Quote:
Originally Posted by Bristolian
This screenshot is from the opening of the Dragnet episode Narcotics that first aired January 30 1969. Who knows how much earlier the footage was shot but there sure wasn't much of "The Hill" left at that time.
While on the subject, it has been discussed here that the series Perry Mason had a habit of using the same actors in different roles but Dragnet was essentially a repertoire company when it came to bit parts.
This gentleman, Howard Culver...
and this lady, Virginia Gregg
each appeared in thirteen episodes, never playing the same character twice. There were only 98 episodes of the 1967 - 1970 color Dragnets produced so that's a pretty impressive average. Is the series still great? Of course it is! |
My parents told me the original 1950s Dragnet was better and more serious than the late 1960s revival, which often seemed more like a parody. I was too young to see the original, although I was in High School during the revival and sometimes watched it for a laugh. The original must have been more noirish. The movie with Dan Ackroyd as Friday and his partner Tom Hanks is OK and good for a few laughs. Ackroyd did good Nixon & Sgt. Friday/Jack Webb impressions. Jack Webb has a role in the noir classic "Sunset Blvd." and he is nothing like Friday.
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Looking at that picture of The "urban renewal" aka destruction of Bunker Hill is so sad. Hill Street Blues. Fortunately the dozers never made it to the flats of the Broadway historic district. Imagine Bunker Hill today if some of the old Victorian neighborhoods had been preserved and mixed with new skyscrapers. Could have been L.A.'s Nob Hill. The destruction of the Richfield tower and Bunker Hill are two of the unfortunate events in DTLA history.
The old Hall of Records building should also have been preserved. Looked like a big castle. Had character. The odd angle followed the original street layout. The best and most interesting downtowns mix the best of old and new and preserve the urban fabric and street life.