Dragnet the 50's radio show


(4.6 stars; 62 reviews)

Old Time Radio Programs. Detective series. 298 episodes of Dragnet.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

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Chapters

Dragnet 49-06-10 ep002 Homicide 28:42
Dragnet 49-06-17 ep003 The Werewolf 29:23
Dragnet 49-06-24 ep004 Homicide 28:50
Dragnet 49-07-07 ep005 Helen Corday 29:14
Dragnet 49-07-14 ep006 Red Light Bandit 29:19
Dragnet 49-07-21 ep007 City Hall Bombing 29:15
Dragnet 49-07-28 ep008 Big Missing 29:08
Dragnet 49-08-04 ep009 Benny Trounsel 29:55
Dragnet 49-08-11 ep010 Homicide 28:51
Dragnet 49-08-18 ep011 Sixteen Jewel Thieves 29:52
Dragnet 49-08-25 ep012 Police Academy-Mario Koski 29:19
Dragnet 49-09-01 ep013 Myra the Redhead 30:03
Dragnet 49-09-03 ep014 Eric Kelby 29:19
Dragnet 49-09-10 ep015 Sullivan Kidnapping - The Wolf 29:17
Dragnet 49-09-17 ep016 James Vickers 29:33
Dragnet 49-09-24 ep017 Brick-Bat Slayer 29:23
Dragnet 49-10-01 ep018 Tom Laval 29:00
Dragnet 49-10-06 ep019 Second Hand Killer 29:00
Dragnet 49-11-24 ep026 Mother-In-Law Murder 28:59
Dragnet 49-12-01 ep027 Spring Street Gang 29:09
Dragnet 49-12-08 ep028 Jade Thumb Rings 30:02
Dragnet 49-12-15 ep029 Garbage Chute 29:01
Dragnet 49-12-22 ep030 Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas 29:11
Dragnet 49-12-29 ep031 Roseland Murder 30:44
Dragnet 50-01-05 ep032 Big Escape 29:42
Dragnet 50-01-12 ep033 Big Man Part 1 29:48
Dragnet 50-01-19 ep034 Big Man Part 2 29:14
Dragnet 50-02-02 ep035 Claude Jimmerson Child Killer 27:51
Dragnet 50-02-09 ep036 Big Girl 29:16
Dragnet 50-02-23 ep037 Big Grifter 30:51
Dragnet 50-03-02 ep038 Big Kill 29:01
Dragnet 50-03-09 ep039 Big Thank You 30:47
Dragnet 50-03-16 ep040 Big Boys 30:04
Dragnet 50-03-23 ep041 Big Gangster Part 1 30:53
Dragnet 50-03-30 ep042 Big Gangster Part 2 29:11
Dragnet 50-04-06 ep043 Big Book 28:59
Dragnet 50-04-13 ep044 Big Watch 30:51
Dragnet 50-04-20 ep045 Big Trial 30:50
Dragnet 50-04-27 ep046 Big Job 30:06
Dragnet 50-05-04 ep047 Big Badge 29:45
Dragnet 50-05-11 ep048 Big Knife 29:37
Dragnet 50-05-18 ep049 Big Pug 30:10
Dragnet 50-05-25 ep050 Big Key 29:40
Dragnet 50-06-01 ep051 Big Fake 30:28
Dragnet 50-06-08 ep052 Big Smart Guy 30:15
Dragnet 50-06-15 ep053 Big Press 29:20
Dragnet 50-06-22 ep054 Big Mink 29:04
Dragnet 50-06-29 ep055 Big Grab 29:12
Dragnet 50-07-06 ep056 Big Frame 29:53
Dragnet 50-07-13 ep057 Big Bomb 29:36
Dragnet 50-07-20 ep058 Big Gent Part 1 29:17
Dragnet 50-07-27 ep059 Big Gent Part 2 30:06
Dragnet 50-08-03 ep060 Big Dare 29:39
Dragnet 50-08-10 ep061 Big Actor 31:09
Dragnet 50-08-17 ep062 Big Youngster 29:35
Dragnet 50-08-24 ep063 Big Chance 29:15
Dragnet 50-08-31 ep064 Big Check 29:19
Dragnet 50-09-07 ep065 Big Poisen 29:21
Dragnet 50-09-14 ep066 Big Make 29:03
Dragnet 50-09-21 ep067 Big Pair 28:36
Dragnet 50-09-28 ep068 Big Death 28:35
Dragnet 50-10-05 ep069 Big 38 29:57
Dragnet 50-10-12 ep070 Big Quack 29:52
Dragnet 50-10-19 ep071 Big Grandma 30:08
Dragnet 50-10-26 ep072 Big Meet 28:05
Dragnet 50-11-02 ep073 Big Church 29:58
Dragnet 50-11-09 ep074 Big Mother 30:32
Dragnet 50-11-16 ep075 Big Parrot 29:41
Dragnet 50-11-23 ep076 Big Betty 23:37
Dragnet 50-11-30 ep077 Big Car 29:16
Dragnet 50-12-07 ep078 Big Picture 29:10
Dragnet 50-12-14 ep079 Big Break 29:26
Dragnet 50-12-21 ep080 Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas 28:46
Dragnet 51-01-04 ep082 Big Holdup 30:03
Dragnet 51-01-11 ep083 Big Jump 29:39
Dragnet 51-01-18 ep084 Big Dance 29:04
Dragnet 51-01-25 ep085 Big Tomato 28:50
Dragnet 51-02-01 ep086 Big Children 29:03
Dragnet 51-02-08 ep087 Big Cast 28:55
Dragnet 51-02-22 ep089 Big Couple 29:19
Big Partner 26:40
Dragnet 51-03-08 ep091 Big New Years 26:20
Dragnet 51-03-15 ep092 Big Ben 26:05
Dragnet 51-04-05 ep095 Big Friend 29:16
Dragnet 51-04-12 ep096 Big Threat 29:28
Dragnet 51-04-19 ep097 Big Speech 30:40
Dragnet 51-04-26 ep098 Big Saint 30:17
Dragnet 51-05-03 ep099 Big Casing 29:20
Dragnet 51-05-17 ep101 Big Blast 28:46
Dragnet 51-05-24 ep102 Big Mailman 29:15
Dragnet 51-05-31 ep103 Big Bindle 30:25
Dragnet 51-06-07 ep104 Big Imposter 30:18
Dragnet 51-06-14 ep105 Big Building 29:34
Dragnet 51-06-21 ep106 Big Run 28:52
Dragnet 51-06-28 ep107 Big Cliff 26:32
Dragnet 51-07-05 ep108 Big Love 29:50
Dragnet 51-07-12 ep109 Big Set-Up 29:49
Dragnet 51-07-19 ep110 Big Sophomore 26:26
Dragnet 51-07-26 ep111 Big Late Script 29:37
Dragnet 51-08-09 ep113 Big Screen 29:25
Dragnet 51-08-16 ep114 Big Winchester 28:37
Dragnet 51-08-23 ep115 Big In-Laws 28:23
Dragnet 51-08-30 ep116 Big Crazy 29:23
Dragnet 51-09-06 ep117 Big Seventeen 27:51
Dragnet 51-09-13 ep118 Big Waiter 29:53
Dragnet 51-09-20 ep119 Big Sour 29:59
Dragnet 51-09-27 ep120 Big September Man 28:28
Dragnet 51-10-11 ep122 Big Shoplift 29:45
Dragnet 51-11-01 ep125 Big Lease 30:08
Dragnet 51-11-08 ep126 Big Hit and Run Killer 26:01
Dragnet 51-11-15 ep127 Big Bungalow 30:02
Dragnet 51-11-22 ep128 Big Hands 30:03
Dragnet 51-11-29 ep129 Big Affair 29:58
Dragnet 51-12-06 ep130 Big Canaries 29:58
Dragnet 51-12-13 ep131 Big Overtime 29:44
Dragnet 51-12-20 ep132 Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas 29:28
Dragnet 51-12-27 ep133 Big Sorrow 29:40
Dragnet 52-01-03 ep134 Big Red Part 1 29:16
Dragnet 52-01-10 ep135 Big Red Part 2 29:19
Dragnet 52-01-17 ep136 Big Juvenile Division 29:40
Dragnet 52-01-24 ep137 Big Court 29:58
Dragnet 52-01-31 ep138 Big Almost No-Show 30:00
Dragnet 52-02-07 ep139 Big Honeymoon 27:33
Dragnet 52-02-14 ep140 Big Phone Call 26:00
Dragnet 52-02-21 ep141 Big Producer 29:38
Dragnet 52-02-28 ep142 Big Plant 29:46
Dragnet 52-03-06 ep143 Big Evans 29:29
Dragnet 52-03-13 ep144 Big Fire 29:47
Dragnet 52-03-20 ep145 Big Border 29:49
Dragnet 52-03-27 ep146 Big Rose 29:20
Dragnet 52-04-03 ep147 Big Streetcar 29:04
Dragnet 52-04-10 ep148 Big Show 29:25
Dragnet 52-04-17 ep149 Big Bunco 29:38
Dragnet 52-04-24 ep150 Big Elevator 29:11
Dragnet 52-05-01 ep151 Big Safe 29:24
Dragnet 52-05-08 ep152 Big Gamble 29:43
Dragnet 52-05-15 ep153 Big Mail 29:41
Dragnet 52-05-22 ep154 Big Shakedown 29:26
Dragnet 52-05-29 ep155 Big Fourth 58:45
Dragnet 52-06-05 ep156 Big Whiff 36:26
Dragnet 52-06-12 ep157 Big Donation 29:20
Dragnet 52-06-26 ep159 Big Roll 30:09
