| rdfs:comment
| - Dragnet was a radio drama based on real cases of the LAPD, as related in the opening marration: "The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Creator/ producer/ writer/ director/ star Jack Webb insisted on making the series as realistic as possible, right down to the number of footsteps between offices at the LAPD headquarters.
- Archetype of the Police Procedural, Dragnet followed the exploits of Sgt. Joe Friday (badge number 714) and his partner, Bill Gannon, as they investigated crime in Los Angeles. Dragnet was the brainchild of its star and writer, Jack Webb, who brought to the screen a level of realism in the Police Procedural that had never been seen before and has only rarely been seen since. This was accomplished via contacts he had in the LAPD, who provided him with both anonymized versions of actual cases and details on contemporary police procedure.
- The series focused on Detective Joe Friday and his partner Detective Frank Smith, following a typical police procedure format, as they solved crimes in the Los Angeles area. During the 2nd season, numerous changes were made to the series, such renaming the series to "L.A. Dragnet", Detective Smith being written out and a younger, ethically diverse set of detectives was added in his place. These changes eventually led to the cancellation of the show 5 episodes into its 2nd season. All episodes can currently be viewed on Hulu.
- The radio series ran on NBC from 1949 until 1957. Like Gunsmoke, it smoothly transitioned into television, beginning with a 1951 one-off special (featuring original radio sidekick Sgt. Ben Romero, played by Barton Yarborough). The TV series, which made its proper debut in January 1952, ran concurrently with the radio show for several years (both with new partner Frank Smith), and remained on the air until 1959. A theatrical film version, with the same cast and crew, was released in 1954.
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| abstract
| - Dragnet was a radio drama based on real cases of the LAPD, as related in the opening marration: "The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Creator/ producer/ writer/ director/ star Jack Webb insisted on making the series as realistic as possible, right down to the number of footsteps between offices at the LAPD headquarters.
- The radio series ran on NBC from 1949 until 1957. Like Gunsmoke, it smoothly transitioned into television, beginning with a 1951 one-off special (featuring original radio sidekick Sgt. Ben Romero, played by Barton Yarborough). The TV series, which made its proper debut in January 1952, ran concurrently with the radio show for several years (both with new partner Frank Smith), and remained on the air until 1959. A theatrical film version, with the same cast and crew, was released in 1954. The series was revived in 1967, with another partner, Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan). The series ended in 1970, and Webb died in 1982. His franchise outlived him, however, first in a 1987 spoof movie version of Dragnet starring Dan Aykroyd as Friday's nephew and Tom Hanks as his partner, in a 1989 syndicated series (with new cast and characters), and in a somewhat grittier 2003 revival, with Ed O'Neill as the new Joe Friday (partnered once again with Frank Smith). The series remains a keynote in popular culture. The craze for Dragnet spoofery began with Stan Freberg's 1950s trilogy of audio satires, with titles like St. George and the Dragonet, and has extended to the Children's Television Workshop. CTW mined the series extensively on Square One TV (with the droll "Mathnet" segments), but elements of Dragnet have also surfaced on Sesame Street through the years.
- Archetype of the Police Procedural, Dragnet followed the exploits of Sgt. Joe Friday (badge number 714) and his partner, Bill Gannon, as they investigated crime in Los Angeles. Dragnet was the brainchild of its star and writer, Jack Webb, who brought to the screen a level of realism in the Police Procedural that had never been seen before and has only rarely been seen since. This was accomplished via contacts he had in the LAPD, who provided him with both anonymized versions of actual cases and details on contemporary police procedure. Unqualified, the title Dragnet usually refers to an entire franchise of series which ran intermittently from 1949 to 1971:
* Dragnet, the original radio series, which ran from 1949-1957.
* Dragnet (Also called Badge 714), a black and white TV series running from 1951-1959, along with a theatrical film adaptation in 1954. Many (perhaps all) of the episodes in this incarnation have lapsed into the public domain.
* Dragnet 1967, a Revival of the original series, which ran (under a different title each year) from 1967 to 1971. (This series was launched by a movie, unsurprisingly titled Dragnet 1966.) While sometimes considered the show's weakest incarnation, and prone to unintentional self-parody, this series is the most familiar one to modern audiences. Being filmed in color, it was more attractive to syndicators, and still being under copyright, it's the only incarnation that has received an official DVD release. Officer Bill Gannon, played in the revival series by Harry Morgan (as Henry Morgan), was actually a Suspiciously Similar Substitute, the last and best known of at least four partners Friday had in the course of the show. Barton Yarborough portrayed Friday's original partner, Sgt. Ben Romero, from the start of the radio show until his death in December 1951, just three episodes into the first TV version. He was briefly succeeded by Barney Phillips as Detective Sgt. Ed Jacobs, then by Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith from late 1952 to the end of the TV show's original run in 1959. Unlike just about every other police show in history, the focus of Dragnet was not always on homicide: Friday and his partners rotated through the various departments from week to week, allowing them to solve not only murders, but also fraud, arson, and drug-smuggling. Each episode ended with a mugshot of the perp as a Narrator related the results of their trial. The show spawned a number of CatchPhrases, such as "The story you are about to hear is true"; "This is the city: Los Angeles, California"; and "My name's Friday. I'm a cop" (eventually, "My name is Friday; I carry a badge"). But the most famous phrase identified with the show - "Just the facts, Ma'am" - is actually a Beam Me Up, Scotty born from a series of Dragnet parodies created by Stan Freberg. Dragnet also spawned a 1987 feature film, a combination homage and Affectionate Parody featuring Dan Aykroyd as a new Joe Friday, the nephew of Webb's character, and Tom Hanks as his partner. Harry Morgan reprised his role as Bill Gannon, now a captain. The film follows Friday as he continues his uncle's legacy of straight-laced crime-fighting, teaming with undercover detective Pep Streebek. The duo are assigned to investigate a series of bizarre and (seemingly) unrelated robberies and vandalisms, eventually uncovering a dastardly plot by an underground pagan group of undermine all authority in Los Angeles. Two years later, another Dragnet (sometimes The New Dragnet) revival (In Name Only) aired in syndication. It featured an LAPD cop named Vic Daniels, and the only connection to its namesake was the Framing Device of the opening narration. Dick Wolf attempted another Revival in 2003 with a series which was eventually retitled LA Dragnet, staring Ed O'Neil as Joe Friday. The show failed to distinguish itself from the dozens of other cop shows on at the time (CSI, Law and Order, NYPD Blue, etc.), and lasted only a season and a half. This may have been largely due to a lot of people being unable to get past the idea of "Al Bundy as a cop," despite the fact that O'Neil, a highly accomplished actor, created a wonderfully cynical, seen-it-all characterization that was both distinct from Jack Webb's portrayal and nothing like his Married... with Children role. Mathnet, a math-themed parody of Dragnet, was the central sketch of the educational program Square One TV. The four note Sting used as a Theme Tune and at commercial breaks is one of the most recognizable musical cues in the history of television and radio. Even today, the sting signifies the forces of law and order as a calm, methodical and relentless force hounding criminals. Listen here (.wav file). Joe Friday's badge, number 714, which appears during the opening titles, is a real LAPD badge, not a reproduction. Joe Friday is the only fictional character ever to be issued an official badge number by a US police department. When Jack Webb died in 1982 he was given full police honors at his funeral although he had never actually served in the force. The chief of police also announced that badge number 714 would be retired and would never be assigned to anyone else.
- The series focused on Detective Joe Friday and his partner Detective Frank Smith, following a typical police procedure format, as they solved crimes in the Los Angeles area. During the 2nd season, numerous changes were made to the series, such renaming the series to "L.A. Dragnet", Detective Smith being written out and a younger, ethically diverse set of detectives was added in his place. These changes eventually led to the cancellation of the show 5 episodes into its 2nd season. All episodes can currently be viewed on Hulu. Ethan Embry, who played Detective Frank Smith had previously worked with Ed O'Neil in the 1991 film Dutch.
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