Los Angeles Times file photo

Jack Webb, William Conrad and James Bell in a scene from "–30–".

Howard Decker, formerly of the Examiner, writes:

Regarding Jack Webb’s film –30– you are right. Webb made a copy of the
Examiner city room at the film studio. I worked in this city room for years
and knew it well.

There were two small mistakes in the film version. In
the real Ex city room there was a spike where people put wire copy for the
managing editor. In the studio set, the spike looks different than the
one in real life. I forget the other mistake.

Otherwise, it is an amazing
copy of the real thing. In the film David Nelson (Ricky Nelson’s older
brother) plays a copy boy. That could have been me (I was kind of a goof
off at the time) although I admit Nelson has me in the good looks
department. Such is life.