Monday, April 29, 2024

Maverick (1962)

 

Though it was once Warner Brothers' most popular western, Maverick suffered the same fate as its Warner compadres--Lawman, Cheyenne, and Bronco--by being canceled in the spring of 1962. As we mentioned in our previous post on the show's 1961 episodes, the abbreviated 5th season consisted of only 13 new episodes alternating with reruns from previous seasons that starred James Garner. Even in half the new 1962 episodes that featured only Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick the opening credits still listed Garner as one of the two stars of the program though he had left the program two years earlier. Dennis Broe briefly recaps the series' decline in his 2015 book Maverick after the departures of Garner and series creator Roy Huggins, including the replacement of Garner by, first, Roger Moore for 15 episodes in Season 4 and then Robert Colbert for all of two episodes at the end of that season. That left only Jack Kelly to play a Maverick for the final season, even though Broe quotes Huggins as having said that Garner was Maverick, and Kelly was merely his brother, the character being added to the series out of necessity in its first season when the production team realized that it took more than a week to complete a single episode.

And yet Jack Kelly comes off as a winner in a feature story in the June 2, 1962 issue of TV Guide, a story that curiously ran more than a month after the last new episode of the series had aired. Despite living a life always in someone else's shadow--first his actress sister Nancy and then the more effortlessly charming Garner--Kelly still made a career out of acting, saying that many others with more talent "never got to first base." He said that acting was not his passion--he was in it for the profit, much like his employer Warner Brothers. So he didn't get his feathers ruffled as Garner did by their cheap tactics. Instead he stuck around until he was the last one standing, and by investing rather than spending his salary, at the time of the article he was sitting on roughly a million dollars worth of real estate besides owning a profitable nursery business that supplied trees to large hotels. In other words, while his series Maverick was exposing the crooked business of banks and legal authorities, as well as mocking humanity's somewhat inherent greediness, Kelly was playing the inside game, not taking anything personally, and building a personal fortune in the process. While his character Bart Maverick rarely walks away with a fortune, always seeming to have it snatched from his grasp at the last minute, Kelly was patient and never tried to be too smart.

The same can't be said for the scriptwriters of the series' last 8 episodes. "Poker Face" (January 7, 1962) was just the sort of script that made Roger Moore jump ship after his obligatory 15 episodes. It centers around Mexican revolutionary Sebastian Bolanes who makes a career out of robbery and kidnapping (in this case, all the passengers on a stagecoach Bart happens to be riding in) thinking that he can amass enough wealth to buy back all the land that was stolen from his fellow indigenous Mexicans. But while waiting for the ransom for the stage passengers to arrive, he falls in love with one of them simply because she is not horrified by his scar-ridden face nor instantly condemns him for his life of crime. When his scheme collapses due to his jealous girlfriend and a corrupt federale, he quickly abandons his grandiose plans and runs off with his new love, apparently forgetting about all his bereft fellow tribesmen he had vowed to save. The plot is absurd, the dialogue hackneyed, and the direction stiff and wooden. Fortunately for Bart, he is mostly just a bystander while the other characters fight with each other or pursue new love. Also fortunately, the remaining seven episodes weren't as bad.

Which isn't to say they were gems--after all, the producers at Warner Brothers seemed to be just trying to get the series to the finish line with as little effort as possible. "The Troubled Heir" (April 1, 1962) is built on the flimsy premise that Bart is willing to risk his neck at the hands of wanted killer Big Jim Watson to save the skin of shyster Pearly Gates, with whom is he is little more than an acquaintance and not a friendly one at that. The plot adheres to Maverick's cynical credo of every man, or woman, for himself, as Gates, Watson, Gates' girlfriend Marla, and poker player Ward Quillan are all trying to play each other for Bart's made-up estate that Gates is supposed to inherit. The story goes overboard on the number of twists and turns before Bart, for once, winds up with $5000 that he swindles away from Marla, who took it off of him after he took it off Watson and Quillan. "Mr. Muldoon's Partner" (April 15, 1962) is another plot that tries too hard after Bart breaks a bottle of precious dirt brought over from Ireland for the purpose of growing potatoes only to discover that the bottle contains a suddenly free leprechaun named Mr. Muldoon. In thanks Muldoon grants Bart five wishes, but he soon learns that one must be very precise when making a wish because the granting of it can come with unintended consequences. So Bart requests a large amount of money but doesn't specify that it not be stolen, which naturally gets him into all sorts of trouble on both side of the law. Muldoon's powers also seem limited by unexplained circumstances--he can't stop a gun from firing after saying he could--but the one thing that saves the episode from pure tedium is that when he grants wishes, they have the air of being part coincidence, introducing just enough doubt about whether he has the power to grant them or is merely a keen predictor of what is about to happen anyway. After he is backed into a corner in which he has to decide whether to go to jail or marry an Irishman's unattractive niece, Bart finally wishes he had never seen Muldoon and is transported back to where the whole improbable yarn started. Much like The Wizard of Oz, a bump on the head seems to have launched the fever dream, and when he returns to reality he recognizes some of the players from that dream, in particular Muldoon, in alternate identities.

Another episode centered on shifting identities is "Marshal Maverick" (March 11, 1962), which starts out improbably with Bart being appointed Marshal of Abilene after retiring Marshal Heck Thomas is murdered six weeks before his replacement, Wyatt Earp as it turns out, is due to arrive in town. Bart guns down the killer, winning the gratitude of the town, but is forced to accept the marshal position, which he tries to decline, because of outstanding debts he has run up. Despite this absurd setup in which we once again have a Maverick placed in an inappropriate occupation due to chance (the previous episode, "The Maverick Report" [March 4, 1962] has him winning a newspaper business in a poker game and episodes from earlier seasons have, for example, Bret winning a riverboat in a similar situation), the story improves with the unexpected early arrival of Earp to relieve Bart of his duties. Only it isn't really Earp but an imposter named Archibald Walker who has no skills as a gunman, only a desire to "be somebody." He manages to persuade Bart to stick around as his deputy after a weak speech about honor, which is the only thing that saves his neck when he winds up locking horns with failed mayoral candidate and notorious killer Billy Coe. Walker only makes things worse by falling in love with and winning the heart of Coe's girlfriend Theodora Rush but seems to be bailed out when the real Earp shows up after hearing rumors of someone claiming to be him in Abilene. Even when she learns of Walker's true identity, Theodora pleads with him not to abandon her since she has crossed the still very dangerous Coe. Walker seems to think he has no other choice but to leave town as ordered by Earp but then suddenly musters up some courage when he sees the opportunity to assume the identity of Doc Holliday, who has ridden into town and is temporarily indisposed taking a bath at the barber's. Though it takes some help from Bart's gun play to defeat Coe, Walker rises to the challenge but is forced to drop the Holliday masquerade and once again leave town, with Theodora promising to come find him after she sells her saloon. Most westerns would have ended the story here, but Maverick treats us to one more twist as Walker rides away from town in the stagecoach and Bart discovers his trademark pack of cards has been lifted. Without question, this is the most satisfying episode of the abbreviated fifth season, and it would have been a fitting end to the series.

