Search - Dragnet on DVD

Lisa E. from BRISTOL, WI
Reviewed on 8/29/2008...

THIS DVD HAS ONLY 16 EPISODES. IT DOES NOT HAVE 20 EPISODES. THE COMPUTER DID NOT PUT UP THE CORRECT ARTWORK FOR THIS DVD.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Old "Dragnet" made new

S. R. Petix | 06/01/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kudos to Universal Vault series for their bringing this 1954 Warner Bros. movie classic to DVD. I had an old BETA(!)copy that was poorly transferred with washed-out colors. The DVD corrects all that and makes available a classic "police-action" concept from the '50s enjoyable to watch, with all its dated dialog and action intact. Great fun!"

Unless you're growin', Sit down!

Adam Graham | 05/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Sgt. Friday in living color in 1950s form before the middle age paunch of the 1960s. It's Sergeant Friday in a show that mixes Dragnet with the fast-paced Noir writing that made Webb's Private Detective show, Pat Novak for Hire (written by screenwriter Richard Breen,) a classic.

1) Picture Quality was superb: I've seen this on an old rental VHS and the difference is night and day. The color is crisp and stunning. This is a good print that Universal used.

2) The Story is not your ordinary Dragnet. This film would be considered a minor noir classic if it weren't based on a TV show. In many ways it deviates with a fist fight in a bridge hall and the lack of banter between Friday and Smith. As well, Friday is a little more aggressive and on-edge than normally written. This is because Breen didn't write for Dragnet. It's very similar to the normal Dragnet, but with a greater hard boiled punch to it that makes it interesting. It also fits that Friday would be a little tougher as he's dealing with underworld hoods throughout the whole thing, and not Mrs. Garrity, the grey-haired landlady. Just because it's different, doesn't make it bad or unfitting for the canon. It's actually a well-made and distinct film.

3) The Dialogue is a Work of Art. This is Friday at his toughest, delivering lines such as, "Unless you're growin', Sit down! " to a hood trying to start something.

Friday is tough and ready for action in a forgotten classic that is a must see for fans of Dragnet, NOIR, or detective fiction."

Classic cop show

James K. Butler | 07/02/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is really nothing more than a color theatrical 90 min. film based on the classic radio and 1950's half-hour TV show (NOT the late 1960's version with Harry Morgan). In this one Ben Alexander plays Webb's partner Frank Smith - as he did on TV and spawned the classic Stan Freberg parodies. It features several well-known actors (i.e. Richard Boone) who were not in the TV series as well as Jack Webb's recurring cast of recognizable actors who often appeared in both the original "Dragnet" TV series as well as the later version. If you love the ORIGINAL "Dragnet" get this one."