Friday - The Dragnet Podcast

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Friday - The Dragnet Podcast is your ultimate destination for reliving the thrilling world of the classic Dragnet radio show. Step back into the gritty streets of Los Angeles with Sergeant Joe Friday as he brings justice to life through captivating, true-to-form storytelling. This unparalleled collection features beautifully remastered audio, accurate transcriptions, and detailed episode descriptions to give listeners the most authentic Dragnet experience.

Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to old-time radio dramas, this podcast delivers the definitive version of Dragnet, preserving its iconic legacy for generations to come. Experience crime-solving at its finest with meticulous attention to detail, including cast insights for every episode.

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47 episodes
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Avg 29 min
English

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S1 · E240
Yesterday · 27 min
The Big Mustache
Originally Aired: March 23, 1954 Dragnet #240, "The Big Mustache," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith are called to investigate an armed robbery at a local Los Angeles supermarket. The episode opens with Frank preoccupied by a domestic dispute with his wife Faye over an innocent comment he made about her dress size, but the detectives quickly shift focus when they arrive at the crime scene. An armed robber wearing a disguise has struck during the early morning hours, threatening cashier Irma Watson at gunpoint and making off with the store's receipts. The day manager, Gerald, suffered a head injury during the incident, though Mrs. Watson suspects he may be exaggerating for sympathy based on his past behavior. Friday and Smith interview the witnesses, including the talkative Mrs. Watson and Tom Spence, who runs the meat concession. The suspect entered the store posing as a customer, asked about anchovy locations to establish his cover, then pulled a gun on the cashier upstairs and demanded she fill a wooden box with money. When Irma screamed, Tom grabbed a meat cleaver and the staff attempted to respond, but the disguised thief managed to escape, leaving the detectives with limited information about his true appearance.
S1 · E239
Wednesday · 26 min
The Big Rod
Originally Aired: March 16, 1954 Dragnet #239, "The Big Rod," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate a vicious hit-and-run that leaves a young woman, Helen Chapman, clinging to life with critical injuries including compound fractures, a punctured lung, and brain concussion. Their only witness is Midge Hunter, a neighbor who saw the entire incident unfold beneath a streetlight. She describes how a hot rod—a battered black Ford from around 1940—came barreling around the corner and struck Mrs. Chapman as she stepped off the curb, the driver making no attempt to stop or even slow down. As Friday and Smith interview Hunter, she reveals crucial details: the driver appeared to be a young man around nineteen or twenty, and the car had twin exhaust pipes and a club plate hanging from the rear bumper with a name ending in "wheels." With Mrs. Chapman unconscious and unable to provide any information, and her devastated husband Carl waiting helplessly at the hospital, Friday and Smith must track down the driver using only these fragmentary clues before the trail goes cold.
S1 · E238
Tuesday · 25 min
The Big Cup
Originally Aired: March 9, 1954 Dragnet #238, "The Big Cup," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate the brutal murder of an elderly woman, Ethel Lawrence, who has been beaten to death in her home on Green Oak Drive. A neighbor, Earl Brody, discovers the body after the victim's dog, Nero, howls incessantly throughout the afternoon. When Friday and Smith arrive at the scene, they find the elderly woman has been struck dozens of times, her arms showing defensive wounds from trying to protect herself. The house has been ransacked to make it appear as though robbery was the motive, but the detectives aren't convinced. As they question the shaken Brody, who attempts to steady his nerves with frequent drinks, they learn that the victim had been divorced and had ongoing disputes with her ex-husband about alimony payments. The neighbor reveals he saw Mrs. Lawrence cheerfully collecting her mail at noon, just hours before the killing. Though Brody knows details about the contentious relationship between the Lawrences, he refuses to elaborate, insisting the detectives should speak directly with the ex-husband. Friday and Smith obtain the address of the garage where Mr. Lawrence works and prepare to track him down.
S1 · E237
Monday · 26 min
The Big Tv
Originally Aired: March 2, 1954 Dragnet #237, "The Big Tv," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young mother named Harriet Shipley and her nine-month-old baby. Their inquiry begins at Harriet's apartment building, where they interview the embittered apartment manager, Mrs. Fleischer. She reveals a troubling history: Harriet's husband Elliott is stationed overseas in Japan, and in his absence, the lonely young woman became increasingly depressed. The situation grew dire when Harriet attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, only to be saved by Mrs. Fleischer's intervention. Rather than expressing gratitude, Harriet angrily rejected her neighbor's help, saying she should have been left alone. The investigation deepens when Friday and Smith learn that Harriet vanished without warning shortly after returning from the hospital with her newborn baby, leaving behind only a few meager possessions. Most disturbing is the detail that before disappearing, Harriet had requested all the locks on her apartment be changed, suggesting she feared something or someone. With few leads beyond Harriet's former workplace, the Dream Palace dance hall, Friday and Smith must piece together what drove this troubled young mother to flee and where she might have taken her infant child.
