At last, this film is available on DVD! This hour and a half pilot episode of "Dragnet 1967" was included as a DVD extra with the "Dragnet 1968" set. It's odd that they didn't put it with either the previous season or the following season (as the pilot was aired in 1969--though it was made in 1966).
In most ways, this movie is very much like the subsequent TV series. However, one way that it is very different is the sort of case. Instead of the usual stories (such as fraud, community relations or murder), this is a story about a serial killing sex offender! This is far from the sort of content you'd expect from "Dragnet"--or any other show in this era. Also, the end of the film is VERY different in that Friday actually becomes more like an action hero--with a dirty and violent fight--something you'd just never see in the TV show. And, sadly you don't know exactly what happened to the criminals apprehended in the movie--though you can pretty safely assumed the final guy who was arrested was executed or sent to the loony bin!
Joe (Jack Webb) is called off his vacation and a soon to retire Bill (Harry Morgan) are are called for special duty--there is just too much happening and the force needs them. While many of the men are there to cover security for the upcoming Krushchev visit, this team is needed to get to the bottom of a sick case. Some sick guy going by the name of 'Johnson' (no pun intended) is photographing and then killing pretty ladies--and it's assumed that a recent missing persons report is yet another one of his victims. While it's obvious he's a serial killer, this term is not used (and wasn't in vogue until at least a decade later). And considering they know almost nothing about the guy AND Johnson could also easily be an alias, it looks like it will be very tough to get to the bottom of this case. And, along the way, they pick up another case involving a dead Frenchman.
Overall, this is an exceptional and realistic police movie. It shows so much of the ordinary police legwork you don't see in normal cop films as well as the interrogation of the creep near the end. Non-glamorous but compelling from start to finish. And quite different from Jack Webb's previous "Dragnet" movie--a very noir film from the 1950s.
By the way, it's interesting that a detective named 'Danny' is played by John Sebastian. That's because in the subsequent series, Sebastian ALWAYS played scum--never a cop! For series fans, this is a rare treat. However, Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin play EXACTLY the sort of awful characters they played in the show! In particular, Perrin plays a great little psycho!
Also, you may notice Friday talking about his old partner, Officer Smith. This is a nod to the 1950s version of "Dragnet" where Smith was teamed with Friday.
In most ways, this movie is very much like the subsequent TV series. However, one way that it is very different is the sort of case. Instead of the usual stories (such as fraud, community relations or murder), this is a story about a serial killing sex offender! This is far from the sort of content you'd expect from "Dragnet"--or any other show in this era. Also, the end of the film is VERY different in that Friday actually becomes more like an action hero--with a dirty and violent fight--something you'd just never see in the TV show. And, sadly you don't know exactly what happened to the criminals apprehended in the movie--though you can pretty safely assumed the final guy who was arrested was executed or sent to the loony bin!
Joe (Jack Webb) is called off his vacation and a soon to retire Bill (Harry Morgan) are are called for special duty--there is just too much happening and the force needs them. While many of the men are there to cover security for the upcoming Krushchev visit, this team is needed to get to the bottom of a sick case. Some sick guy going by the name of 'Johnson' (no pun intended) is photographing and then killing pretty ladies--and it's assumed that a recent missing persons report is yet another one of his victims. While it's obvious he's a serial killer, this term is not used (and wasn't in vogue until at least a decade later). And considering they know almost nothing about the guy AND Johnson could also easily be an alias, it looks like it will be very tough to get to the bottom of this case. And, along the way, they pick up another case involving a dead Frenchman.
Overall, this is an exceptional and realistic police movie. It shows so much of the ordinary police legwork you don't see in normal cop films as well as the interrogation of the creep near the end. Non-glamorous but compelling from start to finish. And quite different from Jack Webb's previous "Dragnet" movie--a very noir film from the 1950s.
By the way, it's interesting that a detective named 'Danny' is played by John Sebastian. That's because in the subsequent series, Sebastian ALWAYS played scum--never a cop! For series fans, this is a rare treat. However, Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin play EXACTLY the sort of awful characters they played in the show! In particular, Perrin plays a great little psycho!
Also, you may notice Friday talking about his old partner, Officer Smith. This is a nod to the 1950s version of "Dragnet" where Smith was teamed with Friday.