# Who was the announcer on "Dragnet" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753 "2001-02-01T19:12:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/1 "2001-02-01T19:12:11Z")
There were two–and maybe three–different people. In both the 1950s and 1960s versions, George Fenneman intoned “The story you are about to see is true, etc.” Art Gilmore (who was one of the pool of actors Webb employed to portray the captain-of-the-week) did the voice-over in the 1950s version announcing the results of the results of the trial. However, the voice-over for the trial results in the 1960s version does not at all sound like Gilmore. Since he frequently played the boss, it’s easy to compare. If he is still the announcer, he is using a different voice. So. . . . Any ideas on who the mystery announcer in the 1960s version was? It sounds sorta like authoritative-white-lab-coat-wearing-actor-at-large Whit Bissell, but I don’t think it is. (I had already posted this question on the IMDB board, and the only response offered Art Gilmore as the mystery voice.) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/2 "2001-02-01T19:15:04Z")
Please supply the last word in the title. It was supposed to say “Dragnet”, but it got truncated. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/3 "2001-02-02T01:45:05Z")
I’m not a Dragnet expert, but are you saying the [IMDb entry for the 1960s TV series](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0061248) isn’t correct? > [@](#): > > George Fenneman … Main Title Announcer (1967-68); Announcer (1969-70) (uncredited) (voice) > > John Stephenson (I) … Narrator (1967-1970) (uncredited) (voice) I admit, the entry isn’t identified as the TV series in the IMDb index itself. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/4 "2001-02-02T03:16:24Z")
John Stephenson is da man. He also did the voice of Dr Benton Quest (although I think Daws Butler might have shared in the duties). That is the same voice that tells the results of the trial. (And embarrassing for a major IMDB contributor not to look at the entry to see whether or not the announcers were listed):o ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/5 "2001-02-02T05:28:29Z")
I am a member of the “Dragnet” e-mail list on yahoogroups. I will post this to the list and will post a definitive answer. Robin ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/6 "2001-02-02T18:22:54Z")
It was both men. The way it worked was, Fenneman did the opening “The story is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent” and “The story you have just seen…”. Stephenson did the “On August 4, trial was held…” parts. For the Dragnet 1970 season, Fenneman was the sole announcer. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/7 "2001-02-02T18:33:20Z")
Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/8 "2014-03-02T21:52:12Z")
There was also someone named Hal Gibney in the early days, but that might have just been on the radio show. At the end of each show he would make routine announcements ending with “Hal Gibney speaking”. I know it’s a thirteen year old zombie but _Dragnet_ was already prehistoric in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/9 "2014-03-02T23:04:13Z")
zombie or no Gibney also introduced the particular episode on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/10 "2014-03-02T23:23:51Z")
**Moderator Action** I would put this zombie back to rest due to its extreme age, but since most of the original thread participants are still around I’ll move it over to Cafe Society instead. Moving thread from General Questions to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/11 "2014-03-03T09:25:17Z")
Seeing as this is now a sanctioned zombie - A great resource for all things Dragnet is here [The Old Time Dragnet Show With Adam Graham](http://www.otrdetectives.com/dragnet/) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-announcer-on-dragnet/52753/12 "2014-03-05T18:46:21Z")
Just FYI: More than twenty years ago (!), before the web, I remember a thread on a CompuServe forum regarding the Thelma & Louise episode of _The Simpsons_, _‘Marge on the Lam’_. People were debating if the announcer at the end was in fact the announcer from \*Dragnet \*(remember this was before Wikipedia, IMDB, snpp etc.) I was a huge Simpsons fan back then but was never a \*Dragnet \*one, so I had no idea. That’s when I first learned that \*Dragnet \*actually went thru several voice-over guys. Oh, and [according to Wiki it was George Fenneman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_on_the_Lam) at the end of _The Simpsons_ episode…