True and False with Jack Webb

On Ron’s Amazing Stories the Blog we will look at the life of Jack Webb. I thought that since this week’s podcast features Pat Novak, we should learn about the man who played him. So, I have created some true and false statements about Mr. Webb and you get to play along. Don’t peek ahead to the answers!

Q1: He was born as Jackson Lee Webb in Sure Foot, Alabama?

False: John Randolph Webb was born in Santa Monica, California, to Margaret Smith and Samuel Chester Webb. His father left home before he was born and Webb would never know him.

Q2: Jack Webb smoked three packs of cigarettes day even though he had asthma?

True: Webb suffered from acute asthma from age six until adulthood, somewhat surprising for a man whose cigarette intake reached three packs a day at its peak. Not unexpected he died from a massive heart attack on December 23, 1982 at only 62-years-old.

Q3: It was his love of movies that brought him to make Dragnet?

True: Webb’s greatest love was movies, and his dream was to direct them. He began in radio, first as a disc jockey then as host of a comedy show (Believe It or Not!), finally as “Pat Novak, Private Eye”, his first true success. A small role in the film nor classic He Walked by Night (1948) led to the creation of Dragnet. During production, Webb befriended a LAPD police consultant assigned to the film and became fascinated with the cases he told. Jack successfully pitched the idea of a radio series to NBC using stories drawn from actual LAPD files. Dragnet first aired over NBC radio on June 3, 1949 and then came to TV on December 16, 1951.

Q4: Jack Webb was responsible for an increase in EMT/paramedics graduations.

True: In 1971 Webb’s production company Mark VII Limited Launched Emergency! This was a spin-off from his other TV series Adam-12. The show focused on Station 51 Rescue Squad. One of Los Angeles’s first paramedic units. The show inspired thousands of kids to become EMT/paramedics for generations, perhaps Webb’s greatest legacy.

Well there you have a bit about Jack Webb. He was truly an exceptional person and everything he did, he did well. He left a legacy of television programs that probably will never be equaled. He helped mold television as we see it today. Thank-you Jack!

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this time we we have the one-liner King of Detectives, Pat Novak. If you like scripts that sting, don’t miss this one. Also, we have a strange story sent in by a listener from Bradbury, County Durham, England. So, tune this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

May 05, 2016 – The Night Beat (RAS244)
May 12, 2016 – RAS Replay of Episode #200.
May 19, 2016 – Debra Yates – Woman of Many Names (RAS245)
May 26, 2016 – John St. John (RAS246)
June 02,2016 – (RAS247)

True and False with Jimmy Stewart

On the blog this time we will look at the true and false with Jimmy Stewart. I thought that since this week’s podcast features a story staring the man, we should learn about the man. So, I have created some true and false statements and you get to play along. Don’t peek ahead!

Question 1: Jimmy Stewart was a real general?

True: During the Vietnam War, he flew in a B-52 on a bombing mission to fulfill his duty with the Air Force Reserve. He finally retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968 after 27 years of service and was subsequently promoted to Major General (two star general).

Question 2: Jimmy Stewart won medals during his service to our country?

True: He did indeed. The full list of military awards achieved by Stewart are: 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 4 Air Medals, 1 Army Commendation Medal, 1 Armed Forces Reserve Medal, 1 Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1 French Croix de Guerre with Palm. Amazing!

Question 3: Jimmy Stewart loved working with Orson Welles?

False: While the two did appear on several 50s, 60s and 70s TV shows they never worked on a large project together.

Question 4: Jimmy Stewart never won an Oscar?

False: How could you even think true! Stewart was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for The Philadelphia Story (1940) and receiving an Academy Lifetime Achievement award. Stewart was named the third greatest male screen legend of the Golden Age Hollywood by the American Film Institute.

Question 5: Jimmy Stewart was a poet?

True: One of Stewart’s lesser-known talents was his homespun poetry. He once read a poem that he had written about his dog, entitled “Beau,” while on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. By the end of this reading, Carson’s eyes were welling with tears.

There you have it! Some fun facts about James Stewart the military man, actor and poet. Thanks for reading the blog and supporting Ron’s Amazing Stories.

This Week’s Podcast:

On this this week’s podcast we meet Dr. Troy and have a classic western staring Jiminy Stewart. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

April 07, 2016 – The Asimov Special (RAS240).
April 14, 2016 – Sam Spade Week (RAS241).
April 21, 2016 – Interview with Pam Ferderbar (RAS242).
April 28, 2016 – James Stewart (RAS243).
May 05, 16 – (RAS244)

True or False about Gunsmoke?

What was real about Gunsmoke? Well, it was one America’s favorite radio and television series. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. In Ran on radio and television a combined total of 23 years. There are are a lot of truths in that and that is the focus of this week’s Ron’s Amazing Stories the blog.

Let’s start with a false. In the long and sorted history of Dodge City there never was a sheriff, marshal or deputy named Matt Dillon. The funny part about this is that, the Chamber of Commerce for Dodge City gets requests from people asking for the records of their famous non-resident.

How about a truth? The famous Long Branch Saloon did exist, along with all of front street. The saloon was built in 1874 as the result of a wager between cowboys and soldiers playing ball. Bets were placed and if the cowboys beat the soldiers, the soldiers agreed to provide building materials to construct a saloon. The establishment burned down in 1885, and it wasn’t rebuilt.

Another truth. Dodge City was a rough place. Cowboys and outlaws alike frequented the place and it had more than its share of famous murders and gunfights. On April 5, 1879, Frank Loving and Levi Richardson, both gamblers who frequented the Long Branch Saloon had a shooting match. Loving accused Richardson of making disrespectful advances towards his wife, and the two got into an argument that turned into a gunfight from across a table. Loving was grazed on the hand by one bullet and Richardson was shot three times and died. Town Marshal Charlie Bassett arrested Loving, but on April 7, a coroner′s inquest ruled that Loving acted in self-defense and he was released without charges.

And a final false. Gunsmoke is the longest running and most successful of all dramas in the history of television. Well, at one time this was a true statement with twenty years of episodes. However, recently a daytime drama broke this record. I would argue against a soap to be included on the list but that is just me.

I Hope you enjoyed this week’s topic. Be sure to come back next week and see what I talk about next. Thank you for reading.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we have an interview with a very special guest, A story from America’s favorite western and another short story from O. Henry. So, be sure to join us and hear all the great stuff we have planned.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.