Checkmate (1962)

 

Despite a novel concept for its era--a detective agency that attempts to prevent premeditated crimes rather than solve them after the fact--and a roster of guest stars that included many Hollywood heavyweights, including Jack Benny in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Game" (January 3, 1962), Eleanor Parker in "The Renaissance of Gussie Hill" (January 17, 1962), Patricia Neal in "The Yacht Club Gang" (January 30, 1962), Walter Pidgeon in "Death Beyond Recall" (February 7, 1962), George Sanders in "The Sound of Nervous Laughter" (February 14, 1962), Dana Andrews in "Trial by Midnight" (March 28, 1962), and Celeste Holm in "So Beats My Plastic Heart" (April 11, 1962), Checkmate failed to sustain its ratings success from Season 1 and was canceled after only 2 seasons and 70 episodes. As late as March 31 TV Guide reported that the program would likely return to a Saturday night time slot on CBS next season to make way for new sit-com The Beverly Hillbillies on Wednesday night, but the May 5 issue of TV Guide noted that CBS had been unable to find new time slots for Checkmate and Hennesey and that both would be offered for syndication. Yet the July 14 edition featured a cover story on lead actor Anthony George, who vented about his frustrations in being upstaged by co-stars Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure. In our post on the 1961 episodes, we touched on McClure's unhappiness with his character's depiction in the early episodes of the series, while several episodes shone the spotlight on Sebastian Cabot in being centered around revenge plots against his character. The introduction of a fourth Checkmate investigator played by Jack Betts also tended to push George or McClure out of the picture for much of the episodes in which character Chris Devlin appeared, such as the final episode "Side by Side" (June 20, 1962) in which McClure's Jed Sills shows up only in a gratuitous scene with Cabot after returning from vacation. In short, no one seemed happy in having to share screen time with the other two co-stars.

This struggle between stars may have dimmed the show's long-term popularity, but George's nondescript Don Corey character could also be to blame. We mentioned in our previous post on the show that he is matched up with a former flame in one 1961 episode in an attempt to add some depth to the character, but largely he is fairly straight-laced and serious, making him hard to warm up to as one does to Cabot's avuncular Hyatt or McClure's boyish Sills. While Hyatt gets to flirt with a Zsa Zsa-like European celebrity in "Will the Real Killer Please Stand Up?" (May 23, 1962) and just happens to be hanging out in a monastery when it is taken hostage by a pair of escaped ex-cons in "A Chant of Silence" (March 21, 1962), Sills is the one most often called on to go undercover in order to flush out a prospective killer, and his character is burnished thereby because several of these assignments have a comic undertone. In "The Sound of Nervous Laughter" he takes a bit part in a theatrical production when the play's leading man is threatened, and his brief stage performance subjects him to ribbing by his two colleagues. In "An Assassin Arrives Andante" (February 21, 1962) he shows up at a serious music conservatory, where the cello teacher is in peril, as a beatnik-tongued bongo student, and in "Ride a Wild Horse" (April 4, 1962) he has to join a rodeo as a bronco rider when the star of the show is being stalked, forcing him to take a ride on a bucking horse to keep up appearances. He also works as a gym teacher in a settlement home for disadvantaged youth, pretends to be a young man in search of answers in a hobo camp, poses as a student auditing a judge's law school night class, and takes up residence in an arts commune when its proprietor has a near fatal accident and receives a threatening package in the mail. While Don Corey may be the face of the serious research detective, Sills is more often placed in the center of the action, which certainly enhances screen time for McClure.

While McClure had earlier complained that his character came off as a flirtatious jerk in Season 1, two 1962 episodes place him in professionally compromising situations but never portray them as an ethical problem. In his stay at the arts commune in "So Beats My Plastic Heart" to identify which of proprietor Laraine Whitman's artists is trying to kill her, Sills quickly falls in love with poet Hope Anthony, even though she is one of the prime suspects. Though she eventually turns out not to be the perpetrator, Sills quickly dismisses any suspicion of her once he becomes romantically involved. Likewise in "Down the Gardenia Path" (June 6, 1962) he immediately exonerates Vicki Angelo for her involvement in a blackmail scheme because he has fallen in love with her, even though there is no evidence to clear her at this point. Instead, he simply tells his colleagues that he has a hunch that she is not the type to engage in such a crime. What he doesn't know is that she is involved in such a scheme, though under duress. But there are no repercussions or even a discussion about Sills' lack of professional judgment in getting involved with suspects. Cabot's character Carl Hyatt is also easily swayed by a pretty face when he is charmed by European celebrity Maria Richards in "Will the Real Killer Please Stand Up?," and bids her adieu wistfully as she is led away to prison seemingly not the least bit disturbed by the fact that she hired an assassin to kill three brothers in order to steal their inheritance. Perhaps part of Checkmate's failure was due to having its morally upright character Don Corey come off as a bore while its two colorful characters, Hyatt and Sills, are ethically challenged.

Still, in addition to trailblazing the criminal profiling genre, Checkmate occasionally delivered superior stories or interesting angles over its run. One of the better episodes for 1962 is "Death Beyond Recall," which offers an unusual plot wherein a renowned defense attorney pays for his own assassination when he thinks that a bar association investigation will ruin his career but then changes his mind and can't undo the hit because the only man who knows who the assassin is has himself been killed. "The Yacht Club Gang" employs the familiar who-will-do-it mystery formula from an ensemble cast but is lifted by the performance of Steve Franken, channeling his Chatsworth Osborne character from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis to portray quirky and brilliant rich kid Dunc Tomlinson. But perhaps the best episode in terms of believability is "Rendezvous in Washington" (May 9, 1962) in its stark depiction of marital infidelity. While protagonist Frederic Haley is shown to be a man of compassion in putting aside his very successful career in industry to seek the position of Overseas Director at a large philanthropic organization so that he can better the lives of impoverished residents of underdeveloped nations, he has a blind spot when it comes to his marriage, hiring Checkmate to protect his mistress Pauline Spencer after apparent threats to her life and rationalizing the relationship by saying that he and his wife haven't been close in some time and that he plans to divorce and remarry once he is approved for the Director position. However, it should be clear to all concerned that something isn't right if having his affair publicized would jeopardize his approval by the organization's board of directors. Hyatt, who has known Haley and his wife for years, says he is saddened by the news that their marriage is failing, but he also says he will not pass judgment on Haley's actions. Yet after the Pauline's assailant turns out to be his college-age son Ted, who has become disillusioned after learning his father is just like the fathers of his fellow students from broken homes, Pauline is the one who breaks off the relationship, correctly recognizing that Haley needs to attend to his son and his philanthropic work, not a romance that puts all that in jeopardy. Too often movies and TV programs attempt to justify marital infidelity by portraying the scorned partner as evil, indifferent, or in some other way unworthy of the straying partner's loyalty. This is not an argument against divorce per se, but an argument in favor of being honest with one's partner if one feels the marriage isn't working. Though Haley never seems to get the message in this episode, Pauline perhaps understands that a life with him means that some day she could be the scorned wife. Such a mature conclusion to a tangled subject was rare in 1962. Had Checkmate had the courage to tackle issues like this one more often, and found a way to balance the competing interests of its three stars, perhaps it could have had a run more like The Defenders instead of petering out after only 2 seasons.

The Actors

For the biographies for Anthony George, Doug McClure, and Sebastian Cabot, see the post for Checkmate 1960. For the biography for Jack Betts, see the post for Checkmate 1961.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 12, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Game": Jack Benny (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Jack Benny Program) plays comedian Jack Bowen. Tina Louise (starred in God's Little Acre, For Those Who Think Young, The Wrecking Crew, and The Stepford Wives and played Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island and Julie Grey on Dallas) plays Pioneer Bowl PR manager Jo Ann Dunn. Otto Kruger (appeared in Treasure Island, Dracula's Daughter, Saboteur, Murder, My Sweet, and High Noon) plays business tycoon George Emory. Edward Mallory (Bill Riley on Morning Star and Bill Horton on Days of Our Lives) plays photographer Arthur Cole. Bill Idleson (played Babcock on The Bill Dana Show and wrote screenplays for multiple episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, USMC, and The Odd Couple as well as many other programs) plays bellhop Harold. Robert Karnes (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Lawless Years) plays police Lt. March. Dick Wilson (Dino Barone on McHale's Navy and George Whipple in Charmin toilet paper commercials) plays a hotel desk clerk. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays a parade float Indian.

