Dragnet - Season 4 - Episode 3 -The Big Crime

[@allenjones3130]

On DRAGNET, Jack Webb portrayed Joe as a thoroughly dedicated police officer who was devoted to his duties. It was Webb's performance that a major reason for the show's success. Rest in peace, Jack.

[@JohnDoe-fh4gd]

Indubitably ☺️

[@Ourladyrules]

this was a ground-breaking episode of Dragnet. when it first aired many people were jaw-droppingly shocked. it was still the days of innocent America then. and it offered helpful tips too, such as the shop lady seeing a weird guy near kids and writing down his plate no. and telling your kids not to talk to strangers. after over 50 yrs i still love this show.

[@KororaPenguin]

And it's refreshing to see a _remorseful_ culprit.

[@randallloomis4756]

Innocent America? What about the bank robbing gangs from Jessie James to Machine Gun Kelly!

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

In the late sixties i was walking home from work and about a block from my house when was surrounded by a bunch of men from the neighborhood. they all had baseball bats and maybe were carrying as far as I knew. they stopped me and told me to stand still or they would see that I couldn't stand at all if I didn't comply. they wouldn't tell me what was going on, but in a couple of minutes they brought a little girl to look at me. She whispered to one of the men (probably her father) and then went back into the apartments, the other men left in a hurry, and that man apologized. I found out then that the girl has just been molested in the alley behind the apartments and they were looking for the man who had done it. I was sure lucky that that girl has a good look at the subject and could identify him and not me! Vigilante Justice is still with us and neighborhood watches are just as important for your kids safety.

[@VictorSamuelson-nk5nw]

We need vigilante justice

[@matthewlivermanne4441]

It's 2021 and the Networks still don't address child molestation as well as they did in this Episode

[@angelamalek]

The networks are too busy defending the perverts to expose them.

[@Dayvit78]

What about the Diff'rent Strokes episode...

[@XyzXyz-mm9vq]

This is amazing (8:02): the guy is playing the organ, reading the🎵notes and answering to a very disturbing subject SIMULTANEOUSLY! And they say men cannot multitask😉

[@richardpodnar5039]

Virginia Christine, supporting actress in many "Dragnet" episodes, but most notable as Mrs. Olsen in the Folgers Coffee commercials. ("It's the r-r-r-richest kind!"😄😍)

[@JohnDoe-fh4gd]

And a mighty cute gal in her youth ☺️

[@LesterMoore]

I like the furniture inside Wylie's home. The heavy claw leg table and wood chair. I recall the actor later in a couple of John Wayne Westerns. McClintock. Jack Kruschen. Good character actor

[@wmlanza]

Jack Kruschen (Wiley) played detective Mugavin on the great radio show Broadway is my Beat.

[@mordechai-]

Wow, I have never seen Jack Webb act out violence on any TV show. I always wondered if he did on Dragnet, since he was a cop.

[@harlankrissoff9966]

A couple of episodes even showed him shooting. Not much of that on 60s wimpy Dragnet

[@TowGunner]

Joe had an uppercut that would have made Marciano proud.

[@maryhlad7501]

Sgt. Friday has a great right hook too.

[@VUclear]

They tore out those electric bus lines!

[@99RiverSt]

Good comments! Jack Kruschen (Wylie) was a steady character actor who made the move smothly from radio to TV. Agreed about episode's topic. Woudn't see that kind of treatment on TV till NYPD Blue. Glad I subscribed.

[@McIntyreBible]

Kruschen plays the quintessential scum bag!

[@wandahall4435]

Thanks for posting these programs they are great 👍

[@brendasmith1540]

Blx

[@idiotwind2248]

Wiley played a "narcotics addict" in another episode. He is in a couple more, usually playing a sleezy character. Guess he's good at it. He sure can put down some wine, huh?

[@JenniMeer]

He was also the elevator operator in The Human Bomb which was the pilot episode and the neighbor in The Big Casing.

[@idiotwind2248]

@@JenniMeer Yup.. Good memory 👍

[@jameswhitley5903]

I love. Frank Smith he is great

[@podaly]

The actor who plays Wiley has had dozens of roles in Dragnet over the years.

[@fromthesidelines]

Jack Kruschen appeared on the radio and TV episodes many times during the 1950's.

[@leonardbullock245]

@@fromthesidelines the actor who played Wiley also was in the premier episode of Emergency as a California state assemblyman.

[@fromthesidelines]

Jack Webb used most of his "stock company" of actors and actresses in various series over the years.

[@rickhinojosa5455]

I liked Frank as Joe's partner much more than Harry Morgan. Harry Morgan just irritated me with his ways. Frank was excellent. He complemented Joe just right. I love his expressions in this one, especially in response to the criminals responses. He got zapped by that same guy too! I never saw so much action in one of these either. Old Joe was smokin' with his uppercut!🙏

[@duran007fan5]

Harry Morgans character talked a lot about sandwiches.