But instead we finish with "One of Our Trains Is Missing" (April 22, 1962), another unlikely confluence of plots, schemes, and scams in which most of the main characters are aboard a train bound for the Kansas border. Two locomotive suppliers--Diamond Jim Brady and Montague Sprague-- have a $10,000 bet and the railroad company's future business riding on whether Brady's train can reach the border by midnight, but Sprague has secretly paid Doc Holliday (making his third appearance in 1962's eight episodes) to sabotage the run. Holliday hires recently released master criminal Justin Radcliffe to hijack the train, but when Radcliffe learns that the train is also carrying $100,000 in U.S. Treasure money in its safe, he is determined to crack the safe and make off with the loot, only to learn that someone has beat him to the punch. That someone is Bart's old acquaintance Modesty Blaine, who had learned about the Treasury shipment from railroad company president Amos Skinner by cozying up to him so that he proposed to her. Bart, in trying to persuade her not to marry Skinner just because he is rich, raises Skinner's ire so that he assigns his goon Leroy Hoad to escort Bart across the border to get rid of him. Modesty hides the stolen money in Bart's suitcase; he discovers it and returns it to the safe to avoid having Radcliffe get it. Modesty sees him do this and removes the money from the safe again but is discovered by Holliday, who wants in on the action. And so it goes--Radcliffe thinks Bart has the money or knows who has it, threatens to hang him, Holliday comes to his rescue, etc., etc. In the end, the Treasury money is returned to the safe, and Bart points out to Brady that technically he won the bet with Sprague because the train, despite being held up for hours from its original destination, crossed the northern border into Nebraska when Radcliffe diverted it off the main track onto a sidetrack. In his gratitude, Brady gives Bart the $10,000 he just won from his bet with  Sprague, but Hoad tells Bart he can't ride the train back to Kansas because of his boss' orders, so Bart is forced to walk 15 miles to the nearest town. However, when Holliday and Modesty see that Bart has just come into $10,000, they decide to go with him, feeling that they can surely benefit in some way. The last episode ends with the three of them walking arm in arm down the railroad tracks together as the sun rises in the east. It almost has a Yellow Brick Road feel to it, but as we all know, the city of Oz didn't turn out to be quite as magical as promised. And in the cynical world of Maverick it's unlikely that Bart is riding, or walking, off into the sunrise, because he who is on top today is often on the bottom tomorrow. To twist the title of a popular 1960s country music song, over its five-year tenure, Maverick went from a King to a Jack.

The Actors

For the biography of Jack Kelly, see the 1960 post on Maverick.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 5, Episode 6, "Poker Face": Rodolfo Acosta (shown on the left, appeared in Wings of the Hawk, Flaming Star, and The Sons of Katie Elder and played Vaquero on The High Chaparral) plays Mexican bandito Sebastian Bolanes. Carlos Rivas (appeared in The King and I, Boy's Town, True Grit, and Topaz and voiced Don Alejandro on The New Adventures of Zorro) plays top lieutenant Luis. William Fawcett (Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury) plays stagecoach driver Stallion. Tol Avery (Speaker Bert Metcalf on Slattery's People) plays businessman George Rockingham. Richard Hale (starred in Abilene Town, Kim, San Antone, Red Garters, and To Kill a Mockingbird) plays missionary Dr. Robespierre Jones. Doris Lloyd (starred in Waterloo Bridge, Tarzan the Ape Man, Oliver Twist, and The Time Machine) plays British matron Lady Florentine Bleakly.

Season 5, Episode 7, "Mr. Muldoon's Partner": Mickey Shaughnessy (shown on the near right, appeared in From Here to Eternity, Designing Woman, Jailhouse Rock, Don't Go Near the Water, Sex Kittens Go to College, College Confidential, and The Boatniks) plays Irish leprechaun Mr. Muldoon. Terence de Marney (Case Thomas on Johnny Ringo and Counsellor Doone on Lorna Doone) plays railroad worker Terrance Rafferty. John Alderson (Sgt. Bullock on Boots and Saddles and Wyatt Earp on Doctor Who) plays railroad foreman Simon Girty. Janet Lake (Betty Franklin on The Tycoon) plays saloon girl Bonnie Shay. Marshall Reed (Inspector Fred Asher on The Lineup) plays saloon owner Hatfield. Tim Rooney (Jeff Rose on Room for One More and Tim Grady on Mickey) plays orphan boy Timmy. Joe Brooks (Trooper Vanderbilt on F Troop) plays a bartender. Ray Teal (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Bonanza) plays small-town Sheriff Bundy. Charles Lane (shown on the far right, appeared in The Milky Way, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Lady Is Willing, The Music Man, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Gnome-Mobile and played Mr. Fosdick on Dear Phoebe, Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction, Foster Phinney on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dale Busch on Karen, and Judge Anthony Petrillo on Soap) plays the general store proprietor.

Season 5, Episode 8, "Epitaph for a Gambler": Robert J. Wilke (appeared in Best of the Badmen, High Noon, The Far Country, Night Passage, and Stripes and played Capt. Mendoza on Zorro) plays casino owner Diamond Dan Malone. Fred Beir (Larry Atwood on Days of Our Lives) plays Sunrise, NV Sheriff Ed Martin. Harry Harvey, Jr. (script supervisor on Mannix) plays his deputy Wes Taylor. Marie Windsor (shown on the left, starred in Outpost in Morocco, Dakota Lil, Cat-Women of the Moon, Swamp Women, and The Day Mars Invaded Earth and played Dr. Vivian Collins on General Hospital) plays roulette wheel operator Kit. Frank Albertson (starred in Alice Adams, Man Made Monster, and It's a Wonderful Life and played Mr. Cooper on Bringing Up Buddy) plays attorney Harvey Storey. Joyce Meadows (Lynn Allen on The Man and the Challenge and Stacy on Two Faces West) plays his daughter Linda. Don Haggerty (Jeffrey Jones on The Files of Jeffrey Jones, Eddie Drake on The Cases of Eddie Drake, Sheriff Dan Elder on State Trooper, and Marsh Murdock on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays blackmailer Lucky Dan Elkins. Adam Williams (appeared in Flying Leathernecks, The Big Heat, Fear Strikes Out, and North by Northwest) plays his brother Sam.

