The F.B.I. (TV series)

Last updated

The F.B.I.
The F.B.I. (TV series).jpg
Genre Police procedural
Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Philip Abbott
William Reynolds
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons9
No. of episodes241 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers Quinn Martin
Philip Saltzman [1]
Running time60 minutes
Production companies QM Productions
(1965–1974)
Warner Bros. Television
(1965–1967; 1970–1974)
Warner Bros.- Seven Arts Television
(1967–1970)
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 19, 1965 (1965-09-19) 
April 28, 1974 (1974-04-28)
Related
Today's F.B.I. (1981–1982)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr The FBI 1965.JPG
From left: Stephen Brooks, Lynn Loring and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., 1965.

The F.B.I. is an American police television series created by Quinn Martin and Philip Saltzman for ABC and co-produced with Warner Bros. Television, with sponsorship from the Ford Motor Company, Alcoa and American Tobacco Company (Tareyton and Pall Mall brands) in the first season. Ford sponsored the show alone for subsequent seasons. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1965 until its end in 1974. Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Philip Abbott and William Reynolds, the series, consisting of nine seasons and 241 episodes, chronicles a group of FBI agents trying to defend the US government from unidentified threats. For the entirety of its run, it was broadcast on Sunday nights.

Contents

Synopsis

Produced by Quinn Martin and based in part on concepts from the 1959 Warner Bros. theatrical film The FBI Story , the series was based on actual FBI cases, with fictitious main characters carrying the stories. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. played Inspector Lewis Erskine, a widower whose wife had been killed in an ambush meant for him. Philip Abbott played Arthur Ward, assistant director to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Although Hoover served as series consultant until his death in 1972, he never appeared in the series.

Stephen Brooks played Inspector Erskine's assistant, Special Agent Jim Rhodes, for the first two seasons. Lynn Loring played Inspector Erskine's daughter and Rhodes' love interest, Barbara, in the twelve episodes of the show's first season. Although the couple was soon engaged on the show, that romantic angle was soon dropped.

In 1967, Brooks was replaced by William Reynolds, who played Special Agent Tom Colby until 1973. The series would enjoy its highest ratings during this time, peaking at No. 10 in the 1970–1971 season. For the final season, Shelly Novack played Special Agent Chris Daniels.

Some episodes ended with a "most wanted" segment hosted by Zimbalist, noting the FBI's most wanted criminals of the day, decades before the Fox Network aired America's Most Wanted . The most famous instance was in the April 21, 1968, episode, when Zimbalist asked for information about fugitive James Earl Ray, who was being hunted for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The series aired on ABC at 8 p.m. Sunday from 1965 to 1973, when it was moved up to 7:30 p.m. for the final season. The series was a co-production of Quinn Martin Productions and Warner Bros. Television, as Warner Bros. held the television and theatrical rights to any project based on The FBI Story. It was the longest-running of all of Quinn Martin's television series, airing nine seasons.[ citation needed ]

Background

Every detail of every episode of the series was carefully vetted by F.B.I. second-in-command Clyde Tolson. [2] Actors playing F.B.I. agents, and other participants, were given background checks to guarantee that no "criminals, subversives, or Communists" were associated with the show. [3] The premiere episode of the first season, "The Monster," about a handsome serial killer who strangled women with their own hair, so shocked Tolson that he recommended the show be cancelled. [4] J. Edgar Hoover attempted to cancel the show on at least seven other occasions. [5] Upon Tolson's direction, the violence in the show was severely curtailed in the final three seasons. [6]

Cast

Guest Stars

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 32September 19, 1965 (1965-09-19)May 8, 1966 (1966-05-08)
2 29September 18, 1966 (1966-09-18)April 16, 1967 (1967-04-16)
3 27September 17, 1967 (1967-09-17)April 28, 1968 (1968-04-28)
4 26September 22, 1968 (1968-09-22)March 30, 1969 (1969-03-30)
5 26September 14, 1969 (1969-09-14)March 8, 1970 (1970-03-08)
6 26September 20, 1970 (1970-09-20)March 21, 1971 (1971-03-21)
7 26September 12, 1971 (1971-09-12)March 19, 1972 (1972-03-19)
8 26September 17, 1972 (1972-09-17)April 1, 1973 (1973-04-01)
9 23September 16, 1973 (1973-09-16)April 28, 1974 (1974-04-28)

Nielsen ratings

Home media

A 1969 "Ten Most Wanted List" segment; these were seen at the close of some episodes. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Most Wanted List The FBI.JPG
A 1969 "Ten Most Wanted List" segment; these were seen at the close of some episodes.

Warner Bros. (under the Warner Home Video label) has released all nine seasons of The F.B.I. on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases and are available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] The ninth and final season was released on September 23, 2014. [13]

DVD NameEp #Release Date
The First Season, Part 116May 24, 2011
The First Season, Part 216August 2, 2011
The Second Season, Part 116February 14, 2012
The Second Season, Part 213February 14, 2012
The Third Season, Part 116September 11, 2012
The Third Season, Part 211September 11, 2012
The Fourth Season, Part 113February 26, 2013
The Fourth Season, Part 213February 26, 2013
The Fifth Season, Part 113June 4, 2013
The Fifth Season, Part 213June 4, 2013
The Sixth Season26October 15, 2013
The Seventh Season26February 25, 2014
The Eighth Season26June 10, 2014
The Ninth Season23September 23, 2014

Similar series

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Edgar Hoover</span> American law-enforcement administrator (1895–1972)

John Edgar Hoover was an American law-enforcement administrator who served as the final Director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924. After 11 years in the post, Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI in June 1935, where he remained as director for an additional 37 years until his death in May 1972 – serving a total of 48 years leading both the BOI and the FBI and under eight Presidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clyde Tolson</span> American lawyer

Clyde Anderson Tolson was the second-ranking official of the FBI from 1930 until 1972, from 1947 titled Associate Director, primarily responsible for personnel and discipline. He was the protégé and long-time top deputy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Remington Steele is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from October 1, 1982, to February 17, 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic comedy, drama, detective procedural and international political intrigue and espionage.

<i>77 Sunset Strip</i> Television series

77 Sunset Strip is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long and Edd Byrnes. Each episode was one hour long when aired with commercials. The show ran from 1958 to 1964. The character of detective Stuart Bailey was first used by writer Huggins in his 1946 novel The Double Take, later adapted into the 1948 film I Love Trouble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efrem Zimbalist Jr.</span> American actor (1918–2014)

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was an American actor best known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Animated Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Abbott</span> American actor

Philip Abbott was an American character actor. He appeared in several films and numerous television series, including a lead role as Arthur Ward in the crime series The F.B.I. Abbott was also the founder of Theatre West in Los Angeles.

<i>Sugarfoot</i> American Western TV series

Sugarfoot is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with Cheyenne ; Cheyenne and Bronco ; and Bronco. The Warner Bros. production stars Will Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to the Oklahoma Territory to become a lawyer. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of a tenderfoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Loring</span> American actress and producer

Lynn Loring is an American actress and television and film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Duggan</span> American actor (1923–1988)

Andrew Duggan was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Reynolds (actor)</span> American actor (1931–2022)

William DeClercq Reynolds was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Special Agent Tom Colby in the 1960s television series The F.B.I. and his film and television roles during the 1950s through the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1960s</span>

In the 1960s, for a second decade, the United States FBI continued to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Following is a brief review of FBI people and events that place the 1960s decade in context, and then an historical list of individual suspects whose names first appeared on the 10 Most Wanted list during the decade of the 1960s, under FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been a staple of American popular culture since its christening in 1935. That year also marked the beginning of the popular "G-Man" phenomenon that helped establish the Bureau's image, beginning with the aptly titled James Cagney movie, G Men. Although the detective novel and other police-related entertainment had long enthralled audiences, the FBI itself can take some of the credit for its media prominence. J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's "patriarch", took an active interest to ensure that it was not only well represented in the media, but also that the FBI was depicted in a heroic, positive light and that the message, "crime doesn't pay", was blatantly conveyed to audiences. The context, naturally, has changed profoundly since the 1930s "war on crime", and especially so since Hoover's death in 1972.

<i>Girl on the Run</i> (1958 film) 1958 film

Girl on the Run is a 1958 private detective film directed by Richard L. Bare and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Erin O'Brien, Shepperd Strudwick, Edd Byrnes and Barton MacLane.

William T. Orr was an American actor and television producer associated with various Western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. In most of his Warner Bros. series, he was billed as "Wm. T. Orr." Orr began his career as an actor; his film credits included The Mortal Storm, The Gay Sisters, and The Big Street.

<i>Eleventh Hour</i> (American TV series) American TV series or program

Eleventh Hour is an American science-based drama television series, which is based on the 2006 British series of the same name. The series was a joint venture between Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Granada America and Warner Bros. Television. The series ran on CBS for one season from October 9, 2008 to April 2, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Vinson</span> American actor

Robert Gary Vinson was an American actor who appeared in significant roles in three television series of the 1960s: The Roaring 20s, McHale's Navy, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats.

<i>FBI Code 98</i> 1962 film by Leslie H. Martinson

FBI Code 98 is a 1962 crime drama directed by Leslie H. Martinson and produced by Warner Bros. Originally intended as television pilot, the film was instead released theatrically in the United Kingdom in 1962, and in the United States in 1963. FBI Code 98 stars many Warner Bros. contract players such as Jack Kelly, Ray Danton, Andrew Duggan and William Reynolds who later costarred on the Warner Bros Television show The F.B.I.. The film was narrated by William Woodson, who had previously narrated the radio show The FBI in Peace and War.

<i>J. Edgar</i> 2011 film by Clint Eastwood

J. Edgar is a 2011 American biographical drama film based on the career of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, directed, produced and scored by Clint Eastwood. Written by Dustin Lance Black, the film focuses on Hoover's life from the 1919 Palmer Raids onward. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, and Judi Dench. It marked Adam Driver's film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation</span>

The Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (SFSAFBI) is the official worldwide benevolent service organization for former Special Agents of the FBI. In 1972, the Society was called "Mr. Hoover's Loyal Legion" by The Nation.

References

  1. "Philip Saltzman, Producer of 'Barnaby Jones'". Los Angeles Times. August 21, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  2. Curt Gentry, J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets (NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1991), 581.
  3. Gentry, 581.
  4. Gentry, 581.
  5. Gentry, 582.
  6. Gentry, 582.
  7. "The F.B.I. - DVDs for 'The 1st Season, Part 1' Announced: Date, Package, Cost and More!". Archived from the original on January 14, 2012.
  8. "The F.B.I. - Warner Archive Completes the Rookie Year with Today's 'The 1st Season, Part 2' on DVD". Archived from the original on September 14, 2011.
  9. "The F.B.I. - Box Art, Contents and More for Today's Archive Sets of 'The 2nd Season, Part 1' and 'Part 2'". Archived from the original on June 14, 2012.
  10. "The F.B.I. - 'The 3rd Season, Part 1' and 'Part 2' are BOTH Now on DVD!". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012.
  11. The F.B.I. - Package Art Pics for Warner Archives DVDs of 'The 4th Season' Archived March 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  12. The F.B.I. – 'The 5th Season' is Now Available from the Warner Archive Archived June 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  13. The 9th and Final Season is Now Available on DVD! Archived September 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine