DRAGNET TRIPLE PLAY THE BIG LIGHT, THE BIG DIVE, THE BIG WALK

Summary

Episode Summary: DRAGNET TRIPLE PLAY – THE BIG LIGHT, THE BIG DIVE, THE BIG WALK

Welcome to this detailed summary of the "DRAGNET TRIPLE PLAY – THE BIG LIGHT, THE BIG DIVE, THE BIG WALK" episode from the 1001 Radio Crime Solvers podcast, hosted by Jon Hagadorn. This episode intricately weaves three compelling crime stories inspired by the golden age of radio detective dramas.

---

Case 1: The Big Light – Murder on the Film Set

Timestamp: 03:05 – 17:11

Overview: Detective Sergeant Friday and his partner, Frank Smith, are assigned to investigate a fatal accident at the Winton Picture Studios. Upon arrival, they meet Gerald Adams, the production supervisor, who becomes the prime suspect after inconsistencies arise during questioning.

Key Points:

• Accident Details: Henry Wilson, the director, is found dead on stage two when a heavy lamp falls on him.
• Suspicious Behavior: Abigail Adams exhibits nervousness and discrepancies in his alibi, particularly regarding a mysterious note from Sam Phillips, the first assistant director.
• Conflict Between Wilson and Phillips: Past arguments and a recent intense spat suggest possible motives.
• Forensic Evidence: Fingerprints on the lamp belong to Bob Murphy, contradicting initial testimonies.
• Notable Quote:
  • “I just can’t believe it. There were a lot of people in town that didn’t like Henry, but I don’t think there was anyone that’d kill him.” – Gerald Adams [10:33]

Conclusion: Despite initial suspicions, Adams maintains his innocence. However, emerging evidence, including a piece of blue cloth matching his suit and the discovery of the missing note, casts further doubt on his claims.

---

Case 2: The Big Dive – Unidentified Murder in an Apartment

Timestamp: 32:51 – 59:20

Overview: Detective Friday and Frank Smith delve into a perplexing case involving the murder of a woman named Alice Hudson, who is found dead in the coat closet of an apartment. With no immediate leads, the detectives embark on a meticulous investigation to uncover the truth.

Key Points:

• Victim Identification: Alice Hudson is identified through her personal effects and the testimony of her sister, Myra Allard.
• Suspect Investigation: Initially, Raymond Bartley (a potential alias for Ray Fletcher) is scrutinized, but he is confirmed missing from San Francisco.
• Tom Hudson's Alibi: Alice's husband, Tom Hudson, is investigated but has a solid alibi proving his presence at work during the time of the murder.
• Motive Exploration: Myra Allard reveals Alice's troubled marriage and her affair with Ray Fletcher, suggesting potential motives rooted in jealousy and personal conflicts.
• Notable Quote:
  • “She told me that she was going to divorce Tom. That she and Ray were going to get married.” – Myra Allard [42:32]

Conclusion: The investigation leads Friday and Smith to San Francisco, where they track down Ray Fletcher's movements. Fletcher is arrested but later found dead near Seal Rocks, suggesting foul play and leaving the case unresolved with lingering questions about the true perpetrator.

---

Case 3: The Big Walk – Narcotics Operation Unveiled

Timestamp: 60:01 – 87:57

Overview: Detective Friday and Frank Smith tackle a challenging narcotics case involving high-grade heroin distribution. The detectives employ undercover tactics to infiltrate the operation, leading to a tense showdown with suspects Paul Ginter and James Arthur Ainley.

Key Points:

• Undercover Operation: Frank Smith assumes an alias, Joe Arnold, to gain the trust of the narcotics ring.
• Suspect Profiling: A key contact, Paul Ginter, is introduced, but inconsistencies and evasive behavior raise suspicions.
• Confrontation: During a high-stakes drug exchange, Ginter and Ainley attempt to deceive the detectives, resulting in their arrest after a brief struggle.
• Final Resolution: Both suspects are convicted of violating the State Narcotics Act, showcasing the effectiveness of diligent police work.
• Notable Quote:
  • “You're the officer?” – Raymond Fletcher [52:08]

Conclusion: The successful takedown of Ginter and Ainley underscores the persistent efforts of Friday and Smith in combating organized crime. Their strategic undercover maneuvers lead to significant convictions, bringing closure to the narcotics case.

---

Episode Wrap-Up

Throughout the episode, interspersed Chesterfield cigarette advertisements provide a nostalgic backdrop, mirroring the era's classic radio dramas. These segments highlight Chesterfield's branding as the premium quality cigarette of choice, reinforcing the atmospheric setting of the cases.

Notable Advertisement Quotes:

• “Chesterfield is the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size.” [Various Timestamps]
• “A responsible consulting organization reports a study by a competent medical specialist...” [19:13]

This episode masterfully blends intricate crime-solving narratives with authentic period advertisements, offering listeners an immersive experience reminiscent of the golden age of radio detective stories.

---

For more captivating crime stories and classic radio drama recreations, tune in to 1001 Radio Crime Solvers every Sunday at 5pm ET.

Transcript

[Ben]

Ben hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a month. So during one of his restless nights, he booked a package trip abroad on Expedia.

[Frank]

When he arrived at his beachside hotel, he discovered a miraculous bed slung between.

[Ben]

Two trees and fell into the best.

[Frank]

Sleep of his life.

[Ben]

You were made to be rechargeable. We were made to package flights and hotels and hammocks for less.

[Frank]

Expedia made to travel.

[Chesterfield]

Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield, the only cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size brings you Dragnet.

[Detective]

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear here is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a homicide detail. You receive a call that a fatal accident has occurred at a Hollywood motion picture studio. Your job, Investigate. Here's what a leading tobacco publication in the nation's press have had to say about King size Chesterfields.

[Chesterfield]

US Tobacco Journal, Atlanta, Georgia. Chesterfield King size is going strong. One jobber reordered twice this week in addition to his regular order.

[Detective]

And the Harold Tribune reported King size is a sellout. Extra supplies of Chesterfields rush to dealers here.

[Chesterfield]

The reason for King Size Chesterfield's amazing success is this. All King size cigarettes give you quantity. But only Chesterfield King size gives you quantity plus quality. Premium quality.

[Detective]

That means Chesterfield King size contains tobaccos of better quality and higher price than any other King size cigarette. The same fine tobacco as in regular Chesterfield. Enough more of this tobacco to give you more than a 1/5 longer smoke.

[Chesterfield]

So remember, Chesterfield is the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size.

[Detective]

Buy them either way you like them. Chesterfield gives you the best possible smoke. Much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Post Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Frank]

It was Friday, August 5th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of homicide detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Warman. My name's Friday. It was 2:25pm when we got to the Winton Picture Studios stage two. Better check the guard over there.

[Ben]

Yes?

[Frank]

Can I help you? Police officers. About the accident. Where do we find Mr. Adams?

[Ben]

Oh, yeah. He said look for you. Let's see. I saw him around here a minute ago. Oh, there he is over there by that Office set. See him? The one in the blue suit?

[Frank]

One with the gray hair?

[Ben]

Yeah, that's him.

[Frank]

Thank you very much.

[Ben]

I know you can check with the office. If they can come up with an idea, I'll go for it. All I know is that we gotta have this turkey finished.

[Frank]

Yeah?

[Ben]

Yeah. Something you want?

[Frank]

Yes. You Gerald Adams?

[Ben]

That's right.

[Frank]

Police officers. My ID card. Oh, yeah.

[Ben]

Friday, huh?

[Frank]

Yes, sir. It's my partner, Frank Smith. How you doing? Hi.

[Ben]

How much you know about this?

[Frank]

Well, a doctor down at Georgia street told us that Henry Wilson had an accident. Is that right?

[Ben]

Yeah. Yeah, he was the director. At least he thought he was.

[Frank]

I wonder if we could see where the accident happened.

[Ben]

Yeah, sure. Over in stage one, just across the way. Hold on a minute, will you? I'd like to talk to Sam for a minute. Try to get things organized here, get things moving.

[Frank]

Yeah, I'll get ready here.

[Ben]

Just wait here.

[Frank]

I'll be right back. Okay. Quite a place, huh, Joe? Yeah. A lot of room. It's a big stage, isn't it? Yeah. You know, all this. The average person doesn't stop to think about it. What's that? You know, a fellow lays out 85 cents, see a movie. Never thinks about all the people, all the equipment that goes into making it possible.

[Ben]

Yeah, and sorry to keep you waiting. Terrible thing. We're 12 days behind schedule. Now. This will probably knock a couple more days off. Exec's gonna scream like an eagle when he sees what this opus has cost him. Here, right through the story. Right one's right over there.

[Frank]

Yes, sir. Wonder if you'd mind filling us in on this thing.

[Ben]

Yeah, sure. What can I do to help?

[Frank]

Well, if you can tell us how the body was found, who found it, how the accident occurred.

[Ben]

Well, as near as I can figure, it must have happened about 1210. 1215 crew had broken for lunch. Most of them were over at the commissary. I came down from the office and wanted to talk to Henry about tomorrow's schedule. Wanted to try to change some of the shots. You know, make it more simple. He wasn't in the lunch room, so I went ahead and had lunch.

[Frank]

Uh huh.

[Ben]

About, let's see, I think it was about 1240. Al Evans, the greenery man, came in and told me he'd found Henry's body. A lamp had fallen on him. Darn fool yelled it so loud that everybody in the place heard him.

[Frank]

I see.

[Ben]

Well, I came right over first. It looked like Henry was dead. He'd lost a lot of blood. Felt his Pulse found out he was still alive. That's when I had the ambulance called. Here we are.

[Frank]

Good idea. Thank you.

[Ben]

Over here about a house set?

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

At the time those big doors were open, the green men were putting in their shrubbery here. After I found out about the accident, I had the doors closed so people wouldn't be roaming in and out.

[Frank]

Are the doors usually left open?

[Ben]

Usually are. When there's no shooting on the stage, when we're using it, they're closed. Now, right here is where he was found. You can see the lamp, but the sun arc must have hit him right about here.

[Frank]

Poor guy. Yes, sir. Is that where the lamp fell from, up there?

[Ben]

Yeah, yeah. There you can see on the scaffolding where it was between the babies. There's space there.

[Frank]

Who puts the lamps up there?

[Ben]

Well, it's in the gaffer's department. He's in charge of them.

[Frank]

What if we could talk to him?

[Ben]

Yeah, sure. He's over on 2. I'll call him.

[Frank]

Thank you. Big lamp, huh? Yeah, sure smashed up in it. That thing must weigh a couple hundred pounds. Yeah. Look up there. It's quite a drop. Figure it's about 40ft up there. What do you think? Oh, yeah, that.

[Ben]

Anyway, he's on his way over.

[Frank]

What's your position here, Mr. Adams?

[Ben]

I'm production supervisor, unit manager. A lot of names for it. I try to take care of the running of the company as far as this one picture is concerned. Make out the budgets, work on the schedule, the director, things like that. Really hard to say just what my job is, so I do a little of everything.

[Frank]

Yes, sir.

[Ben]

You fell from Homicide?

[Frank]

Yes, sir, that's right.

[Ben]

You think that there's something wrong here? Maybe Henry's accident wasn't an accident or something?

[Frank]

Well, it's just that in any death where there isn't a doctor in attendance at the time of death, we have to look into it. It's just routine.

[Ben]

I thought for a minute you might think there was something fishy about this. That's all we need to have murder on the set. Might as well fold up. Oh, hi, Jerry. You want to see me? Yeah. Dick, these officers like to ask you a couple of questions. Sure. This is Mr. Friday, Mr. Smith. Dick Patterson, our gaffer.

[Frank]

How are you? Hi, Mr. Patterson.

[Ben]

What do you want to know?

[Frank]

Well, Mr. Adams here tells us that you were in charge of installing those lamps. Is that right?

[Ben]

Yeah, that's right. Are you trying to say I had anything to do with causing Henry's death?

