Ben Alexander Movies

The eighth and final season of the original TV version of Dragnet finds former police sergeant Joe Friday (played by the series' producer/director Jack Webb) assuming the responsibilities of his new rank as lieutenant. Despite his promotion (which occurred at the tail end of season seven), Friday continues functioning as partner and best friend of his longtime associate Sgt. Frank Smith (Ben Alexander). During its eighth season, the series was moved from its familiar Thursday-night time slot to a Tuesday-night berth, in hopes of improving its ratings, which had been seriously flagging of late. Also, most of the season's episodes were lensed in color, rather than the traditional black-and-white (though currently existing prints have been struck in monochrome). The season began with an unusually powerful episode, "The Big Beating," in which the normally taciturn Joe Friday almost "loses it" when confronted with an unrepentant child abuser. Also above the norm was the Christmas episode "The Big Maria," which forsakes the usual Yuletide cheer to focus on a particularly brutal murder in a churchyard. And in the final episode to be telecast, "The Big Red," Friday goes undercover to trap a heroin dealer. Even if Dragnet had recovered its high ratings of yore during the 1958-1959 season (which it didn't), Jack Webb was determined to bring the show to a close, hoping to ease out of acting and focus on producing. In fact, two new Mark VII TV productions, Pete Kelly's Blues and The D.A.'s Man, joined Dragnet on the NBC schedule during this season. Things didn't turn out quite as planned, however, and by season's end, all three shows had been canceled. It would be nearly eight years before the phoenix-like Dragnet would rise with a new series of first-run episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Man in the Shadow is a better-than-usual Albert Zugsmith production starring Jeff Chandler as the newly appointed lawman in a corrupt southwestern town. A Mexican laborer has been murdered, a crime which powerful land baron Orson Welles wants the sheriff to ignore. Chandler bucks Welles' wishes and investigates the killing, with the trail of evidence leading inexorably to Welles...but what's the motive? Man in the Shadow is unimportant enough on its own, but the fact that it was produced at all would have a far-reaching effect on cinematic history. It was during shooting of this western that producer Albert Zugsmith and actor Orson Welles agreed to collaborate on the Welles-directed masterpiece Touch of Evil (58). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Responding to viewer requests that he "freshen up" his now five-year-old series, Jack Webb, the producer, director, and star of Dragnet, promised that the series would have a comparatively new look during its sixth season on NBC, carrying over and improving upon several changes that had been tried out the previous season. For one thing, several of the characters spoke more emphatically and sometimes even hysterically, forsaking the series' patented monotonic dialogue; for another, there was a bit more emphasis on comedy, particularly during the byplay between LAPD partners Sgt. Joe Friday (Webb) and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander). And finally, Webb ceased relying so heavily upon his familiar "stock company" of supporting players (Virginia Gregg, Harry Bartell, et al.), infusing the casts with a bit of new blood. However, one of the changes that had occurred in season five was not carried over to season six. Having been tested in several episodes in the role of Joe Friday's girlfriend Sharon Miller, actress Marjie Millar was written out of the show, reportedly because the series' fans did not want Friday to be encumbered by romance. With Dragnet still running full steam on NBC during the 1956-1957 season, Webb opted to expand his TV production activities by launching a second series, Noah's Ark, the story of two dedicated veterinarians. Alas, Noah's Ark sank like a stone, leaving Dragnet the sole Mark VII production on the airwaves. Dragnet's most worthwhile season-six episodes -- many of them filmed during the previous season, to allow Webb time to complete his latest theatrical film The D.I. -- included "The Big Cat," based on an actual case in which a lonely man perpetrated a dangerous hoax in order to get attention; "The Big Deal," one of the "new style" episodes wherein Friday drops his normally polite veneer to brutally wear down the alibi of a female perpetrator; "The Big Doting Mother," a surprisingly contemporary-looking story of a kidnapping brought about by a bitter child custody battle; "The Big Cry Baby," in which a young burglar plays on the sympathies of his victims to escape arrest; and "The Big Soldier," the story of a fraternity prank that goes tragically awry. It was no secret that Jack Webb was weary of Dragnet by the time the series reached its sixth season and was seeking various means of dropping the show to focus on other projects. Evidently, audiences were tiring of the property as well; the series' ratings deteriorated to the point that it didn't even make the Top 25. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Anyone who thinks that the cost-cutting strategy known as "the clip show" is unique to TV sitcoms should take a gander at this vintage black and white Dragnet episode. During a New Years' Eve party at the home of police detective Frank Smith (Ben Alexander), Frank and his partner Joe Friday (Jack Webb) recall their most memorable cases. Not surprisingly, the two detectives' "flashbacks" consist of highlights from such previous Dragnet installments as "The Human Bomb" (the series' 1951 pilot episode), "The Big Sorrow", "The Big Mother", "The Big White Rat", "The Big Chance", "The Big Cop", "The Big Dance", "The Big Gangster" and "The Big Jump". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

At the height of the popularity of his Dragnet TV series, producer/director/star Jack Webb struck a deal with Warner Bros. to direct several feature films--the first of which, but of course, was 1954's Dragnet. This time around, the "true story" in which "only the names are changed to protect the innocent" involves the murder of former syndicate member Dub Taylor. LAPD sergeants Joe Friday (Webb) and Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) follow the trail of evidence to shifty gangster boss Stacy Harris, who during most of the film is able to avoid arrest through legal loopholes. Richard Boone plays Captain Hamilton, while Ann Robinson, best known for her screaming and scurrying about in War of the Worlds, plays policewoman Grace Downey. Most of the rest of the cast is drawn from Webb's TV and radio stock company, including Virginia Gregg, who is quite good as the amputee wife of the victim, and Vic Perrin, who would later portray the voyeuristic serial killer in the 1967 TV movie version of Dragnet. Some sources list Cliff Arquette as being in the cast of Dragnet, playing his familiar Charley Weaver character, but we can't find him. Dragnet has often been derided because of Joe Friday's reluctance to honor the civil liberties of his suspects, but remember that this was 1954, long before the "You have a right to remain silent" era. Webb's terse, tightly edited, close-up-dominated TV technique translates surprisingly well to the big screen. At its worst, Dragnet falls victim to the corny overkill of the TV version: the subtle-as-an-earthquake musical cues, Friday and Smith's ubiquitous nods and exchanged glances, etc. Still, Dragnet was a satisfying and profitable feature film directorial debut for Jack Webb, whose subsequent efforts included Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), The DI (1957), 30 (1959) and The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One sure sign that NBC's Dragnet was the most popular filmed dramatic series on TV during its third season was the number of satires and parodies of the program popping up on all manner of comedy and variety shows -- not to mention the release of the classic Stan Freberg 45 rpm record spoof, "St. George and the Dragonet." Nobody was laughing at the show's success, however; least of all Jack Webb, who as Dragnet's producer, director, and star was among Hollywood's highest-paid personalities. Even more money came Webb's way during the 1953-1954 season when reruns of Dragnet entered off-network syndication under the title Badge 714. Season three finds the LAPD's Sgt. Joe Friday (Webb, of course) and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) tackling a wide variety of exciting and intriguing cases, all of them purportedly culled from authentic police files. This season's standout episodes include "The Big Betty," in which the detectives go after a bunco ring preying upon the grieving widows of deceased soldiers; "The Big Fake," featuring Todd Karns as a rookie cop accused of beating and robbing a drunken man; "The Big Trunk," wherein a wiretap is used to break down the alibi of two men accused of brutally murdering a former vaudeville actress; "The Big Boys," featuring a young Leonard Nimoy as one of four dangerous out-of-town thieves; and the self-explanatory "Big Hit and Run Killer." Inarguably the most famous of all the season's episodes (and the only one filmed in color) is "The Big Little Jesus," the classic Yuletide tale of a stolen religious icon and a well-meaning little boy. Dragnet closed out its third season as the second highest-rated TV series in America, beaten out only by the indefatigable I Love Lucy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Acting on an anonymous tip, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate the apparent beating death of Hazel Rockman. The woman's landlady and next-door neighbor offer evasive and contradictory evidence, suggesting that either Hazel was killed by her absentee husband, or that she committed suicide. Once the cause of death is firmly established, the detectives must race against time to prevent Hazel's husband from taking his own life. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of June 14, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Investigating the murder of 50-year-old Charles Stahl, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) interview snappish motel manager Margaret Becker (Ellen Corby), who'd grown up with the victim. It turns out that Stahl was in the process of changing his will, possibly to favor a young girl with whom he'd become infatuated. A few casual words from Paul West (Jonathan Hole), the man who found Stahl's body, lead the detectives to the solution of the crime (which, truth be told, isn't much of a surprise). This episode was inspired by the Dragnet radio broadcast of June 7, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In a curious "stolen identity" episode (based on a Dragnet radio program first heard on July 7, 1951), Friday (Jack Webb) investigates when old Mr. Grady (Anthony Jochim) thinks that he has been reunited with his grandson Donald. It turns out that there are several inconsistencies in the stories told by both Grady and by the youngster (David Stollery) claiming to be the grandson. The whole truth, however, is not revealed until several months later--and even devoted Dragnet fans won't be able to predict the outcome of this one. Ben Alexander makes his first TV appearance as Friday's partner, officer Frank Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." Thus began each and every episode of Dragnet, arguably the most famous police series in TV history. Originating in 1949 as a radio series, Dragnet was the brainchild of actor/producer/director Jack Webb, who wanted to give the public a tense, unglamorized, and realistic crime series as a contrast -- and an antidote -- to the myriad of fanciful and streamlined private eye shows then festering the airwaves. In the radio version, Webb established the series' documentary-style format, its meticulous attention to detail (extending to the use of authentic police jargon and acronyms, à la "A.P.B.," "M.O.," "R&I," etc.), and the flat, monotonic narration of the series' protagonist, Sergeant Joe Friday of the LAPD. ("My name's Friday. I'm a cop.") Also introduced in the radio Dragnet was the series' now-legendary theme music ("Dum-de-DUM-dum"), written by Walter Schumann. On December 16, 1951, with the radio version still flourishing, the filmed, half-hour TV version of Dragnet premiered on NBC, initially alternating weekly with Gang Busters. Jack Webb continued to play the leading role of Sgt. Joe Friday (under protest -- he'd wanted Lloyd Nolan to star in the TV adaptation), with Barton Yarborough repeating his radio characterization of Friday's partner, Sgt. Ben Romero. After Yarborough's death, several other actors were tried out as Friday's partner until Ben Alexander joined the cast as Officer Frank Smith, a role he'd hold down for the duration of the series.

Dragnet proved so successful that NBC decided to offer it on a weekly basis beginning in the fall of 1952. Before long, virtually everyone in the country was humming the series' theme song and repeating its catchphrases ("This is the city," "Just the facts, ma'am," et al.); and in a curious accolade, the series was satirized in Stan Freberg's unforgettable record "St. George and the Dragonet."Throughout Dragnet's eight-season TV run, Jack Webb upheld the series' lofty standards and high level of verisimilitude, even though he grew weary of doing triple duty as producer, director, and star early on, and sought escape in a variety of outside ventures, including such theatrical features as Pete Kelly's Blues and The D.I., and such non-Dragnet TV series as Noah's Ark and The D.A.'s Man. Nevertheless, Dragnet proved to be Webb's signature project, even more so when the property was converted into a high-grossing theatrical film in 1954. By the time the series entered its final season in 1958, Sgt. Joe Friday had been promoted to lieutenant, a ratings-boosting move that Webb wasn't overly fond of; also, the series switched from black-and-white to color (though current prints of the final season are in monochrome only).

