December 16, 1951…’Dragent’ Debuts On NBC Television
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfj_dexJIM&ab_channel=JacobJuenger
At this link is the very first episode of ‘Dragnet’. Be ready for a surprise at 2:40 as we see a young actor (made up to look older) that will become one of TV’s biggest stars. Playing the role of Chief Of Detectives, Thad Brown is none other than Raymond Burr.
The original ‘Dragnet’ starring Jack Webb as Sgt. Friday, actually began on NBC Radio on June 3, 1949 and ran till February 26, 1957. The television series began on television December 16, 1951 and ran till August 23, 1959.
In 1967, Webb revived the series for NBC which ran from January 12 of that year till April 16, 1970. NBC’s radio network carried it as well. Below are some shots from the radio and television series with more details on each. Enjoy and share! Dun Da Dum Dum! -Bobby Ellerbee
You’re question about did they ever run the TV soundtrack on radio the answer is yes. One of the Christmas shows and maybe some others.
Q: What was the fastest way to get a script to Jack Webb in those days?
A: Just the fax, ma’am.|
A joke, of course. The real fax machine would not arrive for another 13 years.
I heard that Jack Webb was so picky about authenticity, that he stopped the cameras in the middle of a scene when he noticed the area code was incorrect on the telephone he was using even though the phone number label would never be seen on TV.
“Uh-huh.” “Mm-hmm.” “How’s that?” and other great lines from the show.
It is written that Webb used many of the scripts from the original radio series for the TV series, title and all. There’s a great paperback about Webb and his entry into radio, focusing on DRAGNET, called “My Name’s Friday.”
recalls that Dragnet filmed some episodes at the Walt Disney Studios (probably prior to production of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”) and that a color episode was produced for airing at Christmas, 1954. When the show returned to NBC in the late 60’s, the same script was re-filmed with Friday’s new partner, Lt. Gannon (Harry Morgan). Webb had quite an empire going there with Dragnet, Adam-12, Emergency, Project UFO, and several motion pictures produced in the 50’s. Finally, Webb was (for a while) married to singer Julie London.
It’s a shame that the 1967-70 episodes of that show are more widely available than the original version. We can view that series in its entirety, both in Netflix streaming, DVD, and syndication, while there’s a smattering of the 1951-69 episodes available, in low quality public domain prints. Universal and the Webb Estate need to really work on preserving and releasing those episodes on DVD and in syndication.
Always loved the lighting approach to Dragnet. “5 shadows for everyone!”
Just the facts Ma’am!