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They were quite possibly as cheap as Jack Webb was.That big wing-lapelled, bouble-breasted suit Clark Kent wore was kinda outta date by the late '50s. And the cars-they were always "late-model" Nashes or Ramblers-the production company couldn't afford Fords or GM cars, let alone new ones. All this came to a screeching halt when George Reeves died/killed himself/was murdered in '59. Jack Webb's parsimony was almost as legendary as his drinking. Harry Morgan complained bitterly to let his character have a new suit, but he never got it all thru Dragnet's 1967-70 run.Jack did,however, let Harry put patches on the elbows of the jacket when they became threadbare. Jack was the producer/owner/star/director/chief cook & bottle washer on Dragnet,and frequently cast his friends on the show so's he wouldn't have to pay 'em as much as "real" actors. That's one of the things that gave "Dragnet" its signature"dead-pan" look. Jack's next show, "Adam-12" was almost as bare-bones as "Dragnet" was. -Sandy G.
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