Man Against Crime
 |
| Man Against Crime | |
|---|---|
 Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett (1951) | |
| Also known as | Follow That Man |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Lawrence Klee |
| Written by | Vin Bogert |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Carl King |
| Theme music composer | Fred Steiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 122 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Maria Montague (1952-53) |
| Running time | 30 mins. (approx) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1949–53) DuMont (1953–54) NBC (1953–54) |
| Release | October 7, 1949 – June 27, 1954 |
Man Against Crime (also known as Follow That Man) 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.[1] 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.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]Man Against Crime stars Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett, a New York freelance private eye. In the 1951 season, Robert Preston co-starred as Mike Barnett's brother, Pat (who also assumed the lead while Bellamy was on vacation that summer).[3] Mike Barnett did not carry a gun.[4]
Accompanied by a frantic theme song by Fred Steiner [where is the evidence that Steiner wrote the theme? - the theme is named "Manhunt" and originally was in the Filmusic Library, then the Langlois Filmusic Library, then Cinemusic Library, and now in the APM Music Library - it can be found online at www.APMmusic.com and on YouTube], the film noir-style introduction features an unknown man running down a deserted New York City street while being chased by a black car, all of which is viewed from above. As he knocks on Barnett's door, there is a spray of sub-machine gun fire, and the man is killed. Barnett opens the door, hears the click of the bolt on the gun, ducks and is missed by a second, shorter burst of slugs. Barnett then takes off after the killer while Follow That Man appears in bold letters and the title of the episode is shown on a file folder that is propped up against a telephone. The filmed episodes were syndicated as Follow That Man because the sponsor owned the original title [see below].[citation needed]
The show's first prime-time episode aired on CBS on October 7, 1949,[5] and the final prime-time episode was broadcast, on NBC, on August 26, 1956. In the 1950–51 season, the series finished at #13 in the Nielsen ratings, followed by a #29 finish in 1951–52.[6]
1956 version
[edit]Man Against Crime returned to TV on NBC from July 1, 1956, through August 19, 1956, at 10 p.m. Eastern Time as a summer replacement for The Loretta Young Show. Procter & Gamble sponsored this version, which starred Frank Lovejoy and originated in Hollywood, California. It was televised live.[7] Bill Spier was the producer, and George Cahan was the director.[8]
A review of in the trade publication Variety described Lovejoy's acting as "mostly deadpan and businesslike, as perhaps befitting the infallible detective."[8] It said, "Technical credits, including the sets, are good", but "The plots are almost incredible."[8]
Production
[edit]The program was initially broadcast live from CBS's studio in the Grand Central Terminal building,[9] but by mid-1953, it was being filmed at the Bedford Park Studios in New York City, while exterior sites included the East River, Grant's Tomb, the Hudson River, the Staten Island Ferry, and subways.[4] The budget was $10,000 - $15,000 per episode for the initial live broadcasts, but expenses increased with the shift to film.[10]
Charles Russell was the producer, Paul Nickell was the director, and Lawrence Klee was the writer. The program originated from WCBS-TV.[11] Philip Reisman Jr. was the script editor.[9]: 101 Henry Sylvern provided the music.[12]
Sponsorship and scheduling
