In the Year of Our Lord 1958, the Western reigned supreme on the 3 Networks and in syndication. We once counted about 30 'Oaters' that we saw in our house that we saw on a more or less regular basis. But others genre had their stars rising in their particular Zodiacal Signs and were gaining in popularity. Cops 'n' Robbers had been a staple on TV from the earliest days; a carry over perhaps from some of those series movies like featuring the likes of CHARLIE CHAN, SHERLOCK HOLMES, BOSTON BLACKIE (Chester Morris-type), THE SAINT, THE FALCON and THE THIN MAN.
The transition to Television brought us early series like THE PLAIN CLOTHESMAN, ROCKY KING (with Roscoe Karns and his Son, Todd Karns) BOSTON BLACKIE (Kent Taylor-type), MAN AGAINST CRIME (with Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett) and even an early DICK TRACY (with, who else? Ralph Byrd). A little later some new waves of Cop/Detective shows came along. We saw titles like PERRY MASON (oooh! A Lawyer!), THE THIN MAN TV (with Peter Lawford & Phyllis Kirk), CHECKMATE (Anthony George, Doug McClure, Sebastian Cabot), PETER GUN (Blake Edwards' brainchild with Craig Stevens, Lola Albright & Herschell Bernardi) MANNIX (Mike 'Touch' Conners) and Warner Brothers' Cloned Series of 77 SUNSET STRIP, HAWAIIN EYE, BOURBON STREET BEAT and SURFSIDE SIX.
There were others, but as one TV Columnist we recall in the Chicago American had observed, it got to a point where all of the good police work being done on our TV screens was done by the Private "I's". The 'Flatfoot' on the Beat was mostly being portrayed as the helpers.
This was all to change and the likes of Jack Webb's DRAGNET and RACKET SQUAD would struggle to get to the pinnacle; but by the 1970's regular Policeman, be they uniformed or plainclothesmen, were rising to be the top. They soon would be the one program type to fill in so much of the programming schedules. They were in a sense, "the New Westerns." One of the main reasons, other than Mr. Jack Webb's efforts that we have enjoyed our HILL STREET BLUES, HOMICIDE, NYPD BLUE and LAW & ORDER group is the quality displayed and subsequent success of NAKED CITY (Shielle Productions/Screen Gems TV, 1958-63).
The idea for the Series sprang from Mark Hellinger's NY specific crime drama, THE NAKED CITY (Hellinger Productions/Universal Pictures, 1948) In it the drama of murder, the primary investigation and follow-up, all play out against the back-drop of what is (I being a super-sensitive Chicagoan) doubtless the greatest city in the World. Never before had a movie set in NY been filmed completely there and on such a grand scale; using the best settings in the 5 Burroughs as the most magnificent scenery of an urban nature anywhere; as well as the use of countless thousands, or even millions of extras.
There was very in common between the Film and the Series; although James Franciscus did portray the Detective Jimmy Halloran, who was Don Taylor's character in the film. And Mr. Franciscus was in the 1st Season's Episodes; which were only ½ Hour in Length and seemed to meet with only Luke warm response from the public. The series was on hiatus for the next season of 1959-60; only to return as an hour long series in the 1960-61 season. But Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint replaced James Franciscus as the lead.
It seems that the hour long episodes put the series over the top; perhaps allowing more time for characterization, plot development and good old shoot-em-up Action! In retrospect, we can only say that NAKED CITY has proved to be one of the finest Dramas in TV History, Cop Show or not. Now ain't it grand that Hindsight is always 20-20?
The transition to Television brought us early series like THE PLAIN CLOTHESMAN, ROCKY KING (with Roscoe Karns and his Son, Todd Karns) BOSTON BLACKIE (Kent Taylor-type), MAN AGAINST CRIME (with Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett) and even an early DICK TRACY (with, who else? Ralph Byrd). A little later some new waves of Cop/Detective shows came along. We saw titles like PERRY MASON (oooh! A Lawyer!), THE THIN MAN TV (with Peter Lawford & Phyllis Kirk), CHECKMATE (Anthony George, Doug McClure, Sebastian Cabot), PETER GUN (Blake Edwards' brainchild with Craig Stevens, Lola Albright & Herschell Bernardi) MANNIX (Mike 'Touch' Conners) and Warner Brothers' Cloned Series of 77 SUNSET STRIP, HAWAIIN EYE, BOURBON STREET BEAT and SURFSIDE SIX.
There were others, but as one TV Columnist we recall in the Chicago American had observed, it got to a point where all of the good police work being done on our TV screens was done by the Private "I's". The 'Flatfoot' on the Beat was mostly being portrayed as the helpers.
This was all to change and the likes of Jack Webb's DRAGNET and RACKET SQUAD would struggle to get to the pinnacle; but by the 1970's regular Policeman, be they uniformed or plainclothesmen, were rising to be the top. They soon would be the one program type to fill in so much of the programming schedules. They were in a sense, "the New Westerns." One of the main reasons, other than Mr. Jack Webb's efforts that we have enjoyed our HILL STREET BLUES, HOMICIDE, NYPD BLUE and LAW & ORDER group is the quality displayed and subsequent success of NAKED CITY (Shielle Productions/Screen Gems TV, 1958-63).
The idea for the Series sprang from Mark Hellinger's NY specific crime drama, THE NAKED CITY (Hellinger Productions/Universal Pictures, 1948) In it the drama of murder, the primary investigation and follow-up, all play out against the back-drop of what is (I being a super-sensitive Chicagoan) doubtless the greatest city in the World. Never before had a movie set in NY been filmed completely there and on such a grand scale; using the best settings in the 5 Burroughs as the most magnificent scenery of an urban nature anywhere; as well as the use of countless thousands, or even millions of extras.
There was very in common between the Film and the Series; although James Franciscus did portray the Detective Jimmy Halloran, who was Don Taylor's character in the film. And Mr. Franciscus was in the 1st Season's Episodes; which were only ½ Hour in Length and seemed to meet with only Luke warm response from the public. The series was on hiatus for the next season of 1959-60; only to return as an hour long series in the 1960-61 season. But Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint replaced James Franciscus as the lead.
It seems that the hour long episodes put the series over the top; perhaps allowing more time for characterization, plot development and good old shoot-em-up Action! In retrospect, we can only say that NAKED CITY has proved to be one of the finest Dramas in TV History, Cop Show or not. Now ain't it grand that Hindsight is always 20-20?