Dragnet 52-07-03 ep160 Big Trio 29:03
Dragnet 52-07-10 ep161 Big Hate 26:10
Dragnet 52-07-31 ep162 Big Signet 29:36
Dragnet 52-08-07 ep163 Big Impression 28:58
Dragnet 52-08-14 ep164 Big Drive 28:53
Dragnet 52-08-21 ep165 Big Paper 28:57
Dragnet 52-08-28 ep166 Big Test 28:48
Dragnet 52-09-04 ep167 Big Ray 28:47
Dragnet 52-09-14 ep169 Big Bull 29:17
Dragnet 52-09-21 ep170 Big Shot 28:57
Dragnet 52-09-28 ep171 Big Brain 25:10
Dragnet 52-10-05 ep172 Big Jolt 23:41
Dragnet 52-10-12 ep173 Big Lie 29:27
Dragnet 52-10-19 ep174 Big Pill 30:09
Dragnet 52-10-26 ep175 Big Number 29:02
Dragnet 52-11-02 ep176 Big Light 29:21
Dragnet 52-11-09 ep177 Big Dive 24:30
Dragnet 52-11-16 ep178 Big Walk 29:19
Dragnet 52-11-23 ep179 Big Guilt 29:07
Dragnet 52-11-30 ep180 Big Shirt 29:11
Dragnet 52-12-07 ep181 Big Mole 30:13
Dragnet 52-12-14 ep182 Big Eavesdrop 25:29
Dragnet 52-12-21 ep183 Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas 26:41
Dragnet 52-12-28 ep184 Big Mask Part 1 29:47
Dragnet 53-01-04 ep185 Big Mask Part 2 28:16
Dragnet 53-01-11 ep186 Big Small 28:05
Dragnet 53-01-18 ep187 Big String 22:49
Dragnet 53-01-25 ep188 Big Lay-Out 29:46
Dragnet 53-02-01 ep189 Big Strip 25:09
Dragnet 53-02-08 ep190 Big Press 28:42
Dragnet 53-02-15 ep191 Big Tooth 29:26
Dragnet 53-02-22 ep192 Big Smoke 26:09
Dragnet 53-03-01 ep193 Big Want 25:24
Dragnet 53-03-08 ep194 Big Laugh 29:02
Dragnet 53-03-15 ep195 Big Impossible 29:51
Dragnet 53-03-22 ep196 Big Informant 29:52
Dragnet 53-03-29 ep197 Big Dream 29:53
Dragnet 53-04-05 ep198 Big Chet 29:35
Dragnet 53-04-12 ep199 Big Compulsion 25:52
Dragnet 53-04-19 ep200 Big Rip 24:40
Dragnet 53-04-26 ep201 Big Scrapbook 29:45
Dragnet 53-05-03 ep202 Big Carney 29:59
Dragnet 53-05-10 ep203 Big Joke 30:00
Dragnet 53-05-17 ep204 Big False Move 29:47
Dragnet 53-05-24 ep205 Big Gun Part 1 30:57
Dragnet 53-05-31 ep206 Big Gun Part 2 28:55
Dragnet 53-06-07 ep207 Big Will 29:20
Dragnet 53-06-14 ep208 Big Lilly 30:15
Dragnet 53-06-21 ep209 Big Revolt 29:12
Dragnet 53-06-28 ep210 Big Ham 28:11
Dragnet 53-09-01 ep211 Big Bop 25:44
Dragnet 53-09-08 ep212 Big Lift 24:13
Dragnet 53-09-15 ep213 Big Cab 27:05
Dragnet 53-09-22 ep214 Big Slip 26:43
Dragnet 53-09-29 ep215 Big Try 29:18
Dragnet 53-10-06 ep216 Big Little Mother 28:42
Dragnet 53-10-13 ep217 Big Plea 25:22
Dragnet 53-10-20 ep218 Big Paint 29:03
Dragnet 53-10-27 ep219 Big Fraud 28:39
Dragnet 53-11-03 ep220 Big Rain 29:09
Dragnet 53-11-10 ep221 Big Kid 25:10
Dragnet 53-11-17 ep222 Big Flight 25:47
Dragnet 53-11-24 ep223 Big Present 26:00
Dragnet 53-12-01 ep224 Big Odd 25:37
Dragnet 53-12-08 ep225 Big Pick 25:37
Dragnet 53-12-15 ep226 Big Brink 25:10
Dragnet 53-12-22 ep227 Big Little Jesus 27:33
Dragnet 53-12-29 ep228 Big Steal 25:34
Dragnet 54-01-05 ep229 Big Listen 25:09
Dragnet 54-01-12 ep230 Big Switch 25:37
Dragnet 54-01-19 ep231 Big Bill 25:33
Dragnet 54-01-26 ep232 Big Bid 25:58
Dragnet 54-02-02 ep233 Big Filth 26:03
Dragnet 54-02-09 ep234 Big Broad 26:20
Dragnet 54-02-16 ep235 Big Sucker 26:01
Dragnet 54-02-23 ep236 Big Pipe 25:43
Dragnet 54-03-02 ep237 Big TV 25:35
Dragnet 54-03-09 ep238 Big Cup 25:52
Dragnet 54-03-16 ep239 Big Rod 25:40
Dragnet 54-03-23 ep240 Big Mustache 25:46
Dragnet 54-03-30 ep241 Big Confession 25:56
Dragnet 54-04-06 ep242 Big Saw 26:08
Dragnet 54-04-13 ep243 Big Note 25:59
Dragnet 54-04-20 ep244 Big Net 25:46
Dragnet 54-04-27 ep245 Big Lift 25:02
Dragnet 54-05-04 ep246 Big Stop 26:01
Dragnet 54-05-11 ep247 Big Look 25:32
Dragnet 54-05-18 ep248 Big Help 26:10
Dragnet 54-05-25 ep249 Big Watch 26:14
Dragnet 54-06-01 ep250 Big Cowboy 24:47
Dragnet 54-06-08 ep251 Big Student 25:09
Dragnet 54-06-15 ep252 Big Cat 25:29
Dragnet 54-06-29 ep254 Big Chick 26:01
Dragnet 54-07-06 ep255 Big Search 25:48
Dragnet 54-07-13 ep256 Big Rescue 25:22
Dragnet 54-07-20 ep257 Big Heel 25:34
Dragnet 54-07-27 ep258 Big Match 25:59
Dragnet 54-08-03 ep259 Big Stand 25:30
Dragnet 54-08-10 ep260 Big Wish 25:12
Dragnet 54-08-17 ep261 Big Cad 25:31
Dragnet 54-08-24 ep262 Big Shock 25:07
Dragnet 54-08-31 ep263 Big Office 24:53
Dragnet 54-09-07 ep264 Big Trunk 25:02
Dragnet 54-09-14 ep265 Big Cut 25:11
Dragnet 54-09-21 ep266 Big Try 26:06
Dragnet 54-09-28 ep267 Big Bible 26:04
Dragnet 54-10-05 ep268 Big Handsome Bandit 25:56
Dragnet 54-10-12 ep269 Big Tar Baby 26:20
Dragnet 54-10-19 ep270 Big Manikin 25:09
Dragnet 54-10-26 ep271 Big Key 26:13
Dragnet 54-11-02 ep272 Big Locker 24:30
Dragnet 54-11-09 ep273 Big Coins 25:58
Dragnet 54-11-16 ep274 Big Dog 25:53
Dragnet 54-11-23 ep275 Big Switch 25:46
Dragnet 54-11-30 ep276 Big Gone 25:58
Dragnet 54-12-07 ep277 Big Dig 25:51
Dragnet 54-12-14 ep278 Big Lens 26:20
Dragnet 54-12-21 ep279 Big Little Jesus 26:42
Dragnet 54-12-28 ep280 Big Underground 26:09
Dragnet 55-01-04 ep281 Big Mug 26:25
Dragnet 55-01-11 ep282 Big Complex 24:46
Dragnet 55-01-18 ep283 Big Token 26:20
Dragnet 55-01-25 ep284 Big Bounce 25:14
Dragnet 55-02-01 ep285 Big Bird 25:07
Dragnet 55-02-08 ep286 Big Gap 25:27
Dragnet 55-02-15 ep287 Big Hat 25:06
Dragnet 55-02-22 ep288 Big Slug 24:42
Dragnet 55-03-01 ep289 Big Set-Up 25:45
Dragnet 55-03-08 ep290 Big Father 24:31
Dragnet 55-03-15 ep291 Big Set 25:58
Dragnet 55-03-22 ep292 Big Talk 25:02
Dragnet 55-03-29 ep293 Big Death 27:40
Dragnet 55-04-05 ep294 Big No Tooth 23:56
Dragnet 55-04-12 ep295 Big Tie 24:47
Dragnet 55-04-19 ep296 Big Deal 24:26
Dragnet 55-04-26 ep297 Big Child 25:22
Dragnet 55-05-03 ep298 Big Momma 25:19
Dragnet 55-05-10 ep299 Big Revision 26:01
Dragnet 55-05-17 ep300 Big Squealer 25:52
Dragnet 55-05-24 ep301 Big Siege 26:15
Dragnet 55-05-31 ep302 Big Sisters 25:22
Dragnet 55-06-07 ep303 Big Limp 24:43
Dragnet 55-06-14 ep304 Big Fall Guy 28:57
Dragnet 55-06-21 ep305 Big Grab 25:31
Dragnet 55-06-28 ep306 Big Convertible 25:01
Dragnet 55-07-05 ep307 Big Rush 25:01
Dragnet 55-07-12 ep308 Big Genius 25:24
Dragnet 55-07-19 ep309 Big Bobo 25:39
Dragnet 55-07-26 ep310 Big Housemaid 25:40
Dragnet 55-08-02 ep311 Big Sheet 24:52
Dragnet 55-08-09 ep312 Big Missus 25:56
Dragnet 55-08-16 ep313 Big Beer 24:59
Dragnet 55-08-23 ep314 Big Blonde 24:44
Dragnet 55-08-30 ep315 Big Fellow 24:09
Dragnet 55-09-13 ep317 Big Daughter 25:06
Dragnet 55-09-20 ep318 Big Close 25:59

