(Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of compassion.)
"This is the city-- Los Angeles, California.
It's a dry place located in the middle of a Southern California desert.
Yet its face is pockmarked with 120,000 swimming pools.
There are over 90 fountains in the city.
Its people consumed 169 billion gallons of water last year.
But three times in its short life, it's had to reach out for the precious liquid.
The city first got thirsty at the turn of the century, and its throat stayed parched.
The closest water was 250 miles away…
…and the farmers in the Owens River Valley weren't giving.
The result was one of the most savage range wars in history.
Today, we're still reaching out.
$11 billion have been earmarked to keep plenty of water flowing.
We've solved our water problem, yet violence still remains.
That's part of my job. I carry a badge.
This is a good 1968 episode because it shows "the fuzz" helping kids directly.
It takes place alongside our usual Georgia Street Juvenile exterior shot -
then we are treated to a brand new soundstage.
As the episode progresses, the gaffers make it rain, and we never leave.
It is time for a Dragnet bottle episode.
DAMMIT NOT A BOTTLE EPISODE
YES BILL
IT SAYS YOU HAVE TO GO MAD IN THIS ROOM, UNRAVELLING SLOWLY FROM INSIDE. AND YOU HAVE TO CHANGE A BABY DIAPER.
Bottle episodes.
Dammit.
Our first guest tonight is a lost baby, escorted by Officer Cliff Sales.
Baby Chris was found at a restaurant on East Ninth Street.
Little Chris is probably going to have a bottle episode.
MERRY
ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER GET AWAY WITH THAT?
SHUT UP. BILL HAS TO CHANGE THE BABY DIAPER.
All right - mod fashions - 1968 - yeah.
The last time that ladies looked like ladies.
WHATEVER
Next up, tonight, Alfred Shelly - (He's my new favorite "expert" since I don't think Olan Soule is coming back until the 1966 movie airs.) - And that red-haired guy that is always paired with the Georgia Street set. (Ed Deemer?)
They're hauling in Prince George.
You mean…GARY TIGERMAN
Yes, Gary Tigerman in a nehru jacket.
"It's a prayer, man. Like they say in Tibet. You know, Buddhism.
No, I guess you wouldn't know. It's pretty deep stuff. If you're interested, I'll try to explain it to you.
Blowing out. That's what nirvana means. You got to get way out there, man, and you do it in stages. "Attainments" we call them…enlightenment…"
George Fuller. 8224 Loretto Street. 483-1483.
"We call it a holding tank. It's air conditioned."
Our next guest tonight is twee and annoying! We'll see her again in season four with Fat Donna, I'm pretty sure.
Enter Joy Ellison, escorted by Officer Jeff Malloy.
They give this girl a load of lines and she does a great job. Not easy to forget.
1830 West Nile.
A whole lot of chaos, shoplifting, theft, all manner of confusion surrounds Miss Ellison.
Fix a gaze on Merry Anders.
Her hair looks perfect.
They've even got extras darting around back there.
Also, Prince George is in that closet with a window for the entire episode until some recycled characters come to his ostensible aid. Stay tuned.
It's too bad that herringbone doesn't look better on TV. It's a smart looking dress.
She gets lines and two scenes and still remains uncredited!
ALL RIGHT YOU GUYS
STEFAN ARNGRIM IS IN THE BUILDING
Our next sad weird child.
WE'RE HIS POSSE
We got Don Ross from Latent Prints and we got, Dave Carlile or somebody on the left.
We'll figure it out later.
Thank you, Stefan. Welcome to the show.
HOLD THE PHONE
Robert "wet blanket" Clarke is back, married to Eve Brent.
So, let me get this straight.
Gary Tigerman's older half-brother took LSD and pills and died two years ago. That was Blue Boy. Eve Brent had custody of him as that time. She's now married to Robert Clarke who has been through a lot, supports another family (his first wife, Peggy Webber and two daughters.)
Families are a mess.
Orange and tan is a nice color choice for Eve today. It's difficult to carry oranges.
There's a stylish extra between Policewoman Dorothy Miller and Officer Gannon.
A Joan Holloway with a fall.
(For more cool dresses, watch Valley Of The Dolls - The actual movie, not the trailer.)
Jenny Sullivan is our final guest tonight. She's wearing a plastic raincoat, which is clear. Seems like an odd choice. What sort of raincoat options were there in 1968?
