« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

NIGHT WATCH-- Old radio's version of COPS

Filed under: Imported

These days, if anyone remembers Dragnet at all, it's the late '60s episodes, where an uber-rightwing Joe Friday confronts filthy hippies who let their babies drown in the bathtub while they get stoned. In the '50s, however, its faux-documentary approach to police drama-- first on radio, then on television-- seemed startlingly realistic. It inspired a number of imitators, but none more interesting than an audio verite series on CBS radio called Night Watch.

The "star" of the series was reporter Donn Reid, who wore a tape-deck on his back and wielded a microphone hidden in a fake flashlight. He rode with Culver City police, recording their skirmishes with civilians during the night shift. Because of the nature of the program and the loosening of content censorship at the time, the series dealt with surprisingly adult subject matter for its time (1954-1955). Flashers, rape and child molestation were some of the many cases Reid documented on the show, sometimes even interviewing the perps in their cells as they contemplated suicide. (According to old-radio historian John Dunning, Reid himself was shot at and even knifed by some of the bad guys he tape-recorded.)

Today, nearly the entire series exists, including a bonus "uncensored" episode, which is the source of this clip, where a woman tells the cops to leave her man alone. (Note: it's not the clearest-sounding mp3, so use your EQ.) And remember: the secret word is "goddamn."

Posted by Steve Monaco at January 12, 2005 6:28 AM

« Worst Beach Boys song ever? | Main | Bill Murray as . . . The Human Torch? »