Jack Webb

U.S. Police Drama

From the distinctive four-note opening of its theme music to the raft of catch phrases it produced, no other television cop show has left such an indelible mark on American culture as Dragnet. It was the first successful television crime drama to be shot on film and one of the few prime time series to have returned to production after its initial run. In Dragnet, Jack Webb, who produced, directed, and starred in the program, created the benchmark by which subsequent police shows would be judged. -- Eric Schaeffer

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