Podcast Summary: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Episode: Dragnet – The Big Sour (EP4854)

Host: Adam Graham
Air Date: November 27, 2025
Original Broadcast: September 20, 1951

Main Theme

This episode of Dragnet features the investigation of a brutal home invasion and robbery in which two armed bandits torture an elderly man to force him to reveal the location of his valuables. Detectives Joe Friday and Ben Romero methodically follow leads, gathering eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence to track down the perpetrators, ultimately focusing on both the psychology of the criminals and their community ties. The episode highlights the cold-blooded nature of the crime and the relentless, procedural police work required to solve it.

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

• Setting and Victims:
  • Elderly couple, Wendell (71) and Catherine McClung, are assaulted in their modest home.
  • The perpetrators inflict extreme cruelty, burning the man's feet and hands and beating him to force a confession about hidden jewelry.
• Police Reaction:
  • Sgt. Joe Friday and Ben Romero express horror and sympathy.
  • Quote:
    • Joe Friday: “It’s hard to imagine somebody that cold-blooded. 71-year-old man, soles of his feet a mass of burns. Wonder his heart stood up through the beating they gave him.” [05:11]

2. Victim and Witness Interviews

• Mrs. McClung’s Testimony [07:06-09:45]:
  • Struck and has glasses broken—can't provide detailed descriptions, but recalls both men wore dark suits and one had a "funny kind of talk...like a cowboy or a farmer."
  • Reveals thieves clearly had inside knowledge about their jewelry, especially the husband's diamond signet ring.
  • Quote:
    • Mrs. McClung: “I never thought anybody’d be that cruel, officer. Downright cruel. They burned his hands and his feet. Kept hitting him in the face with their fists. It was just terrible.” [09:28]

3. Neighborhood Canvass and New Lead

• Magazine Boy, Bill Newsome [12:09-14:43]:
  • Bill, a local high school student, recalls seeing a new, dark blue sedan near the house at the time of the crime, with old license plates.
  • He witnessed two men in dark suits leave the area in a hurry, possibly out of the McClungs’ house.
  • Crucially, he also saw the car earlier outside a restaurant on South Benson.

4. Forensic Evidence and Confirmation

• Restaurant Lead & Fingerprints [15:44-18:43]:
  • Bartender at the restaurant confirms two men matching the suspects’ description were served imported Dutch beers around the time in question. They used the beer bottles, potentially leaving fingerprints.
  • Police collect and process fingerprints from these bottles, leading to a breakthrough.
• Identification of Suspects [19:04]:
  • Prints belong to Henry Vincent Moss and Ernest Robert Windsor — both with criminal pasts and mugshots positively identified by the McClungs and the bartender.

5. Suspect Interrogation & Family Ties

• Mrs. Marie Rolfe, Windsor’s Aunt [20:23-23:12]:
  • Initially denies knowing Windsor’s whereabouts but relents after emotional questioning, revealing he’s staying in her garage room.
  • Illustrates the tension between family loyalty and the demands of justice.
  • Quote:
    • Mrs. Rolfe: “He swore on the memory of his own mother. He swore he wouldn’t do anything wrong again. I guess I just don’t know Ernest.” [22:57]

6. Long Investigation Stall and Breakthrough

• Frustration in the Investigation [24:31-25:11]:
  • Weeks go by without progress; Windsor refuses to talk, and Moss cannot be found.
• Pawnbroker Tip and Moss’s Capture [25:11-26:41]:
  • Moss identified trying to pawn a stolen ring, is apprehended, and his apartment is searched—where all stolen jewelry is found.
  • Moss is far more cooperative than Windsor.

7. Resolution and Moral Tone

• Final Interrogation & Moral Response [26:31-27:16]:
  • Moss, pragmatic about getting caught, asks for a steak before jail, but Friday and Romero refuse.
  • Memorable Exchange:
    • Moss: “Hey, I wonder if I could ask a favor. Well, it’s gonna get a little tough in there in that jail. Wonder if we couldn’t stop for a good steak and some French fries first, huh?”
    • Romero: “You put your order in a long time ago, mister.”
    • Friday: “What do you mean?”
    • Romero: “When you worked over that old couple. Yeah, that’s when you ordered jail food.” [26:59-27:17]

8. Outcome

• Both criminals are found guilty of first-degree robbery and assault with intent to do great bodily harm. They’re sentenced to the state penitentiary.
• The episode ends with an appeal to viewers to donate clothing for needy Koreans, aligning with Dragnet’s tradition of civic-minded messaging.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Sgt. Joe Friday on the cruelty of the crime:
  “It’s hard to imagine somebody that cold-blooded… Wonder his heart stood up through the beating they gave him.” [05:11]
• Mrs. McClung, on the robbers’ cruelty:
  “I never thought anybody’d be that cruel, officer. Downright cruel…” [09:28]
• Bill Newsome, recalling his observations:
  “That’s why I noticed it again, when I saw it up by McClung’s place. I thought it looked kind of terrible. Brand new car like that with old license plates.” [14:12]
• Mrs. Rolfe, wavering over her nephew:
  “He swore on the memory of his own mother. He swore he wouldn’t do anything wrong again. I guess I just don’t know Ernest.” [22:57]
• Sergeant Romero resisting Moss’s request for a good meal:
  “You put your order in a long time ago, mister. When you worked over that old couple. Yeah, that’s when you ordered jail food.” [27:16]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:18] Investigation begins at the hospital
• [07:06] Interview with Mrs. McClung
• [12:09] Interview with Bill Newsome, magazine boy
• [15:44] Restaurant bartender interview and collection of evidence
• [19:04] Print identification; suspects named
• [20:23] Confrontation with Mrs. Rolfe, Windsor’s aunt
• [23:20] Apprehension of Windsor
• [24:31] Weeks of investigative dead ends
• [25:11] Tip on Moss at the pawnshop, sting operation, capture
• [26:31] Final interrogation and Moss’s request for a meal
• [27:28] Conclusion and sentencing

Episode Highlights and Character Tone

• Tone:
  The episode balances methodical police procedure, moments of empathy for the victims, and a firm, sometimes hard-edged morality when confronting the criminals.
• Noteworthy Moments:
  • The detectives’ patient and calm questioning of traumatized victims and witnesses
  • Fingerprinting the beer bottles—an iconic “Dragnet” move blending real forensics with narrative tension
  • The moral line drawn by the detectives in refusing Moss’s request for a ‘last meal’ treat

Host Commentary

• Adam Graham closes the episode with appreciation for the detectives’ refusal to indulge the criminal, contrasting it with other episodes where different outcomes were possible, especially when sympathy for the criminal was absent due to the extreme cruelty of the crime.

Conclusion

“The Big Sour” exemplifies Dragnet’s procedural style, where dogged investigation, reliance on witness details, and careful evidence processing are key to solving even the most cold-blooded crimes. The episode is memorable for its empathy toward the victims, its portrayal of family torn between love and law, and its emphasis on the unglamorous but vital grind behind real detective work.