Podcast Summary: The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

Episode: Dragnet - "The Big Building" (EP4788)
Host: Adam Graham
Date: August 28, 2025
Original Air Date of Episode: June 14, 1951

Episode Overview

This episode features a classic Dragnet story entitled "The Big Building," in which Detectives Friday and Romero investigate the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy society woman, Louise Marston, in Los Angeles. The case evolves from a missing persons report into a complex murder investigation entangled with family money, deceit, and a failed dream for a lasting legacy.

Host Adam Graham provides context at both the beginning and end, reflecting on the unique plot twists and listener reactions, and sharing period insights on the story and its production.

Key Discussion Points & Segment Timestamps

1. Setting the Scene: The Disappearance (03:23–05:54)

• Narrator sets up the case: Louise Marston, a wealthy woman, vanishes. Her husband, Dr. Robert Marston, files a missing person's report two months after her disappearance.
• First Suspicions:
  • Dr. Marston describes quarrelling with his wife at their country club on the night she left (05:00).
  • Louise reportedly wrote Dr. Marston and their son, Stanley, from New York, though she left no forwarding address (06:23).
  • Dr. Marston produces letters as evidence, all postmarked from New York.

2. Financial Motive and Missing Bonds (06:13–11:55)

• Dr. Marston reveals:
  • Louise inherited a considerable fortune, and her stepfather, William House, has always coveted it (09:14).
  • Two days before Louise left, Dr. Marston signed over $80,000 in bonds to her; now, both the bonds and Louise are missing (10:05).
  • Dr. Marston’s secretary, Lenore Dexter, claims she saw Louise and House at the airport the night after she disappeared (11:15).

Memorable Quote:

"Nothing's very great unless there's somebody to share it with." — Dr. Marston (12:43)

3. Interview with William House: Rising Accusations (13:59–16:55)

• William House suspects Dr. Marston of murder, paints him as a gold-digger, and claims Marston forged the bond receipt (14:28–15:23).
• House denies being at the airport and insists any evidence to the contrary is a lie.

Memorable Quote:

"I think he's murdered Louise. I think he killed her and buried her somewhere. That's my honest opinion." — William House (14:38)

• Handwriting expert Don Meyer examines the letters and receipts; his view is key:
  • "[The letters and the receipt are] genuine. Every one of them." — Detective Friday relays Meyer's findings (17:13)

4. Evidence Stalls, Then Breaks (17:56–21:01)

• Two weeks pass:
  • Investigation stalls; no sign of Louise is found.
  • Break comes: The Marston family's maid reports seeing Dr. Marston’s secretary, Lenore Dexter, wearing what appears to be Louise’s diamond ring at a dinner party (18:24).

5. Lenore Dexter’s Confession (20:03–21:54)

• Detectives confront Dexter; she admits Dr. Marston instructed her to lie about seeing Louise and House at the airport (21:49).
• She reveals Dr. Marston gave her pre-written letters to mail from New York as part of a supposed practical joke.

Memorable Quote:

"He told me what to say. He said to do it as a favor for him." — Lenore Dexter (21:43)

6. Architect’s Revelation and the Malibu Basement (22:56–24:25)

• Architect Harold Whitmore confirms Dr. Marston asked him to send the pre-written, sealed letters to a friend in New York to be re-mailed back, to cover up Louise’s disappearance (23:06).
• Whitmore recalls suspicious cement work on the basement of the Marston beach house at Malibu, after Louise vanished (24:14–24:22).

Memorable Quote:

"Not a bad job on a cellar for an amateur. Used enough cement on it to sink a battleship." — Harold Whitmore (24:09)

7. The Confession & Case Resolution (25:38–28:06)

• Police dig up the basement at Malibu. Amid the noise of his son playing upstairs, Dr. Marston is confronted with mounting evidence.
• Under pressure, he confesses to murdering his wife in his office after the quarrel, forging her "disappearance" with the staged letters and a false trail.

Memorable Quote:

"I tried to tell her. One fight after another. She didn't know how much it meant to me." — Dr. Marston (27:09)

• He describes the killing:

  • "Put my hands around her throat. Didn't stop until she was dead." — Dr. Marston (27:27)

• Expresses his motivation:

  • "The only thing I ever wanted in my life, she wouldn't let me have it. The building. Robert A. Marston building for professional men." — Dr. Marston (27:05)

• Detective Friday’s Summation:

  • "You want to come upstairs, doctor?... You don't need a building. They'll remember you." (27:46, 28:06)

8. Epilogue: Justice & Aftermath (28:18–29:16)

• Narrator:
  • Dr. Marston is charged with murder, but ten days into his trial, he takes his own life in jail.

Host Reflections & Listener Feedback (29:55–33:02)

• Adam Graham highlights the peculiarity of so many people unwittingly participating in a cover-up disguised as a "practical joke."
• Reads a listener comment:
  • “I guess psychopaths with money need to see their names on buildings.” — Mechanic 6682
• Discusses period clothing ads and listener curiosity about 1950s suit brands, connecting Dragnet’s universe to historical context.

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dr. Marston, on loneliness and ambition:
  • "Nothing's very great unless there's somebody to share it with." (12:43)
• William House, on suspicion:
  • "I think he's murdered Louise. I think he killed her and buried her somewhere. That's my honest opinion." (14:38)
• Detective Friday, on evidence:
  • "[The letters and the receipt are] genuine. Every one of them." (17:13)
• Lenore Dexter’s breaking point:
  • "He told me what to say. He said to do it as a favor for him." (21:49)
• Architect on the cellar:
  • "Used enough cement on it to sink a battleship." (24:09)
• Dr. Marston’s confession:
  • "Put my hands around her throat. Didn't stop until she was dead." (27:27)
• Friday’s closing words:
  • "You don't need a building. They'll remember you." (28:06)

Episode Tone and Style

• The episode maintains the signature dry, procedural tone of Dragnet—factual, methodical, and stripped of melodrama, punctuated by brief but vivid emotional admissions from suspects and witnesses.
• The host’s post-story remarks add a layer of historical curiosity and subtle humor, connecting the 1950s drama to modern listener experience.

Conclusion

"The Big Building" is a quintessential Dragnet case: a puzzle of missing persons, forged letters, and dripping suspicion culminating in a chilling confession. It masterfully blends psychological tension with procedural detail, leaving both the detectives and listeners pondering how far ambition and loneliness can drive a person—and what mundane helpers, like architects and secretaries, may unwittingly become party to in the name of a “prank.”

For fans of vintage true crime or keen observers of human folly, this episode is especially rich in drama and noir atmosphere.