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50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing
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The plan for this hiatus season is to "catch-up" on the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons of Dragnet and Hawaii Five-O...thus finishing the former and catching up the latter to the point where it can become regularly scheduled 50th anniversary viewing. But first I have a few odds and ends from the 1967-68 season of Dragnet, starting with two episodes from early that season that got preempted by my Cozi affiliate for last year's St. Patrick's Day parade...
Dragnet 1968
"The Bank Jobs"
Originally aired October 5, 1967
Tuesday, August 4 (last occurred in 1964): Friday and Gannon are working the day watch out of Robbery Division, Bank Detail, when they get a call about an early morning bank robbery involving a man and a woman. Kent McCord, listed as Officer Whitman, fills them in outside the bank. The detectives drive a witness, Dr. Lang (Herbert Anderson), around the area, and he spots the getaway car in a carport where it was ditched. They trace the registration to a Jana Altman (Kipp Hamilton), who matches the description of one of the robbers. She claims to have reported the car as stolen, but the detectives' suspicions are stoked when they find paperwork lying around indicating that she's a parolee.
They take her downtown and question her with a policewoman present. She tells of how she was carjacked (before that was a word) by a man with a gun and forced to hold up the bank with her. He dropped her off afterward and took the car. She also reluctantly confesses to having a record for embezzlement in Oklahoma City. They suspect that her partner may be the gambler ex-husband for whom she was stealing, so they tail her for the next couple of days. Then they hear a radio call about another bank robbery involving a man and a woman, the latter of whom was found and said she was forced to do it.
They talk to this woman, Angela Riplon (Marian Collier), at a bar. She describes how the man got into her car at a stoplight. Now having a pattern to go on, Bank Detail engages in a rolling stakeout of banks of the same branch. The next robbery by the "hostage bandit" occurs on August 14, following which they let Altman off the hook and give her a brief infodump of L.A. bank robbery statistics. The rolling stakeouts continue until August 21, when they get a call about the next robbery. When they arrive, they find a woman beating up a man on the street in front of a crowd of onlookers. It turns out that she's the latest victim, but is also a karate instructor. They take the defeated bandit (Chris Alcaide) into custody.
Art Gilmore makes one of several appearances as one of several superior officers, Captain Howe. Also, there's an officer named Sgt. Reed in this episode, but it's not McCord's character.
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Dragnet 1968
"The Big Neighbor"
Originally aired October 12, 1967
Friday, December 14 (last occurred in 1962): Friday and Gannon, working the day watch out of Frauds Division, Bunco Section, are about to call it a day when a sailor comes in who was swindled by means of a fake party into letting somebody take his money, ostensibly down to the hotel safe. He confesses that it's not the first time he's fallen for this sort of trick. Gannon invites Friday over for dinner, but Friday insists that Gannon call his wife, Eileen, first. The boys won't be home, so Gannon's looking forward to a night of peace and quiet.
Arriving at the Gannon home, Friday can't stop being a stick in the mud, pointing out that Gannon parked across his own driveway. Bill pesters Joe about various changes he's made to the house since the last time Friday visited, which Joe doesn't notice. At the table, Eileen (Randy Stuart) informs Bill and Joe that that a neighbor, Art Bonham, is planning to come over, because he has something he wants to talk to a policeman about, and would rather talk to Bill's superior.
Bill and Joe are just sitting down to enjoy the game when the phone rings and Eileen informs Bill that a different neighbor, Marnie Prout, is about to come over. Marnie (Ann Morgan Guilbert) wants to talk to Bill, but wants Friday to hear what she has to say as well...which is that wants her husband to be arrested for throwing an egg timer at her. Joe informs her that she's got nothing to go on because he missed, and before she leaves, Bill advises that if she wants to press charges, next time she should let him hit her.
Bill and Joe resume the game, having missed some important plays, when the doorbell rings. It's Art Bonham (John Nolan), who's there on behalf of the neighborhood about a series of citations that the residents have received for how they park their cars. Bill tries to cut things short by advising him to just pay his fine. Afterward, Bill describes to Joe how those neighbors who aren't friends are really strangers, but they all come to him because he's a cop, and if he doesn't listen to them, he'd be considered a bad neighbor.