Season 5, Episode 9, "The Maverick Report": Peter Breck (Clay Culhane on Black Saddle and Nick Barkley on The Big Valley) plays Bart's friend Doc Holliday. Lloyd Corrigan (shown on the right, starred in A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob, Hitler's Children, Captive Wild Woman, The Bandit of Sherwood Forest, and Son of Paleface and played Papa Dodger on Willy, Wally Dipple on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Ned Buntline on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Uncle Charlie on Happy, and Professor McKillup on Hank) plays Colorado Senator Hiram Porter. Jo Morrow (appeared in Gidget, Our Man in Havana, and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver) plays his daughter Jeannie. Ed Nelson (Michael Rossi on Peyton Place, Ward Fuller on The Silent Force, and Sen. Mark Denning on Capitol) plays his attorney Gary Harrison. George N. Neise (Capitan Felipe Arrellanos on Zorro, Dr. Nat Wyndham on Wichita Town, and Colonel Thornton on McKeever & the Colonel) plays newspaper publisher Jonesy.

Season 5, Episode 10, "Marshal Maverick": Emile Meyer (starred in Shane, Drums Across the River, Blackboard Jungle, Sweet Smell of Success, and Paths of Glory and played Gen. Zachary Moran on Bat Masterson) plays retiring Abilene Marshal Heck Thomas. Med Flory (played clarinet in the Ray Anthony orchestra and founded and played alto sax in the group Super Sax, appeared in Gun Street, The Nutty Professor (1963), and The Gumball Rally, and played Sheriff Mike McBride on High Mountain Rangers) plays his replacement Wyatt Earp. Willard Waterman (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dennis the Menace) plays newly elected Abilene Mayor Oliver. Earl Hammond (Hal Soames on Valiant Lady, Captain Sovine on The Clear Horizon, and voiced Mon-star on Silverhawks and Mumm-ra, Jaga, and Vultureman on Thundercats) plays his defeated opponent Billy Coe. Gail Kobe (Penny Adams on Trackdown, Doris Schuster on Peyton Place, and Dean Ann Boyd Jones on Bright Promise and produced over 200 episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful) plays saloon owner Theodora Rush. John Dehner (shown on the left, played Duke Williams on The Roaring '20's, Commodore Cecil Wyntoon on The Baileys of Balboa, Morgan Starr on The Virginian, Cyril Bennett on The Doris Day Show, Dr. Charles Cleveland Claver on The New Temperatures Rising Show, Barrett Fears on Big Hawaii, Marshal Edge Troy on Young Maverick, Lt. Joseph Broggi on Enos, Hadden Marshall on Bare Essence, and Billy Joe Erskine on The Colbys) plays Earp impersonator Archibald Walker. Jerry Hausner (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Mr. Magoo Show) plays Coe henchman George. Owen Orr (Wally Blanchard on No Time for Sergeants) plays Coe henchman Keno. Kay E. Kuter (Newt Kiley on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) plays one of Bart's creditors. Herb Vigran (Muley Evans on The Life of Riley, Ernest Hinshaw on The Ed Wynn Show, and Judge Brooker on Gunsmoke and voiced Glum on The Adventures of Gulliver and Mr. Dinkle on Shirt Tales) plays barber Elkins.

Season 5, Episode 11, "The Troubled Heir": Mike Road (Marshal Tom Sellers on Buckskin, Lt. Joe Switolski on The Roaring 20's, and provided the voice for Race Bannon on Johnny Quest and Ugh on Space Ghost) plays gambler Pearly Gates. Kathleen Crowley (Terry Van Buren on Waterfront and Sophia Starr on Batman) plays his girlfriend Marla. Alan Hale, Jr. (shown on the right, played Biff Baker on Biff Baker U.S.A., Casey Jones on Casey Jones, and The Skipper on Gilligan's Island) plays wanted outlaw Big Jim Watson. Will Wright (Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show and Mr. Merrivale on Dennis the Menace) plays small-town Sheriff Chester Bentley. Chick Chandler (Toubo Smith on Soldiers of Fortune and Barney Hogan on One Happy Family) plays con man Oliver Perkins. Gordon Jones (appeared in The Green Hornet, Flying Tigers, My Sister Eileen, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and McLintock! and played Mike Kelley on The Abbott and Costello Show, Pete Thompson on The Ray Milland Show, Hubie Dodd on So This Is Hollywood, and Butch Barton on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays poker player Ward Quillan. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays Payoff Sheriff Luther Hawkins. Doodles Weaver (narrated Spike Jones' horse-racing songs and hosted A Day With Doodles) plays a telegrapher.

Season 5, Episode 12, "The Money Machine": Andrew Duggan (Cal Calhoun on Bourbon Street Beat, George Rose on Room for One More, Major Gen. Ed Britt on 12 O'Clock High, and Murdoch Lancer on Lancer) plays con man Big Ed Murphy. Patrick Westwood (Mian Rukn Din on The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling) plays his accomplice London Louis Latimer. Ted de Corsia (Police Chief Hagedorn on Steve Canyon) plays Pappy Maverick creditor Cannonball Clyde Bassett. Henry Corden (shown on the left, played Carlo on The Count of Monte Cristo, and Babbitt on The Monkees and did voicework on The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, The Atom Ant Show, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and Return to the Planet of the Apes) plays inventor Professor Reynard. Charles Fredericks (Pete Albright on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Denver Marshal Hodgekins. Sig Ruman (starred in Ninotchka,  A Night at the Opera, To Be or Not to Be, House of Frankenstein, and Stalag 17) plays jeweler Klaus Jonckbloet. Jonathan Hole (Orville Monroe on The Andy Griffith Show) plays the Kansas City hotel clerk. Guy Wilkerson (played Panhandle Perkins in 22 westerns) plays one of Murphy's marks Mark Conway. Frank London (Shad on Johnny Staccato and Charlie on Peyton Place) plays the Denver House hotel bellboy.

Season 5, Episode 13, "One of Our Trains Is Missing": Alan Hewitt (starred in That Touch of Mink, Days of Wine and Roses, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and played Det. Bill Brennan on My Favorite Martian) plays railroad company president Amos Skinner. Kathleen Crowley (shown on the near right, see "The Troubled Heir" above) plays his fiance Modesty Blaine. Barry Kelley (starred in The Asphalt Jungle, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Love Bug and played Charlie Anderson on Big Town, Jim Rafferty on The Tom Ewell Show, Mr. Slocum on Pete and Gladys, and Carol's father on Mister Ed) plays locomotive supplier Diamond Jim Brady. Gage Clarke (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Gunsmoke) plays his rival Montague Sprague. Kevin Hagen (John Colton on Yancy Derringer, Inspector Dobbs Kobick on Land of the Giants, and Dr. Hiram Baker on Little House on the Prairie) plays notorious criminal Justin Radcliffe. Peter Breck (shown on the far right, see "The Maverick Report" above) returns as Bart's "frenemy" Doc Holliday. Mickey Simpson (Boley on Captain David Grief) plays Skinner's goon Leroy Hoad. Owen Orr (see "Marshal Maverick" above) plays Wells Fargo agent Tim Hardesty. Emory Parnell (Hawkins on The Life of Riley and Hank the bartender on Lawman) plays train engineer Clarence.

