I never was a big fan of Dragnet, but if you’re in just the right mood, it can be enjoyable in a campy sort of way – I particularly like the way everyone in the cast moves stiffly, as if the woodenness of the dialog spread to their muscles.
Anyway, the other night Friday and Gannon were working the day watch out of homicide investigating an apparent suicide. He had the gun in his hand, but the autopsy showed the bullet had been fired from a different gun. However, he was alone in the room, the windows and door had been locked from the inside and there were no trapdoors or secret passages.
Golly!
After their usual thorough investigation, Friday and Gannon got the man’s mother-in-law to confess that she had killed him after an argument and made it look like suicide. The defendant was judged not guilty by reason of insanity. Case closed.
Uh, wait a minute. How did she get all the doors and windows in the room locked from the inside? It was never explained. Did i doze off at some point in the show? Did my cable go out and i didn’t notice it? Come on. Dragnet wasn’t my idea of a great show, but Jack Webb was a professional. It’s unthinkable for him to leave a red herring like that in the script.