Dragnet: The Big Mannikin 10/19/1954

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Dragnet: The Big Mannikin (10/19/1954)
Airdate: October 14, 2025 (rebroadcast)
Host: Choice Classic Radio

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Overview of the Episode’s Main Theme

This episode of Dragnet—“The Big Mannikin”—follows Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner, Frank Smith, as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of Jason Helmer after a day spent with his dubious acquaintance, Fred Madison. Set against the noirish pulse of 1950s Los Angeles, the story explores themes of trust, addiction, moral downfall, and the relentless pursuit of justice. The meticulous investigation reveals old wounds, alcoholism, and ultimately, a murder fueled by desperation and broken promises.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Case Introduction and Set-Up

• Setting:

  • Los Angeles, January 2nd. The detectives are assigned to the missing persons detail.
  • Friday and Smith are introduced in a sports-related banter, setting the everyday tone and camaraderie.
  • [00:26] Detective Joe Friday transitions the narrative:

    “Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.”

• The Call:

  • The wife of Jason Helmer reports her husband missing after he went out with Fred Madison to collect a debt at the racetrack.

2. Interview with Mrs. Helmer

• Nature of Disappearance:

  • Mrs. Helmer is deeply anxious, fearing her husband may have relapsed into drinking after years sober.
  • [05:43] Mrs. Helmer:

    “I've been working on the books. Trying to keep my mind off of what's happened... Now Jason's gone.”

• Suspicions and Motive:

  • She reveals Fred owed them money, had previously written a bad check, and today was Jason's last effort to recover the debt before involving the police.
  • Fred enticed Jason with a promise to collect at the racetrack and begged for a ride due to lack of funds.

3. Patterns of Addiction & Brokenness

• Alcoholism:
  • Both Fred and Jason have troubled histories with alcohol. Mrs. Helmer is more afraid of her husband's potential relapse than his absence.
  • [09:02] Mrs. Helmer:

    “We've been so close the last 10 years, ever since he stopped drinking. I guess that's what I'm afraid of more than anything else. Him starting up again.”

  • Friday gently reassures her that positive habits die hard:

    [09:21] “Well, ten years is a long time... Good habits are hard to break, too.”

4. Investigating Fred Madison

• Confronting Mrs. Madison:

  • The detectives question Fred’s wife, who describes him as an unemployable drunk:

    [11:56] Mrs. Madison: “He collects corks and bottles—Ma’am, I'm trying to tell you, he doesn't work. He just drinks.”

• Locating Fred:

  • Mrs. Madison tips them off to a possible hideout—a friend’s home in the Valley, following Fred’s typical drinking pattern.

5. The Valley Encounter & Fred’s Evasions

• Police Questioning:

  • The detectives find Fred Madison heavily intoxicated. He responds with belligerent and slippery answers, repeatedly sidestepping direct questions about money and Jason’s whereabouts.
  • [14:12] Fred Madison (slurringly):

    “You fellas like a drink? Something to keep the chill out?”

• Trail of Deceit:

  • Fred claims to have paid Jason back the debt from his “bank”—later revealed as a fabricated story linked to a cash tin can in the barbecue pit of a former residence, which no longer exists.

6. Rising Suspicion and Evidence

• The Crime Unfurls:
  • The detectives, finding contradictions in Fred’s story and his lack of alibi, take him back for further interrogation.
  • A crucial twist occurs when Jason Helmer’s car is found abandoned; soon, his body is discovered in the trunk, the apparent victim of blunt-force trauma.

7. The Interrogation & Confession

• Cornered by Forensics:

  • Presented with fingerprint evidence linking him to Helmer’s stolen wallet, Fred’s bravado collapses.
  • [24:51] Detective Friday:

    “This explains where you got the money. When you took the currency from Helmer’s wallet, you left three perfect prints on one of the celluloid envelopes.”

  • [25:09] Fred Madison confesses:

    “He was gonna send me to jail... It happened real quick. Maybe if I hadn’t been drinking, it might not have been this way. I don’t know.”

• Motive and Regret:

  • Fred explains his fear of jail, failure to secure a loan, and frustrated desperation as motives.

