THE BIG MOUSTACHE and THE BIG CONFESSION DRAGNET

THE BIG MOUSTACHE

Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner are called in on a robbery investigation in which witnesses give police one particularly memorable clue: the suspect sports a conspicuous moustache. What follows is classic Dragnet, as the detectives sift through descriptions, question witnesses, and methodically work the leads in an effort to identify their man. [yidio.com]

It's another reminder that on Dragnet, crimes aren't solved by flashy hunches. They're solved by patient police work, careful questioning, and following the evidence wherever it leads.

THE BIG CONFESSION

A young man named Paul Marcus walks into the homicide detail with an extraordinary story: he claims he murdered a young woman named Lorraine Farrell. Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith have what sounds like a confession, but something about the story doesn't add up. [oldtime.radio], [bestoldtimeradio.com]

Instead of simply accepting his statement, Friday and Smith begin checking the details, examining missing-person records, contacting witnesses, and following leads all the way to San Francisco. The deeper they investigate, the more unusual the case becomes, ultimately forcing them to answer the most basic question of all: Was there actually a murder? [oldtime.radio], [iheart.com]

Originally broadcast March 30, 1954, The Big Confession is episode 241 of the radio series and stars Jack Webb as Sergeant Friday. [iheart.com]

Tonight on 1001 Radio Crime Solvers: two more cases from one of radio's greatest police procedurals, where Sergeant Joe Friday reminds us that a good detective doesn't assume anything. He follows the facts.