 

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Deadline (1959-60)

 

The 2019 DVD release of syndicated newspaper drama anthologyDeadline comes with an agenda--an attempt to restore the respect and trust once afforded the news media. The copy on the back of the DVD case says that films for the series were recently rediscovered in a New Jersey garage where they had been stored for nearly 60 years. But the impetus to restore and release them is clearly tied to more current events:

"to remind us of a time when newspaper reporters were revered as heroes and the guardians of truth and justice. Reporters are the first line of defense of the principles rooted in our Constitution and protected under the first amendment. They uphold everything our civil society stands for. At a time when print news media is rapidly disappearing and news reporters are being vilified as 'enemies of the people,' Deadline has emerged from hibernation and is making its home video debut."

Additionally, the booklet provided in the DVD reprints the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics and contains short, half-page sections on "Journalism in 1959 vs. Today 2019,"The State of Newsprint Today," "The Dominance of the Internet and 'Fake News,'" "The Journalistic Code of Ethics," and "Five Core Principles of Journalism." While it is certainly a worthy endeavor to promote ethical journalism rather than the partisan propaganda that seems to dominate a sizable chunk of today's "news" media, it's highly unlikely that the resurrection of a forgotten TV series from 60 years ago is going to move the needle in the right direction to any measurable degree--especially when the series was seen by so few when it first aired.

Because Deadline was a syndicated series rather than a network offering, it could be seen only in those markets that chose to buy and broadcast it. It should also be noted that assigning air dates to individual episodes is a bit imprecise because each station that aired the series chose when to air those episodes, meaning they could air on different dates when shown on different stations. The air dates included in the DVD booklet (which match those listed on imdb.com) are provided for only 25 of the series' 39 episodes. The other 14 supposedly aired sometime in 1960. The 1959 air dates for the first 16 episodes appear to sync with the schedule for WPIX in New York City, as a review for the first episode, "The Victor Riesel Story," ran in the September 18, 1959 edition of the New York Daily News and mentioned that the episode aired on WPIX the night before. The undated 1960 episodes could have aired once a week on the same schedule and synced up with the episodes that are given specific 1960 air dates, up until the last two episodes, which the booklet claims aired on January 8, 1961 and February 4, 1961. It would have been odd for WPIX to air the first 37 of 39 episodes in weekly order and then delay the last two over six months into the following year, so it is unclear where these air dates came from. However, in reviewing my personal collection of 1960 TV Guide issues, which come from a variety of geographical regions (for example, Eastern New England, Western New England, North Carolina, etc.), I discovered that the series' final episode, "Smoke Screen," aired in Chicago on June 9, 1960, which is the same date it would have aired on WPIX had they stuck to a once-a-week showing without any breaks for the 39 episodes. And the previous episode, "Wetback," would have aired on June 2, 1960 rather than January 8, 1961 if this schedule had been followed. (I do not own the May 28 - June 3, 1960 Chicago issue of TV Guide to verify this.)

More important than setting this chronology straight is the fact that of the 10 different TV Guide regional editions out of the 21 copies I own for January - June 1960, only two of them--Chicago and Southern Ohio--have Deadline included in their listings. This means that perhaps over half the country never had the chance to see the series when it first aired. All of which means the market for the DVD release would seem remarkably small, possibly limited to vintage TV buffs or historians, because so few people would be drawn to it to renew fond memories of having seen it when it first aired.

Another factor against the show's popularity and acceptance is the plethora of newspaper-based series that had gone before. While there seemed no limit to how many different western series TV viewers would tolerate at the time, the newspaper drama angle had been explored extensively, as Douglass K. Daniel recounts in the first chapter of his book about a later newspaper-based series, Lou Grant: The Making of TV's Top Newspaper Drama. And Daniel even leaves out one of Deadline's predecessors--The Walter Winchell File (sometimes billed as Crime Reporter in TV Guide listings)--which ran from 1957-59 and followed an anthology format based on real newspaper stories, though limited to Winchell's one newspaper, The New York Daily Mirror rather than Deadline's use of papers from across the country. Winchell's series benefitted from his celebrity status as host, whereas Deadline chose as its host veteran character actor Paul Stewart, who had a prolific career in film and television already to that point as well as being a key player in Orson Welles' famed Mercury Theatre productions but was hardly a household name. Stewart also acted in 12 of the episodes, usually as the reporter who ferrets out the story, and while there are a number of other now famous actors who appear over the course of the series, such as Peter Falk, Frank Sutton, Diane Ladd, Sydney Pollack, and George Maharis, they had not yet made a name for themselves at the time the series was shot and aired. So the series also lacked the draw of big-name guest stars one might see on other, higher-profile network shows.

As for the episodes themselves, the program often plays like a police procedural, with half of the stories being murder cases. But on Deadline, as on defense attorney dramas like Perry Mason and Lock Up, the police rarely solve the murders and seem more bent on going for an easy conviction, even if it is the wrong person. In "The Accusing Finger," the police are perfectly happy to believe waiter Hovic when he claims that Frank Reller shot and killed the owner of the bar where he worked, even though bartender Schneider had a closer look and even fought with the killer but would not say that it was Reller. After Reller has served 12 years of a life sentence for murder, the arresting officer Bernie Davis feels guilty enough to contact reporter Ed Mowery to dig into the case and prove that Reller is innocent. In other words, the police are unwilling to correct their own mistake and must rely on a journalist to bring belated justice. A similar story plays out in "The Face of a Thief" in which police Cpl. Johnny Masters is convinced that handyman George Norman is a serial bank robber just because he is wearing clothes similar to those described by a bank teller who was recently held up. Even when the "evidence" turns out to be coincidental rather than condemning--such as Norman getting his car repainted at the suggestion of a mechanic instead of because he was trying to hide from the police or the bank teller witness having misidentified suspects before--Masters refuses to be convinced of Norman's innocence. Only when reporter Ray Fulton is able to produce the out-of-town woman for whom Norman was working when the robbery was committed, thereby providing him with an airtight alibi, is Masters willing to concede that Norman is not the bank robber.

