Editing Jack Webb

{{Short description|American actor, producer, director, and writer (1920–1982)}}
{{About|  the actor, producer and writer|the mystery writer|Jack Webb (novelist)|the Australian rules footballer|Jack Webb (footballer)}}
{{Use American English|date = November 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name                  = Jack Webb
| image                 = Jack Webb Joe Friday Dragnet 1957.jpg
| caption               = Jack Webb as [[Joe Friday]] in ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'' (1957)
| birth_name            = John Randolph Webb
| birth_date            = {{Birth date|1920|04|02|mf=y}}
| birth_place           = [[Santa Monica, California]], U.S.
| death_date            = {{Death date and age|1982|12|23|1920|04|20|mf=y}}
| death_place           = [[West Hollywood, California]], U.S.
| resting_place         = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord |34.14840 |-118.32718 |region:US-CA_type:landmark |display=inline }}
| other_names           = John Randolph
| occupation            = {{hlist|Actor|television producer|television director|screenwriter}}
| years_active          = 1932–1982
| spouse                = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Julie London]]|1947|1954|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Dorothy Towne|1955|1957|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Jackie Loughery]]|1958|1964|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Opal Wright|1980|}}
}}
| children              = 2
}}

'''John Randolph Webb''' (April 2, 1920&nbsp;– December 23, 1982) was an American [[actor]], [[television producer]], [[Television director|director]], and [[screenwriter]], most famous for his role as [[Joe Friday]] in the [[Dragnet (franchise)|''Dragnet'' franchise]], which he created. He was also the founder of his own production company, [[Mark VII Limited]].<ref>{{cite news| first=Robert A.| last=Jones| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-20-mn-602-story.html| title=Jack Webb Doesn't Live Here Anymore| work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| date=March 20, 1991| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first=Barbara| last=Thornburg| url=https://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-mininni-feb06-pictures,0,5745730.photogallery| title=Former Palm Springs home of 'Dragnet' star Jack Webb| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=February 6, 2010| access-date=January 28, 2020| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Webb started his career in the 1940s as a [[radio personality]], starring in several [[Radio program|radio shows]] and [[Radio drama|dramas]]—including ''Dragnet'', which he created in 1949—before entering television in the 1950s, creating the television adaptation of ''Dragnet'' for [[NBC]] as well as other series. Throughout the 1960s, Webb worked in both acting and television production, creating ''[[Adam-12]]'' in 1968, and in 1970, Webb retired from acting to focus on producing, creating ''[[Emergency!]]'' in 1972. Webb continued to make television series, and although many of them were less successful and short-lived, he wished to rekindle his prior successes, and had plans to return to acting in a ''Dragnet'' revival before he died.

Webb's production style aimed for significant levels of detail and accuracy. Many of his works focused on [[law enforcement]] and [[emergency service]]s in the [[Los Angeles]] area, most prominently the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD), which directly supported the production of ''Dragnet'' and ''Adam-12''.

==Early life==
Webb was born in [[Santa Monica, California]], on April 2, 1920, son of Samuel Chester Webb and Margaret (née Smith) Webb.<ref name=mnf>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IosyS2rjwMgC&q=%22Samuel+Chester+Webb%22&pg=PA9| title=My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb| first=Michael J.| last=Hayde| publisher=Cumberland House Publishing| location=[[Nashville, Tennessee]]| date=2001| isbn=978-1581821901}}</ref><ref>LDS family records show that Samuel C. Webb (b. 1890 Henrietta, Clay County, Texas, son of James H. Webb and Mary Elizabeth Gambell) married May 30, 1917, in Superior, Mineral, Montana, to Margaret Smith age 18 born Caldwell, Canyon Co, Idaho, daughter of [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MM5G-TJS Frank J. Smith and Emma Strickland].</ref> He grew up in the [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]] section of Los Angeles. His father left home before Webb was born, and Webb never knew him.<ref name="NYT">{{cite web| title=Jack Webb, Laconic Sgt. Friday On TV 'Dragnet' Series, Is Dead| first=Frank J.| last=Prial| date=December 24, 1982| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/24/obituaries/jack-webb-laconic-sgt-friday-on-tv-dragnet-series-is-dead.html| work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=June 2020}}

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Webb lived in the parish of Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church and attended Our Lady of Loretto Elementary School in [[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]], where he served as an altar boy.<ref name=OLL>{{cite web| title=Our Lady of Loretto Elementary School: OLL Historic Timeline| url=http://www.ollalumni.com/historic-timeline.php| access-date=June 23, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905002033/http://www.ollalumni.com/historic-timeline.php| archive-date=September 5, 2009}}</ref> He then attended [[Belmont High School (Los Angeles)|Belmont High School]], near downtown Los Angeles, where he was elected student body president. He wrote to Belmont's student body in the 1938 edition of its yearbook, ''Campanile'', "You who showed me the magnificent warmth of friendship which I know, and you know, I will carry with me forever."<ref>''Campanile 1938,'' Belmont High School, 1938.</ref> Webb attended [[College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University|St. John's University, Minnesota]], where he studied art.
 
During [[World War II]], Webb enlisted in the [[United States Army Air Corps]], but he "washed out" of flight training.<ref name="mnf" /> He later received a hardship discharge because he was the primary financial support for both his mother and grandmother.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Daniel |last1=Moyer |first2=Eugene |last2=Alvarez |title=Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Authorized Biography of Jack Webb, Creator of Dragnet, Adam-12, and Emergency! |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PyAIAQAAMAAJ&q=hardship+discharge |page=39 |isbn=978-0929765297 |publisher=Seven Locks Press |year=2001 |access-date=January 28, 2020}}</ref>

==Career==

===Acting===
Following his discharge, Webb moved to [[San Francisco]], where a wartime shortage of announcers led to a temporary appointment to his own radio show on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[KGO (AM)|KGO Radio]].<ref name=pn>{{cite magazine| last1=Gustafson| first1=Craig| title=Pat Novak ... for Hire| magazine=Nostalgia Digest| date=Spring 2009| volume=35| issue=2| pages=4–9}}</ref> ''The Jack Webb Show'' was a half-hour comedy that had a limited run on ABC radio in 1946. Prior to that, he had a one-man program, ''One Out of Seven,'' on KGO in which he dramatized a news story from the previous week.<ref name=mnf />

By 1949, Webb had abandoned comedy for drama, and starred in ''[[Pat Novak, for Hire]],'' a radio show originating from KFRC about a man who worked as an unlicensed private detective. The program co-starred [[Raymond Burr]]. ''Pat Novak'' was notable for writing that imitated the [[hardboiled]] style of such writers as [[Raymond Chandler]], with lines such as: "She drifted into the room like 98 pounds of warm smoke. Her voice was hot and sticky&nbsp;— like a furnace full of marshmallows." Early in 1949, Webb served as the main antagonist of [[Alan Ladd]]'s protagonist character Dan Holliday in "The Better Man" episode of the radio series ''Box 13'', which aired on January 2, 1949.

Webb's radio shows included ''[[Johnny Madero, Pier 23]];'' ''[[Jeff Regan, Investigator]];'' ''[[The Amazing Mr. Malone|Murder and Mr. Malone]];'' ''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (radio series)|Pete Kelly's Blues]];'' and ''One Out of Seven.'' Webb provided all of the voices on ''One Out of Seven,'' often vigorously attacking racial prejudice.

In 1950, Webb appeared in three films that would become cult classics. In ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', he is the fiancé of [[William Holden]]'s love interest Nancy Olson (his performance is very animated and jovial, unlike his later deadpan style). He played a war veteran in [[Marlon Brando]]'s first feature, ''[[The Men (1950 film)|The Men]]''. And in the [[film noir]] ''[[Dark City (1950 film)|Dark City]]'', he co-starred with [[Harry Morgan]], his future partner on the second ''Dragnet'' series.

Webb's most famous motion-picture role was as the combat-hardened [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] [[drill instructor]] at [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island|Parris Island]] in the 1957 film ''[[The D.I.]]'', with [[Don Dubbins]] as a callow Marine [[private (rank)|private]]. Webb's hard-nosed approach to this role, that of Drill Instructor [[Technical sergeant|Technical Sergeant]] James Moore, would be reflected in much of his later acting, but ''The D.I.'' was a box office failure.

Webb was approached to play the role of Vernon Wormer, dean of Faber College, in ''[[Animal House|National Lampoon's Animal House]],'' but he refused, saying "the movie didn't make any damn sense"; [[John Vernon]] ultimately played the role.<ref>{{cite news| work=[[The New York Times]]| title=Food Fight! 'Fat, Drunk, and Stupid,' by Matty Simmons| first=Peter| last=Keepnews| date=June 1, 2012| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/books/review/fat-drunk-and-stupid-by-matty-simmons.html?_r=0}}</ref>

===''Dragnet'' and stardom ===
Webb had a featured role as a crime-lab technician in the 1948 film ''[[He Walked by Night]],'' based on the real-life murder of [[California Highway Patrol]]man Loren Cornwell Roosevelt, by [[Erwin Walker]].<ref>"Crazy Like A Fox". ''Los Angeles Times'', June 2, 1947; "Man Continues to Fight Police Despite Wounds". ''Los Angeles Times'' December 21, 1946.</ref> The film was produced in [[semidocumentary]] style with technical assistance provided by Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn of the Los Angeles Police Department. ''He Walked By Night's'' thinly veiled fictionalized recounting of the 1946 Walker crime spree 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.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Webb| first1=Jack| last2=Ellroy| first2=James| title=The Badge: True and Terrifying Crime Stories that Could Not be Presented on TV, from the Creator and Star of Dragnet| location=New York| publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press| isbn=978-1560256885| year=2005| page=103}}</ref>

With much assistance from Wynn and legendary LAPD chief [[William H. Parker (police officer)|William H. Parker]], ''Dragnet'' premiered on NBC Radio in 1949 and ran until 1957. It was also picked up as a television series by [[NBC]], which aired episodes each season from 1952 to 1959. Webb played Sgt. [[Joe Friday]] and [[Barton Yarborough]] co-starred as Sgt. Ben Romero. After Yarborough's death, [[Ben Alexander (actor)|Ben Alexander]] joined the cast.<ref>{{Cite AV media| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCcPPiondX4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/FCcPPiondX4| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| title=Jack Webb Dedicates Dragnet Radio Episode 133 "The Big Sorrow" to the memory of Barton Yarborough "who created and portrayed the role of Sargent Ben Romero"| website=YouTube| access-date=January 28, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
[[File:Jack Webb Harry Morgan Dragnet 1968.JPG|thumb|left|Webb with [[Harry Morgan]] in [[Dragnet (1967 TV series)|''Dragnet 1968'']]]]

Webb was a stickler for attention to detail. He believed viewers wanted "[[realism (arts)|realism]]" and tried to give it to them. Webb had tremendous respect for those in law enforcement. He often said, in interviews, that he was angry about the "ridiculous amount" of abuse to which police were subjected by the press and the public. Webb was also impressed by the long hours, the low pay, and the high injury rate among police investigators of the day, particularly in the LAPD, which had by then acquired a notorious reputation for jettisoning officers who had become ill or injured in the line of duty; in Webb's book, ''The Badge'', one of Erwin Walker's victims, LAPD detective Lt. Colin Forbes, was among those whose experiences were so noted.<ref>Webb and Ellroy, p. 103: "One of many examples of selfless service was that of LAPD detective Lt. Colin Forbes, who went to work each day carrying a .45-caliber slug next to his spine after being shot by none other than [[Erwin Walker]]. After his health was ruined from years of stakeouts and violent altercations with criminals, Lt. Forbes would be pensioned off at a mere $300 a month by the LAPD at the age of 46."</ref>

In announcing his vision of ''Dragnet,'' Webb said he intended to perform a service for the police by showing them as low-key working-class heroes. ''Dragnet'' moved away from earlier portrayals of the police in shows such as ''Jeff Regan'' and ''Pat Novak,'' which had often shown them as brutal and even corrupt. ''Dragnet'' became a successful television show in 1952. [[Barton Yarborough]] died of a heart attack in 1951, after filming only two episodes, and [[Barney Phillips]] (Sgt. Ed Jacobs) and Herbert Ellis (Officer Frank Smith) temporarily stepped in as partners. Veteran radio and film actor Ben Alexander took over the role of jovial, burly Officer Frank Smith. Alexander was popular and remained a cast member until the show's cancellation in 1959. In 1954, a full-length feature-film adaptation of the series was released, starring Webb, Alexander, and [[Richard Boone]].

The television version of ''Dragnet'' began with this narration by [[George Fenneman]]: "Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." Webb would intone, "This is the city: Los Angeles, California." He would then make a historical or topical point, describe his duties, his partner, and superior on the episode. The radio series had a similar opening, though Webb, as Friday, did not give a unique Los Angeles-themed opening. Webb then set the plot by describing a typical day and then led into the story. "It was Wednesday, March 19th. It was cool in Los Angeles. I was at headquarters, working narcotics&nbsp;..." At the end of each show, Fenneman repeated his opening narration, revised to read: "The story you have just seen is true. The names were changed to protect the innocent."

A second announcer, [[Hal Gibney]], usually gave dates when and specific courtrooms where trials were held for the suspects, announcing the trial verdicts after commercial breaks. Many suspects shown to have been found guilty at the end were also shown as having been confined at [[San Quentin Rehabilitation Center|San Quentin State Prison]]. Webb frequently recreated entire floors of buildings on sound stages, such as the police headquarters at [[Los Angeles City Hall]] and a floor of the ''[[Los Angeles Herald Examiner]].''

During ''Dragnet''{{'}}s early days, Webb continued to appear in movies, notably as Artie Green, the best friend of [[William Holden]]'s character in the 1950 [[Billy Wilder]] film ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]].'' The character Green was an assistant director and fiancé to script reader Betty Schaefer (played by Nancy Olson).

In ''Dark City'', Webb played a vicious [[card sharp]] and Harry Morgan a punch-drunk ex-fighter, in contrast to the pair's straight-arrow image in the later ''Dragnet''. Also in 1950, Webb appeared in ''[[The Men (1950 film)|The Men]]'', Marlon Brando's debut film. Both actors played paraplegics undergoing rehabilitation at a veterans' hospital. In a subplot, Webb's character, a cynical intellectual, is fleeced of his life savings by a woman who feigns romantic interest.

In 1951, Webb introduced a short-lived radio series, ''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (radio series)|Pete Kelly's Blues]]'', in an attempt to bring the music he loved to a broader audience. That show became the basis for a 1955 [[Pete Kelly's Blues (film)|film of the same name]]. In 1959, a television version was made. Neither was very successful. The character of Pete Kelly was a [[cornet]] player who supplemented his income from playing in a nightclub band by working as a private investigator.

==1960s==
From September 1962 through May 1963, Webb was the executive producer of ''[[GE True]]'', an [[anthology series]] that ran for 33 episodes, each of which Webb acted as host-narrator for while also directing and acting in some episodes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-gazette-mail-webbs-tv-series-wil/122526534/ |title=Webb's TV Series Will Face Stiff Competition |first=Cynthia |last=Lowry |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[Charleston Gazette-Mail]] |location=[[Charleston, West Virginia]] |page=9s |date=September 30, 1962 |accessdate=April 8, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122525135/jack-webb-in-pursuit-of-truth/ |title=Jack Webb in Pursuit of Truth |newspaper=[[Press & Sun-Bulletin]] |location=[[Binghamton, New York]] |page=Ent. 3 |date=September 29, 1962 |accessdate=April 8, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At the beginning of June 1963, it was reported that ''GE True'' would not continue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122938813/jack-webb-is-running-warner-lot/ |title=Jack Webb Is Running Warner Lot |first=Joseph |last=Finnigan |agency=[[United Press International|UPI]] |newspaper=[[Cumberland Evening Times]] |location=[[Cumberland, Maryland]] |page=3 |date=June 1, 1963 |accessdate=April 15, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

In February 1963, Webb succeeded [[William T. Orr]] as executive in charge of [[Warner Bros. Television]], with Orr moving to the motion picture part of Warner Bros.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123016112/webb-lands-post-with-warner-bros/ |title=Webb Lands Post With Warner Bros. |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[The Ardmoreite]] |location=[[Ardmore, Oklahoma]] |page=2 |date=February 20, 1963 |accessdate=April 17, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Webb brought about wholesale changes to the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]/Warner Bros. detective series ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'' retaining only [[Efrem Zimbalist Jr.]], in the role of private detective Stuart Bailey.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122940194/tv-and-me/ |title=TV and Me |first=Sidney |last=Skolsky |newspaper=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |page=C-2 |date=June 5, 1963 |accessdate=April 15, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The result was a disaster, and critics accused Webb of being out of touch with the younger generation of viewers.{{Citation needed |date=January 2023}}

That same year, Webb sold ''[[Temple Houston (TV series)|Temple Houston]]'' to [[NBC]]. The show, starring [[Jeffrey Hunter]], followed the exploits of [[Temple Lea Houston]], a circuit-riding lawyer and the youngest son of [[Sam Houston]]. Despite Webb and Hunter's high profiles, however, it ended after its 26-week run. In a 1965 interview with ''[[The Milwaukee Journal]]'', Hunter described the situation:{{blockquote|In the first place, we had no time to prepare for [the series]. I was notified on July 17 to be ready to start August 7 for an October air date. When we reached the screen we did not have a single segment ready. It was done so fast the writers never got a chance to know what it was all about. We all wanted to follow the line indicated by the [[Television pilot|pilot]] film, which we thought would make a charming series. NBC, however, favored making it serious.<ref>Spiro, J. D. "Happy in Hollywood," ''[[The Milwaukee Journal]]'', July 4, 1965.</ref>|}}

Webb's role with Warner ended in December 1963.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122939448/tv-notes/ |title=TV Notes |newspaper=[[The Salinas Californian]] |location=[[Salinas, California]] |page=14 |date=December 23, 1963 |accessdate=April 15, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

===1967: ''Dragnet'' returns===
[[File:Jack Webb and Walter Strenge on the set of Dragnet 1966.jpg|thumb|Jack Webb and [[Walter Strenge]] on the set of ''Dragnet'', 1966]]
Shortly after leaving his position at Warner Bros., he first attempted to produce an adaptation of the ''Selena Mead'' books by [[Patricia McGerr]] for CBS,<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 30, 1964 |title=Shorter and funnier in 1965-66 |pages=28 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/64-OCR/1964-11-30-BC-OCR-Page-0028.pdf |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref> then Webb teamed with [[Universal Television]] to begin work on a new ''Dragnet'' series.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 27, 1965 |title=Program notes |pages=76 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/65-OCR/1965-09-27-BC-OCR-Page-0076.pdf |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref> A pilot television film, based on the [[Harvey Glatman]] serial killings, was produced in 1966 for NBC, with Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday joined by Harry Morgan as Officer Bill Gannon. Webb had tried to get Ben Alexander to reprise his role as Frank Smith, but Alexander would not leave the ABC series ''[[Felony Squad]].''

The new ''Dragnet'' premiered as a midseason replacement series on January 12, 1967, and aired until April 16, 1970. To distinguish it from the original series, the year of production was added to the title (''Dragnet 1967,'' ''Dragnet 1968,'' etc.). The revival emphasized crime prevention and outreach to the public. Its attempts to address the contemporary youth-drug culture (such as the revival's first episode, "[[The LSD Story]]", guest-starring [[Michael Burns (actor and historian)|Michael Burns]] as Benjamin John "Blue Boy" Carver, voted 85th-best TV episode of all time by ''[[TV Guide]]'' and [[TV Land]]) have led certain episodes on the topic to achieve cult status due to their strained attempts to be "with-it", such as Joe Friday grilling "Blue Boy" by asking him, "You're pretty high and far out, aren't you? What kind of kick are you on, son?" [[Don Dubbins]], who had acted alongside Webb in ''The D.I.'' in 1957, was featured in the second ''Dragnet 1967'' episode, "The Big Explosion," and was another featured actor in Mark VII Limited programs beginning in the 1960s. Other Webb-affiliated actors featured in the revived series many times in different roles were [[Virginia Gregg]], [[Peggy Webber]], [[Clark Howat]], [[Olan Soule]], [[Bobby Troup]], [[Tim Donnelly (actor)|Tim Donnelly]], and [[Marco Lopez (actor)|Marco Lopez]].

In 1968, Webb and his production partner [[R.A. Cinader]] launched ''[[Adam-12]]'' on NBC. A spinoff of ''Dragnet,'' ''Adam-12'' starred [[Martin Milner]] and [[Kent McCord]] as a pair of LAPD officers, and followed their escapades while on patrol. Running until 1975 for a total of seven seasons, ''Adam-12'' was Webb's second-longest running television series, with the eight seasons recorded by the original ''Dragnet'' being the longest.

Also in 1968, Webb and [[Johnny Carson]] performed a sketch on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' that has since become known as the "Copper Clapper Caper" sketch. Webb, in character as Joe Friday, was working on the case of a robbery at a school-bell factory. Carson played the owner of the factory and victim of the theft, which consisted of each bell being relieved of its clapper (the device that makes the bell ring). The sketch's dialogue consisted of Webb and Carson discussing the situation in deadpan style and using alliteration and tongue twisters to describe the incident, each word having either a "c" or "cl" sound at the beginning. Both Webb and Carson tried desperately not to lose composure, but both did, near the end of the sketch.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYbogp1Ha0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/jgYbogp1Ha0| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| title=Dragnet Clapper Caper with Jack Webb| series=The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson| date=1968| website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==1970s and 1980s==
[[File:Jack Webb and Julie London with Stacey and Lisa, 1953.jpg|thumb|Jack Webb with first wife [[Julie London]] and daughters Stacy and Lisa, 1953]]
In 1970, Webb decided to bring an end to ''Dragnet'' and cease acting to focus on expanding Mark VII Limited's production profile.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} In 1971, Webb entered the world of district attorneys and federal government work with two series. The first, ''[[The D.A. (1971 TV series)|The D.A.]]'', starred [[Robert Conrad]] and Harry Morgan as a pair of Los Angeles County ADAs, with Conrad playing a junior ADA and Morgan his superior. The second, ''[[O'Hara, U.S. Treasury|O'Hara, United States Treasury]],'' was a co-production of Webb and [[David Janssen]], the former star of ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' and future star of ''[[Harry O]],'' for [[CBS]] (a rare non-NBC Mark VII effort) and featured Janssen as a Nebraska county sheriff-turned-[[United States Treasury Department]] agent. Neither series lasted very long, as ''The D.A.,'' Webb's last 30-minute series, was cancelled after 15 episodes and ''O'Hara'' ended after 22.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

