Everyone Nods: The Dragnet Style Files: October 2013

Saturday, October 26, 2013

"The Big Departure" or "Sgt. Friday's Lonely Hearts Club Band (of Thieves)"

Hi everybody! A couple of weeks ago, we covered Gypsy Halloween costumes; this week - your groovy hippy costumes are in order. Keep scrolling, as per usual!

"This is the city-- Los Angeles, California.

The city earns its living mostly in retailing, heavy industry, aerospace, motion pictures, and television. Just about everything it needs to live on has to be brought in from someplace else.

Our water is piped down from the Owens Valley in the Sierras. Turn it off, and two and a half million people start getting thirsty inside of three days.

Our electric power is produced at Hoover Dam. Stop that, and the city goes dark in a split second.

It's just about impossible to be totally self-sufficient these days.

There are ways of feeling like you are. Some of them are legal. Some of them aren't.

When they're not, then it becomes my job. I carry a badge."

This looks like one of the Bel Air establishing shots:

And another:

And, of course, the kids smashing the sporting goods store window sequence.

Let me guess…working out of Juvenile this week? You bet.

Creating the back room of a grocery store in total chaos? Okay!

I BET RUSSELL KIMBALL NEVER THOUGHT HE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A SET LIKE THIS

I BET IT WAS FUN FOR THE SWING GANG, THOUGH.

YES THEY HAD A PARTY AND THREW ORANGES AT ONE ANOTHER

Okay, let's check on Dragnet regular Howard Culver.

WHAT'S UP YOU GUYS? HOW ABOUT SOME CARROTS. I PUT THEM IN THE FOREGROUND FOR YOU.

YOU LIKE CARROTS, DON'T YOU?

NO.

DANGIT. I THOUGHT I ASKED CRAFT SERVICES TO SKIP THE CARROTS.

I GUESS WE CAN READ THIS LONELY PIECE OF FAN MAIL TOGETHER.

I THINK IT IS IN CODE:

STRANGE PHOTOS OF BROKEN WINDOWS ARE ALSO ENCLOSED

THAT'S NOT A FAN LETTER, JOE.

IT'S A PRECOG LETTING US KNOW ABOUT NIGHT VALE.

I MIGHT TRANSFER OUT OF THE LAPD AND INTO THE NIGHT VALE SECRET POLICE.

Come on, guys, let's focus on the 459 call, okay?

It looks like Nat Vollmer's market is on Figuroa Street. Fancy that.

I don't care. I'm digging this costumery. Very Sergeant Pepper. (Or maybe Diet Sgt. Pepper.)

Oh boy. Joe's going to sermonize us. It's Dragnet. We love it. No problem.

WHO IS CLEGO?

Not me.

Kevin Coughlin has a pretty snappy red jacket.

SNAPPY YES

Lou Wagner gets asked back to Dragnet a few times. He has the best textile. His character grates on me every time. He's coming up in S3e1.

The universal refuge of human kindness and love?

"That's some address."

Roger Mobley has a couple of appearances in Juvenile episodes, too.

He looks like he's wearing hippy pajamas.

Happy Halloween, Everybody!

Charles L. Vail

Paul Seever

Dennis J. Meldon

Now on probation

S2e24

Starred

Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday

Harry Morgan as Officer Bill Gannon

Kevin Coughlin as Paul Seever
Roger Mobley as Charles L. Vail
Lou Wagner as Dennis J. Meldon
Howard Culver as Nathan Vollmer
Ed Deemer as Officer Jim Edwards
Lindon Crow as Officer Wilson

Art Direction - Russell Kimball

Set Decor - John McCarthy & John Sturtevant

Costumes - Vincent Dee

Aired 7 March 1968

Written by Preston Wood

Don't get uptight, pops,
Suzy Dragnet

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Episodes of Dragnet Organized by Author of Episode

Who wrote your favorite Dragnet episode?

Who was your favorite Dragnet writer?

Jack E. Barrett

S3 e24 - (with James Doherty)

S4 e09 -

Richard L. Breen

S2 e15 - The Christmas Story / The December Episode
Pilot - World Premiere: Dragnet / Dragnet 1966

Jerry Cohen

S3e08 - (with James Doherty) / Public Affairs - DR-12 / Secret Service!

Robert C. Dennis

S1 e02 - The Big Explosion / The Neo-Nazi Story
S1 e08 - The Big Candy Story / The Candy Store Robberies
S2 e01 - The Grenade / Mickey Sholdar: Mental Patient & Party Crasher
S2 e03 - The Badge Racket / Undercover Bill & the Hotel Elsinore
S2 e04 - The Bank Jobs / The Kipp Hamilton Episode
S2 e05 - The Big Neighbor / Let's Go Home With Officer Gannon
S2 e10 - The Missing Realtor / The One With Scatman Crothers
S2 e20 - The Starlet / To Whom It May Concern
S2 e24 - The Suicide Attempt / L'architecte Suicidal
S2 e26 - The Investigation / Bill & Joe's Excellent Adventure
S3 e02 - Juvenile - Dr-05 / Om Mani Padme Hum
S3 e06 - Homicide - Dr-06 / Joe's Apartment
S3 e09 - Training - Dr -19 / The Susan Seaforth Episode
S3 e20 - (with James Doherty)
S4 e03 -
S4 e04 -
S4 e16 -
S4 e20 -
S4 e25 -

