All language subtitles for Dragnet S01E14

This is the city— Los
Angeles, California.

It's a big city with a big
heart, and it offers a lot—

Museums, libraries, galleries,

playgrounds, beaches,
valleys and mountains.

Angelenos are proud of
our new Griffith Park Zoo,

which houses animals
from all over the world—

The king of beasts
and his jester,

the proud and the profane.

Not all of the wolves and jackals who
come to Los Angeles are in the zoo.

A lot of them wind up in the
city jail. My job is to put 'em there.

I carry a badge.

It was Tuesday, January 1
7. It was cold in Los Angeles.

We were working the day watch
out of Frauds Division, Bunco Section.

The boss is Captain Lambert.

My partner's Bill Gannon.

My name's Friday.

Public Information
Division wanted a favor.

Sergeant Dan Cooke
had set up an interview for

Lieutenant Ron Breiter to
talk about petty bunco artists.

He was to appear on a
local TV show that afternoon,

but he was involved in the
fake bank examiner swindle.

The captain asked if Gannon
or I would substitute for Breiter.

The story you are
about to see is true.

The names have been
changed to protect the innocent.

Now, let's be fair about
this, Joe. You or me. Call it.

Heads. Friday wins.
You mean Gannon does it.

You do it. Put aside the magazine
scam you're working on for a few hours.

Yes, sir. Bill can help
you with the exhibits.

We're expecting a call
on the magazine kids,

Skipper. I'll let you
know if it comes in.

Take the toys along.

1:05 p.m. We drove
to the Hollywood

studio which telecasts
The Jerry Dexter Show.

It was seen at night, but they taped
it in advance at 2:00 in the afternoon.

Sergeant, you're on
after this commercial.

Those the props? Hmm?

The things you're gonna
use in the show. He is.

Okay. Well, stand by.

You nervous, Joe?
I've been more relaxed.

You sure look
nervous. Well, I'm not.

There's nothing to be
nervous about. I'm not nervous.

You act nervous. All
right. Have it your way.

What? I'm nervous.

There's nothing to be
nervous about. You said that.

It's true. Then why
don't you go out there?

Not me. I'd be nervous.

Sergeant?

Uh, sit down. Just
relax, Sergeant.

Don't be nervous.

Welcome back to
The Jerry Dexter Show.

We have returned from our
film festival of spot commercials.

I used to be Jerry Dexter, and if there
are no volunteers, I'll continue to be.

Our next guest tonight
is gonna tell us how some

other people make a
living, a dishonest living,

swindling honest,
gullible people.

The Los Angeles Police Department
is one of the finest in the nation,

so let's welcome one of their
members, Sergeant Joe Friday.

Sergeant, I read recently
that authorities estimate...

over one billion dollars a year
are lost by trusting people...

who are victimized by bunco artists, con
men and women who prey on the public.

- Yes, sir.
- Can you tell us some of the ways
the con men operate these days?

For instance, what
have you got in that box?

Well, sir...

There's this. Oh, it's rubber.

- Could've fooled me.
- Yeah, fools a lot of people.

What's a rubber rattlesnake
got to do with a con man?

They work it like this...

They pick a house, ring a
doorbell, and they tell the

owner there's been a
report of rattlers in the area.

They ask if they can go
under the house to check.

Naturally, the owner approves.
You bet your sweet knees I would.

The con man goes under, then
comes out shaking this rubber snake,

tells the homeowner, "They're
there all right, a whole nest of 'em."

And he offers to
clear 'em out for a fee.

What do they charge
for this so-called service?

Well, whatever they can get away
with. Ten dollars, 50, a hundred.

People have actually
gone for that swindle?

Yes, sir. They're
still going for it.

What else do we
have there, Sergeant?

Well, would you say this is a
branch of a tree, Mr. Dexter?

- Yeah, that's what it looks like.
- A branch or a twig?

All right. A twig or
an ape's swizzle stick.

Yes, sir. A stranger comes to your door
and offers to trim the dead branches...

from the tree in your yard
for only 25 cents a branch.

- Reasonable enough?
- Yeah.

You let his crew go to
work. They cut branches, all

right. Dead ones, dying
ones and good healthy ones.

Then from each branch,
they cut these twigs.

And when you go to settle,
they count each twig as a branch,

and they stick you with a bill
that can run into $200, $300, $400.

- And people pay it?
- Sometimes if they argue long enough,
they'll settle for less.

But the victim is still cheated,

and by buncos who have
no real knowledge of tree

surgery and who frequently
kill trees in the bargain.

Sergeant, all of these
things sound like petty

schemes. What about
some of the bigger swindles?

Well, there's this.

I'd have to check with
the band first. That looks

like it could be a
portable still. What is that?

Would you believe a moneymaking
machine? That makes money?

For the con man, thousands.
What's the gimmick here?

Look, I'll show you. They claim
that by placing a real $20 bill here,

along with two
pieces of blank paper,

and then closing
it, turning it on,

adjusting the dials and going
through a lot of hocus-pocus,

the one 20 is reproduced on
both pieces of the blank paper.

Actually, when you
twist this knob, it slides

back this false bottom
here in this compartment,

where two real 20s have
been hidden all along.

And some poor suckers believe it actually
manufactures money, and they buy it?

They either buy
it or invest in it.

One man bought a machine just like
this for $ 10,000 in cash. Incredible.

It's people's own greed that makes
them victims of the bunco artists.

Trying to get
something for nothing.

Sergeant, how can we
protect ourselves against

the swindlers who
go from door-to-door?

Well, you're always safe
when you deal with reputable,

established firms with
whom you've dealt before...

or who are
recommended by friends.

Thank you. Before we continue,
Sergeant, let's take this minute...

to hear from this reputable,
established firm who sponsors us.

Thank you, Sergeant.
Very good. Very good.

I'll have our floor manager bring these
things out to you. Thank you very much.

Can I go now? Yeah,
sure. Good job. Good job.

Thank you.

Yep, sure am, Joe. Real proud
of you. Did I seem nervous?

Not to me, partner. You didn't
look nervous. That's good.

I sure was though.
Here are your props.

Huh? Your stuff.

Thank you.

- Hey, Sergeant there.
- Yeah?

Can I see you a minute there?

Hi there. My name's
Tate. Cliff Tate.

I'm the film cutter at the
station here there. Yes, sir.

I was in the control room while you were
taping the Dexter show there, Sergeant.

Good. Real good there. Thanks.

A public service—that's what you were
performing there, Sergeant. Thank you.

Uh, can I ask you
something there? What's that?

- It's my wife.
- Yes, sir?

She's always buying stuff.

Any Tom, Dick or Jasper knocks
at our door, she'll buy it there.

Maybe she better
watch the Dexter show

tonight, hear what
Sergeant Friday has to say.

- The latest thing is this marine.
- What marine's that?

He says he's a war hero from Vietnam
there. Sold Marilyn some magazines.

- Subscriptions?
- Okay.

First she buys subscriptions
to help a girl win some

points and get a scholarship
to a nursing school.

- What about the marine?
- Then she buys more magazines
three days later...

from a foreign exchange
student from New Zealand there.

The marine, Mr. Tate.
What about him?

He shows up two
days later there...

and sells Marilyn 35 bucks' worth
of magazine subscriptions one day.

And he comes back again less than a
week there and sells her 50 bucks' worth.

- Same marine?
- Is this some kind of racket?

- Yes, sir. We'd like to talk to your wife.
- I wish you would.

- She's home. 10655 Rancho View.
- That's in the Valley.

Tarzana. Burroughs Estates.

It was named after Edgar Rice
Burroughs there, the man that wrote Tarzan.

- Yes, sir.
- We got a few old Tarzan movies here.

The ones with Mia
Farrow's mother. Remember?

She played Jane. Johnny
Weismuller played Tarzan with her.

That's right. Elmo Lincoln.
He was the first Tarzan there.

- Who played Jane with Elmo?
- What do you say you and me play?

- Hmm?
- Policemen.

3:15 p.m. We called Captain
Lambert and filled him in.

For a month we had been working on
the magazine kid using the marine scam.

His doorbell crew had taken
Mrs. Marian Ballard in Hollywood...

for $ 1, 800 in
magazine subscriptions.

Now it looked like they had switched
operations to the San Fernando Valley.

3:50 p.m. We arrived
at the Tate address.

- Joe, take a look.
- Yeah.

Police officers, ma'am.
You're Mrs. Tate?

Yes, my Cliffie-boy called
and said to expect you.

Which one of you is Sergeant
Sunday? Friday, ma'am.

I knew he mentioned a day. Come on in. You
must have a cup of tea and a piece of pie.

I'm puffy-pigeon proud of my
pies. No, ma'am, but thank you.

Mrs. Tate, we'd like
to ask you about that

marine that sold you the
magazine subscriptions.

♪♪

Oh, so gallant, so brave
and so very considerate.

- How's that, ma'am?
- To let Glenn do that.

Glenn. Is that his
first name or his last?

Just Glenn's all I call
him. No last name.

Of course he has. It'll come
to me. He's a hero, you know.

- He showed me his medal.
- What medal's that, Mrs. Tate?

Well, I told you he's a hero.
The medal from Congress.

- You mean the Congressional
Medal of Honor?
- Exactly!

There was a movie called The
Purple Heart. That's a medal too.

And Dana Andrews was
so brave in that. Yes, ma'am.

I was a stand-in once for Helen
Twelvetrees. Now, there was an angel.

Yes, ma'am. Mrs. Tate, we'd
like to know what you can tell us...

about the marine who sold you the
magazine subscriptions—this Glenn.

The magazines aren't
for me, you know. They're

for the boys in Vietnam
and the hospitals.

- Is that what he told you?
- That's why the Marine Corps
let him sell subscriptions.

You see, the boys desperately
need reading material.

Mrs. Tate, the Marine
Corps doesn't send its

members out to solicit
magazine subscriptions.

- They don't?
- No, ma'am.

I'm afraid you're the
victim of a swindle.

I am?

Yes, ma'am. Crews of nice-looking young
people have been passing themselves off...

as marines, medical
students, nursing students,

bilking well-meaning
people like yourself out of

thousands of dollars in
magazine subscriptions.

Well, goodness to Marie. I
bought from a lovely young nurse.

Just look! Just look!

Love Stories, Movie Pic, Love
Novelettes, Thrilling Stories,

Sensations and Spring Bride.

Yes, ma'am. Now, whether
you get those magazines or not,

the subscriptions were sold
to you under false pretenses.

What's the difference?

If I get my magazines,
why won't the boys in

the war zones and the
hospital zones get theirs?

Mrs. Tate, did this Glenn give
you a receipt? Did he sign anything?

Of course he did.
Honestly, you're just like

Cliff. All you men so
cynical. Excuse me.

Glenn wouldn't be a
crook. He's such a nice boy.

And what he went through in those
jungle battles. Here it is—a receipt.

May we have that,
please? No, I need it for

income tax. It's a charity
donation, you know.

Wouldn't you rather have a
piece of pie instead? No, ma'am.

Could we just look
at it, ma'am? Oh, yes.

There, he signed it.
Can you make that out?

Same number?

I have to check it,
but this one he signed.

Glenn P-R-O-C-U-S-T-A-N.

I remember now! Procustan.
Sergeant Glenn Procustan.

- Here's the serial number.
- Allied Subscription Service?

- Same as the others.
- Thank you very much, Mrs. Tate.

- You might tell your husband
to paint your fence.
- We do every spring.

- You better do it right now, ma'am.
- Fiddle-faddle, why?

The confidence men have
you marked with their code.

Small numbers written on one
of the pickets on your front fence.

They tip off the next man that
this house is good for a sale.

Wait. If you won't take any
pie, here, take some magazines.

- Those are brand-new.
- I just bought them to help out
those nice young people.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Don't tell Cliff, but I don't read them.

- Is that so?
- My eyes are going bad.

4:45 p.m. We had
checked R&I and C. I. I.

There was no local
record on the suspect.

I pulled the file on
Mrs. Marian Ballard,

the elderly victim of the
$ 1,800 subscription bunc.

Her receipts had no
signature, just a serial number.

It was the same as the
military serial number

Procustan had signed
on Mrs. Tate's receipt.

I put the name Glenn
Procustan and the serial number...

through the Marine
Corps files in Washington.

Bill wrote a letter to
Universal Registry,

a national clearing house for
subscription salesmen all over the country.

Their office is in Chicago.

He requested all information they
might have concerning the suspect— if any.

Wednesday, January 18, 8:40 a.m.

A Teletype came in from
Headquarters, Marine Corps.

The serial number was
accurate. It had been assigned

to a gunnery sergeant,
Emanuel G. Procustan.

He had been decorated with a
Congressional Medal of Honor.

Take a look, Bill.

How do you like that? Procustan's
a Medal of Honor winner.

Read on.

It was awarded posthumously.

3:15 p.m. Captain
Lambert wanted to see us.

Mrs. Ballard. What about her?

She's been swindled again.
Her daughter-in-law just found out.

The marine? A nurse in uniform.

Workin' her way through
school. Took her for 52 bucks.

They won't be back.
How do you know?

This Mrs. Ballard? Yeah?

