Vintage 1950s
Television
Dragnet
Dragnet Television
Show was a police procedural drama centered around
a Los Angeles Police Detective. The show stared Sergeant Joe
Friday,
played by Jack Webb, and his partner Officer Bill
Gannon played by Harry Morgan. The police term "dragnet",
means a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.
The original show aired from 1951 to 1959 and was revived from 1967 to 1970.
The series gave the public a feel for
the danger and heroism of police work. Dragnet earned praise
for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack
Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting; he achieved both goals.
1-The ominous, four-note introduction
to the brass and timpani theme music (titled
Danger Ahead) date to 1946, Miklós
Rózsa's score in the film version of The Killers.
2-Another Dragnet trademark
is the show's opening narration: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are
about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the
innocent." This underwent minor revisions over time. The "only"
and "ladies and gentlemen" were dropped at some point, and for the
television version "hear" was changed to "see". Variations
on this narration have been featured in subsequent crime dramas, and in parodies of the dramas (e.g. "Only the facts have been
changed to protect the guilty").
After
Webb's death (December 23, 1983) Chief Daryl Gates of
the LAPD announced that badge number 714 -Webb's number on the television show
- was 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. An LAPD auditorium was named in
his honor. Jack Webb's LAPD sergeant's badge and ID card are on display at the
Los Angeles Police Academy.
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