Hot Rods Was Jack Webb a closet Hot Rodder?

After his day job of chasing bad guys in Dragnet, was Jack Webb really a Hot Rodder? Evidence, other images out there?......."Just the facts.".......

 

Is it just me or does the backdrop looked staged? He might have been a hot rodder but the photo looks like it was taken for some type of promo. JMO

 

Nah, I’m sure that was taken at a shoot of his TV show. Look at the stuff on the shelf, it’s too pretty as if put out by the set decorator not some guy with grease under his nails.

 

If you want an early actor that was a hot rodder then look to Robert Stack, he raced a four banger A at the dry lakes. Or how about Keenan Wynn? Loved motorcycles and cars, one of his cars was a former ‘35 Ford Indy car once owned by Andy Granatelli and converted to street use.

 

Google search:
Dragnet Season 8 episode 11
The Big Hot Rod. Friday and Smith investigate the a rash of hot-rod thefts.

Might be some good footage in there, known cars.

 

Probably no more a hot rodder than Broderick Crawford...

 

Wrench’s look like he is OCD

 

Leave your blood at the Red Cross not on the highway.

Watched the whole episode.....love the Rocket motor and the loud bang as they bottom out over bumps.

 

And you know Walter Brennan, alias Granpa McCoy was a hot rodder. HRP

 

Me with my CHP son!

 

Webb was a Jazz enthusiast, he had one of the largest record collections at the time of anyone.

In the hot rod episodes it seems like they tried to at least give a pretty fair treatment of the hobby, and car clubs, in general. In the hit and run investigation the car club president was insistent that it couldn't possibly have been a member who was the perp, it had to have been some "Yo-yo", and went on to say they had monthly inspections of club member rods to include brake checks. If they got too many tickets they were booted out of the club.

Belonging to a car club, was the respectable thing to do! That is definitely not the way some people tried to portray the hobby in the 1950s, put it that way. I suppose a little bit of propaganda on his part.

So yeah, since Jack Webb was the creator, producer, editor and chief bottle washer for the Dragnet he did pretty good for hot rodders.

 

Cool. I haven't seen an episode of Dragnet in probably 50 years.

 

That drill hanging by the cord ***aults my sensibilities!

 

It's on every morning about 5:00.

 

Dah... Dah duh duh DAH!!!

"The story you are about to hear is true. The names were changed to protect the innocent."

One thing I learned from that show, tells you how much has changed, back in the day they didn't mess around. Stealing a car could get your *** sent to the Q for up to ten years.

 

when Clark Gable first came to Hollywood he was said to be driving a model T hot rod...And this guy....
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/06/roy-rodgers-was-bonneville-racer-107.html

 

....I feel your pain in that regard. Wrenches all laid out perfectly and the drill hanging by the cord. Doesn't make sense to me either.

 

He was definitely a music guy & I believe a car guy as well.

I am hooked on the old radio programs from back in the 30's to early 60's. I listen to them for most of the thousands of hours I drive transporting all over the country.

Jack starred/wrote many of them. "Pete Kelley's Blues" had him as a musician in the prohibition era Kansas City, "Pat Novak For Hire" as a detective , "The Lions Eye" as a detective & of course "Dragnet" as a cop.

I noticed that the episodes that had cars in them, his descriptions of the look & performance of the them has always led me to believe he was a car guy.

I'll add to the list of stars that were car guys with one of my favorite actors who had a large collection & enjoyed driving/tinkering with them.....Carroll 'O Conner, Archie Bunker from All in The Family & Chief Gillespie from In The Heat of The Night.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Im sure creepy Jack Webb hated hot-rodders but liked busting them .

Highway patrol

 

Was Sarah Palin a gearhead?

 

Sometime they’ll track you down….

 

Does everyone notice that is Clint? An episode about motorcycle s*** terrorizing town.

 

The Ray Anthony version of the "Dragnet" theme was not the original. The original was called "Danger Ahead".

In 1952, we bugged our teacher (who was a piano player) to learn how to play this. She obtained the sheet music from somewhere, and learned how to play it. We kids LOVED it. I remember clear as day that the ***le on that sheet music was "Danger Ahead".

 

He and his daughter produced several other shows too, Emergency and Adam 12 for sure.

 

What the hell city is that cop with the man bun hair doo ? WTF?..... Did you laugh at him and make fun of his fruity hair doo?

 

Actually the Restaurant Owner gets arrested for threatening the nice law abiding bikers with a gun

 

At the very end that one guy bout drops his bike trying to start it. They both got on brand new stiff as a board jeans.

 

Watched the whole story, pretty good except the "Supercharger" bit.