"Dragnet 1967" (1967) TV series 1967-1970

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Jack Webb

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

12 January 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Police Detective | Digit In Title | Detective Sergeant | Los Angeles California

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jack Webb	...	Sgt. Joe Friday (98 episodes, 1967-1970)
Harry Morgan	...	Officer Bill Gannon (98 episodes, 1967-1970)

Also Known As:

Dragnet (USA) (syndication title)
Dragnet 1968 (USA) (second season title)
Dragnet 1969 (USA) (third season title)
Dragnet 1970 (USA) (fourth season title)

Runtime:

30 min (100 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Parker Center Police Headquarters - 150 N. Los Angeles Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dragnet Productions

Trivia:

During the run of this version, the title would change to reflect the year that it was broadcast in (Dragnet 1967, Dragnet 1968 and so on).

Quotes:

Friday: There are over five thousand men in this city who know that being a policeman is an endless, glamorless, thankless job that's gotta be done. I know it, too. And I'm damned glad to be one of them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Mother Simpson (#7.8)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Theme From Dragnet (Danger Ahead)

It's Better Than You've Been Told

This series has taken a rap from latter-day critics, who can't stand that it's not "Dragnet" (1952). A few misguided souls actually view it as "camp comedy," and the terminally hip scoff at Sgt. Friday's rabid anti-drug stance.

What makes this series rise above such criticism is the sincerity of all players, its dead-on realism in every situation and performance, and the fact that each story is TRUE. As with practically everything Jack Webb did, this show was ahead of its time in many ways. "Dragnet 1967-70" preached "just say no" twenty years before it became fashionable. Friday's assertions about the addictive nature of drugs, and that marijuana users tend to move on to harder stuff, is still borne out by statistics. The absence of gunplay and wild car chases underscore what a cop's day-to-day life REALLY is. Best of all, the chemistry between Webb and Harry Morgan is unbeatable.

Yes, a lot of the same actors are used over and over, but that was just as true in the 1950's version. Members of the LAPD, and other police departments, assert that "Dragnet" and "Adam-12" (also a Webb production) are still TV's most realistic cop shows. Forget what you've read before and give this version of "Dragnet" a try.