Later in the 1971–72 season, Webb and Cinader launched ''[[Emergency!]]'', which focused on the fictional Station 51 Rescue Squad of the [[Los Angeles County Fire Department|L.A. County Fire Department]], and its work in coordination with the emergency department staff of the fictional Rampart General Hospital. LACoFD's paramedic program was among the first [[paramedic]] services in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.johnweeks.com/tour/emergency/index.html|title=Emergency! Photo Tour|author=John A. Weeks III|access-date=March 30, 2021}}</ref> Webb cast his ex-wife, [[Julie London]], as well as her second husband and ''Dragnet'' ensemble player [[Bobby Troup]], as Rampart's Chief Nurse of The Emergency Room, Dixie McCall and Dr. Joe Early, respectively, with [[Randolph Mantooth]] and [[Kevin Tighe]] playing paramedics, John Gage and Roy DeSoto and [[Robert Fuller (actor)|Robert Fuller]] playing Dr. Kelly Brackett, Rampart's Chief of Emergency Medicine.

''Emergency!'' ran as part of NBC's Saturday-night lineup for six entire seasons, and it was a hugely popular series, sometimes winning its time slot against CBS's popular Saturday-night comedy block, which included ''[[All in the Family]].''{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} The series came to an end in 1977, but it spawned a series of telefilms that ran until 1979.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Webb's company and Universal also contracted with animator Fred Calvert to produce a spin-off Saturday-morning cartoon show for NBC titled ''[[Emergency +4]],'' which ran for three seasons (the last in reruns) and featured the paramedics Gage and DeSoto assisted by four youngsters and their three pets.<ref name=Woolery>{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5  |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/90/mode/2up |access-date=14 March 2020 |pages=90–91}}</ref> The franchise was also credited in performing a social good in easing acceptance of the emergency medical service and encouraging communities to establish the service locally.<ref name="bergman">{{cite journal|url=https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1810&context=ublr|title=EMERGENCY!: Send a TV Show to Rescue Paramedic Services!|first=Paul|last=Bergman|journal=University of Baltimore Law Review|issue=3|volume=36|date=Spring 2007}}</ref>

''Emergency!'' was Webb's last sustained success. Of the remaining series his company produced, the only two that lasted longer than one season were ''[[Hec Ramsey]],'' a two-season component of the ''[[NBC Mystery Movie]]'' wheel series that featured former ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'' star [[Richard Boone]] as a pioneering [[forensic scientist]] in the Old West,{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} and ''[[Project UFO]]'', an anthology based on the investigations into UFOs as compiled by [[Project Bluebook]] that also ran for two seasons beginning in 1978. In 1977, he quit Universal Studios, and set up [[Mark VII Limited]] independently, signing a distribution deal with [[Worldvision Enterprises]], and set up offices in the [[Samuel Goldwyn Studio]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hayde |first=Michael J. |title=My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb |publisher=[[Cumberland House]] |year=2001 |isbn=9781581821901}}</ref>

Despite his string of short-lived series in the late 1970s, Webb still kept trying to recapture his previous success and decided to bring ''Dragnet'' back to television for a third series in 1982. Departing from the original format (with Harry Morgan tied up with his commitments to ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', and its already [[greenlit]] followup ''[[AfterMASH]]''), Webb decided he would not appear in the series as Sgt. Joe Friday (other than in voice over), and approached former ''[[Adam-12]]'' stars [[Martin Milner]] and [[Kent McCord]] (who had several guest appearances early in the 1967 revival series) to reprise their roles as now-detectives Malloy and Reed in the updated ''Dragnet'' series.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zs1xShkZ3o | title=Harvey Brownstone Interview with Kent McCord, Star, "Adam-12" | website=[[YouTube]] | date=March 20, 2024 }}</ref> Days after speaking with McCord about the project, on December 23, 1982, Webb died unexpectedly from a heart attack and the ''Dragnet'' revival was scrapped.

In 1987, [[Dan Aykroyd]] and [[Tom Hanks]] starred in a movie parody (and homage) to Webb, titled ''[[Dragnet (1987 film)|Dragnet]]'', along with Harry Morgan, who reprised his role from the television series as Bill Gannon, who had by now become a captain of detectives. The comedy film was written and directed by [[Tom Mankiewicz]], in his directorial debut. Aykroyd played the role of Joe Friday, described as the namesake nephew of the original series lead, while Hanks co-starred as Detective Officer Pep Streebeck, Friday's new smart-alecky and streetwise partner.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

