Newspaper true-crime docudrama · NBC
The Big Story
April 2, 1947 – March 16, 1955 · 381 broadcasts
The Big Story turned the newsroom into a stage. From 1947 to 1955, NBC's docudrama dramatized a true case every week -- a murder solved, an innocent man freed, a racket exposed -- and then did what no other crime show did: it named the real newspaper reporter whose legwork cracked it, brought that reporter to the microphone, and handed them the Big Story award of $500 and a moment in the spotlight. Producer Bernard Prockter built the series to honor the working press the big journalism prizes overlooked, drawing its stories from real bylines in papers large and small -- the Miami Herald and the Willows, California Journal alike. Narrator Bob Sloane was the only continuing voice; the drama itself was carried by a rotating company of uncredited New York radio actors, with Ernest Chappell announcing and a theme lifted from Richard Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben ('A Hero's Life'). Top-rated in its day -- it rivaled Bing Crosby's Philco show -- The Big Story ran eight years on radio and spun off a long-running television version. The reporters it saluted ranged from small-town cubs to national names like Walter Winchell and Dorothy Kilgallen.
Collection status:
50 of 381 held (13% complete)
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Episode Spine
Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.
- 1947 (40 episodes)
- 1948 (50 episodes)
- 1949 (52 episodes)
- 1950 (52 episodes)
- 1951 (52 episodes)
- 1952 (46 episodes)
- 1953 (39 episodes)
- 1954 (39 episodes)
- 1955 (11 episodes)
1947
April 2, 1947
The Kid and the Box
April 9, 1947
The Black Thirty Niner
April 16, 1947
The Stain on the Sidewalk
April 23, 1947
The Case of the Cop Killers
April 30, 1947
The Man Without a Name
May 7, 1947
The Widow of Havre De Grace
May 14, 1947
The Black Legion Murders
May 21, 1947
The Tactless Texan
May 28, 1947
Double Trouble
The real case Columbus Citizen reporter James E. Fusco broke, dramatized under the title 'The Thirteenth Key.'
June 11, 1947
The Case of the Tattooed Corpse
June 18, 1947
The Forger in Floral Park
June 25, 1947
Little Big Shot
July 2, 1947
Mutiny in the Big House
July 9, 1947
The Reporter and the Blood Hound
July 16, 1947
A Thousand Dollars for One
July 23, 1947
The Case of the Iron Boss
July 30, 1947
The Lovelorn Extortioner
August 6, 1947
The Little Man Who Changed His Name
August 13, 1947
The Clubber and the Lady
August 20, 1947
The Clean Sweep
August 27, 1947
The Man Who Liked the Kangaroo
September 3, 1947
The Lethal Ladies of Munhail
September 10, 1947
Christmas in April
Columnist Walter Winchell of the New York Mirror is the reporter behind this week's true story.
September 24, 1947
The Case of the Lonely Heart
Jack Adams of the Los Angeles Examiner chases a counterfeiting ring in a case drawn from his own reporting.
October 8, 1947
The Case of the Leery Librarians
Famed newswoman Dorothy Kilgallen of the New York Evening Journal supplies the true story dramatized here.
October 22, 1947
The Eager Beaver from Buffalo
October 29, 1947
The Case of the Baffling Beautician
November 5, 1947
The Case of the Peculiar Paperhanger
November 12, 1947
The Case of the Sinister Stranger
November 19, 1947
The Case of the Literary Lodger
Cleveland News reporter Howard Beaufait's real case, told as 'The Case of the Unfinished Love Song.'
December 3, 1947
The Case of the Cardboard Killer
A true story from the files of Aubrey Maddock of the Hartford Courant.
Russell Wilson of the Des Moines Tribune is the reporter whose work inspired this dramatization.
December 24, 1947
Merry Christmas from the Magi
December 31, 1947
Murder on Seventy Seven
1948
New York Daily News reporter Ted Prager's real manhunt story, staged as 'Manhunt in Manhattan.'