The reporters on Deadline often act more like hard-boiled police detectives than the police do, such as in "The Case of the Stranger"  in which reporter Harry Romanoff is the one who smells a rat when butcher Alfred Stagg claims that his wife was attacked by a stranger with a gun who shot her and whom Stagg subsequently shot after wrestling the gun away from him. Romanoff, rather than police Det. Eddie Larkin, is the one who runs down the identity of the stranger as an alcoholic who never carried a gun but who would do just about anything for a drink, then investigates the room behind the butcher shop, where Stagg has been sleeping since the murder, and finds a photo inscribed to him by a woman named Lorene, with whom it turns out Stagg had been having an affair. Romanoff finally pieces together the evidence that Stagg was secretly drawn to "loose women" like Lorene and felt trapped in his marriage to pregnant wife Elsie, so he hired the stranger to pretend to threaten her so that he would have an opportunity to kill her and be free. The notes on this episode included in the DVD booklet point out that the real-life Romanoff was notorious for tricking subjects by posing as a police officer, lawyer, or other official in order to get the information he needed for his story.  In "Pig Woman" it is reporter Gerald Gunthrop, not police Sheriff Baker, who provides a Perry Mason-like withering cross examination of accomplice Louise to get her to confess that her boss murdered handyman Muley after learning the old man had made her the beneficiary of his life insurance policy.

However, for some semblance of balance, we get one story in which the reporter gets it wrong--"Suspicion of Murder"--in which San Francisco Chronicle reporter Bernice Freeman is duped by murder suspect Larry Ellis who once worked for her as a reporter 10 years before in Marin County. Freeman allows her memories of good times with Ellis to cloud her judgment in automatically believing that he is innocent, even though the victim's wife has identified him and witnessed the murder herself. Only when Freeman continually presses Ellis to remember where he was and what he was doing at the time of the murder does she finally realize that he has been lying to her. Ironically, it is her benevolent treatment of Ellis that finally gets him to admit to committing the murder because he says he can't allow his misdeed to ruin her career as a journalist.

Another episode that breaks the usual mold of a tidy conclusion after 30 minutes of drama is "Old Man Lost" in which Boston VA hospital patient and World War II veteran Charles W. Jamison cannot remember who he is or much of anything about his past, other than his name, his age, and that he is an American. After reporter Don Hogan gets multiple anonymous letters claiming that Jamison is an enemy spy, he tries to help Jamison remember any details he can about his past. Though he does make progress in getting Jamison to seem to recall the ship on which he served and that he spent his youth in England, Hogan can never find any corroborating evidence or witnesses to solidify Jamison's memories. The episode ends with host Paul Stewart saying that Jamison still does not remember any more about himself than was portrayed in the episode and making a plea for any viewers who might recognize or remember him to step forward with any information they might have. Again, considering how few people would have seen this episode, and apparently none in New England where Jamison was hospitalized, it seems unlikely that Stewart's plea would have been answered.

Two more episodes worth noting center around one of the hottest political topics of today--immigration. And both of them end with satisfying conclusions that could never happen in today's partisan gridlock. In "To Move a Mountain" Newark Star-Ledger reporter John McDowell learns that two Burmese nursing students are about to be deported because their visas have expired, and returning to their home country will mean certain death because of their opposition to the ruling party. But McDowell recognizes from their names that they are the same two women who nursed him back to health when he was wounded while serving with Merrill's Marauders in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Even though he is told at every turn that nothing can be done to help them despite their being Bronze Star recipients for their service to countless wounded Americans during the War, McDowell continues to write about the women's fate in his column and to pressure members of Congress until a bill is passed just before Congress goes on recess to allow the women to remain in the U.S. In "Wetback" San Diego Union reporter Gene Fuson goes undercover as a Mexican immigrant to experience first-hand the desperation and abuse immigrants face in trying to reach the United States just to make a better life for their families. Though immigrants have been demonized in today's political climate as criminals who will destroy this country, the villains in this episode are the smugglers who will steal and kill from the immigrants they promise to help across the border without a shred of compassion for their victims' suffering. Ironically, Paul Stewart narrates at the end of the episode that Fuson's reporting led to a crackdown on the smuggling rings that brought illegal immigration down to just a "trickle," something that will never happen in today's politics because actually fixing the problem would eliminate one party's leverage in stoking their voters' rage. Yes, Deadline does still hold some valuable lessons for those who are open to hear them. Unfortunately, the number of open minds in today's America are as few as the number who remember this television series from when it first aired.

The dramatic opening and closing theme, as well as the scores for individual episodes, were composed by Wladimir (sometimes spelled Vladimir) Selinsky, who was born in Kiev in what is now Ukraine on February 15, 1910, though his family soon  moved to Berlin. A child prodigy on the violin, Selinsky composed and conducted as a child, and at age 15 his family moved again to the United States. Selinsky won a scholarship to Julliard, but rather than pursuing the career as a violin soloist that he had originally intended, he was forced to take work on Broadway as a concert master and assistant conductor after his father became too ill to support the family. In the 1930s he moved to composing for radio programs on CBS and NBC such as Helen Hayes' Textron Theatre and Helen Hayes Theatre in addition to educational programs. In the 1940s he hosted his own program, Strings in Swingtime, on NBC and released 78 rpm albums on the Columbia record label. By the early 1950s he began working on scoring for television, initially on drama anthologies such as Lux Video Theatre (for which he was also musical director), Ponds Theater, and Kraft Theatre. He also composed library music for Video Moods, Inc., some of which was used in Ed Wood's notoriously bad sci-fi feature film Plan 9 From Outer Space. His work as musical director on the newspaper-based drama anthology TV series The Big Story from 1949-59 made him an obvious choice for the same role on Deadline. During this time he was one of several Deadline contributors to work on the Beverly Garland TV crime drama Decoy for which he also served as musical director. By the mid-1960s Selinsky had moved into daytime soap operas, serving as musical director on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing from 1967-73 and on A World Apart in 1970-71. He also composed for a few TV movies in the 1970s, including Goodbye, Raggedy Ann, Something Evil, Miles to Go Before I Sleep, and Valley Forge. His last credit was for the 1981 TV movie Family Reunion, which starred Bette Davis. Selinsky died from heart disease at the age of 74 on September 6, 1984.

The complete series has been released on DVD by Film Chest Media.