S1 · E236
Sunday · 27 min
The Big Pipe
Originally Aired: February 23, 1954 Dragnet #236, "The Big Pipe," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate the brutal murder of an accountant found beaten to death in a downtown Los Angeles office building. The victim, Mrs. Fitzgerald, is discovered by building cleaning woman Miss Joyce at 7 a.m., lying dead behind her desk in an office ransacked with papers strewn across the floor. The murder weapon is a 15-inch piece of lead pipe, wrapped in brown paper at one end and bloodstained at the other. Despite the chaotic scene suggesting robbery, valuable diamond rings remain on the victim's fingers and over two hundred dollars sits untouched in her purse. Miss Joyce reveals crucial information she learned from reading discarded letters in the wastebaskets during her lonely nighttime shifts: the victim had been locked in a bitter legal dispute with her estranged husband, Oscar Fitzgerald. In threatening letters torn up and thrown away, he warned his wife about trying to "railroad the thing through" and promised to come to her office. Friday and Smith head to Fitzgerald's downtown men's club to question him about his whereabouts and his threatening correspondence.
S1 · E235
Saturday · 27 min
The Big Sucker
Originally Aired: February 16, 1954 Dragnet #235, "The Big Sucker," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate a sophisticated diamond swindle operating in Los Angeles. When Harold Filson arrives at the Bunco Fugitive Detail office, he claims he's reporting the crime on behalf of an embarrassed friend who lost $10,000 in a confidence scheme. The story unfolds with a classic setup: a seedy-looking man approached the victim outside a bank, claiming to be a displaced person from Belgium who needed to secretly sell genuine diamonds because he lacked proper immigration papers. After a jeweler appraised the stones at $15,000 wholesale, the victim paid $10,000 for what he believed were legitimate diamonds, only to discover later that he'd received worthless zircons in a clever switch. Friday quickly sees through Filson's deception, revealing that Filson himself is the victim, not some anonymous friend. The detectives begin their investigation by examining the fake stones and consulting jeweler Saul Maurice, who confirms the original diamonds were genuine and provides leads on craftsmen who might have cut the imitation zircons. As Friday and Smith pursue the con man working this lucrative scheme, they must track down a criminal exploiting victims' greed with precision timing and sleight of hand.
S1 · E234
October 23 · 27 min
The Big Broad
Originally Aired: February 9, 1954 Dragnet #234, "The Big Broad," Sergeant Joe Friday and his temporary partner, Sergeant Slats Henry, are hunting a dangerous pair of robbery suspects terrorizing Los Angeles liquor stores. When another holdup occurs at Charles Osborn's neighborhood shop on Alexandria and Burns Avenue, Friday and Henry respond Code 3. The elderly shopkeeper describes the same modus operandi reported in previous robberies: a man and woman wearing handkerchief masks, working smoothly together, with the red-haired woman doing the talking while her tall male accomplice stands guard. They demanded Canadian whiskey and cash from the register, threatened to shoot if Osborn moved, then escaped in a waiting car. Friday faces mounting pressure as the robbery spree continues and the suspects grow bolder with each job. Osborn provides detailed descriptions—the woman with flame-red hair, blue eyes, and a green coat; the man tall and dark-haired in a blue linen suit—but his frustration mirrors the public's growing impatience. As Friday knows from their pattern, these thieves are capable of murder, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. The detectives hope the pair's consistent methods will be their downfall when they inevitably strike again.
S1 · E233
October 22 · 27 min
The Big Filth
Originally Aired: February 2, 1954 Dragnet #233, "The Big Filth," Sergeant Joe Friday and policewoman Irene Gardner investigate a disturbing call from a concerned neighbor, Mrs. Eggers, about four children living in apparent neglect. Mrs. Eggers reports that she hasn't seen the mother, Rowena Telford, in over a week, and that the oldest boy, Stevie, has been going door-to-door asking neighbors for work and food. When Friday and Gardner arrive at the small clapboard house, they find it seemingly abandoned, with weeds overtaking the yard and newspapers piling up outside. After spotting movement through a window, they finally gain entry when young Pamela Telford reluctantly opens the door. Inside, they discover appalling conditions: a single candle for light, a leaking roof, water dripping into tin cans scattered across the floor, and two younger children, Martin and Carol, huddled in a crib hiding under filthy blankets. The plumbing has been out of order for weeks, and the kitchen is piled with rotting food and dirty dishes. When Friday presses Pamela about her mother's whereabouts, the frightened girl's story begins to unravel, revealing she's been protecting a dark secret.
