The Big 38

A masked bandit’s robbery spree turns deadly when grocery clerk Bert Matthews is gunned down without warning. Sergeant Joe Friday and Ben Romero chase a killer who slips in and out of Los Angeles using taxi cabs as his getaway — a method that leads them straight into a tangled partnership between two young men, one a nervous hold-up artist and the other a cab driver with a .38 that’s already tied to a previous murder. As the investigation widens, a dropped gun, a terrified witness, and a trail of abandoned apartments pull the detectives closer to a suspect increasingly desperate to stay ahead of the law. Originally aired: October 5, 1950.  Cast: Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough, Herb Butterfield, Harry Bartell, Parley Baer, Peggy Webber Tags: Dragnet, LAPD, detectives, truecrime, 1950s, noir, crime, murder, robbery, investigation, getawaycar, taxicab, manhunt, accomplice, stakeout, suspense, drama, justice, classicradio