It's a "Sgt. Joe Friday" Friday

One of the photos in my Jack Webb/Dragnet collection

For all you Dragnet Fans...

While preparing my Sept. 1954 post a few weeks ago that included the showing of Dragnet at the Palace, I had a few things that I didn't have time to post. So seeing as it's Friday, we'll make it a Sgt. Friday Friday.

As I mentioned, I've been a big fan of Dragnet and Jack Webb since seeing the 1960s revival on TV. Locally the reruns appeared on Channel 43. They had a big effect on me and probably shaped a lot of my longstanding attitudes about drugs and the law.

Anyway, for some reason Dragnet seemed to figure prominently in my life during the latter part of my high school days. Besides watching the Dragnet reruns on TV, I bought an old Mad paperback (at the Book Seller Paperback Exchange on Griswold) that included a hilarious parody of the 1950s version of the show. Here it is, courtesy of Bart Solenthaler's flickr page. I love the preoccupation with cigarettes (which is understandable since the show was sponsored by a cigarette company).

I also remember seeing a Dragnet parody with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig for the first time back then. It was one of the cartoons in rotation on The Porky Pig Show, which I watched a little bit each day while getting ready to head off to Admiral King High School.

All this Dragnet influence inspired me to do a short arrangement of the Dragnet theme (complete with Dum-de-dum dum) for the Admiral King High School Marching Band trombone section to play at appropriate times during football games.

Meanwhile, a few of my A. K. high school buddies (especially Scott Welko) and I were becoming familiar with the old comedy records of Stan Freberg, which contained – what else? – several Dragnet parodies. Here's one of the most popular ones: Little Blue Riding Hood (1953).

Since then, I've continued to be a big fan of Dragnet and own all the DVDs of the 1960s revival, as well as both the 1954 movie and the 1966 TV movie (that didn't air until 1969). I have a small collection of Dragnet items including books, a few photos and even a replica Badge 714 (Sgt. Friday's) pin. 

Publicity photo for Dragnet 1969

Of course, the badge is in miniature. Otherwise, I'd be guilty of violating Section 2913.44 Ohio Revised Code – Personating an officer, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

On Area Movie Screens – Sept. 1954: "Dragnet"

I'm a big "Dragnet" fan, so I couldn't resist posting this ad from the Lorain Journal movie page of Sept. 17, 1954. The big screen adaptation of Dragnet was the first movie based on a TV show (paving the way for countless others over the years, including 1960s big screen versions of Batman, and The Munsters.

Dragnet was a pretty big deal, as was it was one of the top-rated TV and radio shows at the time. If you're only familiar with the 1960s TV version with Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) as Sgt. Joe Friday's partner, you 're in for a big surprise. There's very little comedy or camp in the movie, and it's played pretty straight. It's practically a film noir.

It's odd seeing Jack Webb so young (and thin) and with Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) as his funny, likable partner. But it's a great movie, one of the few non-Westerns in my DVD collection.

Here's the rather faded movie trailer.

And here's the rest of the movie page.

Lots of interesting movies playing back then: On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando at the Tivoli; Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Ohio; and Monster from the Ocean Floor at the Dreamland.

And of course there is the very timely imported epic, The Marihuana Story (1950).

What, no Bowery Boys?

Ah, at least there's Border City Rustlers at the Lorain – basically two episodes of the TV show Wild Bill Hickok (with Guy Madison and Andy Devine) strung together to make a movie. "Hey, Wild Bill! Wait for Me!"

Downtown Lorain Merchant's Association Mother's Day Contest – 1954

Just in time for Mother's Day 1954, the Downtown Retail Merchant's Association of Lorain sponsored a neat essay contest for boys and girls of school age up to 15 years. The theme of the contest was "Why My Mom is Tops" and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were gift certificates for $25, $15 and $10.

Here's the ad with the contest information. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on April 29, 1954.

The Merchant's Association was pretty savvy. Apparently it posted essays in the windows of member merchants, and if you found your child's entry, then you received a $5 gift certificate for that store. It was a great way to make you check out every store window.

(Nowadays I guess kids would utilize AI for their essays!)

Of course, I couldn't resist posting this page since it had an ad for Dragnet (a favorite of mine) with a great photo of Jack Webb. As the ad notes, the NBC program was now on Channel 3. So why the move, and from where? As the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes, "WKYC (Channel 3) for most of its existence was one of 5 network-owned television stations of the National Broadcasting Co. It first went on the air 31 Oct. 1948, as WNBK over Channel 4. 

"A move to Channel 3 was mandated in 1954, when its erection of the most powerful antenna in the Midwest caused interference with other local channels."

I'm assuming there was an equivalent Father's Day "Why My Pop is Tops" contest.

Elsewhere on the page, we also get the local bowling league scores, as well as a neat ad for Heinz Strained Meats baby food. Delicious flavors to make baby goo-goo with anticipation included beef, liver, beef heart, liver & bacon, and lamb.

What, no beef brains or tongue?

Ohio Edison Thanksgiving Ad – Nov. 6, 1953

One of the challenges on Thanksgiving is finding room on the stovetop and in the oven for the preparation of the feast: cooking the turkey, preparing all the side dishes (mashed potatoes, dressing, etc), making gravy and anything else associated with the meal. It seems like the stovetop is perpetually cluttered with pots and pans (which the male of the species has to wash) with no room to do anything.

For many years, the house I lived that was located in Sheffield Lake had both a gas stove (left by the previous owner and moved to the basement by us) and an electric one in the kitchen. It was very convenient and perfect on Thanksgiving. 

I still don't know how my mother managed to prepare both a duck and a capon on Thanksgiving with one oven. Her kitchen wasn't all that big either.

But seventy years ago, our old pal Reddy Kilowatt had the answer: a Westinghouse automatic electric range with two ovens. As the Ohio Edison ad below from the Nov. 6, 1953 Lorain Journal notes, "With a Westinghouse automatic electric range to take over the cooking cares, mother can visit with guests and really enjoy thanksgiving with complete freedom from potwatching. The oven, of course, is completely automatic, turns out the turkey and all the trimmings just the way you want them."

"Two Ovens for greater convenience in cooking complete meals with utmost freedom from kitchen cares."

I love the illustration of the nattily dressed couple in the ad as they greet their unseen Thanksgiving guests at the door. (Notice how the art is cropped and the top of the man's head is as flat as a Dick Tracy villain's noggin.) Meanwhile, Chef Reddy happily slaves away in the kitchen.

I'm just not sure if I would have trusted the automatic electric range to handle everything with little oversight. I've seen enough 1950s and 60s TV shows to know that something always goes wrong (like on the Dragnet episode "The Big Weekend," when Officer Gannon leaves a duck roasting in the oven too long).

Officer Bill Gannon has his partner Sergeant Joe Friday over for dinner, and is about
 to cut into a very overdone duck with disastrous consequences on Dragnet

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Reddy was riding the range on Thanksgiving 1945 back on this 2012 post.

Journal TV Page – June 4, 1962

Well, it's Friday. How about a post featuring Joe Friday? Jack Webb, that is.

He's the main feature on this TV page from the Journal back on June 4, 1962. The first run of his classic series Dragnet had been off the air for a few years, and Jack Webb was keeping busy as a producer and director.

As the caption notes, "Jack Webb returns to the television scene this fall in a new series of factual dramatic shows sponsored by General Electric, beginning Sunday, Sept. 30, on the CBS Television Network.

"In the new series, Webb will serve as host and narrator, will star in about one third of the programs and will direct many of the dramatizations."

Although the series (entitled GE True received good reviews for some of its episodes, it apparently was no match for Bonanza, the show it was up against on the schedule. GE True lasted only one season, and Webb was back playing Sgt. Joe Friday in a new, color version of Dragnet by 1967.

Jack Webb has appeared on this blog before (here and here)

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Be sure to check out the Television Programs grid. It's a lot of fun to look at.

I can actually remember watching Huckleberry Hound after dinner (it came on at 7:00 pm on Channel 3).

Jack Webb’s Views on TV Crime Shows – July 1971

Jack Webb is one of my all-time TV favorites, with his long-running Dragnet series. That’s why I had to post this article from the July 5th, 1971 edition of the Journal.

In it, Webb theorizes about the growing popularity of law and order TV series coinciding with the rise in crime in the country at that time.

With 20 law and order TV series in the 1971-72 lineup, Webb notes that “viewers are finding some semblance of order in the shows that can’t be detected in the warped sociological scenes this country is enmeshed in today.”

Ironically, Webb had just pulled the plug on his Dragnet revival at that time after four seasons. Contrary to accounts that the show had been canceled, NBC had wanted to keep the popular show going. But Webb had run out of steam, choosing to produce TV shows rather than continuing to play Joe Friday.

Today, I don’t think there's any correlation between the popularity of TV shows with a law and order theme and the current attitudes towards crime in society. Crime shows just seem to be most popular type of entertainment with the public.

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Jack Webb has showed up on this blog before.

Johnny Risko and Joe Friday

I’m a big, big fan of Jack Webb, well-known as the creator of Dragnet and for his portrayal of no-nonsense Sergeant Joe Friday on radio, TV and even in a theatrical movie. I have the whole 1960s TV revival of Dragnet on DVD.

However, you might not know that Webb also produced, directed and starred in several movies in which he played other characters. I happened to pop one of them – Pete Kelly’s Blues – in my DVD player this past Saturday night.

Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955) is about a bandleader and cornet player (played by Webb) in Kansas City during the 1920s. He gets mixed up with a party girl (Janet Leigh) who loves him, and a gangster (Edmond O’Brien) named Fran McCarg. The movie also features Martin Milner (later of Adam-12) in a small role as the band’s hot-headed drummer.

Not surprisingly, it’s hard to watch Webb as the stiff, straight-laced band leader who is good with a gun without thinking of Joe Friday. Time magazine thought so too. In its review, it said the movie might as well have been called Young Cop With a Horn (in a reference to a similar 1950 movie called Young Man With a Horn.)

By now, you’re probably wondering. “But Dan, what the heck does this have to do with Sheffield Lake's Johnny Risko?”

Well, early in the movie, the gangster character McCarg stops in at the nightclub at which Pete Kelly and his band are performing. McCarg summons the bandleader into the nightclub’s office to tell him he’s taking over management of the band, as well as a cut of their earnings.

When Kelly enters the room, McCarg is studying a photo on the wall with his back to the movie audience. While looking at the photo, he murmurs, “Quite a fighter, Johnny Risko.”

Webb replies, “He’ll do.”

When McCarg turns around, you can see the photo of Johnny Risko just over his left shoulder.

Anyway, it’s a nice tribute to Johnny Risko, who had only passed away in 1953, and a reminder of his success as a heavyweight boxer in a career that spanned 1924 - 1940.