21st Precinct 53-08-04 (005) Case of the Sailor's Family

Summary

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Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: 21st Precinct 53-08-04 (005) – "Case of the Sailor’s Family"
Date: January 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Harold's Old Time Radio" presents a gripping episode of 21st Precinct, a radio police drama set in New York City. The case follows the emotional turmoil of sailor Joe Rollins, who returns from sea to find his home destroyed by fire and his wife and child missing. The story revolves around the police procedural efforts to trace the missing family, delving into both the emotional stakes and the dogged, methodical investigative work of the precinct officers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Routine Morning Turns to a Desperate Search (00:05–03:48)

• Sergeant Klein takes an unusual call about a missing person and sets the case in motion.
• Captain Frank Kennelly describes the area and the day, setting a tone of realism and responsibility of the precinct.
• Lieutenant Gorman and Captain Kennelly share small talk about lobster in Maine, setting a human tone before the case heats up.

2. The Sailor’s Plight: Joe Rollins Reports His Family Missing (03:48–09:00)

• Sailor Joe Rollins arrives at the precinct after returning to find his home burned and family missing.
  • Memorable Quote:
    “I can't find them. I don't know where they went.” – Joe Rollins [04:15]
• Officers begin to gather initial facts: Joe’s wife and 2-year-old daughter lived at the burnt building; neighbors are no help, and there are unaccounted casualties.

3. Investigatory Steps and Emotional Tension (09:00–13:19)

• The officers check hospital records, contact the Missing Persons Bureau, and canvass businesses and neighbors.
  • Kennelly’s Leadership:
    “We think everybody in that building was accounted for.” – Captain Kennelly [09:38]
• Emotional stakes escalate as Joe worries the unidentified victims at the morgue might be his family.
  • “Tell me the truth. Are they them?” – Joe Rollins [10:50]

4. A Diligent, Citywide Search – Leads Grow Cold (13:19–16:40)

• Police keep investigating, calling hospitals and contacting other agencies, hitting one dead end after another.
  • Investigative versus Emotional:
    “Descriptions don't fit the ones Joe gave me. It's hard to tell in these burn cases, Captain.” – Sergeant Klein [12:44]
• A brief interlude shows the precinct handling another case (a stolen car), illustrating the relentless variety of police work.

5. Facing the Grim Possibility: The Morgue Visit (17:51–21:30)

• Kennelly and Joe visit Bellevue morgue, confronting the possibility that his wife and child are among the burned, unidentified victims.
  • Memorable Quote:
    “They don't even look like people... Not even like people.” – Joe Rollins [20:44]
  • Detective Trinker explains the difficulty of identification by remains.
• Police pursue more technical leads, such as checking for a change of address and power account but find nothing.

6. Resolution and Emotional Release (23:05–25:29)

• As despair mounts, Joe prepares to call his wife's sister in St. Louis to deliver tragic news.
• In a surprising twist, Joe’s wife Doris answers the phone—she and the daughter are safe in St. Louis, having left suddenly for her sister’s family emergency.
  • Memorable Quotes:
    • “Hello, this is Doris.” – Doris (Joe’s wife) [24:32]
    • “Oh, dear, it’s good to hear you. Baby, you don’t know how good.” – Joe Rollins [24:45]
    • “How do you feel?” – Doris; “Oh, fine. Just fine. Hey, listen, I got some big news for you... The house burned down.” – Joe [25:10–25:20]
• Joe and Captain Kennelly reflect on the unresolved fate of the unidentified victims and the relief of a happy ending for Joe’s family.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Police Work’s Uncertainty:
  “Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone.” – Narration [25:40]

• On Human Cost:
  “Gotta let her sister know too, you know. We stopped there for a day on the way from the coast. She showed us a real time in St. Louis... Now, you gotta give these things time.” – Joe Rollins [22:50]

• Emotional Reunion (via phone):
  “Wonderful. Getting bigger every day. She just loves her cousins.” – Doris, about Josie [25:05]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:05–02:45: Setup at the precinct; first call sets the case in motion.
• 03:48–09:00: Joe Rollins reports his missing family; initial investigation begins.
• 09:00–13:19: Canvassing neighbors and local businesses for clues.
• 14:05–16:40: Search expands with help from detectives and outside agencies.
• 17:51–21:30: Morgue scene, emotional peak—burned victims remain unidentified.
• 23:05–25:29: Climactic resolution, Joe reaches wife in St. Louis, emotional relief.

