Dragnet 1967 (TV Series) The Big Kids (1967) User Reviews

A very good episode.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 16 November 2009]

Gannon and Friday find themselves assigned to the Juvenile Division, as problems involving kids seem to be growing exponentially. Much of the first portion of the show talks about the problems that occur with a growing city and a greater sense of disconnection--both from the community and within families. In other words, while kids are a serious problem here, Jack Webb is trying to draw some conclusions and figure out why. Not bad, either, as it really doesn't come off as preachy or schmaltzy.

The main problem the men must investigate are a rash of shoplifting. The stuff being stolen is mostly unimportant--what IS important is that the kids do it to belong to some sort of a 'club'. Interestingly, when two of the club members are caught, the reactions of the mothers are like night and day. In the latter case, the mother's indifference is pretty sad--and it makes you feel a bit sorry for the kid.

Well written and a bit more profound than usual for the show.

Population Explosion, Changing Culture Add Up To 'Juvenile' Problems

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 9 April 2008]

Just how the population explosion in the Los Angeles area affected crime is explained in this episode, which concentrates on the juveniles. In a western valley area, the population increased by 130,000 from 1957-66, it was pointed out, and more than half of them were kids. In addition, "we live in an age of the New Morality," the captain tells Friday and Gannon, "you know: God is dead, drugs are good, etc."

With all that brought a huge rise in all kinds of crime including the one discussed in this episode: shoplifting. A local plaza (this was before malls became popular) was being targeted and kids were stealing all kinds of strange objects. One is caught and spills the beans: he's part of a club. The initiation is that you have to steal $20 worth of merchandise and show the complete store tags to the club president. (Tags were always ripped in half, so a complete tag is proof you stole it.)

"Audie Fulton," the leader of the "Mod Squad" (I wonder if the TV people later ripped off that name from this show), is a funny guy and comes up with some very good wise-guy comments to Friday. The sergeant retaliates with some speeches of his own - good stuff on both sides!

There are a lot of social comments in this episode, things one probably has heard in every generation, regarding kids and parents, right and wrong. I almost had to laugh because a lot of it is heard today, too. There is a lot of truth in the speeches though, but the point is every generation of kids have many of the same attitudes, as demonstrated in this 1967 show.

The Big Kids

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 12 November 2011]

No doubt that Dragnet 1967 was prone to sermonize to its television audience, using statistical data and a sincere face to describe the plight of Los Angeles, and in the case of "The Big Kids", the topic of juvenile delinquency is used to further preach to the pulpit how parents are failing to raise their kids proper, leading to teenage misbehavior and crime. The social morays of 1967, the cultural divide that seemed to be evolving during the "age of the Beatles", the "need to belong", the "moral shift" is discussed in length, with the point of view perhaps "square" to the younger generation at that time, but important to Webb and company as to address their concerns about the "changing tides" of the youth burgeoning in LA as the population boom continues to rise. Kids shoplifting in order to belong to a club known as "the mod squad" are the case Sgt Friday and partner Bill Gannon (Jack Webb and Harry Morgan) works in the West Valley section of LA. We see that while one parent is deeply bothered by her family's move to LA from their home elsewhere, the other is far more concerned with her "second honeymoon" trip with absent hubby (probably away on business which would explain their fancy digs, the big, sprawling mansion, liquor cabinet open for all too see, etc.) than the fact her son stole merchandise from a store, both sides presented to us explaining the reasons why teenagers perhaps turn to gangs and crime in order to get attention or belong outside of the deteriorating family unit. I imagine some of our generation would cringe at some of the comments made by the police regarding the new generation, preferably atheists, homosexuals, and protesters of the war. It just points out the differences in viewpoints, that Webb and others share an opinion many others disagree with and vice versa.

Even preachier than usual

[frankfob · 4/10 · 19 May 2012]

"Dragnet" had a strong tendency towards preaching and simplistic moralizing, seeing pretty much everything in black-and-white. This particular episode does it more so than most. Friday and Gannon are assigned to the western San Fernando Valley, which has experienced a huge population explosion and a subsequent increase in juvenile crime. They're investigating a rash of shoplifting committed by teenagers, and discover that a ring of youths at a local high school calling themselves "Tbe Mod Squad" requires its members to steal merchandise totaling $20 at local stores in order to belong to the "club". Webb's extremely conservative political and social beliefs are more evident in this episode than in most, and the "causes" of all these problems are shown to be such things as the "new morality" that kids see in the media--Friday's captain complains that "even homosexuality is praised; how do you fight that?"--"permissive" parents, "weird" clothes, and the usual litany of social "ills" that conservatives were complaining about then and are complaining about today.

Some things never change.