![]() ![]() Law enforcement was different in the 50's, but the shows hold up well as a retrospective on police work from that era, and they're entertaining without being camp. This show holds up well in spite of most episodes being B&W. 1 Dragnet was on both radio and television from December 1951 through February 1957. A total of 276 episodes aired between Decemand August 23, 1959. The series pilot premiered on NBC on December 16, 1951. My hope is that someone with deep enough pockets and connections will locate, acquire and make the effort to restore all of the available 50's era Dragnet episodes in a series package. This is an episode list for the 1951 American television crime drama series Dragnet. By the 60's Joe Friday had become a slightly grumpier Dutch Uncle, the compass was still there, but now he dealt out fortune cookie philosophy to cardboard stereotypes who were seen as irredeemable to many of the middle American viewers tuning in. ![]() In the 50's, Jack Webb's character was a dedicated hard working cop with a good moral compass. The 60's reincarnation turned into a kinda feel good law and order show that either avoided or played it safe with controversy to the point of being preachy. I know that producers stopped in the late 60s, when color sets became ubiquitous, but it seems enough time has passed for people to appreciate the art of b&w. Alas, Dragnet did not make similar strides. The Defenders comes to mind as a courtroom series that pushed the envelope in addressing current events such as racism, drugs, delinquency, civil rights, abuse, the death penalty and many other social gray areas in an open and honest fashion. There were programs that broke ground in approaching changing cultural realities honestly, but rarely law enforcement. in the eyes of younger viewers seeking entertainment more honest and reflective of the changing 60's culture. The storylines may have appeared real to a middle American demographic, but the characters often came across as painfully doctrinaire and cliché. The addition of color did nothing to make the show more realistic. The 60's version is a different animal altogether. We always felt that Joe Friday was just an average guy doing a hard job for too little pay. Even if police actions were consistently depicted as more trustworthy than a reflection of real life, those portrayals demonstrated the honorable ideal of protect and serve. the 1950's Dragnet was cutting edge for it's time and a fairly accurate reflection of contemporary police procedures. ![]()
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