[@dougwylie1906]

I like Harry Morgan better on MASH. I agree with you about Frank. And that fight was pretty cool!

[@rickhinojosa5455]

@@dougwylie1906 Yes, he was very good on MASH. ☺️

[@briangard951]

I liked them both - Harry Morgan had me cracking up a lot on Dragnet with his ridiculous ideas and explanations. '

[@raphaelandrews3617]

Yes he was a better supporting role. Sometimes, he was very funny like Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

[@McIntyreBible]

In Dragnet, whenever a turning point in an episode occurs, dramatic music (18:19, 23:09), sounds!

[@mikeballard8404]

State of the art IBM computers with punch cards.

[@JohnDoe-fh4gd]

Indubitably ☺️

[@McIntyreBible]

8:22, "I don't know why you always have to bother me every time something happens!...You made your own reputation, we didn't...everytime something happens to a kid I get a cop on my neck!

[@keithdow8327]

Thanks!

[@McIntyreBible]

19:04, this actor portrays the ultimate “scum bag.”

[@viatranquilla]

We were on the day watch, at night, it was Thursday, my name's Friday..

[@XyzXyz-mm9vq]

😄😄You just provided an example of an Oxymoron!

[@viatranquilla]

@@XyzXyz-mm9vq Indeed.. Be well and thank you for you reply.. 😊 👍

[@XyzXyz-mm9vq]

@@viatranquillaRight back at you!☺️

[@FIRST-x4h]

I guess there was never the good old days

[@mikeh.7499]

Christian...my bumper sticker for years read"these ARE the good old days"...thanks

[@HelaineGaray]

i guess not. 😢 I'm grateful this episode aired back in the "good old days". As UNCOMFORTABLE as it must've been, it HAD to have helped some sweet little innocent soul going through molestation~ isolated, scared, no one to confide in, wondering what was wrong with them??? Finally, this episode airs. i pray it helped then, as i pray it helps even now, bc as I've asked God "Look, God, look at these shows, that could be happening TODAY. What's changed? i see old westerns of people killing each other on the streets. What's changed?? i read the Bible & people are doing TERRIBLE things to hurt each other, scam each other. What's changed??? Are we any better now? How did You not just wipe us all out 100 times over by now? It's a good thing YOU'RE God....... & I'm........NOT!" It can get discouraging. 😢 BUT we HAVE to look for the good. ... And there CAN BE a lot of that, when we take the time to look. ✝️ ❤

[@HelaineGaray]

​@@mikeh.7499truly. I've said that so many times, " What IF these ARE the good old days?" We'd better start enjoying ourselves more & start complaining less! (We'll that's true for myself, anyway. 💁🏻‍♀️)

[@leondillon8723]

6:35) Webb played CSI Lee Jones in "He Walked By Night". The movie has similar opening scenes as "Dragnet". C.O.P. is a limey acronym. A duty roster of Constables On Patrol. It was not until the end of WW I, 28 June 1919 AD, that people in the USA heard of (Sir Thomas) Crapper, C.O.P. and F.X.X.K.

[@CJODell12]

The third episode of Season 4. In its fourth season, Dragnet ranked 4th in the Nielsen ratings with a 42.1 household rating.

[@bigk8210]

At 23:29 it looks like there is a guitar on the wall to Friday's left just past the window by the door.

[@wandahall4435]

Jack Webb is A Savage!!!

[@martinbench3657]

Jack Lemmon's neighbour in The Apartment

[@McIntyreBible]

This character actor (19:06) appeared in numerous episodes, including "The Big Frank."

[@janyceparks8326]

I wonder how the 2 little girls are all these years later. I hope they had counseling and support to help them, I know it wasn't that prevalent back then.

[@XyzXyz-mm9vq]

Good point.

[@Tralala691]

So funny how they try to give all those witnesses a personality and all have some kinda personality tic to them.

[@beakt]

Yeah, they do that in all the episodes. Like that one guy wolfing down an entire pie as he spoke with them. Or the guy with the train set. Or the deaf guy.

[@Bill23799]

Hey Joe, how about getting Frank down to Mercy General. He looks like he could use a few stitches in his face there.

[@charlesyoung9980]

I'm sorry. But, I laughed my ass off at 21:57-22:08

[@johnny-becker]

His "Life Sentence " likely lasted less than a year. Other lifers not in for child molestation have nothing to lose so they pretty much make the child molesters life in the joint a living hell.

[@cullen2106]

Boo.!'

[@johnny-becker]

@@cullen2106 Yikes! Don't do that. I am not as young as I used to be

[@esquad5406]

In the day when police work was done with a 38 a blackjack and a good pair of shoes.

[@dougwylie1906]

I don't remember any shows from when I was a kid that talked about child molestation. I would have thought they would have stayed away from something as sick as that. Kind of a bold move, and maybe it helped protect some kids whose parents were as naive as mine. We pretty much did what we wanted, went where we wanted, with permission of course. I used to walk home from kindergarten alone! Stuff I never would have allowed my girls to do. Hey, they didn't have to give the creep my last name, even spelled the same!

