Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio – "This Is Your FBI: Robert Perry, Impersonator" (Originally aired 08/10/1945)

Overview

This episode of This Is Your FBI explores the dogged persistence of the Bureau—even in so-called "small" cases—through the story of Robert Perry, an impersonator and petty crook who, aided by his resourceful mother, poses as a government inspector to con honest rural families and chicken dealers. The broadcast dramatizes the investigation, the criminal’s evasion methods, and, ultimately, his capture, while reflecting on the nature of crime and the mission of the FBI.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Setting the Stage: The Value of Every Case

• [00:09–01:09] The episode opens by asserting the FBI’s commitment to pursue crimes of every scale.
• Quote:

  “No case is too big for the FBI and none is too small if it violates a federal statute under the FBI's jurisdiction.”
  — Narrator, [01:04]

2. The Crime: The Chicken Swindle

• [02:07–05:27] Robert Perry, with the aid of his mother, impersonates a government inspector, claims a local farm’s chickens are infected, and offers to “help” the victims by writing a fraudulent check, walking away with both the livestock and trust.
• emphasis on Perry’s manipulation:

  “Our reports are never wrong, Mr. Gordon.”
  — Robert Perry, [04:14]

3. The Investigation Begins

• [05:27–07:16] The Gordons, suspicious after the event, alert the FBI. The agents conduct a detailed interview—establishing Perry’s appearance, his truck, and the trail of the bad check.
• Quote:

  “He was about 40 years old... 5ft 10... wore glasses only when he wrote the check.”
  — Mr. Gordon & Mrs. Gordon, [06:08–06:20]

4. Perry’s Methodology and Family Dynamic

• [07:34–08:51] Scenes reveal both Perry’s reliance on his mother’s criminal experience and their justification of crime—targeting “honest” people because they’re easier to dupe.
• Quote:

  “If it's larceny you're thinking of, you're much better off dealing with honest people.”
  — Mrs. Perry, [08:13]

• Personal insight: Perry regrets trading cash for chickens, displaying both his inexperience and reliance on his mother's schemes.

5. Law Enforcement’s Deductive Process

• [09:03–10:14] The FBI diagrams Perry’s criminal patterns, learning from Perry’s family history in crime and tracing the bad check.
• Quote:

  “Mr. Perry can trace his family tree all the way back to Alcatraz.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [09:58]

6. Following the Trail: Waterbury to New York

• [10:34–11:49] Using Perry’s truck as a key clue, the FBI tracks the sale to a local chicken dealer, confirming Perry and his mother’s trajectory via rail to New York.
• Humor and Memorable Moment:

  “We better get down there before that nice old lady sells somebody the Brooklyn Bridge.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [11:49]

7. Criminal Cat-and-Mouse

• [13:56–16:46] Despite widespread identification orders, Perry and his mother outmaneuver capture, continuing their swindle in the region, adapting to warnings and discussing future plans—with Perry expressing weariness.
• Notable exchange:

  “Why don’t we settle down someplace?”
  — Perry, [15:49]
  “I can’t settle down... I never want to stay in one place that long.”
  — Mrs. Perry, [15:52–15:56]

8. FBI Strategy: Secondhand Trucks

• [17:59–19:04] Agents Baker and Webster deduce the link between Perry’s crimes and his purchase of trucks in New York, embarking on a systematic canvas of used truck dealers.
• Quote:

  “I’m going to call on every secondhand truck dealer in New York.”
  — Robert Perry, [18:51]

9. Closing in: Albany Setup

• [21:03–23:19] The trail leads to Albany, where the agents prepare for Perry's next crime by investigating recent large chicken deliveries and posting up at strategic locations.
• Quote:

  “If we get lucky, we're overdue. ...We'll be waiting when Perry knocks on the door.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [23:17]

10. The Bust: Justice Served

• [24:37–25:16] As Perry and his mother debate vacation plans, they’re intercepted on the road by the FBI. The agents apprehend them, using a bit of humor:
• Memorable quote:

  “You and your son seem to like chicken so much, we're gonna do you a favor ... we're going to arrange for you to be sent to an institution. Place where they have chicken every Sunday.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [25:03]

11. Reflection and Resolution

• [25:16–27:39] The episode closes with a reflection on the moral of the story—crime does not pay—and a reminder of the importance of every case, no matter how “petty.” The real-life Perry and his mother were both convicted and sentenced to federal prison.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “No case is too big for the FBI and none is too small if it violates a federal statute under the FBI's jurisdiction.”
  — Narrator, [01:04]
• “Our reports are never wrong, Mr. Gordon.”
  — Robert Perry, [04:14]
• “If it's larceny you're thinking of, you're much better off dealing with honest people.”
  — Mrs. Perry, [08:13]
• “Mr. Perry can trace his family tree all the way back to Alcatraz.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [09:58]
• “We better get down there before that nice old lady sells somebody the Brooklyn Bridge.”
  — Special Agent Baker, [11:49]
• “Why don’t we settle down someplace?” / “I can’t settle down... I never want to stay in one place that long.”
  — Robert Perry & Mrs. Perry, [15:49–15:56]
• "I’m going to call on every secondhand truck dealer in New York."
  — Robert Perry, [18:51]
• "You and your son seem to like chicken so much, we're gonna do you a favor ..."
  — Special Agent Baker, [25:03]

Structure & Tone

The episode combines suspenseful procedural drama with a dose of “old time radio” style humor and family interplay. The portrayal of the FBI is earnest and methodical, while glimpses into Perry’s family dynamic add both depth and irony to the narrative.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• You’ll Experience: A lively recreation of a real 1940s petty crime, full of period flavor and banter, with the “moral of the story” clearly underlined by the close.
• Key Takeaway: No crime is too small to attract the persistent attention of federal law enforcement—and old habits, especially in families like the Perrys, are hard to break.

End of Summary.