The Actors

Paul Stewart

The great Orson Welles credited Paul Stewart with getting him his first break in radio at a time when Welles kept auditioning for parts that he never got until Stewart introduced him to director Knowles Entrikin. Paul Stewart was born Paul Sternberg in Manhattan on March 13, 1908, the son of a textile salesman and credit agent. After studying law at Columbia University for two years, Stewart won the 1925 Belasco Theatre Tournament and decided on an acting career. He made his Broadway debut in 1930 in Subway Express, but two years later moved to Cincinnati to join the staff at radio station WLW, the same station where Fred Smith had created the popular and influential news series The March of Time. Stewart spent a little more than a year learning all aspects of the radio trade, not only acting but also writing, directing, and producing, after which he moved back to New York as a permanent member of the March of Times crew. After Stewart helped Welles get his first radio acting job on The American School on the Air, he recommended Welles to director Homer Fickett, and Welles was then added to the repertory group that produced The March of Time. In 1937 Stewart helped found the radio actors union American Federation of Radio Artists. After Stewart played a variety of supporting roles behind Welles as the lead in the radio drama The Shadow, Welles helped return the favors Stewart had bestowed upon him by selecting Stewart as his associate producer when he moved his Mercury Theatre group from the stage to radio in 1938. In this role Stewart acted in a number of Mercury broadcasts and also helped write as well as act in the company's most famous performance of The War of the Worlds. In 1939 Stewart married singer and actress Peg LaCentra, who had been the featured vocalist in Artie Shaw's first orchestra. Although he made his feature film debut in an uncredited part in Ever Since Eve in 1937, his movie career really began when Welles selected him to play the title character's wily valet Raymond in Citizen Kane in 1941. Stewart spent most of the war years serving in the Office of War Information narrating documentaries and under actor John Houseman at the Voice of American radio program. He was recruited by the Treasury Secretary to create radio programs to spur the sale of war bonds as well as producing and acting in episodes of the radio program Cavalcade of America. During this time he also appeared in a few more feature films, including Johnny Eager and Mr. Lucky. After the War, he went to work for Paramount Pictures, not only acting but also directing, producing, and conducting screen tests. Among his many credits in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s are The Window, Twelve O'Clock High, Deadline U.S.A., The Bad and the Beautiful, Kiss Me Deadly, and The Cobweb. He made his television debut in a 1949 episode of The Ford Theatre Hour  and continued making occasional appearances on similar drama anthologies over the next half decade. In 1954-55, Stewart directed and starred in the syndicated series Top Secret. In the later 1950s, he continued appearing in feature films such as The Wild Party, Top Secret Affair, and King Creole in addition to guest spots on anthology series like Playhouse 90, Climax!, Panic!, and Alcoa Theatre. In 1959 he was tabbed to direct and star in another syndicated series, Deadline, whose episodes aired from 1959-60.

In the 1960s, Stewart's work shifted more heavily to television, guest starring on series such as The Asphalt Jungle, Cain's Hundred, and Breaking Point. He also directed episodes for a number of series including Checkmate, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, and Going My Way. As an actor. he took 3 turns as Dr. Giuseppe Muretelli on Dr. Kildare in 1964 and played the supporting role of Paul Grant on the short-lived 1966 thriller series The Man Who Never Was, which starred Dana Wynter and Robert Lansing. That same year he began getting voice work on animated series such as The Super 6 and provided the voice of Mightor on the 1967 series Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor. In the latter 1960s he had supporting roles in the feature films In Cold Blood, Jigsaw, and How to Commit Marriage . In the 1970s he worked primarily in television as guest star on series such as Gunsmoke, Mod Squad, Ironside, Mannix, The Name of the Game, Columbo, and The Rockford Files, to name but a few. He suffered a heart attack while working on the 1974 feature film Bite the Bullet, but he returned to work thereafter appearing in features such as Opening Night, The Return of the Pink Panther, and S.O.B. and television series such as Lou Grant, Texas, Remington Steele, and MacGyver, which would be his last acting credit during his lifetime in 1985. He passed away from heart failure at the age of 77 in 1986 but would make one last appearance when Welles' unfinished feature film The Other Side of the Wind, filmed in the 1970s, was finally released in 2018.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 1, "The Victor Riesel Story": Logan Field (appeared in Pier 5, Havana, Three Came to Kill, Blacula, and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) plays engineer Fred Lowry. Diane Ladd (shown on the left, multiple Oscar and Emmy nominee, mother of Laura Dern, appeared in The Wild Angels, The Rievers, Chinatown, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart, and Primary Colors and played Kitty Styles on The Secret Storm, Belle Dupree on Alice, Sally Druse on Kingdom Hospital, Helen Jellicoe on Enlightened, and Neil O'Brien on Chesapeake Shores) plays his wife Judy. Larry Haines (appeared in The Odd Couple and The Seven-Ups and played Stu Bergman on Search for Tomorrow, Max Wilson on Phyl & Mikhy, Sidney Sugarman on Another World, and Neil Warren on Loving) plays newspaper columnist Victor Riesel. Lucy Prentis (Lt. Wilma Deering on Buck Rogers) plays his secretary Betty . Russell Hardie (appeared in Stage Mother, The Band Plays On, Meet Nero Wolfe, Fail Safe, and The Group) plays mob lawyer Matthew Gordon. Simon Oakland (starred in Psycho, West Side Story, and Follow That Dream and played Tony Vincenzo on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore on Black Sheep Squadron, and Sgt. Abrams on David Cassidy - Man Undercover) plays a mob eavesdropper.

Season 1, Episode 2, "State Scandal": Frank Overton (shown on the right, starred in Desire Under the Elms, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Fail-Safe and played Major Harvey Stovall on 12 O'Clock High) plays Illinois State Auditor Harlow Cane. Natalie Core (Sister Maggie on Hell Town) plays his secretary Anita. Hal Cooper (Gus on The Courtship of Eddie's Father and directed multiple episodes of Love, Sidney, Gimme a Break!, Empty Nest, Dear John, and The Powers That Be) plays the state treasurer. Ralph Bell (radio actor who was married to actresses Pert Kelton and Patricia Roe, played Capt. Roderick Turner and Miguel Torres on The Edge of Night) plays the Chicago Daily News editor. John Boruff (Commander Swift on Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers and wrote multiple screenplays on Guiding Light and Days of Our Lives) plays Granite City banker Farr.

Season 1, Episode 3, "Pick-Up": Roy Poole (shown on the left, appeared in Experiment in Terror, Up the Down Staircase, Sometimes a Great Notion, and Mandingo and played Dr. Alex Gordon on The Secret Storm, Dr. Jerry Stevens on As the World Turns, Al Skerba Driscoll on A Flame in the Wind, Paul Koslo on The Edge of Night, and Chester Quick on Search for Tomorrow) plays traveling children's book salesman Jim Bailey. Bibi Osterwald (Sophie Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie) plays former carnival dancer Helen Berry. Morgan Sterne (Tony Grey on A Flame in the Wind and Keith Wilson on The Doctors) plays newspaper reporter Vern Lichliter. Ted Osborne (host of radio program Suspense, appeared in A Girl With Ideas, Buried Alive, and Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum) plays medical examiner Dr. Tully. Paula Trueman (Julie Peterson on The Goldbergs) plays bookstore owner Lydia Burns. Richard X. Slattery (Sgt. John McKenna on The Gallant Men, Capt. John Morton on Mister Roberts, and Capt. Buckner on CPO Sharkey) plays a police sergeant.

Season 1, Episode 4, "The Neon Touch": Robert Dowdell (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1962 post on Stoney Burke) plays newspaper reporter Wallace Beene. Frederic Downs (Quentin Andrews on First Love and Hank Wilson on Days of Our Lives) plays Alexandria police Capt. Ryman. Ivor Francis (Harry Larson on Days of Our Lives, Kenneth Dragen on Room 222, and Carson Brookhaven on Dusty's Trail) plays Oklahoma City dance studio owner Mr. Billig. Eleanor Ayer (niece of Zero Mostel, former model, friend of Susan Strasberg) plays one of his instructors Cathie Allen. Nicholas Pryor (appeared in Man on a Swing, The Happy Hooker, The Gumball Rally, Damien: Omen II, Airplane!, and Risky Business and played Johnny Ellis on The Secret Storm, Tom Baxter on Another World, Ken Alexander on The Nurses, Paul Bradley on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Lincoln Tyler on All My Children, Jeffrey Trout n Eight Is Enough, Jack Feldspar on The Bronx Zoo, Chancellor Milton Arnold on Beverly Hills 90210, and Victor Collins on Port Charles) plays spoiled rich kid Roy Huntley. Paul Lipson (Swanson on The Doctors) plays Alexandria businessman Radin.

Season 1, Episode 5, "Extortion": Donald Briggs (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1962 post on The Lucy Show) plays FBI agent Staley. Daniel Keyes (the Caretaker on Dark Shadows and Winston Croft on The Doctors) plays tax accountant Jason. Frances Chaney (appeared in The Underworld Story, The Seven-Ups, and Life With Mikey and played Jeanne Culpepper on The Edge of Night) plays reporter's wife Betty Azbell. Truman Smith (appeared in The Phenix City Story, The Montecarlo Story, and The Group) plays Montgomery, AL physician Dr. John Maynard.

Season 1, Episode 6, "The Accusing Finger": Gerald Hiken (cousin of Nat Hiken, appeared in Uncle Vanya, The Goddess, Invitation to a Gunfighter, and Reds) plays murder suspect Frank Reller. Jim Boles (appeared in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Trouble With Angels, Angel in My Pocket, The Love God?, and The Apple Dumpling Gang and  played Joe on One Man's Family) plays his father. Lee Bergere (shown on the right, played George on Hot L Baltimore and Joseph Anders on Dynasty) plays New York World-Telegram reporter Ed Mowery. Dana Elcar (appeared in Fail Safe, The Boston Strangler, The Maltese Bippy, and The Nude Bomb and played D.A. Andrew Murray on The Edge of Night, Dr. Zack Fuller on The Doctors and the Nurses, Sheriff George Patterson on Dark Shadows, Lt. Shiller on Baretta, Col. Thomas A. Lard on Black Sheep Squadron, and Peter Thornton on MacGyver) plays bartender Schneider. Louis Guss (Uncle Bennie on The Man in the Family) plays waiter Hovic. Martin Rudy (Carl Wilson on As the World Turns) plays District Attorney Sherman. Joseph Sullivan (Reverend Blakeley on The Doctors) plays police officer Bernie Davis.

Season 1, Episode 7, "Flight 169--Mass Murder": Gene Lyons (shown on the left, played Steve Rockwell on Woman With a Past and Commander Dennis Randall on Ironside) plays newspaper reporter Zeke Scher. Lonny Chapman (appeared in East of Eden, Baby Doll, The Birds, and The Reivers and played Frank Malloy on For the People) plays fellow reporter George McWilliams. Mark Rydell (directed The Reivers, The Cowboys, On Golden Pond, and The Rose) plays airplane bomber Frank Robert Evans. Raymond Bramley (John Randolph on Doorway to Danger and Major Clements on Martin Kane) plays Denver Post city editor Willard Haselbush. Ethel Remey (Mrs. Bigelow on Golden Windows and Elsie Miller Franklin on Guiding Light) plays electronics shop owner Mrs. Jackson. Lou Gilbert (appeared in Viva Zapata!, Requiem for a Heavyweight, and The Great White Hope) plays Crimley shop owner Sam.

Season 1, Episode 8, "The Case of the Stranger": James Patterson (appeared in Lilith, In the Heat of the Night, and Silent Night, Bloody Night) plays butcher Alfred Stagg. Jean Mowry (Susan Ames on The Secret Storm) plays his wife Elsie. Gail Garnett (shown on the right, Grammy-winning popular singer who appeared in Tribute, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding) plays his mistress Lorene. Leona Powers (Mrs. Leeds on Martin Kane, Mrs. Bixby on My Son Jeep, and Thelma Turner on As the World Turns) plays Elsie's mother Mrs. Reider. Joseph Julian (Joe on As the World Turns and Wilbur Strake on Dark Shadows) plays Chicago Tribune reporter Harry Romanoff. Lee Richardson (appeared in Middle of the Night, Brubaker, Prince of the City, Prizzi's Honor, and was the narrator in Network) plays police Det. Eddie Larkin. Stuart Germain (Mr. Sims on Search for Tomorrow) plays an unknown transient. Ruth Manning (Judy Stassen on Guiding Light) plays Mrs. Nielsen, butcher shop customer.

Season 1, Episode 9, "Charm Boy": George Maharis (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Route 66) plays pick-up artist Dan Joyce. Joanne Linville (Amy Sinclair on The Guiding Light) plays his wife Peg. 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 waitress Miss Watkins. Walter Brooke (appeared in The Graduate, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and The Nude Bomb and played Henry Forsythe on The Young Marrieds, D.A. Frank Scanlon on The Green Hornet, Mr. Gibson on Bright Promise, and Clarence Johnson on The Waltons) plays Boulder, CO District Attorney Ed Rhodes. Rochelle Oliver (Barbara Lamont on The Best of Everything and Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order) plays college student Nancy Markham. Ed Bryce (Capt. Steve Strong on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, Professor Philip Stallings on As the World Turns, Bill Bauer on Guiding Light, and Patrick Donovan on Loving) plays Dan Joyce's brother-in-law Sam Weaver. Ethel Remey (see "Flight 169--Mass Murder" above) plays evidence-finder Millie Ross.

