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Welcome to Down These Mean Streets, a weekly trip back to the Golden Age of Radio where we rub elbows with the era's greatest private eyes, cops, and crime-fighters. Since 2013, I've been podcasting everything from cozy mysteries to police procedurals, spotlighting characters ranging from hard boiled gumshoes to amateur sleuths. 

Be sure to tune in each Sunday for adventures of a radio detective and the behind-the-scenes stories of their shows. Join me as we spend time with Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, Sgt. Joe Friday, and more!

Sep 22, 2024

Over the long run of the Dragnet radio series, Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) was paired with four different partners. Each of these cops brought a different energy to the show and had a similar but different dynamic with Friday. We'll hear all four of them in this week's episode. First, Barton Yarborough is Sgt. Ben Romero in "The Big Ben" (originally aired on NBC on March 15, 1951). Then, Barney Phillips plays Sgt. Ed Jacobs in "The Big Almost No-Show" (originally aired on NBC on January 31, 1952). Future Adam-12 star Martin Milner is Officer Bill Lockwood in "The Big Bunco" (originally aired on NBC on April 17, 1952). And Ben Alexander plays Officer Frank Smith - Friday's longest-tenured partner on radio, television, and the big screen - in "The Big False Make" (originally aired on NBC on May 17, 1953).