The Old Time Radio Club Established 1975 Number 342 September 2006 JACK WEBB The Illustrated ~ress Membership Information Club Officers and Librarians Club Membership: $18.00 per year from January 1 President to December 31. Members receive a tape library list­ Jerry Collins (716) 683-6199 ing, reference library listing and the monthly 56 Christen Ct. newsletter. Memberships are as follows: If you join Lancaster, NY 14086 January-March, $18.00; April-June, $14; July­ [email protected] September, $10; October-December, $7. All . renewals should be sent in as soon as possible to Vice President & Canadian Branch avoid missing newsletter issues. Please be sure to Richard Simpson (905) 892-4688 notify us if you have a change of address. The Old 960 16 Road R.R. 3 Time Radio Club meets on the first Monday of the Fenwick, Ontario month at 7:30 PM during the months of September Canada, LOS 1CO through June at St. Aloysius School Hall, Cleveland Drive and Century Road, Cheektowaga, NY. 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Cassettes and Reference Libraries Frank Bork (716) 835-8362 The Illustrated Press is the newsletter of the Old 209 Cleveland Drive Time Radio Club, headquartered in Western New Cheektowaga, NY 14215 York State. It is published monthly except for the [email protected] months of July and August. Contents except where noted are copyright © 2006 by the OTRC. Video and Record Libraries Dominic Parisi (716) 884-2004 Send all articles, letters, exchange newsletters, 38 Ardmore PI. etc. to: The Illustrated Press Buffalo, NY 14213 c/o Ken Krug, Editor (716) 684-5290 49 Regal Street Library ~ Audio cassettes are $1 .95 each and Depew, New York 14043 are recorded on a club supplied cassette which is E-Mail address:[email protected] retained by the member; video cassettes are $1.85 per month; records are $.85 per month. Rates Web Page Address: include postage and handling and are payable in members.localnet.com/ ~ robmcd U.S. funds. The Illustrated Press After doing a semi-documentary police drama movie he got the idea for doing a realistic, factual police drama. This drama would be unique in the sense that we never heard the crime being committed. He approached the Jaek story from the cop's perspective, thus enabling him to search for clues and just do hard police work piece by piece. CBS turned Webb down saying people would lose interest by not hearing the crime being committed. NBC Webb decided to take a flyer on his new radio show called Dragnet and as they say, the rest is history. Liggett & by Myers Tobacco Co. sponsored for its entire run. TOM CHERRE As I said before Jack Webb was a decent caring person who always looked out for the little guy. He knew suffer­ Ifanyone ever personified the profession of the ultimate ing and poverty first hand. I ran across this interesting policeman, that individual would have to be Jack Webb. clip to verify the above. In 1953 the city of San Francisco As no nonsense Joe Friday he portrayed the unequivocal was hosting a telethon to benefit Cerebral Palsy. Webb perfect cop. And I'm not just saying that because he worked very hard for three days putting it all together. always offered his suspects a cup of coffee and a ciga­ He had been on the stage for over seventeen hours and rette while being interrogated. In all actuality Jack was almost exhausted. The telethon was set up in such Webb, the man, was really a nice guy. a way that if someone made a donation a request would be granted to the donor by one ofthe performers. Jack's He was born John Randolph "Jack" Webb April 20th, eyes were starting to water and he was very tired when 1920 in Santa Monica California. His father left home he noticed a little boy in line with his mother holding a when he was a baby. He grew up in the poor Bunker Hill small brown bag. One of the ushers told Jack he wanted slum section of Los Angeles. He was a sickly child suffer­ to make a donation. Jack said "Okay send him up." The ing from asthma. This prevented hin from taking a more mother led him part way up and gave him a slight shove active role in sports. He was raised by his mother and in Jack's direction. As the boy approached, Webb maternal grandmother. As a high school student he was reached out to grab his hand. The boy touched his hand, talked into taking part in their variety show. As a result smiled, and told him his name was Richard of the show he became quite popular, enough so, to Wuesterfield. Webb smiled and said "Did you bring defeat the captain of the football team for class presi­ something for us Dick?" The boy told him he had collect­ dent Webb later said "If I live to be a hundred, make a ed two hundred twenty-five dollars for the boys and girls million dollars, or win an Academy Award, I will never who could not run and play like me. Webb looked at the .. be as proud as I was when I won that election." boy and then noticed the little boy was blind, and that he just wanted to give the money so the boys and girls Webb never set out to be an actor. His first venture was could run and play like him, Jack .Webb's eyes were drawing comic strips. He and a few friends collaborated teary and watery, and asked him if he had a special on a strip about a swashbuckler named Clark Collins. It request. He said "Gee I'd like you to talk like Sergeant didn't fare too well. Webb later sent an exclusive portfo­ Friday-you know, like you do on Dragnet." Both the lio of his drawings to Disney, but never received any cor­ audience and Jack Webb were both emotionally moved. respondence. Years later when Webb had reached Webb said "Dick I just can't do that right now, but I'll acclaim and was leasing studios at Disney for some dra­ tell you what I'm gonna do." Jack invited the boy to sit matic shows he had occasion to have lunch with Walt in on an actual recording of the show. The boy was Disney. He vented his frustrations to him of years ago, thrilled. Jack got his second wind and worked another and he also asked for his drawings back. six more hours on the telethon. Jack Webb said he would never forget the little boy who wanted to help the Jack Webb had various jobs including a clothing sales­ other boys and girls. man, steel plant worker and later, spent three and a half years in the Air Force during World War II. After the Jack Webb's success didn't just come by chance. He had war he worked as a radio announcer. It was here he met a unique show. Corny as it may seem now it was some­ radio script writer Mike Breen. He had an idea for a thing different. The music was intense, his style of how radio show about a wise-cracking detective called Pat he worked to capture criminals was as authentic as Novak For Hire. Jack played Novak. Eventually Webb today's boys in blue visiting the donut shops. Hal got to play cops, gangsters, burglars and assorted vil­ Gibney's announcement of the results of the trial and lains in all the major shows. the severity of the sentence were the frosting on the illustrated rFress 3 'The fllustrated ~ess cake. He also achieved marginal success with Adam-12 Mr. Hand mentions over 95 stories (along with dates and Emergency. His late 60s version of Dragnet was aired) in the six above mentioned radio series. He also probably a mistake. Webb was supposedly working on a dwells into shows broadcasted on Suspense, Escape and revival of Dragnet in 1983 with Kent McCord as his part­ Weird Circle to name a few. ner. Sad to say Jack Webb died of a heart attack in 1982 at the age of 62. He was buried with full police honors. I can't say enough about this book. From cover-to-cover The LA Chief of Police officially retired badge number it will keep you spellbound. It's just one great and enjoy­ 714. Maybe if we had a few more cops like Joe Friday able book. Richard J. Hand works in the School of today the world might be a wee bit better. I think so. Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Glamorgan in Wales.