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Dragnet - The Big Mustache (03-23-54)

The Big Mustache (Aired March 23, 1954)

The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program\u2019s format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday\u2019s deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday\u2019s first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio\u2019s top-rated shows. While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday\u2019s desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters.

THIS EPISODE:

March 23, 1954. Program #240. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Big Mustache". A man with a false mustache suspected of robbing a supermarket. Jack Epis Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer). 30:51. ode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.