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Tone and Style

The episode exemplifies the procedural, fact-driven narrative typical of mid-century radio dramas, combining methodical police work with moments of raw human emotion. It balances the mundane (checking with merchants and hospitals) with moments of deep pathos as Joe faces the possible loss of his family. The language alternates between clipped police professionalism and the intimate, vulnerable speech of the worried sailor.

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Summary

This broadcast of 21st Precinct masterfully illustrates both the mechanical and human aspects of police investigation—dogged fact-finding, collaborative problem-solving, and deep empathy for those swept into misfortune. The episode maintains tension until the last moment, delivering not only a mystery but a cathartic emotional payoff when Joe discovers his family's safety.

The show concludes with reflection, leaving both Joe and the officers thinking of the unknown victims—a poignant reminder of the unsolved cases that persist even with a happy ending for one family.

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Transcript

[A]

21St Precinct. Sergeant Klein. A what? How do you know something's wrong? How many days haven't you seen him? How do you know he's been in the apartment all that time? You are in the muster room at the 21st Precinct, the nerve center. A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken pursuant to that call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct. Do you have a key to get in? What makes you sure? It's been bolted from the inside. All right. I'll send the officers around to have a look. Where can they find you? All right, just stay there. I'll send them right over. 21st Precinct. It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the 9/10 of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the east river wouldn't know, if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes and their property is my job. My job and the job of the 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants and four lieutenants of whom I'm the boss. My name is Kennelly, Frank Kennelly. I'm captain in Command of the 21st. What makes a city? Not buildings, not subways, not business. People make a city. From dawn to midnight. From midnight to dawn. The rich and the poor and the good and the bad pour their lives together and stir up the city as in the 21st, seven days a week. It was Sunday morning and raining. I was on patrol when the chief inspector visited the precinct in response to a radio signal. I returned to the house and conferred with the chief inspector, the commander of the uniformed force, for 35 minutes regarding conditions in the precinct. When the chief rose to leave, I walked outside with him to his car. It had stopped raining. Then I returned to the muster room and went around behind the desk to read the entry made in the blotter by Lieutenant Kenneth Gorman. Concerning the visit to the precinct by the chief inspector. That all right, Captain? Yep. He walked in here big as life. Well, you've got to expect it, Ken. He's not gonna call and tell you he's coming. Have enough A day after I come back. My vacation, Captain, could have waited until the night. Where'd you go, Ken? Maine. You like lobster, Captain? Who doesn't? You ought to go up the coast of Maine. You never had such lobster. Listen, I heard they never heard of a broiled Lobster in Maine. The only way they fix them is boiled. Is that right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All these places have this great big kettle. You gotta pick out the lobster you want from a little pen. Man, they're all crawling around live. They take it and they dump it right in the kettle. And gee, guess how much we'll lobster dinner for my wife, myself and the two kids and big lobsters. Captain. How much? 550. No kidding. Come in. Sir. Yes, sir. What's on your mind? Sell. I can't find my family, Lieutenant. What do you mean you can't find them? I'm on a cruise to St. Paul. We've been cruising the Mediterranean for two months. We just stopped at Brooklyn Navy Yard this morning. I can't find them. Were they supposed to meet you, son? No, no, sir. They didn't even know I was coming. You see, we live in New York. I just came home and went to the house. It was burned out. Wasn't anybody there. There was a fire three days ago. Somebody told me was 631 York Avenue. 21st Precinct, Sergeant. And the whole building's boarded up. It's really burned down. All right, 18. Just a second. Hold on. I can't find them. I don't know where they went. Hey, lieutenant. Yes? Eisman's ringing in. You said let you know Eisenwith holding up that notification election in Navner for the 44. The card's still sitting here. Yes, I was just wondering if you knew anything about it. What about the notification? It's got me worried. Worried to death. Did you ask around, any of the neighbors? Oh, yes, sir. I asked around. Nobody's in the building. It was burned out. Keep on trying that. It's Sunday and the stores there all closed. What do you mean? Your family, your parents. I know, sir. My wife and my baby. Oh. Did you ask any of the neighbors in the other buildings? Well, there isn't anybody living in the houses on either side anymore. They're getting ready to make a housing project there. And besides us, there were only five or six families left in our house. Hey, listen, do you remember the fire? A man over there told me there were some people killed. Do you remember that? Yes, there were some people killed. What's your name? Sailor Rawlins. Joe Rawlins. You run the cruise of St. Paul? Yes, sir. Gun is my second class. Hey, listen, who was killed? Not my wife and baby. I don't remember the name. Rawlins? I don't think so. Well, could you check? We're going to right now. I'll tell you what you do? Listen, how many people? Five. Five? Oh, God. Well, one of them was a city fireman. The others were tenants. I gotta know. How soon could I know? Well, I'll tell you what you do, son. I'm Captain Kennelly. Yes, sir. And that's my office right across the room there. It'll take a little while to look up the reports. Why don't you just have a seat in my office until we find him? That's all right. I don't mind. It'll take a few minutes, Joe. Just go ahead and sit in there. I'll be right in. Yes, sir. All right. I asked Sergeant Klein to get out the aided case cards and the unusual occurrence report for the fire at 3:30 in the morning, two days before. It took a few seconds, not a few minutes, but I wanted the chance to read over the reports before I spoke to the sailor again. I read them and gave Sergeant Klein and Lieutenant Gorman instructions to call the Missing Persons Bureau and the Office of the Chief Medical examiner to get more information concerning their subsequent investigations. Then I walked across the muster room to my office. All right, Joe. Anyone killed, their names weren't listed among the victims? No. Rollins'. Oh, man. Sit down, son. Yeah, thanks. Thanks a lot. You don't know what a relief it is, captain. I know. Have a cigarette, Joe. Thanks. Thanks. Well, where are they? Where could they have gone? Well, that's what we'll have to find out. You have any other family in New York? No, sir. My folks are dead. Both of them. You see, that was originally their flat there. I was based out in San Diego when I got married and my father died. And then about a year later, my mother. I was about ready for sea duty again and I was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. So Doris and me, that's my wife, Doris, we decided the best thing would be to take over my mother's flat. Well, sounds like it was a good idea. Yes, sir. So we brought the baby on east. That was. That was just the beginning of May. How about any close friends she could be staying with? Well, I wouldn't have any close friends. You see, I'd been gone for three or four years and I just drifted apart from any friends I'd stay. As far as Doris is concerned, I don't know. I shipped out just a couple of days after we moved back here. I don't know if she made any friends or who. Does she have any family here? No, sir, not in New York. Her folks live in San Diego. Just outside of San Diego. She's got a Sister in Missouri. Where in Missouri? St. Louis. And her sister's married to a fellow in the insurance business in St. Louis. Got a good job. I don't know where she could have gone. Beats the living daylights out of me. How about her sisters in St. Louis? No, I don't think so, Captain. It's too far and, well, they only got a small place. Three kids of their own. I don't think so. I'm sure that was a pretty bad fire, wasn't it? The building really looked wrecked. Yeah. They don't know how it started. Short circuit, they think. What floor did you live on, Joe? Fourth floor. Fourth floor and the front. I wonder if she got anything out of there. I had a ball signed by Babe Ruth. I'd hate to lose that. They're getting rare. How old is your baby? 2. She'll be 2 next month. Want to see a picture? Yeah, sure. She's the cutest little thing. Josie, that's after me. Josephine's her real name. She is cute. Is that your wife? Yes, sir. That guy. Oh. You know where I took that? We had to change buses in Columbus, Ohio. I took that on the state capitol grounds. They got squirrels out there so tame, they just walk up and take peanuts right out of your hand. Honestly, about how tall would you say Doris is? Oh, I don't know. About five, one, five, two, something like that. I don't know. How much would you say she weighs? About 110, I guess. Why? No reason. Well, it must be a reason. It's something you're not telling me, isn't there? Yo. Listen to me. We think everybody in that building was accounted for. Who was killed? Who was killed? Beside the firemen, I mean. There was five. Who? Well, there was an elderly couple who lived on the second floor. Who else? And, Joe, that's why I asked you the question. I don't think it's them who's not them? Well, there were two unidentified bodies. Yeah, a woman and a child. Don't kid me now. Tell me the truth. I am telling you the truth. They were burnt beyond recognition, Joe. But the medical examiner's report says the woman weighed about 150 and was 5 6. She's smaller than that, Doris. Much more. I know. And the child? They think it's a boy. About four, they think? Aren't they sure? Well, they were pretty badly burned, Joe. Well, if they're not identified, who could they be? Somebody must know them. Joe. Where are they? Look, Joe, our report was written the morning of the fire. The Missing Persons Bureau took Over the investigation two days ago. Bodies have probably been identified by now. I've got my men out there checking. They don't answer the description of your family. Well, where is my family? Where are they? Come in. Captain, can I see your minutes? Yeah, sure. I'll be out. Don't keep anything from me. Don't keep anything from me now. Yes, Sergeant? We checked both the medical examiner and the detectives in the Missing Persons bill. Yeah? And Bobby said a woman and a kid are still in Bellevue Morgue. Neither of them have been identified yet. They say it's been impossible to get a readable fingerprint off either of them. The descriptions don't fit the ones Joe gave me. It's hard to tell in these burn cases, Captain. Descriptions don't mean much. I know. He says his wife has a sister in St. Louis. Ask Missing Persons if they know about the sister. Yes. A woman and a child, unidentified in the morgue. A woman and a child missing after a fire. Two and two, Captain. All right, get back on the box. Yes. It's them, isn't it? That's what he told you. No, that's not what he told me. Well, then where are they? What happened to them? We haven't any idea, Joe, but we're sure going to find out. A little before noon that Sunday, I put out a call for the patrol Sergeant, Timothy Waters. He was instructed to come by the station and pick up the sailor. Together they drove over to the burned house and sought out the patrolman on post. Inquiries were made among residents in all the nearby buildings to determine whether they had any knowledge of the whereabouts of the woman and child. Meanwhile, at the precinct house, the desk officer, Lieutenant Gorman, the man on the Boxer, Sergeant Klein, and Patrolman Ryan, the 124 man, were making telephone inquiries to the homes of all neighborhood merchants who might have done business with the woman. You don't remember her? Mrs. Rollins? Yeah. Sorry. She never came in your store, huh? All right. Thank you. No luck there either, Captain. You know what? I think we ought to try, ken. Yes, sir. Mrs. Rollins and the child were both Navy dependents. If they got out of the building, and if either of them were injured to any degree, she might have hopped in a cab and gone right to the Brooklyn Naval Hospital of St. Alban. I said it's possible, Captain. That's where Navy people would head. Shall I call them? No, you better call CB Instead of direct. They might want to make the inquiry through the Shore Patrol. I don't know, Sergeant. Yes, sir. Listen, Sergeant, I want you to. Captain, oh, yes, sir. Hello, Ms. Crows? This is Sergeant Klein of the 21st Precinct. You own the grocery store at 619 York Avenue? No, no, no, it's all right. Nothing's wrong. We just want a little information. You remember that fire in the building at 631 York? Yeah, that's right. We're looking for a woman and a child who've been missing since then. Her name is Rawlins. Rawlins. R A W L E N S E. Mrs. Doris Rollins? Yeah, that's the one. Does she do business in your store? Yeah. I see. In case either the woman or the child was admitted. About 5, 2 or 3, 110 pounds, 22 years old, very pretty. You get back to her now. A blonde. She has a little girl, two years old. You don't know her? Never saw her. All right. Thanks, Mr. Crows. I'm sorry to have disturbed you. Goodbye. Nothing, captain. I called CB Captain. I'll make inquiries. All right. Who'd you talk to upstairs? Sergeant Whitey Howard. Captain said he'd try to locate Lieutenant King and have him go in. Okay. When did CB say they get back to us again? Right away.

[B]

Kelsey, is this where I report something?

[A]

Yes, ma'.

[B]

Am.

[A]

Can I help you?

[B]

My car's gone.

[A]

Where'd you park it, man?

[B]

On 64th street, right near Park Avenue. I just gone for a few minutes to take some flowers up to my friend.

[A]

Was it locked?

[B]

Well, of course it was locked.

[A]

I got the keys, the doors and windows too.

[B]

Oh, everything. I was just gone a few minutes.

[A]

You're sure you didn't park it someplace else?

[B]

Of course not. I parked it right in front of a building. Right in front it was gone, Sergeant.

[A]

Who's catching upstairs? They're all out, Lieutenant. They're busy with the safe and Lost Squad and a couple of burglaries we had last night. You see that door back there? Yeah. The detectives are all out, man. You go through that door and talk to the officer. He'll take a report on it.

[B]

Can I give you the report?

[A]

Oh, no, ma'. Am. He'll take it. He's got the proper form.

[B]

Through the door.

[A]

That's all.

[B]

Thank you very much.

[A]

21St Precinct, Sergeant Klein. Hey, Captain Canelli. Who is it? Lieutenant King? No, sir, the division captain. All right, I'll take it right here. Go ahead. Captain Canelli. Hello. Ben Yan. Tomorrow night? Yes, I'm working my night too. All right, sure. What? 21st Precinct, Sergeant Klein. The chief will be back at 10. Yes, he's here, sir, but he's on the Phone. Okay, Ben. I'll see you. Bye. Hold on. Lieutenant. Lieutenant King calling in, Captain. Sergeant. Leave a note on my desk. I'm the covered division between 7 and 10 tomorrow night for the deputy chief. He's got a PAL meeting at the The Wall off yet. All right, I'll take Lieutenant King. Captain Canary. Hello, Matt. Did Whitey Howard tell you what we've got about the sailor? Yeah, well, the poor kid's about half crazy over it. No, neither can I. Listen, it's better than even money that those two bodies down in the mall are his wife and baby. But there's two things you can do for me. You've got the connection. Well, it just involves a couple of phone calls. Yeah. One is I'd like you to get hold of the postal inspectors and have them get us into the Lenox Hill post Office on East 70th. We're interested in knowing if she left a change of address card. Yeah, okay. Well, that's fine, ma'. Am. Yeah. The other is to check your source at Con Ed and see if she ordered electric service at another address before or after the fire. Thanks, man. I certainly appreciate it. Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you at home. Okay, we'll wait for your call. Go along. Will we be able to manage it, Captain? Yeah, I can. He'll get right on it. Well, I hope I'm wrong, but I think we're all just wasting a lot of time. In another half hour, Sergeant Shea returned to the station house with Joe Rollins. The sailor stood by dejectedly as Sergeant Waters reported to me that he and the patrolman on post had interviewed tenants, neighbors and merchants. They all knew Mrs. Rollins and the child on site. Some had recalled seeing them on the afternoon and morning before the fire. Not one remembered seeing them on the street during the fire. More important, not one remembered seeing Mrs. Rawlins the afternoon following the fire. When most of the tenants gathered at the scene in the hope of salvaging some of their belongings. Sergeant Waters resumed patrol and left Joe Rollins sitting in my office. I read accumulated reports and approved the list of cabaret to be inspected by the patrol sergeant. That night, Ellen called and I made arrangements to meet her in midtown for dinner. Then I went back to reading and signing reports. Finally, the sailor raised his head. Captain. Yes, Joe? Where they got them? Where have they got what? The bodies at the morgue. Bellevue. I want to look at them. They're burned beyond recognition, Joe. I want to see them. I want to see if they're mine. Wouldn't do you any good. I Want to see them? I can tell. Missing Persons Bureau says there's only one possibility. That's to send to San Diego to our old dentist and get a chart of the work she's had done. Now, why are the dentists the first thing in the morning? I can't wait that long. I want to see them now. All right, Joe. I'll take you to see them. I went out into the muster room and told Sergeant Klein to radio for Patrolman Farrell to drop his recorder on post and drive the car to the precinct house. Lieutenant Gorman told me that CB had called back to report that neither Mrs. Rawlins nor the child had been admitted to St. Albans or Brooklyn Naval Hospital. There was no word yet on the two important lines sought after by Lt. King, commander of the 21st Detective Squad. When the car arrived, Patrolman Farrell drove us down to the Bellevue morgue. On the way in, we were met by Detective Anthony Trinker of the Missing Persons Bureau. Detective Trinker had handled the investigation of this case along with the office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He took us inside the mortuary. Joe's face was firm and expressionless. All right. That one. Arthur. Okay, arthur, Over here now. All right. They don't even look like people. All right, Arthur. Thank you. Let's go this way, huh? Not even like people. This was your idea, Joe. Who? There. Have a seat over there, Captain. Nice. Tony. Joe. Oh, it's all right. I told you identification would be impossible. I don't even know if we can identify the woman through dental charts or X rays. As far as the child's concerned, we can't even tell for sure whether it's a boy or girl. That's how bad things are. Tony, you estimated the weight of the woman at 150 or so. And the height? Five foot six. The child you said was about four years old, probably a boy. Those descriptions don't match up with Joe's family. I know they don't. Burn cases can have peculiar results. Some of the victims appear larger, some smaller, some the same size. It depends on a lot of factors. Look, I don't care about factors. Give me facts, that's all. Facts. You want it straight, Joe? I've been asking for it straight all day. I've been asking for it straight. Nobody gives me an answer without a hedge. All right? It's as simple as this. If that isn't your family, where are they? I can answer that one. I know where they are. Detective Trinker told me he would not file his final report until after he received the dental charts and X rays from San Diego. We walked back out to the car and rode uptown to the 21st in complete silence. Even the radio was quiet. Only four calls came over from 30th street to the house. Inside the muster room, Lieutenant Gorman told me that Lieutenant King had called. Both of his lines fizzled. Con Ed showed no change order and electric service for Mrs. Rollins. Nor had she filed a change of address card. At the East 70th street post office was 4 o'. Clock. I turned out the platoon for the night tour. Joe Rollins stood in a corner. He watched blankly as I spoke to the men. He didn't seem to notice them as they marched out the door. He followed them out. I went after him. Joe. Where you going, Joe? I don't know. Back to my ship, I guess. I won't bother you anymore, Captain. Wasn't any bother, Joe. It's the job. But I'm worried about you. You don't have to worry about me, sir. I'll be all right. The only thing is how to let her mother know. How can I break the news to them? It's got to be done. They're such nice folks. It's just a shame. A shame. Yeah. Gotta let her sister know too, you know. We stopped there for a day on the way from the coast. She showed us a real time in St. Louis. Oh, we sure did have fun. We laughed and carried on. Everything was so funny. Very funny. Now, you gotta give these things time. I think maybe I'll call her sister and then let her sister call her mother. That's the best thing, huh? I'll do it right now. It's on my mind. It's the only way. Get it over with. Have you got a phone in there in that candy store? Yeah. Oh, just one more favor, captain. You come with me while I call. Just so I don't get cold feet, all right? That's what I'm afraid of. I'll get cold feet. Go ahead. I'll get some change. Oh, that's all right. I got lots of change. All right. I'll leave the door open. All right? Sure, if you want. I got a sister's number in my wallet. You know, in case of Emergency, you dial 21 1. That's long distance.

[B]

Your call, please.

[A]

I want to call St. Louis, Missouri. Evergreen 9970.

[B]

St. Louis, Missouri. Ralph, what number you calling from, please?

[A]

El Dorado 545-993155.

[B]

Tandem dial. Two letters plus a number.

[A]

I don't know how I'm gonna say it.

[B]

Captain, deposit $1.50 for three minutes, please.

[A]

Yes, ma'.

[B]

Am.

[A]

25, 75.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

They're ringing. I should have thought of what to say. I don't take anybody's home, Captain. Let them keep ringing.

[B]

Hello?

[A]

Hello, this is Doris.

[B]

Who is it? Joe?

[A]

Yeah, honey, it's me, Jo.

[B]

You should have wrecked me because she's in St. Louis. Well, when'd you get in?

[A]

What are you doing in St. Louis? I got in this morning.

[B]

We came about three days ago.

[A]

Oh, dear, it's good to hear you, Baby, you don't know how good. Hey, what are you doing there?

[B]

Bill wired me to down here to have an operation.

[A]

Oh, yeah?

[B]

No one to take care of the kids, so I just left in an hour's notice.

[A]

Oh, how is she?

[B]

Oh, she's getting along fine. I didn't expect you till September 1st, Joe. I'm sorry.

[A]

Oh, it's all right, baby. It's all right. How's Josie?

[B]

Wonderful. Getting bigger every day. She just loves her cousins. How do you feel?

[A]

Oh, fine. Just fine. Hey, listen, I got some big news for you.

[B]

You made teeth?

[A]

No, nothing like that. This is really very funny. It's a riot. The house burned down.

[B]

The husband. Joe, what are you talking about?

[A]

Look, I'll explain it to you when I get there.

[B]

No.

[A]

Kiss everybody for me. I'm taking the next plane. I'll wire you from the airport.

[B]

Joe, what about the house?

[A]

I missed the plane, baby. I'll tell you when I get there. Goodbye. Thank God, Joe. I'm happy for you. I'm pretty happy for myself. Except who are the woman and child down there? You've got your problem worked out, Joe. Let us worry about this one. 21st Precinct. Sergeant Klein. A truck ran into what? A store. Where is this? Where? 622. Speak into the phone, please. Just jump the sidewalk. Is anybody hurt? How many people hurt? Speak a little louder, will you, please? What did he do? And so it goes. Around the clock, through the week, every day, every year, a police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood merry go round. Anyone can catch the brass ring or the brass ring can catch anyone. 21st Precinct. A factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolman's Benevolent association, an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York. Everett Sloan in the role of Captain Kennelly. John Sylvester as Joe. Featured in tonight's cast were Gene Gillespie and Andy Strickland. Lawson, Zerby, Santa Sotega and Bob Simon. Written and directed by Stanley Nist. Produced for CBS Radio by John Ives. Art Hannah speaking.