One Out of Seven was a news commentary/opinion program. It was directed and produced by Gil Doud, who was likewise just starting out in radio (he went on to write for the Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, the Adventures of Sam Spade, Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar). The program was produced on a low budget, like the other San Francisco ABC programs Webb was involved in; for One Out of Seven, Webb was the only voice actor in every episode.
But One Out of Seven was, as I stated, an arresting program. You're not liable to forget it once you've heard an episode. I was treated to the 1st episode (a portrait of Senator Theodore Bilbo) over 20 years ago and I've never forgotten it, particularly Webb's echoed phrase (dripping with sarcasm): "Theodore Bilbo is an honorable man, and we do not intend to prove otherwise." One Out of Seven is utterly unlike other radio dramas from the time that you've heard because it had opinions on social problems of the day -- and pulled no punches in sharing them. Chief among the program's focus were the racial issues in the USA, especially those of the southern states. Of the 4 surviving episodes, 3 are concerned in some way with racism. This was simply not a topic other radio programs of the time were willing/able to confront.
You might feel uncomfortable listening to One Out of Seven; because Webb was the only performer, he had to adopt a lot of dialects, so that includes performing as black men. He also utters the n-word slur in one episode. But if you think of Webb as a stodgy old vanguard of conservatism (which his 1960s Dragnet TV show certainly helped promulgate) you might be surprised to find that 1946 Jack Webb was apparently a very liberal man for his time. One Out of Seven wasn't an angry program but it was certainly razor-sharp in its analysis of the USA's shortcomings.
You can hear the 4 surviving episodes of One Out of Seven at the Internet Archive (the episode labeled "Free Men" is identical to the "Anti-Negro South" episode).
1 comment:
I felt at though maybe I was too effusive in my praise of Dragnet while also recognizing its endearing schtick aspects but you seem to have a lot of respect for Mr. Webb as well. In a way, I am biased against him because it seemed as though he dominated television when I was growing up, especially with Emergency and Adam 12, not that there was anything wrong with those shows.. Maybe it was the corniness that even at the age of five I could perceive.
But particularly in radio, clever back and forth is engaging and Webb does that in a His Girl Friday sort of way. Many things about this show astonish me, above all its depictions of heroin use which seem exactly the same as today, 75 years later. "Show me your arm", he bellows. I don't care about the smoking thing, one iota in terms of berating him. He was far from alone in this. Even today with Rush Limbaugh a few years ago, the semi-irony of the tobacco peddler succumbing to cancer is still salacious. I actually think that the Chesterfield/Fatima ads were pretty good in terms of production but fascinating in terms of the embedded messages, which were usually based upon junk science/statistics.
Regardless, people want to have fun some times. I love all of the scenes in Dragnet where they light up. They always give the accused a cigarette unless he's under 18. Strange where I grew up, the age was 16.
I agree that Jack Webb has it, whatever it is. He's compelling and you want to see him or hear him in different shows. Dakota Johnson is a bit like that. Even if her movie sucked qua film, she's still enchanting and fun to watch. Many Cary Grant movies seem to be based upon people enjoying seeing Cary Grant on screen, regardless of plot. I appreciate your helping the OTR community appreciate Mr. Webb and his work even more. You might have watched the Dragnet color and Emergency and Adam 12 shows although I was a bit young. He was a force in radio and television.
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