[Frank]

Oh, no, sir. We didn't say that.

[Ben]

Well, then what are you saying?

[Frank]

Well, we're just trying to get the facts straight.

[Ben]

No need to get upset. Well, what are you talking about? These cops come in here, try to make out I didn't put those lamps in right. That's not what they said. Well, don't you think I feel bad enough? Henry was a good friend of mine. We've been together a long time. I don't know how the lamp got loose.

[Frank]

Wonder if we could look at its mounting? Sure.

[Ben]

I've been wanting to get up there anyway, look at it myself, but Jerry here said not to touch anything till.

[Frank]

You guys got here. Okay. How do we get up there?

[Ben]

There's a ladder back here at the rear of the stage. I can't understand it, Mr. Friday. I've been hanging lance for a long time. It's going on 20 years. First time anything like this ever happened. Oh, here it is. Just going up.

[Frank]

Okay.

[Ben]

Hey, watch your step.

[Frank]

Go ahead. Yeah. Okay.

[Ben]

Yeah, we can get there down this way.

[Frank]

They use these walks to hang the lights on. Do they?

[Ben]

Yeah. You gotta be awfully careful, though. Watch your step. It's a long way down.

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Once in a while, if you want a real high shot of the scene, we lift the camera up here. Mostly, though, it's used just for lights. Here it is. Now, you can see there where the light was.

[Frank]

Yes, sir. I appreciate it if you didn't touch anything. If you just stand back there. Sure. Now, base of the lamp went through this hole here, huh?

[Ben]

Yeah, that's right. Look at the one over there. Same way.

[Frank]

Yeah. Do you have anything else securing the lights once they're tied down?

[Ben]

No, sir. Once they're in place, the weight of the thing itself will hold it.

[Frank]

In other words, you drill this hole and you place the lamp in the hole, and it could. It doesn't look like the wood is chipped, does it?

[Ben]

No. These scaffolds are pretty new. This stage hasn't been up more than a year.

[Frank]

Well, from what you can see, Mr. Patterson, can you figure out how the lamp might have fallen? How it could have broken loose?

[Ben]

Well, I'll tell you, Officer Bob, that's my best boy. Bob and I were over here last night checking the lights on the set. I didn't actually get up here myself, but Bob did. He's a good boy. He's been around a long time. Doesn't make mistakes like this. He secured this lamp himself, and I.

[Frank]

Know it was right. Well, then, have you got any idea how it might have fallen?

[Ben]

None at all matter of fact, I.

[Frank]

Don'T think it did, sir.

[Ben]

I don't think it did fall. I think it was dropped.

[Frank]

3:15Pm Frank and I went back to stage two. We talked to Bob Murphy, the best boy, and got the same story from him. He said that he'd secured the lamp in position himself and that as far as he was concerned, it could not have fallen. He agreed with Dick Patterson that the lamp must have been removed from its place and and either dropped or was thrown at Wilson. At this point, there was the possibility that the death was not an accident. We asked the unit manager to assign one of the studio police to guard the scene of the accident. And then we called the crime lab. Dean Bergman lifted several clean prints from the broken lens of the lamp. Bob Murphy's fingerprints were taken and they matched those found on the lamp. There were no other prints on the glass. The men from the crime lab found a small piece of blue cloth on the mounting of the lamp. Lee Jones put it in an envelope and gave it to me. At 4:20pm we talked to Gerald Adams in one of the portable dressing rooms.

[Ben]

I just can't believe it. There were a lot of people in town that didn't like Henry, but I don't think there was anyone that'd kill him.

[Frank]

Was there anyone in the company that he had any disagreements with? Would you know?

[Ben]

What do you mean?

[Frank]

Well, anyone he had quarrels with, arguments. Would you know?

[Ben]

Well, I guess Sam would be the most likely. They argued all the time.

[Frank]

Sam?

[Ben]

Yeah, Sam Phillips. He's the first assistant director. Real talented guy. Been at it a long time. He and Henry worked together for a long time. They were always arguing. I guess if you didn't know him, you might think they were serious. But here in the company, we all knew, we understood.

[Frank]

Understood what?

[Ben]

Well, Sam's been in Hollywood almost since it was. He began as a prop man, worked his way up to be a cutter. Then I guess about 15 years ago, he went into directing. He's gonna get a picture of his own pretty soon. He'll do well too.

[Frank]

Real talent about these arguments, Mr. Adams, between Wilson and Phillips.

[Ben]

Well, to understand him, you'd have to know Henry. He was one of the first directors in pictures. Came out here from New York even before Sam did. Really old school. He drove special cars, most of them pure white. Had all his clothes designed and made. He wore a cape while he was on the set. You know, referred to himself as Wilson. You know, Wilson thinks this. Wilson thinks that if you didn't know him, you'd take him seriously. Once you did that, you were in trouble.

[Frank]

Mm. Were you ever present when one of these arguments took place?

[Ben]

Yeah. Matter of fact, they had one yesterday.

[Frank]

That's all?

[Ben]

Yeah, over in the commissary. I thought for a minute it was gonna be pretty serious, and then I realized it was all a gag. Everyone else did, too.

[Frank]

What was it about?

[Ben]

Well, like I told you, the picture's 12 days over now. A lot of tension on the stage. Everyone's pretty edgy. Well, Sam's great practical joker, you know, always trying to cook up something. Most of the time, the jokes do the job. They give everybody a laugh. They all feel a little better. Well, day before yesterday, Sam got one of the set dressers and took a cement deer. You know, the kind people used to have on their front lawns.

[Frank]

Yeah, I think I know the kind you mean.

[Ben]

Well, the two of them carted this deer down to the parking lot and put it in the back seat of Henry's car. Planted it so the deer was looking right at Henry when he get in the driver's seat. The thing weighed about 250 pounds. Once they got it in, Henry couldn't get it out. He tried that night. He couldn't make it.

[Frank]

He didn't think it was very funny, didn't he? No.

[Ben]

No, he had to leave it in the car all night. Drove home with it. Next morning, when he checked in the lot, he tried to get it out again. While he was trying the horns on the thing, tore up the upholstery in his car.

[Frank]

Really ripped it up to pieces. I'll be doing it.

[Ben]

Well, finally, Henry got a hammer and broke the thing up, smashed it in little pieces and threw them all out of the car. Left them right in front of the scene.

[Frank]

Doc. Yeah? Is that when he and Phillips had the argument?

[Ben]

No, no. Yesterday morning, when Wilson got on the set, he wasn't saying anything to anybody. All the crew knew about the deer, and they were all waiting for him to say something about it, but he didn't. He just drove the crew through the morning setups. The argument took place at lunchtime. Henry waited until the whole crew was having lunch, and then he stormed into the cafe, walked over to Sam, really read him off, call him a child. He said that if he'd spend a little more time doing his work and less time playing around, the picture wouldn't be so far over scheduled. Really made him look like a fool. Argument went on for about 15 minutes.

[Frank]

What was Sam doing all this time?

[Ben]

Well, he just sat there, and then finally, he got up and grabbed Henry. Kind of shook him. Said he'd never been talked to like that before and it wasn't going to happen again. Said he'd kill Henry the next time he did it. Well, Henry looked pretty scared. Sam's a big man, you know. I think if he made up his mind to do it, he could have broken Henry in two. Sam looked at Henry for a minute.

[Frank]

And then he laughed.

[Ben]

Then Henry started to laugh, too. And then the whole place. I guess it's like laughing in a horror picture. Anything to break the tension.

[Detective]

Looked real tight.

[Ben]

Even I wasn't sure it was a joke.

[Frank]

You know, you said that Sam lifted this deer into the car by himself.

[Ben]

Well, I don't know if he did it by himself, but I know he could lift it without help.

[Frank]

How much did you say that that deer weighed?

[Ben]

Oh, about £250.

[Frank]

Why? Well, I was just thinking. That's about what that big lamp weighed, isn't it? 3:45pm Frank called the office and had R and I run the name Sam Phillips and Henry Wilson. Sam Phillips had been arrested once for disturbing the peace. He'd gotten drunk in a nightclub out on Sunset Boulevard and gotten into a fight. The report said that it had taken both of the arresting officers to subdue him and take him into custody. There was no record on Henry Wilson. We continued to talk to the crew. Each one of them told us about the arguments between Phillips and Wilson. But most of the people we talked to didn't share Adam's idea that the arguments were just a joke. The script girl told us that on at least three occasions, members of the crew had had to keep the men apart and that Sam Phillips had said he'd kill Wilson. We asked each of them if they'd seen anyone enter or leave the stage at approximately the time of the accident. None of them had. They explained that Wilson had been trying to pick up time and and that as soon as they'd finished one shot, he was yelling at them to get ready for the next one. 4:22pm we talked to Sam Phillips.

[Ben]

Sure. We had some beefs. None of them were serious, though.

[Frank]

Well, how about this fight you had in the commissary yesterday?

[Ben]

You mean a thing about the deer?

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

That didn't mean anything. Oh, I admit I was pretty sore for a minute, but right away I knew Henry wasn't serious. Even if he was, I guess I can understand it. Must have made him pretty sore to see his car ripped up.

[Frank]

Did you left that deer into Wilson's car by Yourself? Yeah.

[Ben]

I had one of the set dressers with me. He kind of stared the thing in. Sure looked kind of funny.

[Frank]

Mm. You sure you weren't over on stage one today?

[Ben]

Positive.

[Frank]

You got any idea of how that light got loose and fell?

[Ben]

No. I've been in the business a long time. That's the first time I've ever known a lamp to fall. They've been tipped over when on a floor stand, and I've seen them broken when the set is moved. I've never seen one drop like that.

[Frank]

Do you have any idea how this could have happened then?

[Ben]

Not the slightest.

[Frank]

You're a first assistant, is that right?

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Frank]

How long you been in this job?

[Ben]

Oh, I guess about 15 years now. I was a cutter for a while. Took a big cut in salary to go into directing. Figured it'd be a way to get a picture of my own. A lot of directors come from the cutting department.

[Frank]

That so?

[Ben]

Yeah, they do. I didn't care much for it, though. I like to be on the set, see things happen. I like the activity.

[Frank]

Did Wilson know that you wanted to be a director?

[Ben]

Yeah. He said that if I stayed with him, he'd try to get the producers to give me a picture. Matter of fact, I kind of thought I might get this one.

[Frank]

Is that right?

[Ben]

Yeah. When I was in the pre planning stages, they hadn't assigned a man to it yet, and Jerry and I both wanted it.

[Frank]

Jerry? You mean Adams? Yeah.

[Ben]

He wants to be a director too. It's funny. I guess everyone wants to be a director. Jerry's been trying for a long time. I don't think he'll ever make it, though.

[Frank]

All right. Yeah.

[Ben]

He's too valuable as a unit manager.

[Frank]

Yeah. Was Adams very upset when he didn't get this picture?

[Ben]

No, I was pretty sore. I told Jerry about it. He just sat back and said that's the way things are and that it doesn't pay to fight the front office.

[Frank]

Did you say anything to Wilson about how you felt?

[Ben]

Yeah, I told him. Said I thought it was real unfair. Said I thought he could have done something about it.

[Frank]

What did he say?

[Ben]

He told me to be patient. My time would come.

[Frank]

Do you know if there was anybody on the lot who might have wanted to kill Wilson?

[Ben]

No. There might have been some people who didn't like him very much. But you run into that in almost every picture. You know, little jealousies.

[Frank]

That right? Yeah.

[Ben]

You really think he was killed, huh?

[Frank]

Well, it could have been.

[Ben]

Yeah, sure hard to believe we've been making pictures about this For a long time, you know, murders. Now that it's right here, really on the set, it makes you feel you can just check ahead in the script and find out who the killer is. Read about the ending. Kind of seems just like another picture.

[Frank]

Yeah, I suppose so. Yeah. Come in.

[Ben]

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had somebody here with you.

[Frank]

That's all right, Mr. Patterson. What is it?

[Ben]

I wonder if I could talk to you.

[Frank]

Sure.

[Ben]

Well, it's kind of private. If you're through with me, I'll get back to work.

[Frank]

No, you just wait. I'll be right back here. We can step out of here. Okay. Now. What is it, Ms. Patterson?

[Ben]

Well, I feel like a real idiot. I should have remembered it when you talked to me before.

[Frank]

What's that, sir?

[Ben]

Well, I remember just before the company broke for lunch, Sam gave me a note. Said I should give it to Wilson.

[Frank]

Did you see what it was?

[Ben]

No, it was folded up, Had Wilson's name on it. I didn't pay much attention to it.

[Frank]

What? Did you give it to him?

[Ben]

Yeah. He read it and then he said he had to leave the set for a few minutes. Said he'd be right back.

[Frank]

He left the stage then?

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Frank]

Where was Sam at this time?

[Ben]

Well, I don't know. You see, he gave me the note just outside the door to the stage. I was bringing in some more lights, and right after he handed it to me, he left, headed for stage one.

[Chesterfield]

You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.

[Detective]

Chesterfield was first to name its ingredients. Ingredients that give you the best possible smoke. Now, Chesterfield is first to give you scientific facts in support of smoking.

[Chesterfield]

Nose, throat and accessory organs not adversely affected by smoking Chesterfields. First such report published about any cigarette.

[Detective]

A responsible consulting organization reports a study by a competent medical specialist and staff on the effects of smoking Chesterfields. For six months, a group of men and women smoked only Chesterfield 10 to 40 a day, their normal amount. 45% of the group have smoked Chesterfields from one to 30 years for an average of 10 years each. At the beginning and end of the six months, each smoker was given a thorough examination, including X rays and covering the sinuses, nose, ears and throat. After these examinations, the medical specialist stated.

[Chesterfield]

It is my opinion that the ears, nose, throat and accessory organs of all participating subjects examined by me were not adversely affected in the six months period by smoking the cigarettes provided.

[Detective]

Remember this report and buy Chesterfields either way you like them. Regular or king size, premium quality Chesterfields and much Milder.

[Frank]

We talked to Gerald Adams and had two of the studio police start a search for the note. Frank called Georgia Street Receiving Hospital and asked if the note had been found on the body of Henry Wilson. The doctor told us that he didn't know and that the dead man's personal effects had been turned over to the coroner. We called them and they told us that there was nothing of that description found. While the search for the missing note went on, we continued to talk to Sam Phillips.

[Ben]

The whole idea is crazy. I told you I wasn't near Stage one at all this morning.

[Frank]

How about the note?

[Ben]

I don't remember any note.

[Frank]

The gaffer says you gave it to him, told him to give it to Wilson.

[Ben]

He's crazy. If I had a note for Wilson, I'd have given it to him myself. I'm with him all day. I've got no reason to have someone else deliver messages for me.

[Frank]

Well, then you deny giving him the note, is that right?

[Ben]

Well, certainly.

[Frank]

All right, mister. We'll let you know just how you stand. We got a witness who says you were seen going to Stage one. Couple of minutes later, a man is killed on the same stage. You admit that you've had arguments with Wilson. Seems like you might have had a motive for killing him.

[Ben]

I told you, I didn't go near the place. Hey, wait a minute. Yeah, I know what's happened.

[Frank]

What's that?

[Ben]

Well, when Dick told you he saw me heading for Stage one, he probably saw me heading for the office. I have to pass near the stage to get there. Matter of fact, I even cut through it once in a while.

[Frank]

Did you happen to cut through it today? No.

[Ben]

At least I don't think so.

[Frank]

It's pretty important that you remember.

[Ben]

I'm trying.

[Frank]

Let's see.

[Ben]

I know what you guys think. I don't know how to show you that you're wrong.

[Frank]

Can you come up with an explanation for the note?

[Ben]

Well, I'm trying to tell you. I don't know. That's what he's talking about.

[Frank]

What?

[Ben]

I did give Dick a note, told him to give it to Henry.

[Frank]

What was in it?

[Ben]

Well, I don't know. I didn't even read it.

[Frank]

Then you didn't write it?

[Ben]

No. I found it on my desk when I was up in the office this morning. I figured that someone had put it there, thinking I'd see Henry and give it to him.

[Frank]

What time did you find it?

[Ben]

See, I guess it was about nine or so. Guess I put it in my pocket and then forgot all about it. And just before I went up to the office to tell him that we were breaking for lunch, I remembered it. I gave it to Dick and told him to hand it to Henry. That's what the note's all about. Right after that, I went upstairs.

[Frank]

Do you always tell the office that you're broken for lunch?

[Ben]

Yeah, most of the time I phone, but today I went up myself. I've been kind of expecting a letter from my family back east, and I thought it might be, and so I wanted to check the morning mail.

[Frank]

Got any idea who might have put the note on your desk?

[Ben]

No, I just found it, you know, tucked away in the corner of the blotter. I really didn't look at it. I was in a hurry. Wanted to finish lunch so I could get back on the set. We have a lot of work to do this afternoon.

[Frank]

Did you see Wilson after you left the stage?

[Ben]

No. I looked for him at the commissary, but he didn't show up. Then the Greenery man came in and said that he had the accident.

[Frank]

Uh huh. You recognize the handwriting on that note? No.

[Ben]

All I saw was the name that it was for Henry. Come to think of it, though, I do kind of remember that it was familiar handwriting. Thinking I'd seen it someplace before.

[Frank]

Do you remember where?

[Ben]

No. I wish I could. Have you found it yet?

[Frank]

No. Wilson must have dropped it someplace here, though. It wasn't on his body. What if you take a look at this?

[Ben]

What's that?

[Frank]

Well, the crime lab crew found this on the stage caught on the lamp that killed Wilson. Hmm.

[Ben]

Looks like the material they make suits out of.

[Frank]

Yeah, from inside the cuff. See? See the little zigzag mark where it's been cut? Mm. You ever see this type of material before, Sam?

[Ben]

Let me see. Looks like it came from a blue suit, huh?

[Frank]

Mm.

[Ben]

Good material. Sure. An odd color. Yeah, I think I've seen a suit like this. I think I saw it this morning.

[Frank]

Yeah?

[Ben]

Oh, yeah, sure. Jerry Adams was wearing it.

[Frank]

6:30Pm we called Gerald Adams into the dressing room. Were you on stage one at all before the body was found? No, sir.

[Ben]

Why do you think I had something to do with this?

[Frank]

Well, we're just trying to get the facts here.

[Ben]

Well, I want to help, but it seems to me that you'd spend your time a little better if you talked to Sam, the note and all. Still deny giving it to Henry?

[Frank]

No, he says that he gave it to him.

[Ben]

Well, then, there you are. I guess that argument was a lot more serious than we thought, huh?

[Frank]

It's a nice looking suit you got on, Mr. Adams. New? Yeah.

[Ben]

This is the first day I've worn it. Present from my wife. Pretty blue. I don't usually care for blue. Like brown, gray mostly. Wife's been trying to get me to wear blue, so she got this suit for me.

[Frank]

Looks like it's made pretty well there.

[Ben]

Yeah, it is. She had my tailors put it together. I didn't even go down for a fitting. Needs a few things done to it. Like the shoulders pulled in a little. I don't much care for padding in the shoulders, you know.

[Lorraine Holden]

Mm.

[Frank]

You mind if I look at the cuffs? I've always had trouble with the cuffs on my suits. You can see here how they've worn. Must be in the way they're made.

[Ben]

No, I don't think so. That looks like it came from your shoes rubbing against it.

[Frank]

You mind if I look?

[Ben]

No, not here.

[Frank]

It sure is beautiful material. Yeah.

[Ben]

She sure got good taste. Of course it should be. She paid 180 bucks for it.

[Frank]

Wow. You got a little tear here on the cuff. Inside. Have you noticed that?

[Ben]

No. Let me see.

[Frank]

Right there.

[Ben]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. How about that?

[Frank]

I gotta get that fixed.

[Ben]

Little piece torn right out, huh?

[Frank]

What did you do when you found Wilson's body?

[Ben]

What do you mean?

[Frank]

What were your movements?

[Ben]

Well, it'll be kind of hard to explain. If you want to walk over there, I can show you.

[Frank]

All right, let's go.

[Ben]

Company's broken. I told him wait up in the office. Figured you might want to talk to him some more.

[Frank]

Fine.

[Ben]

Here, I'll get the door. Sure. Beautiful night, huh?

[Frank]

Yeah, it is.

[Ben]

Best time of the day in the Valley. After the sun starts to go down. Everybody's always kidding about the cool breeze that comes up, you know? Really does out here. I know. The wife and I practically live out of doors during the summer months.

[Frank]

Is that right?

[Ben]

Yeah. We both love the Valley. Here we are. That's the work lights on. You want me to get the others?

[Frank]

No, no, there's enough light.

[Ben]

Okay.

[Frank]

Now, if you'd show us just what happened when you found the body.

[Ben]

Well, I came in that door, the big one there. It was open.

[Frank]

Was there anybody on the stage then?

[Ben]

No, no, not right away. The greenery man came in right after me. And then Jack, the guard from the other stage.

[Frank]

Uh huh.

[Ben]

And like I said, the body was lying about here and the lamp was there. You saw that when you were here?

[Frank]

Yes, sir, we did. Did you go near the lamp? Touch it in any way?

[Ben]

No, no, I Didn't. The only concern was Henry. That's all I thought about. I knelt down to feel Henry's pulse. And then I told Jack to go and phone the ambulance.

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Then I had the doors closed. I waited until the locked policeman got here. And then I went back the other stage.

[Frank]

Our crime lab found a piece of cloth caught on that lamp. Matches the tear in the cuff of your suit.

[Ben]

I can't understand how it could have gotten there.

[Frank]

What if we could look through your pockets?

[Ben]

Why? What's that gonna prove?

[Frank]

We just wanna take a look. It won't hurt anything.

[Ben]

Well, maybe I won't. But I don't see why you're asking me all these questions. Seems to me that Sam's your killer. Why don't you talk to him? Make him tell you why I did it.

[Frank]

All right. Come on. Let's see what you got in your pockets. Take everything out. Put it on the table. All right. Here's my wallet. You better take the money out of it. Okay. Now let me see the wallet. All right. Here. Just a second, Mr. Adams. What'd you drop over there? Right there. Looks like the note we've been looking for, Joe. What's it say? Wilson, I have to see you. Something's come up. Meet me on one when you break for lunch. It's private. Signed, Jerry. How about this, Adams?

[Ben]

I don't know anything about it.

[Frank]

Well, maybe we better talk downtown.

[Ben]

Who's going on place with you?

[Frank]

Watch him, Joe. He's going up that ladder. All right, give it up, Adams. There's no place to go up there.

[Ben]

Stay away from me.

[Frank]

Come on, Adams. Give it up. He's not coming down. Only can't stay up there long.

[Ben]

Why don't you shoot me? I'm not going to do what you say. Go ahead and shoot me. What for?

[Frank]

You're not going anyplace. How about it, Adams? Why'd you do it?

[Ben]

He had it coming all his life, stepping on people. This picture was mine. They told me it was, and he took it away from me. Just because he wanted to be a big man. This was my picture. He took it.

[Frank]

All right, come on down.

[Ben]

I'm gonna stay up here.

[Frank]

You suit yourself. We got lots of time, Adams.

[Ben]

Can't you just go away? Leave me alone?

[Frank]

You know better than that. You killed a man. Now, come on. You either come down or we'll come up. What do you think, Joe? Yeah, give him a minute. He wants to be a director. Yeah, let him figure out the ending.

[Detective]

The story you have just heard was true. The Names were changed to protect the innocent.

[Chesterfield]

On February 17, trial was held in Department 89, Superior Court of the State of California in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial.

[Detective]

Now here is our star, Jack Webb.

