Episode Summary: THE BIG SHOCK & THE BIG OFFICE (Dragnet)

Podcast: 1001 Radio Crime Solvers
Host: Jon Hagadorn
Date: January 11, 2026

Overview

This episode presents two classic Dragnet stories from the golden age of radio: "The Big Shock" and "The Big Office." Both cases explore the diligent, step-by-step police work of Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith. "The Big Shock" investigates a high-stakes narcotics robbery involving inside leads and persistent surveillance, while "The Big Office" takes listeners inside the non-stop operations of a police business office during a night filled with crimes both petty and grave.

The stories capture both the methodical approach and the human moments that defined Dragnet, using authentic dialogue, dry wit, and the understated camaraderie between Friday and Smith.

Story 1: The Big Shock

(00:39 – 26:43)

Case Introduction

• Setting: Los Angeles, hot July night.
• Incident: A wholesale drug company is robbed of $4,000 in narcotics.
• Assignment: Friday and Smith must track down the stolen drugs and catch those responsible.
• Opening Premise:

  “$4,000 in narcotics has been taken. Your job: Find it.”
  — Joe Friday (00:59)

The Lead – Norman Keary

• Patrolmen find Norman Keary, sick in a parked car, with puncture marks and a morphine vial.
• The vial is traced to the stolen batch; Keary, evasive, only gives his name/address.

• “My name is Norman Keary. I live at 9672 Farnham Street. I'm not giving you the time till I talk to a lawyer.”
  — Norman Keary (05:00)

• Officers confirm there is little to pin directly on Keary beyond narcotics possession.

Pressure and Turnaround

• Keary is booked and released on bail. Narcotics division assigns officers to tail him.
• He returns, angry at being cut off from his supply by the real perpetrators, and decides to cooperate.
• Key quote revealing motivation:

  “All I want to see is for those guys to get theirs.”
  — Norman Keary (12:42)

The Informant Plan & Surveillance

• Keary proposes to "nail" the real criminals at a bar on Fifth Street, but the plan backfires when an undercover cop is spotted, blowing his cover.
• "Playing footsie with the cops, you're bound to get burned," Keary laments (14:25), abdicating from further involvement.
• Not deterred, Friday and Smith set up a clever extended surveillance using a hidden camera in a delivery truck to monitor the bar.

The Break & Bust

• After days of no progress, they spot suspect Olin Corbett meeting with a woman (Mrs. Beulah Pringle) for an apparent narcotics handoff (17:58).

• “At least we know one thing, huh? We got a contact.”
  — Joe Friday (18:14)

• Corbett is arrested; further surveillance ties Mrs. Pringle to repeated narcotics drops, but finding the cache is challenging.

Discovery & Confession

• Noting her visits to her children's school, detectives search the boys’ room and uncover the hidden drugs.
• Mrs. Pringle is confronted with the evidence:

  “Not much doubt then, is there?”
  — Beulah Pringle (23:46)

• On her motivation:

  “I got a good settlement… Maybe it gave me too much. I didn't have anything to look forward to...sounded like something to do. Something so I wouldn't be bored anymore.”
  — Beulah Pringle (24:04)

• Ends with an ironically comforting line:

  “You won't be bored.”
  — Joe Friday to Mrs. Pringle (25:05)

The Outcome

• All suspects are tried and convicted; the legal sentences are detailed by the narrator (25:19).

Story 2: The Big Office

(from 53:31 onwards)

Opening Scene – Business as Usual

• The routine: The 24-hour business office handles a deluge of calls, paperwork, and walk-ins ranging from genuine emergencies to eccentric complaints.
• Typical interaction:

  “Standing around here making phone calls isn't finding my car.”
  — Miss Avis Bowen, aggravated citizen (58:07)

Nightly calls and Characters

• A missing car, a confused elderly man (Mr. McKinley Dunn), and a murder scene flow into the detectives' night.
• The approach is methodical but full of quiet humor and compassion:

  “We'll call Highland Park, have them pick him up. Tell his daughter to put a card in the wallet with all the information on it. Make it easier next time.”
  — Joe Friday (62:41)

Homicide Case:

• Incident: Shots fired, one Norman Mancrief dead. Multiple suspects.
• Frank and Joe calmly question inebriated witnesses.
• Harriet Purcell, the victim’s wife, provides a sarcastic, yet telling account:

  “Now look, I got enough trouble. Me and my old man's in jail. My face feels like it's coming off. I want to get home and get some sleep. If I knew anything, I'd have told you a long time ago. Now leave me alone.”
  — Harriet Purcell (66:33)

• Detective persistence leads to Harry Carnell, who was just collecting a debt at the wrong time.

• “Pretty lousy night. Missed my date, didn’t collect the money, end up in the can… Old Purcell always thought he was such a great card player…”
  — Harry Carnell (76:12)

Multiple Crimes, Routine, and Resolution

• The all-nighter features a stream of minor and major crimes: knifing, car theft accusation (later revealed to be a paperwork error), and even an animal control call involving a skunk.
• With understated wit:

  “Officer said we could use the skunk in the department. Says he'd qualify on the target range any day.”
  — Joe Friday (73:16)

Resolution and Reflections

• The murder case is solved with Fred Purcell found guilty of manslaughter, the car theft turns out to be legitimate, and the detectives hand off to the next shift.

• “You like to drive the business office for permanent duty? No, sir… Not busy enough.”
  — Frank Smith & Joe Friday (77:54)

Notable Quotes

• On informant risks:
  “Playing footsie with the cops, you’re bound to get burned.”
  — Norman Keary (14:25)
• On the suspect’s fatal error:
  “He must have figured wrong someplace. Made a mistake somewhere.”
  — Joe Friday, on a suspect's accidental death (51:48)
• Detective camaraderie:
  “I just don’t know what to say, Frank… This isn’t my birthday, you know.”
  — Joe Friday (45:24)

Important Timestamps

• 00:39 – Start of “The Big Shock” case introduction
• 05:00 – Norman Keary’s first direct interrogation
• 12:42 – Keary’s prior connections and motivation to help
• 14:25 – Surveillance plan goes awry; Keary backs out
• 17:58 – Surveillance captures major narcotics handoff
• 23:46 – Mrs. Pringle confronted with evidence
• 25:05 – Friday’s closing line to Pringle
• 26:43 – End of “The Big Shock” case, case outcomes
• 53:31 – Start of “The Big Office”: Inside police business office
• 58:07 – Miss Bowen's car report
• 62:41 – McKinley Dunn incident resolution
• 66:33 – Harriet Purcell’s statement on the shooting
• 73:16 – The skunk anecdote in the office
• 77:40 – Case wrap-up and verdicts

Tone & Language

• Language: The dialogue is sharp, stoic, and authentic—delivering procedural lingo, wry humor, and deadpan exchanges between the detectives.
• Tone: Understated, methodical, never sensationalistic. Human moments are delivered without melodrama but retain genuine emotion (see Mrs. Pringle's quiet confession or Friday and Smith’s banter).

Conclusion

This episode of Dragnet showcases both the painstaking work of high-profile crime-solving and the relentless, sometimes absurd routine of police work. Whether running a stakeout, coaxing confessions, or wrangling paperwork and public complaints, Joe Friday and Frank Smith bring persistence, integrity, and dry wit to every task—even, as Friday quips, when the only break in the action is chasing an escaped skunk. For listeners, it’s a compelling blend of classic crime storytelling and a window into the daily realities of mid-century policing.