by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) respond to a call from the LAPD's San Fernando Valley division. Several new homes in the district have been robbed by a thief with a bizarre MO: he only targets people who own pet birds--which he brutally kills on every occasion. Following the grim trail of clues, the two detectives catch up with a young man whose cheerful demeanor masks an all-consuming hatred for our feathered friends. One of the most popular black-and-white Dragnet episodes on the current public-domain home video market, "The Big Bird" was adapted from a radio drama originally broadcast on February 1, 1955.
