Dragnet (TV Series)

The Big Cast (1952)

Jack Webb: Sgt. Joe Friday

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Quotes 

• Sgt. Joe Friday : This is the city. Every 24 hours a little bit of everything happens. Two million people make a lot of history in one day. They write it all down and file it away. Some of it's important, some of it isn't. Business, industry, government - you buy a three-cent stamp or an oil well - they keep records of it. Progress, money, success... and failure. A complete history of every day; some of it's public, some personal. It's all written down. In my job we catalog trouble. I'm a cop.

• Sgt. Joe Friday : It was Wednesday, October 6th. It was sultry in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of homicide. My partner is Ed Jacobs; the boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday.

• Sgt. Joe Friday : It was 10:45 when we got to the Ortega Hotel. a thirty year old man had disappeared suddenly. We'd uncovered evidence of foul play. The list of suspects was narrowed down to one man, the last person to see the victim alive. We traced the suspect for months. The break finally came. We found him.

• Henry Ross : Davis? Yeah, I knew a Davis - don't know if his name was Paul, though. He been gone a long time, this guy Davis?

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Yeah, that's right.

  Henry Ross : Well, is something wrong you think?

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Yeah. We figure murder.

• Henry Ross : You think I killed him. Well, tell me the truth - do you think I killed him?

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Yeah, I think you did, Henry.

  Henry Ross : Uh-huh. Then you know as well as I do, there's only one way to prove it.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Yeah?

  Henry Ross : Find his body.

• Henry Ross : You remember the Wilson case back in '34 don't you, Sergeant? Woman killed her whole family. Big case. You remember it?

  Sergeant Ed Jacobs : Yeah. Pretty tragic.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Is that a hobby of yours, Henry? Collecting murder stories?

  Henry Ross : No, I just read 'em. I remember 'em. I can remember every murder case in the past 15 years.

• Henry Ross : I had an idea you'd find me. I guess I always knew you'd find me.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Yeah.

  Henry Ross : Wel, I guess I made my point.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Which is?

  Henry Ross : It's all built up.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : What is?

  Henry Ross : Well, murder... killin' somebody. Those phoney stories. It's all built up. It's just cheap.

  Sgt. Joe Friday : You got it wrong, Henry.

  Henry Ross : Huh?

  Sgt. Joe Friday : Wait'll they read you the bill.