[edit]Camel cigarettes sponsored the series.[5] That sponsorship produced limitations for writers that included "no disreputable person could smoke, nor could anyone smoke nervously or in any unattractive manner. No coughing (implying cigarettes could cause disease) or arson (suggesting cigarettes could cause fires) was allowed."[10]
In October 1953, Man Against Crime moved to NBC, but that network was unable to clear time for the program in approximately 10 cities, including New York City. DuMont had no program scheduled for the show's Sunday night time slot, so it carried Man Against Crime in those cities. By then, WOR-TV in New York City was broadcasting reruns of earlier episodes of the show on Saturday nights.[13]
Episodes
[edit] | This section needs a plot summary. (January 2019) |
Season 1 (1949–50)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode #1.1" | October 7, 1949 |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode #1.2" | October 14, 1949 |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode #1.3" | October 21, 1949 |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode #1.4" | October 28, 1949 |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode #1.5" | November 4, 1949 |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode #1.6" | November 11, 1949 |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode #1.7" | November 18, 1949 |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode #1.8" | November 25, 1949 |
| 9 | 9 | "Episode #1.9" | December 2, 1949 |
| 10 | 10 | "Episode #1.10" | December 9, 1949 |
| 11 | 11 | "Episode #1.11" | December 16, 1949 |
| 12 | 12 | "Episode #1.12" | December 23, 1949 |
| 13 | 13 | "Episode #1.13" | December 30, 1949 |
| 14 | 14 | "Episode #1.14" | January 6, 1950 |
| 15 | 15 | "Episode #1.15" | January 13, 1950 |
| 16 | 16 | "Episode #1.16" | January 20, 1950 |
| 17 | 17 | "Episode #1.17" | January 27, 1950 |
| 18 | 18 | "Episode #1.18" | February 3, 1950 |
| 19 | 19 | "Episode #1.19" | February 10, 1950 |
| 20 | 20 | "Episode #1.20" | February 17, 1950 |
| 21 | 21 | "Episode #1.21" | February 24, 1950 |
| 22 | 22 | "Episode #1.22" | March 3, 1950 |
| 23 | 23 | "Episode #1.23" | March 10, 1950 |
| 24 | 24 | "Episode #1.24" | March 17, 1950 |
| 25 | 25 | "Episode #1.25" | March 24, 1950 |
| 26 | 26 | "Episode #1.26" | March 31, 1950 |
| 27 | 27 | "Episode #1.27" | April 7, 1950 |
| 28 | 28 | "Episode #1.28" | April 14, 1950 |
| 29 | 29 | "Episode #1.29" | April 21, 1950 |
| 30 | 30 | "Episode #1.30" | April 28, 1950 |
| 31 | 31 | "Episode #1.31" | May 5, 1950 |
| 32 | 32 | "Episode #1.32" | May 12, 1950 |
| 33 | 33 | "Episode #1.33" | May 19, 1950 |
| 34 | 34 | "Episode #1.34" | May 26, 1950 |
| 35 | 35 | "Episode #1.35" | June 2, 1950 |
| 36 | 36 | "Episode #1.36" | June 9, 1950 |
| 37 | 37 | "Episode #1.37" | June 16, 1950 |
| 38 | 38 | "Episode #1.38" | June 23, 1950 |
| 39 | 39 | "Episode #1.39" | June 30, 1950 |
Season 2 (1950)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Episode #2.1" | September 8, 1950 |
Season 3 (1951)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Episode #3.1" | August 10, 1951 |
Season 4 (1952–53)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 1 | "Phobia" | Unknown | Unknown | October 1, 1952 |
| 43 | 2 | "Murder in Rhyme" | Unknown | Unknown | October 8, 1952 |
| 44 | 3 | "Baker Grandee" | Unknown | Unknown | October 15, 1952 |
| 45 | 4 | "Joy Ride" | Edward J. Montagne | Checkley Ellis | October 22, 1952 |
| 46 | 5 | "Carpathia" | Unknown | Unknown | October 29, 1952 |
| 47 | 6 | "Paradise Lost" | Edward J. Montagne | Checkley Ellis | November 5, 1952 |
| 48 | 7 | "The Victim Is Venus" | Edward J. Montagne | Vincent Bogert | November 12, 1952 |
| 49 | 8 | "Get Out of Town" | Edward J. Montagne | Burton Benjamin | November 19, 1952 |
| 50 | 9 | "Fuller's Folly" | Edward J. Montagne | Max Erlich | November 26, 1952 |
| 51 | 10 | "Women's Reformatory" | Unknown | Unknown | December 3, 1952 |
| 52 | 11 | "Killer Cat" | Edward J. Montagne | William L. Stuart | December 10, 1952 |
| 53 | 12 | "Bartholdi" | Unknown | Unknown | December 17, 1952 |
| 54 | 13 | "The Day They Kidnapped Santa Claus" | Unknown | Unknown | December 24, 1952 |
| 55 | 14 | "Dragon's Blood" | Unknown | Unknown | December 31, 1952 |
| 56 | 15 | "Breaking Point" | Unknown | Unknown | January 7, 1953 |
| 57 | 16 | "Ferry Boat" | Paul Alter | Vincent Bogert | January 14, 1953 |
| 58 | 17 | "Murder in the Studio" | Unknown | Unknown | January 21, 1953 |
| 59 | 18 | "The Silken Touch" | Edward J. Montagne | Stanley Niss | January 28, 1953 |
| 60 | 19 | "Third Rail" | Edward J. Montagne | Bill Demling | February 4, 1953 |
| 61 | 20 | "Exclusive" | Unknown | Unknown | February 11, 1953 |
| 62 | 21 | "The Midnight Express" | Unknown | Unknown | February 18, 1953 |
| 63 | 22 | "A Bottle of Death" | Unknown | Unknown | February 25, 1953 |
| 64 | 23 | "The Iceman" | Edward J. Montagne | Stanley Niss | March 4, 1953 |
| 65 | 24 | "Death Takes a Partner" | Edward J. Montagne | Don Sanford | March 11, 1953 |
| 66 | 25 | "Sic Transit Gloria" | Edward J. Montagne | Vincent Bogert | March 18, 1953 |
| 67 | 26 | "Family Affair" | Edward J. Montagne | Checkley Ellis | March 25, 1953 |
| 68 | 27 | "The Hitch Heisters" | Frank McDonald | Stanley Niss | April 1, 1953 |
| 69 | 28 | "Free Ride" | Frank McDonald | Art Stark & Irving Elman | April 8, 1953 |
| 70 | 29 | "Death Below Decks" | Unknown | Unknown | April 15, 1953 |
| 71 | 30 | "High Ambush" | Paul Alter | William L. Stuart | April 22, 1953 |
| 72 | 31 | "The Cocoanut's Eye" | William Berke | William L. Stuart | May 6, 1953 |
| 73 | 32 | "Room 505" | Frank McDonald | Vincent Bogert | May 13, 1953 |
| 74 | 33 | "The Day Man" | William Berke | Paul Alter | May 20, 1953 |
| 75 | 34 | "Hot Fur" | Frank McDonald | Paul Alter | May 27, 1953 |
| 76 | 35 | "The Doll Bandit" | William Berke | Vincent Bogert | June 10, 1953 |
| 77 | 36 | "Washington Story" | William Berke | Burton Benjamin & Robert Shaplen | June 17, 1953 |
| 78 | 37 | "Black Leg – White Tie" | Frank McDonald | Stanley Niss | June 24, 1953 |
| 79 | 38 | "Fraternity of Five" | William Berke | Story by : Don Sanford Teleplay by : Hamish McLeod | July 1, 1953 |
| 80 | 39 | "Death on the Diamond" | Unknown | Unknown | July 17, 1953 |
| 81 | 40 | "The Polecat Shakedown" | Edward J. Montagne | J.P. Miller | July 24, 1953 |
| 82 | 41 | "Hide and Seek" | William Berke | Vincent Bogert | August 7, 1953 |
| 83 | 42 | "The Wire Tappers" | William Berke | Checkley Ellis | August 14, 1953 |
| 84 | 43 | "The Missing Cadet" | Edward J. Montagne | B. Loring | August 28, 1953 |
Season 5 (1953–54)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 1 | "Death Wears Lead Shoes: Part 1" | October 11, 1953 |
| 86 | 2 | "Death Wears Lead Shoes: Part 2" | October 18, 1953 |
| 87 | 3 | "Three Cents Worth of Murder" | October 25, 1953 |
| 88 | 4 | "Time Keepers" | November 1, 1953 |
| 89 | 5 | "Murder in the Rough" | November 8, 1953 |
| 90 | 6 | "Main Bout Is Murder" | November 15, 1953 |
| 91 | 7 | "Thirty Dimes" | November 22, 1953 |
| 92 | 8 | "Cube Root of Murder" | November 29, 1953 |
| 93 | 9 | "Murder Mountain" | December 6, 1953 |
| 94 | 10 | "A Very Dead Ringer" | December 13, 1953 |
| 95 | 11 | "Petite Larceny" | December 20, 1953 |
| 96 | 12 | "Going, Going Gone" | December 27, 1953 |
| 97 | 13 | "Don't Feed the Animals" | January 3, 1954 |
| 98 | 14 | "Danger for Duffy" | January 10, 1954[14] |
| 99 | 15 | "Terror 12 Stories High" | January 17, 1954[15] |
| 100 | 16 | "Holler Uncle" | January 24, 1954 |
| 101 | 17 | "Beauty and the Beasts" | January 31, 1954 |
| 102 | 18 | "Little Boy Blues" | February 7, 1954 |
| 103 | 19 | "Target with Two Ts" | February 14, 1954 |
| 104 | 20 | "Mike's Missing Marbles" | February 21, 1954 |
| 105 | 21 | "U.F.O." | February 28, 1954 |
| 106 | 22 | "Will o' the Wisp" | March 7, 1954 |
| 107 | 23 | "Rigged for Murder" | March 14, 1954 |
| 108 | 24 | "Hit and Run" | March 21, 1954 |
| 109 | 25 | "Canary Yellow" | March 28, 1954 |
| 110 | 26 | "The Plugged Shilling" | April 4, 1954 |
| 111 | 27 | "The Chinese Dolls" | April 11, 1954 |
| 112 | 28 | "Barometer Falling" | April 18, 1954 |
| 113 | 29 | "The Man from Dannemora" | April 25, 1954 |
| 114 | 30 | "The Man in the Iron Car" | May 2, 1954 |
| 115 | 31 | "The Sunset Farm" | May 9, 1954 |
| 116 | 32 | "Where's Mimi?" | May 16, 1954 |
| 117 | 33 | "Hot as Three Pistols" | May 23, 1954 |
| 118 | 34 | "Concrete Jungle" | May 30, 1954 |
| 119 | 35 | "The Young Hoods" | June 6, 1954 |
| 120 | 36 | "Next to Closing" | June 13, 1954 |
| 121 | 37 | "No Place to Hide" | June 20, 1954 |
| 122 | 38 | "Connecticut State Police" | June 27, 1954 |
See also
[edit]- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
References
[edit]- ^ "Follow That Man (a.k.a. Man Against Crime)". Oldies.com. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Random House Publishing. p. 843. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ "Channel Chatter". TV Guide. June 30, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Gent, George (August 30, 1953). "Amiable Private Eye". The New York Times. p. X 9. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "Radio and Television: Ralph Bellamy to Star in New Detective Series for CBS Video, Starting Oct. 7". The New York Times. September 29, 1949. p. 58. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/index.htm
- ^ Adams, Val (June 14, 1956). "Detective Series Returning to TV: 'Man Against Crime' Will Be Loretta Young Substitute, Starring Frank Lovejoy". The New York Times. p. 67. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Man Against Crime". Variety. July 4, 1956. p. 25. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Barnouw, Erik (November 15, 1970). The Image Empire: A History of Broadcasting in the United States, Volume III--from 1953. Oxford University Press. pp. 22–24. ISBN 978-0-19-802011-0. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Hawes, William (December 26, 2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Dramatic Shows". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 27, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ "Man Against Crime". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. June 18, 1950. p. 6. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Coppola, Jo (November 4, 1953). "Man Against Viewers". Newsday (Nassau Edition). New York, Hempstead. p. 52. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sunday January 10 (Cont'd)" (PDF). Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. January 11, 1954. p. B. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Sunday January 17 (Cont'd)" (PDF). Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. January 11, 1954. p. 10. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN 0-14-024916-8
- Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964) ISBN 0-345-31864-1
External links
[edit]
- Man Against Crime at IMDb — 1949 – 1954 series
- Man Against Crime at IMDb — 1956 series
- DuMont historical website
- 1949 American television series debuts
- 1954 American television series endings
- 1956 American television series debuts
- 1956 American television series endings
- 1940s American crime drama television series
- 1950s American crime drama television series
- Black-and-white American television shows
- CBS television dramas
- DuMont Television Network original programming
- NBC television dramas
- Television shows set in New York City
- Television shows filmed in New York City
- American detective television series
- Detective television series