Premium Only Content

Dragnet (Radio) 1953 (ep231) The Big Bill
Dragnet, the brainchild of Jack Webb, may very well be the most well-remembered, and the best, radio police drama series. From September, 1949 through February 1957, Dragnet's 30 minute shows, broadcast on NBC, brought to radio true police stories in a low-key, documentary style.
The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film, "He Walked by Night" from 1948, in which Webb had a small role. Both employed the same Los Angeles Police Department technical adviser, used actual police cases, and presented the case in "just the facts" manner that became a hallmark of Dragnet. It is interesting to note that Webb employed that format in other radio series, some pre-dating the film mentioned above.
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.
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.
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. The shows cultural impact is demonstrated by the fact that even after five decades, elements of Dragnet are known to those who have never heard nor seen the program. The ominous four note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music, titled Danger Ahead, is instantly recognizable as well as the shows opening narration:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."
When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio's top rated shows. 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.
Webb was a stickler for accurate details, and Dragnet used many authentic touches, such as 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.
Two announcers were used. Episodes began with announcer George Fennemen intoning the series opening:
"The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."
Hal Gibney described the basic premise of the episode. For example, "Big Saint", from April 26th, 1951, 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."
The story usually began with footsteps and a door closing, followed by Joe Friday intoning something like:
"Tuesday, February 12th. 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 Backstrom, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday."
-
LIVE
TruthStream with Joe and Scott
21 hours agoRoundtable with Lewis Herms, Mark Abrahams and Patriot Underground live 6/1 5pm pacific 8pm eastern
475 watching -
LIVE
EricJohnPizzaArtist
5 days agoAwesome Sauce PIZZA ART LIVE Ep. #49: Rumble Gaming Night featuring Scottish Viking Gaming!
143 watching -
LIVE
Misfit Electronic Gaming
4 hours ago"LIVE" Playtest Sunday Funday Join me in testing "Rotten Sails" & Maybe some "Empyrion"
53 watching -
LIVE
CassaiyanGaming
10 hours ago12-Hours of Call of Duty | Sunday at 11am
21 watching -
13:23
Exploring With Nug
23 hours ago $3.26 earnedWe Recovered A Stolen Truck From The Swamp!
49.7K5 -
28:59
Athlete & Artist Show
5 hours ago $1.18 earnedFlorida Panthers Sweep Oilers in Stanley Cup Final?
17.4K1 -
1:09:12
Adam Does Movies
1 day ago $1.39 earned31 On 31 - Law & Disorder Edition - Ranking 31 Mob Movies!
26.2K3 -
sophiesnazz
6 hours ago $3.00 earnedSEASON 4 UPDATE l PLAYING WI @spartakusLIVE !socials
63.8K -
1:04:22
Squaring The Circle, A Randall Carlson Podcast
1 day ago#049 Mysteries Of The Moon: Lunar Insights - Squaring The Circle: A Randall Carlson Podcast
22.1K3 -
18:48
Odd Man Out
4 days agoNew charges? This is really starting to feel like nothing more than a smear campaign
23.9K55