N.Y.P.D. (TV series)

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N.Y.P.D.
The cast from left: Frank Converse, Jack Warden and Robert Hooks, 1969.
GenrePolice crime drama
Created byArnold Perl
David Susskind
Written byLonne Elder III
Arnold Perl
Albert Ruben
David Susskind
Directed byRobert Butler
Alex March
Daniel Petrie
David Pressman
StarringJack Warden
Robert Hooks
Frank Converse
Theme music composerCharles Gross
ComposerCharles Gross
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes49
Production
Executive producerDaniel Melnick
ProducerBob Markell
EditorLyman Hallowell
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesTalent Associates, in association with the ABC Television Network
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 5, 1967 (1967-09-05) –
March 25, 1969 (1969-03-25)

N.Y.P.D. was a half-hour long American police crime drama set in the context of the New York City Police Department. The program appeared on the ABC network from 1967–1969, running in the evening during the 9:30 p.m. night time slot. During the second season, N.Y.P.D was joined by The Mod Squad and It Takes a Thief to form a 2½ hour block of crime dramas.

Plot[edit]

N.Y.P.D. centers around three New York police detectives – Lt. Mike Haines (Jack Warden), Detective Jeff Ward (Robert Hooks), and Detective Johnny Corso (Frank Converse) – who fight a wide range of crimes and criminals. The show features many real New York City locations, as well as episodes based on actual New York City police cases.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

The show was produced by Talent Associates, Ltd., a company founded by Alfred Levy and David Susskind. Talent Associates had produced 14 years of the anthology program Armstrong Circle Theatre and The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, both highly respected shows. Television producer, movie producer, and talk show host David Susskind created N.Y.P.D. with screenwriter Arnold Perl (Cotton Comes to Harlem).

At the time of his death in 1971, Arnold Perl was working on a screenplay about assassinated black activist Malcolm X, which would later become the basis for Spike Lee's 1992 film, Malcolm X. Daniel Melnick, the show's executive producer, was a partner with Susskind in Talent Associates and had brought Mel Brooks and Buck Henry together to create the TV comedy Get Smart in 1965. Producer Susskind and actor Harvey Keitel would work together again on Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Scripted by writers like Lonne Elder, who would later be the first African-American nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar (for 1972's Sounder), the stories came with such titles as "Cruise to Oblivion," "Which Side Are You On?," "The Screaming Woman," and "Deadly Circle of Violence."

In N.Y.P.D. scripts, there were white cops and black cops, white suspects and black suspects, white witnesses and black witnesses, an unselfconscious racial blend that would not otherwise be seen for several years on U.S. network television (Room 222 and Hawaii Five-O were among the next series to feature casts situated similarly.)

Casting[edit]

Among the actors who appeared in the series were

Robert Alda, Rutanya Alda,Conrad Bain, Philip Bosco, John Cazale, Leslie Charleson, Miriam Colon, Franklin Cover, Matthew Cowles, Blythe Danner, Ossie Davis,Mary Fickett, Scott Glenn,Moses Gunn, Graham Jarvis, James Earl Jones, Raul Julia, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Laurence Luckinbill, Nancy Marchand, Bill Macy, Donna McKechnie, Meg Myles, Priscilla Pointer, Andrew Robinson, Esther Rolle,Richard Ward, Louis Zorich, Jill Clayburgh, Jane Elliot, Ralph Waite, Gretchen Corbett

Writing[edit]

In 1967, N.Y.P.D. was the first television series in America to air an episode with a homosexual theme ("Shakedown"). The police track down a man blackmailing homosexual men, prompting several suicides.

Opening credits[edit]

The series' opening credit sequence, prominently featuring a closeup of a police car emergency light as the vehicle drives through the streets of New York, would later be spoofed in the 1980s comedy series Police Squad! and subsequent movies.

Episodes[edit]

Season 1 (1967–68)[edit]

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11"Shakedown"Daniel PetrieAlbert RubenSeptember 5, 1967 (1967-09-05)
A blackmail ring that targets homosexuals is investigated after it leads to a series of suicides.
22"Fingerman"John MoxeyGeorge BellakSeptember 12, 1967 (1967-09-12)
Ward receives a series of hysterical calls from an informer who believes he's being followed by friends of a man who helped put in jail.
33"The Screaming Woman"Daniel PetrieRobert Van ScoykSeptember 19, 1967 (1967-09-19)
Corso is suspended after being charged with attempted rape after he and Ward investigate complaints from a woman about noisy drunks.
44"Fast Gun"Alex MarchAlbert RubenSeptember 26, 1967 (1967-09-26)
A man with a quick trigger finger kills a detective and then taunts the police department.
55"Walking Target"Daniel PetrieEdward AdlerOctober 3, 1967 (1967-10-03)
A high-ranking foreign police official is nearly shot by a sniper during an award ceremony at city hall.
66"Money Man"John HoweEdward AdlerOctober 10, 1967 (1967-10-10)
The presence of a loan shark results in Ward and Corso going undercover in the construction industry to find out the reason for a series of unexplained deaths.
77"Old Gangsters Never Die"Alex MarchMark JamOctober 17, 1967 (1967-10-17)
A professional hijacker (Howard Da Silva) emerges from a lengthy prison term and immediately resumes his old bad habits.
88"Catch a Hero"Robert ButlerEdward DeBlasioOctober 31, 1967 (1967-10-31)
Haines breaks down a girl's alibi whereby she incriminates her boyfriend in the brutal killing of a drunk.
99"Murder for Infinity"John MoxeyIan McLellan HunterNovember 7, 1967 (1967-11-07)
A sculptor wanted for murder contacts Haines' friend and bargains for a top defense lawyer.
1010"The Pink Gumdrop"Gene ReynoldsRobert CreanNovember 14, 1967 (1967-11-14)
An attractive ex-convict who is a passenger in a stolen sports car, provides the lead in helping capture the head of a car theft ring.
1111"The Witness"UnknownUnknownNovember 21, 1967 (1967-11-21)
Ward is accused of accepting a bribe from a frontman during a crackdown on the numbers racket.
1212"Boy Witness"David PressmanS : Bill Westley
T : Albert Ruben
November 28, 1967 (1967-11-28)
A 13-year-old boy is the only witness in the murder of an attractive young woman.
1313"Joshua Fit the Battle of Fulton Street"Alex MarchLee KalcheimDecember 5, 1967 (1967-12-05)
After a crime wave strikes a New York neighborhood, residents form a vigilante group.
1414"The Bombers"Robert GistS : Elihu Winer
T : Edward DeBlasio
December 12, 1967 (1967-12-12)
A fanatical anti-Communist (Jon Voight) and his fiancee bomb multiple Iron Curtain consulates, killing and injuring a number of people
1515"Wire Finish"Hal CooperEdward DeBlasioDecember 19, 1967 (1967-12-19)
A jockey (Robert Salvio) is told during mysterious phone calls that two murders were committed in his name.
1616"Cruise to Oblivion"John MoxeyRoger Hill LewisDecember 26, 1967 (1967-12-26)
Haines gets a tip that a passenger aboard an incoming ocean liner is carrying narcotics into New York.
1717"The Patriots"John HoweCharles S. IsraelJanuary 2, 1968 (1968-01-02)
The wife of an exiled Latin American dictator is murdered, with the prime suspects being the dictator's political enemies.
1818"Red Headed Pigeon"Lawrence DobkinGeorge BellakJanuary 16, 1968 (1968-01-16)
An elusive rapist who always attacks young women with long hair results in the police department using a young policewoman just out of the academy as a decoy.
1919"Which Side Are You On?"Alex MarchAlbert RubenJanuary 30, 1968 (1968-01-30)
After an elderly African-American high school teacher is killed, Ward goes to the neighborhood where the killing took place, but is met with cold hostility from the residents.
2020"Cry Brute"Reza BadiyiAlvin BoretzFebruary 6, 1968 (1968-02-06)
Corso is accused of police brutality and is the central figure in a $100,000 lawsuit against the city.
2121"Last Port of Call"UnknownUnknownFebruary 13, 1968 (1968-02-13)
A merchant seaman is accused of molesting children and instructed to stay aboard his ship, but he makes an effort to clear himself by visiting the parents of one of the children.
2222"Macho"UnknownUnknownFebruary 20, 1968 (1968-02-20)
A Puerto Rican grocer's life is threatened and his store is boycotted after he saves a policeman from an attack by a gang of neighborhood boys.
2323"Stones"UnknownGeorge BellakFebruary 27, 1968 (1968-02-27)
Corso infiltrates a gang of "thrill muggers" who victimize elderly vagrants in Central Park.
2424"The Private Eye Puzzle"Joshua ShelbyAlvin BoretzMarch 5, 1968 (1968-03-05)
A former private eye reports that he was robbed of a large sum of money, but has no witnesses to back up his story.
2525"Nothing Is Real but the Dead: Part 1"Alex MarchEdward AdlerMarch 12, 1968 (1968-03-12)
Haines and Corso search for a young girl who left her wealthy parents to take up life as a Greenwich Village hippie.
2626"Nothing Is Real but the Dead: Part 2"Alex MarchEdward AdlerMarch 19, 1968 (1968-03-19)
Two Greenwich Village hippies who can identify a killer go into hiding out of fear of him.

Season 2 (1968–69)[edit]

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
271"Naked in the Streets"Stuart HagmanDavid DavidsonOctober 1, 1968 (1968-10-01)
After a young married woman is raped, the detectives are stymied when she refuses to sign a complaint against the attacker.
282"Encounter on a Rooftop"John MandukeGene RadanoOctober 8, 1968 (1968-10-08)
Ward is accidentally shot by a rookie policeman after he's mistaken for a burglar.
293"Day Tripper"David PressmanGeorge BellakOctober 15, 1968 (1968-10-15)
An attractive young girl is found murdered and all the evidence points to her boyfriend as the killer.
304"What's a Nice Girl ..."Reze BellaLeo HutchinsonOctober 29, 1968 (1968-10-29)
After the death of a beautiful young girl, the damaged relationship between a spoiled son and his wealthy father becomes part of the subsequent interrogation.
315"Deadly Circle of Violence"David PressmanLonne ElderNovember 12, 1968 (1968-11-12)
A motive is sought for the attempted killing of a disreputable white southerner (Al Pacino), with suspicions pointing toward black militants who are seeking revenge for the bombing of an African-American church in the South.
326"Case of the Shady Lady"Vincent BenedictAlvin BoretzNovember 19, 1968 (1968-11-19)
A go-go dancer accuses an influential businessman (Robert Alda) of murdering her husband.
337"The Golden Fleece"Davis PressmanRobert LewisNovember 26, 1968 (1968-11-26)
Detectives have difficulty tracking down a con artist who has swindled an out-of-town businessman out of $5,000.
348"The Peep Freak"David PressmanStanley H. SilvermanDecember 3, 1968 (1968-12-03)
While investigating the murder of a young woman, the police discover a peeping Tom (Martin Sheen) who they believe is connected with the slaying.
359"Walk the Long Pier"UnknownUnknownDecember 10, 1968 (1968-12-10)
Corso poses as a longshoreman in order to stop the theft of guns on the docks.
3610"The Witch of 116th Street"UnknownUnknownDecember 17, 1968 (1968-12-17)
An extortionist is threatening residents with his self-proclaimed powers of black magic.
3711"'L' Is for Love and Larceny"UnknownUnknownDecember 24, 1968 (1968-12-24)
Haines investigates the theft of an expensive pendant from the apartment of one of his friends.
3812"The Love Hustle"UnknownUnknownDecember 31, 1968 (1968-12-31)
A prostitute staggers into the squad room and just before she dies, she indicates that an unknown man is planning to kill her mother.
3913"The Body in the Trunk"UnknownUnknownJanuary 7, 1969 (1969-01-07)
After the mysterious death of a young woman, the detectives are confronted with the woman's frightened boyfriend, her irate parents and an abortion doctor.
4014"The Night Watch"Nicholas ColasantoUnknownJanuary 21, 1969 (1969-01-21)
The search is on for a health food addict whose fanaticism eventually leads to murder.
4115"Three-Fifty-Two"Alex MarchGene RodanoJanuary 28, 1969 (1969-01-28)
Ward loses his gun and shield during a holdup, with the entire police squad taking action to apprehend the thieves (Andy Robinson) .
4216"The Attacker"David PressmanHeyward GouldFebruary 4, 1969 (1969-02-04)
A man who has been attacking women in a specific neighborhood eludes detection at first when he becomes part of a group that confess to all sorts of crimes.
4317"Candy Man: Part 1"Alex MarchRobert SchilttFebruary 11, 1969 (1969-02-11)
The detectives head to a drug rehabilitation center run by Candy Latson (James Earl Jones) in their search for a grocery store thief.
4418"Candy Man: Part 2"Alex MarchRobert SchlittFebruary 18, 1969 (1969-02-18)
In an attempt to capture the grocery store thief, Corso observes a group therapy session at the rehab center.
4519"Who's Got the Bundle?"Tom DonovanAlvin BoretzFebruary 25, 1969 (1969-02-25)
Both police and criminals are in search of a valise that contains $150,000 in stolen money.
4620"The Face on the Dart Board"Nicholas ColasantoGene RadanoMarch 4, 1969 (1969-03-04)
Haines' wife is harassed by crank calls, obscene letters and other disturbances, which are attributed as part of a vendetta against him.
4721"Boys Night Out"David PressmanBurt ArmusMarch 11, 1969 (1969-03-11)
A number of neighborhood bartenders are being shaken down by extortionists.
4822"Everybody Loved Him"David PressmanHeyward GouldMarch 18, 1969 (1969-03-18)
A film producer who appeared to have no enemies is murdered.
4923"No Day Trippers Need Apply"Nicholas ColasantoMel AlrightMarch 25, 1969 (1969-03-25)
A man is being blackmailed after picture appear showing him attending an orgy.

External links[edit]