Reviews

Thoughtful and engaging


(5 stars)

I remember watching old re-runs of the Dragnet 1967 TV show with my dad when I was a kid, then recently I watched a few episodes from the original 1950's TV series after finding some cheaply produced DVD versions of a few of them. Then I found these old radio programs on the internet recently. I must say that these are as good as, if not better than, either of the TV series (although the cigarette advertisements are somewhat laughable today). I enjoy listening to these while riding my bicycle or mowing the lawn, they definitely help to pass the time. The action sequences are a bit hard to follow (with canned gunfire soundbytes interspersed with the protagonists' talking to each other, leaving what is actually happening a little ambiguous until the end.) but this is forgivable, since they comprise only a minute portion of the programs. The dry documentary style of the shows is what sets them apart from most police dramas, both past and present. I actually enjoy the fact that an episode will devote a 2 minute sequence to SGT Friday waiting on hold for an operator to transfer his call, or another similar sequence to SGT Friday and Romero talking to each other from the inside of a car trunk where they are awaiting some unsuspecting criminals...this adds to the realism of the shows...a lot of police work is pretty boring stuff; as the son of a cop myself, I realize this very well. Indeed, most of us will admit, even those of us with the most exciting jobs will have a large part of our day that is fairly mundane. The Dragnet shows capture the mundane aspects of life that most dramatizations miss. I think that these shows are a throwback to a different era; although many have criticized our ancestors (and rightly, at times) for such wrongs as racism and ethnocentrism, listening to these shows has shown me the better side of 1940's and 50's U.S. society. The episodes show a keen awareness of the darker side of life (tackling such crimes as pedophilia, pornography production and distribution, serial killings, and cop shootings), yet they deal with these topics in a sensitive and tasteful way that stands in sharp contradistinction to the tasteless dramatizations that one often sees of such crimes on TV today. Criminals and lowlifes are not glorified with quasi-voyeuristic depictions and descriptions of their vile work, as is so often the case today in law enforcement television programs. I think I have learned a lot about 1950's America just by listening to these episodes, because you pick up on the little subtleties that you're not necessarily going to find in a history book (and the subtleties are just as much in what the characters do say as in what they don't say...there were certain things you just didn't talk about back then, because there were rules of polite behavior that were a bit more conservative, and possibly superior in many ways, to what we have now). The show also makes vague occasional references to the social stigmas associated with being a police officer (One can hear the resigned frustration in the voice of SGT Friday, when, at the end of one program, he simply reflects back at her a lady's accusation: "You're right; I wouldn't understand...I'm a cop).