"I didn't know what else to do. There was nobody I could turn to, nobody to lean on. Patrick says that's always been my trouble. If I didn't have someone to lean on, I'd fall. I guess that's what happened tonight. When Patrick walked away, I started to fall and there wasn't anything to catch me. Just a great big empty nothing. Have you ever had a falling dream? You know, when you just keep falling and falling forever because there's no bottom to anything. That's the way I felt tonight. Of course, you always wake up and find out it's just a bad dream. Maybe it was the rain that woke me. I was walking along a street I'd never been on before, and my feet were wet, and all at once I remembered Christopher. I lost him. At first, I couldn't remember where or how. Then it started coming back to me. I stood there and thought and then I remembered where he was. I went right back, I'm sure it was the same place. But I was too late. It was locked up."
Sounds like dissociation, among other things.
HOLD THE PHONE
DAMN
BUT IT'S MEEEEE
CLARK HOWAT:
SORRY - DOESN'T COUNT
"The court ordered Mrs. Patrick Brenner to undergo a series of psychiatric tests.
As a result of the examination, her son was made a ward of the court and placed in a foster home."
Christopher Brenner
Now placed in a foster home.
Now aged 45 years.
Hopefully is having a reasonable go of things and not a lot of traumas growing up.
S3e2
Starred
Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
Harry Morgan as Officer Bill Gannon
Merry Anders as Policewoman Dorothy Miller
Robert Clarke as Mr. Fuller
Stefan Arngrim as Danny Meriton (Saddest 'hold the phone' ever)
Jenny Sullivan as Mariana Brenner (Mrs. Patrick Brenner)
Gary Tigerman as George Fuller (Prince George)
Joy Ellison as Sharon Malden (Sharon the Shoplifter)
Eve Brent as Mrs. Fuller (She's been an irresponsible mom before!)
Jeff Malloy as Officer Rowley (brought in Joy Ellison)
Clark Howat as Lieutenant Bongard (uses the phone at the end)
Cliff Sales as Officer Henderson (Brings in the baby)
Ed Deemer as Officer Beck (Is that the red-haired guy?)
Alfred Shelly as Officer Gurowski
Dave Carlile as Officer Ryan
Don Ross as Officer Howard
______ as Policewoman Schulz (the blonde in herringbone, Brings Code 7.)
______ as Christopher Brenner
Merry Anders as Policewoman Dorothy Miller
Robert Clarke as Mr. Fuller
Stefan Arngrim as Danny Meriton (Saddest 'hold the phone' ever)
Jenny Sullivan as Mariana Brenner (Mrs. Patrick Brenner)
Gary Tigerman as George Fuller (Prince George)
Joy Ellison as Sharon Malden (Sharon the Shoplifter)
Eve Brent as Mrs. Fuller (She's been an irresponsible mom before!)
Jeff Malloy as Officer Rowley (brought in Joy Ellison)
Clark Howat as Lieutenant Bongard (uses the phone at the end)
Cliff Sales as Officer Henderson (Brings in the baby)
Ed Deemer as Officer Beck (Is that the red-haired guy?)
Alfred Shelly as Officer Gurowski
Dave Carlile as Officer Ryan
Don Ross as Officer Howard
______ as Policewoman Schulz (the blonde in herringbone, Brings Code 7.)
______ as Christopher Brenner
Art Direction - John E. Chilberg, II
Set Decor - John McCarthy & John Sturtevant
Costumes - Vincent Dee
Aired 26 September 1968
Written by Robert C. Dennis
See you at The Golden Rope,
Princess Suzy
See you at The Golden Rope,
Princess Suzy
Jack Webb had Merry Anders wear a brunette wig so she'd have a move professional look. She was really a blonde. This is why her hair is so "perfect." :) She and Jack Webb dated for about two years. By Dragnet 1969, you no longer see Policewoman Dorothy Miller. They must've broken up by then...
ReplyDelete-Kristi
Joan Bennett wears a clear plastic raincoat in the movie Scarlet Street, which was way back around 1946, so they had been around for a long time by the time this show was made. Of course on Joan Bennett anything looks good.
ReplyDelete"We've solved our water problem, yet violence still remains."
ReplyDeleteChinatown (1974) - one of my all time favorite films. LA and its need for water!
Yes, those ladies behind Merry Anders look GREAT! I miss those ladies... and I miss Jack Webb.
Clear vinyl raincoats were in fashion in 1969. I had one in college that year with a matching umbrella.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Alison Arngrim, about the time this episode was made, her brother Stefan started raping her. After a career as a child actor and comedienne, Alison became an advocate for incest victims.
ReplyDelete