==Personal life==
Webb's personal life was better defined by his love of [[jazz]] than his interest in police work. He had a collection of more than 6,000 jazz recordings.<ref name=mnf/>  Webb's own recordings reached cult status, including his deadpan delivery of "[[Try a Little Tenderness|Try A Little Tenderness]]".<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.metv.com/stories/jack-webb-recorded-an-album-of-jazz-standard-covers|title= Jack Webb of Dragnet recorded a bizarre album of jazz standard covers|website=MeTV|language=en-us|access-date=2022-10-27}}</ref> His lifelong interest in the [[cornet]] allowed him to move easily in the jazz culture, where he met singer and actress [[Julie London]]. They married in 1947 and had daughters Stacy and Lisa. They divorced in 1954.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99027028/tvs-jack-webb-free-to-marry-divorce-is/ |title=TV's Jack Webb Free to Marry; Divorce Is Final |agency=[[International News Service|INS]] |newspaper=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |page=23 |date=November 26, 1954 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> He was married three more times after that, to Dorothy Towne for two years beginning in 1955, to former [[Miss USA]] [[Jackie Loughery]] for six years beginning in 1958, and to his longtime associate, Opal Wright, for the last two years of his life.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

[[File:Jack Webb Grave.JPG|thumb|175px|The grave of Jack Webb at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills|Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery]], in the Hollywood Hills]]

Stacy Webb authorized and collaborated on a book, ''Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Authorized Biography of Jack Webb, Creator of Dragnet, Adam-12, and Emergency!,'' of which Daniel Moyer and Eugene Alvarez were the primary authors. It was published in 1999. Stacy did not live to see the publication of the book, having been killed in a collision with a [[California Highway Patrol]] vehicle three years earlier.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/STACY+WEBB%2C+DAUGHTER+OF+ACTRESS%2C+LATE+ACTOR.-a083969282 |title=Stacy Webb, Daughter of Actress, Late Actor |via=The Free Library |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]| date=October 1, 1996 |access-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230115231/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/STACY+WEBB%2C+DAUGHTER+OF+ACTRESS%2C+LATE+ACTOR.-a083969282 |archive-date=December 30, 2017 |url-status=dead| agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

==Death==

Webb died of an apparent heart attack in the early morning hours of December 23, 1982, at age 62.<ref name=NYT/> He is interred at Sheltering Hills Plot 1999, [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery]] in Los Angeles, and was given a funeral with full Los Angeles police honors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99027917/police-pay-tribute-to-webb/ |title=Police pay tribute to Webb |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[The Bradenton Herald]] |location=[[Bradenton, Florida]] |page=2 |date=December 31, 1982 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |quote=the department's first official memorial tribute for a civilian}}</ref> On Webb's death, Chief [[Daryl Gates]] announced that badge number 714, which was used by Joe Friday in ''Dragnet,'' would be retired.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99027416/actor-jack-webb-is-dead-at-62/ |title=Actor Jack Webb is dead at 62 |first=Lee |last=Siegel |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[Poughkeepsie Journal]] |page=5 |date=December 24, 1982 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Los Angeles Mayor [[Tom Bradley (American politician)|Tom Bradley]] ordered all flags lowered to half staff in Webb's honor for a day, and Webb was buried with a replica LAPD badge bearing the rank of sergeant and the number 714.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

==Legacy==
Webb has two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], one for radio (at 7040 Hollywood Boulevard) and the other for television (at 6728 Hollywood Boulevard). In 1992, Webb was posthumously inducted into the [[Television Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Jack Webb| url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/jack-webb| website=Television Academy| access-date=January 15, 2017}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes
|-
| 1932
| ''[[Three on a Match]]''
| Boy in schoolyard
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=2|1948
| ''[[Hollow Triumph]]''
| Bullseye
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[He Walked by Night]]''
| Lee
|
|-
| 1949
| ''Sword in the Desert''
| Hoffman
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=4|1950
| ''[[Appointment with Danger]]''
| Joe Regas
|
|-
| ''[[The Men (1950 film)|The Men]]''
| Norm
| Alternative title: ''Battle Stripe''; [[Marlon Brando]]'s film debut
|-
| ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]''
| Artie Green
|
|-
| ''[[Dark City (1950 film)|Dark City]]''
| Augie
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1951
| ''[[Halls of Montezuma (film)|Halls of Montezuma]]''
| Correspondent Dickerman
|
|-
| ''[[You're in the Navy Now]]''
| Ens. Anthony "Tony" Barbo
| Alternative title: ''U.S.S. Teakettle''
|-
| 1954
| ''[[Dragnet (1954 film)|Dragnet]]''
| Sgt. Joe Friday
| Also director
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (film)|Pete Kelly's Blues]]''
| Pete Kelly
| Also director and producer
|-
| 1957
| ''[[The D.I.]]''
| Gunnery Sgt. Jim Moore
| Also director and producer
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Red Nightmare]]''
| Narrator
| Also producer. Educational short film made for the United States Armed Forces.
|-
| 1959
| ''[[-30- (film)|-30-]]''
| Sam Gatlin
| Also director and producer
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Last Time I Saw Archie]]''
| William "Bill" Bowers
| Also director and producer
|-
| 1967
| ''Greyhounds of the Sea''
| Narrator
| United States Navy (final role)
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes
|-
| 1951–1959
| ''[[Dragnet (1951 TV series)|Dragnet]]''
| Sergeant [[Joe Friday]]
| 276 episodes
|-
| 1956–1957
| ''Noah's Ark''
| Creator of the series starring [[Paul Burke (actor)|Paul Burke]]
| 24 episodes
|-
| 1962–1963
| ''[[GE True]]''
| Host-narrator{{dagger}}
| 33 episodes; Executive Producer, Director (4 episodes)
|-
| 1967–1970
| ''[[Dragnet (1967 TV series)|Dragnet 1967]]''
| Sergeant [[Joe Friday]]
| 98 episodes
|-
| 1968–1975
| ''[[Adam-12]]''
| <div style="text-align: center;">—</div>
| 174 episodes; Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
|-
| rowspan=2|1971
| ''[[O'Hara, U.S. Treasury]]''
| Narrator
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[The Partners]]''
| The Commissioner
| 1 episode
|-
| 1972–1976
| ''[[Emergency!]]''
| <div style="text-align: center;">—</div>
| Creator, Executive Producer, Director (5 episodes)
|-
| 1972–1974
| ''[[Hec Ramsey]]''
| <div style="text-align: center;">—</div>
| Producer, 10 episodes
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Project UFO]]''
| Announcer
| 1 episode, (final appearance)
|}
{{dagger}} Webb also starred in the ''GE True'' two-part episode "Code Name: Christopher"

