Dragnet
Season 12, Episode 08
August 19, 2024
"All we want are the facts, ma'am."
Re-Imagined Radio samples from One Out of Seven, The Jack Webb Show, Pat Novak, For Hire, Johnny Madero, Pier 23, and Jeff Regan, Investigator, all pre-Dragnet radio shows where Jack Webb honed his character and acting style. We end with "The City Hall Bombing," an early episode of Dragnet to showcase Webb as a great radio storyteller. We celebrate Dragnet as a real-life police procedural, and Jack Webb, as Detective Sgt. Joe Friday, as defining and was defined by this radio series. From our Tribute Series.
Access the episode script
Background
Quick Info
OTR police procedural series
June 10, 1949-September 20, 1955; September 27, 1955-February 26, 1957, repeats of earlier episodes
National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
30-minute episodes
Total episodes: 381 episodes
Surviving episodes: 373 (Haendiges, Dragnet)
Fictional Detectives
Re-Imagined Radio has previously considered the fictional detective genre, with our The Immortal Sherlock Holmes episode. We noted then, and it's good to reprise it here, the detective fiction genre is very popular and has a long literary history.
Origins in Religious Texts
In fact, some scholars suggest ancient religious documents that include questioning and cross-examination, puzzles, mysteries surrounding murders, a closed circle of suspects, and the gradual uncovering of the truth, might be seen as the beginning of detective fiction.
The Arabic literary work One Thousand and One Nights contains the oldest known example of a detective story, "The Three Apples." Two other stories in this collection, "The Merchant and the Thief" and "Ali Khwaja," introduce the earliest fictional detectives who uncover clues and present evidence to catch or convict criminals.
Early Literary Appearances
When Edgar Allan Poe introduced both the detective genre and the fictional detective to literature in 1841, neither the genre nor the word "detective" were known to the English-speaking world. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" follows detective C. Auguste Dupin, his name derived from the words "dupe" and "deception."
Wilkie Collins, a protege of Charles Dickens, is said to have invented the modern English detective novel with publication of The Moonstone in 1868. Collins' novel introduced now familiar detective narrative elements like the red herring, the inside job, the skilled, professional investigator, the large number of suspects, the reconstruction of a crime, and the final plot twist.
Also in 1868, Monsieur Lecoq, a novel by Emile Gaboriau, established the detective fiction genre in France.
Sherlock Holmes
The most famous of all fictional detectives is Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective. Stories about his exploits are considered some of the finest of the detective fiction genre. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in "A Study in Scarlett," a story by Scottish physican and author Arthur Conan Doyle published in 1887. Doyle continued publishing stories about his "consulting detective" until 1927, drawing inspiration from Poe's Dupin, Gaboriau's Lecoq, and Dr. Joseph Bell for whom Doyle had worked as a clerk while a medical student at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Detective Radio Shows
Edith Meiser (1898-1993), Broadway actress, novelist, writer of mysteries and radio dramas, adapted Doyle's stories for radio. Her adaptations introduced Sherlock Holmes, the detective's detective, to American radio audiences and established him as a permanent part of our lexicon, popular culture, and mythology. Learn more.
Following World War II, crime rates rose in America, in response, some say, to changing social factors and behaviors. Readers and radio audiences were attracted to crime fiction and police procedurals, as both literature and radio, because they provided new information, as well as opportunities to consider experiences rather than appearances. Police, crime, and detective radio programs were numerous, and very popular.
A number of detective radio shows were offered by radio networks and individual stations, with both male and female leads. Re-Imagined Radio has previously celebrated Candy Matson as the best of female detective series. Our episode The Maltese Falcon celebrated the iconic 1930 detective novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett with its hard-boiled private detective, Sam Spade. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar spotlighted "The McCormick Matter," a five-part episode starring Bob Bailey, said to be the best of the eight Johnny Dollar actors during the series' 14-year run on CBS radio.
Dragnet
For this episode, Re-Imagined Radio spotlights Dragnet, a pioneering police procedural conceived, produced by, and starring Jack Webb. Homicide, robbery, narcotics, juvenile, bunco, internal affairs, emergency, missing persons, auto theft, forgery, traffic, and personnel episodes were based on real Los Angeles Police Department cases. Webb defined and was defined by Dragnet. Re-Imagined Radio samples from Webb's earlier radio programs and an episode of Dragnet, "The City Hall Bombing," Episode #07, broadcast July 21, 1949, to showcase Webb as a great radio storyteller.