How times have changed!.....


(5 stars)

I'm a retired metropolitan police commander, and knew the business had changed. I just didn't realize how much until I listened to an episode of radio Dragnet. Friday hauls in an entire load of bar customers because they might have seen a shooting. Then, an overnight "dragnet" produces over 200 more suspects who are promptly taken downtown for interrogation. Effective yes... but Friday wouldn't last a week on today's police departments. You can't take anyone "in for questioning." And, there are no suspects anymore either. Well, there are suspects, but you can't do a thing about it unless you have enough evidence to arrest them. The only people the cops take in these days are those which have been arrested for an articulable crime, and evidence exists to prosecute them. Yep, after the first week, Friday would have at least a dozen Title 42/Section 1983 lawsuits pending on him. Worse, his department would side with the plaintiffs by claiming that they told him NOT to conduct himself in that manner. So, Friday would find himself working in the Tow-in-Lot or answering the phones down in Warrants until the Department figured out a way to get rid of him. Joe Friday is incapable of understanding the change in times. In his day his job as a cop was to catch criminals. Today, a cop's first priority is to not get sued. Forget the criminals, because no cop agency ever got sued for NOT catching a criminal. No one sues you for being lazy, and being lazy pays just as much as being vigilant. But never fear because Joe Friday types don't even apply for the job anymore. The business has been changed for so long that even the applicants have evolved. Before I retired, I couldn't believe the numbers of one-year rookies with the attitudes of 20-year veterans. You couldn't get them to work on-time, or devote their time on-duty to catching crooks. They were just as likely to be found reading the newspaper in some remote alley as their gray-haired co-workers.

Great radio show, scary commercials


(4 stars)

In hindsight it's somewhat difficult to appreciate just how creative, risk-taking and innovative this remarkable radio show really was. The visionary recipe started by bringing together the institutional documentary style of programs like the Westinghouse "Adventures in Research" with the character dimensions and musical score of a radio soap opera. Webb then mixed in gritty elements considered inappropriate at the time, interviewing 'dance hall girls' and having characters say things like "Do you mind if I eat while we talk?" Targeting the voracious crime-drama appetite of post war America and served with a heaping helping of Roosevelt-era social engineering, Webb used mass media to disseminate cautionary tales to encourage good behavior among the masses. Rendered a cliché by the longevity borne by its overwhelming success, Dragnet is a fascinating study of rapid character development; plot pacing and exploiting the time worn adage that truth really is stranger than fiction. Oh goodness! Those Fatima (Pronounced fa-tee'-ma) cigarette commercials. Using lessons from WWII propaganda, interrogation techniques and the new science of the psychology of consumer behavior, Liggett & Myers (L&M) Tobacco Company tried to resuscitate an aging brand from the late 19th century using radio. According to Wikipedia, "Fatima was the sole sponsor of the early years of the Dragnet radio series. The creator and star of Dragnet, Jack Webb, voiced a number of on-air pitches for the brand and appeared in print advertising as well. There was also a short-lived mystery anthology series called Tales of Fatima, hosted by Basil Rathbone. The brand's old-fashioned image caused it to lose market share from the mid-1950s onward, and L&M eventually phased it out by around 1980."