That's about all the
money she had left.

Thursday, January 19.

Another cold day,
but our lines kept hot.

A lot of people had seen
The Jerry Dexter Show

the night before. They
had a lot of questions.

Sergeant Friday.

Mrs. Tate, Mr. Tate. We want
to see you there, Sergeant.

We came in person.
What can we do for you?

You can catch that marine
there. I'm so disappointed in Glenn.

- Has he been back again?
- Tell 'em, Marilyn.

- Oh, I'm so ashamed. You tell.
- Would you like to sit down?

No time for that. We have to
leave. But the bank called there.

What bank? Manager's
a neighbor of ours.

He said that we were
overdrawn. It was Glenn who did it.

- Did what, Mrs. Tate?
- The $50 check Marilyn wrote him there,
he changed the amount to 500.

Did you make out the
check, Mrs. Tate, or did he?

Well, he. But I saw
it was only 50—5-0.

Gannon, pick up three,
long-distance. Excuse me.

Surely. We have to go. Yeah, we just
wanted you to know about the check there.

- We have an appointment.
- Is that so?

I'm having my eyes checked
for glasses. Bye there.

Good-bye.

Right. That was Universal
Registry in Chicago.

They have a Glenn
Procustan listed, all right.

He was registered with them all last year,
employed by Allied Subscription Service.

Any address? It floats.

Out of Pueblo,
Colorado, originally.

The magazine crew he was on was
workin' the Southwest last they heard.

They could be working here now.
Doesn't matter. He quit the crew.

When? They're not sure.
Maybe Yuma can tell us.

How's that? Procustan
was arrested there.

We sent a Teletype
to Yuma detectives,

requesting information and
mug shots of the suspect.

12:20 p.m.

1:10 p.m. Yuma detectives
responded with information...

that Procustan had been arrested
the previous October 9 for petty theft.

He served 30 days.

They were sending mug shots via
airmail. We'd have them in the morning.

Meanwhile, we had the F.
B. I. number on the pictures.

Using that number, we ran Glenn
Procustan's name through the F. B. I.

Friday, January 20. The
mug shots from Yuma arrived.

The arresting officer
had sent along a letter...

stating that the suspect had been charged
by his former employer, Pete Benson.

F.B.I. kickback on Procustan.

Two months
service, Paris Island,

dishonorable discharge
from the Marine Corps.

Yeah, his father'd be real
proud of him, wouldn't he? Yeah.

His father won
the Medal of Honor.

10:20 a.m. A check of every
motel in the area was begun...

to locate Pete Benson.

Meanwhile, we took the mug
shots of Procustan to Hollywood...

and asked Mrs.
Ballard to identify him.

She said he had sold her enough magazine
subscriptions to last her 38 years.

She was 79 years old.

11:15 a.m. We
drove out to Tarzana.

We showed a group of mug shots,
including Procustan's, to Mrs. Tate.

That's him. That's
Glenn. You're positive?

Oh, absolutely. You
know something, Sergeant?

Yes, ma'am. He's not as
good-looking now, is he?

How's that? Now that
I've got my glasses.

12:00 noon. We got a
message to call the captain.

They'd located Pete Benson at
a motel on Wilshire Boulevard.

We headed for the Diploma Motel.

The manager had told Sergeant
Binstein and his partner...

that Benson and his crew usually
had lunch in the coffee shop.

12:23 p.m. We checked with
the manager of the Diploma Motel.

While we were talking, a
station wagon pulled up.

The manager identified
the driver as Benson.

Pete Benson? Yeah.

Police officers. Later,
mates. Lunchtime.

You can afford to wait.

Is that a crack, skinny?
Yeah. We wanna talk to you.

Well, this ain't no
information booth. Make it one.

Okay, gumshoe.
What's on your head?

We want to know about
one of your solicitors.

Don't try to roust me.
I run a square shoot.

Sure, you do.

You got nothin'. My kids
sell, and we deliver the books.

You got no clouds on
me, and I don't have to

tell you nothin'. I know
my constituted rights.

I'm glad you know your rights.
Maybe you know ours too.

Gumshoes. Never change, do you?

Up and down the home of the
brave and the land of the free.

All ofyou— a pack of pinheads.

Look, Benson, don't make us lean on
you because when my partner leans,

he goes in hot and heavy
and deep enough to strike oil.

Now, either you talk to
us about this Procustan

here, or we go
downtown, talk all night!

Procustan? What about that crud?

- Yeah. What about him, Benson?
- Look, I got no use for Procustan.

Him and me had a
beef. Is that right?

Yeah. The bum quit the
crew in Yuma, Arizona.

- Ran off with a week's receipts.
- Anything else?

Yeah. One of my best
salesgirls, Norma Bryant.

This Bryant girl, what kind
of scam is she working?

- Who knows if she’s still workin'?
- She work the nurse bit in Yuma?

I don't know what the kids do.
I told you. I run a square shoot.

- Just sell the books, babies.
- Yeah, sure.

Some of ‘em come up with a
little white lie here and there maybe.

- Or come up with something else maybe?
- Like what?

- Like a bigger number on a check.
- You prove that.
- We will.

- When?
- When we dig out Glen Procustan.

If that weasel's within a hundred
miles of L.A., we'll sniff him.

All right. Start sniffing.

3:55 p.m. Benson made
good. He located the suspect.

Glenn Procustan was registered under his
own name at Hunter's Lodge in Studio City.

4:4 1 p.m. Bill and I
went up to Room 64 1.

The suspect was cooperative.

We advised him of his rights,
and he agreed to talk to us.

You know a man named Benson? If it's a fat
pig named Pete Benson, I sure do know him.

- It's Pete Benson.
- He's bad news. I used to work for him.

What happened? I
quit his crew in Yuma.

When I left, he planted
a cheap wristwatch in my

bag, then called the
police and said I stole it.

- How much time did you do?
- Thirty days.

That's the only spot
on my record, honest.

There's gonna be
another one, fella.

I don't follow you.

- Must be my wife.
- Hi, honey. Company?

- Norma Bryant?
- Yes.

- Police officers.
- What is it, Glenn? What's wrong?

They want to talk about Pete.
Pete Benson? He should be arrested.

Before we question you, the law
requires we inform you of your rights.

Any statement you make may be
used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to
remain silent. You have

the right to the
presence of an attorney.

If you cannot afford
one, one will be appointed

before any questioning. Why
should I need an attorney?

- Do you understand your rights?
- Yes.

Did you sell some magazine
subscriptions to a Mrs. Marian Ballard...

- at 1655 Winona Boulevard in Hollywood?
- An elderly lady?

That's right. Yes, sir.

Did you tell her you got
points for each sale that would

help you win a scholarship
to complete nursing school?

That's what Pete told us to say.

- Did you tell Mrs. Ballard that?
- Yes.

You're under arrest.

Now you. Yes, sir?

Did you sell magazine
subscriptions to a Mrs. Ballard...

and to a Mrs. Marilyn Tate of
10655 Rancho View in Tarzana?

- Yes, sir.
- You're under arrest.

Why? For what?

Forgery, grand theft, bunco and at
least 10 misdemeanor counts we know of.

You want more? Surely there's been
a mistake. You've made a mistake.

No, you made the mistake
when you revised that last check.

- What last check?
- The one from Mrs. Tate.

I did no such thing, Officers.

All right. Maybe I
stretched the truth.

- Until it broke.
- But I didn't raise a check.

I did. I wanted to get
it over with, honey,

get the money we need
and go home and get married.

Forget all this house-to-house
doorbell ringing.

Oh, baby. Why'd you do that?

We had it almost made. I know.

Another few weeks,
we'd have had it all.

- We could have
gone back to Denver, lived honest.
- He didn't do it. I did it.

Take me, but not
Glenn. Sorry, miss.

Benson. He's the one you should
take. That fat slob. He got us started.

Did he give you that Congressional
Medal of Honor to flash?

He did not. This
medal was my father's.

- And he lost his life
winning it, didn't he?
- Yes, sir.

Well, you're gonna
lose a little for using it.

The story you have
just seen is true.

The names were changed
to protect the innocent.

On March 20, trial was
held in Department 182,

Superior Court of
the State of California,

for the County of Los Angeles.

In a moment, the
results of that trial.

The suspect was found guilty
on three counts of grand theft.

Grand theft is punishable by
imprisonment in the county jail...

for not more than one year...

or in the state prison for
not more than 10 years.

The suspect was found guilty
on three counts of grand theft...

and one count of forgery.

Pete Benson and his
magazine crew were tried in

Municipal Court for the
County of Los Angeles...

and were found guilty
of fraudulent solicitation.

Under the Los Angeles
Municipal Code,

fraudulent solicitation is a misdemeanor
punishable by six months’ imprisonment...

or a $500 fine or both.

Pete Benson received
the maximum punishment.

The sentences of his
crew were suspended.