RIP HERB ELLIS radio TV character actor. Dragnet collaborator

Actor and director, distinguished and prolific in radio, film, and television; co-created Dragnet with Jack Webb in 1949. AKA Herbert Siegel.

Herbert Ellis (born Herbert Siegel, January 17, 1921 - December 28, 2018) was an American character actor and writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jack Webb, and he frequently portrayed law enforcement officers in film and television. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ellis began his career in Hollywood in the late 1940s. Ellis and Webb together devised the name and concept for Dragnet after collaborating on an unsuccessful project titled Joe Friday, Room Five. He played Officer Frank Smith in eight episodes of the original Dragnet series. He played Frank La Valle in 23 episodes of The D.A.'s Man, and he played Beat bistro owner, painter and sculptor Wilbur in five episodes of Peter Gunn. Ellis and Webb later worked together on Dragnet 1966 and Dragnet 1967. From 1959 to 1962, Ellis was cast as Dr. Dan Wagner in seven episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper as a United States Navy physician, with Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. Ellis was married to Sylvia Siegel, and they had two children. WIKIPEDIA

DRAGNET: Baby Jesus episode aka The Christmas Story

"The Baby Jesus aka Christmas Story" was an episode of the radio series then later the television series Dragnet (that TV episode aired on NBC on December 21, 1967. It starred Jack Webb (who also produced and directed), Harry Morgan, Bobby Troup and Harry Bartell. It was a remake of an episode from 1950s Dragnet series called "The Big Little Jesus". The original episode had been produced on both the radio and television versions of the program. The Christmas Story is the only episode in the series' run that was not based on an LAPD incident (in actuality, from the files of the San Francisco Police Department) and the only episode remade from an earlier episode. Bartell and Webb, as well as Herb Vigran and Ralph Moody, reprised their roles from Big Little Jesus.

RADIOthen.com is playing the radio episode on our RADIOthen DRAGNET stream as well as the RADIOthen DRAMA stream. Read more about the story and the character portrayals here:
  WIKIPEDIA

RADIOthen DRAGNET via Internet's www.radiothen.network

Dragnet is an American radio, television and motion picture series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history. The series gave audience members a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media. wikipedia