Dragnet
Volume 3



A precedent-shattering radio landmark that became a national institution -- its influence is with us yet. And now Radio Archives is proud to take you back to the beginning, with a third volume of exciting broadcasts from the first and second seasons of Jack Webb's police procedural classic "Dragnet."

Police procedurals go back long before "Dragnet's" 1949 premiere -- with an especially strong heritage in Los Angeles. Private Investigator Nick Harris presented dramatizations drawn from his own true-life case files as far back as the 1920s, and the Los Angeles Police Department itself collaborated closely with Don Lee Network producer William N. Robson for the long-running 1930's series "Calling All Cars." But these formats fell from favor by the 1940s, with the advent of the "hard boiled dick" genre of crime programs. An ordinary policeman just doing his job had little chance against the legions of smart-mouthed gumshoes parading across the ether during the postwar years.

But inevitably, that genre collapsed under the weight of its own clichés -- and when "Dragnet" premiered in 1949 it was a breath of fresh air. No wisecracks, no impossibly exaggerated characterizations, no too-purple-for-belief dialogue, just a dedicated law enforcement officer, determined to do his job as completely and as thoroughly as possible. Joe Friday is one of radio's great Everyman figures -- just another workaday guy in a cheap suit, trudging thru his daily routine -- but in Webb's hands, the characterization takes on a fascinating edge of realism. The deliberately-low-key direction and the stylized flat-voiced delivery of the supporting cast adds to this downbeat, it's-really-happening style, giving "Dragnet" a feeling and a mood unlike that of any other radio program of its era.

Programs included in this third Radio Archives collection are from the second year of the program's run and date from May thru September of 1950. It's interesting to note that the essential feel of the series was there from the very beginning of the run: the quiet byplay between Friday and his partner Ben Romero (expertly played by radio veteran Barton Yarborough), the meticulous documentation of the unfolding case, and the careful pacing of each episode as it builds slowly but steadily to a climax. The supporting players are drawn from the ranks of top radio talent, including such performers as Frank Lovejoy, Parley Baer, Hans Conried, and Raymond Burr, and the production values -- layering sound upon sound -- are of astonishing proficiency. It's a collection that shows you just how powerful, just how creative, and just how fascinating American radio drama could be when it found itself in the hands and mind of a master.

#49 The Big Pug
Thursday, May 18, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, Sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#50 The Big Key
Thursday, May 25, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#51 The Big Fake
Thursday, June 1, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#52 The Big Smart Guy
Thursday, June 8, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#53 The Big Purse (First Anniversary Program)
Thursday, June 15, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#54 The Big Mink
Thursday, June 22, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#55 The Big Grab
Thursday, June 29, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#56 The Big Frame
Thursday, July 6, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#57 The Big Bomb
Thursday, July 13, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#58 The Big Gent, Part 1
Thursday, July 20, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#59 The Big Gent, Part 2
Thursday, July 27, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#60 The Big Dare
Thursday, August 3, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#61 The Big Actor
Thursday, August 10, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#62 The Big Youngster
Thursday, August 17, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#63 The Big Chance
Thursday, August 24, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#64 The Big Check
Thursday, August 31, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#65 The Big Poison
Thursday, September 7, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#66 The Big Make
Thursday, September 14, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#67 The Big Pair
Thursday, September 21, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes

#68 The Big Death
Thursday, September 28, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Fatima and Chesterfield Cigarettes