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Rating:  - Dragnet Forever
I'm too young to remember the original Dragnet TV show butI well remember
it's 60's reincarnation. As a wise guy ever so hip teenager, Sgt. Friday, with his straight talking lectures to hippies and pot heads
seemed hilariously square. And yet I liked the show's simple format(which
became ridiculous on its spin-off Adam-12, when a radio call would invariably feature a close-up of the car radio speaker!) and the sometimes gitty realism. Watching the re-runs 30 years later, it seems
a real museum peice. Not so, the 50's version. The shows are like the
raw material you imagine other film makers using to create the film noirs so popular in the 40's and 50's. The crimes are mostly real police blotter stuff, day to day petty crimes, sad sack dead-end characters abound - most of the shows on these discs are utterly lacking in glamor. Often, LA appears to be the armpit of the universe.
These two DVDs are a terrific bargain. The other reviews have detailed what they contain and I echo the writers who are frustrated that so few Dragnets are commercially available. The transfers are as good as a TV re-run from that era - I was pleasantly surprises they are as good as they are, considering the price. So far, I've seen about a dozen of the 20 episodes and haven't been disappointed. I was especially
tickled by the one where pot crazed teens trashed a movie house. If onlythe 1952 Sgt. Friday knew what was in store for him 15 years later!
Rating:  - CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?
Probably the most unintended comical picture in Hollywood annals.The audience is shown a gangland killing (and killer) in the first minute of the story. The remaining 88 minutes of this debacle are devoted to tracking him down, 1954 style. Forced interrogations lasting hours,police harassment,police brutality, a certain sense of pleasure in carrying out assignments,all lead one one to wonder why it took until 1966 for the Supreme Court to issue its now famous Miranda ruling.Anyway, there are surprises:I spotted 2 ancient Fords,a '53 Buick, maybe even a DeSoto. Richard Boone plays his police role much better than he was later to play "Paladin".Everybody, everybody smokes. The colorization is comical at best, with blue and brown color contrasts actually distracting the viewer.The story could have been done on television in a regular half hour segment.It's a wonder to this reviewer that the series wasn't canned immediately after this abomination; yet it went on until 1959, then made a comeback in the late 60's. Just for a good,if unintentional laugh, pick up a copy of Hollywood at its 50's worst.
Rating: - Very good (considering)
The bad news first: this is NOT in widescreen.
Aside from that, (and the fact it's not available on DVD), this is an AWESOME movie for Dragnet fans. That is, for fans of the ORIGINAL Dragnet (1951). Joe Friday is a little bit rougher than the clean-cut model of decency who crossed the TV screen in the late 1960s. Here we have a tough, hard-hitting crime fighter who is not afraid to push some serious boundaries to get the job done (and it's stuff you could NEVER get away with today). But - no spoiling! - you've got to see it to believe it.
A bonus for those who grew up seeing the broadcast TV version is that this is a COMPLETE version (there were several scenes cut from the broadcast version - some of which are critical to the plot). But once again - no spoiling - you'll have to see it yourself.
A definite must-have for the hard core Dragnet fan!
Rating: - One of two sets that are must have's
This set along with the 16 episode set from Raintree Home video (can be purchased at amazon)essentially contain every episode that is currently out there (for the original series). This Brentwood set (like the Raintree set) doesn't look great but is certainly watchable and in places quite good. It is a shame that the original Dragnet series will probably never recieve a solid dvd release.
Rating:  - Old Dragnet Episodes
These are classic Jack Webb Dragnet episodes. They are a bit dated, and predictable. The picture quality is good but not great. The same cast members show up as different characters in various episodes which was typical for the series. I found the 20 episodes very entertaining, and will likely watch them again in the future.
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