When I was a child, a local radio station played old radio programs from the '40s and '50s late at night- The Black Museum, Gangbusters, The Green Hornet, to name a few- and of course, Dragnet. I became addicted to these old shows, laying awake long after my bedtime listening to them in the dark. It was a sad day when the station format changed and the shows went off the air, but thankfully they can now be found online at various sites which archive old radio programs, most of which are in the public domain. My favourite of these old shows was always Dragnet, and I still listen to it on occasion, especially when I'm sewing as it's much easier to listen to something than watch it. Dragnet debuted on radio in 1949, and ran until 1957. It was a police procedural which strove for realism, portraying both the danger which officers face, and the frequently dogged and drudging legwork which police work requires. It was created by Jack Webb, who was so dedicated to getting it right that he went on ride-alongs with patrols and attended courses at the police academy. Webb also starred as Sgt. Joe Friday who, over the run of the show had a series of partners, starting with Sgt. Ben Romero. His last- and longest- partner was Sgt. Frank Smith, from 1952 'til the end of the show's run. The plots are apparently all pulled from actual police cases, with the names changed "to protect the innocent." The shows are acted out, with some narration from Webb. The first season is a little uneven, and a bit overly dramatic in places, but after this, as the writers and actors settle more comfortably into their roles, the show becomes truly great. The focus is always totally on the case, with very little time given to the officer's personal lives. Any information of a personal nature generally came out in casual conversation while, for example, Friday and his partner are passing time while on stakeouts. While these exchanges are always brief, they do give welcome insights into the detectives' characters, and frequently provide flashes of humour, as Romero frets about his wife and kids, or when Smith invites Friday to dinner, because his wife is trying to set Joe up with her sister. The show's dialogue is kept realistically brief, and to the point. It's also very undramatic... deliberately so. Whatever's going on, Joe Friday keeps his cool and it shows in his calm, even tone. This makes it even funnier when a suspect is hurling abuse or otherwise making a nuisance of themselves, and Friday shuts them down with a deadpan zinger... he always gets the last word. Dragnet familiarized the public with police procedures and terms which they had never known before, such as A.P.B., M.O., and even the title, "Dragnet", which is a coordinated police operation to catch a suspect. The show was really popular, and increased public sympathy for the police and the job they had to do... this was no doubt furthered by the show's practice of dedicating each episode to an officer killed in the line of duty. The program was so well received that, as television became more popular, the decision was made to also develop the show for that medium. It debuted in 1951, also starred Jack Webb as Joe Friday, and ran until 1959. Webb revived the series in 1967, when it had a shorter run, until 1970. There was also a 1954 Dragnet movie. I've never seen the T.V. show or movie, but it spawned a spin-off "Adam-12" (also a police show) which my Dad is a big fan of, so I've seen some of that. It's O.K., but in my opinion, the best thing about Adam-12 is that it in turn had a spin-off called "Emergency" which ran through the '70s, and was about paramedics with the fire department. As a child, I used to watch reruns of this show, and I absolutely loved it. More about that at a later date. 'Dragnet' is a great show, and the prototype for pretty much all police procedurals which followed it. The "Law & Order" franchise in particular owes a big debt of gratitude to'Dragnet'. Even if you've never heard- or seen- the show, you probably recognize the dramatic theme, with its distinctive dum-dee-dum-dum. If you've never heard the show, and you enjoy police dramas, it's one of the best.
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About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
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