January 14, 1948
The Case of the Solid Citizen
January 21, 1948
Lady Luck and the Lady Reporter
January 28, 1948
The Case of the Impatient Partner
February 4, 1948
The Kid Named Mickey
February 11, 1948
The Crime That Had to Happen
February 18, 1948
The Hurricane
February 25, 1948
Paid in Full
March 3, 1948
The Story Behind the Story
March 10, 1948
Concrete Evidence
March 17, 1948
Hush Hush Operation
March 24, 1948
In Line of Duty
March 31, 1948
The Other Guys Shoes
April 7, 1948
A Case for Edgar Allan Poe
April 14, 1948
Murder Makes a Pretty Picture
April 21, 1948
For Better, for Worse
April 28, 1948
Guilty with an Explanation
William Miller of the Cleveland Press broke the case behind this week's drama.
Robert Early of the Indianapolis Star supplies the true story dramatized here.
Rolf K. Mills of the Minneapolis Morning Tribune reported the grim real case behind this title.
May 26, 1948
Bank Robbery, Murder, Escape, Manhunt, Arrest
June 2, 1948
Murder Is a Big Mistake
June 9, 1948
The Boy Who Was Lost to Society
June 16, 1948
A Kid Who Met a Killer
A true story from Albert B. Hendry of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
George Cleveland Bullette of the Tulsa Tribune is the reporter behind 'The Woman Was a Witch.'
Atlanta Constitution reporter Keeler McCartney risked his life exposing a lottery racket -- his own story, dramatized here.
July 28, 1948
Reporter Who Put Two and Two Together and Got Death
August 4, 1948
Fifty Years of Life Bet on 13th Juror
August 11, 1948
Beautiful Girl, Bottle of Death and a Heel Worth $5,000.000
August 18, 1948
Speeding Trains, Buried Treasure, Reporter with One Track Mind
August 25, 1948
Passenger Leaves Train and Disappears with a Million Dollars
September 1, 1948
Jack the Giant and Little Friend, the Brain
September 8, 1948
Lonely Man Befriends a Stranger Named Death
September 15, 1948
Mad Mob Surrounds Murderer Hiding in Swamp
Harry Kodinsky of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the true case told as 'A Blind Date with Murder.'
September 29, 1948
Jesse James: Dead or Alive?
October 6, 1948
Blue Dahlia
October 13, 1948
Apartment House Robbery and Murder
October 20, 1948
Little Black Bag with Moonlight, Music and Murder
October 27, 1948
Explosion at Szabo Farm
November 3, 1948
House Ownership Can Be Murder
November 10, 1948
Hitchhiking Into the Headlines
November 17, 1948
Looking for a Killer, Looking for a Reporter
November 24, 1948
Hard Luck Guy Who Wanted a Break and Got It
December 1, 1948
Honeymoon Leads to Death
December 8, 1948
Air Force Captain Bids Wife Goodbye and Disappears
December 15, 1948
Never to Young or Old for Murder
December 22, 1948
The Night After Christmas
December 29, 1948
Getting Your Picture in the Newspaper Can Be Murder
1949
Al Aronson of the Louisville Courier-Journal supplies this week's true story.
January 12, 1949
An Abandoned School, a Weird Old Man and a Witch Who Walked at Night
January 19, 1949
Watching and Waning for Death and Congratulations
Joseph B. Wirges of the Little Rock Gazette broke the real case behind this darkly punning title.
February 2, 1949
A Living Death House in State Prison
February 9, 1949
Dying Man Gets Reason to Live
February 16, 1949
A Crazy Killer and a Crooked Clue
February 23, 1949
Reporter Goes to Jail to Gain Her Freedom
March 2, 1949
Two Killers and Two Cowards
A true story from Dee McAnally of the Cleveland News.
March 16, 1949
Three Time Loser Becomes a Winner
March 23, 1949
Pretty Legs Lead to Body and Killer
March 30, 1949
Groom Is Dead Man, Reporter Is Best Man
April 6, 1949
Fantastic Jail Break
April 13, 1949
The Silent Killer
April 20, 1949
The Killer at the End of a Blind Alley
April 27, 1949
Legal Lynching, of Old Man Who Gives In
May 4, 1949
An Incredible Family and an Unbelievable Murder
May 11, 1949
Society Pays It's Debt to an Ex Convict
May 18, 1949
Hate Ends in Death & Love Between Silent Couple
May 25, 1949
Bootblack Polishes Off a Killer & Avenges Dead Man
June 1, 1949
Merciless Ego and Girl Who Vanished
Julien C. Houseman of the Richmond News Leader is the reporter whose case is dramatized here.
