"Dragnet" (1951) TV series 1951-1959

Creator:

Jack Webb

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | unknown

Release Date:

16 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Cult Director | Detective | Sergeant | Based On Radio Show

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Jack Webb	...	Sgt. Joe Friday (276 episodes, 1951-1959)
George Fenneman	...	Announcer (Opening) (276 episodes, 1951-1959)
Hal Gibney	...	Announcer (Closing) (276 episodes, 1951-1959)

Also Known As:

Badge 714 (USA) (syndication title)

Runtime:

30 min (300 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mark VII Ltd.

Trivia:

Midway through the series' run, a theatrical spin-off was produced (Dragnet (1954)). This event marked two firsts in American TV history: the first time a TV series spawned a movie, and the first time a movie spin-off was released while the original series was still running.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Marge on the Lam (#5.6)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Theme From Dragnet (Danger Ahead)

Worth another look

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".