![]() Webb was known as an extremely economical TV producer: his Mark VII productions routinely used minimal sets, even more minimal wardrobes (Friday and Gannon seem to wear the same suits over entire seasons, which minimized continuity issues.) and maintained a relatively tight-knit stock company that consisted of scale-paid regulars who routinely appeared as irate crime victims, policewomen, miscreants, and clueless parents of misguided youth. To be fair, the series was equally intolerant of police corruption and went to great lengths to show LAPD's self-disciplinary process as it was at the time. Over the next five seasons, he regularly blasted marijuana, LSD (which was legal at the time of the revamped series debut), hippies, juvenile delinquency and disrespect for law enforcement. This later incarnation (co-starring Harry Morgan as "Officer Bill Gannon") is probably what Webb is best known for and unlike the 50's version, it was produced in color and increasingly focused on his personal conservative social agenda. It turned out so well in industry previews (oddly not broadcast until 1969) that NBC and Universal persuaded him to do a new Dragnet 1967 (1967) TV series, which lasted three-and-a-half seasons and went on to smash success in syndicated reruns. Coincidentally, they owned the rights to Dragnet (1951) and invited Webb to do a new "Dragnet" as a TV movie. After two years of unemployment, a new opportunity arose, the made-for-TV film, of which Universal was then sole supplier. Television, a job he was fired from that December when his revision of 77 Sunset Strip (1958) sent its ratings into a death spiral. In February, 1963, he became Head of Production for Warner Bros. ![]() The last two were box office flops, and Webb returned to TV in 1962. The series' popularity could have ensured its continuation indefinitely but, by then, Webb had become a film director and would helm (and star in) five features: Dragnet (1954), Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), The D.I. The show was one of the monster hits of early TV and was honored with satires by comics and even Bugs Bunny (!) during it's run, which lasted until September, 1959. "Dragnet" first aired over NBC radio on June 3, 1949, and came to TV ( Dragnet (1951)) on December 16, 1951. He successfully pitched the idea of a radio series to NBC using stories drawn from actual LAPD files. During production, Webb befriended a LAPD police consultant assigned to the film and became fascinated with the cases he heard told. A small role in the film noir classic He Walked by Night (1948) led to the creation of "Dragnet". He began in radio, first as a disc jockey then as host of a comedy show (Believe It or Not!), finally as "Pat Novak, Private Eye", his first true success. ![]() ![]() Webb's great love was movies, and his dream was to direct them. Making things worse, Webb suffered from acute asthma from age six until adulthood, somewhat surprising for a man whose cigarette intake reached three packs a day at its peak. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother in dire poverty that preceded the Depression. His father left home before he was born Webb would never know him. John Randolph Webb was born in Santa Monica, California, to Margaret (Smith) and Samuel Chester Webb. ![]()
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