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

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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.

Episode List

The Line Up: The Green Cap Case

Jan 24th, 2026 6:01 AM

Release Date: December 28, 2013Guthrie investigates a murder at a gas station where a singular piece of headwear is the only clue.Original Air Date: October 22, 1952Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

The Line Up: Bentley’s Boo Boo Case

Jan 17th, 2026 7:01 AM

Release Date: September 28, 2013An elderly man is murdered in a liquor store robbery and Guthrie searches for the killer. Commentary indicates the title of this episode is the Pitiful Patricide case but the file I used was mis-labeled.Original Air Date: October 15, 1952Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

The Line Up: The Teacher’s Pet

Jan 3rd, 2026 6:01 AM

Release Date: December 07, 2013Guthrie investigates the murder of a drug criminal with a double life who has married a school teacher.Original Air Date: October 8, 1952Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

The Line Up: The Poker-Party Killing

Dec 27th, 2025 6:01 AM

Release Date: December 14, 2013Guthrie investigates a murder that happened over a card game.Original Air Date: October 1, 1952Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

The Line Up: The Fresno Break Case

Dec 20th, 2025 6:01 AM

Release Date: November 30, 2013A paroled convict who committed a parole violation offers to help the police catch a long time racketeer who is at the head of a heroin ring.Original Air Date: September 17, 1952Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

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