TUE. PBS PIONEERS OF TV "CRIME DRAMA"

[Mike Sheridan]

Matt said:
@MS: You didn't miss anything. Besides this show won't go away. Public television will keep repeating it during pledge week to rope in the marks. Besides, if the show had been any good, you would have let the call go to voice mail (but you really should get a Tivo, anyway).

Funny you should say that, the Tivo is on it's way!

 

[KyDXIn]

Missed the show. Did they mention "Highway Patrol"? Just an excellent series with great performances from Broderick Crawford and great S. CAL location shooting. Fortunately, available on Hulu!

HP is also shown on This TV at 5 a.m. eastern most mornings.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I was glad that "Dragnet" was included on this show. It is certainly one of my all-time favorites. I'm glad that they mentioned "Dragnet" began on radio. Many other crime shows like "Gang Busters" and "Boston Blackie" were on radio before going to TV. Unfortunately, these kind of historical programs usually miss the early shows; perhaps because no kinescopes of them still exist. One would be a show called "The Plainclothesman" a live crime drama which aired Sunday nights on the DuMont Network. The main character was the chief of the detectives and his face was never seen. The TV camera served as his eyes as he directed the men of his department who were immediately in front of him.

 

[The King Bee]

I'm a huge Jack Webb fan and enjoyed all his TV and movie output. I'm amazed how well he was regarded personally in the Hollywood community.

Old union hands I've talked to from the LA area said that any Webb/Mark VII shoot at Universal Studios or any Desilu Studios calls were THE assignments to fight for, because Webb and Desi Arnaz treated the crews with respect, ran safe sets, and the producers had their stuff together and didn't waste time. They were efficient, yet lots of fun as well.

 

[Limp73]

My wife and I watched it this past week on our DVR. Happy that credit was given to Jack Webb who I always beleived was the one who started it all from the get go.

Great content I thought..especially the Desilu/Paramount years (The Untouchables,Mannix and Mission Impossible) Granted all shows over the past sixty years can not fit into roughly a one hour program...but all thngs considered,the major hits (and a few early misses like Honey West) were agknowleged...we enjoyed it.

 

[Ultimajock]

I was glad that "Dragnet" was included on this show. It is certainly one of my all-time favorites. I'm glad that they mentioned "Dragnet" began on radio. Many other crime shows like "Gang Busters" and "Boston Blackie" were on radio before going to TV.

...coincidentially, Gang Busters and Dragnet alternated weeks on the NBC-TV schedule in 1952-53 on Thursdays at 9:00/8:00 Central. In that season's Nielsens, Dragnet was the 4th-highest rated series of all (and NBC's top-rated show), while Gang Busters finished 8th (and NBC's second-highest rated dramatic program). Despite the high ratings, it appears that Gang Busters was only used as a stopgap while Jack Webb took his time gearing up Dragnet's production schedule, and once Webb was able to provide weekly episodes, instead of placing Gang Busters on a weekly pattern as well, NBC simply canceled it. Perhaps one additional reason for Gang Busters being so short-lived on TV was that, while the 1952 filmed version ran on NBC, the radio version was in its seventh year on CBS...

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I well remember Dragnet and Gang Busters running every other week. In fact, back then I was more familar with and preferred Gang Busters. Written by Phillips H. Lord, the Gang Busters radio show was said to use more sound effects than any other program. If you have ever listened to a recording of its opening, you'll get that idea.