GREATEST era for Radio


(5 stars)

Most kids when they grow up they dream about "when I grow up I'm gonna be a ....". The only job I EVER wanted to do was Radio. I volunteered for the US Army and enjoyed most of my time. When I got out at the ripe old age of 21 (don't know if they still offer it but in the late 70's you'd sign on for 6 years and would do 3 active & 3 inactive. I never lost my desire for radio & lied my way into my very first gig. My 1st PD, Program Director, knew I hadn't been in the business long (I lied that I had experience) & kept preaching TOMA to me. Top Of the Mind Awareness and said it was something they used to preach during the Golden, and Greatest, era of Radio. Even as a kid I LOVED going to the library and listening to cassette tapes of radio shows from the 40's & 50's, so I understood what he was talking about. It didn't mean I would GET how to use TOMA right away but it was the best piece of advice I ever received about the business so I made sure I always used it when I was hiring people! It would have been GREAT to have had an opportunity to appear on these great shows but I have no regrets about the way things played out for me! Regardless, all of these GREAT shows were a part of the GREATEST ERA IN RADIO!!

love my dragnet!!!


(5 stars)

i wish they made them like this, everyone one these shows is pure entertainment i found my very first episode five years ago when i stumbled upon them on itunes iphone and after searching the net for more i found the treasure that is INTERNET ARCHIVE!!! lets all support this site with a monthly gift of any amount so they can continue to bring us these wonderful shows from days past...just as pbs offers us unfettered access to quility tv this site gives us what is the best that writers and actors and directors had in the golden age of radio i can say since those first days of listening i find my self more relaxed and in a better state of mind say than after watching some silly tv show i think it was a different time when most of these shows were made and i believe as the quility of what we put in our minds went down with the so did the moral fabric of our souls ... dont believe me instead of watching those disgusting shows at night turn on one of dragnets episodes or a whistler or phillip marlow and sit back with the lights low and just relax with the tone of the words i swear its better than zanax for stress anyway thanks INTERNET ARCHIVE youve givin me many a peaceful evening and my mind lost in the age of old time radio

Hello, Aquilla


(0 stars)

If you go to the top of this page and click the link under 'Keywords' that says 'Dragnet', it will open two pages of links. Look for the one titled 'Dragnet - Single Episodes - Old Time Radio Researchers Group'. This page has pretty well every extant episode, in very good quality. Alternatively, just go to this link: http://archive.org/details/OTRR_Dragnet_Singles If you want to download the shows in CD-sized zip files, about 400Mb to 700Mb, look for the link that reads 'Dragnet - Old Time Radio Researchers Group', or just go to this page: http://archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Dragnet A bonus of downloading the OTRR zip files is that you will also get many features such as pictures, advertising, related shows, and much more, usually on CD1. The first CD zip of the Dragnet series has quite a bit of interesting material. The pages from the OTRR, Old Time Radio Researchers, always have very good quality files, and are as complete as you are likely to find. If there's a show that you're interested in, a page provided by the OTRR is almost always the best place to start. Hope this helped, and nice to meet a fellow Dragnet fan. If you're a die-hard Jack Webb fan, check out his book on police work, 'The Badge', first published in 1958 and still in print at a very good price.

Love the old days and this show


(5 stars)

I remember as a boy my grandma got me into talk radio, then thru osmosis, I found an L.A. radio station that would play old time radio at 2 am. I remember the time cause I played in a Rock band at the time and what no one in the audience knew was that I couldn't wait for the show to be over cause it was about a 45 min drive home and I would turn on the old time radio show and think of my grandma. That was the early 90s. Growing up I watched the tv version of dragnet and liked it and now that I"m in my 40s, to find all the episodes of it here if a gift. It was a better time, simpler, more innocent and I wish alot that I grew up back then in the 40s and 50s. Nowdays noone has the morals or honesty of back then. To whoever made and maintains this site...thank you so much and Grandma...I miss you, thank you for sharing your love of radio with me, it never left.

Old Time Radio


(5 stars)

Very well done dramatic episodes, tight writing. I thought Jack Webb was a ham (based on watching Dragnet 1967, 1968, and so on; I was a 60s kid), and then I got curious about these episodes on the radio. They are great, and a real eye-opener! We've become so cynical, it's refreshing (and amazing) to think that just a few years before I was born, people had ideals of a much higher kind. People weren't better, mind you; they just had much higher expectations of how to behave. We were much more socially connected, and in the fragmented society of Los Angeles in the early 50s, you can see the fraying edges of what was to come. Listen, learn, and enjoy. A true cold lemonade to the thirsty, time-traveling mind.