Podcast Summary: Dragnet: The Big Key (10/26/1954)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Dragnet: The Big Key
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Date Aired: October 21, 2025
Original Broadcast: October 26, 1954

Overview

This episode of Dragnet follows Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith as they investigate a string of drugstore robberies in Los Angeles. The case intensifies when an unidentified bandit escalates his crimes from theft to violence, severely injuring a store owner. The story, presented in the authentic, staccato Dragnet style, details the detectives’ methodical approach to finding the criminal, capturing the tension, persistence, and realism that made Dragnet a classic in radio crime drama.

Key Discussion Points & Case Progression

1. Background on the Crime Spree

• Twelve Drugstores Robbed: An unidentified man has robbed twelve drugstores over five weeks, consistently targeting money and narcotics. There are no initial leads.
• Detectives on the Case: Sergeant Joe Friday and Frank Smith are assigned the case. Their boss, Chief of Detective Thad Brown, keeps the pressure on for results.
• Opening Investigation, Interview with Harry Tishner:
  • [01:45] Joe and Frank talk to Harry Tishner, a druggist robbed earlier that morning.
  • Tishner describes the robber handing him a written note and remaining silent throughout the crime.
  • Unique behavior: The robber takes off his gloves to grab some licorice whips, potentially leaving fingerprints.

“He’s very neat... I’ll say one thing for the guy.”
— Harry Tishner, [04:00]

2. Initial Forensics & Challenges

• [07:30] Latent fingerprints are lifted from the candy jar, but they are only partial and not enough for a positive ID.
• Suspect Description: White male, 35-38, 5’10”, 175 lbs, no visible marks or scars.
• No Distribution of Narcotics: The team suspects the robber is using the drugs himself, as none hit the streets.

3. Crime Escalates: Violent Attack

• [08:48] Captain Donahoe meets with Friday and Smith. Pressure mounts as media and superiors want answers.
• The robber is now considered armed and increasingly dangerous; his next act nearly kills a store owner.
• [12:19] The team interviews Calvin Webster, a witness to the savage beating of George Raylor, another druggist.
  • Webster relates how Raylor was attacked after resisting and shouts for help.
  • The environment of fear and randomness created by the robber’s unpredictability is palpable.

“He’s mean. Real mean. Doing a thing like that to Mr. Raylor.”
— Calvin Webster, [15:39]

4. Investigation Intensifies

• City-wide Effort: The detectives coordinate a rolling stakeout, with support from Metro Division units, covering targeted areas.
• The team fields numerous calls and tips but finds the suspect elusive—several days pass with no results.

5. Near Miss and False Leads

• [17:12] Responding to an officer-down call, Friday and Smith witness another robbery gone bad, but the injured suspect is not their man—victims don’t recognize him, and the modus operandi does not fit.

6. Break in the Case: Domestic Disturbance

• [20:55] A tip emerges from a domestic dispute: A woman claims she could send her husband to San Quentin because he's a “lousy hold up man.”
• Interview with Mrs. Kearney:
  • She initially downplays the comment as anger over infidelity, but provides details about her husband, Keith J. Kearney.
  • Joe spots a crucial clue: plastic keytag with a stolen car’s license number, tying Keith to a getaway car used in the heists.

“Keith’s a professional avoider. He doesn’t like anything steady. Beginning to look like he means me too.”
— Mrs. Kearney, [22:54]

7. Apprehension and Climax

• Surveillance: Detectives stake out the Kearney house.
• [24:16] Keith J. Kearney arrives, attempts to flee and pulls a weapon, but is shot and subdued by the police. He is gravely wounded but survives.

“Now throw down that gun. ... He’ll be all right. Don’t lie to me. Poor Keith. You didn’t give him a chance.”
— Mrs. Kearney & Joe Friday, [25:35]

8. Resolution

• Keith J. Kearney is tried and convicted on nine counts of first-degree robbery and sentenced as prescribed by law: not less than five years.

Memorable Quotes

• On Robbery M.O.:
  “It was a note, huh? … Just pushed the note across the counter. I didn’t have to have anybody push me off a cliff to know what was going on.”
  — Harry Tishner, [03:05]

• On the Suspect’s Violence:
  "He’s mean. Real mean. Doing a thing like that to Mr. Railer."
  — Calvin Webster, [15:39]

• On Law & Order:
  "An officer needs help. Of all the calls in the book, this is the one that no officer wants to get. ... By showing that they have no respect for the competence of an armed, professional officer, they have also shown that they will not consider for an instant the life of an unarmed citizen."
  — Joe Friday, [17:35]

• On the Suspect’s Lifestyle:
  “Keith’s a professional avoider. He doesn’t like anything steady. Beginning to look like he means me too.”
  — Mrs. Kearney, [22:54]

Key Timestamps

• [01:44] Arrival at Tishner’s Drugstore, initial victim interview
• [07:30] Fingerprint evidence discussion
• [08:48] Briefing with Captain Donahoe
• [12:19] Interview with Calvin Webster after the assault on Raylor
• [17:12] Response to officer-down and mistaken suspect identity
• [20:55] Domestic dispute tip from Mrs. Kearney
• [24:16] Confrontation and arrest of Keith Kearney
• [25:33-26:11] Aftermath, Mrs. Kearney’s reaction; legal wrap-up

Tone & Style

• The dialogue maintains Dragnet’s hallmark terse, methodical, and dry style, focusing on factual recounting and plausible police routines.
• Characters, from weary witnesses to stoic cops, are rendered with dry wit, flashes of gallows humor, and a penchant for quotidian details.
• The script’s structure moves briskly, with carefully observed procedures punctuated by emotional, sometimes wry, asides.

Conclusion

The Big Key offers a classic Dragnet episode, showcasing detective work grounded in patience, forensic detail, and procedural integrity. The story escalates from routine robberies to violence, culminating in a stakeout and tense confrontation. Ultimately, the episode underscores the dangers police and citizens face when lawlessness is unchecked, and the slow, persistent grind required to bring criminals to justice in 1950s Los Angeles.