Adam Graham (29:29)
Welcome back. Now, this episode sounded familiar to me, and not just in the sense that I've heard it a few times already, but that it sounded like another episode. And indeed it was. And you actually have to go back to 1949 and one of the very early episodes of Dragnet. This was just when the Fatima sponsorship had started back on September 10, 1949, in the Sullivan kidnapping. Now, this wasn't so much a script reuse as you often hear on many detective programs, programs, but it took the same case. But there were some key changes that were made, and a lot of these are minor, but they add up to quite a bit. One thing is that when the ransom was paid, this was back when Raymond Burr was playing Ed Backstrand and it made the papers after she'd been killed. And he said that he hoped that it would stick in people's minds as a reminder, we don't make deals with killers. So essentially offering a bit of a condemnation of the victim's father for making the payment. In the 1949 episode, it's established that the killer had been sent to jail for forgery on the basis of the actions of the father. So this was a bit of revenge. And that's not in the 1951 version. And there's also more of the killer being like, I'm so much smarter than police. That was referenced once, but it was a much bigger element in the 1949 case. And there's a sense in which you get a lot less melodrama and a lot more just straightforward, documented case of how the crime was solved. This is kind of a testament to how Dragnet had refined itself since the beginning with these little adjustments in tone and style. Obviously, the big statement about not paying killers could come off as preachy. And Dragnet had kind of. And that was not the direction the show was going, particularly in comparison to many other programs on the air in the same genre. Now, of course, an important announcement about the launch of the Dragnet TV series. They had two episodes that were already filmed and ready for air, and Dragnet would end up on in every other week schedule for this first season, alternating with the TV version of Gangbusters, while still continuing the radio version. Well, now we turn to listener comments and feedback and we have some comments. We start on Spotify regarding the big affair, mechanic66 writes, I disagree about how to deal with the police. You politely but firmly state, I want to cooperate with you officer, but first I will need to consult with my attorney and also have him or her present at all times. That's certainly a valid approach, probably the safe approach, and again, better than sitting there trying to just snow the police with an obviously false story. And of course, there are episodes of Dragnet where with no lawyer present, the guilty person keeps giving contradictory statements to the police, which is not something that you would want brought up in court. And then Harrison adds, wow, partial cast credits is a welcome addition. It's nice when we get them. And then we have Another comment from mechanic66. This one is regarding the big Bungalow. Friday should have given the informant speech to Romero when he complained about paying for Red's lunch. I can understand the sentiment, but no, explaining it to the listener as the voice of the police is one thing, as he is informing us as people who are outside the police and have been exposed to various media myths and portraits trails what the situation with informants is with Ben Romero. He already knows. And imagine if you're a police officer and you make a complaint to your partner, he says you ought not to complain about it. The informants play this vital role in the police department. We have to respect them and we should be glad for the service they provide. That is annoying. That is not Joe Friday in the 1950s. That's Joe Friday in the 1987 movie. Plus, griping about the job is practically Romero's favorite pastime. Plus, as we'll learn later, Romero was actually the detective who helped bring Friday along on the force and really is the only partner that had an equal rank with him. You don't pull that on a mentor unless you want a very dirty look. And of course we should mention that this is Barton Yarborough's last episode that we'll hear him as Ben Romero and we'll talk more about that next week. Regarding the big hands, James says in response to one of the comments that you read. I distinctly remember an episode that took place after Miranda rights became a thing. It made for some interesting dialogue between Joe Friday and the Chief. Now, I thought of the Dragnet 1966 TV movie, but I think James was referencing an episode of the radio program which wouldn't have been referencing Miranda versus Arizona since that was decided in 1966. There was another California case in regards to the admissibility of evidence that had a big impact on Joe Friday. And it was one of the last radio episodes. The big ruling. And then the Butcher5032 asks you travel back in time to 1950. You have to produce a detective radio program and you have an unlimited budget. Give me five cast members, the theme song, the show writer, and it would be fact or fiction. Did I leave anything out? Well, no, it's tough to say because it's tough to come up with an original concept. In terms of non fiction. I don't know if there's a particular thing that stands out as a story that must be told. In terms of fiction, I think I would probably lean on a couple of adaptations. I'm not going to try to create my own noir detective. I would honestly want to make a second season of the new Adventures of Nero Wolf with Sidney Greenstreet, but I would want them to be closer to the book in terms of the tone of the story and to actually adapt stories of Rex Stout. And as I said, I'd want Greenstreet back in the main role. Honestly, I love Bob Bailey as Archie Goodwin. I think he's got a great voice for it. I love Tim Hutton in a near Wolf mystery, but the voice is very, very New York. And does it match with the profile of Archie Goodwin? As someone who comes from the Midwest, I think Bailey would evoke that better. For Inspector Kramer, I'd want Ed Begley, and for Fritz, I'd go with Hans Conrad. And if you want one that is out of this world, I would produce a Martian Manhunter radio program. Now, if you're aware of the Martian Manhunter at all, you're aware of him as a Justice League superhero from dc. However, when he was introduced in comics, he was not only a Martian, but he was a detective stranded on the planet who solved mysteries. And I think a weekly series about a Martian in mid-1950s America solving mysteries, that would be fascinating. And I think I'd have the Martian Manhunter played by Michael Rennie. Now, in terms of who would write. If you were talking about a Nero Wolf series, I'd probably pair someone who had a lot of experience with adaptation like John C. Wilson or Ernest Kanhoy with a talented mystery writer. And I'd probably want to compare samples to get just the right person. And then for Martian Manhunter, it would probably be Robert Rife and Ernest Kanhoye theme song. I would have them write an original theme tune. I would not even. Yeah, I would not pick stock music or something already existing. No, somewhere I'll find you or anything like that. We would. We would have something original, but I don't know what it would be since I wouldn't be the one writing the music. But thanks so much. Appreciate the question. Now it's time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the Day. Thank you so much to Richard, patreon supporter since October 2025, currently supporting the podcast at the Psalmist level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Richard. And that will do it for today. If you are enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Thursday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us back here tomorrow. For yours truly, Johnny Dollar, where two