S1 · E232
October 21 · 26 min
The Big Bid
Originally Aired: January 26, 1954 Dragnet #232, "The Big Bid," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigating a puzzling burglary at a men's clothing store on Vine Street in Hollywood. Store manager Leonard Dodds reports that approximately $12,000 worth of merchandise has vanished from his storeroom, including shipments of suede jackets, dress shirts, and overcoats that hadn't even been unpacked yet. The mystery deepens when Friday and Smith discover no signs of forced entry at any doors or windows, and the store's alarm system never went off. The crime lab technicians find the locks secure and no jimmy marks anywhere, leaving the detectives baffled about how thieves could have removed such a large volume of merchandise undetected. The investigation takes a turn when Friday discovers a window opening onto an adjacent rooftop and finds the stolen merchandise hidden behind an air vent on the neighboring building. With the stolen goods recovered but no clear suspect, the detectives interview the store employees. When a routine records check reveals that assistant manager Al Baker has a prior burglary conviction and served time at San Quentin, Friday and Smith bring him in for questioning, though Dodds insists his trusted employee of five years couldn't possibly be involved.
S1 · E231
October 20 · 26 min
The Big Bill
Originally Aired: January 19, 1954 Dragnet #231, "The Big Bill," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate the mysterious disappearance of Bertha Gillespie, an elderly woman who runs a popular tea shop called the Tea Cozy. Her best friend, Miss Crocker, is convinced something terrible has happened because Bertha vanished without a word—and more importantly, she abandoned an important Scrabble championship match she'd been eagerly preparing for. The devoted Scrabble champion had recently withdrawn $2,500 from her bank account, leaving over $18,000 behind, and posted a cryptic note on her shop door about taking a vacation. Friday and Smith methodically canvas the neighborhood, interviewing Bertha's gentleman friend Chester and checking with her bank. While the bank manager confirms she mentioned taking a trip, Miss Crocker remains adamant that Bertha would never leave voluntarily, especially not before her big tournament. As days turn into weeks with no word from the missing woman, the detectives dig deeper into utility records and financial trails, searching for any clue that might explain where Bertha Gillespie went—and whether she left of her own free will.
S1 · E230
October 19 · 26 min
The Big Switch
Originally Aired: January 12, 1954 Dragnet #230, "The Big Switch," Sergeants Joe Friday and Frank Smith investigate what initially appears to be a young woman's suicide attempt at a cheap hotel on Grand Avenue. When a desk clerk discovers Mona Fenton unconscious in a gas-filled room, stuffed sheets around the windows suggest she intended to die. At Georgia Street Receiving Hospital, Dr. Hall delivers troubling news: not only might the carbon monoxide have caused permanent brain damage, but examination reveals needle marks indicating the 20-something woman is an addict. The case grows more suspicious when Friday and Smith learn that Mona checked in as "Mrs. John North" with a man who has since vanished, though her mother confirms she's single. At the hotel, Friday and Smith find a room showing signs of heavy drinking and a possible struggle, including a bruise on Mona's face that doesn't fit the suicide scenario. With the mysterious male companion disappeared, no baggage left behind, and inconsistent details about the room's condition, the detectives begin to suspect this wasn't a suicide attempt at all, but something far more sinister.
S1 · E229
October 18 · 26 min
The Big Listen
Originally Aired: January 5, 1954 Dragnet #229, "The Big Listen," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith respond to a tip from Del, the manager of a Turkish bath. Del reports that a drunk customer named Vernon Carmichael bragged about a mysterious deal involving someone called "Bud" and carrying a .45 automatic in a shoulder holster. The man cryptically mentioned that when they left town, they'd all have more money than Del had ever seen. Through methodical police work, Friday and Smith trace the suspects to a hotel on South Flower Street, identifying Carmichael's associates as Howard "Bud" Nielsen and Ernest Hunter—three out-of-town hoodlums with criminal records in Pittsburgh. As the investigation intensifies, Friday coordinates round-the-clock surveillance of the three suspects with Lieutenant Brown and Detective Myers. After a week of watching their regular movements and daily patterns, the detectives decide to take the next step: planting a listening device in the suspects' hotel room. Friday arranges for sound equipment from the crime lab and obtains the necessary permits from the Federal Communications Commission, preparing to uncover exactly what these armed gangsters are planning in Los Angeles.
S1 · E228
October 17 · 27 min
The Big Steal
Originally Aired: December 29, 1953 Dragnet #228, "The Big Steal," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate a series of sophisticated burglaries plaguing Los Angeles. An organized gang of thieves has been systematically targeting homes, stealing valuable jewelry, cash, and especially fur coats. The detectives visit the Brighton Arms Apartments to interview Jane Anderson, a restaurant hostess whose prized silver blue mink coat was stolen just three days after she purchased it. The coat cost her nearly $4,000 after three years of saving, and she had only worn it twice. The thieves used their trademark method of operation: cutting through a screen door while Anderson was out for coffee, entering through the back, and taking only high-value items from the bedroom. For six weeks, similar burglaries have been reported across the city with the same precise pattern. The victims are always absent, entry is made through rear windows or doors, and only specific rooms are targeted. Despite checking all leads and cross-referencing reports, Friday and Smith struggle to find the common thread connecting the crimes. With insurance losses approaching $47,000 and mounting pressure from both victims and insurance companies, the detectives methodically search for the one clue that will crack the case wide open.
S1 · E227
October 16 · 28 min
The Big Little Jesus
Originally Aired: December 22, 1953 Dragnet #227, "The Big Little Jesus," Sergeants Joe Friday and Frank Smith are called away from their Christmas preparations when a priceless religious statue is stolen from the Old Mission Plaza Church, the oldest church in Los Angeles. Father Xavier Rojas reports that the infant Jesus figure from the church's beloved nativity scene has disappeared sometime between the late evening confessions and early morning mass on December 24th. The statue itself is worth only a few dollars, but it has been part of the church's Christmas display for over three decades, deeply cherished by generations of parishioners who have grown up with it. With less than 24 hours until Christmas Mass and virtually no leads, Friday and Smith begin their investigation by interviewing altar boys and checking pawnshops, knowing the monetary value is minimal but the sentimental significance is immeasurable. Father Rojas emphasizes how devastating the loss is to his simple, faithful congregation, for whom this particular statue represents their only image of the Christ child. As the clock ticks down toward Christmas, the detectives face the challenge of finding a virtually worthless object that means everything to an entire community.
S1 · E226
October 15 · 27 min
The Big Brink
Originally Aired: December 15, 1953 Dragnet #226, "The Big Brink," Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith are working the night watch out of robbery detail when they receive a promising break in a major case. Ten days earlier, three armed men hijacked a bank truck on Wilshire Boulevard using sawed-off shotguns, making off with over $100,000 in cash. They forced the drivers to the San Fernando Valley, where they beat and tied up the victims before escaping with the money. Despite intensive investigation by both the LAPD and the FBI, including fingerprint analysis, mug book searches, and nationwide alerts, the case has yielded no solid leads—until now. An anonymous informant calls with critical information, proving his credibility by providing serial numbers from the stolen bills. He promises to reveal where the suspects can be found but warns that the three men are heavily armed and dangerous. When he finally calls back from San Francisco with an address on Garfield Place, he ominously tells Friday the suspects won't be taken alive. Friday assembles a team of nine robbery detectives and three FBI units to surround the apartment building at 1657 Garfield Place. After evacuating other residents, they move in at 1:36 a.m., finding suspect Hank Peterson and an arsenal of weapons—but his two accomplices, Harvey Fitzgerald and Lou Colton, remain at large.
S1 · E225
October 14 · 27 min
The Big Pick
Originally Aired: December 8, 1953 Dragnet #225, "The Big Pick," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith of the Bunco Fugitive Division tackle an organized gang of pickpockets plaguing Los Angeles. The case becomes personal when elderly Lewis Bonning visits their office in desperation. The heartbroken widower had withdrawn his entire life savings of $5,200 from the bank that morning, planning to move to Chicago to live with his daughter. While having coffee at a busy market, someone expertly lifted the money from his pocket without him noticing until he reached the street. The theft happened so smoothly that Bonning can't identify anyone suspicious or remember being jostled. Friday and Smith recognize the hallmark work of a professional pickpocket team, complete with specialized roles including a "jug mob" who scouts victims at banks, a "shover" who creates diversions, and a "wire" who performs the actual theft. After Bonning fails to identify any suspects from mug shots, the detectives turn to an unusual source: Slim Ramos, a reformed pickpocket now running a wheel of fortune booth on the Santa Monica pier, hoping his inside knowledge of the criminal world might provide the lead they desperately need.
