Philip Marlowe is a half-hour ABC crime series, featuring Philip Carey as Marlowe,[1] the fictional private detective created by Raymond Chandler. It was broadcast from October 6, 1959, until March 29, 1960.[2]
| Philip Marlowe | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Raymond Chandler |
| Starring | Philip Carey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Production companies | Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in association with California National Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 6, 1959 – March 26, 1960 |
Premise
editLike the Marlowe in Chandler's novels, the detective worked alone in the TV show, but he "had become a much more gentlemanly sort than on the printed page."[2] He avoided personal involvement while he sought "to protect people, solve crimes, and track down missing persons."[2] In at least one episode, "Murder is a Grave Affair", Marlowe says he was an "ex-cop", a departure from Chandler where his working background was the district attorney's office.
Episodes of the series contained no surprise endings. As each episode progressed, viewers had the same information that Marlowe had, enabling them to try to solve the crime along with him.[3]
Cast
edit- Philip Carey as Philip Marlowe[4]
- William Schallert as Lt. Manny Harris[5]
- Ed Kemmer as Ralph Craig[citation needed]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Ugly Duckling" | Robert Ellis Miller | Gene Wang | October 6, 1959 |
| 2 | "Prescription for Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | October 13, 1959 |
| 3 | "Buddy Boy" | Unknown | Unknown | October 20, 1959 |
| 4 | "Death in the Family" | Unknown | Unknown | October 27, 1959 |
| 5 | "Mama's Boy" | Unknown | Unknown | November 3, 1959 |
| 6 | "Child of Virtue" | Unknown | Unknown | November 10, 1959 |
| 7 | "Bum Wrap" | Unknown | Unknown | November 17, 1959 |
| 8 | "The Temple of Love" | Unknown | Unknown | November 24, 1959 |
| 9 | "The Mogul" | Unknown | Unknown | December 1, 1959 |
| 10 | "Hit & Run" | Unknown | Unknown | December 8, 1959 |
| 11 | "Mother Dear" | Unknown | Unknown | December 15, 1959 |
| 12 | "The Hunger" | Unknown | Unknown | December 22, 1959 |
| 13 | "Ricochet" | Unknown | Unknown | December 29, 1959 |
| 14 | "The Scarlet A" | Unknown | Unknown | January 5, 1960 |
| 15 | "A Standard for Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | January 12, 1960 |
| 16 | "Poor Lilli, Sweet Lilli" | Unknown | Unknown | January 19, 1960 |
| 17 | "Death Takes a Lover" | Unknown | Unknown | January 26, 1960 |
| 18 | "One Ring for Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | February 2, 1960 |
| 19 | "Gem of a Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | February 9, 1960 |
| 20 | "Time to Kill" | Unknown | Unknown | February 16, 1960 |
| 21 | "Murder in the Stars" | Unknown | Unknown | February 23, 1960 |
| 22 | "Murder by the Book" | Unknown | Unknown | March 1, 1960 |
| 23 | "Murder is a Grave Affair" | Paul Stewart | Gene Wang | March 8, 1960 |
| 24 | "Murder is Dead Wrong" | Unknown | Unknown | March 15, 1960 |
| 25 | "Last Call for Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | March 22, 1960 |
| 26 | "You Kill Me" | Unknown | Unknown | March 29, 1960 |
Production
editNBC-TV financed the original pilot for a Marlowe series starring Carey, but it sold the program and Carey to ABC, which revamped it.[6] Mark Goodson and Bill Todman produced the series. The directors were Irvin Kershner, Robert Ellis Miller, and Paul Stewart. The writers were Charles Beaumont and Gene Wang.[5]
The program's lack of success was attributed to its similarity to other contemporary detective series.[7] Sponsors were Brown & Williamson and American Home Products.[4] The series had 26 episodes.[7] It was broadcast from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays.[2] Its competition included The Red Skelton Show on CBS. NBC initially had Startime, which was succeeded by The Arthur Murray Party.[8]
References
edit- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 831. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 805. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ^ "Sinister world of crime background for Raymond Chandler's 'Philip Marlowe'". The Gazette. Iowa, Cedar Rapids. October 25, 1959. p. 79. Retrieved August 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Philip Marlowe" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 28, 1959. p. 50. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (October 21, 2022). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-4766-4693-0. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Scheuer, Steven H. (September 3, 1959). "TV Keynotes: Another Private Eye". The Morning Call. Pennsylvania, Allentown. p. 42. Retrieved August 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Brunsdale, Mitzi M. (2010). Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection: From Sleuths to Superheroes [2 volumes]: From Sleuths to Superheroes. ABC-CLIO. p. 531. ISBN 9780313345319. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- A Reader's Guide to Raymond Chandler by Toby Widdicombe.
External links
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