8. Aftermath and Justice

• Resolution:
  • The episode concludes with Fred Madison’s conviction for first-degree murder:

    “Madison was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. And received sentence as prescribed by law... sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary, San Quentin, California.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Journalistic Disagreement

  • [02:37] Comic sports banter before the case begins

    “You see this evening's sports page?” – Frank Smith
    “No, I didn’t. Why?” – Joe Friday

• On Addiction’s Shadow

  • [09:02] Mrs. Helmer:

    “We've been so close the last 10 years, ever since he stopped drinking. I guess that's what I'm afraid of more than anything else. Him starting up again.”

• Cynicism and Humor in the Face of Suffering

  • [14:12] Fred Madison slurs:

    “One thing everybody says about old Fred, he can handle his booze. You never seen old Fred swinging?”

• Pivotal Confrontation and Evidence

  • [24:51] Detective Friday:

    “This explains where you got the money. When you took the currency from Helmer’s wallet, you left three perfect prints...”

• Rationalizing Desperation

  • [25:09] Fred Madison:

    “He was gonna send me to jail... If I hadn’t been drinking, it might not have been this way.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------| | 00:26 | Friday sets up the case | | 05:24 | Interview with Mrs. Helmer | | 10:50 | Interview with Mrs. Madison | | 13:54 | Finding Fred Madison in the Valley | | 19:20 | Fred leads detectives to former home | | 22:58 | Discovery of Helmer’s car and body | | 24:12 | Final interrogation and confession | | 25:35 | Madison’s conviction and sentencing |

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Tone and Language

The episode is a classic of hard-boiled detective drama: terse, factual dialog from Friday and Smith, interspersed with moments of dry, fatalistic humor and occasional warmth. The pain of addiction, regret, and moral conflict surfaces poignantly in the voices of Mrs. Helmer and Fred Madison, giving emotional texture to the procedural backbone.

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Summary Takeaway

“The Big Mannikin” is a taut exploration of human frailty and the inexorable unraveling of truth. It masterfully blends procedural rigor with emotional resonance, culminating in a confession born of forensic evidence and psychological cornering. Nostalgic, gripping, and expertly acted, this episode exemplifies why Dragnet endures as a pillar of old-time radio detective drama.

Transcript

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[Detective Joe Friday]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows. Like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail] Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Dragnet the you're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a missing persons detail. You get a call that a man has failed to return to his home, there's reason to suspect foul play. Your job, investigate. It was Friday. January 2nd. Was overcast in Los Angeles. We're working the night. Watch out. A homicide division missing. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Warman. My name's Friday. I was on my way back from communications and it was 8:12am when I got to room 24. Squad room. Well, it's hard to believe, isn't it? January 2nd, another year gone by. Yeah. You see this evening sports page? No, I didn't. Why? Still talking about that Rose bowl game. Oh, is that so? You know, Joe, looks to me like that last play of the game's gonna end up like the Dempsey Tuning thing. The what? The Dempsey Tuning fight. Oh, I don't think it will. Oh, yeah. Big controversy over that last play. Well, since when all the sports writers agree. Well, that's where you're wrong, Joe. How do you figure that? I read them all. Examiner, Times, Herald News, the Mirror. They all agree. The officials called it right. All the sports writers, huh? Every one of them, apparently. You haven't seen this. I've never seen that paper before in my life. No, that's where you're wrong, Joe. All the writers don't agree on that last play. See? Finchley Crockett right there. You can see for yourself.

[Fred Madison]

Who?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Finchley Crockett.

[Fred Madison]

Who's he?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Only the sports editor, that's all. The editor? What. What paper is this, Jesse? County Realist picked it up tonight on my way in. Yeah, well, the game's over, so let's just forget about it. What do you say? Oh, sure. Just overlook the only right call on the game, huh? Just pass it right by, Joe. Finchley Crockett's never been wrong. Called the World Series. The All Star Game. Picked the heavyweight champ before the fight. He's accurate, Joe. Good for him. But it's over and the score still stands. Next year's another game. Okay, listen to this. I'm going to read this column to you. The Bird Says by Finchley Crockett. What's the name of the column? The Bird. Bird. Crockett who?

[Fred Madison]

Well.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Oh, I forgot to tell you. When Crockett played for the Trojans, his nickname was the Bird. I don't remember anybody but that name playing for usc. No, Joe. Jcu, Jesse County Trojans. Oh, yeah, sure. Now listen to what he says. It is a rare treat when the editor of a small town paper gets to see one of the nation's bowl games. But your editor was so treated this week at the county seat. As you all know, the new television transmitter is now operating. And it is a rare treat. As you know, there's nothing like being at the game. But it is a rare treat when the editor of a small town paper gets to see one of the nation's bowl games. He's a real great guy, Joe. And in closing, yours truly would like to go on record and say that the last play of the game was a complete mystery to me. Go ahead. Go ahead. That's it, Joe. He made his point. That's all there is to the entire column. Well, that's it. It proves that all the sports writers didn't agree on the last play of the game. I get it. Missing Persons Friday. Yes, ma', am. That's right. All right, we'll be right out. No, ma'. Am. Right away. Bye. What do you got? Missing husband? Yeah. Wife says he and another man went out this afternoon. He's over three hours late getting home. It's kind of early to start worrying, huh? Well, not the way she puts it. What do you mean? Well, the fellow with him. Yeah? Her husband was going to have him put in jail. 8:32pm Frank and I left the office and drove out to. The address was located on Agatha Street. The lettering on the window read Helmer's Mannequin Rental and Sales. The store was dark except for a single light at the rear of the place. We knocked and a small woman in her 50s answered the door. We identified ourselves and she asked us in.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

You want to come back to the office?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thank you.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Watch your steps there. It's kind of dark.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thank you. These dummies sure look like real people.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yes, they specialize in lifelike models. I've been working on the books. Trying to keep my mind off of what's happened. Do you want to sit down?

[Detective Joe Friday]

That's all right, Ms. Helmer. You go ahead. You want to tell us what this is all about?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Now Jason's gone.

[Detective Joe Friday]

That's your husband's name, Jason Helmer?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

That's right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How old is he?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

53. He had a birthday last October.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Why do you think something's happened to him?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Because it's not like him to do a thing like this without telling me.

[Detective Joe Friday]

He told me on the phone that you'd heard from him. Is that right?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Not from him. Fred Madison called me.

[Detective Joe Friday]

When was that?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

I guess it was about 5:45. Might have been 6. No later.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, what'd this fellow Madison say to you?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Told me that Jason was coming right home.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Were they together when he called?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

You know, Fred said they were.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you talk to your husband?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No. At the time, I didn't think it'd be necessary.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You know where they called from?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Fred said some bar.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did he mention a name?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No, and I didn't ask. I guess I was afraid to.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What do you mean?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, Jason used to drink quite a bit. We had a lot of trouble over it. Seemed like everything was falling apart. Then he straightened up and quit. He hasn't had a drink of liquor in 10 years. When Fred called, I thought that maybe he'd gotten Jason started again.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did he say your husband had been drinking?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No, no, he just told me that Jason was leaving the bar and be right home.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Was he driving?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, I don't know, ma'.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Am.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

My husband hurt his shoulder a couple of days ago. He wrenched it. I don't think he's able to drive very well. He might try to make it with one hand. Our car has that automatic drive thing, you know, you don't have to shift gears. Yes, sir, but I don't think he'd have driven.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did he leave in your car?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yes. Fred told him he'd drive.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Where'd he go?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, like I told you on the phone, to the races.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Your husband usually go there?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No. The only reason he went today was to collect some money. From who? Fred.

[Detective Joe Friday]

He's the man your husband was going to put in jail. Is that right?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yes, that's right.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Why?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, he's owed us some money for quite a while. About four months ago, Jason asked him for it. Fred wrote a check. It wasn't any good.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You want to go ahead?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, Jason tried to get in touch with Fred and wanted to give him the chance to make good on the check. Was never able to catch him at home. Talked to him on the phone. But Fred was never there when my husband went over to see him. Jason told him to have the money this morning and the bad chick would be turned over to police. Fred showed up here this morning. We thought he'd come to pay the money, but he told us he didn't have it. Jason said there wasn't any reason to spend more time on it. Said they might as well go to the police. That's when Fred told us that he could get the money out at the racetrack. He wanted Jason to drive him out there.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Is that what happened?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yeah. At first, Jason didn't want to, you know, with his sore shoulder. He told Fred to take a bus. Fred said he didn't have any money and begged my husband to drive him. Told him how he'd pay the money he owed and have enough to get home. Yeah, well, they Left here about 11.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did this Fred Madison say who he was going to get the money from?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No, just that it was some friend.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Can you give us a description of your husband's car?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yes, I've got the license number, too, if you want it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How about a description of both men?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, I can give you that.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right. Gentlemen.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Sergeant.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'? Am?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

You've been through this kind of thing before. You ought to know. What's that About Jason. Do you think he's all right?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, I wouldn't know, Ms. Halmer. We'll try to find out.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

We've been so close the last 10 years, ever since he stopped drinking. I guess that's what I'm afraid of more than anything else. Him starting up again.

[Detective Joe Friday]

This man I can understand.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Do you think he might have started up again?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, I wouldn't know that either, but I'd say things might be in your favor.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, how's that?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, 10 years is a long time.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Good habits are hard to break, too. Before we left the store, we got a complete description of Jason Helmer and Fred Madison. We also got Madison's address and the license number of the car they were driving. Mrs. Halmer gave us a recent photograph of her husband. And we checked with R and I on both men. We found a record on each one of them. Helmer had been booked 12 times for drunk. The last one was over 10 years ago. Madison had been picked up for drunk, suspicion of burglary and writing checks without sufficient funds. We checked the jails and the hospitals, and we found that neither man had been booked in the last five hours. We went back to the office and got a local on an APB on both men and the car. 9:46pm we drove out to talk to Fred Madison. There was no one at home, but we got the information that his wife was employed at a restaurant on Clay Street. We went over to see her.

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[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Can I help you?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, I'd like to see Mrs. Madison, please.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Who are you?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Police officers. This is my partner, Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Here's our identification.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Uh huh. Well, I'm Lorna Madison. What do you want?

[Detective Joe Friday]

A few questions we'd like to ask.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

You mind going in the back to talk? Don't want everybody in the place to know my business.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Oh. Huh.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Who's back here? Hard enough to keep the job. Go ahead, sit down.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thank you.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Can I get you some coffee?

[Detective Joe Friday]

No, thank you. Oh, ma', am.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

I don't have to ask you what this is all about.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I guess say pardon.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Something about Fred?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'.

[Fred Madison]

Am.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

What'd he do?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, we're not sure that he's done anything yet, Ms. Madison.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Then why are you here?

[Detective Joe Friday]

We're trying to find him.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He is in trouble.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We just want to talk to him. Could you tell us where he might be, Mr. Yes, we have.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Well, I don't know then. He left this morning, said he'd be home early.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Have you heard from him?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did he say where he was going.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

When he left the racetrack?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Was he going with anybody? Would you know?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He didn't say.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What kind of work does your husband do, Ms. Madison?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He's a collector.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What's that?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He collects corks and bottles. Ma', am, I'm trying to tell you, he doesn't work. He just drinks.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Then how could he afford to go to the races?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He can't. The only money he's got is what he can borrow from other people to steal from my purse.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did he say why I was going to the races?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Oh, I don't care what he does anymore. I tried to help him, but he doesn't make any effort to change. Just goes on drinking and feeling sorry for himself.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Any idea where he'd go if he was drinking.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Any place where he can mooch a drink. He's even tried it here.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Can you give us the name of any of the places?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yeah, I can tell you. But will you tell me what he's done?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, just like we said, Ms. Madison, we're not sure that he's done anything yet.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

That's the truth.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'. Am. We just like to talk to him.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

All right. I think I can help you find him. I got a phone call earlier this evening.

[Detective Joe Friday]

From your husband?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

No, from a friend of ours in the Valley. David Neeson. Fred had called him. Fred wanted to use his place tonight. Davis said he could. I asked him if Fred had been drinking. He said he couldn't tell, but I know he has. Follows a pattern.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How's that, Ms. Manson?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

He's done it before. Go out to David's place, drink himself into a stupor. David always calls me, so I won't worry. Could I have something in your offices?

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

If you find him there, will you do what you can for him?

[Detective Joe Friday]

What do you think it's gonna do any good?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

What do you mean? Mr. Friday?

[Detective Joe Friday]

I don't think he'd take our help, would he? Why, he didn't want yours. Ms. Madison gave us the address of the place where her husband was supposed to. We also got the address and phone number of David Neeson. We put in a call to him, but he hadn't heard from Madison. Frank and I left the restaurant and drove out to the San Fernando Valley. On the way out, it started to rain. 3113 Nordhoff street was a small redwood house. We parked the car and walked up onto the porch. Frank tried the door. Better try it again. Yeah. Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

Who's there?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Madison, open the door.

[Fred Madison]

Don't worry. I didn't order anything.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Come on, Madison, open up. Doesn't sound like he's doing too good.

[Fred Madison]

What do you want?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Let's talk inside.

