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Harry Morgan said that Jack Webb loved the humor people found in Dragnet
"When you have something that becomes that big in American culture, it's gonna be satirized."
Some might say that the highest compliment one can pay to a television series is to reboot it. Of course, others might argue that a reboot is nothing more than a meaningless cash grab, which is certainly true, in some cases. Watching a reboot is all about understanding intention: Was this made out of love? Or a desire for monetary gain?
Dragnet has been rebooted and retooled seemingly more times than we can count. The series made its mark on the crime genre, as well as television in general. It's not necessarily surprising that even with each new iteration, audiences were left wanting more.
In 1987, a sort of Dragnet sequel was released to theaters. Starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, the film took on more of a comedic tone as it followed the adventures of the nephew of Dragnet's original character, Joe Friday.
The film had one familiar face, however. Also appearing in the film was Harry Morgan as Bill Gannon, now promoted to Captain.
Not only was Morgan there to provide a dose of nostalgia to audiences, he was also able to offer some firsthand advice, according to Aykroyd.
"Harry Morgan assured us that Jack Webb enjoyed humor about Dragnet," said Aykroyd during an interview with the News America Syndicate. "I mean, when you have something that becomes that big in American culture, it's gonna be satirized - and Jack Webb himself joined Johnny Carson in the late seventies in a wonderful parody of Dragnet. So I feel pretty good about what Mr. Webb's reaction to this movie might have been."
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While the film was a comedy, Aykroyd, who co-wrote the script, maintained that his motivation in the film was borne out of respect for Webb, who redefined the police genre.
"I say he was a genius," the Aykroyd. "The way he took the whole style of the police show, but boiled it down to the level of relationships - that low level of conversation, that very quiet way of relating to his partner and to the suspects and to the victims."
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