During my childhood the staccato musical "sting" could be heard anytime and any place that there was a parody of a detective programme or even between kids if there was a minor mystery, someone would hum the theme.

Actually watching it for the first time many decades later in very bleary prints shown on the most obscure satellite channel to fill the gaps between adverts early in the morning, its brilliance still shines through. "Everything you see is true". But how true and how was it actually made? There doesn't seem to be any authoritative account of how the scripts were written so I can only guess. Two things however strike me: firstly there is a precision and sometimes quirky individuality about the portrayal of the suspect, small but striking details of their manner and behaviour. Secondly, the calm reasonable and utterly professional cops who at all times remain dedicated, fully human and humane, sympathetic yet not presented as superheroes.

My feeling at least is that the source of the materials was not just the files but the actual cops involved who related things they'd remembered but which would not have seemed significant enough for them to include in a written report.

The most impressive was Lee Marvin playing a violent killer who combined calm petty self-absorption with lying, and unconcerned matter-of-factness about his murders. He's just violently attacked a cop, is now handcuffed and about to be taken down to the station yet calmly says he wants to clean his teeth and expects the cop, who's still got a bloody face, to hand him the toothpaste and turn on the tap. He's not trying to wind the cop up, he just wants what he wants. During questioning he says that he's hungry, is taken to a cafe and carefully chooses a meal with a special salad. Once finished he is confronted with compelling evidence, and casually confesses to a string of brutal and almost motive-less murders, then calmly turns to a discussion of how a little salt is vital to fully enjoying lettuce. It's his last meal outside jail and probably not far from his last meal on earth yet he remains calm and self-absorbed. It is the perfect outline sketch of a psychopath.

Though somewhat dry and routine at times, generally speaking, Dragnet's no-frills approach to the telling of its "real-life" crime stories was actually very entertaining, for the most part.

Presented in a semi-documentary style, this highly-popular TV show from the glorious 1950s featured Sargeant Joe Friday and his ever-helpful sidekick, Frank Smith, who, through intense investigation, always got their man (and sometimes got their girl).

You can be sure that when Friday's on the case, justice will be served.

Filmed in b&w, Dragnet's episodes were all approx. 25 minutes in length.

Jack Webb set the standard for law and order police with the creation of Dragnet a show which impacted for better or worse every television police show down to this day. Webb who was a respected character player in the day vaulted to stardom first with the Dragnet radio series and then when it moved to television.

The show started in radio in 1949 and moved to television in 1951 where it ran for 8 seasons. Every story followed a rigid pattern where Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday and Ben Alexander as Detective Frank Smith start the day out working in one aspect of police work. They could be at a specific precinct or at a special command, narcotics, juveniles,homicide, etc. An incident would happen and for the next half hour these two followed the leads and made the arrest.

Webb's interrogation technique became legendary. One can still hear his staccato questioning and when someone got off point, he'd respond with the familiar catchphrase, 'just the facts'.

About the middle point of the show Webb and Alexander would be in their police car and this was where these two got humanized. Alexander and later Harry Morgan would talk about home and family. Webb would listen and smile and occasionally mentioned he had a date coming up. No relationsips though. The phrase 'married to the job' applied to Joe Friday like no other. What a spartan existence he led.

Dragnet was beautifully satirized in an 80s movie that starred Dan Aykroyd as Joe Friday and Tom Hanks as a young and hip partner. It was brought back by Webb for another run from 1968-1971 this time in color.

Webb did the same thing for uniform police with a show he produced Adam-12 which had a respectable run. And the show Emergency. his also, had some solid stories about EMS technicians done in Dragnet style.

Few shows for better or worse had the impact Dragnet has.

Hipsters have a lot of fun turning Dragnet's Joe Friday into a kind of 50's style robocop. Too bad that the robotic side has come to define this signature series. Because in reality, the show was much more than what it's become-- the butt of comics from Dan Ackroyd to Jay Leno. Dragnet was much more because the show actually defined police work for millions of viewers during those early TV years. Friday was in audience eyes (mine too) the ultimate police professional. And if he seemed a tad stiff without any discernible personal life, that was OK since the law should be applied in a formal and impersonal manner. And if that also coincided with the civil liberties trashing Joe Mc Carthy, that's OK too because everybody liked Ike and Ike was president, not Joe Mc Carthy. In short, Dragnet was more than a TV event-- it was a cultural reflection with a long-lasting impact on how Americans pictured law enforcement.

In fact, it's not a stretch to claim that Dragnet redefined the popular police image from what it had been. Consider, for example, how cops were portrayed in the 1930's. They were either three fumbling steps behind Bogart and Cagney, or played buffoonish comic relief for the likes of Boston Blackie and Charlie Chan. Still, depression era audiences didn't mind, since cops were generally viewed as adversaries who enforced bank foreclosures or busted up union rallies. A decade later, police largely disappeared from the screen as America went to war, but even after the boys came home, cops only existed around the edges. However, there was a development at 20th Century Fox that foreshadowed the rise of a Dragnet. And that was the use of a documentary style of film-making in movies such as Boomerang, and Naked City, to name two. Such films emphasized hum-drum real-life activities across a spectrum that often included police work. And audiences responded, since they were not used to seeing some of their own reality coming from Hollywood's well-honed Dream Factory.

Jack Webb's genius lay in seeing how this documentary approach could be applied to radio and then TV. Audiences really had little idea of how modern police departments worked, and no doubt many still struggled with the comic versions of the 30's. However, Webb made a fateful decision at that point-- he got the collaboration of the Los Angeles Police Department to give the show a stamp of authenticity. On one hand, the endorsement said to viewers-- this show is special since these are real cases and this is the way we really operate. On the other hand, it put strict limits on Sgt. Friday and how cops could be portrayed. Because now he was no longer just a working cop, he was a stand-in for the whole LAPD, and eventually for departments from Miami to Seattle. With that kind of responsibility, what show could afford to take chances. Thus was born Friday the law-and-order robot, while actor-Webb locked into a role he couldn't change even if he wanted to.

But you've got to hand it to the guy. In the spirit of real world appearance, he did his darndest to de-glamorize police work. There were no busty babes, no high-speed chases, no heroic shoot-outs, nor even bloody fist-fights. Instead, Friday plodded around town in the same seedy sport coat interviewing John or Joan Q. Public, making an occasional low-key arrest. And if the public seemed at times not too bright or not very cooperative or sometimes even criminal, he kept his cool. Sure, he could get riled and spit out a snarl, plus that annoying habit of topping comments he didn't like. But he was never flashy nor brutal nor egotistical. Okay, so maybe, despite all the official hype, Friday was still a pretty long way from a real cop. Nonetheless, he and his cast of ordinary-looking people did what the series set out to do. They were close enough to the real thing to make the audience believe.

The first few years were, I think, the best. After that, the show became too concerned with lightening the mood, and we got a lot of folksy humor from partner Frank Smith to make up for Friday's lack of a personal life. But those first few years brought forth some of the most memorable mini-dramas of the time-- a teenager accidentally shoots a friend, a cruel old man murders his wife, an adulterous wife abandons her wedlock baby. Many of the cases even concerned minor crimes far from the usual. And oddly, it was director Webb's much derided Spartan style that turned many of these cases into the powerful human-interest stories they were. The tight close-ups, the terse, understated dialogue, the spare sets, all worked to concentrate attention on the human side of the story. At such points, Friday often faded into the background, becoming, as it were, little more than a mute bystander-- an ironical outcome for a series that specialized in police procedure.

Still, the series was wedded to its time. Soon, the Eisenhower years turned into Vietnam, Jim Crow turned into Civil Rights marches, and social conformity morphed into a lively counter-culture. And many urban issues the show had avoided (police brutality) or underplayed (corruption) suddenly burst into headline stories. More importantly, cops were no longer viewed as impartial defenders of the law, but as agents of a hypocritical, repressive "establishment". The times had changed, yet Friday's 50's brand of unquestioning assumptions about authority hadn't. Thus, the 60's revival of Dragnet was doomed from the start. But that shouldn't take away from the show's genuine accomplishment of de-glamorizing real police work. Of course, the hipsters are probably right-- Friday did look a lot like a 50's robocop. But, they're also wrong. Because, at its best during those early years, the series was verifiably human, or as some might hold, all-too-human. Too bad the hipsters can't work that into their act.

As we commemorate the 65th golden anniversary of one of the greatest if not the architectural format of the police drama it is evident to see why after all these years why "Dragnet" has stood the test of time. "Dragnet" was directly responsible for the maturation and realistic portrayal of police dramas(that set the tone for other police dramas to follow). In cooperation and support of the Los Angeles Police Department,"Dragnet" set out to do what no other drama has done and it mainly focused on the actual police stories as it follow a strict system of coordinated measures to apprehend criminals and suspects. Jack Webb the show's creator-producer-director-and actor(under his production company Mark VII Limited) was largely responsible for this. And to see why "Dragnet" was such a success that it lasted into a franchise that still to this day phenomenal beyond expectations.

The program opened each week with these words from Detective-Sargent Joe Friday: "This is the city. Los Angeles,California. I work here. I carry a badge." Dragnet's hallmark was its appearance of realism that were actual cases that were from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department to the documentary style narration by Joe Friday,to the accuracy and sheer detail of police work(9:15...It was sunny in Los Angeles we were working the day watch out of homicide...the boss is Captain Perry, my partner is Frank Smith. my name's Friday).

The origins of "Dragnet" first began on radio for NBC that premiered on June 3,1949 lasting until July 26,1957 for 314 episodes. Then after its success of radio made the transition to television on December 16,1951 where it was one of the biggest television hits in the history of NBC lasting eight seasons and 276 black-and-white episodes until August 23,1959 when Jack Webb abruptly pull the plug on the series during which garnered high ratings. Then after an eight year hiatus "Dragnet" returned to NBC in a new format that lasted three seasons and 98 Technicolor episodes airing from January 12,1967 until April 16,1970. NBC was set to keep Dragnet on for a fifth season until the show's creator-producer Jack Webb pull the plug on the show at the end of its fourth and final season due to other reasons. "Dragnet" also spawned two more versions of the show. On October 24,1989 the syndicated "The New Dragnet" produced 52 episodes lasting until January 21,1991. Even creator and producer Dick Wolf(of "Law and Order") revised a new version titled "L.A. Dragnet" for ABC that lasted a mere season and 22 episodes from May 11, 2003 until May 5, 2004. The success of the television series also spawned two theatrical features. At the height of show's success on TV, Warner Brothers Pictures in 1954 released in theaters "Dragnet",and in 1987 Universal Pictures released in theaters a comedy version of "Dragnet" with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks with a appearance by Harry Morgan(who played Officer Bill Gannon in the revised version of the television series).

"Dragnet" had a documentary style approach on how police procedures worked and the detectives that handled the cases since audiences had no idea on how the suspects were captured and brought to justice. Just before the show took its final commercial break,the show's announcer would inform the audience of something that was related to the case. Here is an example: "On July 20th,trial was held in Department 184 Superior Court of the State of California,in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment the results of that trial." Then after the break the camera faded in for what was presumably the perpetrator's mug shot consisting of him or her standing uncomfortably against the wall where the results of the trial were announced where the perpetrator's name and fate were superimposed on the screen. Here is an example: "The suspects were found guilty of.....and the sentence was punishable for no more than a maximum of...." which was the case where they are being committed for their crime. The success of Dragnet won five Prime-Time Emmys for Best Mystery Program, Best Outstanding Actor(Jack Webb), Best Supporting Actor, Photography, and Outstanding Direction(Jack Webb) and was Nominated for 12. Dragnet was nominated for 2 Directors Guild Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and in 1953 won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode and Outstanding Writing.

Even after more than 65 years later "Dragnet" is still one of the more realistic cop dramas ever produced and it is evident to see why it has lasted longer and has other cop shows using its formula. Jack Webb was an architect of the police drama format. A testimony that still holds up to this day. Happy 65th Anniversary "Dragnet".....Jack Webb.....

As we commemorate the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest police dramas of all time it is no doubt that "Dragnet" is one of the most famous and influential police procedural dramas in television history. "Dragnet" broke ground as innovative and original and from the show's first episode it became a huge hit with a cult following that still is prevalent to this day. This was a series that gave audience members a realistic portrayal of the police officers and detectives who put their lives on the line everyday for the safety of the public. Actor-producer- director Jack Webb in full collaboration of the Los Angeles Police Department gave the show the stamp of authenticity where most the episodes of "Dragnet" were based on actual cases-real cases and the full cooperation of how modern police departments work.

The program opened each week with these words of Jack Webb's character Detective Sergeant Joe Friday: "This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here. I carry a badge." The most successful cop drama in television history where it became one of the biggest hits at NBC, Dragnet's hallmark was its appearance of realism,from the straight documentary style of narration by Joe Friday to the cases drawn from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department to it's accuracy and attention and the details of police work("It was 4:30..We were working the day watch out of homicide. The boss is Captain Murphy. My partner is Frank Smith. My name's Friday."). Viewers were reminded of the unglamorous dead ends and the constant interruptions of their private lives that plague real policemen,and this made the final shoot-out and capture of the criminal more exciting. At the end of each episode and before the final commercial break(On March 10th, trial was held in Department 182 Superior Court of the state of California,in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment the results of that trial)after the criminal was apprehended,an announcer would describe what happened at the subsequent trial and the severity of the sentences he or she received.

The origins of "Dragnet" started on radio for NBC that aired on June 3,1949 and lasted for 314 episodes until July 26,1957(the radio program was still on the air when the television version was just starting out)and on December 16,1951 made the transition to television where it lasted eight seasons and 276 black-and-white episodes until August 23,1959 when it's creator-actor-producer Jack Webb abruptly pulled the plug on this series when it still getting high ratings. Then after a eight year hiatus, NBC revived it under the new title "Dragnet:1967" with Jack Webb at the helm as Sgt. Joe Friday that lasted four seasons and 98 episodes in color that aired from January 12,1967 until April 16,1970. NBC was set to renew the series for a fifth season when Jack Webb again abruptly pull the plug on this series due to other factors. It was revived again in syndication under the title "The New Dragnet" that lasted two seasons and 52 color episodes from October 24,1989 until January 21,1991. This was followed by a short-lived revival in 2003 when creator-producer Dick Wolf(of "Law And Order")launched "L.A. Dragnet" for ABC with Ed O'Neill in the role of Sgt. Joe Friday that lasted 22 episodes airing from May 11, 2003 until May 5, 2004.

"Dragnet" was so successful that in 1954 a full length theatrical feature was based on the television show in color(Starring Jack Webb as Sergeant Friday and Ben Alexander as Detective Frank Smith)that became the first ever television series to ever be made into a motion picture. The film was a monster box-office hit becoming one of the highest grossing pictures of that year. Another theatrical feature based on "Dragnet" came out in 1987 with Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks also surfaced(with an appearance by Harry Morgan as Bill Gannon,who worked with Jack Webb in the 1967-1970 series as Captain Bill Gannon).

"Dragnet" was the launching pad for future actors like Lee Marvin, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Nimoy, Carolyn Jones, Martin Milner, Dennis Weaver, Henry Corden, Francis Bavier, Ellen Corby, Charles Bronson, Parley Baer, Claude Akins, James Dobson, Lee Meriwether, Michael Ansara, Strother Martin, Kenneth Tobey, Fess Parker, Robert Bray, Glenn Corbitt, along with Raymond Burr, Hans Conried, Kevin Hagen, Alvy Moore, Yvonne Lime, Warren Oates, Richard Boone, and James Coburn just to name a few of the guest stars and actors who got their start on this series that would go on to bigger careers. "Dragnet" also had the intentions of using the same recurring actors in many of the episodes among them were Virginia Gregg and John Stephenson which were known as Jack Webb's regular players.

"Dragnet" also set the standard as well as the architecture for future police dramas to follow. And even after 65 years it still sets the standard for one of the great television programs that began on radio, made the transition to television during the 1950's and beyond. So here's to the anniversary of "Dragnet"..Happy 65th!!!

Whenever you want a nice crack by a wise guy, Joe Friday is always there to provide a droll punchline. This film established Jack Webb for the rest of his life as Joe Friday. The film spawned a successful TV series that ran quite a long time with costar. Henry Morgan (MASH). The film is nothing out of the ordinary; and before the establishment of the Miranda Rights of suspects (no more third degrees or talking to the cops without a lawyer). Pre-Miranda cop films are far more interesting. Everyone loves to see criminals mistreated; even if their civil rights are being violated. Have fun with this one.

I purchased a couple of episodes of the classic B & W version of "Dragnet" in a "Everything for a Buck" sort of store, not long ago. In one collection, the transfer from film to DVD was great. However, the other set, from a different company, left a good deal to be desired. The film quality was low, and to add insult to injury, they had edited music from the score, as well. I would wager that it was the signature, "Dahhh-da-DUM-DUM" that we all know "Dragnet" by.

Still was a great watch, however, and the stories are interesting. Just having the audio quality change, and small bits of dialoge get clipped by inserting a piano playing a couple of notes, is somewhat irritating.

Jack Webb was totally memorable in a part made for him. As Sgt. Joe Friday, he totally captured Los Angeles on the beat, he knew what made the city tick as well as being prepared for so many memorable characters that he would meet during his tour of duty.

His wonderful sidekicks were Ben Alexander and later Harry Morgan.

Each week we were treated to another episode. My personal favorite was the one where the neighbors cleaned out a person's home. They thought he had moved and left the furniture When they were charged with robbery, imagine the expressions on their faces.

George Fennemann, a perfect foil for Groucho Marx, was the perfect announcer.

Who can ever forget Mark V11? This show was an absolute classic.

In the 1950s, "Dragnet" was one of the most popular shows on television. Nearly a decade after the series ended, new "Dragnet" shows went into production--with Jack Webb once again playing Sergeant Friday*. However, his old partners, such as Officer Smith (Ben Alexander), were now replaced by Officer Gannon (Harry Morgan). These later shows are the ones I grew up with and loved. Only recently have I begun watching the early "Dragnet" shows--and I am very glad I did. While in many ways the styles were very similar, the older shows were grittier and more violent--and frankly, I like that. The only big advantage the newer ones was that they looked nicer--with color film and they also did more outdoor shots. In fact, this studio-bound look was something you really notice in the older shows--so often action outside the office is DESCRIBED because apparently the budget didn't provide for location shots.

My advice is by all means watch the older shows. And, even better, if you can find the Dragnet movie from this same time period, this is well worth seeing--very well written and full of wonderful dialog.

I've been watching some older episodes recently, courtesy of a couple of bargain four-episodes DVD I got in a Brighton 99p shop, and my attitude towards the series has changed somewhat from when I first saw Dragnet some decades ago. I now realise that the very tight, plodding format with the story told mostly through voice-over - much satirised, most memorably in Police Squad! and in a classic parody in an early Mad magazine - can somewhat blind the viewer to some of the show's more subtle strengths. The show does seem to make an effort to show the often tedious and legwork-heavy aspects of police work, and avoids violence and gratuitous gunplay as much as possible. But there's often a very sympathetic tone in Dragnet episodes towards the culprit, understanding that crime is often tragedy - such as in an episode called Big Porn, where in the final minutes a pornographer is revealed as a sad, tired old man, reliving his old days as a movie director. I particularly like an episode called Big Shoplift where the criminal turns out to be a lonely woman suffering from kleptomania, for whom even Joe Friday recognises that jail is not the right place. This compassion was a step forward from the efficient but rather cold film that inspired Dragnet, He Walked by Night, in which Webb had a bit part.

When I first saw Dragnet, I think in particular I underestimated the performance of Jack Webb, who seems to approach his suspects with a very human demeanour which is entirely realistic and such an antidote to the overplayed performances of many later TV cops. Webb produced and often wrote and directed the shows, and he displays a sure, experienced touch. Incidentally, the series didn't always take itself that seriously: look out for a wildly campy episode which alters the opening titles to read "Badge 417".

..........What we meant is how a Cop should carry himself!

ICONIC, INSPIRATIONAL AND INTREPIDLY realistic action and dialogue, this this was a sort of "One Man Band" of Radio, TV and Movie Drama. Mr. Jack Webb created, wrote, produced, directed and starred as Sgt. Joe Friday. With all embracing credits such as those, it's a wonder that no one has ever compared him to Charlie Chaplin or even Jerry Lewis.

FOLLOWING WHAT WAS a less than spectacular career in Radio Drama, Jack Webb, who had confessed to having wanted to be more like Jack Benny, came up with the brainstorm to do a Radio Dramatoic series. This would be a Police Procedural to end all Police Procedurals. Careful planning would allow the production's theme to employ only the most realistic dialogue, using the most capable actors, while they were spouting the most realistic lines in short, fast and machine gun-burst fashion.

SOME HAVE SAID that this style's implementation in DRAGNET was influenced by Director Otto Preminger's LAURA.(20th Century-Fox, 1944), which starred Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, et al.

PARTICULAR ATTENTION WAS given to every detail of dress, equipment and behavioural patterns. Police manuals, training materials and even classes at the Police Academy were taken in to assure authenticity.

KNOWING THAT AS in every other line of work, Cops have their own, esoteric lingo, Webb even used technical advisers and did his best to incorporate as much of this jargon as possible into each and every installment. Henceforth, the old "10 Code" would be forever a matter of public knowledge; as well as an item of "Judicial Notice." (Look it up, Schultz!)

WHEREAS THE SERIES is remembered mainly for its TV incarnations, DRAGNET was born in the old days of Radio's Golden Age in 1947. By 1951, NBC was ready to test it in the unsure waters of the upstart Television. Its successes in both cases far outdistanced any expectations that were given it by the Vegas Handicappers.

IF MAKING THE MOVE from Radio to the small box in the living rooms was accomplished with relative ease, certain things could not be counted on or even at all anticipated. Sgt. Friday's Detective partner on the radio was Sgt. Ben Romero, a Mexican American portrayed by Barton Yarborough. With only three teleplays in the proverbial "can", Mr. Yarborough died suddenly. His real life departure from this life was mirrored with his passing's being incorporated into the story.

AFTER FRIDAY'S TEAMING up with several others (including actor Barney Phillips as Detective Jacobs), the series introduced us to Ben Alexander as Detective Frank Smith (talk about common man names!). Frank remained Friday's partner for the entire run of the original Black & White run.

ONE ASPECT OF this early Television pioneering series was its musical score; well at least its opening theme and signature. Even today, over 6 decades since its introduction, "Dun-Dun-Dun-Dub" equals Police in most folks mind. Composer Walter Schumann's name may well not be a household word; but his work certainly rates that honor, nice job, Walter!

JUDGING FROM THE other projects that Jack would produce*, his intent wa$ not centered on ju$t making a$ much of the buck$ as he could; but rather, an altruistic side of his intentions are revealed. When the other MARK VII Productions Title are scrutinized, one discovers a deep down admiration and affection for common men and women; who often are called upon to do very uncommon acts indeed.

NOTE * In addition to DRAGNET (1951) and its revival DRAGNET 67(1967) we have such titles as ADAM 12, EMERGENCY! and O'HARE: U.S. TREASURY, which starred David Jansen.

And is definitely the symbol of the NYPD in many movies. UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship stuff and an inspiration for my future remake of "Code of Silence" with Chuck Norris (of which I want Annabella Sciorra as the main star, a detective who hits it hard and hangs with her bros). This is a true symbol of black culture, that has been replicated in sub-Saharan Episcopal choir brass and sampled in hip hop. The story deals with the mysteries and daily adventures of an LA cop named Dragnet. One thing that's interesting in the way police captains were portrayed, although. Perhaps, because of New York dominating pop culture, and FDR had a big role in this, being president, police forces across the nation start using the same type of cap as generals in armies during WW2. New York perhaps started this first in the 1930s, implementing the famous uniform they wear to this day. It spread to other cities across the nation like wildfire, except for the South to an exception as most are sheriffs and wear the sheriffs hates. The uniforms were done with a sense of prestige about it, as though FDR and the people of his society was trying to show off that they were wealthy. Before police were far more dignified and modest, wearing a cap not unlike what the Civil War soldiers were wearing (and Civil War uniforms are sort of a symbol of humbleness and modesty), and in the more Old World Northern cities like Chicago and New York, wearing the more reserved Old hood covers of the 18th century. The interesting thing is this show is the way the uniformed police and sargeants were trying to be vain. The Production Code gets an unfair rep for being puritan. But what people forget is the Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hatingness was more common in the 1920s and among FDR and his type.

It's as if the boys in blue were trying to show off to women (and many of these punks were womanizing hypocrites). And no it was a Protestant thing too, it was not Roman Catholic. Many of them were also vicious racists, and it was a Yankee thing. While this is set in LA, this was more a result of New York's dominance in pop culture at the time. If I'm not mistaken the police uniform shown here only remains in New York, Brooklyn and Boston. Every other city ended up becoming more commoner in their style by the 1970s. And FDR's time was vain as heck. This is a great show as it wasn't racist though.

Dragnet began on radio in June 1949. The first two programs contained a lot of gratuitous violence. Letters from listeners changed this aspect of the program. On the third program, even the theme music had changed. The lone writer for the radio show was James Moser. Many of Jim's scripts were adapted for television when the TV version started in 1951. Because Barton Yarborough, who played Ben Romero, died while working on the TV show at the Disney studios in Burbank, his rural wisdom was sadly missed.

It should be remembered that Jack Webb was a comedian at heart. Comedy is a hallmark in every Dragnet episode. If you look hard in even the soberest episode about police officers getting killed, you will find smatterings of humor. Jack's first venture in broadcasting was a weekly comedy-variety series originating from KGO in San Francisco and heard on ABC West Coast stations during the spring of 1946.

All of the 1950s shows were in black and white with the exception of the annual Christmas show (The Big Little Jesus), which was always done in color. It was also the only episode which did not bear the statement, "The names have been changed to protect the innocent." There was a Christmas episode used prior to this one which was about a little boy who got a rifle for Christmas. I won't spoil it by telling you the ending, but you can probably figure what happens, three minutes into the show.

Some actors on Dragnet appeared as several different characters. They included Harry Bartell, Ed Phillips, Virginia Gregg, Olan Soule, Allene Roberts, Virginia Christine (Folgers Coffee lady), and many others. Some of the actors were "has beens" like Natalie Masters (who was Candy Matson on a radio series in the late 1940s) and Ben Alexander (Joe Friday's partner--had a big part in the 1930 antiwar flick "All Quiet on the Western Front.") Her husband, Monty Masters was on the production crew. Up and coming stars included Leonard Nimoy (bad guy), Dennis Weaver (worked in the police lab), and Martin Milner (your typical teenager from any Los Angeles high school). Peggy Webber, a woman who was probably born about the same year as Jack Webb, portrayed Joe Friday's mother, with whom he lived.

Those of us who loved the 1950s series find the 1960s series lacking in some ways. While it was a good, wholesome show for the entire family, it wasn't the old series. Of course, Joe Friday's partner, Bill Gannon, would get better stuff in the years to follow, as Col. Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H.

One thing a nitpicky guy like me notices is that at the end of Dragnet in the 1950s, Joe Friday was promoted to Lieutenant. When the show came back on the air in the 1960s, he was back to Sergeant.

There were two other programs with the Dragnet name. One was a syndicated program in the late 1980s. It had different characters and a very different feel. The other premiered in 2003: Joe Friday, now Detective Joe Friday, had badge 714 and a partner named Frank Smith, who was Joe's permanent partner after Ben Romero died in 1951 on the original series.

Actually, this show was rude in that the LAPD retired Friday's badge after his death. He had a State Funeral in Los Angeles City Hall. When Jack Webb died, so did Joe Friday.

"Dragnet" is the best police show ever. "Dragnet" was directly responsible for the maturation and realness of police television shows, but it didn't dive into soggy drama stories surrounding the police officers the way soap opera police shows like "Hill Street Blues" did. "Dragnet" instead focused on the actual police stories and the apprehension of the crooks. On radio, the death of actor Barton Yarborough (no relation to me) who played Friday's first partner, Sgt. Ben Romero, was brought into the story, and in a 1953 TV episode Friday shows regret after killing a man for the first time, but that was as far as the drama went. For the most part, "Dragnet" was engaging nuts-and-bolts police work that was directed plausibly by Webb (who was a film-noir veteran by 1950, having appeared in 1948's "He Walked By Night," on which the show was based, and other film-noir classics like "Sunset Boulevard" and "The Men," both filmed in 1949). Many episodes of "Dragnet" have a film noir-like quality to them, often making for nail-bitting, high quality television.

In correction of Mr. Richmond's comment, in the fall of 1952 Herb Ellis took over as Friday's partner after the departure of Barney Phillips. Ellis was the first Frank Smith, and he served as a temporary replacement until someone who matched Yarborough's wholesome humor could be found. And Ben Alexander was chosen. But Alexander's humor was more outwardly silly, whereas Yarborough brought out more unexpected humor. In the first episode, for instance, when Friday and Romero are told about a man carrying a bomb, Romero voluntarily decides to help Friday stop the man because, as he says "Can't go home. My wife wants me to paint the bathroom today." As stiff as Friday's partners often were, they all had their own unique traits: Romero was the unintentionally silly Southerner; Jacobs was the stone cold, ice-eyed quiet one; Herb Ellis's Frank Smith was quiet but easy going; Ben Alexander's Frank Smith was simply goofy.

Jack Webb voluntarily pulled "Dragnet" off the air in 1959, but it returned to the air in new episodes in 1967, going for three and a half years (again in correction of Mr. Richmond's comment). These color episodes were rather different than the original black-and-white ones, but were still of very high quality.

Dragnet, Mulholland Falls and L.A. Confidential

I've done some reading over the years about Dragnet. Jack Webb was making a movie called "He Walked by Night" in 1948 when the technical advisor, LAPD detective Marty Wynn, expressed exasperation that Hollywood never depicted police work as it actually was. the cops were always hard boiled tough guys, crooked or buffoons. Webb, after thinking about it, asked to accompany Wynn and his partner, Vance Brasher on their nightly rounds and became fascinated by police procedure and the way the real policemen talked. He suggested the radio series that became "Dragnet". The LAPD was enthusiastic because they found the way they were constantly being depicted as distasteful. Webb's police went by the book, spoke "like doctors would to patients". He also eschewed violence except in rare instances, usually showing it after it had taken place and depicting it as the human tragedy it actually was. Webb closely co-operated with the LAPD, using their files for stories and filling his shows with praise for Chief William Parker, who had been hired in 1950 to clean up and give a new image to the department.

The Watts riots were the first chink in this image. Many analysts blamed them on Parker and his department, which was said to enforce racist unofficial rules about which part of town blacks could be in. In recent years, two films have been released which seem to further undercut the image of the LAPD that Webb created, Mulholland Falls, (1996) and L.A. Confidential, (1997). Mulholland Falls introduces us to the "Hat Squad", which is said to be non-fictional. Nick Nolte and his gang report directly to Chief Parker, (who is played briefly but perfectly by Bruce Dern, judging from newsreel clips I saw on his biography). He hired them to rid the city of mobsters and other criminals and to stay above politics. Nobody, but nobody is allowed to operate in L.A., not even the FBI, without going through Parker. The Hat Squad makes their own rules to do their job, including throwing a would-be mobster, (played by CSI"s William Peterson), off a cliff on Mulholland Drive they have given the title name.

In L.A. Confidential, the Hat Squad and Chief Parker do not make an appearance, although I wonder if James Cromwell's Capt. Smith is somehow supposed to represent him. We are introduced here to Jack Vincennes, who is a technical advisor on a show obviously intended to represent Dragnet, the star of which is a total phony. Russell Crowe's Bud White would look good in a hat and Guy Pearce's Ed Exley seems to have watched too many episodes of Dragnet.

These two films suggest that Dragnet was a phony, too, a public relations gimmick to make the seedy LAPD look good. Recent events have also not helped the image of the department, suggesting that planting evidence to help along prosecution and prejudice against African Americans is a long-standing condition. Maybe those melodramas of the 40's had it right about the LAPD.

But books about Jack Webb tell about him doing such extensive research into not only the methods of the department but also the details of a cop's life. I suspect that even Chief Parker could not have protected the Hat Squad once they attacked and brutally beat up an FBI agent, as Nick Nolte does. And are we to believe that Mickey Cohen was brought to justice so the LAPD could take over his rackets? Was there ever an Alamo-like shoot out between good cops and bad cops? Was it that bad? Or is Hollywood simply reclaiming the territory won by Jack Webb in Dragnet?

There are people who know. But I am not one of them.

I'm most familiar with the Harry Morgan period but all versions I've seen of the TV and radio originals are really good. Post-sixties angst is absent from the stories and characterizations, as in Perry Mason and perhaps a few others. Actually, "Ozzie and Harriet" from a different angle gives the same picture of a time with a bit less self-doubt.

Several sources have stated that Jack Webb really wanted to be a Los Angeles policeman. The height restrictions of that time period kept him from qualifying for his badge. It also has been said that "Dragnet" is the closest to reality of all the police shows ever made.

Dragnet was based on an early 1949 radio show called,"Dragnet". It starred Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday, a dedicated cop whose life seemed void of any interests other than being in law inforcement. He coined the phrase, "just the facts ma'am" which made him appear polite even though a little overzealous at times. Webb stressed realism going to great lengths to match the police language and paperwork of the Los Angeles Police Dept. When Dragnet came to TV in 1951, Barton Yarborough was featured as Friday's partner SGT Ben Romero.Barton Yarborough died after only three episodes with the rest of the season featuring Barney Phillips as Sgt. Ed Jacobs. In the fall of 1952, a former child star, Ben Alexander replaced Phillips as Friday's sidekick, Officer Frank Smith. It was Alexander who gave the show a little humor at times. The character of Frank Smith was a family man who would relate his home life experiences to the serious Joe Friday. It worked well. Dragnet left the air in 1959. During its time, the show did introduce some love interests for Joe Friday but none were too serious.

In 1967, a new version of Dragnet was introduced called Dragnet '67 and later Dragnet '68, etc. Webb again starred as Sgt. Joe Friday but now it was character actor Harry Morgan taking over as his partner, Officer Bill Gannon.The show lasted just over two years.

Dragnet will be remembered for its innovative style never before seen on a television drama prior to that time. It took advantage of close-ups and realistic dialog thanks to Webb, one of our greatest actor/directors. Reruns are rare but do exist. They show a rare look at Los Angeles as it once was. Smoggy but with less traffic.

Steve Richmond

The version of Dragnet I'm most familiar with is the one that aired in the 1960's with Harry Morgan playing Jack Webb's partner. The Dragnet that aired then spun off another successful police series, Adam-12. Adam-12 spun off Emergency.

Check this out. If you run on public transportation, your chances are slim to catch a TV screen and enjoy some "Dragnet" while riding. That's because the Orlando based "Transit Television Network" is adding the original "Dragnet" series to their schedule. In case you wonder, TTN is an advertisement system that runs on the public transportation systems in Orlando, Milwaukee and Chicago. During selected days and depending on the route, you may catch a classic episode of "Dragnet" and other TV shows like "I Love Lucy" or "Bonanza". However the advertisement system is supposed to bombard you with more commercials every hour. Included are local advertisement and public service announcements. Also the fact that you will encounter a "Travel Trivia" or "Race The Clock" game of challenge.