Cast and Credits
Jack Webb as Detective Sgt. Joe Friday
Barton Yarborough as Detective Sgt. Ben Romero
William P. Rousseau and Jack Webb, director
Dragnet theme, "Main Title (aka "Danger Ahead") by Walter Schumann
Early Life
Born in Santa Monica, California, Jack Randolph Webb (1920-1982) was raised by his single mother and grandmother. The three lived together in a third floor single-room of the St. Regis Apartments, 237 South Flower Street, near the Los Angeles City Hall (Moyer). His mother and grandmother encouraged Webb's love for reading and movies. At Belmont High School Webb was involved with student service clubs, and pursued his interests in art and radio. He was an excellent announcer for the Belmont High School radio station, BHS (Moyer 18-19). Webb participated in and produced many high school theatrical productions (Moyer 19). As the Master of Ceremonies for variety shows to raise money for the football team, he incorporated lines from radio personalities like Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and Bob Hope in his remarks (Hayde 10, Moyer 19).
After graduation in 1938, Webb participated in local theatrical and radio productions (Hayde 11). In spring 1941, he enrolled in a night radio course at Los Angeles City College. There, Webb, with actor Herb Ellis and others, created and put on a program called A Half Hour To Kill, a weekly half-hour murder-mystery anthology series, that continued into the fall. In December, the United States entered World War II and the radio program disbanded (Hayde 11).
Military Service
Webb, 23, enlisted for World War II military service in the Army Air Corp, November 24, 1942. Unsuccessful in Flight School, Webb's military experience was not as adventerous as he imagined. Bright spots included directing, hosting, and performing in United Service Organization (USO) variety programs (Dunning 209, Hayde 11, Moyer 31-32). On January 4, 1945, he received a hardship discharge as the sole support for his ailing mother and grandmother. He returned to Los Angeles and applied for work in radio.
Earliest Radio Experiences
Webb recorded an audition tape in Los Angeles, at station KHJ, for a position at KFRC, San Francisco. An audition tape was also sent to San Francisco radio station KGO (Moyer 41). KGO management was impressed and hired Webb in 1945. Webb started working as an announcer and disc jockey (Dunning 209, Hayde 12, Moyer 42-43). He graduated to a trio of radio shows, each of which prepared him for Dragnet and his role as Detective Sgt. Joe Friday.
The Coffee Club
1945
KGO, San Francisco, ABC West Coast Network
Morning show. Webb co-hosted and displayed his lifelong interest in jazz music (Dunning 209, Ramsburg,
Hayde 12, Moyer 43).
The Little Man Inside
Webb voiced the title role in this short-lived series as "the cynical conscience of a mild-mannered fellow named John Nelson; Nelson and his 'little man inside' were the sole characters" (Hayde 12).
One Out of Seven
February 6 to March 20, 1946
7 episodes produced, 4 survive (Haendidges)
KGO, San Francisco, ABC West Coast Network
A weekly 15-minute news commentary / public affairs program with a unique format explained in its
introduction.
"24 hours make a day. Seven days make one week. And from these past seven days, the Editors here in our
San Francisco newsroom have chosen the one story which they have judged "most worthy of retelling." This
is 'One Out of Seven'!"
Each week expanded on a chosen news story with dramatizations. Webb, 26 at the time, voiced all the parts. The dramatiations allowed Webb to present prejudice, intolerance, and hate, not as vague topics, but rather as driving forces in the lives of real people, both aggressors and targets of aggression (Dragnet).
Seven weekly 15-minute episodes of One Out of Seven were produced, February 6 to March 20, 1946. Four of the seven episodes survive (Haendiges).
Listen to "Brotherhood Week," Episode #04, broadcast February 27, 1946.
Credits
Jack Webb, all voices
James Edward Moser and Herb Ellis, writers
Gil Doud, director (Moyer 44)
Otto Clair, music
John Galbraith, announcer
The Jack Webb Show
1946, 30 minutes, Weekly, Wednesdays, 9:30 PM
KGO, San Francisco, ABC West Coast Network
Unknown number of episodes produced, 2 survive (Haendidges)
Produced in San Francisco, distributed over the ABC West Coast Network. Featured comedy skits, quips,
and bad puns, along with great jazz and blues music. Produced with writer Dick Breen, who later became
known as Academy Award-winning writer Richard Lyons Breen.
