Tightrope!

*Tightrope!*
Tightrope!
	Mike Connors with Leigh Snowden (left) and Claire Kelly, 1960
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Clarence Greene ; Russell Rouse
Written by	Frederick Brady; Berne Giler; Clarence Greene; Steven Ritch; Russell Rouse; Al C. Ward
Directed by	Abner Biberman ; Irving J. Moore ; Russell Rouse; Oscar Rudolph
Starring	Mike Connors
Theme music composer	George Duning
Opening theme	Vic Schoen & Orchestra
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	37 (all filmed in black-and-white)
Production
Producers	Clarence Greene; Russell Rouse
Cinematography	Scotty Welbourne
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Greene-Rouse Productions; Screen Gems
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 8, 1959 –; September 13, 1960

Last updated January 24, 2025

Tightrope! is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J. B. Williams Company (Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco (Pall Mall). Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. The show was originally to have been titled Undercover Man, but it was changed before going to air.^[1] Actor Robert Phillips, a former Los Angeles undercover policeman and US Marine claimed the show was based on his exploits, but that he was not chosen to portray himself.^[2]

Synopsis

Mike Connors' character narrated the episode, echoing film noir technique. He starred as an undercover police officer, known only as "Nick" (although some sources revealed that his last name was "Stone", his last name was never shown in the series' ending credits).^[3] Only his immediate superior on the police force knew he was working undercover. Because the police often did not know that Nick was working for the law, he was often in danger from both the good guys and the bad guys, as he walked the "tightrope" between good and evil. A special gimmick was that in addition to a gun in a shoulder holster, he carried a second gun, a snubnosed revolver, in a holster behind his back; he was often searched by both cops and bad guys, but they stopped searching after finding the first gun.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Getaway Day"	Russell Rouse	Russell Rouse & Clarence Greene	September 8, 1959 (1959-09-08)
2	"The Casino"	Russell Rouse	Russell Rouse & Clarence Greene	September 15, 1959 (1959-09-15)
3	"The Frame"	Abner Biberman	Story by : Robert Bloomfield Teleplay by : Tony Barrett	September 22, 1959 (1959-09-22)
4	"Stand on Velvet"	Abner Biberman	Stirling Silliphant	September 29, 1959 (1959-09-29)
5	"The Cracking Point"	Abner Biberman	Frederic Brady	October 6, 1959 (1959-10-06)
6	"Thousand Dollar Bill"	Abner Biberman	Al C. Ward	October 13, 1959 (1959-10-13)
7	"Music and Mink"	Russell Rouse	Russell Rouse & Clarence Greene	October 20, 1959 (1959-10-20)
8	"Man in the Middle"	Abner Biberman	Frederic Brady	November 3, 1959 (1959-11-03)
9	"The Patsy"	Abner Biberman	Berne Giler	November 10, 1959 (1959-11-10)
10	"The Money Fight"	Abner Biberman	Al C. Ward	November 17, 1959 (1959-11-17)
11	"Black Tie Kill"	Unknown	Unknown	November 24, 1959 (1959-11-24)
12	"The Perfect Circle"	Abner Biberman	Tony Barrett	December 1, 1959 (1959-12-01)
13	"The Lady"	Abner Biberman	Al C. Ward	December 8, 1959 (1959-12-08)
14	"Cold Kill"	Unknown	Unknown	December 15, 1959 (1959-12-15)
15	"The Neon Wheel"	Irving J. Moore	Frederic Brady	December 22, 1959 (1959-12-22)
16	"Two Private Eyes"	Don Taylor	Frederic Brady	December 29, 1959 (1959-12-29)
17	"Night of the Gun"	Paul Wendkos	Frederic Brady	January 5, 1960 (1960-01-05)
18	"Broken Rope"	Irving J. Moore	Frederic Brady	January 12, 1960 (1960-01-12)
19	"Cold Ice"	John Rich	Tony Barrett	January 19, 1960 (1960-01-19)
20	"Appointment in Jericho"	Abner Biberman	Stirling Silliphant	January 26, 1960 (1960-01-26)
21	"Three to Make Ready"	Irving J. Moore	Steven Ritch	February 2, 1960 (1960-02-02)
22	"The Model and the Mobster"	Irving J. Moore	Frederic Brady	February 9, 1960 (1960-02-09)
23	"The Long Odds"	Oscar Rudolph	Frederic Brady	February 16, 1960 (1960-02-16)
24	"The Brave Pigeon"	Irving J. Moore	Steven Ritch	February 23, 1960 (1960-02-23)
25	"First Time Out"	Unknown	Unknown	March 1, 1960 (1960-03-01)
26	"Park Avenue Story"	Unknown	Unknown	March 8, 1960 (1960-03-08)
27	"Big Business"	Oscar Rudolph	George Bruce	March 15, 1960 (1960-03-15)
28	"The Chinese Pendant"	Irving J. Moore	Steven Ritch	March 29, 1960 (1960-03-29)
29	"Achilles and His Heels"	Irving J. Moore	Frederic Brady	April 5, 1960 (1960-04-05)
30	"The Gangster's Daughter"	Irving J. Moore	Kitty Buhler	April 12, 1960 (1960-04-12)
31	"The Penthouse Story"	Irving J. Moore	Sidney Marshall	April 19, 1960 (1960-04-19)
32	"The Shark"	Sidney Miller	Berne Giler	April 26, 1960 (1960-04-26)
33	"The Horse Runs High"	Oscar Rudolph	Steven Ritch	May 3, 1960 (1960-05-03)
34	"The Hired Guns"	Reginald Le Borg	Frederic Brady	May 10, 1960 (1960-05-10)
35	"Borderline"	Irving J. Moore	Al C. Ward	May 17, 1960 (1960-05-17)
36	"A Matter of Money"	Unknown	Unknown	May 24, 1960 (1960-05-24)
37	"Bullets and Ballet"	Allen H. Miner	Steven Ritch	May 31, 1960 (1960-05-31)

