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THIS IS AN AUTHENTICALLY AUTOGRAPHED LP BY JACK WEBB... JACK WEBB IN DRAGNET-TWO COMPLETE STORIES-THE BIG TALK/THE BIG SET(GOLDEN AGE 5003)RELEASED IN 1977-COVER IS SIGNED BY JACK WEBB. CONDITION OF THE VINYL,COVER, AND AUTOGRAPH IS VG. John Randolph "Jack" Webb (April 2, 1920 - December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Productions. Webb had a featured role as a crime lab technician in the 1948 film He Walked by Night based on the real-life murder of a California Highway Patrolman. The film was made in semidocumentary style with technical advice/assistance provided by Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn of the Los Angeles Police Department. It was this film that gave Webb the idea for Dragnet. After getting much assistance from Sgt. Wynn and legendary LAPD chief William H. Parker, Dragnet hit radio airwaves in 1949 (running until 1954) and then television in 1951 on the NBC network. Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday, and Barton Yarborough co-starred as Sgt. Ben Romero. Webb was a stickler for attention to detail. He believed that viewers wanted "realism" and strove to give it to them. Webb had tremendous respect for the people in law enforcement. He often mentioned in interviews that he was angry about the "ridiculous" amount of abuse to which police were often subjected by the press and the public. He said that he wanted to perform a service for the police by showing them as low-key working class heroes. In 'Dragnet' he moved away from earlier portrayals of the police in shows such as 'Jeff Regan' and 'Pat Novak', which often showed them as brutal and even corrupt. Despite his reputation for accuracy, he wasn't above bending the rules. According to one Dragnet technical advisor, he (the advisor) pointed out that several circumstances in one episode were extremely unlikely in real life. "You know that, and now I know that. But that little old lady in Kansas will never know the difference," Webb said in response. In 1950, Webb appeared alongside future Dragnet partner Harry Morgan in the film noir Dark City. The year 1952 saw Dragnet become a successful television show. Unfortunately, Barton Yarborough died suddenly of a heart attack, and Barney Phillips (Sgt. Ed Jacobs) and Herbert Ellis (Officer Frank Smith) temporarily stepped in as partners. In 1952, veteran radio and film actor Ben Alexander debuted as the second incarnation of jovial, burly Officer Frank Smith. Alexander proved to be a popular addition to the series as Webb's detective partner and remained a cast member until the cancellation in 1959. Dragnet began with the narration "The story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." At the end of each show, the results of the trial of the suspect and severity of sentence were announced by Hal Gibney. Webb frequently re-created entire floors of buildings on soundstages, such as the police headquarters at Los Angeles City Hall for Dragnet and a floor of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner Building for the 1954 film. During the early days of Dragnet, he continued to appear in other movies, notably as the best friend of the main character in the 1950 Billy Wilder film Sunset Boulevard. Webb's personal life was better defined by his love of jazz than his interest in police work. His life-long interest in the cornet and racially tolerant attitude allowed him to move easily in the jazz culture, where Webb met singer and actress Julie London. They married in 1947 and reared two children. They later divorced, and Webb married three more times. In 1951, Webb introduced a short-lived radio series, Pete Kelly's Blues, in an attempt to bring the music he loved to a broader audience. That radio series became the basis for a 1955 movie of the same name. However, neither the radio series nor the movie resonated with the audiences of the time.
| Status: No Longer Available |
Reference#: wejalpsiaudr |
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