June 15, 1949
Reporter Took a Long Shot and Hit a Phantom
June 22, 1949
Reporter Tries to Stop Murder Is Almost Killed
June 29, 1949
A Reporter Who Never Forgot a Face
July 6, 1949
Every Body Is Somebody (dug Up Corpse)
July 13, 1949
Fateful Phone Calk Meaning Death and Life
Tom Mercer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported the real case of a man murdered by mistake.
July 27, 1949
Murder Is a Dead Man's Dream
August 3, 1949
Blind Justice on Trial (dead Man Acquitted)
August 10, 1949
Canyon City Prison Break
August 17, 1949
Two Bandits Terrorize City
August 24, 1949
A Red Sedan, a Woman in Black and Shot in the Dark
August 31, 1949
The Ace That Beat Three of a Kind
September 7, 1949
A Kilter's Conscience
September 14, 1949
The Dog Lived While the Factory Died
September 21, 1949
A Bungalow, a Party and a House Full of People
September 28, 1949
A Reporter with Intelligence and a Conscience
October 5, 1949
The Story Written in Blood
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Ray Springle supplies the true story behind this week's drama.
October 19, 1949
Murder and the Man in the Moon
Harold Falter of the Huntington, West Virginia Advertiser broke the case that became 'The Corn Cob Killer.'
November 2, 1949
Two Bodies Are Better Than One
November 9, 1949
Little Things Lead Ta Murder (want Ad Clue)
November 16, 1949
The Farmer's Daughter (victims Returned to Life)
November 23, 1949
Criminal Vs. Society (turkey Drumstick)
November 30, 1949
Too Much Soup (new Recipe for Murder)
December 7, 1949
Bullets, Blood and Terrorism
Nolen Bulloch of the Tulsa Tribune is the reporter behind 'Three Gold Coins Spell Death.'
December 21, 1949
The Man Who Missed Three Christmases
December 28, 1949
Dead Man in Post Office (two Stories at Once)
1950
United Press reporter Sam Melnick of Kansas City supplies this week's true story.
Frank McCulloch of the Reno Gazette reported the real case dramatized here.
January 18, 1950
Swamp Trap for a Killer (story to Save a Life)
January 25, 1950
Love, Trust, Friendship and Murder
February 1, 1950
A Kilter's Deadly Prescription
February 8, 1950
A Sucker to Catch a Slicker (reporter Arrested)
February 15, 1950
Madman Threatens Murder Caught by Reporter
February 22, 1950
A Warm Sun, a Hot Rod and a Cold Stiff
Ralph Goll of the Detroit Free Press uncovered new facts in a 26-year-old frame-up -- his own reporting, staged here.
March 8, 1950
A Hitchhiker Named Death
March 15, 1950
Little Boy's Nightmare
March 22, 1950
Looked For, Questioned and Bagged a Killer
March 29, 1950
A Reporter Whose Biggest Story He Couldn't Write
April 5, 1950
A Small Boy, a Fierce Dog and a Murder
April 12, 1950
A Senseless Minder
April 19, 1950
Two Birds with One Stone (innocent Picture Leads to Murder)
April 26, 1950
An Out of Tune Piano Leads to Murder
May 3, 1950
Death and the Dentist (murder Can't Be Washed Away)
May 10, 1950
The Truth Can Be a Shot in the Arm (wedding Ceremony & Murder)
May 17, 1950
A Triple Murder with Dynamite
May 24, 1950
An Innocent Letter, a Death Certificate and Murder
May 31, 1950
Nine Dollars and Two Pieces of Cardboard Equal Murder
June 7, 1950
The Corpse in the Shallow Grave (kids in the Swimming Pool)
June 14, 1950
Insurance Can Lead to Murder (murder for Profit)
Walter T. Nobel of the Lapeer, Michigan Press is the reporter behind this week's true case.