[Frank]

Friends, in a sense, every smoker is his own judge and jury when it comes to selecting a cigarette. Now you've heard the facts in our case for Chesterfield and I'd like to sum them up for you. Chesterfield, the first and only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size. Chesterfield, the first and only cigarette to name all its ingredients. And now Chesterfield gives you scientific facts in support of smoking. You heard the report read earlier. Nose, throat and accessory organs not adversely affected by smoking. Chesterfield's first such report ever published about any cigarette. Consider these facts carefully. I'm sure you'll want a change to Chesterfield's regular or King size. Chesterfield gives you the best possible smoke and much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Gerald S. Adams was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary, San Quentin, California. You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical Advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Whit Connor, Jack Crucian. Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking.

[Detective]

Sound off for Chesterfields. Either way you like them. Regular or king size Chesterfield gives you the best possible smoke. Much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Chesterfield Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet. Transcribed from Los Angeles.

[Detective]

This is NBC, the nation's headquarters for election news.

[Chesterfield]

Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield, the only cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size brings you Dragnet.

[Detective]

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a homicide detail. You get a call that the body of a dead woman has been found in a closet. There are no leads to her identification. The identity of the killer is unknown. Your job, investigate. Here's what a leading tobacco publication and the nation's press have had to say about King size Chesterfields tobacco leaf.

[Chesterfield]

More calls for Chesterfield King size cigarettes than for most brands being marketed.

[Detective]

And the Cleveland press reported Dealers everywhere report the big pack sale phenomenal. Last week in Cleveland, some areas reported the long size Chesterfield outsold all other brands.

[Chesterfield]

The reason for King Size Chesterfield's amazing success is this. All King size cigarettes give you Quantity. But only Chesterfield King size gives you quantity plus quality. Premium quality.

[Detective]

That means Chesterfield King size contains tobacco is a better quality and higher price than any other King size cigarette. The same fine tobacco as in regular Chesterfield. Enough more of this tobacco to give you more than a 1/5 longer smoke.

[Chesterfield]

So remember, Chesterfield is the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size.

[Detective]

Buy them either way you like them. Chesterfield gives you the best possible smoke. Much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 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. Transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Frank]

It was Thursday, April 17. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day. Watch out. A homicide detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday. It was 11:36am when we got to the Greenleaf Apartment Hotel. Apartment 406.

[Lorraine Holden]

Yes?

[Frank]

Police officers, ma' am.

[Lorraine Holden]

Oh, yes. Come in.

[Frank]

Thank you. This is my partner, Frank Smith. My name's Friday.

[Lorraine Holden]

How do you do?

[Frank]

How do you do, ma' am?

[Lorraine Holden]

I'm Lorraine Holden. I'm the one who called you. Terrible thing, just terrible.

[Frank]

Yes. Ms. Holden, if you just tell us what happened, if you could.

[Lorraine Holden]

Well, Georgia, she's a maid. Well, Georgia was cleaning up in here. She finished the apartment and then she thought she'd check the coat closet right here. She opened the door and there she was on the floor.

[Frank]

Ma' am.

[Lorraine Holden]

Dead woman. You can see for yourself. She's right there on the floor.

[Myra Allard]

Just terrible.

[Frank]

Where is this Georgia now, Mrs. Haldin?

[Lorraine Holden]

She's downstairs in my place. She's pretty broken up. Must have been a terrible shock to her. She let out a scream that must have had half the neighborhood on edge. I live down the second floor in the rear. I thought at first that something happened to Georgia. Oh, that girl's got a powerful set of lungs.

[Frank]

Yes, ma' am. Who rented this apartment from you?

[Lorraine Holden]

I knew you'd ask that. I've got the receipt book right here on my apron in just a minute. Put a pencil on the page. Let's see. Yes, here it is. Raymond Bartley. That's what he said.

[Myra Allard]

Bartley.

[Frank]

You know where this Bartley is now?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, I don't. And that's another weird one. You know what I mean, ma' am. Well, look in the closets. Look around the places. None of his Clothes? Nothing. That even tell you he was still here. He's got another week to go on his rent.

[Frank]

How's that, ma' am?

[Lorraine Holden]

Well, moved in a week ago. You can see here on the receipt. Wednesday, April 9th. Paid me two weeks in advance. Now, you look around this place and it don't look like he's gonna be around here anymore.

[Frank]

Do you have any idea where he might be?

[Lorraine Holden]

Oh, not the slightest.

[Frank]

Did he give you any indication that he was planning to move out?

[Lorraine Holden]

Not the slightest. No, sir. I don't even have an inkling.

[Frank]

I'll call the coroner, Joe. Okay. Better get in touch with the crime lab, too. Have them come out. Okay. You mind if I use the phone, Mrs. Halden?

[Lorraine Holden]

Not at all. It's right there, back in the hall. Little shelf on the wall.

[Frank]

Thank you, ma' am.

[Lorraine Holden]

Think Mr. Bartley did? Do you think he killed a woman?

[Frank]

Well, we don't know, ma' am. Did Mr. Bartley rent this room by himself? What?

[Lorraine Holden]

I don't understand.

[Frank]

Well, did he register as Mr. And.

[Lorraine Holden]

Mrs. Oh, no, sir. Just plain Raymond Bartley.

[Frank]

Do you have any idea who the woman might be?

[Lorraine Holden]

Oh, not the slightest. I never saw her before. Georgia screamed and I ran in here.

[Frank]

Did you touch anything at all in the room here?

[Lorraine Holden]

No. I know how policemen work. I've heard all about that. Don't touch anything. Department. No, sir, I didn't touch anything.

[Frank]

They're on the way, Joan. All right? Fine. Ms. Halden, have you ever seen the woman before?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, sir, I haven't. Never saw her before. Just took a quick glance. Terrible. Just terrible what they did.

[Frank]

Wonder if you could give us a description of Mr. Bartley.

[Lorraine Holden]

Well, that'd be kinda hard. Like I said, I don't pay a lot of attention to the people who live here. I just collect the rents and let it go with that. Once in a while, when George is sick, I come in and clean up. Those times I talk to him a little bit. But I am not the nosy type. You know what I mean?

[Frank]

Could you tell us about how tall Bartley is?

[Lorraine Holden]

Well, I have to think about that, too. I guess he was about as tall as you. Maybe a little one way or the other.

[Frank]

How much would you say he weighed?

[Lorraine Holden]

Well, he was kind of a heavyset little man. I guess he weighs about as much as my husband. That'd be 200 or so.

[Frank]

How about his coloring? Did you know?

[Lorraine Holden]

Oh, there it goes again. I tell you, officers, I can't tell you too good. Mr. Bartley was kind of a crowd melder.

[Frank]

I Beg your pardon?

[Lorraine Holden]

A crowd, Melder. You know, you put him in a crowd and he just melts away. You never pay any attention to him. You know what I mean?

[Frank]

Yes, ma' am.

[Lorraine Holden]

Yes, I can remember. He had kind of brown hair and blue eyes, I guess.

[Frank]

Was there anything peculiar about him? Did he have any scars, any marks, anything at all about him that'd make you remember him? Make him a little easier to.

[Lorraine Holden]

No, no, nothing.

[Frank]

How about the way he talked? Could you tell where he was from?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, he's just kind of an ordinary man. Nothing special.

[Frank]

When was the last time you saw Mr. Bartley?

[Lorraine Holden]

Let me see now. I think it was. Yes, Monday night. He was coming in. I was just coming back from the grocery. It was about, oh, 6, 6:15. I said hello, and then he said the same hello. Then he went on upstairs and I went to my apartment. That was the last time.

[Frank]

Did Mr. Bartley have any close friends in the building you know of?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, not that I can think of.

[Frank]

Well, did he ever say where he worked or what he did for a living?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, not that I remember.

[Frank]

Well, how about references? Did he have any?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, I didn't ask for any.

[Frank]

You know if he drove a car?

[Lorraine Holden]

It seems so stupid. Seems like I know the answers to any of your questions. I don't know about if he drove a car or not. We don't have any garages in the building. He might have them. I wouldn't know it. I just didn't pay any attention. You know what I mean?

[Frank]

Or did he get any mail while he was here? Would you know that?

[Lorraine Holden]

No, sir. Not a thing.

[Frank]

We'd like to talk to Georgia if we could.

[Lorraine Holden]

Sure. I'll ask you to come up here. Poor thing's so upset.

[Myra Allard]

It's terrible.

[Lorraine Holden]

It's the first time anything like this has happened to me. First time anything like this has happened in the place. I don't understand it. I never bothered the tenants, never caused me any trouble. I don't even know this Bartley. Why do you have to do a thing like this to me? Why me?

[Frank]

I don't know, ma' am. Why her? The crime lab crew got there and went over the apartment. Photographs were taken of the room and of the position of the body. In going over the room, the crime lab came up with a probable murder weapon. A cast iron poker standing in the fireplace rack. Brown hair similar to the victim's was found clinging to the metal. Dean Bergman lifted several partial and some full fingerprints from around the apartment and from the poker itself. He compared them with fingerprints of the maid and eliminated her as a suspect. He rolled the prints of the dead woman. Hers were eliminated from those found in the apartment. We talked to the maid and got the same story that we'd been given by Mrs. Halden. She was unable to add any information to what we already had. We talked to the neighbors in the building. None of them had had any dealings with the missing Ray Bartley. The woman in the apartment next to his told us that on the previous night, at about 10:45, she had heard a woman's voice and a loud argument coming from the murder of the. But she said she hadn't paid any attention to it. 2:42pm Frank and I checked back into the office. I'll call Bergman, see if he was able to identify the woman or make the other prints. Yeah, right. I hope he's doing some good. Yeah, Dean Bergman, please. Hi, Dean. Frank Smith. You've been able to make those prints yet? Ah. How about the ones in the poker? Yeah, well, that's the way it goes, huh? Huh? Right. Nothing on either the woman's or the ones he lifted from the poker. That helps, doesn't it? He's sending them both on to Washington, see if they have anything, Anything on him. And R and I. Well, I called down there. They're checking him now. I can't understand it. What's that? Well, how you can rent an apartment to somebody and not know what he looks like. Like she said, the manager probably minds her own business. Yeah, I get it. Homicide, Friday. Oh, yeah, Lee. Mm. How about laundry marks? How about the poker? Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Well, that figures, doesn't it? Yeah. Okay, Lee. Thanks a lot. Anything? Well, he's pretty sure the poker was the murder weapon. Anything to identify the woman? No, not a thing. Whoever did this sure knew what he was doing. Removed everything that could possibly tell us who she was. That puts us in a good position. An unidentified body and an unknown killer. The report came back from R and I. There was nothing in the records on a Ray Bartley of that description. Three other teams of men were assigned to assist in the investigation. We talked with everybody in the neighborhood around the apartment building. None of the storekeepers had noticed the missing man. None of them could give us any further information. An APB was gotten out carrying the name and description that we'd obtained. An APB was also gotten out on the dead woman. We checked with Missing Persons Detail for a possible missing report on the victim. They said they'd let us know. The newspapers gave us their help, and in the following editions they carried pictures of the woman and requested that anyone knowing her identity should contact the police department immediately. Two days passed. During this time, several people came in and said that they were sure that they knew the dead woman, but they were unable to identify her. Other leads were checked out, but led us nowhere. The manager and the maid came in and went through the mug books. No results. Monday, April 21, 9:27am Friday yeah. Oh, hi, John.

[Ben]

Hi, Frank.

[Frank]

Hi, Johnny.

[Ben]

You guys getting anywhere in this closet?

[Frank]

Murder? No, not a thing.

[Ben]

Well, I got a hunch maybe it won't go anywhere, but I thought you guys might want to check it out.

[Frank]

What's that?

