Diagnosis: Unknown

Last updated
Diagnosis: Unknown
Genre Medical drama
Created byAlan Woods
James A. Bank,
based on "Diagnosis: Homicide" by Lawrence G. Blochman
Written byJoel Carpenter
Arnold Manoff
Bill S. Ballinger
Elliott Norman
Steven Gethers
Theodore Apstein
Alvin Boretz
Ernest Kinoy
Directed by Fielder Cook
Paul Stanley
William Corrigan
Starring Patrick O'Neal
Phyllis Newman
Chester Morris
Martin Huston
Cal Bellini
Theme music composer Irwin Kostal
Edward Scott
Joe Hamilton
Opening theme"Diagnosis: Unknown" (aka "Coffee's Theme")
ComposerIrwin Kostal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producer Bob Banner
ProducerLeo Davis
Running time4548 minutes
Production companiesBob Banner Associates, Inc.
Red Wing Productions, Inc.
CBS Television
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseJuly 5 (1960-07-05) 
September 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

Diagnosis: Unknown is an American medical drama that aired on CBS television from July 5 to September 20, 1960. The series aired as a summer replacement for The Garry Moore Show [1] from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays. [2]

Contents

Premise

Daniel Coffee, head of a hospital's pathology lab, worked with police (particularly Detective Captain Max Ritter) to find criminals who committed bizarre murders. Lab assistants Doris Hudson and Motilal Mookerju supported Coffee in his work. Another regular character was Link, a boy who worked as handyman and kept the lab clean. [2]

Personnel

The cast was as follows:

Bob Banner was the producer. [3]

Joel Carpenter wrote the script for the program's premiere episode. [4]

Theme

"Coffee's Theme", the program's theme song, was recorded by Warren Covington and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Decca 31146). [5]

Critical reception

In a review of the program's initial episode in The New York Times , Jack Gould called the show "sick television" and said it indicated that "beatniks have taken over" at CBS. [6] The review said that the show's "laboratory is populated by gone kids" and noted elements in the laboratory's environment: "haze of cigarette smoke . . . the din of transistor radios . . . jive talk".

Critic John Crosby wrote that he liked the emphasis on the mystery, and he complimented O'Neal's portrayal of Coffee. He liked the dialogue's "intelligence and flashes of humor" but added that some scenes were "awfully talky" while others were "pretty awkward". [3]

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"A Case of Radiant Wine" Fielder Cook Joel CarpenterJuly 5, 1960 (1960-07-05)
Guest star: Tom Bosley [4]
2"Main Course -- Murder"UnknownUnknownAugust 2, 1960 (1960-08-02)
3"A Sudden Stillness"UnknownUnknownAugust 9, 1960 (1960-08-09)
4"Final Performance"UnknownUnknownAugust 16, 1960 (1960-08-16)
5"The Case of the Elder"UnknownUnknownAugust 23, 1960 (1960-08-23)
6"The Curse of the Gypsy"UnknownUnknownAugust 30, 1960 (1960-08-30)
7"Gina, Gina"UnknownUnknownSeptember 6, 1960 (1960-09-06)
8"The Parasite"UnknownUnknownSeptember 13, 1960 (1960-09-13)
9"The Red Death"UnknownUnknownSeptember 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

Related Research Articles

<i>Unsolved Mysteries</i> American true crime television series

Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.

<i>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</i> American television anthology series

Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was renamed The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Hitchcock himself directed only 18 episodes during its run.

The NBC Mystery Movie is an American television anthology series produced by Universal Pictures, that NBC broadcast from 1971 to 1977. Devoted to a rotating series of mystery episodes, it was sometimes split into two subsets broadcast on different nights of the week: The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie and The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie.

<i>Whats My Line?</i> American panel game show

What's My Line? is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS. The game show started in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists to question contestants in order to determine their occupation. The majority of the contestants were from the general public, but there was one weekly celebrity "mystery guest" for which the panelists were blindfolded. It is on the list of longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-shows. Originally moderated by John Charles Daly and most frequently with regular panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf, What's My Line? won three Emmy Awards for "Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show" in 1952, 1953, and 1958 and the Golden Globe Awards for Best TV Show in 1962.

<i>CSI: NY</i> American police procedural drama television series (2004–2013)

CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seasons and 197 original episodes. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as "Crime Scene Investigators" as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths, as well as other crimes. The series is an indirect spin-off from the veteran series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and a direct spin-off from CSI: Miami, during an episode in which several of the CSI: NY characters made their first appearances. It is the third series in the CSI franchise.

<i>The Jack Benny Program</i> US radio–TV comedy series

The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 Emmy for Best Comedy Show, and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Johnson</span> American actor (1924-2014)

Russell David Johnson was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in Gilligan's Island and Marshal Gib Scott in Black Saddle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal March</span> American actor, comedian and game show host

Hal March was an American comedian, actor, and television quiz show emcee.

<i>Davey and Goliath</i> American animated television series

Davey and Goliath is a Christian clay-animated children's television series, whose central characters were created by Art Clokey, Ruth Clokey, and Dick Sutcliffe, and which was produced first by the United Lutheran Church in America and later by the Lutheran Church in America. The show was aimed at a youth audience, and generally dealt with issues such as respect for authority, sharing, and prejudice. Eventually, these themes included serious issues such as racism, death, religious intolerance and vandalism. Each 15-minute episode features the adventures of a boy named Davey Hansen and his "talking" dog Goliath as they learn the love of God through everyday occurrences. Many of the episodes also feature Davey's parents John and Elaine, his sister Sally, as well as Davey's friends: Jimmy, Teddy, and Nathaniel in earlier episodes, and Jonathan, Nicky, and Francisco in later ones.

<i>High Tor</i> (play) 1936 play by Maxwell Anderson

High Tor is a 1936 play by Maxwell Anderson. It received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the 1936–37 season. Twenty years after the original production, Anderson adapted it into a television musical with Arthur Schwartz.

<i>Person to Person</i> American TV series or program

Person to Person is a popular television program in the United States that originally ran from 1953 to 1961, with two episodes of an attempted revival airing in 2012. Edward R. Murrow hosted the original series from its inception in 1953 until 1959, interviewing celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio. In the last two years of its original run, Charles Collingwood was the host.

The Edsel Show is an hour-long television special broadcast live on CBS in the United States on October 13, 1957, intended to promote Ford Motor Company's new Edsel cars. It was a milestone in the long career of entertainer Bing Crosby and is notable as the first CBS entertainment program to be recorded on videotape for rebroadcast in the western part of the country following a live performance for the east coast. Crosby arranged for this ‘live’ program to be ‘produced’ by his alma mater Gonzaga University in order that the profits could go to them in a tax efficient way. The program won the Look Magazine TV Award for ‘Best Musical Show’ and was nominated for an Emmy as the “Best Single Program of the Year”.

<i>The Garry Moore Show</i> Name of several separate shows hosted by Garry Moore

The Garry Moore Show is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talents, such as Dorothy Loudon, Don Adams, George Gobel, Carol Burnett, Don Knotts, Lee Goodman, James Kirkwood, Jr., Lily Tomlin, and Jonathan Winters. The Garry Moore Show garnered a number of Emmy nominations and wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick O'Neal (actor)</span> American actor and restaurateur

Patrick Wisdom O'Neal was an American actor and restaurateur.

<i>Ford Star Jubilee</i> American TV anthology series

Ford Star Jubilee is an American anthology series that originally aired monthly on Saturday nights on CBS at 9:30 P.M., E.S.T. from September 24, 1955, to November 3, 1956,. The series was approximately 90 minutes long, broadcast in black-and-white and color, and was typically telecast live. Ford Star Jubilee was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company.

<i>Man Against Crime</i> American TV detective series

Man Against Crime starring Ralph Bellamy, one of the first television programs about private eyes, ran on CBS, the DuMont Television Network and NBC from October 7, 1949, to June 27, 1954, and was briefly revived, starring Frank Lovejoy, during 1956. The show was created by Lawrence Klee and was broadcast live until 1952. The series was one of the few television programs ever to have been simulcast on more than one network: the program aired on both NBC and DuMont during the 1953–54 television season.

<i>Startime</i> (American TV series) American anthology TV series (1959–1960)

Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC network in the 1959–60 season.

Sure as Fate is a 60-minute American anthology mystery drama series that aired on CBS from July 4, 1950, until April 3, 1951.

Hollywood Opening Night is an American anthology television program that was broadcast on CBS in 1951-1952 and on NBC in 1952-1953. The NBC version was the first dramatic anthology presented live from the West Coast. Episodes were 30 minutes long.

<i>Dick Powells Zane Grey Theatre</i> American TV series or program

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre is an American Western anthology television series broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956 until May 18, 1961.

References

  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 215. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 352. ISBN   978-0-307-48320-1 . Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Crosby, John (September 6, 1960). "'Diagnosis Unknown' Gets Mild Praise". The Tampa Tribune. p. 26. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Adams, Val (June 20, 1960). "Tom Bosley takes TV-mystery role" . The New York Times. p. 57. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  5. "Very Strong Sales Potential: Popular" (PDF). Billboard. August 29, 1960. p. 37. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  6. "TV Review: Diagnosis: Unknown' New C.B.S. Mystery" . The New York Times. July 6, 1960. p. 67. Retrieved December 30, 2022.