Friday - The Dragnet Podcast

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.

Friday - The Dragnet Podcast is a true crime podcast hosted by OTRPODS, with 162 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

OTRPODS hosts Friday - The Dragnet Podcast, a true crime show with 162 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #171

  The Big Brain

  Aug 21, 202627 minS1

  Originally Aired: September 28, 1952 Dragnet #171, "The Big Brain," opens on a rainy Los Angeles night as Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith respond to a disturbing call: a man has been found locked in the trunk of a car, badly beaten and suffering from shock. The victim is the tenth in a series of violent kidnappings where suspects steal cars, abduct the owners at gunpoint, and lock them in trunks while committing armed robberies around the city. Pharmacist Carl Moore discovered the victim after hearing muffled sounds coming from the trunk while walking home from his drugstore. At Georgia Street Receiving Hospital, Friday and Smith interview the shaken victim, who describes being stopped at a traffic light when two men entered his car. One pulled a gun—the victim recalls it looking like a cannon—and forced him into the backseat. When he pleaded to be released, promising not to report the crime, one suspect struck him. The detectives know they're racing against time; while none of the victims have been killed yet, they fear it's only a matter of time before this violent crime spree turns deadly.

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  Episode #170

  The Big Shot

  Aug 20, 202631 minS1

  Originally Aired: September 21, 1952 Dragnet #170, "The Big Shot," opens with Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith investigating the robbery and murder of a nightclub manager. The victim, Mr. Kelby, was shot and killed during a morning stick-up while preparing the previous night's deposit in his office. The only witness is the club's cook, Mr. Seton, who was peeling potatoes in the kitchen when two well-dressed gunmen entered the establishment. Seton provides detailed descriptions of the suspects: a tall man in an expensive glen plaid suit and a smaller accomplice in blue gabardine with a distinctive scar near his mouth that makes him appear to be constantly smiling. During the robbery, the smaller man, called "Deuce" by his partner, shot Kelby when the manager refused to hand over the money and claimed he had friends who would protect him. As Friday interrogates Seton, inconsistencies begin to emerge. The killers seemed to know exactly when Kelby would be counting money in his closed office, suggesting inside knowledge of the club's operations. Friday and Smith must determine whether this was a random robbery gone wrong or something more calculated.

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  Episode #169

  The Big Bull

  Aug 19, 202632 minS1

  Originally Aired: September 14, 1952 Dragnet #169, "The Big Bull," Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith are closing in on the last member of a vicious robbery gang. After successfully rounding up the crew responsible for 32 armed robberies across Los Angeles, only one dangerous criminal remains at large: Leroy Bentley, known as "The Bull," the gang's brutal heavyman who routinely beat victims for no apparent reason. With an informant's help, Friday and Smith are days away from making the final arrest. The case takes a dark personal turn when Frank Smith receives an urgent call from his wife Faye. A man identifying himself as Bull Bentley has phoned their home with terrifying threats against Frank's family, warning that the phone is tapped and the house is being watched. When the Smiths' young son Mike fails to arrive home from school, Friday and Smith must race to find the boy while Captain Diddy sends backup to protect the family. With a desperate criminal who has nothing to lose targeting one of their own, the detectives face their most personal and dangerous challenge yet.

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  Episode #168

  The Big Tear

  Aug 18, 202630 minS1

  Originally Aired: September 11, 1952 Dragnet #168, "The Big Tear," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith take on a cunning burglar who has stolen approximately $80,000 in money and jewelry over the course of a year. The suspect's unusual calling card is drinking a glass of milk in the living room of every house he burglarizes, carefully wiping away any fingerprints before leaving through the back door. Despite operating in broad daylight between 3:30 and 6:00 PM in the Wilshire to Pico area, he remains a phantom—victims who have glimpsed him leaving provide wildly contradictory descriptions, from tall and thin to short and husky. Captain Wisdom assigns Friday and Smith to the case full-time, supplementing their investigation with ten Metro Division patrol units to saturate the neighborhood. For two months, the detectives work the area methodically while the burglar strikes only twice more, somehow evading the heavy police presence. Then, just fifteen minutes before the end of their watch on September 5th, Friday and Smith spot a man struggling with a door lock using a suspicious-looking tool—and their patience may finally be rewarded.

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  Episode #167

  The Big Ray

  Aug 17, 202632 minS1

  Originally Aired: September 4, 1952 Dragnet #167, "The Big Ray," Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Frank Smith respond to what appears to be a straightforward accidental death at 2102 West Francis Avenue. Alfred Kenneth Prater has collapsed during dinner, apparently from a heart attack, striking his head on the table and fracturing his skull. His wife Ellen describes a devoted husband and happy fourteen-year marriage, explaining how Alfred suddenly clutched his chest and staggered before falling. However, the routine investigation takes a troubling turn when Ellen's mother, Mrs. Atkins, offers a starkly different account of the victim and the incident. Mrs. Atkins insists that Alfred was drunk, not suffering a heart attack, and paints a picture of a lazy, abusive man who resented her presence in the household. She describes him as a "drunken bum" who spent time carousing in bars and mistreated his family. The conflicting testimonies from the two women create immediate tension, with Ellen defending her late husband's character while her mother remains adamant about what she witnessed. With no prior medical history and no death certificate, Friday and Smith must determine whether this was truly an accident or something more sinister.

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