Listen to "Major League Baseball," Episode #05, broadcast April 17, 1946.
Credits
Jack Web, as host
James E. Moser and Richard L. Breen, writers
John Galbraith, announcer
Phil Bovero, music
Nora MacNamara and Clancy Hayes, vocalists (Ramsburg)
Pat Novak, For Hire
1946 to 1949
KGO San Francisco, ABC West Coast Network (1946), ABC national network (1949)
26 episodes produced, 24 survive (Haendiges)
Webb starred as Pat Novak, a San Francisco waterfront private detective, in "a series so hard-boiled it
became high camp" (Dunning 209). Here are some samples,
"You gotta put your best foot forward if you want to trip up a friend."
"It felt like opening a hand grenade under the Christmas tree."
"Her eyes were as cold as rigor mortis."
"Is the water red or have you been shot a little?"
"His bald head looked like a cantaloupe in the garbage."
"I was unhappy like a three legged man in a ballet school."
"He was as dead as last year's love."
The series was sponsored by Gallenkamp's, a large West Coast retail shoe store chain.
Listen to "Dixie Gilian," Episode #09, broadcast November 24, 1946.
The ABC network asked KGO to provide a half-hour Sunday filler program for a limited number of Pacific Coast stations (Moyer 45). Webb and Richard L. Breen collaborated to create Pat Novak For Hire (Hayde 13, Moyer 45). Breen encouraged Webb not to "ham it up, let the dialogue do the work for you" (Hayde 13). This advice prompted Webb's underplayed acting style (Hayde 13, Moyer 45).
With Breen's writing and Webb's acting, Pat Novak For Hire became very popular with West Coast listeners. After 26 weeks, Breen quit and moved to Hollywood in 1947, lured by a screenplay writing job. Within an hour of Breen's leaving, Webb also quit and drove to Los Angeles (Hayde 14, Moyer 46). Ben Morris picked up the part of Pat Novak, and continued through the 1947 season, but his performance was "dull compared to Webb's" (Moyer 46).
Outcry from Pat Novak fans prompted Mutual Broadcasting System to hire both Webb and Breen to create a new radio show, Johnny Madero, Pier 23 (see below). Eventually, the outcry for the return of Webb in Pat Novak For Hire prompted ABC to pull the program from KGO and restore it to Webb and Breen as an ABC coast-to-coast show, originating in Hollywood, February 13, 1949 through the 1949 season (Hayde 15). Moyer says Pat Novak starring Webb reappeared in 1948 (Moyer 47).
Credits
Jack Web, as Pat "Patsy" Novak
Tudor Owen, as "Jocko" Madigan
Raymond Burr, as Inspector Hellman
Richard L. Breen, writer
William Rousseau, director
Franklin Evans and George Fenneman, announcer (Moyer 45)
Johnny Madero, Pier 23
April 24 to September 4, 1947 (Moyer 46)
Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS)
20 episodes produced, 2 known surviving (Haendidges)
With listener protests over lackluster performances of Pat Novak, For Hire following Webb's
departure, the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) saw a chance to score points on the competition, ABC. A
summer filler, almost an exact copy of the Pat Novak, For Hire format, was approved. Webb
and Breen, reunited again, continued the wise-cracking, tough guy role they cultivated earlier.
Johnny Madero aired for only one summer (Moyer 47). But it led to the return of Pat
Novak. See above.
Listen to Episode #09, "Who Is Pete Sutro," broadcast June 19, 1947, the earliest known surviving episode.
Credits
Jack Webb, as Johnny Madero
Gale Gordon, as Father Leahy
William Conrad, as Police Inspector Warchek
Herb Margolis and Lou Markheim, writers
Nat Wolff, director
Music composed and directed by Harry Zimmerman
Tony La Frano, announcer (Moyer 46)
with Helen Burke, Bob Holden, Herb Butterfield, Irvin Lee, and Herb Roulenson
Listen to "Fatal Auction," Episode #10, broadcast June 26, 1947, the second of two known surviving episodes.
Back in Los Angeles, Webb's West Coast reputation for Pat Novak, For Hire and Johnny Madero, Pier 23 prompted calls to play leads and bit parts in episodes of Escape, The Whistler, and This Is Your FBI (Dunning 209, Hayde 15, Moyer 47).
Jeff Regan, Investigator
July 10, 1948 to December 18, 1948
24 episodes produced, 20 survive (Haendidges)
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) West Coast Network
Webb starred as insurance investigator Regan, aka "The Lion's Eye," playing him in the mold established
by Pat Novak, For Hire and Johnny Madero, Pier 23 (Moyer 52).
Listen to "The Prodigal Daughter," Episode #02, broadcast July 17, 1948.
And here's "The Guy from Gower Gulch," Episode #19, broadcast November 13, 1948.
After 24 episodes, Webb left, December 18, 1948. With Frank Graham and Paul Dubov in the title role, Jeff Regan, Investigator continued until September 3, 1950. Moyer suggests that Webb left the series, or was fired, over a pay raise dispute. Moyer quotes William Foug, story writer, recalling director George Allen saying Webb was "working on a dumb cop show idea. Probably nothing will come of it" (Moyer 52). Leaving Jeff Regan, Investigator, Webb turned his attention of Dragnet.
Credits
Jack Webb, as Jeff Regan
Wilms Herbert, as "The Lion"
E. Jack Neuman, writer
George Allen, director
Sterling Tracy, producer (Moyer 52)
He Walked by Night
1948
Webb's pivot to Dragnet began in 1948 with a role as forensic chemist Lieutenant Lee Jones
in the semi-documentary film He
Walked by Night, directed by Alfred L. Werker, which dramatized the investigation of
a 1946 murder of a California police officer (Hayde 17, Moyer 55). Webb had used dramatic recreation in
his 1946 KGO San Francisco radio show One Out Of Seven, a hard-hitting public affairs
program. But, He Walked by Night, with its use of actual police cases, became the hallmark
of Dragnet.
Development of Dragnet
While working on He Walked by Night, Webb met Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn, who worked as a technical advisor for the film. Wynn suggested that LAPD case files would be a good source for a realistic radio series based in facts rather than frills (Ramsburg).
Webb, then working with radio actor Herb Ellis on a television show called Joe Friday, Room 5, was not convinced. He initially thought such a show would be boring. But, six months later, after film critics praised the semi-documentary style of He Walked by Night, and after visiting the Elysian Park Police Academy, Webb became fascinated with police work and changed his mind (Ramsburg, Moyer 56).
Convinced there was a place for a realistic police drama on radio, Webb developed plans for a police procedural based on real cases from LAPD files, featuring authentic depictions of the modern police detective, including methods, mannerisms, and technical language. To achieve the authenticity and realism he wanted, Webb immersed himself in the workings of the Los Angeles Police Department. He talked with Sgt. Wynn often, accompanied Wynn and his partner, Detective Vance Brasher as they investigated cases. He hung around police squad rooms, even took classes at Police Academy (Ramsburg, Hayde 18-19, Moyer 56).
Webb pitched Dragnet to CBS with no success. NBC, however, was eager for new talent and programs. Webb was given money to make an audition recording and promised the show would be given a summer tryout . . . IF LAPD agreed to cooperate (Ramsburg).
After listening briefly to the recorded pilot episode, LAPD Chief Clemence B. Horrall agreed to give Webb and his writers access to police case files on three conditions. First, no confidentiality would be compromised. Second, the police would not be cast in an unflattering light. And third, LAPD would have the right to refuse any sponsor of the show that it deemed objectionable (Ramsburg, Hayde 24, Moyer 58).
Webb agreed to the terms, and added three guidelines for his crew. Never glorify or defame police officers. Represent police officers as average, regular human beings. And, follow the facts of a genuine LAPD case (Ramsburg).
When the first Dragnet episode was broadcast, June 13, 1949, Jack Webb, its star and producer, was 29 years old. In March 1950, Dragnet was named "Outstanding New Program of The Past Radio Season" by the editors of Radio-Television Life magazine.
