Dragnet | Old Time Radio

Dragnet presents “Big Switch,” episode 230, originally broadcast on January 12, 1954. In this NBC crime drama, Jack Webb stars as LAPD Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, with Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. Called to a low-cost Los Angeles hotel after Mona Fenton is found unconscious in a gas-filled room, Friday and Smith begin an inquiry that leads them through the hotel’s records and the details surrounding her stay. Sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes, this Homicide Detail case unfolds against the procedural backdrop of 1950s Los Angeles. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:52 Original Broadcast 26:30 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Rush,” episode 307 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast on July 5, 1955. Starring Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday and Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith, this NBC broadcast was sponsored by Chesterfield. Assigned to Robbery Detail in Los Angeles, Friday and Smith investigate a string of tavern hold-ups that has local keepers on edge. Following the facts from the latest robbery, the detectives work through witness accounts and leads in pursuit of the two men responsible. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:46 Original Broadcast 25:47 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Bobo,” episode 309, originally broadcast on July 19, 1955. In this NBC crime drama, Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday. Assigned to the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division, Friday investigates a bribery complaint involving a man who claimed he could arrange a prisoner’s release. The inquiry hinges on identity, official records, and whether the evidence points to a real police officer or an impersonator. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:47 Original Broadcast 26:26 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Court,” episode 137 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast on January 24, 1952. Jack Webb stars as Los Angeles Sergeant Joe Friday, with Barney Phillips as his partner, Ed Jacobs. A tavern holdup and killing brings Friday and Jacobs from Robbery Detail to Municipal Court, where a robbery-murder case hinges on eyewitness testimony and the pressures of the courtroom. Written by James E. Moser, this NBC broadcast follows the investigation and legal process without revealing the outcome. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:47 Original Broadcast 30:45 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Carney,” episode 202 of the classic NBC radio series, originally broadcast May 3, 1953. Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, with Ben Alexander as Sergeant Frank Smith. Assigned to Los Angeles Burglary Detail during the Christmas shopping season, Friday and Smith investigate a series of shop thefts beginning with the disappearance of an $8,000 necklace from a jewelry store. Written by John Robinson, this case follows the detectives from Wilshire Boulevard leads to a Valley trailer camp. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:56 Original Broadcast 30:55 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Mask - Part 1,” episode 184, originally broadcast on NBC Radio on December 28, 1952. Jack Webb stars as Sergeant Joe Friday, with Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. Working Robbery Detail in Los Angeles, Friday and Smith investigate a string of supermarket holdups committed by a black-masked bandit who uses an ordinary shopper’s disguise—and leaves employees trapped in a walk-in freezer. Written by John Robinson, this is the first half of a two-part case. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:59 Original Broadcast 30:46 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Bird,” episode 285 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast on NBC on February 1, 1955. Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, alongside Officer Frank Smith. Friday and Smith investigate a run of burglaries in Los Angeles’s newly built Valley-area housing tracts. The crimes share a disturbing detail involving household pet birds, giving the Burglary Detail a crucial pattern to follow. The original broadcast was sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:53 Original Broadcast 26:01 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Shakedown,” episode 154 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast on May 22, 1952. In this NBC broadcast, Jack Webb stars as Sergeant Joe Friday alongside Herb Ellis as Officer Frank Smith. Working Vice Detail on the daywatch, Friday and Smith investigate when a small-time bookmaker reports that a man claiming to be a vice officer is demanding weekly protection payments. The case leads them into a troubling phony-police extortion scheme that threatens public confidence in the department. Written by James Moser. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:49 Original Broadcast 30:15 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Limp,” episode 303, originally broadcast on June 7, 1955. In this late-run NBC Radio installment, Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday alongside Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. Working LAPD Robbery Detail in Los Angeles, Friday and Smith follow a lead suggesting that Brother’s Loan Company may be targeted for a holdup. Their task is to assess the threat and determine whether action is needed before a crime can occur. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:49 Original Broadcast 25:33 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Holdup,” originally broadcast on January 4, 1951. Episode 82 of the NBC radio series stars Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday, with Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero. Working the Los Angeles night watch, Friday and Romero investigate a string of violent robberies linked to the armed “Rattlesnake Bandit,” whose attacks on couples in parked cars are growing increasingly brutal. Under Chief of Detectives Thadd Brown, the detectives race to identify the suspect before another victim is targeted. Dragnet presents this original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 30:45 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Gone,” episode 276 of the classic NBC radio series, originally broadcast on November 30, 1954. Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, with Ben Alexander as his partner, Frank Smith. Friday and Smith investigate an attempted robbery at a Los Angeles flower shop, where an employee has been shot and the proprietor reports firing repeatedly at a fleeing gunman. When the detectives arrive, however, the alleged robber has disappeared without a trace. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:52 Original Broadcast 26:51 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Ray,” episode 167, originally broadcast on September 4, 1952. In this NBC radio drama, Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith of the LAPD Homicide Detail investigate a Los Angeles death that appears routine at first, until conflicting family accounts raise troubling questions. Jack Webb stars as Friday; the episode was written by John Robinson. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:43 Original Broadcast 29:30 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Rain,” episode 220 of the classic police drama, originally broadcast on November 3, 1953. In this NBC Homicide Detail episode, Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, with Ben Alexander as his partner, Frank Smith. On a rain-swept Los Angeles night, Friday and Smith investigate when a woman is found badly beaten near a gutter. Conflicting accounts and multiple possible motives complicate the detectives’ search for the facts. Written by John Robinson, the episode captures Dragnet’s terse, procedural approach to a difficult assault case. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:50 Original Broadcast 29:59 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Juvenile Division,” episode 136, originally broadcast on January 17, 1952. In this NBC drama, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and Sergeant Ed Jacobs are called in to assist Los Angeles juvenile officers as reports of a possible clash between teenage gangs begin to mount. With Jack Webb as Friday and Barney Phillips as Jacobs, this James Moser script follows the detectives’ efforts to understand the tensions behind the threatened violence before it reaches the streets. The production was made with Los Angeles Police Department technical advice and originally sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:49 Original Broadcast 30:29 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Flight,” episode 222, originally broadcast on November 17, 1953. In this NBC installment, Jack Webb stars as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday alongside Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. Assigned to LAPD Robbery Detail, Friday and Smith investigate the robbery and beating of two Los Angeles supermarket operators. Witness accounts and mounting leads seem to identify a likely suspect—until the detectives encounter an apparently airtight alibi in Phoenix. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:46 Original Broadcast 26:33 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Compulsion,” originally broadcast on April 12, 1953. Episode 199 stars Jack Webb as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. Assigned to the LAPD’s Robbery Detail, Friday and Smith investigate a series of phony emergency calls that divert officers from real needs and put the public at risk. Written by John Robinson and directed by Jack Webb, this NBC broadcast follows the detectives through a tense case sparked by something as small as a dime. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:44 Original Broadcast 26:36 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Confession,” episode 241 of the classic NBC radio series, originally broadcast on March 30, 1954. Jack Webb stars as Los Angeles homicide detective Sergeant Joe Friday in this episode written by John Robinson. When a man walks into the homicide detail with a disturbing confession, Friday and his partner Frank Smith must carefully determine whether the story can be verified. Their investigation follows missing-person records, witness accounts, and leads reaching as far as San Francisco. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:54 Original Broadcast 26:50 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Phone Call,” episode 140, originally broadcast on NBC on February 14, 1952. Written by James Moser, this early radio procedural stars Jack Webb as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, with Barney Phillips as Sergeant Ed Jacobs. Working Los Angeles Robbery Detail, Friday and Jacobs question Garvey after a jewelry salesman is attacked and robbed of valuable stones. As the detectives carefully lay out months of evidence, concealed recordings and methodical interrogation drive the case forward. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:52 Original Broadcast 26:53 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Cast,” episode 87, originally broadcast on February 8, 1951. In this early NBC radio drama, Jack Webb stars as LAPD Homicide Detective Sergeant Joe Friday alongside Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero. Friday and Romero investigate a troubling pattern of disappearances in Los Angeles, including the case of Paul Davis. As the missing-person files mount over months, the detectives follow the evidence toward a crucial interview. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:46 Original Broadcast 29:41 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “Big Gangster - Part 1,” episode 41 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast on March 23, 1950. This local archival recording features Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday and Barton Yarborough as Sgt. Ben Romero. Assigned to Los Angeles Homicide, Friday and Romero investigate attempts on notorious hoodlum Gus Valentine. As Valentine refuses to cooperate, the detectives face the growing threat of a gangland war in the first half of this two-part case. Dragnet presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:50 Original Broadcast 31:44 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dragnet-old-time-radio--7217956/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio