On This Day in Radio History: October 4
On October 4, 1951, Jack Webb starred as Joe Friday in Dragnet: “The Big Want Ad.”
Friday investigates criminals posing as legitimate automobile dealers. Their operation looks ordinary from the outside, but behind it is a carefully designed scheme that cheats unsuspecting buyers out of thousands of dollars.
That everyday realism was one of Dragnet’s strengths. The criminals were not always masterminds hiding in dark alleys. Sometimes they were people using ordinary businesses, paperwork and trust to make the crime work.
Hear The Big Want Ad:
https://goldenradiohour.com/old-time-radio-episodes/dragnet-the-big-want-ad-1951-10-04/
Also on October 4:
The Line-Up: “The Wild, Wild Woman Case” (1951)
A jewelry-store lineup turns into something much larger when detectives discover that a supposed victim has been lying and connect two suspects to crimes stretching across several states.
Theatre Royal: “Queen of Spades” (1953)
A man becomes obsessed with an old countess’s supposed secret for choosing winning cards. His attempt to learn it leads to death, a ghostly bargain and a final card that destroys him.
https://goldenradiohour.com/old-time-radio-episodes/theatre-royal-queen-of-spades-1953-10-04/
Listen anytime in the Golden Radio Hour app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goldenradiohour.radio
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