TV Review: Lock-Up Lock-Up was a 1959-1961 crime drama loosely based on the files of real-life attorney Herbert L. Maris. Mr. Maris was played by Macdonald Carey, and John Doucette played police lieutenant Jim Weston, depicted as Maris’ best friend. Herbert Maris was actually a specialist in corporate law who sometimes championed people who’d been… Continue reading TV Review: Lock-Up
Category: TV
TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf
TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf Frank Morgan (John Bromfield) was the Sheriff of Cochise County in Arizona and then became a United States Marshal in a series that ran from 1956 to 1960. While the show was Western-flavored, it was more police procedural than cowboy show. I watched four episodes, two… Continue reading TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf
TV Review: Michael Shayne
TV Review: Michael Shayne Michael Shayne is a private detective who works out of Miami. He was created in 1939 by Brett Halliday (pen name of David Dresser) for the novel Dividend On Death. He went on to star in a long-running book series (the later ones produced under the Halliday house name by other authors),… Continue reading TV Review: Michael Shayne
TV Review: Racket Squad
TV Review: Racket Squad First, a bit of news: I have completed my coursework for an Associate’s Degree in Business Management, and should soon have the official recognition. It’s been a rough couple of years, so I am relieved. Racket Squad ran on television from 1950 to 1953, telling fictionalized versions of actual cases… Continue reading TV Review: Racket Squad
TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye
TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye Miami Undercover was a 1961 series shot in Miami Beach, with Lee Bowman as private investigator Jeff Thompson and Rocky Graziano as “Rocky.” Mr. Thompson was employed by the hotel owners to perform undercover investigations to avoid alarming guests with the presence of an overt hotel… Continue reading TV Review: Miami Undercover | Richard Diamond, Private Eye
TV Review: Mannix
TV Review: Mannix Hey, a show I actually remember watching first-run! Private eye show Mannix ran from 1967-75. It had a memorable opening sequence with a jazzy tune in waltz time and split-screen credits reminiscent of a monitor bank. Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) was an Armenian-American Korean War veteran, a little rough around the edges.… Continue reading TV Review: Mannix
TV Review: Public Defender
TV Review: Public Defender “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.” The office of the Public Defender is a special government department that specializes in handling the cases of indigent defendants. The first such office was opened in Los Angeles in about 1914. This series, which aired in 1954-55, was… Continue reading TV Review: Public Defender
TV Review: Decoy | The Shadow
TV Review: Decoy | The Shadow Decoy is a 1957-58 series about Casey Jones (Beverly Garland), a female police officer in New York City. She often goes undercover, thus the series title. This show is noteworthy as the first TV cop series to star a woman in the lead role. Like Dragnet, the series fictionalized real… Continue reading TV Review: Decoy | The Shadow
TV Review: Dick Tracy
TV Review: Dick Tracy Dick Tracy has had many incarnations over the years, but the actor most associated with the character is Ralph Byrd, who played him in serials, movies and eventually a television show in 1950. Unfortunately, Mr. Byrd was not in good health by this point, and the fast pace of TV production… Continue reading TV Review: Dick Tracy
TV Review: Man with a Camera
TV Review: Man with a Camera Mike Kovac (Charles Bronson) is a World War Two veteran who works as a freelance photographer. He’s a tough fellow who’s known for getting the shots other shutterbugs can’t make. As a result, he’s often called in to help investigate incidents for newspapers and private citizens. Mike is aided… Continue reading TV Review: Man with a Camera