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← All Dragnet episodes

Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield, the only cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size, brings you Dragnet. Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. You receive a call that a fatal accident has occurred at a Hollywood motion picture studio. Your job, investigate. Here's what a leading tobacco pu…

Transcript

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Synopsis

In the Dragnet episode titled The Big Light, detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith are assigned to investigate a fatal accident at a Hollywood motion picture studio. The victim, Henry Wilson, a movie director, has been killed when a heavy lamp falls on him during a lunch break. Upon arriving at the scene, the detectives learn from the studio's production supervisor, Gerald Adams, that the crew had been on break when the incident occurred. Adams recounts how he discovered Wilson's body and the chaos that ensued.

Host

H

Hal Gibney

Cast›

Ben Alexander

Jack Kruschen

Jack Webb

W

Walter Schumann

W

Whitfield Connor

Network›

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← PreviousThe Big NumberNext →The Big Dive

Credits

  • Audio from Internet Archive (OTRR_Dragnet_Singles). Curated by OTRR. Goldie does not claim ownership of this broadcast.
  • Cast and sponsor data from RadioGold Index (J. David Goldin / UMKC Libraries).
  • Historical context from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Dragnet_52-11-02_176_The_Big_Light.mp3

Dragnet, Episode 176

The Big Light

Sunday, November 2, 1952 · 29:42

Dragnet, Episode 176

The Big Light

Sunday, November 2, 1952 · 29:42

Summary

A movie director is killed when a heavy lamp falls on him at a Hollywood studio. Detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident and uncover deeper motives.

  • Tense
  • Murder
  • Crime
  • Psychological
  • Noir
  • Mystery
  • Drama

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That night in history

Headlines

  • 1952 — Nuclear weapons testing: The United States successfully detonates Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent.
  • 1952 — The United States government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.

On the air that night›

  1. DragnetThe Big LightCurrently listeningEpisode 176
  2. EscapeThe Running ManEpisode 155
  3. The Jack Benny ProgramJack Goes Trick or Treating with the BeaversEpisode 819