Thursday, August 14, 2008

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Dragnet "The Big Pair" (09-21-50)


The Big Pair (Aired September 21, 1950)


Dragnet was a long-running radio and television police procedural drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet debuted inauspiciously. The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program’s format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday’s deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday’s first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio’s top-rated shows. While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined.


THIS EPISODE:

September 21, 1950. Program #67. NBC network. "The Big Pair". Sponsored by: Fatima Cigarettes. A couple run a racket of selling all the furniture in the houses of families out of town, starting with a little girl and her grandfather. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 29:31.

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