NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Dragnet (series)

Dragnet was a long-running radio and television police procedural drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Image File history File links Open from the 1967 version of Dragnet. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ... John Stephenson (b. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... MiklÃ³s RÃ³zsa (IPA: ) or Miklos Rozsa (April 18, 1907 - July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer, best known for his film scores // MiklÃ³s RÃ³zsa was born in Budapest and exposed to classical and folk music through his mother, a classical pianist who had studied with... The Killers, also known as Ernest Hemingways The Killers is a black and white film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government - Type Mayor-Council - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo - Governing body City Council Area - City 498. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which attempts to accurately depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government - Type Mayor-Council - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo - Governing body City Council Area - City 498. ... -LAPD Badge 714 Detective Sergeant Joe Friday was a fictional character created and played by American actor, television producer, and writer Jack Webb (1920-1982) on Dragnet. ... A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ...

Introduction

Dragnet was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in American media history. The series gave millions of Americans a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real-life police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers.^[1] The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which attempts to accurately depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. ...

Actor and producer Jack Webb’s aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media. Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... A Television producer oversees the making of television penis programs. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ...

The show's cultural impact is demonstrated by the fact that even after five decades, elements of Dragnet are known to those who've never seen or heard the program:

The original Dragnet starring Jack Webb as Sgt. Friday ran on radio from June 3, 1949 to February 26, 1957 and on television from December 16, 1951 to August 23, 1959, and from January 12, 1967 to April 16, 1970. All of these versions ran on NBC. There were two Dragnet feature films, a straight adaptation starring Webb in 1954 and a comedy spoof in 1987. There were also television revivals, without Webb, in 1989 and 2003. A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as a player blows into a tubular resonator. ... Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... Dragnet, the instrumental theme song from the radio and television show of the same name, was composed by MiklÃ³s RÃ³sas score for the 1946 film version of The Killers, and was modified by Walter Schumann for the show, and was NE]] in 1953, and became a popular... MiklÃ³s RÃ³zsa (IPA: ) or Miklos Rozsa (April 18, 1907 - July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer, best known for his film scores // MiklÃ³s RÃ³zsa was born in Budapest and exposed to classical and folk music through his mother, a classical pianist who had studied with... The Killers, also known as Ernest Hemingways The Killers is a black and white film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

History

Creation

Dragnet was created and produced by Jack Webb, who starred as the terse Sgt. Friday. Webb had starred in a few mostly short-lived radio programs, but Dragnet would make him one of the major media personalities of his era. John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ...

Dragnet had its origins in Webb’s small role as a police forensic scientist in the 1948 film, He Walked by Night, inspired by the actual murder of a police officer in Los Angeles. The film was depicted in semidocumentary style, and Marty Wynn (an actual LAPD sergeant from the robbery division) was a technical advisor on the film. Webb and Wynn became friends, and both thought that the day-to-day activities of police officers could be realistically depicted, and could make for compelling drama without the forced sense of melodrama then so common in radio programming. Webb frequently visited police headquarters, drove on night patrols with Sgt. Wynn and his partner Officer Vance Brasher, and attended police academy courses to learn authentic jargon and other details that could be featured in a radio program. When he proposed Dragnet to NBC officials, they were not especially impressed; radio was aswarm with private investigators and crime dramas, such as Webb’s earlier Pat Novak for Hire. That program didn’t last long, but Webb had received high marks for his role as the titular private investigator, and NBC agreed to a limited run for Dragnet. Crime Scene, done by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. ... Police plan of attack late in He Walked By Night He Walked by Night is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Semidocumentary is book, movie, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. ... Ladies and gentlemen, the American Broadcasting Corporation brings to its entire network one of radios most unusual programs . ... A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. ...

With writer James E. Moser, Webb prepared an audition recording, then sought the LAPD’s endorsement; he wanted to use cases from official files in order to demonstrate the steps taken by police officers during investigations. The official response was initially lukewarm, but in 1950 LAPD Chief William H. Parker offered Webb the endorsement he sought. Police wanted control over the program’s sponsor, and insisted that police not be depicted unflatteringly. This would lead to some criticism, as LAPD racial segregation policies were never addressed, nor was there a suggestion of police corruption. There were several famous men named William H. Parker: William Harwar Parker was an officer in the Confederate States Navy and superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Academy. ... The Rex Theatre for Colored People Racial segregation is characterized by separation of different races in daily life when both are doing equal tasks, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or...

Radio

Dragnet debuted inauspiciously. The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program’s format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday’s deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday’s first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio’s top-rated shows. Image File history File links JackWebb2. ... Image File history File links JackWebb2. ... Fatima print advertisement ca. ... John Dunning, 1st Baron Ashburton (1731 - 1783) was an English jurist and politician. ... Barton Yarborough (October 2, 1900 â€“ December 19, 1951) in Texas, was an American actor. ...

Webb insisted on realism in every aspect of the show. The dialogue was clipped, understated and sparse, influenced by the hard boiled school of crime fiction. Scripts were fast moving but didn’t seem rushed. Every aspect of police work was chronicled, step by step: From patrols and paperwork, to crime scene investigation, lab work and questioning witnesses or suspects. The detectives’ personal lives were mentioned, but rarely took center stage. (Friday was a bachelor who lived with his mother; Romero was an ever-fretful husband and father.) "Underplaying is still acting," Webb told Time. "We try to make it as real as a guy pouring a cup of coffee.” (Dunning, 209) Los Angeles police chiefs C.B. Horrall and (later) William H. Parker were credited as consultants, and many police officers were fans. Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ... Time, (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ...

Webb was a stickler for accurate details, and Dragnet used many authentic touches, such as the LAPD's actual radio call sign (KMA-367), and the names of many real department officials, such as Ray Pinker and Lee Jones of the crime lab or Chief of Detectives Thad Brown.

Episodes began with an announcer describing the basic premise of the show. "Big Saint" (April 26, 1951) for example, begins with, "You're a Detective Sergeant, you're assigned to auto theft detail. A well organized ring of car thieves begins operations in your city. It's one of the most puzzling cases you've ever encountered. Your job: break it." Motor vehicle theft is a crime of theft. ...

The story then usually began with footsteps and a door closing, followed by Joe Friday intoning something like: "Tuesday, February 12. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of robbery division. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstram, chief of detectives. My name's Friday."

Friday offered voice-over narration throughout the episodes, noting the time, date and place of every scene as he and his partners went through their day investigating the crime. The events related in a given episode might occur in a few hours, or might span a few months. At least one episode unfolded in real time: in "City Hall Bombing" (July 21, 1949), Friday and Romero had less than 30 minutes to stop a man who was threatening to destroy the City Hall with a bomb. It has been suggested that Real-time computing be merged into this article or section. ...

At the end of the episode, the announcer (George Fenneman) would relate the fate of the suspect. They were usually convicted of a crime and sent to "the State Penitentiary" or a state mental hospital. Murderers were often "executed in the manner prescribed by law." Occasionally, police pursued the wrong suspect, and criminals sometimes avoided justice or escaped, at least on the radio version of Dragnet. In 1950, Time quoted Webb: "We don’t even try to prove that crime doesn’t pay ... sometimes it does" (Dunning, 210) Time, (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ...

Specialized terminology was mentioned in every episode, but was rarely explained. Webb trusted the audience to determine the meanings of words or terms by their context, and furthermore, Dragnet tried to avoid the kinds of awkward, lengthy exposition that people wouldn’t actually use in daily speech. Several specialized terms (such as "A.P.B." for "All Points Bulletin" and "M.O." for "Modus Operandi") were rarely used in popular culture before Dragnet introduced them to everyday America. Look up exposition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a bulletin broadcast to all parties, often with information about a suspect who is to be detained or a person to be on the look out for. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ...

While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday’s desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters. A single minute of "A Gun For Christmas" is a representative example of the evocative sound effects featured on "Dragnet". While Friday and others investigate bloodstains in a suburban backyard, the listener hears a series of overlapping effects: a squeaking gate hinge, footsteps, a technician scraping blood into a paper envelope, the glassy chime of chemical vials, bird calls and a dog barking in the distance. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ... â€œAvesâ€ redirects here. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ...

