DRAGNET Volume 1

Starring Jack Webb (12 half-hour episodes / 6 hours via digital download)

“Dragnet” was, perhaps, the most famous and influential police procedural drama of all-time. It dramatized cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. Actor and producer Jack Webb took “Dragnet” to new highs and insisted on realism in every facet of the show. The dialog was clipped, understated and sparse, influenced by the hardboiled school of crime fiction. Scripts were fast-paced yet 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 suspects. Friday offered voice-over narration throughout the episodes, noting the time, date and place of every scene as he and his partners went through their day investigating the crime. While most radio series used one or two sound-effects experts, “Dragnet” needed five. A 30-minute episode could easily require 300 separate sound effects. “Dragnet” came it radio in 1949 and lasted until 1957 making an easy transition to television and films.

7/7/49 Who Killed Helen Corday?

7/21/49 The City Hall Bombing

8/11/49 A Mad Killer At Large

8/18/49 Sixteen Days of Jewel Thefts”

8/25/49 The Blitz Bandits

11/24/49 The Mother-In-Law Murder

12/1/49 The Spring Street Gang

12/8/49 The Jade Thumb Rings

3/23/50 The Big Gangster Pt. 1

3/30/50 The Big Gangster Pt. 2

4/6/50 The Big Smut Press

4/20/50 The Big Payoff