After Dragnet's cancellation on September 6, 1959, Jack Webb all but retired from acting to focus on producing and directing, hoping to leave Joe Friday far behind him, even though the character had won him the undying devotion of hundreds of thousands of real-life police officers. However, after several fallow years, Webb was persuaded by NBC and Universal Pictures to revive his most famous character in a made-for-TV movie version of Dragnet, filmed in 1966. So impressed were the network and studio executive by the results that they commissioned Webb to revive Dragnet as a weekly series, which debuted January 12, 1967, as an emergency replacement for the failing NBC sitcom The Hero (the movie-length Dragnet was subsequently shelved, and not broadcast until 1969). Except for the fact that it was filmed entirely in color, the new series closely adhered to the format of the original, with Joe Friday (inexplicably demoted back to sergeant) working out of various LAPD divisions -- homicide, robbery, missing persons -- and working on cases culled from actual police files. Also, each episode began with the "true story" disclaimer, and ended with a wrap-up of the convictions visited upon the perpetrators, book-ended by the classic Walter Schumann theme music and the closing shot of a muscular pair of hands chiseling out the Mark VII logo signifying Webb's production company. With Ben Alexander busy with another cop series, The Felony Squad, Friday took on a new partner, Sgt. Bill Gannon, played by Harry Morgan. Although many of the supporting actors were culled from Jack Webb's familiar radio and TV stock company -- Virginia Gregg, Vic Perrin, Peggy Webber, and Harry Bartell to name but a few -- with rare exceptions, the revived Dragnet dealt with brand-new stories focusing on such contemporary issues as racial prejudice, the generation gap, and (especially) drug abuse. With each successive season re-titled to signify the year of its telecast (Dragnet: 1967, Dragnet: 1968, etc.), the new Dragnet remained on NBC until September 10, 1970, its 98 episodes enjoying even more success in syndicated and cable TV reruns than the rebroadcasts of the original series (which had been in syndication since 1953 under the title Badge 714). Since Jack Webb's death in 1982, Dragnet has been revived twice with different actors, first as a syndicated series in 1989, then as an ABC weekly (starring Ed O'Neill as Joe Friday) in 2003. In addition, the series was lampooned in the 1987 theatrical release Dragnet, starring Dan Aykroyd as Joe Friday's soundalike nephew, and with Harry Morgan recreating his role as Bill Gannon! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this boxing drama, the trouble begins when a fight breaks out at a local gym. When a boxing promoter sees that Dick, who is training Andy Grogan to wrestle, really packs a wallop, he suggests that Dick try boxing. Slick, the promoter then fixes Dick's fights to ensure that he wins. When Pat, a female sportswriter who uses a man's name in her columns, suspects that something is up, Slick sticks her with Dick's contract which she 'wins' in a raffle. When Dick begins winning fights for real, he and Pat are laughing all the way to the bank. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Spy Ring (aka International Spy) was designed as a trial balloon for new Universal contractee William Hall. He is cast as Captain Todd Hayden, star player of an army-camp polo team. What Hayden doesn't know is that some of his polo cronies are enemy spies, anxious to steal the plans for a revolutionary new anti-aircraft gun. After miles and miles of polo footage, the Captain reveals that the head of the spy ring is blonde femme fatale Jean Bruce (Esther Ralston). This extremely minor film is of marginal interest today because of the onscreen presence of leading lady Jane Wyman and the offscreen omnipresence of cult director Joseph H. Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a bookkeeper ignores his employer's disapproval and continues to see the boss' daughter. Later the boss ends up accusing him of theft and gets him jailed. Upon his eventual release the bookkeeper endeavors to get his revenge. He ignores his former employer's apologetic attempts to do right by the man. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi