History Trivia / Dragnet

* MissingEpisode: The 1950s series has only around 60 episodes found. However, the series had 276 produced.

* BeamMeUpScotty: "Just the facts, ma'am." was never said by Jack Webb's Friday in the radio or TV show, instead originating in a radio parody by Stan Freberg. However, it had become so ingrained in popular culture by the time of the 1987 movie, Dan Aykroyd's Friday ''does'' regularly use the phrase.

* PropRecycling: Creator/JackWebb and Creator/HarryMorgan wore the exact same clothes every episode --- that is, for more than 5 years, they wore the same exact clothes!

* BeamMeUpScotty: "Just the facts, ma'am." was never said by Jack Webb's Friday in the radio or TV show, instead originating in a radio parody by Stan Freburg. However, it had become so ingrained in popular culture by the time of the 1987 movie, Dan Ackroyd's Friday ''does'' regularly use the phrase.

* NamesTheSame: As noted above, ''Dragnet'' writer John Randolph is Jack Webb using a pseudonym and not the prolific character actor of the same name.

* BeamMeUpScotty: Joe Friday never actually said "Just the facts, ma'am." That came from AffectionateParody comedy skits by Creator/StanFreberg.

** Kent [=McCord=] appeared as a desk clerk (uncredited) in the made-for-TV movie, then as a couple different patrolmen in early episodes before appearing as Officer Reed here and in ''Series/AdamTwelve''. (Oddly enough, he appeared in consecutive episodes in the 1968 season as different cops. One of his ''partners'' was an Officer Reed, according to the credits of the first of the two shows. He appears in the 1968 episodes "The Phony Police Racket" and "The Search" as an Officer Reed, but it's not certain if he's playing '''the''' Jim Reed or if the name of the character was just a coincidence.) At the time of Webb's death, he was preparing yet another revival of Dragnet, where [=McCord=] was to play his new partner, though it was never established whether the character's name would have been Jim Reed or a different name.
** Tim Donnelly qualifies both in terms of the ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' series itself (5 different roles), as well as the ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''/''Series/AdamTwelve''/''Series/{{Emergency}}'' shared universe (2 roles in ''Adam'' and his regular role as Firefighter Chet Kelly in ''Series/{{Emergency}}'').
** "Marty" Milner, later of ''Series/AdamTwelve'', played a role in one of the 1953-54 season TV episodes as well as several radio episodes, including a short stint as Joe's partner.

** William Boyett played various detectives or uniformed officers in both the 50's and 60's series before landing the recurring role of Sgt. "Mac" [=MacDonald=] in ''Series/AdamTwelve''.

** Peggy Webber, who many may remember from her appearances on the ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' episodes "The Screaming Skull" and "The Space Children", was in eight episodes of the '60s revival, four episodes of the fifties show, and a couple of the radio shows, plus several episodes of ''Series/AdamTwelve'' and ''Series/{{Emergency}}''.

* QuoteSource: SmugSnake.

* TheCharacterDiedWithHim: Sargent Ben Romero died of a heart attack the next episode after his actor, Barton Yarborough, died. The episode, "Big Sorrow", was dedicated in his memory and they talked about him during it.

* ActorSharedBackground: In the '60s revival series, Bill Gannon's wife was named Eileen; this was presumably an allusion to Harry Morgan's real-life wife, Eileen Detchon.
* AbilityOverAppearance: When the series was first being brought to television, Creator/JackWebb argued that his face was not suitable for television and suggested [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Nolan Lloyd Nolan]] be cast as Joe Friday in his place. Fortunately, [[ExecutiveMeddling neither NBC nor Liggett & Myers (owners of Chesterfield) would accept any substitute.]]
* BackedByThePentagon: Creator/JackWebb's various incarnations of the show was heavily supported by the real LAPD because of his attention to detail and for showing the department (no stranger to controversy) in a good light, with bad[=/=]corrupt cops ''always'' facing the consequences of their actions. In fact, Friday's badge wasn't a prop but a genuine badge issued by the LAPD and was ferried to and from the set by an on-duty police officer. When Jack Webb passed away, he was given a police funeral with full honors and badge number 714 was permanently retired by the LAPD in his memory.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The episode "The Big Thanksgiving" was broadcast for the 1955 season. In the episode, Friday makes the reference that Thanksgiving was on November 22. Thanksgiving was on November 22 in ''1956.''

[[AC:TV Show]]

* PropRecycling: Creator/JackWebb and Harry Morgan wore the exact same clothes every episode --- that is, for more than 5 years, they wore the same exact clothes!