21 Beacon Street

Last updated
21 Beacon Street
Dennis Morgan Joanna Barnes 21 Beacon Street 1959.JPG
Dennis Morgan and Joanna Barnes
StarringDennis Morgan, Joanna Barnes, Brian Kelly and James Maloney
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time25 minutes
Production company Filmways
Original release
Network NBC

21 Beacon Street is an American detective television series that originally aired on NBC from July 2 to September 10, 1959.

Contents

Produced by Filmways, [1] the summer replacement series for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show [2] :146 consisted of 11 black-and-white 30-minute episodes. The show starred Dennis Morgan as private investigator Dennis Chase. Other cast members included Joanna Barnes, Brian Kelly, and James Maloney. [3]

The series pilot was broadcast as an episode of Panic! . [2] :146 The show aired on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Reruns were broadcast on ABC-TV on Sundays at 10:30 p.m. from December 1959 to March 1960. [3]

Leonard Heideman was the show's creator. [2] The series' first episode was "The Rub-Out". [4]

Premises

Dennis Chase was a private investigator with an office on 21 Beacon Street, in an unspecified city. [3] Chase was aided by Joanna Barnes as Lola, who was a combination of beauty and brains. She was able to glean information and then act as a decoy. Brian Kelly was Brian, a young law school graduate; and James Maloney played Jim, an expert on dialects, as well as a skilled craftsman. [5]

Chase and his assistants worked to discover who the criminals were, but then notified the police to come and apprehend the law breakers. [3]

Forerunner to Mission Impossible

The producers of Mission: Impossible were sued for plagiarism by the creators of 21 Beacon Street. The suit was settled out of court. Bruce Geller claimed never to have seen the earlier show; Beacon Street's story editor and pilot scripter, Laurence Heath, would later write several episodes of Mission: Impossible. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hawaii Five-O</i> (1968 TV series) American TV series (1968–1980)

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and created by Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons on CBS from September 20, 1968, to April 8, 1980, and continues in reruns. At the airing of its last episode, it was the longest-running police drama in American television history, and the last scripted primetime show that debuted in the 1960s to leave the air.

<i>The Brady Bunch</i> American sitcom

The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls. After its cancellation in 1974, the series debuted in syndication in September 1975. Though it was never a ratings hit or a critical success during its original run, the program has since become a popular syndicated staple, especially among children and teenage viewers.

<i>Mission: Impossible</i> (1966 TV series) U.S. television series (1966–1973)

Mission: Impossible is an American espionage television series that aired on CBS from September 1966 to March 1973. It was revived in 1988 for two seasons on ABC. It also inspired the series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise beginning in 1996.

<i>Cop Rock</i> 1990 American crime drama musical television series

Cop Rock is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen J. Cannell</span> American television producer and writer (1941–2010)

Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist, occasional actor, and founder of Cannell Entertainment and The Cannell Studios.

<i>Laramie</i> (TV series) American Western television series

Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. A Revue Studios production, the program originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, owner of the Sherman Ranch, along with his younger brother Andy, played by Robert L. Crawford Jr.; Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, an immature, hot-headed drifter who shows up at the Sherman Ranch in the premiere episode; and Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy, who keeps the homestead/stage stop running while Slim and Jess usually alternate starring roles during the show. Actress Spring Byington was later added to the cast.

<i>Dennis the Menace</i> (1959 TV series) American sitcom

Dennis the Menace is an American sitcom based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. It preceded The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings on CBS from October 4, 1959, to July 7, 1963. The series stars Jay North as Dennis Mitchell; Herbert Anderson as his father, Henry; Gloria Henry as his mother, Alice; Joseph Kearns as George Wilson; Gale Gordon as George's brother, John Wilson; Sylvia Field as George's wife, Martha Wilson; and Sara Seegar as John's wife, Eloise Wilson.

<i>The Mod Squad</i> American television series

The Mod Squad is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, and Tige Andrews as Captain Adam Greer. The executive producers of the series were Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas.

<i>Acapulco H.E.A.T.</i> 1993 syndicated television series

Acapulco H.E.A.T. is a 1993 syndicated television series. It followed the adventures of the "Hemisphere Emergency Action Team" (H.E.A.T.), a group of top-secret agents based in Acapulco in Mexico, recruited by "C-5", a secret, inter-governmental coalition to fight terrorism and other international crimes. To keep a low profile, the team posed as models and photographers representing a beach-fashion business. The show returned for a second season with a new and smaller cast; it aired in Europe in 1997, and in the United States during 1998–99.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Barnes</span> American actress and writer (1934–2022)

Joanna Barnes was an American actress and writer.

<i>Bachelor Father</i> (American TV series) American TV series or program

Bachelor Father is an American sitcom starring John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong. The series first premiered on CBS in September 1957 before moving to NBC for the third season in 1959. The series' fifth and final season aired on ABC. A total of 157 episodes were aired. The series was based on "A New Girl in His Life", which aired on General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957.

<i>Bay City Blues</i> American television series

Bay City Blues is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from October 25 to November 15, 1983. The series stars Michael Nouri, Dennis Franz, and Pat Corley, and was created and produced by Steven Bochco. Eight episodes were produced, but only four were aired prior to its cancellation.

<i>In Case of Emergency</i> (TV series) US television series

In Case of Emergency is an American half-hour sitcom television series shown on ABC in the United States. The series follows a group of high school acquaintances whose lives have not turned out as they hoped. It premiered on January 3, 2007, at 9:30 pm and ended on April 11, 2007. The pilot episode was directed by Jon Favreau and the cast included Jonathan Silverman, David Arquette, Lori Loughlin, Kelly Hu, and Greg Germann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Kelly (actor)</span> American actor (1931-2005)

Brian Kelly was an American actor widely known for his role as Porter Ricks, the widowed father of two sons on the NBC television series Flipper.

<i>Army Wives</i> American drama series

Army Wives is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The show had the largest series premiere in Lifetime's 23-year history, and the largest viewership in the 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm time slot since December 2007 for Lifetime. It received favorable reviews and several award nominations, and won five ASCAP Awards and one Gracie Allen Award.

<i>Mutya</i> Filipino TV series or program

Mutya is a 2011 Philippine fantasy series produced and aired by ABS-CBN based on Pablo S. Gomez's comic of the same name. The series introduced child actress Mutya Orquia. The series premiered from January 31 to May 6, 2011, replacing Noah on ABS-CBN's primetime slot. and was replaced by 100 Days to Heaven.

Mackenzie's Raiders is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that was broadcast in syndication and produced in 1958–1959. The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Spier</span> American film director (1906–1973)

William Hannan Spier was an American writer, producer, and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably Suspense and The Adventures of Sam Spade.

The Lawless Years is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16, 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind, set during the Roaring 20s, preceding The Untouchables by half a season.

References

  1. Irvin, Richard The Forgotten Desi and Lucy TV Projects, Bear Manor Media, 2020
  2. 1 2 3 Irvin, Richard (2014). George Burns Television Productions: The Series and Pilots, 1950-1981. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN   978-1-4766-1621-6 . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present Ballantine Books, 1979, page 647
  4. Cain, Ira (July 2, 1959). "New Cop-Crook Series to Premiere". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas, Fort Worth. p. 28. Retrieved May 3, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 21 Beacon Street Is New Half Hour Crime Series, The Modesto Bee, June 28, 1959, page 41
  6. White, Patrick J (1991), The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier, New York: Avon Books, pp. 8–9, ISBN   978-0380758777, OCLC   24914321