Jack Webb
John Randolph 'Jack' Webb, also known by the pen name John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited. Born in Santa Monica, California, Webb grew up in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles as the child of a single mother after his father left home before he was born. During World War II, Webb enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, but he "washed out" of flight training and was granted a hardship discharge to care for his family. Following his discharge, he moved to San Francisco, where a wartime shortage of announcers led to a temporary appointment to his own half-hour comedy radio show on ABC's KGO Radio in 1946. By 1949 he had abandoned comedy for drama, and starred in numerous radio shows until finding success in film and television in the late 1950s. Webb had a featured role as a crime lab technician in the 1948 film He Walked by Night, a thinly-fictionalized recounting of the 1946 Walker crime spree. This experience gave Webb the idea for Dragnet: a recurring series based on real cases from LAPD police files, featuring authentic depictions of the modern police detective, including methods, mannerisms, and technical language. Following the success of Dragnet, Webb appeared in numerous television shows and specials, including the well-known 1972 series Emergency! During his work on a revival of Dragnet in 1982, Webb suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 62. His funeral was given full police honors, and then LAPD Chief Daryl Gates retired the badge number 714 used by Webb's Joe Friday of Dragnet fame.
Sunset Boulevard
as Artie GreenA hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into...
Movie pageHollow Triumph
as Bullseye (uncredited)Pursued by the big-time gambler he robbed, John Muller assumes a new identity—with unfortunate...
Movie pageDark City
as AugieGamblers who "took" an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing...
Movie pageThe Men
as NormKen, a WWII GI, returns home after he's paralyzed in battle. Residing in the paraplegic ward of...
Movie pageLos Angeles Plays Itself
as Sergeant Joe Friday in Dragnet (archive footage)From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop...
Movie pageHe Walked by Night
as Lee WhiteyRoy Morgan aka Roy Morgan (Richard Basehart) is a burglar and former war-time Radio &...
Movie pageAppointment with Danger
as Joe RegasAl Goddard, a detective who works for the United States Postal Inspection Service, is assigned...
Movie pageThree on a Match
as Boy in Schoolyard (uncredited)Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she...
Movie pageDragnet
as Sergeant Joe FridayTwo homicide detectives try to find just the facts behind a mobster's brutal murder.
Movie pageHalls of Montezuma
as Correspondent DickermanRichard Widmark leads an all star cast of marine leathernecks including Jack Palance, Robert...
Movie pagePete Kelly's Blues
as Pete KellyIn 1927, a Kansas City, Missouri cornet player and his band perform nightly at a seedy speakeasy...
Movie pageThe D.I.
as Gunnery Sgt. Jim MooreGunnery Sergeant Jim Moore is one of the toughest Drill Instructors on Parris Island. But he's...
Movie pageDragnet
as Joe FridayAlso known as "Dragnet 1966," this TV movie was originally the pilot for the 1967 relaunch of...
Movie pageYou're in the Navy Now
as Ens. Anthony 'Tony' BarboWhen Lt. John Harkness is assigned as the new skipper of a submarine chaser equipped with an...
Movie page-30-
as Sam GatlinA newspaper editor deals with a particularly stressful day in the newsroom.
Movie page24 Hour Alert
as HimselfThis short film looks at the purpose and methods of the U.S. Air Force, and the difficulties of...
Movie pageThe Last Time I Saw Archie
as William 'Bill' BowersTwo Air Force friends have fun during their enlistment.
Movie pageO'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
as NarratorSuddenly widowed by an accident, a deputy sheriff from the Midwest becomes a customs agent and...
Movie pageA Day in Vietnam
as NarratorFollows U. S. Marines and sailors on a "typical" day in Vietnam
Movie pageThe John Glenn Story
as NarratorJohn Glenn's first flight ushered in the modern era of space exploration for America. His...
Movie pageGreenboy: Prescription for Death
as Joe Friday (archive footage)Proof-of-Concept for the original series Electric Television.
Movie pageThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as SelfThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...
TV Show pageDragnet
as Joe FridayFollows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his...
TV Show pageThe Jack Benny Program
as Jack WebbLaugh along with funnyman Jack Benny as he brings his underplayed humor to TV along with regular...
TV Show pageThe Colgate Comedy Hour
as SelfThe Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...
TV Show pageThe Oscars
as SelfAn annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...
TV Show pageThe Ed Sullivan Show
as SelfThe Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...
TV Show pageThis Is Your Life
as SelfThis Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally...
TV Show pageDragnet
as Sergeant Joe FridayPolice Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
TV Show pageO.J.: Made in America
as Sgt. Joe Friday (archive footage)The rise and fall of American football star, O.J. Simpson, from his days growing up in Los...
TV Show page