==Discography==
* ''[[Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues]]'' (1955)
* ''You're My Girl: Romantic Reflections by Jack Webb'' (1958)
* ''Pete Kelly Lets His Hair Down'' (1958)<ref>{{cite web|title=Warner Brothers Album Discography, Part 1: B/BS-1201 to 2N/2NS-1399 (1958-1960)| url=http://bsnpubs.com/warner/warner/warner1200.html| first1=David| last1=Edwards| first2=Patrice| last2=Eyries| first3=Mike| last3=Callahan| date=August 12, 2007|  website=Warner Bros. Records Story}}</ref>
* ''Golden Throats'' volume 1 (1988)
* ''Just the Tracks, Ma'am: The Warner Brothers Recordings'' (2000)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rhino.com/product/just-the-tracks-maam-the-warner-bros-recordings| title=Just the Tracks, Ma'am: The Warner Brothers Recordings| website=Rhino Entertainment| access-date=November 23, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091702/http://www.rhino.com/product/just-the-tracks-maam-the-warner-bros-recordings| archive-date=September 24, 2015| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book| first=Hugh W.| last=Binyon| title=Reflections in a Pig's Eye: Times, Rhymes and Reasons : a Memoir| publisher=Babcock Publishing| year=2002| isbn=978-1892161314|ref=none}}
*{{cite book |last=Buntin |first=John |title=L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PIHClVp5F4AC |access-date=October 29, 2014 |year=2009 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0307352071 |pages=182–189|ref=none}}
* {{cite book| first=Michael J.| last=Hayde| title=My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized but True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb| publisher=Cumberland House| isbn=978-1581821901| year=2001|ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ousborne |first1=Jeff |title=Policing the Crime Drama: Radio Noir, ''Dragnet'', and Jack Webb's Maladjusted Text |journal=Clues: A Journal of Detection |date=2016 |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=32–42}}
* {{cite book| first=Jack| last=Webb| title=The Badge: The Inside Story of One of America's Great Police Departments| publisher=Prentice-Hall| year=1958|ref=none}}
* {{cite book| last1=Webb| first1=Jack| last2=Ellroy| first2=James| title=The Badge: True and Terrifying Crime Stories that Could Not be Presented on TV, from the Creator and Star of Dragnet| location=New York| publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press| isbn=978-1560256885| year=2005|ref=none}}
* {{cite news| first=Maurice| last=Zolotow| author-link=Maurice Zolotow| title=The True Story of Jack Webb| newspaper=[[The American Weekly]]|ref=none}} September 12, 19, 26, October 3, 1954.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151117061321/http://badge714.org/ Badge 714] (''Dragnet'' and Webb fan site)
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* [http://patnovak.50webs.com/ Pat Novak For Hire] (''Pat Novak For Hire'' fan site)
* [http://aafcollection.info/items/list.php?item=000143 AAFCollection.info] Pictures of Jack Webb as an Air Cadet at the Rankin Aeronautical Academy at Tulare, California in 1943.

{{Jack Webb/Mark VII Limited}}
{{1992 Television Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

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