"Dum, de-dum-dum!" Those four notes heralded each episode of this
classic police drama. Updated for the late 1960s, Sgt. Joe Friday
remained a hard-nosed, no-nonsense officer assigned to investigate
criminal cases; assisting him was equally hard-nosed Officer Bill
Gannon. Each case (which ranged from fraud, drug dealing, kidnapping,
robbery, murder and juvenile crimes) was said to have been pulled from
actual cases from the Los Angeles police files (hence, "The story you
are about to see is true ..."). Stories paid careful attention to
realism, and had numerous twists and turns before the criminals were
finally arrested at the end of the show. The show's announcer always
described what happened at the subsequent trial and how severe of
punishment the criminals received. Frequently intertwined in the
stories were the off-duty lives of Friday and Gannon (sometimes adding
light moments to an otherwise hard-edged show). Many programs also
dealt with social topics such as drugs, counter-cultures and community
outreach programs. "Dragnet" remains the prototype for television
police dramas and the standard by which they are judged.
The continuing adventures of Detective Seargent Joe Friday and his
new partner Bill Gannon. However, now instead of just hunting down the
murderers, theives, rapists and drug peddlers, we also look at such
things as community relations and the personal lives of the members of
the Los Angeles Police Department.
(1967 - 1970) - Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, George Fenneman, John Stephenson
Genre: Drama
CAST
Jack Webb ... Sgt. Joe Friday
Harry Morgan ... Officer Bill Gannon
George Fenneman ... Main Title Announcer
John Stephenson ... Narrator
Don Ross ... Carl Freeman
Clark Howat ... Captain Al Trembly
Art Balinger ... Captain Brown
Alfred Shelly ... Sergeant Al Vietti
Art Gilmore ... Captain Mert Howe
Bert Holland ... Alexander Middleton
Howard Culver ... Dr. Harper
Ed Deemer ... Attendant
Virginia Gregg ... Ada Beale
Olan Soule ... Ray Murray
William Boyett ... Ed Lovold
Len Wayland ... Capt. Ken Green
Peggy Webber ... Alice Philbin
Kent McCord ... Officer Jim Reed
Stuart Nisbet ... Axel Varney
Stacy Harris ... Barney Regal
Marco Lopez ... Bunco detective
Merry Anders ... Policewoman Dorothy Miller
Harry Bartell ... Carl
Robert Clarke ... Bert Stanley
Dennis McCarthy ... Father Thomas
Robert Brubaker ... Al Tucker
Herb Vigran ... Al Sousa
Sidney Clute ... Al Roth
John Nolan ... Art Bonham
Don Stewart ... Officer Carl Goldman
Robert Patten ... Officer Louis J. Sale
S. John Launer ... Chief Houghton
Sam Edwards ... Bernard Ashton
Lew Brown ... Officer Mason
Jack Sheldon ... Chester Albertson
Vic Perrin ... Attorney with Eyepatch
Mickey Sholdar ... Bob Snow
Charles Brewer ... Charles Varco
Nydia Westman ... Jennifer Salt
Virginia Vincent ... Edie Augburn
Anthony Eisley ... Al Baylor
Ralph Moody ... Chester Anderson
John Sebastian ... Eddie Jones
Tim Donnelly ... Harry Jennings
Dee Carroll ... Diane Conway
Heather Menzies ... Ann Flynn
Rhoda Williams ... Alice Bronson
David Carlile ... Captain Dan Packard
Don Dubbins ... Billy Catcher
Leonard Stone ... Detective Charlie Higbie
Marshall Reed ... Fred Deemer
Jill Banner ... Camille Gearhardt
Del Moore ... Charles Dalton
Vince Williams ... Ambulance Attendant
Bobby Troup ... Al Amory
Julie Bennett ... Angela Tigley
Robert Knapp ... Captain Lambert
David Bond ... George Watson
Julian Burton ... Ed Neiman
Eve Brent ... Mrs. Carver
Susan Seaforth Hayes ... Eva Graham
Lou Wagner ... Andy Rainer
James McEachin ... Coach Jake Mahler
James Oliver ... Fred Ludden
Jeff Malloy ... 1st Officer
Chuck Bowman ... Announcer
Chet Stratton ... Chesney Guthrie
Morris D. Erby ... Dr. Carl Felton
John McCook ... Ed Hillier
Luana Patten ... Angie
Buddy Lester ... Bob Dugan
Luana Anders ... Anna Marie Harmon
Herbert Ellis ... Dan Patrick
Peter Duryea ... John Meadows
Burt Mustin ... Calvin Lampe
Natalie Masters ... Housewife
Louise Lorimer ... Alice Sutton
Cathleen Cordell ... Lois Kirsop
Lillian Powell ... Edna Kissinger
Dick Whittinghill ... Clerk
Robert Cleaves ... George Nash
Clifford Sales ... Officer Henderson
Byron Morrow ... Captain Mack
John Gilgreen ... Albert Maddox