Cancellation

Despite the show's popularity, it was canceled after only one season. Mike Connors stated in an interview that the show's primary sponsor (J. B. Williams) refused the network's request to move it to a later timeslot on a different day. When CBS head James Aubrey stated that the show was indisputably going to move timeslot, the sponsor dropped Tightrope!, and underwrote another program on another network. Connors also did not agree with suggested changes to the show's format, that would have extended its length to one hour and added a sidekick, to be played by Don Sullivan.^[4] He thought such an alteration would eliminate the suspense element of the program.^[5] Yet another factor in the show's eventual cancellation were complaints concerning its alleged excessive violence.^{[ citation needed ]}

Seven years later, Connors would go on to star in the successful, long-running CBS crime series Mannix .

Reboot

In April of 2024, Roku announced it has greenlit a reboot of the show in the form of a slapstick comedy starring Modern Family's Ty Burrell with Bryan Cranston as Executive Producer.^[6] This is similar to what ABC and the writers of Airplane! did in 1982 with Police Squad! , a spoof of M Squad .

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References

↑ "Tightrope!". Broadcasting. 56. Cahners Pub. Co.: 71 1959.
↑ p. 60 Freese, Gene Richard Jaeckel, Hollywood's Man of Character McFarland (2 May 2016)
↑ Terrace, Vincent (29 October 2003). The Television Crime Fighters Factbook: Over 9,800 Details from 301 Programs, 1937-2003. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786415335 . Retrieved 25 November 2016.
↑ Interview by Paul & Donna ParlaSULLIVAN’S TRAVELS IN HOLLYWOOD An Interview with ‘B’ Monster Movie Hero Don Sullivan copyright 2008 Paul Parla/Anthony Di Salvo
↑ Weaver, Tom (2003). "Mike Connors". Eye on Science Fiction: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-7864-1657-2.
↑ Campione, Katie (2024-04-30). "Ty Burrell To Star In Comedy Reimagining Of 1950s Series 'Tightrope!' From EP Bryan Cranston For Roku". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-18.

External links

Tightrope at IMDb
Tightrope at epguides.com

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Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] "Tightrope!". Broadcasting. 56. Cahners Pub. Co.: 71 1959.

[2] . 60 Freese, Gene Richard Jaeckel, Hollywood's Man of Character McFarland (2 May 2016)

[3] Terrace, Vincent (29 October 2003). The Television Crime Fighters Factbook: Over 9,800 Details from 301 Programs, 1937-2003. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786415335 . Retrieved 25 November 2016.

[4] Interview by Paul & Donna ParlaSULLIVAN’S TRAVELS IN HOLLYWOOD An Interview with ‘B’ Monster Movie Hero Don Sullivan copyright 2008 Paul Parla/Anthony Di Salvo

[5] Weaver, Tom (2003). "Mike Connors". Eye on Science Fiction: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-7864-1657-2.

[6] Campione, Katie (2024-04-30). "Ty Burrell To Star In Comedy Reimagining Of 1950s Series 'Tightrope!' From EP Bryan Cranston For Roku". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-18.

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