Introduction. Dragnet and the police procedural -- "Our neo-realism" : The Hollywood semi-documentary cycle -- Silence, not sirens : Dragnet's aural realism -- Saturation and citizenship : Dragnet on television and in culture -- Professionalization and public relations : Dragnet and the LAPD -- Epilogue. "One of us".
Summary:
"A study of the early, paradigmatic police procedural "Dragnet" (radio, TV, and film), showing how the narrative emphasized the need for a civil, democratic society and implied that order could be maintained by citizens' cooperation with police. The book includes discussions of the program's media convergence; the relationship between producers and the real-life LAPD, who advised, provided story ideas, reviewed scripts, and served as on-set technical advisors and who benefited as a result of this positive association with the beloved program; the show's role in the development of the police procedural; and current calls for police reform among accusations that the genre has not accurately reflected all communities' experiences with the police and that it has helped audiences turn a blind eye toward police abuses"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.