Racket Squad
Racket Squad is an American crime drama television series that aired from 1951 to 1953, starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock. Each episode dramatizes a different confidence trick, swindle, or racket, showing step-by-step how the con artists operate and how the police bring them to justice. Braddock narrates the cases and occasionally appears on-screen to address the audience directly, warning viewers about the schemes described. The series was produced by Ziv Television Programs and ran for 98 episodes across three seasons. Its realistic, almost documentary-like approach to depicting fraud made it a precursor to later police procedural shows. Many episodes are in the public domain because their copyrights were never renewed.
This series is:Anthology
Director
Production
Distributor
Season 1
The Salted Mine
Capt. Braddock investigates a con in which swindlers salt an abandoned mine with gold samples to trick an old friend into investing. The racketeers
The Case of the Dancing Lady
A smooth-talking promoter convinces a young woman that she has been chosen for a glittering career as a professional dancer, demanding upfront fees
The Case of the Matchmaker
A fraudulent matchmaking service promises lonely men introductions to eligible women in exchange for hefty membership fees, but the matches are
Desperate Money
A loan shark racket targets desperate families in financial trouble, offering quick cash at exorbitant interest rates and then using threats
Accidentally on Purpose
Con artists stage fake accidents in which an accomplice is apparently injured by a careless driver, then demand a cash settlement to avoid
The Sure Thing
A racing tipster sells inside information on horse races, guaranteeing a sure thing to anyone willing to pay for his tips. The tips are worthless
Pick a Number
A carnival-style numbers racket lures ordinary people into placing small daily bets on a lottery, promising big payouts that never come. Braddock
Blessed Expense
A fake charity racket collects donations for a non-existent religious cause, using emotional appeals and forged documents to separate the
The Case of the Hearse Chasers
Ambulance-chasing lawyers and corrupt morticians team up to exploit grieving families, inflating funeral costs and filing bogus injury
Take a Little, Leave a Little
A warehouse theft ring operates by skimming small amounts of inventory from each shipment, keeping the losses low enough to avoid detection.
Season 2
Kite High
A private Las Vegas casino operator alters his customers' checks before they are deposited.
The Raccoon Hunt
The Raccoon Hunt — season 2, episode 5 of Racket Squad (1951).
Babies for Sale
Babies for Sale — season 2, episode 10 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Salted Mine
The Salted Mine — season 2, episode 11 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Bill of Sale Racket
A young couple who own a gas station get taken in by an escrow scam that resells their station and leaves them with nothing.
The Knockout
The Knockout — season 2, episode 17 of Racket Squad (1951).
Desperate Money
Captain Braddock investigates a ruthless loanshark harassing an immigrant tailor.
The Case of the Hearse Chasers
Capt. Braddock tries to locate a pair of swindlers who are trying to fleece a recently widowed lady out of three thousand dollars for a worthless portrait of her late husband.
Accidentally on Purpose
Accidentally on Purpose — season 2, episode 27 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Home Wreckers
A phony lawyer takes advantage of bickering couples by encouraging divorce and then charging exorbitant fees to arrange things.
The Case of the Matchmaker
The Case of the Matchmaker — season 2, episode 29 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Staff of Life
The Staff of Life — season 2, episode 30 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Soft Touch
The Soft Touch — season 2, episode 35 of Racket Squad (1951).
A Place for Grandma
A Place for Grandma — season 2, episode 41 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Long Shot
The Long Shot — season 2, episode 44 of Racket Squad (1951).
Anyone Can Be a Sucker
A small time crook squeals on a gangster who runs a gambling ring.
The Strange Case of James Doyle
The Strange Case of James Doyle — season 2, episode 47 of Racket Squad (1951).
Pick a Number
Pick a Number — season 2, episode 48 of Racket Squad (1951).
Know Your Family Tree
Know Your Family Tree — season 2, episode 49 of Racket Squad (1951).
Season 3
Check and Double Check
Check and Double Check — season 3, episode 1 of Racket Squad (1951).
Blessed Expense
Blessed Expense — season 3, episode 11 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Elephant in Stockings
The Elephant in Stockings — season 3, episode 13 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Christmas Caper
The Christmas Caper — season 3, episode 15 of Racket Squad (1951).
The System
Using his smokin' hot daughter as bait, a con man sells a system for betting on horses to a man who has the hots for the daughter.
The Case of the Dancing Lady
The Case of the Dancing Lady — season 3, episode 18 of Racket Squad (1951).
Take a Little, Leave a Little
Several businessmen get conned into participating in a phony oil deal.
Sale Value
Sale Value — season 3, episode 28 of Racket Squad (1951).
Romance Unlimited
Romance Unlimited — season 3, episode 31 of Racket Squad (1951).
The Sure Thing
The Sure Thing — season 3, episode 35 of Racket Squad (1951).
Details
- Years
- 1951–1953
- Seasons
- 3
- Episodes
- 39
- Genres
- Crime, Drama
- TMDB Rating
- 6.5/10 (4 votes)
- Maturity Rating
- TV-PG
- Quality
- SD
- Audio
- English
- Status
- Public Domain Mark 1.0
- Studio
- Ziv Television Programs
- Director
- George Blair
