The Badge Racket

The story is about crooks being successful in a scam operation from L.A. to Miami and Joe and Bill have been assigned to see if they can get the bad guys locally at the "Elsinor Hotel." "Gannon" plays a salesman from Lincoln, Nebraska, and partner "Friday" is right there watching every step. Both are waiting for the crooks to play their game, hopefully on Bill.

It takes awhile but, of course, their patience pays off and it's interesting to see it play out, although the ending - involving two other cops - was a little strange.

As usual, there are a couple of fascinating small conversations, one with Friday and Gannon, one with those two and a house detective and another between Gannon and a bartender.

There usually wasn't a whole lot of action in these Dragnet shows but the dialog was priceless.

An out of town businessman has come to the police department because he was mad about being swindled--apparently by police officers. However, when it becomes apparent that the con was actually done by people POSING as police, Friday and Gannon go to work. According to the man who was cheated, when he returned to his hotel room there was a woman already in the room. Moments later, two men who identified themselves as vice detectives knocked on the door and arrested him for having a "professional girl" in his room. Now these men were not real police, but they sure had a lot of gall, as they took the pigeon to the actual police station and went through the motions--like he was really under arrest. Eventually he's told that the bail was $1000. Most victims are afraid to say anything, as they are afraid of their reputations, but fortunately this businessman was angry enough to go the real police.

Gannon goes undercover in this same hotel--posing as a businessman from out of town. The hope is that the same team of con-men will also approach him with the scam.

Overall, a very interesting episode. While swindles are somewhat interesting, having the criminals actually take the victim to the police station and apparently go through the motions is very complicated--and very nervy. Well worth seeing.

This happened for real? Yeah, right! Was the writer drunk?? The bad guys take Gannon to the POLICE STATION because they are that deluded! This, after Gannon offered to give them cash right then and there in the hotel room. But nope: come with us downtown station.

This series was NOT what it seemed. Just like Highway to Heaven, it was done, written by and produced by the enemy and someone who did everything in his power to destroy USA and American values by imposing his far left views and lack of morals.

I am shocked at people writing "there's a plot hole so I can't rate this too highly, I'm giving it a 9/10". WTF?? This episode is beyond fictitious and ridiculous and is insulting to viewer's intelligence. Webb must have been puffing too much the MJ to be typing crap like this but for the production to think this was just fine?? It beggars belief! 3/10 and keep your eyes open and your ears peeled because there is a LOT of deception in this show: it was the OPPOSITE of what it purported itself to be. Suffice it to watch the OJ Simpson title where Webb's ruse is grossly exposed.

This episode has a pretty interesting premise, and as usual, the plot is tight and self-contained; though it does include a very small subplot, which is quite unusual for the series in my experience.

The two standout elements for me were the mid-century modern aesthetic of the hotel where the action takes place (which I loved), and the fact that Bill Gannon finally gets to do more than stand beside Friday and nod.

Harry Morgan was, of course, a very good actor, but he rarely got an opportunity to show it on Dragnet. For one, it's just not that kind of show. The tone of the series demands a certain type of straightforward and self serious style that Jack Webb was the master of and to which Morgan was nearly his equal. But Morgan's Bill Gannon rarely got anything to actually do. Here he gets to be integral to the story and have the stage to himself a bit. It was nice to see, and helps to lift the episode up a notch.

When Joe and Bill check into a hotel to investigate a 'vice office' scam, it seems they're magnets for EVERY problem possible.

Bill checks into the Elsinore Hotel, to follow up on a complaint from a visiting business man. He said that a woman came into his room,followed shortly by two men claiming to be vice cops. They say the woman's a known prostitute.

They tell the man he needs to stay in town to testify. Then they say if he's willing to pay for some 'upfront bail,' he can go.

Bill checks in, because, as Bill says, he 'looks' married, and Joe doesn't.

Within short order of checking in, the hotel's security officer comes in, and says that he (Bill) 'seems suspicious,' due to other guests' complaints.

They tell the security officer they are cops, and then (Bill) spends time loitering around the bar and lobby looking for trouble.

The bartender tells Bill about a high-stakes poker game.

As they're about to go to that room, there's a knock at Bill's door.

It's a woman in nighties and a fur, saying she was in her room, and was woken by an intruder.

Within a minute, there's another knock, and, guess who it is: the 'vice cops.'

As typical of the Dragnets from the 60's series, the episode starts with Bill giving Joe a lecture. This time, about sugar cubes.

It's not on of Dragnet's best, but, for the trail of trouble that follows these two, I'll say it's OK.