April 2: Happy Birthday, Jack Webb

April 2: Happy Birthday, Jack Webb

The story you are about to read is true.

Jack Webb, born on this day in 1920, is best known in the world of radio for his work on the popular series Dragnet. This radio series was birthed as a way of showcasing the hard work that L.A. police officers did. Webb was, personally, an admirer of cops, and he thought they usually got a bad rap from the media. So, with several acting jobs, some of them as detectives, under his belt, he began developing a program that would showcase the techniques of police.

It became, though, known for the various quirks and mannerisms of Webb's character, Joe Friday: "Just the facts, ma'am," etc. It also lent to the canon of American pop culture the lines from the opening narration, "the story you are about to read is true," and "this is the city: Los Angeles, California."

Books could be--and have been--written on Dragnet. Here, let's mention also that Webb was either the host of or a contributor to other radio series such as Pat Novak For Hire, Jeff Regan, Investigator, The Whistler, and Pete Kelley Blues.

So, happy birthday, Jack Webb! Thanks for the memories!