James Doherty

S3 e04 - Management Services - DR-11 / Martin Luther King, Jr. / Emergency Control Center
S2 e07 - Robbery DR-15 / Riding the Desk
S3 e08 - (with Jerry Cohen) / Public Affairs - DR-12 / Secret Service!
S3 e12 -
S3 e14 -
S3 e15 -
S3 e17 -
S3 e20 - (with Robert C. Dennis)
S3 e22 -
S3 e24 - (with Jack E. Barrett)
S3 e26 -
S3 e27 -
S4 e06 -

Michael Donovan

S2 e21 - The Big Clan / Joe Smokes Fatima
S2 e28 - The Big Problem / The One With Chief Reddin
S4 e01 -
S4 e10 -
S4 e11 -
S4 e13 -
S4 e14 -
S4 e15 -
S4 e19 -
S4 e23 -
S4 e26 -

Alf Harris

S3 e03 - Community Relations - Dr-10 / East L.A. Graduates Union / Officer Dave: Badge 4868
S3 e10 - Public Affairs - Dr-14 / Community Action!
S3 e13 -
S4 e07 -
S4 e08 -
S4 e18 -
S4 e24 -

Robert Holt

S3 e05 - Police Commission - Dr - 13 / Wildcatters! / Robert I. Holt vs. Dragnet

Henry Irving

S1 e07 - The Big Hammer / Beating people to death is not a good idea
S1 e14 - The Big Subscription Racket / The Jerry Dexter Show show / 'Custan makes me feel good.
S1 e15 - The Big Gun / The Ben Roy Yoder Mystery
S2 e07 - The Senior Citizen / Burt Mustin: Old Time Cat Burglar
S2 e11 - The Big Dog / A thing in a bag.
S2 e13 - The Phony Police Racket / A NALE in the coffin
S2 e19 - The Big Amateur / Maybe he's a ding-a-ling.

Don Kilburn

S4 e12 -
S4 e21 -

Norman Lessing

S2 e12 - The Pyramid Swindle / God rest your soul, Horton.

Jerry D. Lewis

S2 e23 - The Squeeze / George Fox Questioned by Cops / Shut the door. Have a seat.

Charles A. McDaniel

S2 e9 - The Big Ad / Don Dubbins: Greeting Card Writer

Dick Morgan

S4 e22 -

Richard Neil Morgan

S4 e17 -

Sidney Morse

S2 e06 - The Big Frustration / Road Trip to Big Bear
S2 e14 - The Trial Board / Bully Boy

William O'Hallaren

S1 e06 - The Big Bank Examiners / Fake Badge, Real Trouble
S1 e10 - The Big Jade / Virginia Gregg is not a safecracker

Burt Prelutsky

S3 e01 - Public Affairs - Dr-07 / The Speak Your Mind Show show
S3 e11 - Narcotics Dr-16 / The Smarteens!
S3 e16 -
S3 e19 -
S3 e21 -
S3 e23 -
S3 e25 -
S4 e05 -

John Randolph (Jack Webb)

S1 e01 - The LSD Story / A classic trip with Blue Boy.

John Robinson

S1 e17 - The Big Bullet / Two Bullets, Actually.

Jack Smith

S4 e2 -

Robert Soderberg

S2 e17 - The Big Search (with Preston Wood) / How far can two little girls get in 18-20 minutes?
S2 e22 - The Little Victim / Three's a crowd, unfortunately.
S2 e27 - The Big Gambler / The most forgettable episode ever.

David H. Vowell

S1 e05 - The Big Masked Bandits / The Age-Inappropriate Marriage Story
S1 e09 - The Big Fur Burglary / Henry Corden pointing up at things.
S1 e11 - The Big Shooting / The Cop Killers Episode
S1 e12 - The Big Accident / The Hit & Run Driver / Joe defends the lives of the elderly.
S1 e16 - The Big Kids / The Dragnet Monologues
S2 e02 - The Shooting Board / The one where Joe drops the hammer
S2 e08 - The Big High / Grass kills, in a roundabout way.
S2 e16 - The Big Shipment / Who's the big man?
S2 e18 - The Big Prophet / Three guys talking in a room. Forever.

Preston Wood

S1 e03 - The Kidnapping / Hanging around in a bank
S1 e04 - The Big Interrogation / Trapped in a room with Kent McCord
S1 e13 - The Big Bookie / Bobby Troup's not a doctor… yet.
S2 e17 - The Big Search (with Robert Soderberg) / How far can two little girls get in 18/20 minutes?
S2 e25 - The Big Departure / Sgt. Friday's Lonely Hearts Club Band (of thieves!)
S3 e18 -

(Current up to S3e11)-SD

"The Squeeze" or "George Fox Questioned By Cops" or "Shut the door. Have a seat."

"This is the city-- Los Angeles, California. It's a nice place to live, even when it rains. Over three million people live here. Most of them are honest and work hard to earn a living. Some of them get lucky and hit it big. When someone starts earning big money, he very often becomes a target for those who try to help themselves to his profits by means of extortion. When that happens, we talk it over down here-- the Police Administration Building-- Parker Center. I work here. I carry a badge."

This episode is a real snoozer. We don't go anywhere, look at anything, or do anything. We sit around and talk to John Sebastian; there's some cute dialogue.