"The Big Tomato" (Aired January 25, 1951)
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: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday’s desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters.
THIS EPISODE:
January 25, 1951. Program #85. NBC network. "The Big Tomato". Sponsored by: Fatima. A high school boy named Kenneth Morrow is killed in an auto accident. He had been using marijuana! Friday and the cops track down "The Big Tomato." The editors of "Motion Picture Daily" and "Fame" magazine name Jack Webb, "the most promising star of tomorrow" and Dragnet "the best radio program of its type" for 1950. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 28:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
No comments:
Post a Comment