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KEEFER, MEL - Dragnet comic strip history - 1953 - 1955

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Dragnet was a no-nonsense police procedural drama that was phenomenally popular, originally as a radio show, then as one of television's earliest hits. In the comic strip world TV tie-ins were initially quite popular (in addition to Dragnet, there were strip adaptations of I Love Lucy, Howdy Doody, Bat Masterson and many others). The Dragnet strip did a great job of replicating the feel of the TV show. The dialog rang true, and the monotone 'voice-overs', a trademark of the show, were translated to the strip as typewritten captions, a motif that worked perfectly. The art, always slick, cold and flat, was perfectly in tune as well. The strip proper started on June 23 1952, though many papers ran a one week preview before that. Art was initially by Joe Sheiber. He only lasted until September 20. The strip was uncredited and unsigned until March 9 1953, when Bill Ziegler owned up to it (judging from art style, I think he was doing it during the unsigned period as well). Ziegler lasted until January 9 1954. The last artist on the strip was Mel Keefer, who took it to a final bow on May 21 1955. The feature was distributed by the LA Mirror Syndicate. The writing on the strip was uncredited, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Jack Webb, star, producer, director and owner of the TV show, was at the helm, perhaps editing television scripter James Moser's plots. Webb was notorious for zealously controlling every aspect of his baby. Ron Goulart in The Funnies says that Webb's mother-hen rule extended to the artists on the strip - the frequent artist changes were due to Jack Webb's search for an artist "who could draw him as good looking as he thought he ought to be." "Realizing the lack of a completely authentic comic strip story of a metropolitan Dragnet newspaper comic strip began October 1953 police force in action, the producers of the famous Dragnet program including creator Jack Webb, have arranged for the presentation of their stories in picture form. "The series will go behind the scenes with Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner." A reader of this blog reminded me of yet another aspect of the Dragnet show. There was a comic strip that ran in newspapers. As with the TV show, they advertised the comic strip after some of the radio shows. There was also a Mad Magazine parody. They built interest and excitement with a series of illustrated ads such as the one above. They were published in a countdown type fashion. Each featured the comic likeness of the Joe Friday character. Finally we saw, "Starts Today!" Dragnet tv show comic strip announcement in newspaper Announcement of the Dragnet comic October 19, 1953 The comic-strip is said to have run 1953-1955 and could be found in multiple newspapers. The radio version of Dragnet began in 1949, the TV show started in 1951, with its color revival in 1967. When movies or TV shows get this pervasive you start hearing the inevitable joke asking for a Dragnet on Ice version. "It was Thursday, July 16th. It was warm in the city. We were working General Assignment out of Hollywood Division. My partner is Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Bert Jones. My names' Friday. We'd gotten a call from a real estate agent that some property had been stolen from a bungalow in the Hollywood area. We had to check it out." "What you are about to read is true" October 19, 1953 premiere of the Dragnet Comic Strip "Every relevant and interesting phase of police procedure will be shown in the Dragnet strip. The correct procedure for fingerprinting, ballistics and testing, as well as investigations, line-ups and interrogations will be covered. "The stories in Dragnet are true complete and authentic in every sense. Every incident in the comic strip is carefully checked and receives police approval for authenticity." -- Miami Daily News, October 13, 1953 Like George M. Cohan, Orson Welles and others, Jack Webb was intent on getting his name and his brand name out there wherever he could. Director William Castle learned this same lesson when he worked with Orson Welles. "Realizing the lack of a completely authentic comic strip story of a metropolitan police force in action," what a great line for marketers and creative types. There is something the world lacks that only you can provide."

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