June 28, 1950
Honest Conviction Can Defeat Corruption and Evil
July 5, 1950
The Pool Room Murder Clue (petty Crook with Big Ideas)
Bill Griffith of the Youngstown, Ohio Vindicator followed a hunch to the truth -- his own story, dramatized here.
July 19, 1950
A Truck Driver, a Beautiful Girl and Death
July 26, 1950
The Boy Who Was Too Good to Be True
August 2, 1950
Death and Double Indemnity (monkey Wrench Hits Killer)
August 9, 1950
Murder in the Garbage
Chester Potter of the Pittsburgh Press supplies the true story behind this underworld case.
August 23, 1950
A Dead Man Solves a Murder
August 30, 1950
Enough Rope for the Killer
September 6, 1950
Obstinacy Is a Virtue (accident Becomes Murder)
September 13, 1950
The Tattooed Blonde
September 20, 1950
All the Evidence of Murder Except a Body
September 27, 1950
The Killer Everyone Saw but Nobody Knew
October 4, 1950
The Nearly Perfect Crime (phony Check Cashing)
October 11, 1950
Eel Fishing and Murder
Albert I. Prince of the Hartford Times reported the real case dramatized here.
October 25, 1950
A Battered Hat and Death
November 1, 1950
Trial Witness for the Prosecution
Paul Schoenstein of the New York Journal-American broke the vice-and-gangs story staged this week.
Detroit Free Press reporter Kenneth McCormick cracked the Highland Park murder on a dropped-pencil clue.
November 22, 1950
One and One Sometimes Makes Four (robbery & Emily Post)
T. R. Johnson of the Salt Lake City Tribune is the reporter behind this week's true case.
Bernard Beckwith of the Denver Post traced a killer through a dictionary and a phone line -- his own reporting.
December 13, 1950
A Too Perfect Alibi Is a Set Up for Murder (open a Closed Case)
December 20, 1950
A Holiday with Murder
December 27, 1950
Tracking a Killer in the Snow
1951
January 3, 1951
A Wise Father Knows His Own Daughter
January 10, 1951
A Killer Needs a Character Reference (ugly Sound of Murder)
January 17, 1951
The Most Dangerous Killer Is the Most Obvious
January 24, 1951
Rediscovery of an Old Friend and Hanging Him
January 31, 1951
Murder Has Five Components (student's Favorite Subject Is Murde
February 7, 1951
Death at Lover's Lane (youth Terrorized by Chain of Murder)
February 14, 1951
Incident on the Fourth of July
February 21, 1951
Going to Sleep an Hour Before Midnight (montana's Most Brutal M
February 28, 1951
Bicycling to the Scene of the Crime
March 7, 1951
Two Missing Persons and Death (late Arrival Home)
Ed Neumeier of the Humboldt Times in Eureka, California supplies this week's true story.
March 21, 1951
A Weather Report Leads to the Digging Up of a Clue
March 28, 1951
The Murder with Too Many Suspects
William Doherty of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the real case told as 'The Poker Hand That Ended in Death.'
April 11, 1951
A Drive in the Country Leads to Death
April 18, 1951
The Case of the Upside Down Corpse
Virgil Hill of the Hiawatha, Kansas Daily World is the reporter behind this week's story.
May 2, 1951
A Flashlight and a Small Black Hat Lead to a Killer
May 9, 1951
A Day of Horror (seventeen Year Old Reporter) Sapulpa
May 16, 1951
Thirteen Is a Killer's Unlucky Number
May 23, 1951
A Love to Last Forever Ended in Death
May 30, 1951
A Half Forgotten Memory Becomes a Long Remembered Manhunt
June 6, 1951
An Ad in the Personals Leads to Death
June 13, 1951
The Town Where Children Lived in Terror
June 20, 1951
A Quote from Shakespeare Traps a Killer
June 27, 1951
Hard Luck Ends in Violence and Death
July 4, 1951
The Stupid Criminal Who Became Dangerously Smart
July 11, 1951
The Devil Gets His Due or the Story Turns to Ashes
July 18, 1951
A Fire That Singed Many Lives
Cleveland Press reporter Bus Bergen beat a 40-minute deadline on the case dramatized here.