Scripts tackled a number of topics, ranging from the thrilling (murders, missing persons and armed robbery) to the mundane (check fraud and shoplifting), yet "Dragnet" made them all interesting due to fast-moving plots and behind-the-scenes realism. In "The Garbage Chute" (15 December 1949), they even had a locked room mystery. A missing person is a person who has disappeared for no known reason. ... Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. ... Check kiting is any sort of fraud that involves drawing out money from one bank account that does not have sufficient funds to cover the check. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... A locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction wherein a murder or other crime is apparently committed under impossible circumstances: no one could have entered or left the scene of the crime, and the death involved could not have been a suicide. ...

Though rather tame by modern standards, Dragnet--especially on the radio--handled controversial subjects such as sex crimes and drug addiction with unprecedented and even startling realism. Dragnet broke one of the unspoken (and still rarely broached) taboos of popular entertainment when a young child was killed in "A Gun For Christmas" (aired December 21, 1950). The episode followed the search for eight-year-old Stevie Morheim, only to discover he’d been accidentally killed by his best friend while they played with a rifle his friend had received as a Christmas gift. Thousands of letters were mailed to NBC in complaint, including a formal protest by the National Rifle Association. Webb forwarded many of the letters to police chief Parker who promised "ten more shows illustrating the folly of giving rifles to children." (Dunning, 211) "Big Betty" (November 23, 1950) dealt with young women who, rather than finding Hollywood stardom, fall in with fraudulent talent scouts and end up in pornography and prostitution. Sex crimes are forms of human sexual behavior that are crimes. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general, for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A rifle is a firearm with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. ... Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... Artist and repertoire (A&R for short) is a music industry term that refers to the division of a record label that is responsible for scouting and developing talent. ... Pornographic movies Pornography (Porn) (from Greek Ï€ÏŒÏÎ½Î· (porne) prostitute and Î³ÏÎ±Ï†Î® (grafe) writing), more informally referred to as porn or porno, is the explicit representation of the human body or sexual activity with the goal of sexual arousal. ... Whore redirects here. ...

The tone was usually serious, but there were moments of comic relief: Romero was something of a hypochondriac and often seemed henpecked; though Friday dated women, he usually dodged those who tried to set him up with marriage-minded dates. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ... Hypochondria (sometimes hypochondriasis) is the unfounded belief that one is suffering from a serious illness. ...

Due in part to Webb’s fondness for radio drama, Dragnet persisted on radio until 1957 as one of the last old time radio shows to give way to television’s increasing popularity. In fact, the TV show would prove to be effectively a visual version of the radio show, as the style was virtually the same. The TV show could be listened to without watching it, with no loss of understanding of the storyline. This does not cite any references or sources. ... Old-Time Radio (OTR) or The Golden Age of Radio is a term used to refer to radio programs that were broadcast during the 1920s through the late 1950s (with some outlying programs produced earlier and later) in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada and...

Television

When television was interested in Dragnet, Webb bucked the prevailing wisdom which argued that radio staff couldn’t adapt to the new medium. He insisted on hiring radio staff (from actors to writers and production staff) as much as was feasible to work on the television version. This loyalty would endear Webb to many of his Dragnet colleagues for decades to come. Image File history File links Harry Morgan (left) as Ofc. ... Image File history File links Harry Morgan (left) as Ofc. ...

He also insisted that Friday and his partner use badges in the then-unique shield shape used by LAPD. This led to the loan of actual LAPD badges, brought in every morning from the Office of the Chief of Police in the care of an officer who acted as technical advisor.

Television offered Webb the opportunity to increase the realism to a point unmatched by any other program for years. Many early episodes involved cases which had been handled by the Robbery or Homicide Divisions, which was at that time located in the ground floor of the Los Angeles City Hall. Webb had his set designers duplicate the "feel" of the office, including details such as the remnant of a notice which had been torn from the bulletin board, leaving only one corner.

