1001 Radio Crime Solvers: "THE BIG TRY" and "THE BIG BIBLE" (Dragnet)

Original Air Date: January 4, 2026
Host: Jon Hagadorn

Episode Overview

This episode features two classic radio plays from "Dragnet", the quintessential police procedural of the Golden Age of Radio. Both stories are based on true cases, with the names changed to protect the innocent. "The Big Try" follows the investigation into a young man’s confession of vehicular homicide and the subsequent search for the truth. "The Big Bible" is a locked-room mystery that begins as a suicide but quickly turns into a murder investigation with unexpected psychological twists. Both showcase the methodical, unsentimental yet deeply human approach of detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith as they unravel tangled criminal cases in 1950s Los Angeles.

"The Big Try"

Main Theme

An emotionally troubled young man confesses to a hit-and-run killing, but detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith must determine if his story adds up—or if the real culprit is still at large.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• [01:41] A Troubled Confession:

  • Emil Salter, 18, walks into the station and claims he "killed a man."
  • He details running down someone with a truck near Malibu after stealing the vehicle as a means to flee his sad circumstances in Wisconsin.
  • He shares honestly about his loneliness, failed efforts to "start over," and a brush with the law for petty infractions ("One night we broke in a church. Didn't go in to steal anything. One of the guys just wanted to play the organ." — Emil Salter, [05:24]).

• [07:32] A Flawed Narrative:

  • Salter leads officers to the scene, but physical evidence doesn’t match his story (the victim was hit by a vehicle with blue paint, not Salter’s black truck).
  • Joe and Frank sense inconsistencies but treat Salter humanely, probing deeper rather than making assumptions.

• [10:36] A Witness Appears:

  • A reluctant witness, Loren Staith, tells police:
    • "That Emo kid, he ain't guilty." ([11:46])
    • He saw the accident: the perpetrator drove a blue car, going at least 90 mph, and gave the license plate to detectives.
    • His motive for silence: shame over being with a female secretary during a marital spat—"Would be kind of tough to explain." ([14:34])

• [15:24] Procedure & Persistence:

  • Friday and Smith trace the blue Pontiac to Charles Bookman—who says he lent it to his brother-in-law, Casey Stedman, also a drifter and serial underachiever.
  • They wait for Stedman to retrieve the car from a repair garage, where evidence (blood stains, damaged fender) confirms its involvement.
  • Stedman’s bluff unravels under forensics and a solid timeline, leading to his confession.

• [21:34] Justice & Reflection:

  • Salter is exonerated from the homicide (though faces charges for auto theft).
  • The episode closes with Friday and Smith displaying empathy, pondering how circumstances trap people on the "outside looking in."
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Here I am in jail. I guess I blame my parents, my brothers, everybody. All the time, it's me. There's nobody else to blame really." — Emil Salter ([22:05])
    • "Like one time I wanted to go to the junior prom real bad. ... I sat on the fire escape. Watched the whole thing through the gym window. ... Like I said, I was all alone, looking in from the outside." — Emil Salter ([22:46])
    • "That whistle you're talking about? Uh huh. I hear it every once in a while myself." — Joe Friday ([24:06])

Outcome ([24:11]):

• Casey Harrison Stedman: Convicted of hit-and-run; sentenced to 1–5 years.
• Emil Donald Salter: Pled guilty to grand theft auto, placed on probation for 3 years.

"The Big Bible"

Main Theme

A supposed suicide reveals itself to be an intricate murder mystery inside a locked room, involving complex family dynamics and unexpected forensic details.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• [29:22] The Scene:

  • Detectives respond to a report of attempted suicide (Carl Hamlin).
  • Entry is forced; Hamlin found dead in his study, door locked and barricaded from inside.
  • Initial circumstances suggest suicide (Hamlin was reportedly distraught over a recent separation from his wife, Nora).

• [33:34] Statements & Tensions:

  • Interviews with Nora and her elderly mother Mrs. Gaylor surface a troubled family dynamic:
    • Carl was "always play acting around" and often drunk ([37:12]).
    • He had allegedly threatened suicide before ([38:54]).

• [39:47] The Forensic Twist:

  • Crime lab expert Ray Pinker discovers that the bullet in Hamlin’s body came from a .380 automatic, not the .38 revolver found in his hand ([40:22]).
  • "This fella Hamlin pulled a pretty neat trick." — Ray Pinker ([40:52])

• [42:38] Re-Examining the Scene:

  • Physical evidence indicates the room was truly locked after the shooting—no easy exit or entry for a killer.
  • The detectives focus on the possibility of another weapon and search for spent shell casings.

• [46:18] The Breakthrough:

  • With help from Nora, detectives recover the vacuum cleaner used to tidy the room that morning.
  • In the dust bag they find a spent .380 shell, confirming the presence of a second weapon.

• [48:16] The Truth Emerges:

  • Under pressure, Mrs. Gaylor admits to shooting Hamlin after he fired his gun at her book (a Bible), then watched him run into the study and lock himself in, where he died shortly after from her shot ([50:09]).
  • Evidence (the Bible with the .38 slug) supports her account.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Just all of a sudden last night when he shot my book. I never been so mad. I really wanted to kill him." — Mrs. Gaylor ([51:08])

• [52:03] Poignant Image:

  • The book Hamlin shot was the Holy Bible ([52:04]).

Outcome ([52:56]):

• Jessie Margaret Gaylor: Found insane at the time of the crime; made a ward of the state, committed for treatment.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "Like I said, I was all alone, looking in from the outside." — Emil Salter ([22:46])
• "That emo kid, he ain't guilty." — Loren Staith ([11:46])
• "He killed himself with a bullet that couldn't possibly be fired from the gun he was holding." — Ray Pinker ([40:53])
• "Just all of a sudden last night when he shot my book. I never been so mad. I really wanted to kill him." — Mrs. Gaylor ([51:08])
• "Holy Bible." — Joe Friday, examining the book shot by Hamlin ([52:04])
• "That whistle you're talking about? Uh huh. I hear it every once in a while myself." — Joe Friday on loneliness ([24:06])

Important Timestamps

• [01:41] Emil Salter confesses to a hit-and-run
• [07:32] Evidence doesn’t match confession
• [11:46] Loren Staith provides eyewitness account
• [15:24] Detectives trace the blue Pontiac
• [21:34] Salter exonerated; poignant reflection
• [29:22] Detectives arrive at apparent suicide scene (The Big Bible)
• [39:47] Crime lab uncovers bullet discrepancy
• [46:18] Vital evidence recovered from vacuum cleaner
• [50:09] Mrs. Gaylor’s confession
• [52:04] Revelation: the shot Bible

Summary Tone & Appeal

The episode captures the cool, relentless logic of Joe Friday and Frank Smith—and their understated empathy. The stories are a time capsule of classic radio drama, where pathos, suspense, and moral ambiguity simmer under a procedural surface. The cases probe how ordinary people can become tragically entangled in crime and the law, and the detectives’ dogged pursuit of the truth is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s.