Need Episode name - abandoned baby - Dragnet (1951) Discussion

[–] jayjerry 17 years ago

It's "The Big Show" from Season 2 (episode 11). Virginia Gregg played the woman. I just happened to watch this last week. I found a good DVD collection of the series at the library, and I'm really enjoying it.

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[–] fivefids 16 years ago

The later incarnation of Dragnet includes a remake of this episode called Juvenile - DR-35 made in 1969. Virginia Gregg plays the lady who finds the abandoned baby in this version.

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[–] scribe1270 15 years ago

I think that's "The big show" if the IMDB is correct. There was (I believe) a radio version as well though I can't locate it right at the moment.
Edit: I found it. On radio it was the April 10th episode of 1952 also titled "The big show."

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[–] amsboethius1 13 years ago

How Webb got away with this episode in 1953 is beyond me. It was brutally explicit about what went on, amazing considering that literally at the same time this came out a real-life husband and wife (Desi & Lucy) couldn't be shown sleeping in the same bed or even using the word "pregnant" on their show! Kudos to him for getting it past the idiot censors.

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[–] lvrepoman 13 years ago

It's pretty funny comparing Virgina Gregg in this episode and the later episodes she appeared in during the 60's run of Dragnet. In this episode Gregg has dark hair and is believable as someone in her 30's. I wouldn't necessarily describe her as attractive, but womens' hair styles in the 50's were just soooo bad it is hard to tell if the woman underneath is good looking or not.

Fifteen years later when she was in seemingly every-other episode, she looked OLD. I'm talking wicked witch of the west old. She continued to appear in Webb-produced shows well into the 70's---shows like Emergency and Project UFO. I guess that just goes to show that if you are a good actor, you will continue to get parts. Webb must have loved her work.

"He was running around like a rooster in a barnyard full of ducks."--Pat Novak

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[–] jbwphoto1 13 years ago

When we were children watching the repeats in the 80's we used to call her "The Dragnet Lady." I'm always so surprised when I find her on some other show or movie.

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[–] scribe1270 11 years ago

What's even more interesting is that Virginia Gregg (if I recall correctly) did the voice of Mrs. Friday (Joe's mother) on the radio version of the show. That was way back long before Dragnet went to television. Back then the voice of Joe's superior Lt. Backstrand was done by Raymond Burr who later went on to play Perry Mason among other roles.

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[–] lvrepoman 10 years ago

Actually, it was Peggy Webber, another Dragnet actor who shows up in dozens of episodes, who played Mother Friday on the radio. She sounds like she was about 150 years old, which is amazing considering Webber was in her 20's at the time.

I've heard an interview with Webber where she says she based the voice on her own mother. That poor lady must have lived a hard life....

"He was running around like a rooster in a barnyard full of ducks."--Pat Novak

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[–] ThoseWhoSquirm (3) 2 years ago

Every time I hear her say "Jo-seph?" on the OTR episodes it makes me cringe, because why should a man presumably around 30 years of age have a mother who sounds like she's 85?

It's astonishing to think that Peggy Webber was younger than just about all the other regular actors on the OTR show.

She wasn't in her 20s, but rather mid-30s. Still remarkable given the way she played the character.

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[–] ThoseWhoSquirm (3) 2 years ago

She looks a lot better in her head shot, as shown in the Wikipedia article--almost a Donna Reed type.

The other thing that struck me was her cat's eye glasses! I thought young women never wore those, but I see I was wrong. How did the human race not die out with such ugly styles and fashions. And I don't mean just the women; I don't think the men were doing themselves any favors, either.

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[–] patrickvancleef 13 years ago

Does anyone know the title of a "Dragnet" episode which centered around the Capitol Record Studios in Hollywood and the episode featured the pressing and soundtrack of Nat king Cole's then current hit.????

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[–] r651979 11 years ago

How about the actor in the photo booth at the bus station? It looks like Shemp Howard with a fake nose, but I know it's not. It is a rather unusual bit of humor for Jack Webb, I thought.
I am brand new to these early shows.

Yes - "the Dragnet lady" - how approbo. Lol!

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[–] ThoseWhoSquirm (3) 2 years ago

I thought the same thing about the man in the photo booth. Shemp was still alive at this time, though in poor health. Could he have done an uncredited cameo?

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