Webb, uncomfortable with firearms, mentioned this to the technical advisor. When an early script called for Friday to use a shotgun, LAPD detailed Jesse Littlejohn, a member of the Robbery Division's elite "Hat Squad," to teach Webb how to handle the riot gun. In the episode, Friday carries the shotgun using proper technique, but passes it to his partner rather than fire it himself. In thanks for this and and assistance by other officers, Webb dropped their names into scripts, beginning a tradition which continued through the end of production of Dragnet and Adam-12—all officers' names are real (except for recurring characters and officers suspected of wrongdoing, in which cases the names were changed to protect the innocent). Adam-12 was a television program which ran from 1968 until 1975 on police officers, of the Rampart Division , veteran Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and rookie Jim Reed (Kent McCord), and their sergeant, played by William Boyett. ...

Dragnet first aired on television in January of 1952. Friday's original partner in the TV episodes (as on the radio) was Sgt. Ben Romero, played by Barton Yarborough, who died after only three episodes were filmed. The Romero character was soon replaced by Officer Frank Smith, played by Ben Alexander on both television and radio. Alexander continued in the role through the show's original run, which ended in 1959. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Barton Yarborough (October 2, 1900 â€“ December 19, 1951) in Texas, was an American actor. ... Ben Alexander, 1919 Ben Alexander (Nicholas Benton Alexander IV) alias Bennie Alexander, (May 26, 1911 â€“ July 5, 1969) was an American motion picture actor, who started out as a child actor in 1915. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While Dragnet was still on the air, reruns began to air in syndication as Badge 714.

In 1954, a theatrical feature film adaptation of the series was released, with Webb, Alexander, and Richard Boone. Al Capone. ... Mark VII Limited was Jack Webbs TV production company that existed from 1951 to 1979. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... Richard Boone often played in Westerns and action films. ...

In 1966, a TV movie, also called Dragnet, was produced, although it did not air until 1969. Starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan as his partner Officer Bill Gannon, it spawned a new series, Dragnet 1967, which aired until 1970, the title year changing with each season. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Jack Webb had begun the process of bringing Dragnet back to television yet again in 1982, writing and producing five scripts and even picking Kent McCord to play his new partner in "Dragnet '83" before suddenly passing away. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After Webb's death, the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department announced that badge number 714—Webb’s number on the television show—had been retired, and Los Angeles city offices lowered their flags to half-staff. At Webb's funeral, the LAPD provided an honor guard and the Chief of Police commented on Webb's connection with the LAPD. A LAPD Auditorium was named in his honor. â€œLAPDâ€ redirects here. ...

Remakes

In 1987, a comedy movie version of Dragnet appeared (also titled Dragnet), starring Dan Aykroyd as the stiff Joe Friday (the original Detective Friday's nephew), and Tom Hanks as his partner Pep Streebeck. The film contrasted the terse, clipped character of Friday, a hero from another age, with the 'real world' of Los Angeles in 1987 to broadly parodic effect. Beyond Aykroyd’s effective imitation of Webb’s Joe Friday (and Harry Morgan’s small role reprising his earlier role as Bill Gannon), this film version shares little with the previous incarnations. Although officially a remake, the film was more a parody than a true remake. Despite this criticism, the film was a hit with audiences. Image File history File links Open from the 2003 version of Dragnet. ... Image File history File links Open from the 2003 version of Dragnet. ... Image File history File links Ed ONeill (left) as Sgt. ... Image File history File links Ed ONeill (left) as Sgt. ... Ed ONeill (left) as Det. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dragnet is a 1987 film starring Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer, Dabney Coleman, Harry Morgan, and Alexandra Paul. ... Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM (born July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is an Academy Award-nominated Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, and musician. ... Thomas Tom Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor, Emmy winning director, voice-over artist and movie producer who starred in family-friendly and screwball comedies before achieving notable success as a dramatic actor in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ...

In 1989, The New Dragnet appeared in first-run syndication, featuring all-new characters, and aired in tandem with The New Adam-12, a remake of another Webb-produced police drama, Adam-12. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Adam-12 was a television program which ran from 1968 until 1975 on police officers, of the Rampart Division , veteran Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and rookie Jim Reed (Kent McCord), and their sergeant, played by William Boyett. ...

In 2003 another Dragnet series was produced by Dick Wolf, the producer of Law & Order, a series that was strongly influenced by Dragnet. It aired on ABC, and starred Ed O'Neill as Joe Friday and Ethan Embry as Frank Smith. After a 12-episode season that rather closely followed the traditional formula, the format of the series was changed to an ensemble crime drama. Now titled L.A. Dragnet, Friday was promoted to Lieutenant but received less screen time (Frank Smith was written out entirely) in favor of a group of younger and ethnically-diverse detectives (played by Eva Longoria, Christina Chang, Desmond Harrington and Evan Dexter Parke). With most of the trappings that made Dragnet unique no longer in place, it became just another cops and robbers series and it was canceled only five episodes into its second season. Another three episodes aired on USA Network in early 2004, with the final two of the series' 22 episodes remaining unaired in the U.S. until the launch of the Sleuth channel in 2006. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Anthony Wolf, (born December 20, 1946, New York City), is one of American televisions most respected drama series creators and is an Emmy Award-winning producer, specializing in crime dramas. ... Law & Order is an American television police procedural and legal drama set in New York City. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Ed ONeill (left) as Det. ... A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ... Eva Jacqueline Longoria (born March 15, 1975) is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress. ... Christina Chang (born 1969) is an actress. ... Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American actor, who gained fame through movies like The Hole and Ghost Ship. ... Evan Parke (born 2 January 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies) is an actor. ... USA Network is a popular American cable TV network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sleuth is a digital cable television channel with programming dedicated to the crime, mystery and suspense genres. ...

Parodies

Dragnet and its unique presentation style have been referenced or lampooned countless times. Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ...

Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. ... Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924 - February 21, 1993) was a U.S. cartoonist and magazine editor. ... Will Elder self-portrait William Elder (aka Bill Elder) (born September 22, 1921 in the Bronx, New York) is an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art yet is best known for a zany cartoon s tyle that helped launch Harvey Kurtzmans... Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles) is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, puppeteer and advertising creative director. ... McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy, was a period of intense anticommunism, also (popularly) known as the (second) Red Scare, which occurred in the United States from 1948 to about 1956 (or later), when the government of the United States was actively engaged in suppression of the Communist Party USA, its... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short films. ... Kinescope (IPA: [], []) originally referred to the cathode ray tube used in television monitors. ... AMC is a cable television network that primarily airs movies. ... In mathematics, a triple is an n-tuple with n being 3. ... Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 â€“ May 4, 1975) was the leader of the Three Stooges. ... Larry Fine is the name of several people: Larry Fine, a US film comedian, and member of The Three Stooges. ... Samuel Shemp Howard / (Horwitz) (March 17, 1895 â€“ November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. ... An antacid is any substance that counteracts stomach acidity. ... A jingle is a memorable slogan, set to an engaging melody, mainly broadcast on radio and sometimes on television commercials. ... Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941, in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne) was the lead singer of The Animals and later of War. ... The US edition of The Animals self-titled debut album. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... â€œMother Simpsonâ€ is the eighth episode of The Simpsonsâ€™ seventh season. ... Rocket Squad is a 1956 Warner Brothers theatrical cartoon short produced by Eddie Selzer. ... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Daffy, as Duck Dodgers, faces off against Marvin the Martian in the 1953 short Duck Dodgers in the 24Â½th Century, a parody of Buck Rogers. ... Porky Pig is an Academy Award-nominated animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ... Woody Woodpecker in the 1948 short Wacky-Bye Baby, directed by Dick Lundy. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the full name of NBCs The Tonight Show during the years that Johnny Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. ... Mathnet, a segment on Square One TV and spoof of Dragnet, featured detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department who solved mysteries using their mathematical skills. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Square One, also known as Square One Television, was a television show produced by the Childrens Television Workshop to teach mathematics and abstract mathematical concepts to young viewers. ... Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is the first film in a series of comedy movies starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O.J. Simpson. ... Deadpan is a form of comedic delivery in which humour is presented without exhibiting a change in emotion or facial expression. ... James Ellroy (born Lee Earle Ellroy on March 4, 1948 in Los Angeles, California) is an American writer. ... L.A. Confidential is a crime novel by James Ellroy published in 1990 that was adapted into a 1997 feature film. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... L.A. Confidential is a crime novel by James Ellroy published in 1990 that was adapted into a 1997 feature film. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 â€“ December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ... book cover V. is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon published in 1963, concerning the journey of discharged U.S. Navy sailor Benny Profane through a decadent group of artists in 1956, along with the attempt of an aging traveller named Herbert Stencil to locate the mysterious woman he knows... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshots of LEGO Island LEGO Island is an adventure computer game, the first in the LEGO series. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: useless page, created purely for vandalism If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ... The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by DC Comics for 75 issues from 1988 until 1996. ... It has been suggested that Loki and the dwarfs be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Puck (mythology). ... Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... For the 2008 film based on the comic book, see Watchmen (film). ... War Boy is the first novel by Kief Hillsbery, published in 2000 by Rob Weisbach Books. ... Thorn Kief Hillsbery is an American novelist. ...

