For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.
Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.
One of the great treasures of the Golden Era of Television was its theme songs. In the 1950s, four or five notes were all you needed to hear to know exactly what was coming on. While many themes may still ring a bell today, very few are more recognizable—nearly 70 years after it debuted—than the iconic opening for “Dragnet.”
It was the brainchild of Jack Webb, who was extremely underrated for his creativity for the show when television was still in its infancy.
Webb originated the rapid-fire pace with terse dialogue exchanges, ultra-fast cuts, and extreme close-ups to enhance actors’ reactions and emotions.
Webb was also the featured star for its entire run through the 1950s and ’60s, playing the role of Joe Friday. He was also responsible for later spinning off several other shows that had successful runs of their own, including “Adam-12” and “Emergency.”
After its opening introduction revealing the backstory, each episode would begin with Friday and his partner investigating crimes, almost in a documentary-style approach and usually resulting in the uncovering of the criminals. A quick epilogue would give the results of what happened to the perpetrators and sometimes the victims after the crime was solved. Nearly every show was based on real-life cases but, as the narrator includes on every show, “the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
The show’s introduction and catchphrases used throughout the program connected instantly with viewers, and were often copied – both to reconstruct serious police drama for other shows as well as for parodies. (One of the most famous was done on the “Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” featuring Webb himself.)
“Dragnet” also has its place in television history as it’s one of a very small handful of shows to be canceled by NBC, only to be brought back seven years later by the very same network. Aside from being broadcast in color, the initial show’s return was similar to the ’50s style in terms of its criminal caseload.
However, with the changing landscape of the late sixties, the show quickly evolved into new storylines, many embracing the current culture to include more colorful characters (Joe Friday interrogating hippies was always a hoot) and tackling topical issues of the times. The newer edition of the show also softened some of the original’s techniques but still featured faster-paced dialogue exchanges and occasionally closer than normal close-ups.
Over the years, Sergeant Friday had several sidekicks accompanying him on his 30-minute per week police adventures, but one of the most popular was Harry Morgan, who later became Colonel Potter on another legendary TV hit, M*A*S*H.
You can see “Dragnet” for yourself featured prominently in ATVN’s summer programming lineup for the next several weeks. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
