by Hal Erickson
synopsis
In the 100th TV episode of Dragnet (albeit the 89th to be telecast), Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate the disappearance of two little girls. Fortunately, both children are recovered and returned to their mother (Virginia Christine); unfortunately, there is evidence that the girls have been molested. The stunning climactic scene in which the detectives extract a confession from a slimy pedophile (Jack Kruschen) is remarkably frank and uninhibited--especially for a period in TV in history in which the word "pregnant" could not be spoken on I Love Lucy. This episode is based on the equally powerful Dragnet radio broadcast of February 15, 1951.
