Sometimes I watch old TV, and I do call Dragnet very old TV. The episode I saw yesterday on 24/7 Retro was about a couple who watched for people to be on vacation and then they moved in with a big van to haul away all the belongings. The couple would scout houses for pile ups of newspapers and milk bottles, etc. before they moved in to rob homeowners.
Jack Webb was more than the star and he worked for accuracy with this series, also working closely with local LA police. I think I found an error. Nobody would go on vacation with half gallon bottles of milk building up at the door step. No milkman of the time would continue to leave full bottles of milk when the piled up newspapers and milk show that nobody is home.
What do you think? If Jack Webb was alive I would bring this to his attention. He goofed!
3
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
7 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I listen to the Dragnet radio programs, along with lots of other old stuff at [radio.macinmind.com]
I remember that exact story.
BitFlipper
Level 8
Feb 25, 2020
0
As the child of a milkman, I agree completely! Dad would have called someone, and in fact the people would have contacted him before leaving, to save $$.
On the other hand, this still happens (the moving van thing) perhaps from just watching a place, more likely thru payoffs to newspaper/postal employees. I Always tell my neighbors the dates of my absence!
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Feb 24, 2020
1
I'm watching MeTv today and saw the Flintstones, the Brady bunch and now Gilligan's island.. I like old westerns too on channel 5-2
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
Feb 23, 2020
1
Loved Dragnet, but you have to admit they did emphasize details to make a point sometimes. Even though the milk was a bit overboard maybe, an episode like that likely nudged many viewers to "outsmart" burglars by making a point of canceling the newspaper delivery before planned trips.
In the old days, without our cell phones and virtual calendar reminders, it would have been easy to forget canceling deliveries, especially for short notice trips or emergency travel due to death in the family far away. Then again, many of us knew our neighbors well enough to have them collect our mail and other deliveries in our absence. Great show, in any case!
Julie808
Level 8
Feb 23, 2020
0
An old friend has quite the consistent habit of shouting out "No Way" anytime something incongruous pops up in a work of fiction. After decades, it's a running joke, to which the rest of us all reply, "Relax, it's not real".@genessa makes a good point aboiut the writer making fun of the writing. But I'm not so sure today's audiences are any more sophisticated, or any less naive. 
OnTheInside
Level 7
Feb 23, 2020
1
Each generation has its own naivete, but think about the first audience that sat in a theatre and watched a train coming at them on a big screen. They panicked! Now we probably have the texas chainaw massacre playing in the background and eat dinner without batting an eyelash. Well, some, anyway. And yet we believe ridiculous conspiracy theories (and reject real ones). Well, some, anyway.
Verisimilitude is important. I laugh or frown at anachronisms and other goofs. Bad grammar slays me. But it is just possible that webb knew what he was doing and was doing it for effect. It is of course equally possible that hs just thought no one would notice, and that would be irritating. But i doubt it was ignorance on webb's part.
g
@genessa agreed, agreed, and agreed.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.