Customer Reviews

The Dragnet Collection, Vol. 1

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great collection of the original Dragnet show from the 1950s.
Those who are familiar only with the 1960's version will be pleasantly surprised how close the original series is to that version.
Some of the same actors and actresses appear in both series, even some of the stories are the same!
Anyway, there are 20 episodes (8+ hours) of great black & white crime drama.
The quality of the prints used ranges from so-so to good.
The digital transfer is generally good.
The sound level is a bit low on some episodes.
Part of the opening and closing credits have been edited out.
If you are looking for a DVD collection of the 1950's version of Dragnet, this set offers the best value.

The first thing that struck me about this one was that the original Dragnet theme song, "The Dragnet March (Dum, de dum, dum),"
was replaced by a violin every time that the original would have been played.

I admit that I didn't read the previous reviews, and snatched this up on the spur of the moment with another item I'd ordered. I was attracted by the price and by the apparent completeness of the earliest of Dragnet episodes. I'm puzzled by the omission of the Dragnet theme, so iconic that without it, the shows seem very flat. I'm disappointed at the video quality as well, as if these are copied from a well worn film rather than the masters. Overall, for the cheap price, I guess one can't expect too much.

NYPD Blue, Law & Order, The Wire ... it all started here. While the literary police procedural got launched in 1945 by Lawrence Treat's pulp novel "H is for Homicide," Webb's creation leapfrogged over film and connected this new subgenre, offspring of Raymond Chandler's and Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled detective fiction, with the even-newer medium of television. When Dragnet first aired in 1952, TV had penetrated fewer than 10% of US households; when its first run ended in 1959, the percentage was almost ten times that. Add in the commercial tie-ins (look online for clips of Jack Webb, in character [when was he ever OUT of it?] hawking Chesterfield cigarettes) and you've got the one of the main roots of television as a short-form combination of commerce and art, the other roots being westerns and variety shows.

Curiously, these earliest episodes do not yet incorporate the familiar "dum ... dee-DUMP-dum" theme, but otherwise they're vintage Dragnet, reproducing with stark (for the time) accuracy the routines of a city police department. And no wonder -- creator/writer/producer/director/star Webb hired real cops as technical advisors, and offered a $25 reward to any officer submitting a story idea -- the LAPD reportedly used episodes as training films.

Quality of these DVDs is just fine considering they're digitized from who knows what obsolete technology.

Being a TV Kid, the "Dragnet" of the late 60's was my first exposure to the rough and tumble, monotone and serio-comic world created by series star Jack Webb. Why Harry Morgan, Webb's onscreen partner, never won an emmy for that knowing nod and the requisite softball across the plate to set up a memorable Joe Friday zinger, I will never know. The rat-a-tat dialogue, the guest stars, and the important social warnings (like taking LSD WILL cause you to paint half of your face blue and stick your head in the dirt) all made the show a pleasurable way to spend 24 minutes.

But to discover that a series by the same name existed a DECADE earlier, starring a much younger and robust Joe Friday and presenting a crime-fighting TEAM to help him clean up the streets of L.A.--was a true find. Short of exhaustive restoration, the quality of these DVDs are likely the best you're going to get from an old b&w TV show. These programs are mini-film noir....glorious shadows, the City of Angels in the early 50's and the brand new, now-classic cars help to tell great short stories with pretty good performances. Drugs, murder, prostitution, blackmail, forensics (ha ha) all brought to your screen in gun-blazing, black and white glory. This very inexpensive set has 20 episodes from 1952-1958 and my family and friends are enjoying every minute of them. You will, too!

I got what I intended to buy - the ORIGINAL TV series from the 1950's. It is a good quality transfer, and I am happy with it. Just be aware that this is NOT the Dragnet most people have seen with Harry Morgan as Detective Bill Gannon. Having said that, it is a nice set and a good buy.

1.Both disks came pre scratched, inside the box the cheap plastic center holds were BOTH broken (this was NEW?).


2.Both disks skip due to compression,on three different players, though the #2 disk was the worst, unfortunately this was a gift, all these problems were discovered at the birthday lots of fun.



amazon made many friends that night.

Amazon thanks.