After a customary bit of Bill badgering Joe about getting married, they turn the sound back up just in time for the phone to ring. It's yet another neighbor, Ruth Walker, who says that somebody's trying to break into her house. Friday calls for a black and white, after which the detectives put on their jackets and proceed across the street, where they find a man working on one of the windows. They take him down quickly, and the uniformed officers promptly pop up...the one with lines being Kent McCord again! Ruth (Rhoda Williams) comes out to opine that they should advertise that a police officer lives in the neighborhood.
Having missed most of the game, Friday and Gannon now have to go back downtown to book the burglar. As they get to Bill's car, they find a citation on the windshield. Bill objects, but Joe advises him to just pay the fine.
This one's a memorably offbeat episode.
_______
50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing
_______
The plan for this hiatus season is to "catch-up" on the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons of Dragnet and Hawaii Five-O...thus finishing the former and catching up the latter to the point where it can become regularly scheduled 50th anniversary viewing. But first I have a few odds and ends from the 1967-68 season of Dragnet, starting with two episodes from early that season that got preempted by my Cozi affiliate for last year's St. Patrick's Day parade...
Dragnet 1968
"The Bank Jobs"
Originally aired October 5, 1967
Xfinity said:A bank robber forces women to help him while he holds bank employees at gunpoint.
Sgt. Joe Friday said:This is the city: Los Angeles, California. This part of it has been here a long time, several thousand years. This is Hancock Park, the Tar Pits, where more than one prehistoric skeleton has been unearthed. This sign, spelling out a world-famous name [Hollywood], was put up on the side of a mountain over fifty years ago. The sign, like the mountains, hasn't changed through the years. Some of the buildings are still standing: the old Hall of Records. But they're beginning to change...the new Hall of Records. Los Angeles is really a young city. This is where it all began, when it was a Mexican pueblo. They call this the Plaza. Today, this is a plaza. It's a mall, a shopping center. In Los Angeles, you don't have to go downtown. Everything's right here: stores, markets, restaurants, banks. These plazas are all over the city. And they all need protection. That's part of my job. I carry a badge.
Tuesday, August 4 (last occurred in 1964): Friday and Gannon are working the day watch out of Robbery Division, Bank Detail, when they get a call about an early morning bank robbery involving a man and a woman. Kent McCord, listed as Officer Whitman, fills them in outside the bank. The detectives drive a witness, Dr. Lang (Herbert Anderson), around the area, and he spots the getaway car in a carport where it was ditched. They trace the registration to a Jana Altman (Kipp Hamilton), who matches the description of one of the robbers. She claims to have reported the car as stolen, but the detectives' suspicions are stoked when they find paperwork lying around indicating that she's a parolee.
They take her downtown and question her with a policewoman present. She tells of how she was carjacked (before that was a word) by a man with a gun and forced to hold up the bank with her. He dropped her off afterward and took the car. She also reluctantly confesses to having a record for embezzlement in Oklahoma City. They suspect that her partner may be the gambler ex-husband for whom she was stealing, so they tail her for the next couple of days. Then they hear a radio call about another bank robbery involving a man and a woman, the latter of whom was found and said she was forced to do it.
They talk to this woman, Angela Riplon (Marian Collier), at a bar. She describes how the man got into her car at a stoplight. Now having a pattern to go on, Bank Detail engages in a rolling stakeout of banks of the same branch. The next robbery by the "hostage bandit" occurs on August 14, following which they let Altman off the hook and give her a brief infodump of L.A. bank robbery statistics. The rolling stakeouts continue until August 21, when they get a call about the next robbery. When they arrive, they find a woman beating up a man on the street in front of a crowd of onlookers. It turns out that she's the latest victim, but is also a karate instructor. They take the defeated bandit (Chris Alcaide) into custody.
The Announcer said:On October 20, trial was held in Courtroom 54, United States District Court, Central Division of the Southern District of California....The suspect was found guilty on four counts of bank robbery. Bank robbery is a federal offense which is punishable by imprisonment for not more than twenty-five years on each count.
These recordings aren't recent enough in my buffer to get the screenshots via the Xfinity app.The mugshot said:RICHARD MADDEN
Now serving his sentence in the federal penitentiary, McNeil Island, Washington.
Art Gilmore makes one of several appearances as one of several superior officers, Captain Howe. Also, there's an officer named Sgt. Reed in this episode, but it's not McCord's character.
_______
Dragnet 1968
"The Big Neighbor"
Originally aired October 12, 1967
Xfinity said:Friday and Gannon find it difficult to enjoy a football game on TV due to Gannon's neighbors.
Sgt. Joe Friday said:This is the city: Los Angeles, California. If you live here, you've got a lot of neighbors, and all three million of 'em have something in common with you: they've all got troubles. Everybody wants to share their problems. A lot of people bring 'em here [church]...so can you. If you don't like the answer, remember, it was free. For a five cent stamp, this lady will give advice [Dear Abby]. For a dime, you can tell your troubles to a friend [pay phone]. Or you can bring your problems to people like me. I carry a badge.
Friday, December 14 (last occurred in 1962): Friday and Gannon, working the day watch out of Frauds Division, Bunco Section, are about to call it a day when a sailor comes in who was swindled by means of a fake party into letting somebody take his money, ostensibly down to the hotel safe. He confesses that it's not the first time he's fallen for this sort of trick. Gannon invites Friday over for dinner, but Friday insists that Gannon call his wife, Eileen, first. The boys won't be home, so Gannon's looking forward to a night of peace and quiet.
Arriving at the Gannon home, Friday can't stop being a stick in the mud, pointing out that Gannon parked across his own driveway. Bill pesters Joe about various changes he's made to the house since the last time Friday visited, which Joe doesn't notice. At the table, Eileen (Randy Stuart) informs Bill and Joe that that a neighbor, Art Bonham, is planning to come over, because he has something he wants to talk to a policeman about, and would rather talk to Bill's superior.
Bill and Joe are just sitting down to enjoy the game when the phone rings and Eileen informs Bill that a different neighbor, Marnie Prout, is about to come over. Marnie (Ann Morgan Guilbert) wants to talk to Bill, but wants Friday to hear what she has to say as well...which is that wants her husband to be arrested for throwing an egg timer at her. Joe informs her that she's got nothing to go on because he missed, and before she leaves, Bill advises that if she wants to press charges, next time she should let him hit her.
Bill and Joe resume the game, having missed some important plays, when the doorbell rings. It's Art Bonham (John Nolan), who's there on behalf of the neighborhood about a series of citations that the residents have received for how they park their cars. Bill tries to cut things short by advising him to just pay his fine. Afterward, Bill describes to Joe how those neighbors who aren't friends are really strangers, but they all come to him because he's a cop, and if he doesn't listen to them, he'd be considered a bad neighbor.
After a customary bit of Bill badgering Joe about getting married, they turn the sound back up just in time for the phone to ring. It's yet another neighbor, Ruth Walker, who says that somebody's trying to break into her house. Friday calls for a black and white, after which the detectives put on their jackets and proceed across the street, where they find a man working on one of the windows. They take him down quickly, and the uniformed officers promptly pop up...the one with lines being Kent McCord again! Ruth (Rhoda Williams) comes out to opine that they should advertise that a police officer lives in the neighborhood.
Having missed most of the game, Friday and Gannon now have to go back downtown to book the burglar. As they get to Bill's car, they find a citation on the windshield. Bill objects, but Joe advises him to just pay the fine.
The Announcer said:On January 20th, trial was held in Department 184, Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles....The suspect, who was wanted in connection with several other burglaries, was found guilty on four counts of burglary in the first degree. Burglary in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than five years.
The mugshot said:FRANK WILSON
Now serving his sentence in the state prison, San Quentin, California.
This one's a memorably offbeat episode.
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