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True or false ?? The basis for the "Dragnet" Radio and TV series --- was a 1940's movie --- about a Cop Killer --- that listened to LAPD radio calls on a special police receiver ???

Not sure about the Movie tie in, but I do believe Dragnet was a radio drama first.
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The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film noir, He Walked by Night (1948), in which Webb had a small role. Webb created a radio series for NBC that had many similarities with the film. Not only did both employ the same L.A.P.D. technical advisor, they also made use of actual police cases, narration that provided information about the workings of the police department, and a generally low-key, documentary style. In the radio drama Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday and Barton Yarborogh played his partner. The success of the radio show led to a Dragnet television pilot, aired as an episode of Chesterfield Sound Off Time in 1951, and resulted in a permanent slot for the series on NBC Television's Thursday night schedule in early 1952. Yarborogh died suddenly after the pilot aired and was eventually replaced by Ben Alexander, who played Officer Frank Smith from 1953 to the end of the series in 1959.

:roll: The show was brought Back to Tv in I think 1966 and Lasted till 1970 +- 8)

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Brian Sewell

Thanks to MTM for pointing this out. I am a big Dragnet fan and wasn't aware of this connection. The movie "He Walked By Night" is now in the public domain. It can be downloaded at:

http://www.archive.org/details/He_Walked_By_Night.avi

You can see quite a few similarities between the movie and Dragnet. The movie also shows what people who like to monitor police radio broadcasts are capable of.. :lol: