LEGENDARY HEROES #52

JOE FRIDAY - DRAGNET

"Dragnet" was created and produced by actor Jack Webb who starred as Sgt. Joe Friday.  Webb had appeared on radio and in movies but "Dragnet" would make him a major star.  The idea came to Webb after his bit role as a police forensic scientist in the 1948 film noir "He Walked by Night", which was based on the true story of Erwin "Machine Gun" Walker who went on a crime spree in 1946.  The movie was shot in a semi-documentary style and starred Richard Basehart.  Marty Wynn, an LAPD Sergeant from Robbery Division who actually worked on the Walker case, was a technical advisor on the movie.  Wynn's true stories of real cases and investigative procedures inspired Webb to create a series that would be a true police procedural.  Webb began frequenting police headquarters and doing ride-alongs with night patrols.  He attended courses at the Police Academy and learned the authentic jargon used by police.  Then he pitched the idea of the show to NBC radio.

NBC wasn't overly excited as radio was already filled with crime shows and private investigators.  Webb himself had just finished a stint as a private eye on the ABC radio series "Pat Novak for Hire".  But NBC agreed to a limited run for "Dragnet".  Webb next sought LAPD's endorsement for the show as he wanted to portray cases from the official files of the Los Angeles Police.  Chief Clemence B. Horrall gave Webb the endorsement that he sought, but Horrall insisted that the police not be depicted in an unflattering manner.  He didn't have to worry.  Jack Webb did more to promote the LAPD than anyone before or since.  "Dragnet" debuted on June 3, 1949 on NBC radio.  The early months were bumpy as they sought to attract a steady sponsor and the show's budget was limited.  This forced Webb to employ few actors per episode, but he used versatile actors who could adapt to any role and the same actors were used week after week.  Many of these same actors would follow the show onto television where they became "regular" extras.  During the first year on radio veteran actor Raymond Burr appeared as Chief of Detectives Ed Backstrand.  Eventually "Dragnet" hit its stride and became one of the top-rated shows on radio.  Webb insisted on realism and the dialogue was clipped, understated, sparse, and influenced by the hardboiled school of literature.  As Sgt. Joe Friday, Webb delivered his lines in a deadpan, fast talking characterization.

The ominous four-note introduction to the musical theme - DUM DE DUM DUM - was composed by Walter Schumann and is still one of the most iconic pieces of theme music today.  It was derived from the Miklos Rozsa score for the 1946 film noir "The Killers".  The opening narration "The story you about to hear is true.  Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent" came from a text introduction to the film "He Walked by Night".  And in the movie, what followed was a voice-over narration that stated "This is the city: Los Angeles, California" that Webb also incorporated into his radio show.  Two announcers were used in the radio series - George Fenneman and Hal Gibney - and after they informed listeners that the story was true and this was the city, they would launch into an introductory spiel that was central to that particular episode, like "You're a detective sergeant.  You're assigned to the auto theft detail.  A well organized ring of car thieves begins operating in your city.  It's one of the most puzzling cases you've ever encountered.  Your job: break it."  The first commercial would play and then Jack Webb as Friday would take over the narration, reporting the date and local weather conditions followed by the assignment of the day - "We were working the day watch out of Robbery Division.  My partner's Ben Romero.  The boss is Ed Backstrand.  My name's Friday".  And Webb would relate the time, the date, where they were going, what time they arrived, etc.  At the end of each episode the announcer would declare the fate of the arrested suspect who was usually tried in "Department 187 of the Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the City and County of Los Angeles" which usually resulted in a conviction and imprisonment at San Quentin.

"Dragnet" would influence police dramas for the next 70 years.  Joe Friday had several partners over the span of the radio series (and television) beginning with Sgt. Ben Romero who was played by Barton Yarborough who died of a heart attack in 1951.  The radio show killed off Romero on December 27, 1951, having him die of a heart attack also.  Friday's next partner was Sgt. Ed Jacobs played by Barney Phillips (Dec. 27, 1951 - Apr. 10, 1952) who left to become an instructor at the police academy, to be replaced by Ben Romero's nephew Officer Bill Lockwood who was played by Martin Milner (Milner would later be on "Adam-12", a Jack Webb production).  Finally in May 1952 Joe Friday's partner was Frank Smith played by Ben Alexander until 1959, making him the longest serving partner in the series history.  The radio show ran until July 26, 1957 and the last two seasons were repeats, as the show had transitioned to television by that point.  The radio show produced 314 original episodes.  The TV show debuted on December 14, 1951 and the first season was comprised of 14 episodes that ran until June 20, 1952.  The other seven seasons consisted of 33 to 39 episodes for a total of 276 shows.  The TV series was filmed at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California and was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes.  Webb felt uncomfortable playing Friday on the small screen and suggested veteran actor Lloyd Nolan for the role, but NBC insisted that Webb play the part as he had become synonymous with the radio version.  Basically the TV series was the radio show with visuals.  

In 1954 Warner Brothers produced a film version of the hit radio & TV show with Jack Webb and Ben Alexander starring and Richard Boone appearing as their boss.  Most of the supporting cast from the radio and TV series appeared in the movie and the film earned $4.7 million at the box office.  A newspaper comic strip debuted on June 23, 1952 and was originally drawn by Joe Sheiber and later by Mel Keefer, and ran in papers until May 21, 1955.  The comic strip was reprinted in comic book format in Australia where it was quite popular.  Comic books of the show weren't produced in the United States until the 1960s, though paperback books were printed in the 1950s by Pocketbook.  One of the books, "Case No. 561" was based on the Erwin Walker case that inspired "He Walked by Night" that inspired "Dragnet".  The TV show ran until 1959.  In it's first season it finished in the top 20.  The next five seasons it finished in the top ten but couldn't crack the top 30 for it's last two seasons.  The TV show was relaunched on NBC 1967-1970 with Harry Morgan as Friday's partner Bill Gannon.  Webb decided to forego a fourth season of the new show in favor of developing other shows through his Mark VII production company - "Adam-12" and "Emergency".  

"Emergency" was the last sustained hit for Jack Webb and the show co-starred his ex-wife Julie London.  Webb and London were married 1947-1954 but maintained a close relationship after they divorced.  They had two daughters through their marriage.  Not only did "Emergency" co-star London, but also her current husband Bobby Troup.  In 1982 Webb decided to resurrect "Dragnet" one more time, this time with Kent McCord of "Adam-12" as the partner of Joe Friday.  Sadly, Jack Webb suddenly died of a heart attack on December 23, 1982, and plans for the new series were scrapped.  The badge that Joe Friday carried throughout the series - #714 - was retired by LAPD Chief Daryl Gates in a tribute to Jack Webb.  The mayor of Los Angeles ordered all flags in the city to be flown at half staff, and the LAPD provided an honor guard at Webb's funeral.  Webb's daughter Stacy Webb was writing a biography of her father titled "Just the Facts, Ma'am" that was published in 1999.  Unfortunately, Stacy had died three years earlier.  In a tragic and oddly ironic ending, Webb's daughter died in a car crash involving a California Highway Patrol car.