Shannon (1961 TV series)

For the 1981 CBS crime drama starring Kevin Dobson, see Shannon (1981 TV series).

Shannon
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	John Hawkins
Directed by	Fred Jackman, Jr.
Starring	George Nader Regis Toomey Jan Arvan
Composers	Emil Cadkin Arthur Morton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	36
Production
Executive producer	Robert Sparks
Producer	Jerry Briskin
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Screen Gems Television
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	October 2, 1961 (1961-10-02) [1]  – June 12, 1962 (1962-06-12)

Shannon is an American crime drama series created by John Hawkins that aired in first-run syndication from October 2, 1961, to 1962. The series starred George Nader as insurance investigator Joe Shannon. ^[1]

Plot

Joe Shannon (George Nader) is an insurance investigator in Los Angeles for the Denver-based Transport Bonding and Surety Company. Shannon investigates losses of items in transit that are insured under the company, the losses of which are often tied to crime. He reports to his Denver-based boss Bill Cochran (Regis Toomey), and sometimes involves Los Angeles branch manager Elliot Mills (Jan Arvan).

While the series is typical for the early 1960s detective series, it is also unique in that Shannon heavily utilizes his 1961 Buick Special equipped with advanced gadgetry for the period. The car has its own phone and a dictation machine for his notes. Shannon often uses a personal recording device hidden in his jacket while questioning suspects.

Guest stars

• Chris Alcaide as Jack O'Hare in "Duke of the Valley"
• King Calder as John Millard in "The Sports Car Story"
• Francis De Sales as Ray Petri in "Cold Trail"
• Jerry Douglas as Larry Engstrom in "The Florentine Prince"
• Robert Duvall as Joey Nolan in "The Big Fish"
• Paul Fix as Royer in "Desert Crossing"
• Harold Gould as Jess Dowling in "Ironclad Alibi"
• Raymond Guth as Bill Winter in "End of the Line"
• DeForest Kelley as Carlyle in "The Pickup" ^[2]
• Ann McCrea as Phyllis Gray in "Never Help a Lady" (1962)
• Joseph Mell as Papa Brogano in "The Big Fish"
• Lee Meriwether as Evelyn Hoxy in "Bonds of Friendship"
• Candy Moore as Donna Humphrey in "The Embezzler's Daughter"
• Gilman Rankin as Dave Barker in "Ironclad Alibi"
• Stephen Roberts as Jenkins in "The Deadly Homecoming"
• Mickey Sholdar as Shad in "Desert Crossing"
• Hal Smith as Artie Shawn in "The King Leal Report"
• John Zaremba as Lloyd Garvin in "The Zendee Report"

Production notes

The series was created by John Hawkins, who often co-wrote with his brother Ward Hawkins. Jerry Briskin served as producer. ^[3] Unusual for the period, Columbia Pictures was listed with Screen Gems as a co-producer of the series in the credits. By September 18, the series had completed its first thirteen episodes. ^[1]

Gene Roddenberry wrote two of the teleplays while under contract to Screen Gems. ^[4]

Episodes

No.	Title	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code
1	"The Embezzler's Daughter"	Story by : Ward Hawkins Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry	October 2, 1961 (1961-10-02)	102
2	"The King Leal Report"	Norman S. Hall	October 9, 1961 (1961-10-09)	103
3	"The Zendee Report"	John Hawkins	October 16, 1961 (1961-10-16)	101
4	"Ironclad Alibi"	John O'Dea	October 23, 1961 (1961-10-23)	104
5	"Decoy"	Story by : Teleplay by :	October 30, 1961 (1961-10-30)	105
6	"The Porcelain Egg"	Charles B. Smith	November 6, 1961 (1961-11-06)	106
7	"The Jade Tortoise"	Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. & Pat Silver	TBA	107
8	"The Pickup"	Gene Roddenberry	TBA	108
9	"Desert Crossroads"	Don Ingalls	TBA	109
10	"The Big Fish"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA	110
11	"Lady on the Rocks"	Paul Schneider	TBA	111
12	"Cold Trail"	John Hawkins	TBA	112
13	"Duke of the Valley"	David Chandler	TBA	113
14	"The Hyatt Fund"	Story by : Milt Rosen Teleplay by : John Hawkins	TBA	114
15	"The Professional Widower"	Story by : Seymour Friedman Teleplay by : Todhunter Ballard	TBA
16	"Legacy in G"	Charles B. Smith	TBA
17	"Fallers"	Story by : George Fass & Gertrude Fass Teleplay by : Todhunter Ballard	TBA
18	"Dolphin and the Mermaid"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
19	"Bonds of Friendship"	Philip Saltzman	TBA
20	"The Man from Yesterday"	Story by : Teleplay by :	1962 (1962)
21	"Tarnish on the Badge"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
22	"The Jungle Kid"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
23	"The Deadly Homecoming"	Joseph Vogel & Lou Lantz	TBA
24	"Saints and Sinners"	Jack Jacobs	TBA
25	"License to Steal"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
26	"The Patriarch"	Story by : Herb Purdom Teleplay by : Todhunter Ballard	TBA
27	"The Sports Car Story"	Story by : Robert Alan Miller Teleplay by : Todhunter Ballard	TBA
28	"The Florentine Prince"	Story by : Teleplay by :	1962 (1962)
29	"The Gideon Leap"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
30	"Play with Fire"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
31	"Never Help a Lady"	Steven Ritch	1962 (1962)
32	"Delayed Delivery"	Story by : Teleplay by : Todhunter Ballard	1962 (1962)
33	"Uneasy Debt"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
34	"The Medal"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
35	"End of the Line"	Story by : Teleplay by :	TBA
36	"Conspiracy of Silence"	Story by : Teleplay by :	1962 (1962)

References

1. "13 Episodes Ready". Los Angeles Times . September 18, 1961. pp. 15 (Pt. II).
2. "Episode List of Shannon (1961)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved March 15, 2009.
3. "Jerry Briskin Collection, 1946-1968". The Online Archive of California. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
4. Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 747

External links

• Shannon at IMDb
• Shannon 1961-62 at CVTA