Season 2, Episode 13, "The Star System": Elizabeth Montgomery (shown on the far right, starred in Johnny Cool, Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?, and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini and played Samantha Stephens on Bewitched) plays temperamental movie star Vicky Page. Jack Lord (shown on the near right, played Stoney Burke on Stoney Burke and Det. Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O) plays independent film director Ernie Chapin. Emile Genest (Napoleon Plouffe on La famille Plouffe and Charles Gougier on Monsieur le ministre) plays Vicky's director Felix Landaur. Carole Eastman (wrote the screenplays for The Shooting, Five Easy Pieces, and The Fortune) plays starlet Julie Emhart. Russ Conway (Fenton Hardy on The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, Gen. Devon on Men Into Space, and Lt. Pete Kile on Richard Diamond, Private Detective) plays movie studio boss Bernard Hoffman. John Bryant (Dr. Carl Spaulding on The Virginian) plays Vicky's co-star. Gail Bonney (Goodwife Martin on Space Patrol and Madeline Schweitzer on December Bride) plays casting director Grace Canfield. Ted Bessell (Thomas DeWitt on It's a Man's World, Frankie on Gomer Pyle: USMC, Donald Hollinger on That Girl, Mike Reynolds on Me and the Chimp, Harry Jenkins on Good Time Harry, and Gen. Oliver Mansfield on Hail to the Chief) plays the assistant director.

Season 2, Episode 14, "The Renaissance of Gussie Hill": Eleanor Parker (shown on the far left, starred in Of Human Bondage, The Man With the Golden Arm, Return to Peyton Place, and The Sound of Music and played Sylvia Caldwell on Bracken's World) plays women's spa employee Marion Bannion. Herschel Bernardi (shown on the near left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Peter Gunn) plays her former boyfriend Ned Hazly. Harriet E. MacGibbon (Margaret Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays her employer Countess D'Olan. Cliff Norton (appeared in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! and played Boss on It's About Time and Isaac Meyer on General Hospital) plays strip club manager Jinx. Larry J. Blake (played the unnamed jailer on Yancy Derringer and Tom Parnell on Saints and Sinners) plays a hotel clerk. Annette Cabot (Sebastian Cabot's daughter) plays a spa attendant.

Season 2, Episode 15, "A Very Rough Sketch": Keir Dullea (shown on the right, starred in David and Lisa, The Thin Red Line, Bunny Lake Is Missing, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and De Sade and played Dr. Mark Jarrett on Guiding Light, Devon on The Starlost, and Dr. Steven Meye on The Path) plays volatile art student Eddie Phillips. Dina Merrill (daughter of investment icon E.F. Hutton, starred in Desk Set, Operation Petticoat, BUtterfield 8, The Sundowners, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and The Player and played Calamity Jan on Batman and Estelle Modrian on Hot Pursuit) plays art teacher Laura Hammond. Robert Ellenstein (appeared in 3:10 to Yuma, Too Much Too Soon, and North by Northwest) plays settlement home manager Rudy Pasada. Dan Sheridan (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays Eddie's uncle Al McDowell. Eve McVeagh (starred in High Noon, The Glass Web, and Tight Spot and played Miss Hammond on Petticoat Junction) plays Eddie's aunt Bess McDowell. Martin Dean (Junior on Dick Tracy) plays a basketball player at the settlement home.

Season 2, Episode 16, "The Yacht Club Gang": Patricia Neal (shown on the left, Oscar and Tony winner, starred in The Fountainhead, The Day the Earth Stood Still, A Face in the Crowd, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Hud) plays yacht club manager Fran Davis. John Baragrey (appeared in The Creeper, Pardners, and The Fugitive Kind and played James Blair on Dark Shadows) plays prominent attorney Mitchell Kane. John Astin (appeared in That Touch of Mink, The Wheeler Dealers, Move Over, Darling, Viva Max, and Freaky Friday and played Harry Dickens on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, Rudy Pruitt on The Phyllis Diller Show, Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Sherman on Operation Petticoat, Ed LaSalle on Mary, Buddy Ryan on Night Court, Radford on Eerie, Indiana, and Prof. Albert Wickwire on The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr.) plays fired lawyer Jim Poole. Steve Franken (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays Kane's client's son Dunc Tomlinson. Paul Tripp (host of children's shows Mr. I. Magination and On the Carousel and co-creator of Tubby the Tuba) plays yacht club board member Dean Phillips. George N. Neise (Capitan Felipe Arrellanos on Zorro, Dr. Nat Wyndham on Wichita Town, and Colonel Thornton on McKeever & the Colonel) plays yacht club member George. 

Season 2, Episode 17, "Death Beyond Recall": Walter Pidgeon (shown on the right, starred in How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, Madame Curie, Forbidden Planet, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Funny Girl) plays prominent defense attorney John Baker. Mary LaRoche (appeared in Run Silent, Run Deep, Gidget, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Swinger and played Barbara Scott on Karen) plays his wife Martha. Kent Smith (starred in Cat People, This Land Is Mine, Hitler's Children, Curse of the Cat People, Nora Prentiss, The Spiral Staircase, and The Fountainhead and played Dr. Robert Morton on Peyton Place and Edgar Scoville on The Invaders) plays his law partner Charles Ainslee. Stafford Repp (Chief O'Hara on Batman) plays mobster Thomas Malloy. Elaine Edwards (starred in The Bat, The Purple Gang, Three Blondes in His Life, and Pamela, Pamela, You Are...) plays Malloy's girlfriend Gloria Del Ray. Allen Emerson (Doug on The New Loretta Young Show) plays a reporter.

Season 2, Episode 18, "The Sound of Nervous Laughter": George Sanders (shown on the left, Oscar winner, starred in The Lodger, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, All About Eve, Ivanhoe, Village of the Damned, and A Shot in the Dark and played The Saint in 5 feature films and The Falcon in 4 feature films) plays washed-up actor Richard Gilmore. John Emery (appeared in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Blood on the Sun, Spellbound, The Woman in White, and Rocketship X-M) plays his director Lawrence Price. Ross Elliott (Freddie the director on The Jack Benny Program and Sheriff Abbott on The Virginian) plays talent scout Jerry Brunson. George Cisar (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dennis the Menace) plays a hotel manager.

Season 2, Episode 19, "An Assassin Arrives Andante": Werner Klemperer (shown on the right, starred in Five Steps to Danger, Operation Eichmann, and Judgment at Nuremberg and played Col. Klink on Hogan's Heroes) plays Music Conservatory owner Franz Leder. Richard Conte (appeared in A Walk in the Sun, 13 Rue Madeleine, Call Northside 777, Ocean's 11, and Lady in Cement and played Jeff Ryder on The Four Just Men) plays cello teacher Victor Ragar. Signe Hasso (appeared in Heaven Can Wait (1943), The House on 92nd Street, and To the Ends of the Earth) plays Ragar's wife Marta. Noah Keen (Det. Lt. Carl Bone on Arrest and Trial) plays Marta's first husband Paul Delorio. 

Season 2, Episode 20, "Remembrance of Crimes Past": Angie Dickinson (shown on the left, starred in Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven (1960), Point Blank, Sam Whiskey, and Big Bad Mama and played Sgt. Suzanne Anderson on Police Woman, Cassie Holland on Cassie & Co., and Josie Ito on Wild Palms) plays convicted spy Karen Vale. Anne Seymour (appeared in All the King's Men, The Gift of Love, The Subterraneans, and Fitzwilly and played Lucia Garrett on Empire and Beatrice Hewitt on General Hospital) plays wayward girls' home owner Mrs. Creighton. Joyce Van Patten (appeared in I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!, Mame, The Bad News Bears, St. Elmo's Fire, and The Falcon and the Snowman and played Janice Turner Hughes on As the World Turns, Clara Kershaw on Young Dr. Malone, Claudia Gramus on The Good Guys, Iris Chapman on The Mary Tyler Moore Hour, Helen Marsh on All My Children, and Maureen Slattery on Unhappily Ever After) plays women's home resident Marcia James. Warren Stevens (starred in The Frogmen, The Barefoot Contessa, Deadline U.S.A., and Forbidden Planet, played Lt. William Storm on Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers, and was the voice of John Bracken on Bracken's World) plays Karen's former boyfriend John Lawrence. Stuart Nisbet (Bart the bartender on The Virginian) plays conspirator George Vesey. 

Season 2, Episode 21, "The Heart is a Handout": Myron McCormick (shown on the right, starred in No Time for Sergeants and The Hustler) plays hobo camp kingpin Doc Walters. Dabbs Greer (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Gunsmoke) plays hobo evangelist Hokey. Harry Dean Stanton (appeared in Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Cool Hand Luke, Repo Man, Pretty in Pink, Alien, Paris, Texas and played Jake Walters on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) plays a hobo folk singer. Gage Clarke (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Gunsmoke) plays Walter's family executor Harry Williams. Sean McClory (Jack McGivern on The Californians and Myles Delaney on Bring 'Em Back Alive) plays traveling salesman Stamper.

Season 2, Episode 22, "Brooding Fixation": Scott Marlowe (Nick Koslo on Executive Suite, Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives, and Michael Burke on Valley of the Dolls) plays son of recently deceased industrialist Daniel Brack. Mary Astor (shown on the left, starred in Beau Brummel, Don Juan, The Great Lie, The Maltese Falcon, and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte) plays his mother Esther. Frank Overton (starred in Desire Under the Elms, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Fail-Safe and played Major Harvey Stovall on 12 O'Clock High) plays his uncle Martin. Olive Sturgess (Carol Henning on The Bob Cummings Show) plays Daniel's girlfriend Felice O'Neill. Ford Rainey (the biography section for the 1961 post on Window on Main Street) plays Felice's father Paul. Maurice Manson (Frederick Timberlake on Dennis the Menace, Josh Egan on Hazel, and Hank Pinkham on General Hospital) plays a Brack board member.

Season 2, Episode 23, "A Chant of Silence": James Coburn (shown on the right, starred in The Magnificent Seven, Charade, Our Man Flint, and In Like Flint and played Jeff Durain on Klondike and Gregg Miles on Acapulco) plays escaped convict Gresch. Nick Adams (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Rebel) plays his partner Weiler. Alan Napier (appeared in The House of the Seven Gables, Lassie Come Home, Joan of Arc, Marnie, The Loved One, and Batman: The Movie and played Gen. Steele on Don't Call Me Charlie and Alfred the butler on Batman) plays monastery abbot Fr. Dunne. Brendan Dillon (Mr. Bemis on The Virginian and Tommy Kelsey on All in the Family) plays monastery priest Fr. Thomas.

Season 2, Episode 24, "Trial by Midnight": Dana Andrews (shown on the left, starred in Tobacco Road, The Ox-Bow Incident, Laura, The Best Years of Our Lives, Elephant Walk, and Airport 1975) plays renowned judge Leland McIntyre. Lori March (Jennifer Alden on Three Steps to Heaven, Lenore Bradley on The Brighter Day, Amy Stanton on The Doctors, Valerie Ames on The Secret Storm, Lillian Hayes on Search for Tomorrow, Mrs. Henson on The Edge of Night, Mildred Canfield on Texas, and Barbara Gilbert on Another Life) plays his wife Evelyn. Philip Abbott (starred in Sweet Bird of Youth and played Arthur Ward on The F.B.I., Dr. Alex Baker on General Hospital, and Grant Stevens on The Young and the Restless) plays accountant Lawrence Dresher. Carolyn Craig (appeared in Giant, House on Haunted Hill, and Studs Lonigan) plays one of McIntyre's students Joanna Leigh. John McLiam (appeared in Cool Hand Luke, In Cold Blood, Sleeper, The Missouri Breaks, and First Blood) plays plumber Lee R. Anderson. Kim Hamilton (Dr. Tracy Adams on General Hospital and Penelope Wade on Days of Our Lives) plays law student Miss Williams. Joe Scott (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Mr. Lucky) plays law student Wilson. Paul Geary (Johnny Ramos on Slattery's People and Jody Varner on The Long, Hot Summer) plays a medical intern. Stan Jones (voiced Lex Luthor and was the narrator on Challenge of the Superfriends, Cadbury and Mr. Rich on The Richie Rich/Scooby Doo Show, Riffraff and Wordsworth on Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats, and Scourge on The Transformers) plays McIntyre's court clerk.

Season 2, Episode 25, "Ride a Wild Horse": David Janssen (shown on the right, starred in To Hell and Back, Hell to Eternity, King of the Roaring '20's, The Green Berets, and The Shoes of the Fisherman and played Richard Diamond on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Dr. Richard Kimble on The Fugitive, Jim O'Hara on O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, and Harry Orwell on Harry O) plays rodeo rider Len Kobalsky. Suzanne Lloyd (Raquel Toledano on Zorro) plays his girlfriend Marcy Lowell. Robert Colbert (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Maverick) plays her brother Phil. Donald "Red" Barry (played Red Ryder in the movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder, and played Lt. Snedigar on Surfside 6, The Grand Vizier and Tarantula on Batman, Capt. Red Barnes on Police Woman, and Jud Larabee on Little House on the Prairie) plays rodeo manager Kyle Horgan. Tom Reese (starred in Taggart, The Money Trap, and Murderers' Row and played Sgt. Thomas Velie on Ellery Queen) plays rodeo clown Bucky Tate. Ed Peck (Officer Clark on The Super, Coach Cooper on Semi-Tough, Police Capt. Dennis McDermott on Benson, and Police Officer Kirk on Happy Days) plays horse handler Ernie. Charles Macaulay (appeared in Head, Blacula, Airport '77, Raise the Titanic, Splash, and 6 Perry Mason TV movies and played Elliot Kincaid #2 on Days of Our Lives) pays wealthy blue-blood Alan Butler. Roy Engel (Doc Martin on Bonanza, the police chief on My Favorite Martian, and President Ulysses S. Grant on The Wild, Wild West) plays a police deputy.

Season 2, Episode 26, "So Beats My Plastic Heart": Celeste Holm (shown on the left, starred in Gentlemen's Agreement, All About Eve, The Tender Trap, High Society, and Tom Sawyer (1973) and played Celeste Anders on Honestly, Celeste!, Abigail Townsend on Nancy, Molly Hayden on Jessie, Anna Rossini on Falcon Crest, Isabelle Alden on Loving, Hattie Green on Promised Land, and Frances Robinson on The Beat) plays arts commune owner Laraine Whitman. Susan Oliver (Ann Howard on Peyton Place) plays poet Hope Anthony. Lee Phillips (starred in Peyton Place and The Hunters, and played Ellery Queen on The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen; also directed 60 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and multiple episodes of Peyton Place, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Doris Day Show, and The Waltons) plays novelist Joe Meade. Phillip Pine (Elliot Kincaid on Days of Our Lives) plays painter Harry Clark. Doris Singleton (Caroline Appleby on I Love Lucy, Susie on Angel, and Margaret Williams on My Three Sons) plays Laraine's sister-in-law Mavis Woods Long. William Phipps (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays artist John Lee.

Season 2, Episode 27, "In a Foreign Quarter": Tod Andrews (Maj. John Singleton Mosby on The Gray Ghost) plays psychologist Dr. James Low. Nobu McCarthy (appeared in The Geisha Boy, Love With the Proper Stranger, The Karate Kid, Part II, and Pacific Heights) plays his wife Helen. James Hong (shown on the right, played Barry Chan on The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Frank Chen on Jigsaw John, and Doctor Chen Ling on Dynasty) plays import shop owner Louis Quong. 

Season 2, Episode 28, "Referendum on Murder": Dan O'Herlihy ("Doc" Sardius McPheeters on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters, "Boss" Will Varner on The Long, Hot Summer, Lt. Col. Max Dodd on Colditz, The Director on A Man Called Sloane, and Andrew Packard on Twin Peaks) plays newspaper editor Stephen Jordan. Bethel Leslie (appeared in 15 episodes of The Richard Boone Show and played Dr. Maggie Powers on The Doctors, Claudia Conner on All My Children, and Ethel Crawford on One Life to Live) plays his wife Cynthia. Frank Maxwell (Duncan MacRoberts on Our Man Higgins, Henry Coleman on The Young Marrieds, Col. Garraway on The Second Hundred Years, Capt. Nye on Felony Squad, and Dan Rooney on General Hospital) plays associate editor Alex Wismer. Dorothy Green (shown on the left, appeared in The Big Heat, Face of a Fugitive, It Happened at the World's Fair, and Tammy and the Millionaire and played Lavinia Tate on Tammy and Jennifer Brooks on The Young and the Restless) plays Jordan's former girlfriend Mildred Cowl. Oliver McGowan (Harvey Welk on Empire) plays lobbyist Julian Hartman. 

Season 2, Episode 29, "The Someday Man": Don Taylor (starred in The Naked City, Father of the Bride, Father's Little Dividend, Flying Leathernecks, and Stalag 17 and directed Ride the Wild Surf, Tom Sawyer (1973), Damien: Omen II, and The Final Countdown as well as multiple episodes of Steve Canyon, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, M Squad, Checkmate, and The Farmer's Daughter) plays former football star Chip Damion. Julie Adams (shown on the right, starred in The Creature From the Black Lagoon and played Martha Howard on The Jimmy Stewart Show, Ann Rorchek on Code Red, and Eve Simpson on Murder, She Wrote) plays his wife Jean. Sandy Kenyon (Des Smith on Crunch and Des, Shep Baggott on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, and Reverend Kathrun on Knots Landing) plays Damion's health-club accountant George Diedrich. Ron Randell (starred in Pacific Adventure, Bulldog Drummond at Bay, Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back, Lorna Doone, and Kiss Me Kate, was the host for The Vise, and played Capt. Frank Hawthorn on O.S.S.) plays big-time investor Perry Fields. George Petrie (Nathan Wade on Search for Tomorrow, Freddie Muller on The Honeymooners, Don Rudy Aiuppo on Wiseguy, Harv Smithfield on Dallas, and Sid on Mad About You) plays mob enforcer Jack Pennell. Lillian Bronson (Mrs. Drake on Date With the Angels) plays janitor's wife Mrs. Greenhouse. Robert Stevenson (bartender Big Ed on Richard Drum and Marshal Hugh Strickland on Stagecoach West) plays gangster Ira Sandler.

Season 2, Episode 30, "Rendezvous in Washington": MacDonald Carey (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lock Up) plays wealthy industrialist Frederic Haley. Kathleen Crowley (Terry Van Buren on Waterfront and Sophia Starr on Batman) plays translator Pauline Spencer. Anna Lee (starred in King Solomon's Mines, How Green Was My Valley, Flying Tigers, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Sound of Music, and In Like Flint and played Lila Quartermaine on General Hospital) plays Haley's wife Louise. Peter Helm (younger brother of actress Anne Helm) plays their son Ted. Maxine Stuart (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Dr. Kildare) plays Louise's sister Dianne Cartwright. William Allyn (associate producer of Peyton Place) plays society columnist Joel Drake.

Season 2, Episode 31, "The Bold and the Tough": Edward Binns (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Brenner) plays ranch owner Harl Stoner. Paul Birch (Erle Stanley Gardner on The Court of Last Resort, Mike Malone on Cannonball, and Capt. Carpenter on The Fugitive) plays his brother Ed. Emily McLaughlin (Dr. Eileen Seaton on Young Dr. Malone and nurse Jessie Brewer on General Hospital) plays Ed's wife Sue. Earl Holliman (appeared in Forbidden Planet, Giant, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and The Sons of Katie Elder and played Sundance on Hotel de Paree, Mitch Guthrie on Wide Country, Lt. Bill Crowley on Police Woman, Matthew Durning on P.S. I Luv U, Darden Towe on Delta, and Frank Dominus on NightMan) plays cut-throat investor Jack Quentin. Ellen Burstyn (shown on the right, starred in For Those Who Think Young, The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and Same Time, Next Year and played Dr. Kate Bartok on The Doctors, Julie Parsons on Iron Horse, Ellen Brewer on The Ellen Burstyn Show, Dolly DeLucca on That's Life, Bishop Beatrice Congreve on The Book of Daniel, Nancy Davis Dutton on Big Love, and Evanka on Louie) plays Quentin's secretary Margo. Stanley Adams (Lt. Morse on Not for Hire and Gurrah on The Lawless Years) plays meatpacker Cholly Luke. Harry Carey, Jr. (starred in Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Mister Roberts, and The Searchers and played Bill Burnett on The Adventures of Spin and Marty) plays ranch foreman Phil Cassidy.

