The Big Watch

Originally Aired: May 25, 1954 Dragnet #249, "The Big Watch," Sergeants Joe Friday and Frank Smith catch their first break in a three-week-old supermarket robbery when an informant calls with a lead. A bartender named Dan at the Balinese Room reports that a regular customer called Nick has suddenly come into money, flashing expensive watches, designer clothes, and buying drinks for everyone after years of being broke. The suspect matches the description of the thief who made off with over seven thousand dollars, right down to his age and build. When asked about his sudden wealth, Nick jokes that he "met the locksmith to Fort Knox" and claims he's found "the easy way to live." Friday and Smith begin their methodical investigation, interviewing witnesses and canvassing neighborhood shops. They talk to Madge, a cocktail waitress Nick has dated, but she provides little useful information. As they work their way through clothing stores and jewelry shops, they slowly piece together a pattern of expensive cash purchases. When they locate a jeweler who remembers selling gold cufflinks, a tie bar, and a high-end wristwatch to someone matching Nick's description, the case begins to take shape.