[Ben]

We got a missing report from San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Man up there said that his wife had come down here to see her sister. Said she never showed up. Yeah, we went out and talked to the sister at the time. She wasn't too cooperative, you know, like she knew where her sister was all the time. I checked this description on the apb. Seems to me to match the description we got from both the husband and the sister. Well, like I said, it's just a hunch, but I thought you might talk to this woman. Might be able to come up with something.

[Frank]

What's her name?

[Ben]

Let's see.

[Frank]

Allard.

[Ben]

Mara Allard. Lives out in Hollywood Boulevard. You talk to her. See if you don't come up with the same thing we did.

[Frank]

Yeah, what's that?

[Ben]

She doesn't care if her sister's dead or alive.

[Frank]

Frank and I drove out to see Mrs. Myra Allard. She told us that her sister had written and said that she'd be down for a visit on the day that she was supposed to arrive. The sister had phoned and told Mrs. Allard that she wouldn't be out that day, but that she'd met some friends on the train and that they were all going out on a sightseeing tour of the street. In talking to her, we got the same impression that she'd given John St. John of missing Persons Detail. We asked her if she'd go with us to see if the dead woman might be her sister. At first she appeared reluctant, but when we gave her a full description of the body, she agreed to accompany us. She looked at the dead woman and burst into tears. Half an hour later, after she recovered from the shock, we talked to her in the interrogation room at the City Hall.

[Myra Allard]

It's Alice. There's no doubt about it. It's just terrible, my own sister dead.

[Frank]

If you'll try to take it easy. Would you like Another glass of water, Ms. Allerd?

[Myra Allard]

No, thank you. It's not just finding your dad. I guess I always knew that Alice would end up like this. I never wanted it this way, but I always knew it in my heart.

[Frank]

How's that, ma' am?

[Myra Allard]

Well, to understand that, you'd have to know Alice. She was a beautiful girl, wonderful person.

[Frank]

Mm. Mm. Now, you said that you heard from Alice when she got here in la, is that right?

[Myra Allard]

That's right. She called right after she got off the train.

[Frank]

What'd she say to you then?

[Myra Allard]

Well, as I told you, she said she'd met some friends on the train and they were going out to see the town.

[Frank]

Did she say who these friends were?

[Lorraine Holden]

No.

[Myra Allard]

Just said that they were going to pick up Ray and then go out into town.

[Frank]

Ray?

[Myra Allard]

Yes, Ray Fletcher. I tried to call him when Atlas didn't show up, but there wasn't any answer at his apartment.

[Frank]

Where does he live, ma' am?

[Myra Allard]

Out in Hollywood, I think it's on Selma someplace. I have the address.

[Frank]

Who is this Fletcher?

[Myra Allard]

Well, that's something I'm not very proud of.

[Frank]

Well, why is that, ma' am?

[Myra Allard]

He's a friend of my husband. Well, not really a friend in the real sense of the word. Sort of an acquaintance.

[Frank]

Why do you say that? You're not very proud of it, ma' am. I don't understand.

[Myra Allard]

Well, I sort of feel that it's all my fault.

[Frank]

I still don't think I understand, ma' am.

[Myra Allard]

The divorce. Alice and Tom were on the verge of separating. Tom said that he'd come to just about the end of the line. Alice told me they used to have terrible fights. Anyway, she was down here one time. Let me see. I think it was about three months ago. She was terribly depressed. Said that she and Tom had been fighting for several weeks. A couple of times he'd hit her. Can't understand it. I really can't. I told Alice I didn't believe it.

[Frank]

Yes, ma' am.

[Myra Allard]

She showed me the bruises all across her back and shoulders. She said that one night they were going over the bills and Tom just seemed to go crazy. Started to rant and rave about how much they were in debt. Of course, I knew why I told Alice, so I said that it was her fault for driving him. Always asking for something new, something else.

[Frank]

Uh huh.

[Myra Allard]

She said that she told Tom that if he couldn't afford to keep the way she wanted to live, then she'd just have to find somebody who could. That's when he hit her. She left that Night to come down here. Terrible. I don't agree with her, but I don't think any man has the right to hit a woman.

[Frank]

Yes, ma' am.

[Myra Allard]

Well, she moped around the house for a couple of days. Said about how she was never going back to him. I felt kind of sorry for her, even though I don't agree with her. After all, she was my sister.

[Frank]

Yes, ma' am, we understand.

[Myra Allard]

Well, that night my husband came home and he brought this Ray Fletcher with him. Met him down at the office.

[Frank]

What'd you say?

[Myra Allard]

Met him down at the office. Ray works for the same company. He's a steward on the ship that travels up coast from here to Washington. Anyway, my husband brought him home for dinner. Ray said that we should all go out to eat. So we did. Had dinner and a few drinks and Ray brought us home and he and Alice went on. Alice didn't get in till almost 3:30 in the morning.

[Frank]

I see.

[Myra Allard]

That night, Ray was here again. Me and Alice went out that night and for the next four nights in a row, every night out until all hours. I finally had a talk with her about it. Told her that I didn't think Tom would like it and that I wouldn't have her doing things like that while she was under my roof. That's when she told me that she was going to divorce Tom. That she and Ray were going to get married. I told her I thought she was crazy. She didn't know what she was doing, but there wasn't any talking to her. She saw Ray every day. Then she went back up north to get things straightened out.

[Frank]

I see. Well, did she follow through with her divorce plans?

[Myra Allard]

Well, as far as I know, she did. She wrote me and said that she talked to Tom about it and that they'd reached an agreement, that he'd let her have her freedom.

[Frank]

How did he seem to take all this?

[Myra Allard]

Well, he called me one night and asked if I knew why Alice was leaving them. Didn't know about Ray. I told him all about it before. I thought that maybe Alice hadn't said anything about it.

[Frank]

What was his reaction to it?

[Myra Allard]

I almost went crazy on the phone. Tom's a real jealous man. If he could have gotten through the phone wires, I think he'd have taken my head off. He screamed that I'd influenced his wife, that it was all my fault.

[Frank]

Why didn't you tell the officers from Missing Persons all of this when they were out there?

[Myra Allard]

Ma' am, I didn't want my husband to know about it. Then, too, I thought that it might be better if Tom didn't know where Alice was. But what he said. I thought it would be better if he never saw her again.

[Frank]

What's that, ma' am?

[Myra Allard]

That night we had the argument on the phone. He said that she'd never leave him. We'd see her dead first.

[Frank]

The description of Ray Fletcher Mrs. Allard had given us tallied closely with that of Raymond Bartley. She also gave us his address and phone number. Was an apartment house in the southwest section of the city. Frank and I drove over, but found that he'd moved and left no forwarding address. We checked the apartment, but it had since been cleaned and occupied again. We ran into the same problem. No one could give us any information as to his whereabouts. We went back to the city hall and ran the name Ray Fletcher through R and I. There was no record on anyone answering his description. We contacted the shipping line where he was employed, and they told us that they'd pull his employment record out of the files and call us back. We contacted the San Francisco Police Department, gave them the full details of the case and had them check on the movements of the victim's husband, Tom Hudson, as a possible suspect. 4:52pm Frank and I checked back into the City Hall. Hudson sure got a motive. Yeah. We'll know more when we hear from the San Francisco Department. Here we go. I'll check the book. Right. Anything? Yeah, there's a message from the shipping company Fletcher works for. Wants us to give him a call. Okay. What's the number? You got it there? Yeah. Hollywood 26709K. I'll call it. Hollywood 2670909. Yeah, ask for Mr. August. August. Mr. August, please. So, my name's Friday, Los Angeles Police Department. Oh, police Department. Yes, ma' am. Yes, he asked me to call Mr. August. The sergeant. Friday. Can you ask me to call you? Yes, sir. That's right. Raymond Fletcher. When was it? Yes, sir. Well, thank you very much, sir. If you think of anything else, we'd appreciate a call. Yes, sir. Michigan 5211. Right. Homicide, huh? Right. Thank you, sir. Bye. Well, we're doing real well. What do you mean? Fletcher sailed for Canada this morning.

[Chesterfield]

You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.

[Detective]

These are the reasons thousands are changing to Chesterfield and why you should change to Chesterfield.

[Chesterfield]

Only Chesterfield gives you premium quality in both regular and king size.

[Detective]

Only Chesterfield names all its ingredients.

[Chesterfield]

And only Chesterfield gives you scientific facts in support of smoking.

[Detective]

First such report ever published about any cigarette. A responsible Consulting Organization reports a study by a competent medical specialist and staff on the effects of smoking Chesterfields. For six months, a group of men and women smoked only Chesterfield 10 to 40 a day, their normal amount. 45% of the group have smoked Chesterfields from one to 30 years for an average of 10 years each. At the beginning and end of the six months, each smoker was given a thorough examination including X rays and covering the sinuses, nose, ears and throat. After the examinations, the medical specialist stated.

[Chesterfield]

It is my opinion that the ears, nose, throat and accessory organs of all participating subjects examined by me were not adversely affected in the six months period by smoking the cigarettes provided of course.

[Detective]

These cigarettes were Chesterfield. Remember this report and buy Chesterfields.

[Frank]

Either way you like them.

[Detective]

Regular or king size, premium quality Chesterfield and much milder.

[Frank]

We contacted the San Pedro office of the shipping company and made sure that Fletcher was on board the ship when it had sailed. The management of the shipping line told us that it would take about 24 hours before the tanker would make its first stop at San Francisco. We got in touch with the San Francisco Police Department and talked to Inspector Charles Sutton. He told us that they'd place a stakeout where the ship was due to dock and that they would await our arrival. At the same time, Sutton told us that they had conducted an investigation of the dead woman's husband, Tom Hudson, and that as far as they could find out, he didn't have the opportunity to kill his wife. They said that the records at the steel mill where he worked showed that he'd been on the job every day for the past month and a half. Questioning of his neighbors showed that he'd spend his time off working around the house and was seen each evening. Inspector Sutton stated that when Tom Hudson was told of his wife's death, he broke down and said that although there had been some talk of divorce, none of it had really been serious and that this trip that his wife had taken to Los Angeles was to straighten things out with Fletcher. Hudson flew down to Los Angeles and gave a positive identification of the body. We got in touch with the captain of the ship that Fletcher was on and filled him in on what had happened. He told us that he placed the man under arrest and hold him in the ship's brig for us. When they docked at San francisco Tuesday morning, 7:30am Frank and I checked out and flew up to San Francisco. We met with Inspector Sutton and Inspector Jules Zimmerman. They told us that the ship was expected to dock the following morning at 10:36am we were waiting when the gang plank was lowered.

[Ben]

You're the officer?

[Frank]

Yes, sir.

[Ben]

I'm Inspector Sutton, San Francisco Police Department.

[Detective]

Here are my credentials. These are detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith.

[Frank]

They're from Los Angeles.

[Ben]

Oh, yeah. You're the ones I talked to. I'm Captain Jackson.

[Frank]

How you doing, Captain?

[Ben]

Down the break. He's been there since I got your message.

[Frank]

I wonder if we could see him.

[Ben]

Yeah, sure. We can go down this way.

[Frank]

All right, fine.

[Ben]

You sure Fletcher's the man you want?

[Frank]

Well, we're not sure, sir. It looks that way. Hard to believe. Why is that, sir?

[Ben]

Well, Fletcher's been with us for several years. Good man, hard worker. I know he's been studying for his papers. Wanted to be an engineer. I used to go by his room late at night on my way to the bridge. He'd be there reading and working on the papers. Sure is hard to believe.

[Frank]

Here we go. Through here. Okay?

[Ben]

Yes, sir. Of course, I knew something had to be wrong, sir. Well, once in a while he used to get together with Fletcher on shore. We'd talk about what he was studying. I'd try to help him with his seamanship. This trip I called him. I'd met an engineer that I thought Fletcher would like to talk to. I'd known the guy for years, just back from the Orient. Anyway, I called Fletcher. He told me he'd moved out. Hadn't left any forwarding address.

[Frank]

Uh huh.

