Jack Webb

Jack Webb

Born: April 2, 1920
Died: December 23, 1982
in Santa Monica, California, USA
John Randolph 'Jack' Webb, also known by the pen name John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited.

Born in Santa Monica, California, Webb grew up in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles as the child of a single mother after his father left home before he was born.

During World War II, Webb enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, but he "washed out" of flight training and was granted a hardship discharge to care for his family. Following his discharge, he moved to San Francisco, where a wartime shortage of announcers led to a temporary appointment to his own half-hour comedy radio show on ABC's KGO Radio in 1946. By 1949 he had abandoned comedy for drama, and starred in numerous radio shows until finding success in film and television in the late 1950s.

Webb had a featured role as a crime lab technician in the 1948 film He Walked by Night, a thinly-fictionalized recounting of the 1946 Walker crime spree. This experience gave Webb the idea for Dragnet: a recurring series based on real cases from LAPD police files, featuring authentic depictions of the modern police detective, including methods, mannerisms, and technical language. Following the success of Dragnet, Webb appeared in numerous television shows and specials, including the well-known 1972 series Emergency!

During his work on a revival of Dragnet in 1982, Webb suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 62. His funeral was given full police honors, and then LAPD Chief Daryl Gates retired the badge number 714 used by Webb's Joe Friday of Dragnet fame.  

Movies for Jack Webb...

