Dragnet: 22 Rifle for Christmas 12/20/1955
episode
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
25 min
3 speakers
5 chapters
transcribed 2 months ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the premise of the Dragnet episode '22 Rifle for Christmas'?
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Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. A small boy is reported missing from his home. His age, nine years. How play is suspected. Your job, find him.
Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law to an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was surgery, December 22nd. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch at a homicide division. My partner's Frank Smith, the boss of Thad Brown, chief detective. My name's Frank. I was on the way into work, and it was 3.55 p.m. when I got to room 42. Homicide.
Hi, John. Frank. What's doing? Oh, nothing. Pretty quiet. How's your mother? Oh, I have cold still hanging on.
Bad cough. Doctor says nothing serious, though. My kid's got the same thing. Must be some kind of a virus going around. Yeah, maybe so. Did you get all the reports on that Webster case yet? Yeah. Yeah, I'll take care of it. Good. I'll get it. Homicide, buddy.
How is the missing boy's case introduced?
This is Levinson, the unit 11J1. Got something for you.
Yeah, Harry, what's going on?
Darnie and I are out here on Hollis Avenue, 4656, trying to track down a nine-year-old boy.
What's the story? It's missing, suspicion of foul play. Yeah? How long has he been gone?
About two hours.
Looks like a job for homicide. How do you figure? A kid was last seen playing in the backyard of his home. Yeah?
Checked over the yard.
Did you find anything? No. Frank and I left a message for Chief Detective Thad Brown. Then we went over to the crime lab, picked up Ray Pinker, and drove out the Arroyo Sequel Freeway to Hollis Avenue. It was an average neighborhood. Number 4656 was a one-story green stucco residence situated on the corner of Hollis Avenue and Harrison Drive. Beyond the backyard was a tract of undeveloped land, covered with scrub oak. Harry Levinson from Highland Park Juvenile was waiting for us in front of the house.
In fact, this way, fellas. You coming, Ray?
We were getting my bag. Who notified you the boy was missing, Harry? A mother said she went down to do some Christmas shopping about 11 this morning, left the boy home. Came back about 2 this afternoon, he was gone. What's the name? Johnstone. The kid's name is Sammy, 9 years old. The gate open like this when you got here? Yeah, we haven't touched a thing. There's stains over here, Mr. Pinker, along the edge of the walk there, you see? Yeah, let me see. Quite a few stains.
Looks like it might be blood.
Try some benzodiazepine on him. There we are. See what happens. Where's the kid's mother now, Harry? She's in the house. Doherty's talking to her. Is she talking to any of the neighbors? Yeah, the people next door. The ones on the side. They couldn't tell us anything.
There it is, fellas.
Do you hear me? These spots I covered with benzene, they're turning blue. Bloodstains, Harry. Can't say definitely whether it's human or animal. Do you have to go back to the lab to run it through? Yeah. Violet specific test. Anyone have a glass of vial from the bag, will you? One of these?
Mm-hmm.
Here you are. Thanks. Let's get some of these flakes off for a test.
Here we are. How soon can you type the blood for us, Ray? The precipitant test won't run more than 20 minutes. It'll take three or four hours to run the blood grouping, though.
That's it. Anything else you want to check? Let me see. Yeah, right here under this tin can. Empty shell. 22, huh? Yeah, it might die in right now. Mark it and dump it in this envelope, will you? Sure. There you go.
Thanks.
Did you get all the missing blood tests on the boy, Harry? Yeah, Doherty did about half an hour ago.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the premise of the Dragnet episode '22 Rifle for Christmas'?
0:00–1:54
2
How is the missing boy's case introduced?
1:54–4:32
3
What evidence is found at the crime scene?
4:32–10:32
4
How do the detectives gather information from the boy's mother?
10:32–16:52
5
What leads to the discovery of the missing gun?
16:52–25:16
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
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