TV by the Decade :: December 12•18

Mark VII Productions

Only one new series premiered this week, a groundbreaking police drama born from a radio series that spawned its own theatrical films and TV revivals. It also has a very memorable opening theme, and an often misquoted line of dialogue that has become iconic. Strangely enough, this show’s first revival is more well-known today than the original even though it ran for eight seasons. Read on to learn more about this unique for its time TV series.

1951

December 16 – Dragnet

Cast: Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough, Ben Alexander
Notable Guests: Virginia Gregg, Dennis Weaver, Carolyn Jones, Raymond Burr, Aaron Spelling, Frances Bavier, Lee Marvin, Leonard Nimoy, Mary Jane Croft, Yvette Vickers, Mae Clarke, Kenneth Tobey, Fess Parker, Ruta Lee, John Beradino, James Hong, Robert Vaughn, Lee Meriwether, Dick Miller, Morey Amsterdam, Paul Mantee
Synopsis: Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Network: NBC
Broadcast History: Eight seasons, 276 episodes, last broadcast on August 23, 1959
Trivia: Based on the radio series of the same name. The series was also known as Badge 714 in syndication. Barton Yarborough was Jack Webb’s co-star until he suffered a fatal heart attack after filming the third episode. Webb had his partner’s demise written into the script, and his Joe Friday had various partners until Ben Alexander joined the series as detective Frank Smith. Gene Roddenberry was one of the many real-life police officers who submitted story ideas to the show. A theatrical film was produced in 1954, marking the first time a TV series spawned a movie and the first time a movie spin-off was released while the original series was still on the air. This was the first American TV series shown on ITV in the UK, first broadcast during the network’s second day in operation. Jack Webb was not comfortable playing Joe Friday on television after playing the character on the radio show, and the original choice for the role was Lloyd Nolan. Webb was too well-established in the role and the network insisted he continue. Webb directed every episode of the TV series, and was occasionally a writer.