• The Line Up Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

  • Written by: Adam Graham
  • Podcast

The Line Up Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Written by: Adam Graham
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  • Summary

  • With the smash success of Dragnet, many networks and producers began to play follow the leader. On NBC, Dragnet was followed up with Tales of the Texas Rangers which dramatized real-life tales from the Texas Rangers. CBS countered with The Line Up and later 21st Precinct, and then Nightwatch which while following an actual policeman in the field was as realistic as it got in a show that was pre-cursor to modern police reality dramas like Cops.

    The Line Up was a hard-boiled drama of police action. Like Dragnet, it realistically showed police doing their jobs. Unlike Dragnet, it was not based on “cases taken from police files.” Rather The Line Up made its fictional cases seem realistic, from kidnappings and murders to thefts and obscene phone calls. The Line Up radio show was not set in any particular city. However, when the series moved to television, it was set in San Francisco.

    The series starred William Johnston as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie and began with Wally Maher playing the role of Sergeant Matt Grebb. After Maher's passing in 1951, Jack Moyles took over the supporting role as Sergeant Pete Karger.

    The Line Up, as the title indicates, centered around the police line up. The show always began with one. The Sergeant in charge of line would say, “May I have your attention please? You people on the other side of the wire in the audience room, may I have your attention please.” He would then give his name and say, “I’ll explain the line up to you. Each of the suspects you will see will be numbered. I’ll call out their number, their name, and charge. If you have any questions or identifications, please remember the number assigned to the prisoner as I call his name. At the end of each line when I ask for questions or identifications, call out the number. If you’re sure or not too sure of the suspect, have him held. The officers who took your name will assist you, they’re seated among you. Please be prompt with your questions or identifications. When the prisoners leave here, they are sent to the washroom and dressed back into their jail clothes. It makes it quite difficult to bring them back after they leave here. The questions I ask these suspects are merely to get a natural tone of voice so do not pay too much attention to their answers as they often lie. Bring on the line.

    ”While the line up was rarely the key to solving the case, it did give the show a rhythm and it also allowed for humor in the interrogation of the suspects by the sergeant. The series began as a Summer Replacement for The FBI in Peace and War in 1950, but quickly got its own time slot and would remain on radio until the Spring of 1953 before becoming TV only.
    2013-14 Commentary
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Arts & Entertainment Entertainment & Performing Arts
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Episodes
  • The Line Up: The Molly About Seven Case

    The Line Up: The Molly About Seven Case
    Jul 19 2016
    Original Release Date: July 19, 2016

    A gangland killer is identified in the line-up, but Guthrie and Groeb have to scramble to identify him when the witness is killed.

    Original Air Date: February 27, 1951

    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

    Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • The Line Up: The Cigar Box Case

    The Line Up: The Cigar Box Case
    Jan 18 2025
    Release Date: April 06, 2013

    Guthrie and Grebb investigate a series of pharmacy robberies.

    Original Air Date: February 15, 1951

    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

    Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
    Show more Show less
    33 mins
  • The Line Up: The Senile Slugging Case

    The Line Up: The Senile Slugging Case
    Jan 11 2025
    Release Date: March 30, 2013

    Guthrie investigates a series of brutal muggings that have targeted elderly victims.

    Original Air Date: February 8, 1951

    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

    Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
    Show more Show less
    33 mins

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