For reasons that are not relevant to this thread, we rented the DVDs of the series Dragnet. There were two on TV and an earlier radio drama of the same name. All were produced and starred Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday of LAPD.
If you've never seen or heard it, you probably still know the opening lines:
"This is the city... Los Angeles California."
It's also where we get other interesting pieces of our cultural lexicon, most notably:
"The names have been changed to protect the innocent."
It is a really fun show to watch, even though some of the topics and dialog are laughably dated. Los Angelinos would particularly enjoy seeing the city in its pre-freeway days (or at least back when the freeways were two lanes in each direction. The show was shot with lots of exteriors in and around LA. Almost no sets were used except for the Police station and proabably a few back-lot or sound stage pieces. But all the outside travel is right there in LA.
We have enjoyed seeing the different portrayals of police tactics between the 1951 series and the 1967 one. In particular, we were shocked at the treatment of arrestees in the earlier show. Fisticuffs and badgering were just expected. The 1967 show, in contrast, had people getting read their Miranda rights and even being asked if they understood them.
It's also interesting to learn things about drug laws back then. Marijuana was illegal, but LSD was too new. You could sell it, use it, give it to children. They would charge you with "behaving in a manner likely to lead to dissolute lifestyle" or some such thing. It was weird.
Anyway, it's not the sort of thing I would watch a lot of, but it sure is interesting in a time-capsule kind of way.
And Jack Webb was the original age-less actor. He looks just about the same in 1967 as he did in 1951.
Webb died in 1982 while working on a 4th incarnation of Dragnet.
Anyway, I just think these shows are worth a look or two. I think the 1967 series is more "watchable" for today's audiences, but it sure is dated even at that.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I have some episodes on dvd, they were $1 at Wal Mart! I agree, really fun. I grew up on the 80's* incarnation, which was very different. I spose they were the day's version of shows like CSI and Law & Order.
* Edit: Erm, maybe I meant the 1960s version? I have no idea. I remember the "to protect the innocent" line, and the song, and the two cops walking out of a huge concrete building with very blue suits on.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I used to listen to radio dramas on a local station that has old radio shows on every night. Great stuff.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Oooh, I'd love to hear the radio shows.
Myrddin, I'm pretty sure that you must have the 1967 version. There was supposed to be a 1983 version but Webb died of a heart attack during the preliminary work-up. He was going to have Kent McCord (from his hit show Adam-12) as his partner.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I think I'm getting my Dragnet viewing confused with .. was it Mathnet? Whatever the parody was on that brain kid's show thinggah. But I still watched it, I thought it was a color version but the internet is not confirming this.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Yeah, must have been 1967! (stupid lag!)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*giggle*
Yes, Myr. Mathnet. On Square One TV.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Yes! YES! That's where I got the blue suits and 80's idea from!! The rest of Square One TV scared me in the way the Pink Elephants song from Dumbo scared me, but Mathnet was AWESOME!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Bob, you might check to see if your library has copies of the old radio shows; when I was a kid I checked out tapes of radio shows all the time. Mostly Inner Sanctum, but there was the occasional Dragnet that made it into my pile.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Oh, great idea!
Who knows what audio lurks in the heart of the library?
The Shadow knows. Wha ha ha ha ha ha
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
You forgot 1987.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
No we didn't. It's next up in the netflix queue.
Posted by Gwen (Member # 9551) on :
quote:Who knows what audio lurks in the heart of the library?
The Shadow knows. Wha ha ha ha ha ha
Goodness I got the reference. I was born in 1990.
I really, really, really need to stop reading those books on American pop culture from before I was born.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by MyrddinFyre: Yes! YES! That's where I got the blue suits and 80's idea from!! The rest of Square One TV scared me in the way the Pink Elephants song from Dumbo scared me, but Mathnet was AWESOME!