[@idiotwind2248]

Wouldn't have noticed if you didn't mention it. Yeah, you're right , it wasn't necessary that the molester have a last name. They chose that name for the worst possible crime

[@ronalddaub7965]

The guy that played the Hammond organ that was a suspect even had messed with kids and talked about that he said he hardly even touched that kid 💩

[@ronalddaub7965]

That candy truck driver is a wino

[@beakt]

6:37 So heartbreaking.

[@McIntyreBible]

21:54, the scum bag tries to get away from Friday & Smith but fails!

[@maryhlad5277]

Yeah-the scum bag hit Officer Smith with a wine bottle. That caused Sgt. Friday to give the pervert a good upper cut and left hook.

[@jessejames7757]

Sally would be qualified to be governor of California today and a hero to his people and a protected class. Sad how far this country has fallen.

[@teresas8173]

You are such a fool

[@genkatqltr8517]

Maybe it's just the way it was decided to portray it for TV, but the mother seemed much too "together", talking about this. Hysterics, or at least crying and sobbing, raised voice, anger, more believable.

[@Soultaker_For_Hire]

You can't expect every mother to act the same

[@aileenwagner2576]

I thought the same.

[@GoldandAppel]

9:37. Wonder what Jack Webb knew about Zodiac?

[@JohnDoe-fh4gd]

I'm officially old. Mrs. Folger's is a fox. ☺️

[@petesackett4611]

It's Mrs Olsen!

[@billchambersmarquez1964]

Mrs.Olsen? What no Folger's coffee!!!

[@chrislong3938]

They had sex offenders back then?!? It's kinda hard to believe they even broached this subject!

[@fromthesidelines]

Originally broadcast on September 9, 1954.

[@viatranquilla]

Big guy, mustache.. Do you think you can describe the man for us..?

[@nnamdianyanwu2975]

15:21 The great Irene Tedrow 👍

[@michaelhewitt258]

Considering 1950's TV They covered serious adult Subject matters At a time television was sanitized With mind less comedy

[@ypaulbrown]

Mrs Olsen, the Folgers Lady.......

[@ronalddaub7965]

I hope the Carson twins got help or they might not have made it through society with that happening to them

[@angelamalek]

That mother was a horrible actress! Her twins were raped and you’d think they fell down and scraped their knees, according to her reaction. Geez.

[@harlankrissoff9966]

Who played the lady realtor?

[@markclark1803]

She was good

[@kevinmadden1645]

Irene Tedrow: Otis Campbell's wife .😊

[@MichaelKurse]

That's good wine.🤔😑😑😑

[@ronwade2206]

One count!?

[@harlankrissoff9966]

1 count? Twins only count as one kid?

[@johna.4334]

"His name was Lester Z. Wylie" aka 'Lester Molester'

[@dodgeman4360]

Pretty daring to touch on the subject, but instead of stranger danger, it's more likely that they are molested by a family member....Nack then though it was rare to not let kids wander freely.

[@caroldixon7796]

I've always liked Dragnet. I had never seen this episode before. It certainly was grim. I always thought Mrs. Olsen was a pretty good actress. But she wasn't very convincing as a mother whose two daughters had just been molested. The rest of the episode was first rate.

[@McIntyreBible]

7:35, a possible suspect.

[@joyceyagoda4207]

Aired 1954

[@tinman7130]

In vino veritas

[@NoirChat138]

Come on Cole, stop chatting in Hispano with the pedestrians to impress them, we got some criminal to catch!

[@butchs2337]

i just hope the guys in prison took care of this guy and give him the right sentence he should have had coming

[@HansDelbruck53]

Looks like the names have been changed to protect the Guilty.

[@jessejames7757]

He had molested the Beaver for years.

[@Michael1966W]

One of the first episodes of Joe Biden

[@tinamaria3474]

What in GOD'S NAME HAS HAPPENED 2 CALIFORNIA 👎???? 🙏GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@ronalddaub7965]

The kids were sniffling the little girls was anything wrong? Didn't look like it.

[@nancyallen8497]

Why didn't the ice cream man notice that one of the girls did not have her dress on she must've been in her undergarments

[@Ctrl-XYZ]

That has to be the least convincing fight scene ever

[@sidhayes6168]

mentally ill, driven.

[@VictorSamuelson-nk5nw]

The guy who played the organ was obviously gay

[@jacquelinemilton6387]

Didn't like Harry Morgan either

[@JudithSweeney-p1o]

I liked him; he had personality.

[@brucebean2805]

Harry Morgan was not a very good fit for this program; I w'ont watch any of those episodes. Joe was great.🎉

[@JudithSweeney-p1o]

I liked him, less bland than his predecessor.

[@LarryDickmann]

Oh my Godzess Reeeeeeeeeeee it's people smoking cigarettes! This is when America' was at its best and didn't put up with 🤡🌎 tactics. My God, I'd give anything to leave this Hellhole age and live then.