Eve McVeagh ... Bonnie McKenzie
Herbert Anderson ... Dr. Phillip Lang
Elaine Devry ... Irene Coorman
King Moody ... John Murphy
Alma Platt ... Katy Wilson
G.D. Spradlin ... Arthur Leo Tyson
Vinton Hayworth ... Judge
John Dennis ... Bookie Agent
John Hudson ... Lieutenant Bob Kearney
Michael Burns ... Benjie 'Blue Boy' Carver
Roger Mobley ... Audie Fulton
Brian Avery ... Glenn Procustan
Gene Boland ... Howard Digby
Henry Corden ... Emile Hartman
Ann Morgan Guilbert ... Bessie McDermott
Harlan Warde ... Captain Henry Mack
Jim B. Smith ... Captain Brown
Andrea King ... Faye Wallis
Joy Ellison ... Barbara Cook
Jean Howell ... Edna Felton
Keye Luke ... George Lum
Dorothy Morris ... Betty Matthews
John McCann ... Lt. Danny Bowser
Byron Bradley ... Bob Kelly
Don Marshall ... Officer Dave Evans
Randy Stuart ... Eileen Gannon
Jill Donohue ... Claire Reavis
Kevin Coughlin ... Jeff Buckram
Roy Glenn ... John Erickson
Judith McConnell ... Betsy Nichols
Maidie Norman ... Elsa Erickson
Lillian Bronson ... Bird Lady
Maudie Prickett ... Mrs. Gloria Chambers
Jeff Burton ... Carl Kee
Amzie Strickland ... Amanda Tucker
Shannon Farnon ... Barbara
Carol Byron ... Ardith Roach
Sarah Selby ... Marilyn Tate
Doodles Weaver ... Cliff Tate
Marc Hannibal ... First Officer
Penny Gaston ... Diane Newcombe
Chuck Daniel ... Charles Edwards
Victor Millan ... Salvador Cabo
Grace Albertson ... Mary Maxwell
Pilar Del Rey ... Maria Arruba
Edward Faulkner ... Agent Jim Shepheard
Speedy Zapata ... Jay Herrera
Bill Baldwin ... First Newsman
Ira Cook ... First Poker Player
Michele Grumet ... Donna Halpern
Chanin Hale ... Dottie Taylor
Created by:
Jack Webb
Writing credits:
Jack Webb
Preston Wood
Robert C. Dennis
David H. Vowell
Henry Irving
William O'Hallaren
Michael Donovan
Robert Soderberg
John Robinson
James Doherty
Burt Prelutsky
Jerry D. Lewis
Opening theme: "Theme From Dragnet (Danger Ahead)"
Written by: Walter Schumann
Original music by:
Lyn Murray
Frank Comstock
Cinematography by:
Alric Edens
Andrew Jackson
Benjamin H. Kline
Language: English
Country: United States
Directed by:
Jack Webb
Produced by:
Jack Webb
Robert A. Cinader
William Stark
Original channel:
NBC
Syndication
ABC
Dragnet Productions
Mark VII Ltd.
Universal TV
Awards:
2006 Won TV Land Award Coolest Crime Fighting Team
2003 Won TV Land Award Favorite Crimestopper in a Drama
2003 Nominated TV Land Award Drama Theme Song You Can't Get Out of Your Head
Also Known As:
Dragnet USA
Dragnet 1968
Dragnet 1969
Dragnet 1970
Polizeibericht
Trivia
When the original show ("Dragnet" (1951)) ended, Joe Friday had been promoted to Lieutenant. However, 'Jack Webb' decided to make Friday a sergeant again for the new series because "few people remember that Friday was promoted toward the end of our run. We think it's better to have Joe a sergeant again. Few detective-lieutenants get out into the field."
'Webb, Jack' and 'Morgan, Harry' wore the same suits for the entire run of the television series.
Through all 100 episodes of the series, Friday is only seen wearing something other than his regular suit four times: three times for undercover work and once for a scene in his apartment.
When 'Jack Webb' revived the show in 1966, it was in response to the growing tide of teen-age drug use, especially LSD.
Friday's badge number (seen at the beginning and end of each episode) is 714. Badge 714 belonged to Sgt. Dan Cooke, the technical advisor. The badge has been retired and displayed at the LAPD Academy's Museum.
For the sake of continuity, Friday and Gannon always wore the same outfits in every episode. According to 'Harry Morgan', he and 'Jack Webb' decided to switch coats for one scene to see if anyone noticed. Since only Morgan was in the scene, no one on the set realized it until the scene had been shot. In the next scene, Morgan has on the correct coat. This is the only incident of faulty continuity in the series' run.
Friday and Gannon used a 1967 Ford Fairlane 4dr. sedan as their squad car.
The classic police drama is updated for the 1960s. No-nonsense Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, tackle traditional police cases and face new challenges such as LSD, race riots, and public service TV shows.