[Fred Madison]

Sure wouldn't keep anybody out at night like this. Come on in.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Police officers.

[Fred Madison]

Now, let's go over by the fire. It's cold out here. In the middle of the room.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You Fred Madison?

[Fred Madison]

Well, that's what you call me when you pounded on the door.

[Detective Joe Friday]

That's right.

[Fred Madison]

You friends of Dave's?

[Detective Joe Friday]

We've talked to him.

[Fred Madison]

He's a nice fellow, old Dave. This his house, you know?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, we know.

[Fred Madison]

Nice place. Roof's tight. Good bar. He's a great friend, old Dave.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Come on, get up. Yeah, I.

[Fred Madison]

How you fellas like a drink? You know, something keep the chill out.

[Detective Joe Friday]

No, we don't want one. And we think you've had enough, too.

[Fred Madison]

Well, how about you, mister?

[Detective Joe Friday]

No. Oh, okay.

[Fred Madison]

But don't say I didn't try to.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Put the glass down. Madison, you don't have enough trouble answering our questions as it is.

[Fred Madison]

Well, that's just where you're wrong.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Is that right?

[Fred Madison]

Yeah. One thing everybody says about old Fred, he can handle his booze. You never seen old Fred swinging?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Put that glass down.

[Fred Madison]

Okay.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Like to cooperate?

[Fred Madison]

Mind if I sit down here?

[Detective Joe Friday]

I'll help you. Sit right here.

[Fred Madison]

All right. Oh, Dave ought to get some cushions for these benches.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah. You want to start talking now?

[Fred Madison]

Whenever you're ready.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What'd you do today?

[Fred Madison]

All day?

[Detective Joe Friday]

That's right.

[Fred Madison]

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Where'd you go?

[Fred Madison]

Took a little ride out to the track.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Races?

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

Took a little ride.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you go by yourself? Mm? I said, did you go to the races by yourself?

[Fred Madison]

As a matter of fact, I didn't.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Who'd you go with?

[Fred Madison]

Friend of mine.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What's his name?

[Fred Madison]

Well, you don't know him.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Give us his name.

[Fred Madison]

Jason.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Homer, tell us what happened.

[Fred Madison]

Well, nothing. We drove out there and saw the horses.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you make any bets? No. Then why'd you go?

[Fred Madison]

I like horses.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You know that's not the reason. Now, come on.

[Fred Madison]

Okay. I went out to collect some money.

[Detective Joe Friday]

From who?

[Fred Madison]

Why are you asking all these questions?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you get the money? Yeah. What'd you do with it?

[Fred Madison]

I don't think that's any of your business.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You do anything wrong with it?

[Fred Madison]

No.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, then you don't mind telling us.

[Fred Madison]

Do you pay to Bill.

[Detective Joe Friday]

To who?

[Fred Madison]

Jason.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How much you owe him?

[Fred Madison]

A hundred bucks. Listen, I don't like all these questions. The way you guys came in here, I don't like it at all. I don't think I'm gonna answer anything more for you.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I think you are. Where'd you go after you left the track? Come on.

[Fred Madison]

Madison told you. Drove out to the Valley. Howmer go with you? Yes, he did.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Who drove?

[Fred Madison]

Me. Jason has a sore shoulder.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right.

[Fred Madison]

We stopped at a bar, had a couple of drinks. Homer was feeling pretty good that he got paid.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How about Helmer? Did he have anything to drink? Who? Helmer?

[Fred Madison]

Yeah. Yeah, a couple.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What was the name of the bar? The bar? What's the name of it?

[Fred Madison]

Well, I don't know.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You stopped at a place and you don't know the name of it?

[Fred Madison]

That's the way it is. It doesn't matter what name's on the outside anyway. Just what's on the bottles. That's what's important.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, what happened then?

[Fred Madison]

Jason said he had to go home. He wanted me to call his wife and tell her he was on the way.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Did you?

[Fred Madison]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What time was that?

[Fred Madison]

I guess about 5:30. Someplace in there.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

Well, we sat around and had a couple more and then he left.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You stayed on after Halmer left? Yeah. Who paid for the drinks?

[Fred Madison]

Well, who do you think? Me.

[Detective Joe Friday]

How much money did you collect out at the track?

[Fred Madison]

100 bucks. Collected it and then paid Jason.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, let's see your wallet.

[Fred Madison]

Why?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Come on, get it up. How much money have you got?

[Fred Madison]

I don't know.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Not much. Well, take a guess, will you?

[Fred Madison]

20, $30.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, open your wallet and count it.

[Fred Madison]

Well, it might be better if you did.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I said you counted.

[Fred Madison]

Okay, but don't get mad at me if I do it wrong.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We'll try not to.

[Fred Madison]

All right, let's see. 10, 20 by 5, 26, 27, 27. That and the change I still got in my pocket. You want me to count that too?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Never mind.

[Fred Madison]

I'll be glad to do it for you.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Let me see your wallet. Certainly.

[Fred Madison]

Here you are.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You keep the money. Now give me the wallet.

[Fred Madison]

Wallet's a present from my wife. Real nice. A cordovan, leather, not a stitch in it, you know, all folded.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Okay. Here, put it back in your pocket.

[Fred Madison]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thank you. Where'd you get the money, Madison?

[Fred Madison]

From in my wallet. Before that, I had it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Since when?

[Fred Madison]

This morning. I won't hold.

[Mrs. Helmer / Mrs. Madison]

Why?

[Detective Joe Friday]

We got it that you were broke this morning.

[Fred Madison]

Oh, I got it now. Now I have got it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You have, huh?

[Fred Madison]

You think I'm a thief, isn't that it?

[Detective Joe Friday]

We'll let you tell us.

[Fred Madison]

No deal, huh? I didn't steal it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, then where'd you get it?

[Fred Madison]

From my bank.

[Detective Joe Friday]

When did you get it?

[Fred Madison]

Tonight.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You're gonna have to do a little better than that, Madison.

[Fred Madison]

Well, I don't know why. Be perfectly happy to prove it to.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You when you're ready, huh?

[Fred Madison]

All right, I'll show you.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Take you right out there.

[Fred Madison]

You think all the banks close at the same time, don't you?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Go ahead.

[Fred Madison]

Well, you're wrong. Mine's always open. Cook prices don't pay any interest, but it's there and it's always open.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, let's go.

[Fred Madison]

Sure. Take you right out there. It's out in Canoga Park.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You got a coat?

[Fred Madison]

No, sir. Hey, how about a little drink before we go, huh? Kind of warm.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Put that down. I told you, once.

[Fred Madison]

You'Ve had enough of that. Ain't that much. Hate to figure what happened if I ever ran out. I hate to think about it. Be terrible to have to go around it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Well, I'll tell you something. What's that? That bank of yours isn't there. You're going to get the chance. Because of Fred Madison's condition, it was difficult to know how much of the truth he was telling us. We went back to the car and started to drive toward Canoga Park. On the way, we stopped and put in a call to Mrs. Helmer. Her husband still hadn't returned. Madison directed us to drive to a ranch type house on Kelvin Avenue. By the time we got there, it stopped raining. We parked the car and walked up to the house. There were no lights on and no answer when we rang the bell. All right, Madison, you through playing games now?

[Fred Madison]

Banks, out in the backyard.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What backyard?

[Fred Madison]

There's a barbecue out there. Banks. A tin can near there.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, show us. Sure.

[Fred Madison]

I used to live in this house, that's all. Yeah. Always figured that someday I was gonna need some money. One time I just went out and buried some. Figured there'd be a time when I was gonna need it. Yeah, and it's a tin can at a barbecue.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What time are you here today?

[Fred Madison]

I don't know. I don't have a watch.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Haven't got any idea, huh? Sorry.

[Fred Madison]

That catch is kind of tricky. You gotta pull it towards you. I always meant to fix that when we lived here.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right. Now, where's the barbecue?

[Fred Madison]

One of you got a flashlight? Now let me have it.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You tell us where you want it pointed.

[Fred Madison]

Gee, you don't trust anybody.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Where's the barbecue?

[Fred Madison]

It's over in the corner of the yard, right near the fence. Where?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Over here.

[Fred Madison]

Swing the light over to the left.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right. There's nothing there.

[Fred Madison]

Maybe I made a mistake. It's been a while since I've been here. I must be in the other corner of the yard.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Over here, huh?

[Fred Madison]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right, take a good look. You're not doing so good tonight, are you, Madison?

[Fred Madison]

I don't understand. I saw it today.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Probably the owner of the house. We'll check with him.

[Fred Madison]

Sure. Don't understand it. Right in the corner of the yard, near the fence. Some of you fellas you're looking for.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Police officer, sir. Who tried the door? There wasn't anybody home.