[Ben]

I didn't hear from him at all. Then he called me. Wanted to know if he could stay at my place for a few days. Said he had some trouble at the new place he was living. Landlady giving him a bad time?

[Frank]

Uh huh. Did he say where he'd been staying?

[Ben]

Yeah, the Broadleaf, something like that.

[Frank]

Could it be the Greenleaf, sir?

[Ben]

Yeah, that said Greenleaf. Said the landlady was a real prune. Called her a miserable woman. Old Fletcher. Looked as if he'd been tying one on for about a week. When he checked into my place, his clothes are a mess. Come on. It's down here.

[Frank]

Okay, Fine.

[Ben]

When I told Fletcher about this, he was real arrogant. Said he didn't want to talk to anyone. Never seen him run like this before.

[Frank]

Here we are.

[Ben]

All right, Fletcher. Police officers are here. Come on out. Come on, Fletcher, let's go.

[Frank]

Now. I'll go in. How about it, Joe? Room's empty. A blockade of the dock area was set up immediately. In the event Fletcher had escaped from the ship. All officers in the area began a search. A search of the ship was started. A check of Fletcher's cabin turned up several letters from Alice Hudson. In the letter, she told Fletcher that she was going back to her husband. We talked to the members of the crew who had been in the vicinity of the brig. From one of them, we found that Fletcher had been in custody as the ship entered the harbor. On the floor of the brig, we found a small strip of metal that Fletcher had used to pick the lock of the door. The search of the ship went on. 11:47am One of the seamen found Fletcher's coat on the forward part of the deck. It had been wedged in behind a lifeboat shock. The search of the dock netted us nothing. All we could assume was that Fletcher had escaped from the brig, jumped overboard, and then tried to swim to shore. Inspector Sutton got in touch with Captain Cornelius Murphy, skipper of police boat DA White. Captain Murphy and his crew began a search of the bay from the dock area to Land's End. All police officers in the bay area were notified of the escape. Captain Jackson furnished us with a good snapshot of Fletcher. Seven hours passed. The search continued. Apparently, Fletcher had made good his escape. Wednesday morning, April 23rd, we got a report from an officer in the search party that the body of a man answering Fletcher's description had been found out near Seal Rocks near the Golden Gate. Sutton, Zimmerman, Frank and I drove out to Land's End. We got out of the car and walked the rest of the way. Watch your step, Frank.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Frank]

Every time one of those waves breaks.

[Ben]

It makes this ledge like glass.

[Frank]

Sutton.

[Ben]

Yeah, Joe.

[Frank]

You see anything yet?

[Ben]

No. Wait a minute. I'll see if I can yell to Zimmerman. He can see it from there.

[Detective]

Maybe he can tell us if we're getting close.

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Zimmerman, how we doing?

[Frank]

You hear what he's saying?

[Ben]

Ah, Wayne's carrying his voice away.

[Frank]

He's waving his arms, pointing down below us. Now, wait a minute. Watch it, Joe.

[Ben]

It's a long way down.

[Frank]

Yeah, you don't have to tell me.

[Ben]

See anything?

[Frank]

A little after this next wave break. Yeah.

[Ben]

There he is.

[Frank]

You see wedged in down here? Yeah, looks like him.

[Ben]

Hard to be sure with all this water, though.

[Frank]

Yeah. I'll go down a little further. Take it easy, Joe. Yeah, take a minute.

[Ben]

Watch it.

[Frank]

I'm all right.

[Ben]

How about it?

[Frank]

Yeah, it's Fletcher.

[Ben]

I better get the crew up here.

[Frank]

And pull them out. Yeah. Must have been carried this far by the current, huh?

[Ben]

Yeah, that's right, Joe. They get mean this time of the year.

[Frank]

Well, that does it. Yeah, it looks that way.

[Detective]

What's the matter?

[Frank]

Joe, I was just thinking. Yeah? Rough way to die, isn't it?

[Ben]

Sure is.

[Frank]

You'd think he'd have known, wouldn't you, Joe? About those currents out there from Alcatraz to Angel Island. Some of the meanest currents in the world out there. Yeah, I know. You'd think a guy like Fletcher would have known better. Working on a ship. He should have known about that water. Maybe he did.

[Detective]

The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent.

[Chesterfield]

On April 23, an examination was held in the office of the Coroner of the City and County of San Francisco. In a moment, the results of that examination.

[Detective]

Now here is our star, Jack Webb.

[Frank]

Thank you, George Feniman. Friends, I just want to leave you with one thought. Tonight, Chesterfield is the first cigarette to give you scientific facts in support of smoking. Remember the study made by a competent medical specialist and staff? They examined a group of people who smoked only Chesterfields. After the examinations, the medical specialist stated, quote. It is my opinion that the ears, nose, throat and accessory organs of all participating subjects examined by me were not adversely affected in the six months period by smoking the cigarettes provided. End of quote. Of course, these cigarettes were Chesterfield. Remember these facts and buy Chesterfield's. Either way you like them. Regular or king size? Premium quality Chesterfields and much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Upon completion of the autopsy, the body was identified as Raymond S. Fletcher. The identification was made by his personal effects, fingerprints and the personal identification of Captain James R. Jackson. Further investigation showed that the suspect had rented the apartment where the body was found and that he was guilty of the murder of Alice Hudson. His fingerprints were checked and found to be the same as those on the murder weapon. You have just heard Dragnet. A series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department Technical Advisors. Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brascher. Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, June Whitley, Peter Leeds. Script by John Robinson Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking.

[Detective]

Sound off for Chesterfield's. Either way you like them regular or king size. Chesterfield gives you the best possible smoke. Much milder.

[Frank]

Chesterfield Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet.

[Chesterfield]

Transcribed from Los Angeles Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield, the only cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size. Brings you Dragnet.

[Detective]

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a narcotics detail. You get a report that high grade heroin is being sold in Your city, the key men in the operation are well hidden. You have no leads to their identity, your job, Stop them. These are the reasons thousands are changing to Chesterfield and why you should change to Chesterfield today.

[Chesterfield]

Only Chesterfield gives you scientific facts in support of smoking.

[Detective]

Only Chesterfield names its ingredients. Ingredients that give you the best possible smoke.

[Chesterfield]

Only Chesterfield gives you premium quality in both regular and king size.

[Detective]

That means king size Chesterfield contains tobacco of better quality and higher price than any other king size cigarette. It's the same fine tobacco as in regular Chesterfield. And there's enough to give you more than a 1/5 longer smoke. Yes, more than a fifth longer smoke from king size Chesterfield.

[Chesterfield]

So remember, Chesterfield is the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size.

[Detective]

Buy em either way you like em. Premium quality Chesterfield and much milder.

[Chesterfield]

Dragnet. The documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 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. Transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Frank]

It was Tuesday, August 3rd. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day. Watch out, a narcotics team. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Kearney. My name's Friday. It was 9:37am when we got to the main jail felony section. Hi, John.

[Ben]

Friday, Smith. Who do you want?

[Frank]

Anderson 302.

[Ben]

Anderson 302. Interview.

[Frank]

How's he feeling this morning, John? I don't know.

[Ben]

I just checked in a while ago. I heard he gave the fellas trouble early this morning. Gets you pretty rocky.

[Frank]

Hi, Anderson.

[Ben]

What do you guys want?

[Frank]

Want to talk to you. Down this way, Anderson.

[Ben]

Hope you guys know I don't feel so good. Terrible night. I hope I never have to go through any more of them. Yeah, you gonna do something about it?

[Frank]

What do you mean?

[Ben]

You're gonna get me out of here. Let me shove off.

[Frank]

You know better than that, Anderson.

[Ben]

Yeah, should have known. You guys don't care. You just don't know.

[Frank]

Right in here. Sit down.

[Ben]

You guys gotta do something for me though. I can't take much more of it. Can't you talk to the doctor, have him give me something? He's got it just a little bit. I tell you I'm sick.

[Frank]

We'll have the doctor give you some couple things we want to check with you.

[Ben]

You know what I need? It ain't medicine. Can't we do this later? I tell you, I don't feel good. Can't you talk to the doctor?

[Frank]

Your book is Fred J. Anderson. That's your true name? Yeah.

[Ben]

Fred J. Anderson.

[Frank]

What's J stand for?

[Ben]

You have to know?

[Frank]

We do.

[Ben]

Jeremiah. My father's name.

[Frank]

Have any other names?

[Ben]

What do you mean?

[Frank]

You use any aliases? No, none. Any nicknames?

[Ben]

No.

[Frank]

You drive a car?

[Ben]

Yeah. 49 Ford converter.

[Frank]

Who holds the pink slip on it?

[Ben]

I do.

[Frank]

You own it outright? Yeah.

[Ben]

Look, do we have to go through that whole thing? Can't you ask me later? You guys don't believe me, but you're gonna find out. When I keel over, you'll know then.

[Frank]

What color's the car? Maroon. You know the license number?

[Ben]

No.

[Frank]

Where have you lived before? Before what? I gave the address of 10624 Iverine Avenue. That's what we have here. Hollywood. Is that right? Yeah, that's where I live. You belong to any lodges, anything like that? No. You ever in the Armed services? No. Serial number? No. Branch.

[Ben]

Look, how about knocking this off? I'm getting tired of you guys leaning on me. You drag me in here, ask a lot of questions. I tell you I don't feel good. You don't believe me? Leave me alone. Let me go back to my cell. As soon as I feel better, I'll answer all your questions.

[Frank]

We got a job to do, Anderson. We didn't build this thing. You know what had happened when you started. Now, what's your draft number? I don't know. Did you register? Sure. Draft card in your wallet? Yeah. Then we can get it. You married?

[Ben]

No, not married.

[Frank]

You were though, huh? Yeah, a couple of years ago.

[Ben]

It didn't work. Bud was too nosy. Always wanted to know what I was doing. Always asking questions.

[Frank]

Have any kids? No. What's your wife's name? Adelaide. How do you spell that?

[Ben]

A D, E, L, a D, E. Adelaide Morton. Lousiest two years I ever spent.

[Frank]

Where'd she live?

[Ben]

I didn't know.

[Frank]

Lost track. Where did she live?

[Ben]

Same place, up on Iverine. I moved out when we got the divorce. I haven't seen her since. May still be there, for all I know.

[Frank]

How about your nearest living relative?

[Ben]

Yeah, how about him?

[Frank]

Maybe you got things wrong, Anderson. You're booked in here on a narcotics charge. That's pretty serious. This isn't a game. Sooner you realize it, the better off you're gonna be. All right. Nearest relative?

[Ben]

My brother lives in St. Paul. I don't know the address. I got it at home. We don't agree on a lot of things. I haven't seen him for a year or so.

[Frank]

What's his name?

[Ben]

Henry Alton Anderson.

[Frank]

That's your nearest relative?

[Ben]

That's what I said.

[Frank]

Anybody else? No. How about your friends? Who are they?

[Ben]

That's the line.

[Frank]

What?

[Ben]

That's where I stop answering these questions. You maybe tie a bum wrap on me, but you ain't gonna get my friends mixed up in it. No, sir. That's where I draw the line.

[Frank]

All right, suit yourself, Anderson. We got a lot of time. Got a cigarette, Joe? Yeah. Here you are. Thanks, Anderson. No, thanks. Yeah.

[Ben]

Why you have to know who my friends are?

[Frank]

For a lot of reasons.

[Ben]

I don't want to embarrass them, that's all. I don't want them to have to answer a lot of silly questions. You can see that, can't you?

[Frank]

Can't you? Yeah, Anderson, we don't need to embarrass anybody. We just thought it would help here.

[Ben]

Well, I won't tell you. I don't feel well. I don't feel well at all. Not hooked, anyway. You got no right to say that.

[Frank]

Look at your arm.

[Ben]

I ain't gonna try to con you. Sure, I tried this stuff once or twice, but that don't mean I'm hooked.

[Frank]

A couple of pops, that's all.

[Ben]

Just a couple of times.

[Frank]

It's not the way your arm makes it look. You've almost run out of places to put that needle, haven't you?

[Ben]

So maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was a couple more times than I thought. All right.

[Frank]

Now, look, Anderson, I'm lay this out for you. We know there's a lot of H floating around. Has been for the past three months, and it's high grade. We know that you and the bunch you work for aren't too choosy who you sell it to. Now, we want the names and where you're getting the stuff. You say you're sick now. Wait a few more hours. Wait till your stomach starts to turn over. Well, you can't make your hands do what you want them to, will. Your head starts to crack open, you'll feel different then. We can wait. Well, let's take him back, Frank. Come on.

[Ben]

Wait a minute.

[Frank]

Yeah. You're gonna take me back to the cell. You called it.

[Ben]

I don't want to go back.

[Frank]

Well, that's where you're going.

[Ben]

You're gonna call the doctor, tell him.

[Frank]

To take care of me. He knows already. He'll do what he can.

[Ben]

I can't go that route. You know that iron cure? I couldn't take it. It'll kill me.

[Frank]

You should have thought of that a long time ago.

[Ben]

Yeah, you can say that. You ain't got the habit. It's easy for you to say that. You don't know.

[Frank]

All right, let's go.

[Ben]

No, I want.

[Frank]

You gotta do something. I told you we'd do what we could.

[Ben]

That ain't enough.

[Frank]

It'll have to do.

[Ben]

I told you help me out. Give me a hand, then I'll get over on your side. You know, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

[Frank]

All right, tell us where you're getting the stuff.

[Ben]

Can't you help me out first?

[Frank]

The doctor will see you. Okay.

[Ben]

Where do you want me to start?

[Frank]

Where do you get the stuff?

[Ben]

From a guy.

[Frank]

What's his name? Paul. Paul what?

[Ben]

I don't know what his last name is.

[Frank]

Just Paul. Where do you meet him? Hollywood. That's a big place. Where in Hollywood? Different places.

[Ben]

Sometime the corner, Hollywood and Vines. Sometimes at Highland. Once at Cherokee and Sunset.

[Frank]

Different places. How do you know where?

[Ben]

He gets word to me.

[Frank]

How?

[Ben]

Guy tells me Paul wants to see me.

[Frank]

And so what does Paul look like? Big guy. Real big. What's he look like? How tall is he?

[Ben]

Six, two, three, maybe 250.

[Frank]

What's his coloring? Dark.

[Ben]

Looks like he's just come back from the beach. Looks real tan. You guys are gonna help me out, aren't you? After all I've done.

[Frank]

What color's his hair? Black. Curly.

[Ben]

Black hair.

[Frank]

How about it?

[Ben]

You're gonna do me some good.

[Frank]

Any marks or scars on him? Huh? This Paul, any marks or scars on him that'll make him easier to spot?

[Ben]

Yeah, he's got a scar across the bridge of his nose right here.

[Frank]

How old is he?

[Ben]

Oh, I guess about 38, maybe 40.

[Frank]

Drive a car, do you know?

[Ben]

Never saw one. He always walked up on me.

[Frank]

Is he a user?

[Ben]

I don't think so. Maybe joy pops once in a while. I don't think he's on his study, though.

[Frank]

Is he the boss? Huh? He the head man in the operation?

[Ben]

I don't know. I don't think so. I think he's just one of the guys.

[Frank]

Where'd you meet him?

[Ben]

Bar downtown.

[Frank]

Were you introduced?

[Ben]

No, he just came up, started to talk to me. We got along, made a deal. I was around trying to make a buy, get a connection.

[Frank]

All right. Why don't you look at some pictures? See if you can point this fellow Paul out for us.

[Ben]

Look, I done my part. I told you. Now you guys got a chit to pick up. When do I get to see the doctor. When are you gonna fix me?

[Frank]

We'll talk to him.

[Ben]

That wasn't a deal.

[Frank]

We made no deals.

[Ben]

You said you'd give me a hand. We will.

[Frank]

The doctor will do everything he can for you. We can't promise you any more than that. Not much. That's the way it is. Lousy deal.

[Ben]

Everything's on your side. You know it. And you're sure, right? Someday I'll learn it just don't pay.

[Frank]

Yeah, what's that?

[Ben]

Never scratch a cop's back.

[Frank]

10:46Am we returned Fred Anderson to his cell and called a doctor for him. For the past four and a half months, an organized gang had been selling high grade heroin. From our informants we learned that the drug was being made available to anyone who could pay the price. When we tried to stop the activities of the gang, we found ourselves up one blind alley after another. None of the buys we arranged took place. Meets with the higher ups failed to materialize. When Fred Anderson was picked up, the narcotics found on his person was of the same quality and type that was being pushed around town. 2:34pm we picked up Anderson and took him to the city hall to look at the mug book. He failed to identify any of the pictures. We checked the description of Paul against the people known to have dealt in narcotics, but failed to come up with an identification. Anderson was returned to his cell and held pending trial for violation of the State Narcotics act, a felony. 4:17pm we checked back into Captain Kearney's office. That's it, Skipper. We're right back where we were four months ago.

[Ben]

Nothing at all on this poll, huh?

[Frank]

Well, if there is, we haven't been able to find it.

[Ben]

You think Anderson's telling everything he knows about it?

[Frank]

No, I doubt it.

[Ben]

Now, that description would fit a hundred guys. You got any ideas of where we go from here?

[Frank]

Well, yeah, maybe. It might not work, but it's someplace to start.

[Ben]

Let's hear it.

[Frank]

All right. Can we take a look at the map over here? From the information we got, the main operation must be taking place someplace down around here. Around the harbor area?

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Frank]

From what we hear, the stuff's there all right. Problem is how to find a connection. Well, maybe if we just lose a man down there. We thought put a man down there and let him work on his own, he might be able to come up with some answers.

[Ben]

Pretty risky, Joe. That's a rough place. I wonder if it'd be worth risking a man down there.

[Frank]

I don't think we got much Of a choice, skipper? No. Well, we figured that maybe if I went down there and let it get around that I wanted to make a buy, a big one, maybe they'd come to me.

[Ben]

Why you?

[Frank]

Why not let me handle it? Well, I thought that's the way we figured it. They know you down there. You used to work that area.

[Ben]

You're not in any better position, Joe. Fellas walking the streets down there that you've tangled with, they're not about to form any fan clubs for you.

[Frank]

Well, we've tried every other way and leads. Every known pusher's been talked to. Still, the stuff keeps coming in, being sold where we sit. This looks like one way to get them. All right.

[Ben]

How are you gonna work it?

[Frank]

Well, I figure maybe I'll check into some hotel down there. Eat in the places in the neighborhood, be seen around the bars. Let it get around that I'm here from San Francisco, wanna make a buy and see what happens.

[Ben]

You know anything about San Francisco?

[Frank]

Well, I know the place pretty well. I spent a couple years up there when I was in the Army. I still don't like this idea of not being able to tag you, though. There's no other way. Suppose so. How are we gonna know how you're making out? Well, I'll get word whenever I can. Let you know before the buy, Tell you where and when.

[Ben]

All right, Joe, you bought a piece of it. I'm not gonna tell you what to do, you know, but take it easy. You'll make a target out of yourself. Remember, keep in touch with us.

[Frank]

Right, skipper. Let us know as much as you can, huh? Take it easy, huh? Joe? Don't want anything to happen to you. Yeah, well, I'm on your side there. August 4, 8:35am Frank and I had identification bearing the name Joe Arnold. After a final talk with Captain Kearney, I went home, got my car and left for San Pedro. 6:42pm I checked into a hotel on Sixth Street. The hotel, according to the information we had obtained, was near the narcotics Distribution Center. 8:12pm I went next door to the bar. Yeah, Give me a beer, huh? Eastern. I don't care. Okay. That'll be 30 cents. All right. There you go. Thanks. Not much doing, huh?

[Ben]

No, it's pretty early on.

[Detective]

Gets a little frantic later.

[Frank]

New around here, aren't you? Yeah, just down from San Francisco. Nice town. I was up there a couple years ago.

[Ben]

Spent a week.

[Frank]

Sure like it. Yeah, it's a good place to live. Sure seems to be. You know, if I could get a job up there. I think I'd move up. Yeah. Hey, slide down, huh? We can talk while I clean up these glasses. Well, that is, if you don't mind talking. No, that's all right. Glasses. Seems like you never get them done. Yeah. You down here on business? Well, I guess you could say that. Sort of combined, huh? Yeah.

[Ben]

Now look at that.

[Frank]

What's that? I spent half the day slicing these oranges for Old Fashioned.

[Detective]

And then people don't eat them.

[Frank]

Not a wasted motion.

[Ben]

Yeah, I guess it is. What line of business you in?

[Frank]

Nothing special. Just moving around. Wherever I can make a buck, I stop because you'd have to call me a promoter, I guess. Is that what you put down in your income tax returns? What? You know, when you fill out your income tax, it says there how you make your living. Where do you put that? Business management.

[Ben]

That's good business management.

[Frank]

Whose business you manage? Mostly my own. Pretty good idea for everybody, isn't it? Three weeks passed. I spent some time in most of the local bars and eating places. On occasion, I'd see other officers from the narcotics detail up in LA on each of these meetings. I'd have to pass them by and hope that they wouldn't show any evidence that they knew me. During the three weeks, I became friendly with the bartender. And in the course of many conversations, I let it be known that I was in town hoping to make a substantial narcotics buy. At first, he appeared only mildly interested. But then he began to ask more and more questions about my background and about the people I knew in San Francisco. Friday, August 27th, 9:31pm all right, Joe. How goes the battle? I'm moving around. That's about all I can say. Anyone want a beer? Yeah, fine. Here's your 30 cents.

[Ben]

Not tonight, Joe. It's on the house.

[Frank]

Why? What's the occasion? I got some good news for you, Joe. Yeah? Yeah. I got a friend I want you to meet. I think he can help you make a connection. Yeah? Where is he?

[Ben]

Now, look, I'm not promising anything, Joe.

[Frank]

The guy knows some people and might.

[Detective]

Be able to help you.

[Frank]

Why are you so interested? Figure maybe I can make a buck or two. All right. The guy here now?

[Ben]

Yeah, he's back there in the in booth.

[Frank]

See the other guy? Well, that helps. Which one is your friend?

[Ben]

The big one that follows. The gray suit on cigar over his nose.

[Frank]

Gray suit. Yeah, I see him.

[Ben]

Come on, I'll take you back. Nice guy, Joe.

[Frank]

You'll like him. Well, what'd you tell him? Just that you were here from Frisco.

[Detective]

Said you were interested in the connection.

[Frank]

If the deal was good. Uh huh. You make your own deal now. Look, I got nothing to do with that.

[Ben]

You'll really like him.

[Frank]

Paul.

[Detective]

Yeah, this is the guy I was telling you about. Joe Arnold, this is Paul Ginner.

[Ben]

Oh, hi Joe. Sit down. Bring us another round, will you? Yeah, right away, Paul. You know what you want. Make it snappy, huh? Yeah, right away.

[Detective]

Beer, Scotch and soda and Old Fashioned Irish whiskey.

[Ben]

Yeah, that's right. Leave the garbage out of the Old Fashioned. Yeah, yeah. Sit down, Joe.

[Frank]

Thank you.

[Ben]

This Jack Potter. You two ought to know each other. Yeah, he's from Cisco too.

[Chesterfield]

You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.

[Detective]

Now, a report every smoker should hear.

[Chesterfield]

Only Chesterfield gives you scientific facts in support of smoking.

[Detective]

First such report ever published about any cigarette. A responsible consulting organization reports a study by a competent medical specialist and staff on the effects of smoking Chesterfields. For six months a group of men and women smoked only Chesterfield 10 to 40 a day their normal amount. 45% of the group have smoked Chesterfields from one to 30 years for an average of 10 years each. At the beginning and end of the six months, each smoker was given a thorough examination, including X rays and covering the sinuses, nose, ears and throat. After a thorough examination of every member of this group, the medical specialist stated.

