Dragnet Quotes
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Source: Dragnet
Speaker: Sgt. Joe Friday
Just the facts, ma'am.
Context
This misquoted line is spoken by Sgt. Joe Friday, played by Jack Webb, in the TV show Dragnet (1951-59).
Joe Friday didn't get to be a sergeant by beating around the bush. He wanted to get right to the heart of the matter, hence his famous catchphrase when interrogating female suspects: "Just the facts, ma'am."
Except maybe his reputation precedes him in this case, because he never said those exact words! The closest he came was "All we want are the facts, ma'am."
Where you've heard it
You've heard this if someone is interrogating you, or if someone is expecting a fax from 1987.
Additional Notable References
- Jack Webb's biography uses this quote as its title.
- And so does a New York Times piece about the state of news reporting.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Hey, we all have a job to do. Nothing wrong with abbreviating the original quote like this.