[Fred Madison]

Tell me what this is all about.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You live here, do you? That's right.

[Fred Madison]

What are you looking for?

[Detective Joe Friday]

You know anything about a barbecue pit in the backyard here?

[Fred Madison]

Yeah.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What want to tell us where it is.

[Fred Madison]

I tore it down. Three months ago.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We returned Fred Madison to the office for further injur interrogation. Frank and I attempted to talk to him without result. He said he couldn't remember where he'd gotten the money. He couldn't tell us where Jason Halmer was. We put in a call to the missing man's home, but he still hadn't returned. We rechecked the hospitals and the jails without result. 1:14am we were ready to give it up for the night. Frank went over to the office and I got Madison ready to leave.

[Fred Madison]

You're going to take me to jail now?

[Detective Joe Friday]

You called it. Come on, Joe, hold it up. Madison, what do you got? A call just came in about Helmer's car. They just found it. While men from the business office took Madison over to the main jail for booking, Frank and I drove out to the Valley again. Helmer's car had been found about a mile off Topanga Canyon Boulevard on Farview Road. It was back off the road and partially hidden by the trees. When we got there, a radio car was standing by. We talked to the officer. Take a look at the back stuff.

[Fred Madison]

On the ground there. I covered it with the boxes in case it started to rain again.

[Detective Joe Friday]

That's good.

[Fred Madison]

These stains here on the ground, I don't know if they're gonna mean anything.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You got anything we can use to open this trunk?

[Fred Madison]

I'll check our car.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right. What do you think? I don't know. Better get in touch with the crime lab. Have him come out and go over the place. Yeah. Here, I got something. Can you get it? Put that light over here, will you? Yeah. How's that? That's better. Need some help? No, I think I got it. Here. Once more ought to do it now. Yeah. There we are.

[Fred Madison]

Let's get it open now.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Thought maybe we'd be wrong.

[Fred Madison]

Yeah, Chalmer.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We put in a call to the crime lab and they came out and made an investigation of the scene. From what we could tell, Halmer had been killed by some sort of blunt instrument. His empty wallet was in the trunk beside the body. 6:48am we had Fred Madison brought from his cell. I feel lousy.

[Fred Madison]

My head feels like it don't belong to me. Why don't you tell us the truth? You haven't told me what this is about. There's no reason why I should answer your questions if I don't know what you're trying to get at.

[Detective Joe Friday]

We told you, we want the truth.

[Fred Madison]

All these questions over and over the same things.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You can make it easy on yourself.

[Fred Madison]

Well, how?

[Detective Joe Friday]

Come up with the right answers.

[Fred Madison]

But I told you.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah, like the bar you went to called the I don't know. Huh?

[Fred Madison]

I'd tell you the name if I knew. I've been drinking pretty good.

[Detective Joe Friday]

I'll get it. Right? Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

Some crime after you.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Here.

[Fred Madison]

Joe.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Madison? Yeah. This is about your bank.

[Fred Madison]

What do you mean?

[Detective Joe Friday]

This explains where you got the money. What? When you took the currency from Helmer's wallet, you left three perfect prints on one of the celluloid envelopes.

[Fred Madison]

Means something has happened to Helmer.

[Detective Joe Friday]

You tell us. Come on. You can drop the bluff. These prints are enough to indict you. You wanna tell us?

[Fred Madison]

He was gonna send me to jail. I. I didn't get the money at the track. I tried to get him to give me some more time.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

He was so righteous about it. Said I had enough time, he was gonna go the police. I pleaded with him, but he wouldn't listen. It happened real quick. Maybe if I hadn't been drinking, it might not have been this way. I don't know.

[Detective Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Fred Madison]

When I started to think about the big trouble it was in, I figured it was all a kind of money.

[Detective Joe Friday]

All right.

[Fred Madison]

There really was a guy at the track, you know. He was gonna lend me the money to pay Homer. If he'd loaned me the money would have solved everything.

[Detective Joe Friday]

What was another way?

[Fred Madison]

What do you mean?

[Detective Joe Friday]

That money you owed Helmer. Yeah. You could have worked for Frederick Carson. Madison was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. And received sentence as prescribed by law. On recommendation of the jury, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary, San Quentin, California. You have just heard Dragnet. The authentic story of your police force in action. And starring Jack Webb. A presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio.