Somebody Knows featured dramatic recreations of high-profile unsolved murder cases and the investigations surrounding them. In an attempt to provoke audiences into aiding the police (and get people to listen to the program), CBS offered $5,000 to listeners who supplied information that led to a criminal conviction.
So far as I know, none of the eight episodes resulted in the cases being cracked and the $5,000 being awarded. The cases included some that remain notorious among true crime fans to this day, including the case of Elizabeth Short ("the Black Dahlia"). The details of the murders were a bit more gruesome than what was normally heard on radio. I can only assume that the success of Dragnet convinced CBS that audiences were ready for a bit more adult content in their crime shows.
Somebody Knows is a bit of an oddity, but not unheralded in old-time radio - Gang Busters had been sharing details about true crimes with their listeners for years at the time. The cash award, however, sets Somebody Knows apart from the pack. It feels a bit prescient in terms of where television and podcasts would delve in the true crime genre.
The series' didn't have the same quality as Suspense but made use of seasoned radio professionals in the cast. It is interesting to note, however, that when Suspense returned to the air after Somebody Knows they had a new producer/director - Elliott Lewis, who had risen up the ranks from acting in Suspense to creative lead. Lewis' tenure on Suspense included many episodes that proclaimed they were "based on fact" and he would get into the true crime genre both on Suspense and in a later summer replacement series, Crime Classics.
You can listen to all 8 episodes of Somebody Knows at the Old Time Radio Researchers' Library.
No comments:
Post a Comment