August 1, 1951
A Troubled Woman's Search for Excitement
August 8, 1951
The Killer in a Convertible Who Was Driven to the End of His Ro
August 15, 1951
Reconstruction of a Family's Life Leads to Death
August 22, 1951
A Criminal Trapped in MID Air Vanishes
August 29, 1951
A Reporter, a Beautiful Young Girl and a Murder
September 5, 1951
The Killer Who Talked His Way to Doom
September 12, 1951
Death in a Lonely Lava Desert Country
September 19, 1951
Murder in a Killer's Right Hand (answer to Puzzle in a Dream)
September 26, 1951
Murderer Trapped by Old Trick
October 3, 1951
Two Brutal Murders and Two Contradictory Theories Lead to Kille
October 10, 1951
Mystery and Mother Love Add Up to Murder
October 17, 1951
The Killer Who Was No Good at Anything
October 24, 1951
The Old Man on the Houseboat at Dead Man's Bend
October 31, 1951
Turning Tune Back to Murder
November 7, 1951
Two Killers Regret Wiping the Smile Off Another Man's Face
Cluster M. Nilsson of the Salt Lake City Tribune supplies this week's true story.
November 21, 1951
Justice for a Man Imprisoned for Murder
November 28, 1951
The Murderer Who Had Clay Feet
December 5, 1951
The Killer Who Paid a High Price for Being a Connoisseur of Bea
December 12, 1951
A Search for Human Interest Leads to Tragedy
December 19, 1951
A Bank Robbery and a Christmas Gift to an Unlucky Man
December 26, 1951
The Reporter Who Believed a Convict Was Innocent
1952
January 2, 1952
The Big Story That Almost Cost a Reporter's Life
Stuart Whitehouse of the Seattle Herald shopped for a clue that caught a killer -- his own reporting, staged here.
January 16, 1952
The Mystery of a Family's Disappearance
January 23, 1952
The Teen Gang War That Brought Terror to the City
January 30, 1952
Chasing a Phantom to a Dead End with Wife as Passenger
February 6, 1952
An Almost Perfect Murder
February 13, 1952
The Tangled Path of Chance Violence and Death
February 20, 1952
Reporter Hoped He Was Wrong About His Suspicions
February 27, 1952
A Story Written by Shakespeare
March 5, 1952
The Lesson as to Why Men Murder by Following a Case
March 12, 1952
The Unexpected Discovered in an Ordinary Crime
Allen Cowperthwaite of the Helena Independent Record risked his life to avenge a friend's murder -- his own story.
March 26, 1952
Keeping a Life Long Promise to a Friend
April 2, 1952
Thumbs Down on a Medical Report and Up with Murder New
April 9, 1952
The Printed Word Can Destroy a Human Being as Effectively as A
April 16, 1952
The Man Whose Real Name Might Be Death
April 23, 1952
A Murder, a Confession and a Child Who Was the Key to the Truth
April 30, 1952
The Girl Who Took a Lonely Walk on a One Way Journey
May 7, 1952
Playing a Hand in One of the Strangest Cases Hi California Hist
May 14, 1952
A Reporter Who Remembered a Forgotten Man
May 21, 1952
A Shot in the Dark That Almost Proved Fatal
May 28, 1952
Uncovering the Truth About a Strange Death
June 4, 1952
A Killer Found on a Library Bookshelf
June 11, 1952
Waiting, Knowing That Violence and Murder Were Inevitable Parso
June 18, 1952
Solution to a Triple Murder from a Dying Man's Confession
June 25, 1952
Untangling the Knot on a Violent Case
July 2, 1952
The Family That Was Shattered by Death
August 27, 1952
A Man in the Person of a Small Boy
September 3, 1952
The Girl Who Made Up a Story About a Murder That Turned Out To
September 10, 1952
The Man Who Gambled for His Life and Lost (black Headlines on J
September 17, 1952
The Corpse in a Birthday Present (porch Steps Lead to a Killer)
September 24, 1952
The Prisoner Who Wished to Turn a Living Death Into a Life or D
October 1, 1952
The Silent Killer Who Was Made to Speak
Miami Herald reporter William H. Adams ran down an Everglades killer on a hot lead -- his own case.
October 15, 1952
A Classic Book That Led to a Confession
October 22, 1952
A Lost Man, a Desperate Woman and a Reporter Who Wouldn't Give
October 29, 1952
A Long Shot Named Justice
November 5, 1952
The Killer Who No One Believed Existed
November 12, 1952
Silent Witnesses Speak Louder Than Words
November 19, 1952
A Race Against Death
November 26, 1952
A Small Boy and a Full Sized Miracle
December 3, 1952
The Killer Who Didn't Know the Law
December 10, 1952
Confident Killers Fear the Unseen Witness
December 17, 1952
A Modern Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
December 24, 1952
A Bus Ride, a Boat Ride and a Reporter Who Played Santa
December 31, 1952
Killers Trapped Because One of Them Couldn't Hold on to His Mon
1953
January 7, 1953
Three Kids Who Swore an Oath in Their Own Blood Joplin
January 14, 1953
A Beautiful Woman, a Lovesick Man and a Canvas Sack
January 21, 1953
Death Can Be Both an End and a Beginning
January 28, 1953
Thirteen Years Equals a Lifetime of Good Luck
Donald Morrissey of the Elkhorn, Wisconsin Independent is the reporter behind 'The Biggest Catch.'
February 15, 1953
The Woman Who Took Nineteen Years to Make Up Her Mind
February 18, 1953
A Race Against Time and Death
February 25, 1953
The Man Who Gave Up Before He Started
March 4, 1953
The Criminal Who Wanted to See His Name in Me Paper
March 11, 1953
A Sordid Tragedy and a Pathetic Killer Trapped Columbus
March 18, 1953
The Hit and Run Killer
March 25, 1953
Lost Identity to a Criminal and Found the Answer to a Crime
Dorothy Patterson of the Paterson, N.J. Morning Call reported the true story dramatized here.
April 8, 1953
Collecting Crime Stories as a Hobby
April 15, 1953
Trial by Fire and a Lesson Not to Be Forgotten
April 22, 1953
The Kid Who Couldn't Stop Running Was Steered Down a One-Way St
April 29, 1953
A Mystery Man Found and a Mystery Solved
May 6, 1953
Worrying Is a Front Page Story
May 13, 1953
Lies That Were Not Believed from Criminal Who Couldn't Tell The
May 20, 1953
A Worried Judge and a Grateful Criminal
May 27, 1953
Killer Trapped by a Woman Talking (sunday School Lesson)
June 3, 1953
A Sensational Headline Brings Much More Than Anticipated
June 10, 1953
Death Can Be Both an End and a Beginning
June 17, 1953
A Missing Man, a Missing Car and Missing Murder
September 23, 1953
A 22 Year Search and a Dream Come True
Joseph P. Brown of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph supplies this week's true case.
October 7, 1953
An Anonymous Phone Call Becomes a Conversation of Murder
October 14, 1953
A Summer Romance and a Best Man to a Corpse
October 21, 1953
An Unknown Woman, an Unknown Fear and the Truth
October 28, 1953
Playing a Hunch to Win a Voice from the Grave
November 4, 1953
A Miracle in the Wilderness
November 11, 1953
A Home for the Sick Is a House of Horror
November 18, 1953
Goading a Killer to Return to the Scene of the Crime
November 25, 1953
A Small Boy and a Roll of Red Tape
December 2, 1953
Putting Pieces of Puzzle Together Meant Death
December 9, 1953
A Single Hour Becomes a Lifetime
December 16, 1953
A Killer Who Didn't Think and a Reporter Who DID
December 23, 1953
Speaking to the Heart of the City Which Responds with Heart
December 30, 1953
A Reporter Lives Another Woman's Life Endangering Her Own
1954
January 6, 1954
Self Made Prison from Which There Is No Escape
January 13, 1954
A Deadly Game with a Killer Who Couldn't Bear to Lose
January 20, 1954
A Midnight Appointment with a Suspected Killer
Arthur Mielke of the Washington Times-Herald broke the real case dramatized here.
February 3, 1954
The Life of a Reporter Against the Death of a Machine
Chicago Sun-Times reporters Virginia Marmaduke and Joseph Kordi supply the true story dramatized here.
February 17, 1954
Murder Is Never an Accident
February 24, 1954
The Man Who Lost Nine Years of His Life
March 3, 1954
A Near Tragedy Becomes a Triumph
March 10, 1954
A Killer's Worst Enemy Is Himself
March 17, 1954
A Forgotten Debt, a Debt of Life
John F. Cahlan of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is the reporter behind this week's true story.
March 31, 1954
Unknown Title
April 7, 1954
The Killer Who Could Escape the Gas Chamber but Not Death
April 14, 1954
Working a Miracle on Easter Day
April 21, 1954
A Reporter's Future Is Bet Against a Convict's Past
April 28, 1954
A One Man Crusade and Courage Breaks a Con Man Racket
May 5, 1954
An Old Tradition Solves a Cold Blooded Murder
May 12, 1954
Dark Corner of America Ruled by the Law of the Whip
May 19, 1954
A Little Man in a Big Crime
May 26, 1954
A Boy Who Made a Mistake and a Reporter Who Didn't
June 2, 1954
The Killer Who Was Afraid to Live or Die
September 8, 1954
Nickels, Dimes and Quarters Are Paid Off Wife a Plugged Half-Do
September 15, 1954
A Reporter Gambles His Life for a Story That Shook the Nation
September 22, 1954
The Connection Between Crime and Politics Exposed, Reporter Ind
September 29, 1954
A Man Who Gave Up His Life and a Reporter Who Returned It
Charles Gleason of the Willows, California Journal supplies the true story staged this week.
October 13, 1954
Murderer Who Hated Newspapermen and the Reporter Who Rode With
Los Angeles Examiner reporter Sid Hughes set himself as bait to trap a killer -- his own case, dramatized here.
October 27, 1954
Inquiry Into Accident Leads to Two Murders
November 3, 1954
Trading a Headline for a Woman's Life
November 10, 1954
Proof That a Lie Detector Was Wrong
November 17, 1954
A Strange Peace Treaty That Stopped a One Man War
November 24, 1954
The Reporter Who Opened a Golden Door
December 1, 1954
A Murder Suspect Found in a Police Station
December 8, 1954
An Unmarried Reporter Got a Divorce That Made Headlines
December 15, 1954
The Reporter Who Found His Next Door Neighbor Murdered
December 22, 1954
The Reporter Who Returned Thirteen Years of a Man's Life
December 29, 1954
Looking for Laughs at Circus. Found Tragedy Instead
1955
January 5, 1955
Trapping a Criminal Who Was Playing with Fire
January 12, 1955
The Ugliest Man in the World Sees Tragedy Turning to Justice
January 19, 1955
A Strange Road, a Hitchhiker and Murder
January 26, 1955
The Army's Lost Man Is Found
February 2, 1955
A Woman Who Terrified a Town (reporter Not Frightened)
February 9, 1955
Fear Is Used to Find a Murderer Not Seen Before
February 16, 1955
An Innocent Pawn in a Struggle for Life or Death
February 23, 1955
A Witness the Police Didn't Miss
March 2, 1955
Questions Asked for a Whole City to Answer
March 9, 1955
A Man Who Tries to Lead Two Lives Ends Up with None
March 16, 1955
A Reporter Solves a Murder That Two Police Departments Failed T
The Story
The Big Story turned the newsroom into a stage. From 1947 to 1955, NBC's docudrama dramatized a true case every week -- a murder solved, an innocent man freed, a racket exposed -- and then did what no other crime show did: it named the real newspaper reporter whose legwork cracked it, brought that reporter to the microphone, and handed them the Big Story award of $500 and a moment in the spotlight. Producer Bernard Prockter built the series to honor the working press the big journalism prizes overlooked, drawing its stories from real bylines in papers large and small -- the Miami Herald and the Willows, California Journal alike. Narrator Bob Sloane was the only continuing voice; the drama itself was carried by a rotating company of uncredited New York radio actors, with Ernest Chappell announcing and a theme lifted from Richard Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben ('A Hero's Life'). Top-rated in its day -- it rivaled Bing Crosby's Philco show -- The Big Story ran eight years on radio and spun off a long-running television version. The reporters it saluted ranged from small-town cubs to national names like Walter Winchell and Dorothy Kilgallen.
Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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