The Christmas Story

Dragnet 1967 (1967–1970); The Christmas Story

TV-G | 30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | Episode aired 21 December 1967

Summaries

Friday and Gannon investigate the theft of a statue of the baby Jesus from a church's nativity scene on Christmas Eve. The figure itself has little monetary value. Father Xavier Rojas explains this Jesus statue has been at the church for decades and has great sentimental value to the parishioners. The detectives pursue a lead but come up empty. As they return to Father Rojas, a small boy is pulling a wagon with the statue in it. The boy had prayed for a new wagon and promised the baby Jesus the first ride if he received it. The episode is a remake of "The Big Little Baby Jesus" from the original series, with three cast members (in addition to Jack Webb) reprising their original roles.

—Bill Koenig

Dragnet (1951–1959)

The Big Little Jesus

Not Rated | 30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | Episode aired 24 December 1953

Summaries

It's Christmas Eve when Father Rojas at the Old Mission Plaza Church in Los Angeles discovers that the statue of the Infant Jesus is stolen from the crib. The statue's worth is only a few dollars, but it is of great sentimental value for the parish. Friday and Smith promise to try to get it back before mass on Christmas Day, but this means that they have less than 24 hours to catch the thief.

—Maths Jesperson {maths.jesperson@bredband.net}