DVD Releases

3 collections have been released to date, 2 from Alpha Video featuring 4 episodes each and 1 from Eclectic DVD featuring 3 episodes. Alpha Video company logo Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company, based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of classic movies and TV shows on DVD. Alpha Video releases over 25 new DVD titles monthly and has over 1,000 DVDs...

Big Crime, Big Pair, Big Producer, Big Break, Big September Man, Big Betty, Big Trunk.

In the episode Big Producer, Martin Milner ( Adam 12 ) appears as a high school student. He was credited as Marty Milner.

Also included on the 2 disc set are one episode of Burke's Law, 2 of Peter Gunn, and 2 of Richard Diamond, along with an episode of Mr. Wong, Detective and Bulldog Drummond.

On June 7, 2005, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first season on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. It is unknown if the remaining 3 seasons will be released at some point. Universal Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Video or MCA/Universal Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1979. ...

The New Dragnet (1989) Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Universal Studios Home Entertainment was going to release the first season of this short-lived remake on DVD on November 11, 2003, but this release was subsequently cancelled. It is not known if the set will be released at some point. ^[3] Universal Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Video or MCA/Universal Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1979. ...

Trivia

Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles) is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, puppeteer and advertising creative director. ... St. ... Jerry Leiber (born April 25, 1933) and Mike Stoller (born March 13, 1933) are among the most important songwriters and music producers in post-World War II popular music. ... Searchin was a song written by Leiber and Stoller specifically for The Coasters on the Atco Records label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. ... The classic Coasters lineup. ... Adam-12 was a television program which ran from 1968 until 1975 on police officers, of the Rampart Division , veteran Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and rookie Jim Reed (Kent McCord), and their sergeant, played by William Boyett. ... Martin Sam Milner (born December 28, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66. ... Kent McCord (born Kent Franklin McWhirter on September 26, 1942 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 â€“ October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series. ...

Notes

Sources

John Dunning, 1st Baron Ashburton (1731 - 1783) was an English jurist and politician. ...

External links

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with large trivia sections | Dragnet | 1951 television program debuts | 1967 television program debuts | 2003 television program debuts | 1950s American television series | 1954 films | 1969 films | 1960s American television series | 1980s American television series | 2000s American television series | 2004 television program series endings | American Broadcasting Company network shows | Crime television series | NBC network shows | American radio drama | Television series by NBC Universal Television | Edgar Award winning works | Television shows set in Los Angeles The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... TV.com is a website belonging to the CNET Games and Entertainment family of websites. ... TV.com is a website belonging to the CNET Games and Entertainment family of websites. ... TV.com is a website belonging to the CNET Games and Entertainment family of websites. ... TV.com is a website belonging to the CNET Games and Entertainment family of websites. ... The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ... Frank Sinatra is interviewed on Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. Old-Time Radio (OTR) and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming lasting from commercial radios introduction in the early 1920s to its replacement in the late 1950s and early 1960s...

Contents

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