S1 · E224
October 13 · 27 min
The Big Odd
Originally Aired: December 1, 1953 Dragnet #224, "The Big Odd," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith investigate a brutal truck hijacking that leaves driver Russell Gilmore beaten and hospitalized. The case is part of a larger pattern—14 loaded trucks have been stolen by an organized gang operating in Los Angeles. Friday and Smith visit Gilmore at County Hospital Ward 419, where the victim, still recovering from his ordeal, recounts his terrifying experience. Two armed men were waiting in his cab when he returned from a coffee break, forced him to drive to an alley, then locked him in the back of his own truck. After a twenty-minute drive, the hijackers unloaded the furniture at what Gilmore believes was a garage near Rosecrans and Avalon, then viciously beat him unconscious. Despite his injuries, Gilmore provides crucial details: one suspect was called "Leo," the truck scraped against a house and bumped a car while backing up a steep ramp, and he heard a woman's voice at the location. He also claims his knowledge of phrenology—reading the bumps on people's heads—told him the criminals had "real criminal heads." As Friday and Smith head to the crime lab to examine paint chips found on the truck, they begin piecing together clues to track down the dangerous hijacking ring.
S1 · E223
October 12 · 28 min
The Big Present
Originally Aired: November 24, 1953 Dragnet #223, "The Big Present," finds Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith working burglary detail on a puzzling string of market break-ins that has plagued Los Angeles for two months. With eighteen stores hit and no solid leads, the detectives consult Sergeant Lindsay Simmons at the Georgia Street Juvenile Bureau, suspecting their thief might be a youngster. The evidence points in that direction: empty milk bottles left at every scene, only petty cash and candy taken, and most tellingly, the burglar enters through impossibly small openings measuring just nine by fourteen inches. When another market is hit—this time Marty Derabertos' small Italian delicatessen on Broadway—Friday and Smith arrive to find the same pattern: entry through a tiny rear window, stolen cigarettes and candy, and the telltale milk bottle on the counter. As Ray Pinker and the crime lab crew dust for prints that once again yield nothing, Friday and Smith face a familiar frustration. They need to catch this elusive thief before he strikes again, but with no physical evidence and a suspect who can slip through spaces no adult could manage, they're running out of options.
S1 · E222
October 11 · 27 min
The Big Flight
Originally Aired: November 17, 1953 Dragnet #222, "The Big Flight," begins when Sergeants Joe Friday and Frank Smith respond to a brutal robbery at a corner market on Lockwood and Barton Avenues. The victim, Cliff Hall, and his partner Andy were working when three armed men entered the store demanding money. While Hall complied with the gunman's orders to put approximately $8,000 in a paper bag, Andy emerged from the back room and, not immediately seeing the weapons, confronted the thieves. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Andy fought back against two of the robbers until the third man struck him alongside the head with his automatic, fracturing his jaw and causing a concussion. Friday and Smith methodically gather descriptions of the suspects and their getaway car, aided by a witness who observed three men matching the robbers' descriptions park nearby and later flee toward Hollywood Boulevard. The crime lab lifts partial fingerprints from the counter, though they're insufficient for identification without suspects in custody. With supplementary broadcasts issued and both victims providing detailed descriptions, Friday and Smith take Hall and the witness to headquarters to search through mug books, hoping to identify the violent trio.
S1 · E221
October 10 · 27 min
The Big Kid
Originally Aired: November 10, 1953 Dragnet #221, "The Big Kid," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith are working the juvenile detail when rumors surface of an impending gang war in Los Angeles. They interview seventeen-year-old Angelo "Angie" Markal, a repeat offender arrested for burglary who belongs to the Little Wall Street gang. During questioning, Friday and Smith press Angie for information about tensions brewing between two rival gangs: the Pink Rats and the Orchids. Initially resistant, the moody teenager eventually reveals the conflict started over a girl who moved from Orchid territory into Pink Rat turf, sparking a series of escalating retaliations. The situation grows more urgent when Angie describes how Orchids attacked a Pink Rat member with a bicycle chain, leaving the victim hospitalized. Most alarming is intelligence about a planned party at a Rat member's house this Saturday night, combined with news that the Orchids recently burglarized rifles and a twelve-gauge shotgun. Friday and Smith face a ticking clock to prevent the violence before Saturday arrives and teenage gang warfare erupts on the streets of Los Angeles.

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