah,
25:44
two hundred. Here's your package. Okay, that's it, Joe Kiber meet
25:48
Ralph Costello. Hright, oh out this side, Kybern, Okay, I'll
25:55
see you. Did you make the buy Friday? Yeah? Take them hi,
26:10
Joe, Ben, but you're we're the captain. They don't leave me.
26:14
Had intersections blocked off of they're pulling them over right now. Yeah,
26:18
they got them Costello in the car. Yeah, and that's half of the
26:22
team. Now we'll go after the big man, Arthur Bellmont. Took us
26:26
seven months and four days to get to Costello. That's time. Yeah,
26:33
always seems to work out that way. Done it? What's it? They
26:37
always run out of time before we do. The story you I've just heard
26:48
was true, only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On July
26:55
sixth to ten PM, Ralph Costello was taken to the Narcotics Bureau the interrogation
27:00
room, with the promise of the United States District Attorney that his prison terms
27:04
for the possession and sale of narcotics would run concurrently rather than consecutively. Ralph
27:11
Costello agreed to furnish US vital information concerning the number one narcotic stealer on the
27:17
Pacific Coast, Arthur Belmont. Next week, the Big Man, Arthur Belmont,
27:33
you have just heard Dragnet, a new series of authentic cases from official
27:38
files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief of Police W.
27:45
A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department. Here mister and missus,
27:57
Ronald Coleman in the Halls of tomorrow evening on NBC, Welcome back. Well,
28:15
this is quite a milestone episode for Dragnet for at least two reasons.
28:21
First of all, it was the first of six Dragnet two parters, and
28:26
they do a total of three Dragnet two parters over the radio in nineteen fifty
28:33
and then they do another three two parters in fifty two and fifty three.
28:38
They didn't really catch on over television. In fact, they only did one
28:42
two parter and the feedback that was received was pretty squarely against it, so
28:48
Web didn't do that, and when he did adapt a two parter that condensed
28:55
it into one. And actually the very last episode of Dragnet that was case
29:00
where they took the two part Big Red and made it one episode. I've
29:03
not seen it because it's one of those lost episodes, but that way would
29:07
have been a difficult plot to do. This also featured Friday going undercover as
29:14
the main theme of the episode, and these would actually be some of my
29:18
absolute favorite Dragnet radio episodes. I don't think this was the best one by
29:25
far, but it wasn't a bad first attempt. My favorites as it stands
29:32
now are of Big Red and The Big Meat, which we'll hear later on.
29:34
The scene with Joe Friday's mother is interesting, very well performed, and
29:42
somewhat amusing because actually the person who played Friday's mother was Peggy Weber, who
29:53
was actually only twenty five at the time, and I may have detected a
30:00
slight smile as that scene was going on, And this is one of those
30:03
things you can do in radio. You're twenty five years old, you can
30:07
play Sergeant Friday's elderly mother if you can pull it off. The loud tising
30:12
was kind of odd. I didn't know that drug dealers in the fifties were
30:17
known for their loud ties. By Living Lauren and of course William Conrad great
30:22
in the role of Heavy here. Hello. Overall, this is a pretty
30:26
good episode. I hope you enjoy it, and we will continue on next
30:32
week with part two. In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen
30:37
at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and
30:41
become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com. Slash Radio Detectives
30:47
from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off