Dr. P's Daily Time Machine

Episode 81: Dragnet - The Big Pair

Hello and welcome back to the time machine. As we have been doing all week, we will travel back to the first 100 episodes of Dragnet and pick out my favorites. Dragnet was not only one of the most famous, but also one of the most celebrated series of its time. Between radio and television it won both peabody and emmy awards for outstanding dramatic series.  Today we will join a melancholy episode about several families who have all of their possessions stolen. The first house hit has everything stolen but the rug. The story is strangely led off by a 12 year old girl who is the first one to report a theft. So sit back, relax, and travel back to 1950 to enjoy The Big Pair from Dragnet.

Episode 80: Dragnet - The Big Chance

Hello and welcome back to the time machine. Today we are again reviewing my favorite shows from the first 100 episodes of Dragnet. We will join Sgt’s Friday and Romero on a dark case. A patrol officer has gone missing while on duty. His vehicle abandoned, radio still in operation, and no clues as to what happened to him.  The classic intro of dragnet is probably one of the most famous chord progressions in movie and television history. Written by Walter Schumann, it is named “Danger Ahead”. This name is especially fitting for this thrilling episode. So please sit back, try to relax, and travel back to 72 years to August 24th, 1950 with Dragnet and The Big Chace.

Episode 79: Dragnet - The Big Badge

Hello and welcome back to the time machine. Today we will travel back 72 years to May 1950 for another episode from the first 100 of arguably the most successful old time radio shows of all time, Dragnet. We will join Jack Webb’s phenomenal portrayal of Sgt Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero for yet another case. Mr. Webb’s portrayal was so convincing at the time he received numerous requests from fans of the show to solve real life cases. This led to Webb having to release a public statement clarifying that he was not a real police officer and was just an actor.  Today we will join them for a different type of case. This week, assigned to the homicide division, it is time for a manhunt. This time against a murderous criminal impersonating a police officer. So sit back as we travel back to May 4th, 1950 and Dragnet with The Big Badge.

Episode 78: Dragnet - The Big Thank You

Hello and welcome back to the time machine. I apologize for my long absence but I have had a nasty case of laryngitis for the past week. I am happy to return for a special week here on the time machine. As it is my birthday week I have decided to do a special of one of my favorite shows Dragnet. Over the last several months I have listened to the first 100 episodes of the show spanning from June 1949 to July 1951. This week we will cover my top five favorite episodes from the first run. I have featured some episodes in the first 100 already, but we will consider those honorable mentions as this list is in no particular order. Today we will start with our first case of the week as we join Sgt Joe Friday on yet another case from real police files. In this particular case, a woman who was previously paroled after the murder of her husband is on the run. Your job, find her. So please, sit back, relax, and travel back to back to March 9th, 1950 and what I believe to be the 32nd episode of Dragnet with The Big Thank You.

Episode 77: The Mysterious Traveler - Fire In The Sky

Hello and welcome back to the time machine, although I am still without my voice, I have been listening to a lot of Mysterious Traveler during my sickness and this is another one of my favorites. Although the show is mostly horror and thriller based, some of the episodes lean more into science fiction. This particular episode feels like the beginning of a great science fiction epic with a little touch of War of the Worlds thrown in. Please sit back, relax, and travel back to August 1951 for The Mysterious Traveler and the science fiction original, Fire in The Sky.