The Big Dog

Were the word "shaggy" injected into the title "The Big Dog," it would give the game away too soon because this "true" story is more bark than bite: A dog has been reported stealing women's purses, but when Sergeant Joe Friday and Officer Bill Gannon begin to investigate, they soon become stymied by the conflicting descriptions they receive from the victims whose only common thread is that all had been waiting for a bus when the canine cutpurse struck.

So goes the (ahem) waggish script by Henry Irving, which, to build the suspense in what turns out to be an unusual but low-key caper, decides to have a little fun with the investigation pursued, er, doggedly by the detectives.

Wanda Kravitz (Jean Inness), an elderly welfare recipient whose social worker thinks she's a boozer, believes that a "wolf" stole her purse. Married couple Lars (Doodles Weaver) and Cynthia Lowell (Monty Margetts) begin to bicker almost immediately as they deliver conflicting descriptions of the four-legged footpad while Lyn Murray's incidental music sounds a screwy electronic arpeggio. Dee Staley (Bonnie Hughes) has a sober but potentially embarrassing account: Robbed after she had come out of a camera shop, she managed to snap a photo of the perp--it was a police dog (a German shepherd) with her purse in mouth.

Animal-act agent Bert Silver (Phil Arnold) confirms that dogs can be easily trained to do purse-snatching, but then notes that dog trainers who can do that can also easily make good money working in show business, so why bother stealing?

Finally, the detectives lead a detail of policewomen, including Dorothy Miller (Merry Anders), acting as decoys to attract the assailant, but as the days wear on and Captain Merton Howe (Art Gilmore) prepares to pull the plug, it seems as if the pup-etrator might actually get away with it.

Well, this being "Dragnet," it's hardly likely that crime will pay, right? Moreover, it would be a crime not to mention the unabashed highlight of this amusing but slight tale.

Playing the owner of the Cry of Sweet Pleasures and the Stems of Dear Love flower shop who, only an hour before Friday and Gannon arrive to take her statement, changed her "contrived" name of Noradelle de Leone to Agnes Hickey, Luana Anders owns "The Big Dog" outright as she completely owns Irving's contrived dialog and Webb's presumed direction to subvert the hippie caricature she's been handed by meshing with the straitlaced squares in her own flowery fashion as she describes the details of her purse being snatched by the "misguided dog." Anders is absolutely hilarious as she's the one keeping the straight face while wryly burbling her over-the-top lines, dancing effortlessly around Morgan and Webb until it's impossible to tell whether the latter's exasperation is acting or actual. "Rrrrrowfff!"

It's a shame that Anders's glorious turn occurs so early in "The Big Dog" because everything that follows is anti-climax. Ah, but blooming flowers fade too quickly, don't they, love?

REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?

I love it when the show has a particularly-kinky person on the show, either a suspect or a witness to a crime or a victim.

Here, the hippie flower-child flower shop owner, "Noradelle De Leone" played by Luana Anders....is a real trip, a caricature that will make you laugh even though her dialog is beyond ludicrous or believable, even for a '60s flower-child.

Another wacko character in here was "Wanda Kravitz," an older welfare-recipient woman who said a wolf took her handbag. Some of her statements to Joe and Bill are really bizarre. Jean Inness played her.

Hey, the story itself is strange (but all Dragnet shows are said to be based on real-life cases). A dog is snatching purses. He's done it over a half dozen times in this two weeks and the cops have to put a stop to this. One trouble is they can't even get an accurate description of the dog. We find out why later on.

Yes, this story is goofy but that's what makes Dragnet so much fun to watch. I gave it a "10" because of its entertainment value.

This is one of the sillier episodes from "Dragnet" and it's far from perfect, but it's still worth watching. My one complaint (and it's not a huge one) is that the lady who played the "live and let live" hippie lady was a bit hard to believe--almost like a caricature instead of a real person. She was funny but not particularly subtle!

The show is about various conflicting reports from around the city of dogs stealing purses. Seriously. While this sounds impossible, Friday and Gannon's meeting with a dog training expert confirms that such tasks COULD be taught...but that he doubted that the dogs went bad and developed the racket on their own (actually, I added this last portion myself). But with no leads, Friday organizes a stakeout until finally the rogue mutts can be nabbed.

Overall, a fluff episode that is still worth seeing and enjoyable. Plus, according to the introduction, these are taken from REAL cases, so apparently the doggy gang really did happen!

One of the few camp episodes of the series, fondly remembered by all us fans. However, as always, played with a straight face by Friday and Gannon.

Wolfs(!) or big dogs are stealing purses in the Valley, leading to lots of head-scratching from everybody, not only LAPD. Although based on a true story, the outlandish crimes had their origins a century or two earlier in France, where poodles were trained to steal. Now with a contemporary slant, and even more slick are all the good folks Friday and Gannon interviews.

Topping the list is cult film actress (EASY RIDER) Luana Anders, playing Noradelle De Leone, a 60s flower child you have to see. Comedian Doodles Weaver (Lars) plays another victim who blabs too much. Dramatic actress Maidie Norman (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE) plays Mrs. Holmes and look for senior Alma Platt (Mrs. Downey), known for the TWILIGHT ZONE. A few other catchy bits. It's all acting, acting, acting and the cast is obviously having a good ole time.

The purse snatcher is very clever (operating out of a station wagon with the dog), though not clever enough, set up by policewoman Merry Anders. She was often seen on 77 SUNSET STRIP and HAWAIIAN EYE, a favorite of producer Jack Webb.

FYI: Shot on location in North Hollywood, right near Universal City. Friday and Gannon stakeout Lankershim and Cahuenga, before driving into Studio City, ending on Valleyheart Drive. A trip if you know the area, which hasn't changed that much.

Recommended, and on the lighter side.

Dean of Hollywood animal trainers, Frank Inn, may have been in charge of the dogs, and they're smart as heck.

SEASON 2 EPISODE 11 (though also listed as SEASON 10 if you combined the black and white episodes from the 50s). On Universal dvd box sets, Dragnet 67, 68, 69 and 1970.

This episode is another favorite episode, it's no doubt one of the light and unusual entries in the show. This episode is kind of funny because it's true in the profession there are some bizarre cases that don't always fall into the normal category. But also, when it comes to cases with animals, they can be surprising and unusual indeed from some where they are found in the most unlikely and unusual places like of course "Alligators in the Sewers" or even just a bear showing up in one's backyard. Things like this just go to show how unusual the planet we live on can really be.

There are a lot of memorable moments and pieces of dialog as usual, like some of the colorful characters both Bill and Joe interrogate. But also, like how both react on the case as their both almost can't keep a straight face and are as puzzled as we are.

I really like how there is an amount of intrigue in this episode as we find a lot of conflicting descriptions on the snatchers but also it shows a reality on how hard it truly is to catch theves as the whole point is to steel and disappear.

Can Joe and Bill snatch the purse snatcher, you'll just have to wait and see.

Rating: 4 stars.