American Movie Classics used to be a great channel, filled as it was with vintage movies — including many rare treasures — aired uncut and with loving annotations by true film buffs. Then something happened. I don't know what but something. They now have a much more limited library and the films air with commercial interruptions. Someone there also doesn't seem to know much about the movies they're running, either. This month, they're advertising the 1987 motion picture version of Dragnet. They announced it, they put it in all the TV listings and today, their announcer said to stay tuned for "Dragnet, starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks." But instead, they showed the 1966 Dragnet with Jack Webb and Harry Morgan.
It's interesting, but it's hardly an "American Movie Classic." It's the TV-Movie/pilot that led into the 1967 series revival. You might find it worth a look, especially if you like that odd delivery that star-producer Webb insisted on for all his actors. (He wouldn't allow them to see a script in advance or memorize lines. He wanted everyone reading off the TelePrompter so he could keep speeding it up after each take, thereby speeding up the actor.) The TV-Movie also had a slightly higher budget than the series, which often looked like they were trying to see how little they could spend on a half-hour of network television. Mr. Webb was said to be very happy when his profits were high.
At least, the AMC website knew which version they were airing, though they list the film as Dragnet 1966 and then give its date as 1969. That's not wholly their mistake. Most sources seem to have it wrong despite the fact that the real date is right there in the title. We just want the facts, ma'am.