Elements Carried Forward
The title Dragnet was carried forward from the 1948 film He Walked by Night. The term was used by police to mean "A system of coordinated procedures for apprehending criminal suspects or other wanted persons" (Moyer 59).
The preamble that opens episodes of Dragnet,
"Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to
protect the innocent."
Was carried forward from the 1948 film He Walked by Night. For the Dragnet
radio series this opening was expanded to . . .
"Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect
the innocent. For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you
will travel step by step on the side of the law, through an actual case, transcribed from official
police cases. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force
in action."
The name "Joe Friday" was carried forward from Joe Friday, Room 5, a concept Webb had worked on with Herb Ellis, to Dragnet (Hayde 20).
New Elements, Now Famous
William Lava provided the music for the first two episodes of Dragnet. Beginning with
episode #3, "The Werewolf," June 17, 1949, listeners heard the now famous brass and tympani 4-note music
theme, titled "Main Title" (aka "Danger Ahead" by Walter Schumann.
"DUM-DE-DUM-DUM"
Now, more than a half-century later, people who never heard or don't know of Dragnet recognize those four notes.
Then announcer George Fennemen would say,
"For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel
step by step on the side of the law, through an actual case, transcribed from official police cases.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force
in action."
Actually, episodes were often more granular, with Jack Webb, as Detective Sgt. Joe Friday, taking
listeners minute by minute through the day of investigating a crime. Episodes usually began with sound
effects—footsteps and a closing door— and then Webb saying something like,
"It was Tuesday, June 17th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of burglary.
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives. My name's Friday. I was on my
way to work that morning, and it was 7:53 AM when I got to Room 45, Burglary Detail."
At episodes' end, Gibney summarized the trial and punishment in a few sentences. Then out with the second part of program's music theme, "DUM-DE-DUM-DUM" and then "Dragnet March" with the closing credits.
Credits
Jack Webb, as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday
Barton Yarborough, as Detective Sergeant Ben Romero
William Rousseau and Jack Webb, directors
Jim Moser and Jack Webb, writers
William Lava, music for first two episodes
Walter Schumann, music for episode #3, "The Werewolf" and beyond
Frank Barton, Hal Gibney, George Fenneman, announcers
Legacy
The first episode of Dragnet was broadcast Friday, June 3, 1949, from NBC's Los Angeles
Studio H. The episode began with Webb, speaking in character . . .
"My identification card reads Badge #4315, Blood Type O. My name's Joe Friday and I'm a sergeant, base
pay $338 a month, and I've never hear of time-and-a-half. In complying with the department directive, we
work in pairs. My partner's name is Sergeant Ben Romero. Ben's married and has a six-year-old boy. I'm
still single. Ben and I work for "The Skipper" Ed Backstrand, Chief of Detectives. There is one thing
down here at Central Division that will get you on the move and that's Ed Backsdtrand's voice."
Originally intended as a summer filler, the series became "the nation's premium radio show." Dragnet ended in 1956, after seven years and 318 programs, not counting rebroadcasts (Moyer 60-61).
Episodes unfolded detail after detail as Friday and Romero worked painstakingly through the tedious double checking, and careful questioning, developing their case to be strong enough to, perhaps, convince a jury of the suspect's guilt. Along the way, listeners know as much as the police detectives. New information is introduced only when it is uncovered, and verified, using solid police procedures.
Dragnet was the first radio show to effectively introduce police jargon to the world. For example, the terms "MO" (method of operation) and "R and I" (records and identification). As was the police "10 Code." Using these aural short-cuts, "cop-talk immersion" educated listeners and meant that the show "could move at a faster pace without giving up any of the story" (Dragnet, Dunning 211).
Dragnet was also one of the first radio shows to dramatize sex crimes, prostitution, and drug addiction (Moyer 59). Reality was key, with Webb, as Friday, being both a journalist and dramatist. Every event portrayed in Dragnet was inspired and informed by documented details in the police case files. Webb insisted on detail and accuracy. In story facts. Narrative details, And sound effects. Episodes often included as many as 300 sound effects (Dunning 211).
Dragnet, of all the radio police, detective, and crime programs, is the most firmly affixed in popular culture. As noted previously, people who never heard or don't know of Dragnet recognize the four notes of its opening theme, "DUM-DE-DUM-DUM."
On September 14, 1953, Stan Freberg's parody 45 record "St. George and the Dragonet" began playing on radio stations across the country. It was a hit, selling more than a million copies in just three weeks, and quickly became the number one record on Billboard's pop music chart. But it was "the B side" of the record, "Little Blue Riding Hood," that, according to Michael Hayde, "left an indelible impact" (Hayde 73).
It started in this dialogue.
Little Blue Riding Hood
"Why Grandma, what big ears you've got!"
Sgt. Wednesday
"All the better to get the facts. I just want to get the facts, ma'am."
That remark, says Hayde, entered the public sub-conscious and was truncated to "Just the facts, ma'am." Every news release, interview, newspaper or magazine article that had anything to do with Dragnet used the phrase, and credited to Sgt. Friday. But Friday never used that phrase. He said, "All we want are the facts, ma'am" or "All we know are the facts, ma'am." It didn't matter. In the public mind of popular culture, Jack Webb, as Sgt. Friday, of Dragnet, had been saying "Just the facts, ma'am" all along (Hayde 73).
Works Cited
Dragnet: The Radio
Show→.
Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press,
1998.
Digital copy available at Internet
Archive→.
Haendiges, Jerry. Dragnet→.
Jerry Haendiges
Vintage Radio Logs.
Haendiges, Jerry. The Jack Webb
Show→.
Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
Haendiges, Jerry. Jeff Regan,
Investigator→.
Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
Haendiges, Jerry. Johnny Madero, Pier
23→.
Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
Haendiges, Jerry. One Out of
Seven→. Jerry
Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
Hayde, Michael J. My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized but True Story of Dragnet and the Films of
Jack Webb. Cumberlan House, 2001.
Moyer, Daniel and Eugene Alvarez. Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Authorized Biography of Jack
Webb. Seven Locks Press 2001.
One Out of
Seven→. Old
Time Radio Downloads.
Pompano, Angelo J. Teaching Detective
Fiction Through A Cross Curriculum Unit→. Gender, Race, and Milieu in
Detective in
Detective Fiction. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Curriculum Unit 95.01.10, 1995 Volume
1.
Ramsburg, Jim. Jim Ramsburg's GOld
Time Radio→. http://www.jimramsburg.com/jack-webbs-dragnet-audio.html
Production
Credits
Written, Produced, and Hosted by John F. Barber
Sound Design, Music, and Post Production by Marc Rose
Promotional Graphics by Holly Slocum with Sydney Nguyen
Significance
Dragnet is significant academically, practically, and as a popular culture icon. Considered academically, detective fiction, mystery, and police procedurals engage listeners in developing skills useful in their complicated lives. Like sorting through "a multiplicity of interrelated elements," clues and other information. Using analytical thinking and intuition to determine what actually happened rather than what appears to have happened. Considering social change. And experiencing intelligence as stronger than violence (Pompano).
Practically, the Dragnet radio series presented a wide range of topics, using fast moving plots and realistic details to keep the action moving. The dialogue was understated. Sparse. Influenced by hard-boiled detective literature. The police work was chronicled, step-by-step, with details and realism. The result gave millions of listeners a feel for real police work. The boredom and drudgery. The danger of heroism. With its start in radio, and move to television, Dragnet remains one of the most popular and influentional police procedurals in any media, including literature, motion pictures, and podcasts. Dragnet as "a pioneering series of unprecedented realism" (Dunning 208), set the standard for radio and television police detective programs.
The Dragnet radio series presented a wide range of topics, each using fast moving plots and
realistic details to keep the action moving. The dialogue was understated. Sparse. Influenced by
hard-boiled detective literature. The police work was chronicled step-by-step, with details and realism.
The result gave millions of listeners a feel for real police work. The boredom and drudgery. The danger
of heroism. With its start in radio, and move to television, Dragnet remains one of the
most popular and influentional police procedurals in any media, including literature, motion pictures,
and podcasts. More than a half-century after its first broadcast, people who have never heard an
episode, or don't know Dragnet, know its 4-note music opening, "DUM-DE-DUM-DUM," and think
the phrase "Just the facts, ma'am" originated with Sgt. Joe Friday. It didn't. But that doesn't matter.
Dragnet and "Just the facts, ma'am" are forever linked in the public mind of popular
culture.
— John F. Barber
Promotion
Press
