''Dragnet'' is a 1954 American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combi ...

directed by

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...

and written by Richard L. Breen. The film stars Webb, Ben Alexander,

Richard Boone Richard Allen Boone (June 18, 1917 – January 10, 1981) was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns, including his starring role in the television series '' Have Gun – Will Travel''. Early li ...

, Ann Robinson, Stacy Harris,

Virginia Gregg Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and Vic Perrin. The film was adapted from the radio series of the same name, and is part of the wider ''Dragnet'' media franchise. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 4, 1954.

Plot

The film uses the inverted detective story format. Los Angeles police detective Sergeant Joe Friday hunts down the killer of a mobster, Miller Starkie, focusing on West Coast mafia second-in-command Max Troy (played by Harris). The film depicts illegal police harassment against a suspect cleared by a grand jury. The vendetta between Friday and Troy becomes increasingly bitter and personal as the film proceeds, leading to a brawl at a private card game between Friday, Frank Smith, and several of Troy's henchmen. A policewoman (Robinson) infiltrates Troy's nightclub and is able to obtain vital information on the Starkie killing; Friday then gets additional evidence when an accomplice of Troy is sent out of state and killed, and the man’s wife breaks down and gives the police what they need to convict Troy. The gangster, though, winds up never being prosecuted.

Cast

as Sergeant Joe Friday * Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith *

as Capt. James E. Hamilton * Ann Robinson as Officer Grace Downey * Stacy Harris as Max Troy *

as Ethel Starkie * Vic Perrin as Deputy D.A. Adolph Alexander * Georgia Ellis as Belle Davitt *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Education Griffith attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a classmate with Glenn Ford. Both were active i ...

as Jesse Quinn * Dick Cathcart as Roy Cleaver * Malcolm Atterbury as Lee Reinhard * Willard Sage as Chester Davitt *

Olan Soule Olan Evart Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. Soul ...

as Ray Pinker

References

External links

* * 1954 films 1954 crime films American crime films Films based on radio series Films based on television series Films directed by Jack Webb Films scored by Walter Schumann American police detective films Warner Bros. films 1950s police films 1950s police procedural films Films set in Los Angeles 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-crime-film-stub