Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: 21st Precinct 54-08-04 (056) "The Job"
Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

Overview

This episode transports listeners to the gritty heart of New York City policing in the 1950s through a dramatized presentation from the radio series "21st Precinct." "The Job" centers on the day-to-day moral and procedural complexities confronting Captain Frank Kennelly, his officers, and the broader community, following a major payroll heist and exposing the hidden struggles and temptations within a local business association. The episode masterfully interweaves personal drama with a police procedural, culminating in an exploration of trust, redemption, and justice within a tightly-knit urban neighborhood.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Developments

1. Setting the Scene: Life in the 21st Precinct

• [01:05-02:00] The episode establishes the daily atmosphere, with police navigating both petty issues and serious crimes in a dense New York precinct.
  • Sergeant Waters fields a call, setting the tone for the “nerve center” of police action.
  • Captain Kennelly narrates the scale and responsibility of his command: "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...the security of their homes, their persons and their property is the job of the men of the 21st Precinct." ([01:22])

2. Community Trouble: The Case of the Missing Association Funds

• [03:20-08:21] Local shop owner Joe Spriggio brings a difficult issue to Captain Kennelly: their merchant association's treasurer, Al Bryder, has come up $211 short.
  • Spriggio explains, "If a guy takes a job as the treasurer of an association, he's gotta have some responsibility. I mean, that's what all the other members think." ([04:40])
  • Kennelly advises, "Well, the police department isn't a collection agency." ([06:10])
  • Subtle tension is revealed when it’s learned Bryder, the treasurer, has a criminal past, casting further suspicion on him.

3. Station Life & Another Breaking Crime

• [08:22-09:18] Parallel to the merchant's dispute, police respond to a major construction payroll robbery: thieves have stolen over $26,000.
  • Lieutenant King notes the magnitude: "That's a good touch. Yes, sir. Actually, tax free." ([09:17])

4. Resolution of the Merchant Crisis

• [09:49-12:00] The following day, Spriggio returns, relieved: Al Bryder unexpectedly produces the missing money, mostly in small change.
  • Spriggio tells Kennelly, "He gave me the money. $211. Every cent he was short. So you could have knocked me over with a feather." ([11:22])
  • Kennelly wryly remarks, "Even if it almost took a truck to carry it home." referencing the awkwardness of the returned coins ([11:43]).

5. Growing Suspicion Around Al Bryder

• [13:00-19:00] Despite paying back the association, Bryder’s sudden “prosperity” raises red flags.
  • Kennelly and Detective King probe, noting his ability to settle multiple large debts just after a major robbery in the neighborhood.
  • They discover Bryder’s “box lunch” business gave him access to the robbed construction site.
  • Detective Goldman reveals, "From the description I get, he's been stopping down at that construction job where the robbery was every morning with six or seven orders....He could have been driving the car." ([19:35])

6. Connecting the Dots: Investigation & Witness Identification

• [22:24-24:42] Detectives interview Mrs. Mickleton, a payroll office witness, who identifies a picture of George Van Teller—Bryder’s brother-in-law and rumored accomplice—as one of the armed robbers.
  • Mrs. Mickleton exclaims, "That's him. That's the one who held a gun on me. I can see him standing there before me with the gun pointed right at me, scooping up the money." ([24:15-24:19])

7. Confrontation and Confession

• [25:00-29:00] Captain Kennelly, Lieutenant King, and detectives confront Al Bryder at his luncheonette.
  • Bryder tries to deflect, "I make it. I’ve got the luncheonette here and the box lunch route. I make it." ([26:45])
  • Pressed further, he claims, "I went into a crap game the other night...That's where I got the money." ([27:44])
  • When officers prepare for a search, Bryder capitulates: "Yeah, I guess you will. Okay, fellas, you got a ride? Where's the rest of the money? To my house. I'll take you to it. Shame. This thing had me in fine shape. I paid off everybody. I was just getting straightened out." ([28:15])

8. Reflection on Justice and Community

• [29:20-30:44] The episode ends with the iconic summary:
  • "And so it goes around the clock...Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone." ([30:32])
  • Show credits and acknowledgement of the police department’s support close the program.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On responsibility and trust:
  "If a guy takes a job as the treasurer of an association, he's gotta have some responsibility." – Joe Spriggio ([04:40])

• Insight on policing limits:
  "Well, the police department isn't a collection agency." – Captain Kennelly ([06:10])

• Foreshadowing and irony:
  "He gave me the money. $211. Every cent he was short. So you could have knocked me over with a feather." – Joe Spriggio ([11:22])

• On police skepticism:
  "I hope he uses more judgment in his business than in picking a treasurer for his organization." – Captain Kennelly ([08:10])

• Witness testimonial:
  "That's him. That's the one who held a gun on me. I can see him standing there before me with the gun pointed right at me, scooping up the money." – Mrs. Mickleton ([24:15-24:19])

• Cynical wisdom on fate:
  "Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone." – Narrator ([30:32])

Timestamps to Key Segments

• Theft and community tension revealed: [03:20-08:21]
• Parallel investigation: Major payroll robbery: [08:22-09:18]
• Resolution of missing funds: [09:49-12:00]
• Police suspicion and the personal visit to the luncheonette: [13:00-19:00]
• Witness identification: [22:24-24:42]
• Arrest and confession: [25:00-29:00]
• Closing reflection and credits: [29:20-30:44]

Tone & Style

The episode retains its hardboiled, documentary realism—direct, unsentimental, but with flashes of humor and pathos. Dialogue-driven scenes evoke the bustling, interconnected life of a mid-century NY neighborhood, with characters speaking plainly but evocatively about trust, reputation, and survival.

Final Thoughts

This "21st Precinct" episode offers a compelling look at law enforcement’s intersecting roles as investigator, confidant, and moral referee in a complex, sometimes fraught urban setting. The drama presents not just the solving of a crime, but the ripple effects through a community grappling with loyalty, redemption, and the boundaries of justice. For fans of classic radio drama and police procedurals, it’s a vivid slice of mid-century urban Americana—and an enduring story about human nature under pressure.