Season 2, Episode 32, "Will the Real Killer Please Stand Up?": Stefan Schnabel (appeared in The Iron Curtain, Diplomatic Courier, and Dracula's Widow and played Firebeard on Tales of the Vikings) plays inheritor Anton Szorny. Milton Selzer (Parker on Get Smart, Jake Winkelman on The Harvey Korman Show, Abe Werkfinder on The Famous Teddy Z, and Manny Henry on Valley of the Dolls) plays his brother Wladyslaw. Oscar Beregi, Jr. (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Untouchables) plays a train conductor. Larry Ward (Dr. Randy Hamilton on The Brighter Day and Marshal Frank Ragan on The Dakotas) plays assassin Mr. Trent. Don C. Harvey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Rawhide) plays cowboy Frank Smith.

Season 2, Episode 33, "Down the Gardenia Path": Ilka Chase (shown on the right, appeared in Now, Voyager, The Big Knife, and Ocean's 11 and played Margaret on The Trials of O'Brien) plays convention manager Mary Milburn Reed. Don Dubbins (appeared in The Caine Mutiny, Tribute to a Bad Man, From the Earth to the Moon, and The Prize and played William Kennerly, Jr. on Peyton Place) plays her assistant Paul McGill. Susan Kohner (daughter of Lupita Tover, starred in Imitation of Life, The Gene Krupa Story, and Freud) plays one of her hostesses Vicki Angelo. Joe De Santis (appeared in Deadline - U.S.A., I Want to Live!, Al Capone, and Madame X) plays Vicki's father Joe. Harvey Stephens (starred in Maid of Salem, Swing High, Swing Low, and Abe Lincoln in Illinois) plays convention speaker Bryson Jennings. Orville Sherman (Mr. Feeney on Buckskin, Wib Smith on Gunsmoke, and Tupper on Daniel Boone) plays convention attendee Ozzie. Annette Cabot (see "The Renaissance of Gussie Hill" above) plays a convention hostess.

Season 2, Episode 34, "Side by Side": Ed Nelson (Michael Rossi on Peyton Place, Ward Fuller on The Silent Force, and Sen. Mark Denning on Capitol) plays record label A&R man Chuck Palmer. Buddy Ebsen (Sheriff Matthew Brady on Corky and White Shadow, Sgt. Hunk Marriner on Northwest Passage, Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones on Barnaby Jones, and Roy Houston on Matt Houston) plays 1940s popular singer Pete O'Mara. Paul Carr (Bill Horton on Days of Our Lives, Casey Clark on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Dr. Paul Summers on The Doctors, Ted Prince on Dallas, and Martin Gentry on The Young and the Restless) plays O'Mara's duo partner Johnny Kay. Judith Braun (wife of blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein) plays O'Mara's wife Barbara. Charles Seel (Otis the Bartender on Tombstone Territory, Mr. Krinkie on Dennis the Menace, and Tom Pride on The Road West) plays recording engineer Georgie Prince. Barbara Dane (shown on the left, renowned activist folk singer) plays an auditioning gospel singer. Robert B. Williams (postman Mr. Dorfman on Dennis the Menace  and Barney on Hazel) plays nightclub owner Willie Ralston. Eddie Quillan (starred in The Grapes of Wrath, Mandarin Mystery, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Hi, Good Lookin'! and played Eddie Edson on Julia and Poco Loco on Hell Town) plays barber Willie.