''Dragnet'' is a 1954 American

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, most famous for his role as Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise), ''Dragnet'' franchise ...

and written by Richard L. Breen. The film stars Webb, Ben Alexander,

Richard Boone Richard Allen Boone (June 18, 1917 – January 10, 1981) was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns, including his starring role in the television series ''Have Gun – Will Travel''. Early lif ...

Ann Robinson Ann Robinson (born May 25, 1929) is an American former actress and stunt horse rider. She had a leading role in the science-fiction classic ''The War of the Worlds (1953 film), The War of the Worlds'', and starred in the 1954 film ''Dragnet (1 ...

, Stacy Harris,

Virginia Gregg Virginia Lee Gregg (March 6, 1916 – September 15, 1986) was an American actress known for her many roles in radio dramas and television series. Early life Born in Harrisburg, Illinois, she was the daughter of musician Dewey Alphaleta (née T ...

and Vic Perrin. The film was adapted from the radio series of the same name, and is part of the wider ''Dragnet'' media franchise. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

on September 4, 1954.

Plot

The film uses the

inverted detective story An inverted detective story, occasionally known as a "howcatchem", is a murder mystery fiction structure in which the commission of the crime is shown or described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator. The story then ...

format. Los Angeles police detective Sergeant Joe Friday hunts down the killer of a mobster, Miller Starkie, focusing on West Coast mafia second-in-command Max Troy (played by Harris). The vendetta between Friday and Troy becomes increasingly bitter and personal as the film proceeds, leading to a brawl at a private card game between Friday, Frank Smith, and several of Troy's henchmen. A policewoman (Robinson) infiltrates Troy's nightclub and is able to obtain vital information on the Starkie killing; Friday then gets additional evidence when an accomplice of Troy is sent out of state and killed, and the man’s wife breaks down and gives the police what they need to convict Troy. The gangster, though, winds up never being prosecuted and dies of natural causes.

Cast

as Sergeant Joe Friday * Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith *

as Capt. James E. Hamilton *

as Officer Grace Downey * Stacy Harris as Max Troy *

as Ethel Starkie * Vic Perrin as Deputy D.A. Adolph Alexander * Georgia Ellis as Belle Davitt *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Pedro, Griffith was the eldest of two born t ...

as Jesse Quinn * Dick Cathcart as Roy Cleaver * Malcolm Atterbury as Lee Reinhard * Willard Sage as Chester Davitt *

Olan Soule Olan Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. He was the ...

as Ray Pinker *

Dennis Weaver Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most ...

as Capt. R.H. Lohrman (uncredited) Info via IMDB

Production

In January 1954 not long after the '' Dragnet'' completed its hundredth episode, it was announced

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-born American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's ca ...

would produce a feature film in color based on the series with series producers

Mark VII Limited Mark VII Limited (formerly Mark VII Productions, pronounced "Mark 7") was the production company of actor and filmmaker Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 until his death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Tel ...

. ''Dragnet'' creator and lead actor

directed the film and was given complete creative control by

Much like the TV series, the film used an actual case as the basis for the plot with the case used considered too violent for broadcast television.

References

External links

* 1954 films 1954 crime films American crime films Films based on radio series Films based on television series Films directed by Jack Webb Films scored by Walter Schumann American police detective films Warner Bros. films 1950s police films 1950s police procedural films Films set in Los Angeles 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language crime films {{1950s-US-film-stub