DRAGNET Chiefs reunited

[Hawg Rider]

Outstanding acquisitions! Now you need to add Joe Friday's S&W 2" Model 10 from the second "Dragnet" (1967) series with Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan). Gannon used a S&W 4" Model 15 (per IMFDB). I think in the past that Forum members determined that Broderick Crawford (Dan Matthews, "Highway Patrol (late 1950s)) also used a S&W 2" Model 10. Congratulations, enjoy!

 

[Doc44]

44 Magnum, S130714, was shipped to Kelly Lookabaugh, S&W Sales Represenative, in Los Angeles on February 29, 1956 for presentation to Jack Webb. It was engraved on the side plate JACK WEBB. It is on display at the Los Angeles Police Academy and is not available to a collector. I would guess the .38 Chief Special revolvers for Webb and Alexander were also shipped to Lookabaugh, but that is only an educated guess. All of the presentation revolvers were shipped via a Advertising (Cost of Sales) Account.

Bill

 

[Sistema1927]

What a great pair of revolvers.

Did they come to you with the names engraved? (Possibly done for presentation to Ben and Jack?)

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Not related to the two guns but I understand Webb was honored upon his death with a full police funeral and the badge number 714 was retired.

Please correct me if I’m wrong.

You're exactly correct.

LAPD Chief Daryl Gates ordered L.A.'s flags be flown at half-staff, retired Sergeant badge 714 and directed full police honors at Webb's funeral.

Webb is still revered in among the blue. The L.A. Police Museum's annual fund raiser is still called the "Jack Webb Gala."

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I would guess the .38 Chief Special revolvers for Webb and Alexander were also shipped to Lookabaugh, but that is only an educated guess. All of the presentation revolvers were shipped via a Advertising (Cost of Sales) Account.

Bill

A different Lookabaugh, Bill. Must have been a family operation.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

What a great pair of revolvers.

Did they come to you with the names engraved? (Possibly done for presentation to Ben and Jack?)

Thank you.

Yes, engraved at S&W (see the invoice in my previous post).

 

[jem102]

What an excellent pair of S&W's with a fine bespoke lineage. You read a lot about all the gangster guns but not much on those that made a reputation working for law & order.
I grew up watching Dragnet with my grandfather, father and then on my own. Very few of my friends or their family's enjoyed the show but I thought it was great.


Congratulations on obtaining them! Now you need a box of cotton gloves and an additional can of Ren Wax.

 

[mh51]

Outstanding, Bob!!! When good friends and good contacts work together, some neat things can happen. They've got a good home!

 

[boykinlp]

To avoid resurrecting a four-month-old dinosaur I'm starting a new thread.

Jack Webb was Sergeant Joe Friday, and Ben Alexander was his
partner, Officer Frank Smith, on the DRAGNET TV show from 1951
through 1959.

Back in December, thanks to fzandome, I bought Ben Alexander's
Chiefs Special. Thanks to two other S&W Collectors Association
members, shortly thereafter I made a deal to buy Jack Webb's,
too. After I saved up my nickels for a few months it arrived
yesterday.

Here they are. (Ben's shown wearing a new set of period-correct
laminated dymondwood stocks thanks to another S&WCA member.)
The last photo shows LAPD Officer Joe Blackford's bird's-eye
maple stocks that were on Ben's Chiefs Special when I received
it. Thanks to forum member SG-688 for letting me know who
made them in my first thread.

Thanks for letting me share these two with you. Great fun.

Wow Bob, those are spectacular, and quite nice additions to your collection! Dragnet is one of my favorite TV shows. I know that I have seen them all multiple times. Jack Webb was perfect for the show, and having a piece that was presented to him by S&W, along with being able to pair it with Ben Alexander’s presented gun, is extraordinary. The only thing that would have made it more special would’ve been if they were consecutively serial numbered. Now all you need to do is acquire Richard Boone’s, Captain J.E. Hamilton, gun to complete the trifecta! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Larry

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Wow Bob, those are spectacular, and quite nice additions to your collection! Dragnet is one of my favorite TV shows. I know that I have seen them all multiple times. Jack Webb was perfect for the show, and having a piece that was presented to him by S&W, along with being able to pair it with Ben Alexander’s presented gun, is extraordinary. The only thing that would have made it more special would’ve been if they were consecutively serial numbered. Now all you need to do is acquire Richard Boone’s, Captain J.E. Hamilton, gun to complete the trifecta! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Larry

Howdy Larry,

Thanks for your kind words.

Captain Hamilton's Chiefs Special went to Captain Hamilton, not
Richard Boone. Captain Hamilton was LAPD's technical adviser to
the show. I'm guessing Boone might have gotten one of the
plain Chiefs of the four on the invoice.

I checked with the Los Angeles Police Museum, but they don't
have Captain Hamilton's. That is where Sergeant badge 714 and
Sergeant Friday's I.D. card reside, though. Speaking of that, here's
a shot of Jack's Chiefs Special with your exact duplicate of his
badge inset -- thank you, again, for sending the photo.

 

[turnerriver]

Not that Jack Webb revolver but a Jack Webb revolver in a Lewis holster.
I’m looking forward to your display in Tulsa, Bob.

Regards,

 

[cleger]

Absolutely fantastic! Wow!!!

I just joined -- this is my first ever post. I came because I recently bought my first S&W (a pair, actually) to scratch my Adam-12 itch. In nearly 40 years of gun ownership I'd never owned a revolver, though I grew up watching Jack Webb's other show.

Anyway, I log in, and what do I see? Just incredible. Thanks, OP!

 

[heeter3]

No,thank YOU two-bit cowboy for showing us a couple of "pieces"of early TV history.