Title: O.J.: Made in America
Character: Sgt. Joe Friday (archive footage)
Released: June 11, 2016
Type: TV
The rise and fall of American football star, O.J. Simpson, from his days growing up in Los Angeles to his murder trial that polarized the country.
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Greenboy: Prescription for Death
Title: Greenboy: Prescription for Death
Character: Joe Friday (archive footage)
Released: April 20, 2013
Type: Movie
Proof-of-Concept for the original series Electric Television.
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Los Angeles Plays Itself
Title: Los Angeles Plays Itself
Character: Sergeant Joe Friday in Dragnet (archive footage)
Released: July 28, 2004
Type: Movie
From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.
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Title: The Partners
Released: September 18, 1971
Type: TV
The Partners is an American sitcom that aired on September 18, 1971 through September 8, 1972 on NBC.
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O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
Title: O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
Character: Narrator
Released: April 2, 1971
Type: Movie
Suddenly widowed by an accident, a deputy sheriff from the Midwest becomes a customs agent and cracks a narcotics ring. Pilot movie for the series "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury."
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The Selling of the Pentagon
Title: The Selling of the Pentagon
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: February 23, 1971
Type: Movie
The Selling of the Pentagon, was an important documentary aired in primetime on CBS on 23 February 1971. The aim of this film, produced by Peter Davis, was to examine the increasing utilization and cost to the taxpayers of public relations activities by the military-industrial complex in order to shape public opinion in favor of the military.
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Dragnet
Title: Dragnet
Character: Joe Friday
Released: January 27, 1969
Type: Movie
Also known as "Dragnet 1966," this TV movie was originally the pilot for the 1967 relaunch of the original 1950s "Dragnet" radio show and TV show (which also had it's own movie in 1954, from the same creative team). However, the pilot wasn't actually aired until 1969. In this feature-length entry, Sgt. Joe Friday is called back from vacation to work with his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, on a missing persons case. Two amateur female models and a young war widow have vanished, having been last seen with one J. Johnson. In the course of tracking down Johnson and the young ladies, the detectives wind up with two different descriptions of the suspect, one of which closely resembles a dead body found in a vacant lot. But the dead man, later identified as Charles LeBorg of France, proves not to be J. Johnson, when a third young model disappears.
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Star Spangled Salesman
Title: Star Spangled Salesman
Character: Security Man
Released: February 9, 1968
Type: Movie
A collection of television celebrities pitch United States Savings bonds.
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Greyhounds of the Sea
Title: Greyhounds of the Sea
Character: Narrator
Released: December 31, 1967
Type: Movie
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Title: Dragnet
Character: Sergeant Joe Friday
Released: January 12, 1967
Type: TV
Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
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A Day in Vietnam
Title: A Day in Vietnam
Character: Narrator
Released: January 1, 1967
Type: Movie
Follows U. S. Marines and sailors on a "typical" day in Vietnam
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: General Electric True
Released: September 30, 1962
Type: TV
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Red Nightmare
Title: Red Nightmare
Character: On-Camera Narrator
Released: February 11, 1962
Type: Movie
A man takes his American freedoms for granted, until he wakes up one morning to find out that the United States Government has been replaced with a Communist system. The basis for this short film, narrated by Jack Webb, is the alleged Soviet re-creation of US communities for the purpose of training infiltrators, spies, and moles.
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The John Glenn Story
Title: The John Glenn Story
Character: Narrator
Released: January 1, 1962
Type: Movie
John Glenn's first flight ushered in the modern era of space exploration for America. His landmark return to space represented the final chapter of space exploration in the 20th century.
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The Last Time I Saw Archie
Title: The Last Time I Saw Archie
Character: William 'Bill' Bowers
Released: May 27, 1961
Type: Movie
Two Air Force friends have fun during their enlistment.
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A Force in Readiness
Title: A Force in Readiness
Released: May 25, 1961
Type: Movie
Awarded an honorary Oscar to William L. Hendricks "for his outstanding patriotic service in the conception, writing and production of the Marine Corps film, A Force in Readiness, which has brought honor to the Academy and the motion picture industry."
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-30-
Title: -30-
Character: Sam Gatlin
Released: November 11, 1959
Type: Movie
A newspaper editor deals with a particularly stressful day in the newsroom.
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Title: Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Character: Self
Released: July 29, 1957
Type: TV
Tonight Starring Jack Paar is an American talk show hosted by Jack Paar under The Tonight Show franchise from 1957 to 1962. It originally aired during late-night. During most of its run it was broadcast from Studio 6B inside the RCA Building. The same studio would also host early episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Its theme song was an instrumental version of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and the closing theme was "So Until I See You" by Al Lerner.
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The D.I.
Title: The D.I.
Character: Gunnery Sgt. Jim Moore
Released: May 30, 1957
Type: Movie
Gunnery Sergeant Jim Moore is one of the toughest Drill Instructors on Parris Island. But he's got a thorn in his side: Pvt. Owens, who always seems to foul up when the pressure's on. Convinced that "there's a man underneath that baby powder," Sgt. Moore drives Owens to the point of desertion. Making things worse, Capt. Anderson has given Moore three days to make the scared private into Marine material, "or I'll personally cut the lace off his panties and ship him out!" Adding to the pressure, Moore also juggles a budding romance with a shop girl.
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24 Hour Alert
Title: 24 Hour Alert
Character: Himself
Released: December 22, 1955
Type: Movie
This short film looks at the purpose and methods of the U.S. Air Force, and the difficulties of getting along with civilian neighbors. The story involves members of an Air Force base proving their worth to the mayor of a nearby town who would like to see them gone due to noise pollution.
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Pete Kelly's Blues
Title: Pete Kelly's Blues
Character: Pete Kelly
Released: July 31, 1955
Type: Movie
In 1927, a Kansas City, Missouri cornet player and his band perform nightly at a seedy speakeasy until a racketeer tries to extort them in exchange for protection.
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Dragnet
Title: Dragnet
Character: Sergeant Joe Friday
Released: September 4, 1954
Type: Movie
Two homicide detectives try to find just the facts behind a mobster's brutal murder.
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Title: The Oscars
Character: Self
Released: March 19, 1953
Type: TV
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
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Title: This Is Your Life
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1952
Type: TV
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. Edwards revived the show in 1971-72, while Joseph Campanella hosted a version in 1983. Edwards returned for some specials in the late 1980s, before his death in 2005. The show originated as a radio show on NBC Radio airing from 1948 to 1952.
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Title: Dragnet
Character: Joe Friday
Released: December 16, 1951
Type: TV
Follows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.
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You're in the Navy Now
Title: You're in the Navy Now
Character: Ens. Anthony 'Tony' Barbo
Released: February 23, 1951
Type: Movie
When Lt. John Harkness is assigned as the new skipper of a submarine chaser equipped with an experimental steam engine, he hopes that the U.S.S. Teakettle's veterans will afford him enough help to accomplish the ship's goals. Unfortunately, he finds the crew and its officers share his novice status or only have experience in diesel engines.
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Halls of Montezuma
Title: Halls of Montezuma
Character: Correspondent Dickerman
Released: January 4, 1951
Type: Movie
Richard Widmark leads an all star cast of marine leathernecks including Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone and Jack Webb into battle on a heavily fortified island. This action-packed story follows the squad as they pick their way through enemy-infested jungles on a time sensitive mission to find the source of the enemy rockets. As the mission progresses, the squad and leader overcome many challenges as they are transformed into an effective and efficient fighting unit.
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Title: The Jack Benny Program
Character: Jack Webb
Released: October 28, 1950
Type: TV
Laugh along with funnyman Jack Benny as he brings his underplayed humor to TV along with regular performers from his radio show days.
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Dark City
Title: Dark City
Character: Augie
Released: October 17, 1950
Type: Movie
Gamblers who "took" an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing in on them.
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Title: The Colgate Comedy Hour
Character: Self
Released: September 10, 1950
Type: TV
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
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The Men
Title: The Men
Character: Norm
Released: August 25, 1950
Type: Movie
Ken, an ex-WWII GI, returns home after he's paralyzed in battle. Residing in the paraplegic ward of a veteran's hospital and embittered by his condition, he refuses to see his fiancée and sinks into a solitary world of hatred and hostility. Head physician, Dr. Brock cajoles the withdrawn Ken into the life of the ward, where fellow patients Norm, Leo and Angel begin to pull him out of his spiritual dilemma.
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Sunset Boulevard
Title: Sunset Boulevard
Character: Artie Green
Released: August 10, 1950
Type: Movie
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
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Appointment with Danger
Title: Appointment with Danger
Character: Joe Regas
Released: March 31, 1950
Type: Movie
Al Goddard, a detective who works for the United States Postal Inspection Service, is assigned to arrest two criminals who've allegedly murdered a U.S. postal detective.
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He Walked by Night
Title: He Walked by Night
Character: Lee Whitey
Released: February 6, 1949
Type: Movie
This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop.
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Hollow Triumph
Title: Hollow Triumph
Character: Bullseye (uncredited)
Released: August 18, 1948
Type: Movie
Pursued by the big-time gambler he robbed, John Muller assumes a new identity—with unfortunate results.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Three on a Match
Title: Three on a Match
Character: Boy in Schoolyard (uncredited)
Released: October 29, 1932
Type: Movie
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.