Jack Webb takes on the NRA
Having just watched "A Christmas Story", we pulled out a DVD of old TV Christmas episodes. After watching some Burns and Allen zaniness, I noticed a Dragnet episode 'Big .22 Rifle for Christmas' on the DVD. Thinking it was something along the lines of a kid gets a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and starts plunking birds and squirrels only to be reprimanded by Joe Friday, I cranked it up. Hoo boy, was I wrong!
A kid goes missing. Joe & his partner talk to the mom. Blood is found on the patio along with a spent .22 cartridge. At first mom tells Joe that the only gun in the house is a .45 owned by her husband. Then she remembers there's a gift wrapped .22 in the closet for her boy Stevie. They find the gun missing. Next there's a report that Stevie's friend is also missing. They go and talk to his mom. Back at HQ, they get a call that Stevie is home. He confesses to Joe that he found the .22 and took it to play with his friend Stanley. They forgot they loaded it. Stanley ran with it, tripped, the gun went off. Stanley is dead. Stevie buried him under some leaves in the backyard. (at this point I had to ask, who signed off on this script at the LAPD) Friday uncovers the dead boy's face. Stevie blames himself; he shouldn't have taken the gun. They go to Stanley's house to break the news to the mom. The dead boy is moved to his bedroom(!) while they wait for the dad to get home. When he arrives they tell him that Stanley is hurt - "How bad?" "pretty bad." "How bad?" "pretty bad." "he's dead, isn't he?" After telling the dad what happened, Stanley's dad storms over to Stevie's house with Friday and his partner trailing. When the dad realizes how upset Stevie is, he gives Stevie the presents he bought for Stanley!
"What's it prove Joe?"
"You don't give a kid a gun for Christmas."
Door closes, glass Christmas ball falls off door and shatters. Da Da Dum Dum