[Chesterfield]

It is my opinion that the ears, nose, throat and accessory organs of all participating subjects examined by me were not adversely affected in the six months period by smoking the cigarettes provided.

[Detective]

Of course, these cigarettes were Chesterfields. Remember this report. And by Chesterfields, either way you like them. Regular or king size. Premium quality Chesterfield and much milder.

[Frank]

In normal undercover work, the police officer is in constant touch with the men working with him. This is done either by one officer trailing the undercover man or by phone calls to a fellow officer at appointed time. Rarely does the working detective put himself in the position where he doesn't have constant contact with the men he works with. However, in this instance, it appeared to be the only way information and evidence could be obtained. Friday, August 27, 10:46pm the bartender brought the drinks. Paul Getter and Jack Potter started asking the questions.

[Ben]

From Frisco, huh?

[Frank]

Yeah. I'm from San Francisco.

[Ben]

Jack and I do some business together.

[Frank]

Real estate. That so?

[Ben]

Here you're in the management business, huh?

[Frank]

Bartender talks a lot, don't he?

[Ben]

He knows who to talk to. Tells me you're down here in business.

[Frank]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Where do you live?

[Frank]

Up North Hyde, near Taylor.

[Ben]

I used to live around there.

[Frank]

That right? Yeah.

[Ben]

Have you ever finished that work they were doing at the corner of 3rd and Market?

[Frank]

What's that?

[Ben]

The construction they were doing at 3rd and Market. You know that new dime store? They get it finished?

[Frank]

Yeah, they got it finished. It's not a Third and Market. Now, what's this all about, Ginner? What are you trying to prove?

[Ben]

What?

[Frank]

You got any questions to ask about me, ask me. Don't ask your boy to do it here. You want to check up on me, talk to somebody who's in San Francisco now. Have him check around. It's all there. I got no worries. When you two get tired of playing games, let me know. I got no time for them now. See you around. Sit down, Arnold. Yeah.

[Ben]

Now, read it any way you want. You say you want to do business, I'm your boy. We gotta be sure. Can't take any chances. Cops are dying to find out. Can't let that happen, you know.

[Frank]

Yeah. Well, if you're ready to talk a deal, let's get to it, huh?

[Ben]

You figured to do this business in Frisco, San Francisco?

[Frank]

Yeah, that's where I figured it'll work.

[Ben]

You're out of your mind. That town's tight on a drum. Nobody can get under the lid.

[Frank]

Now you look. I don't ask you where you get your real estate. Don't tell me how to manage my business. I want to make an investment for a client. I got 10 grand that'll buy a whole tractor. Your lots. Now, are they for sale or not? It's that simple.

[Ben]

Well, now, you're in kind of a hurry, aren't you?

[Frank]

I've been here for three weeks. I don't want to spend any more time than I have to. When can I make the buy?

[Ben]

Tell you what. Let's take a tour of the town, meet some friends of mine. Then we can talk. No need to be in a hurry.

[Frank]

I gotta see it first. I wanna make sure it's the same stuff I heard about.

[Ben]

Where'd you hear?

[Frank]

Few rumbles around. High grade stuff. That's what I want.

[Ben]

Let's go.

[Frank]

Can't you call this friend? I don't wanna go traipsing all over town.

[Ben]

He moves around sometimes. He's kind of hard to find. Besides, serves two purposes.

[Frank]

What's that?

[Ben]

Give you a chance to meet some people. Once you get to know the town, you won't be in such a hurry to get away.

[Frank]

It's just one thing. Maybe I won't like your friends more important.

[Ben]

Yeah, maybe they Won't like you.

[Frank]

For the next three hours, Ginter, Potter and I visited almost every bar, nightclub and coffee stand in the area. At each of the places, Ginter would ask for a man named Ainley. When he was told that Ainley wasn't in, we'd sit and have a drink. Ginter would call as many people as he knew over to the table, introduce them to me, and then before we left, he'd hold a conference with them at their tables. At several of the places, I saw men who I knew were involved in the narcotics trade. But none of them happened to be close to Ginner. Was obvious what Gar was trying to do. He was checking me with the people in the business to see if any of them could recognize me or could give them any information about me. Saturday morning, August 28, 3:14am we stopped for breakfast. Here.

[Ben]

You want some sugar?

[Frank]

No, I take it by okay.

[Ben]

How about you, Jack? Yeah, thanks. Looks like it might have been a wild goose chase, huh? I don't know where Ain could be.

[Frank]

Why don't you come off of this, Skinner?

[Ben]

Oh, what do you mean?

[Frank]

I'm not a new boy. You're about a size. What's the scoop here? Your friends tell you anything about me?

[Ben]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Frank]

Just looking for Ainley. It's as phony as that look you got on your face now. How about it? Do I make the buy or don't I?

[Ben]

All right, you make the buy when you got the money.

[Frank]

I'll have it when the buy comes off.

[Ben]

10,000?

[Frank]

That's right.

[Ben]

Okay, you can pick up the stuff tomorrow night.

[Frank]

4:30Am Ginter outlined the plan for the by. At 7:30 that night I was to meet him on the corner of Lebanon and Spring streets. He'd take me to Ainley, who had the plan. 5:29am I drove back to Los Angeles. I put in a call to Frank Smith at his home and filled him in on the developments. Was arranged for me to be spotted when I got to the corner and then to be followed until the buy was made. At that time, Frank and the other officers working with him would move in and take Ginter and Ainley. I told Frank that I'd leave my car at the corner of 6th and Spring at noon that day. At that time he would place a briefcase on the back seat of the car. In the briefcase would be packages of cut newspaper with a few $10 bills attached to each stack. On the outside. I checked into a hotel down on 5th and got some sleep. At 7:30pm Aug. 28, I was at the corner of Spring and Lebanon. Hi, Arnold. Hello, Getter. Where do we go?

[Ben]

You got the money in this case here. Where's your car lot?

[Frank]

Around the corner. We have to drive to the meet? Yeah.

[Ben]

Come on.

[Frank]

This way. My car's just around the corner. Don't worry.

[Ben]

We'll take mine.

[Frank]

All right. No problem.

[Ben]

Makes it nice.

[Frank]

Wanna slide in this side? Be quicker. All right. Where do we have to go?

[Ben]

It's not far.

[Frank]

How come we didn't make the deal in Pedro?

[Ben]

Andy likes to do the big business up here. More people, easier cover.

[Frank]

Mm. When we first pulled away from the curb, I thought I could make out Frank and Captain Kearney in back of us. We drove for about an hour. Ginter cut down every side street in the area. Every place he drove, he kept his eye on the rear view mirror. I was afraid he'd make the tail. He drove out Sunset Boulevard and back down Wilshire, down Spring and over to Hope Street. Along the way, I lost sight of Frank and Captain Kearney. Finally, at 8:36, we pulled up at the corner of Spring and Lebanon. What's the deal, Getter? This is where we started.

[Ben]

Yeah. I just wanted to make sure we didn't have a tail.

[Frank]

Satisfied now?

[Ben]

Yeah. Come on in here.

[Frank]

This hotel here. Mm. Ain't he do business on the rat trap like this?

[Ben]

He works where he has to.

[Frank]

Come on.

[Ben]

It's on the second floor. We can walk?

[Frank]

Sure. This is the same stuff that I heard about.

[Ben]

You'll see.

[Frank]

Understand, I'm not buying any junk. Don't worry.

[Ben]

What we got's good. It's down here.

[Frank]

Come in.

[Ben]

Hello, Mr. Ainley.

[Frank]

Mr. Ginnor. Is this the young man?

[Ben]

Yes, Sir. This is Mr. Arnold. Mr. Ainley.

[Frank]

How are you?

[Ben]

Do you have the money, young man?

[Frank]

Yeah, it's in here. You got the stuff I have here in this case? Looks like a doctor's bag.

[Ben]

It's a good place to carry it.

[Frank]

Doctor's bag. Here. Open the bindle yourself.

[Chesterfield]

High grade.

[Frank]

Best we can get. Yeah, it looks all right. Fine. Now, if we could have the money. Here you are. Now, if it's all right with you, I'll get out of here now. We'd like you to wait until we count the money. It's all there.

[Ben]

I don't doubt it, young man, but.

[Frank]

Just to make sure so there'll be no repercussions later.

[Ben]

You understand?

[Frank]

Mm.

[Ben]

Everything looks in order.

[Frank]

What are you trying to pull? What do you mean? What is this?

[Ben]

Gator what's the matter?

[Frank]

There's nothing but paper. Plain newspaper.

[Ben]

All right, Arnold. Make a move or kill you. Let me see. What are you trying to pull?

[Frank]

All right, you're under arrest. Both of you. Cop.

[Ben]

Lousy cops.

[Frank]

Right.

[Ben]

You got the shoe on the wrong foot, cop. I'm telling you what to do.

[Frank]

There's men all through this building. You won't make the front door.

[Ben]

How about it, Mr. Ainley?

[Frank]

Let's take him down to Pedro. We can get rid of him there. Be better.

[Ben]

How about the rest of them?

[Frank]

He's bluffing. You made sure you weren't followed, didn't you?

[Ben]

Yeah, I think so.

[Frank]

Did you or didn't you?

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Frank]

Then there's nothing to worry about. Let's go.

[Ben]

You heard him, Arnold, whatever your name is.

[Frank]

Yeah, let's walk down. Not too fast.

[Ben]

I'm parked out front.

[Frank]

Good. This is far enough.

[Ben]

Come on. Don't stall. Don't cause any trouble.

[Frank]

You won't make it. Yeah, yeah, you bet. Come on, now, move. Move. All right, down these stairs.

[Ben]

Smith, cover the other side. Yeah. Walker, block off that end of the hall.

[Frank]

Right.

[Ben]

Captain.

[Frank]

You all right? Right here. Fine. Watch that guy, Frank. I got him. Hold it up, mister. You're not going anyplace. Fool. You stupid fool, Getter. Can't even lose a tail. Okay, both of you. Hands behind your back. I told you to make sure you weren't followed.

[Ben]

I told you I lost him. I know I did. I tell you I lost him. All right, let's go. Come on, let's move.

[Frank]

You didn't lose him. Listen up. Talk.

[Ben]

Come on.

[Frank]

Those guys never learn, do they, Frank? What do you mean? They keep lying right up at the finish, don't they? How's that? Well, Gitter and Enley there. They'll be arguing all the way downtown about them losing you when you were tailing us. Shouldn't be any argument, Joe. We lost you someplace along Wilshire, but you got here all right. I thought this is the way you played it. No, we just took a guess you might come back to your car. Yeah, it was a pretty good guess for me, anyway. Why? We'd have gotten him sooner or later.

[Detective]

The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent.

[Chesterfield]

On December 9, trial was held in Department 92, Superior Court of the State of California. In and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial.

[Detective]

Now, here is our star, Jack Webb.

[Frank]

Thank you, George Veniman. Friends, I have just enough time to remind you that Chesterfield is the first cigarette to name all its ingredients, first to give you premium quality in both regular and king size, and first to give you scientific facts in support of smoking. I believe you should change to Chesterfields. Either way you like them regular or king size and do it today.

[Chesterfield]

Paul Robert Ginter and James Arthur Ainley were tried and convicted of violation of the State Narcotic act of Felony. They received sentences as prescribed by law. Violation of the State Narcotic act of felony is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not more than six years.

[Detective]

Ladies and gentlemen, in the next seven years of bigger and bigger enrollments, America's grade schools will need nearly a quarter of a million extra teachers besides those to fill normal vacancies. This great need, plus the growing public interest in education and improvements in schools, make elementary school teaching a more rewarding career than ever. A career that high school and college students should certainly consider. Education holds America's future. Perhaps your future.

[Marketing Expert]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to libsynads. Com. That's L, I B S Y N Ads. Com. Today.