Season 1, Episode 10, "Old Man Lost": Edgar Stehli (shown on the right, appeared in Executive Suite, The Cobweb, The Brothers Karamazov, and Atlantis: The Lost Continent and played Connolly and Mr. Keys on The Edge of Night) plays amnesia victim Charles Jamison. David J. Stewart (Dr. Paul Brown on Young Doctor Malone) plays his physician Dr. Marsh.

Season 1, Episode 11, "The Human Storm": Simon Oakland (see "The Victor Riesel Story" above) plays rioting inmate leader Jack Lyons. Peter Falk (shown on the left, starred in Robin and the 7 Hoods, Murder by Death, and The Cheap Detective and played Daniel O'Brien on The Trials of O'Brien and Columbo on Columbo) plays violence-minded inmate Al Bax. Frank Campanella (appeared in The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, Heaven Can Wait (1978), The Flamingo Kid, and Dick Tracy and played Mook the Moon Man on Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Paczka on Skag) plays inmate Collazzo. Philip Sterling (Rafe Carter on Somerset and Another World, Dr. Winston Croft on The Doctors, Michael Brimm on City of Angels, Reverend George Booth on As the World Turns, Dr. Simon Weiss on St. Elsewhere, and Judge Truman Ventnor on Sisters) plays inmate Johnson. Bill Zuckert (Arthur Bradwell on Mr. Novak and Chief Segal on Captain Nice) plays Jackson State Prison Warden Collins. Fred J. Scollay (Reverend Samuel Shafer on The Doctors, Mitchell Hobart on Dr. Kildare, Dr. John Carpenter and Lobo Haines on The Edge of Night, Arthur Kendricks on Search for Tomorrow, Charlie Hobson on Another World, and Judge Andrew Barsky on Law & Order) plays head guard Grimes. Bernard Fein (Pvt Gomez on The Phil Silvers Show) plays hostage guard Garvey.

Season 1, Episode 12, "Hot Stuff": Jayne Heller (shown on the right, played Althea Dennis Bigby on The Brighter Day) plays Philadelphia Daily News fashion reporter Trudy Prokop. Noah Keen (Det. Lt. Carl Bone on Arrest and Trial) plays her editor. Raymond Bramley (see "Flight 169--Mass Murder" above) plays department store owner Mr. Tyler. Ralph Bell (see "State Scandal" above) plays shoplifting ring leader Roy Hudson. Ethel Everett (Rose Brando on As the World Turns) plays his partner Anna.

Season 1, Episode 13, "The Face of a Thief": Milton Selzer (shown on the left, played 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 police Cpl. Johnny Masters. Paul Stevens (appeared in Exodus, The Mask, Advise & Consent, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes and played Dr. Paul Fuller on The Nurses and Brian Bancroft on Another World) plays Sharon, PA newspaper reporter Ray Fulton. Leo Penn (father of Sean, Chris, and Michael Penn, played Dr. David McMillan on Ben Casey, and had at least 87 directing credits including 19 episodes of Ben Casey, 11 episodes of Bonanza, 18 episodes of Marcus Welby, M.D., and 27 episodes of Matlock) plays robbery suspect George Norman. Lois Nettleton (Sue Kramer on Accidental Family, Joanne St. John on In the Heat of the Night, and Evelyn on Crossing Jordan) plays his girlfriend Peg. David Clarke (Abel Bingley on The Waltons and Tiso Novotny on Ryan's Hope) plays bank teller Neely. Len Wayland (Phil Gordon on First Love, Chick Buchanan on A Time to Live, Dr. Buck Weaver on From These Roots, Mr. Gray on The Doctors, Phil Elliott on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Capt. Tom Clagett on Sam, and Vern Hutchings on Generations) plays a police officer. Dana Elcar (see "The Accusing Finger" above) plays a jailer.

Season 1, Episode 14, "Murderess": Mary K. Wells (shown on the right, played Lorelei Kilbourne on Big Town, Ellie Crown on Love of Life, Sandra Talbot Dennis on The Brighter Day, Nola Hollister on The Secret Storm, Louise Cole on As the World Turns, Louise Capice on The Edge of Night, and Hannah Cord on Return to Peyton Place and wrote 1200 episodes of All My Children) plays reporter's wife Helen Saldana. Robert Dryden (Oliver Barbour on The Edge of Night) plays her husband's editor Monkton. Paul Larson (Jack Haskell on Guiding Light and Ernie on One Life to Live) plays police Det. Martin. Bob O'Connell (bartender Bob Rooney on Dark Shadows) plays abusive husband Wesley Conego. Eugene Peterson (Noel Penn on Love of Life, Ned Blackman on The Greatest Gift, Peter Larkin on Days of Our Lives, and Dr. Merrill Weller on Medical Center) plays a pesky reporter. Joe Warren ( Alex Lockwood on The Secret Storm, Phil Gordon on First Love, Joe Steinmetz on Car 54, Where Are You?, Senator Dickson on Dallas, and Larry Colby on All My Children) plays another pesky reporter. Sam Gray (Mr. Fisher on The Doctors, Jacob Weber on One Life to Live, and Judge deCourcy on Ryan's Hope) plays the jail clerk.

Season 1, Episode 15, "Chain Reaction": Eugene Peterson (shown on the left, see "Murderess" above) plays Hiroshima bombing veteran Pete Morgan. Don Hastings (The Video Ranger on Captain Video and His Video Rangers and The Secret Files of Captain Video, Jack Lane on The Edge of Night, and Dr. Bob Hughes on As the World Turns) plays his brother Johnny. Sarah Hardy (Lyddy Benson on From These Roots and Jean Sawyer on Days of Our Lives) plays Johnny's wife Betty. Frank Schofield (Craig Reynolds on A Flame in the Wind, Bill Malloy on Dark Shadows, Arthur Rysdale on The Secret Storm, and Philip Matson on Somerset) plays prosecuting District Attorney Francis Moore. Edward Holmes (Willy Bryan on The Edge of Night) plays the Avoka, TX sheriff. Walter Brooke (see "Charm Boy" above) plays VA psychiatrist Dr. Edward Nicholas. Frederic Downs (see "The Neon Touch" above) plays a VA records clerk.

Season 1, Episode 16, "Clean Kill": Craig Curtis (shown on the right, played Greg Selby on The Clear Horizon and Max Matthews on The Young Marrieds) plays teenage neatnik Jackie Kramer. Jan Miner (appeared in The Swimmer, Lenny, and Mermaids and played Marge Dreyfuss on Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers) plays his Aunt Alma. Luis Van Rooten (appeared in The Hitler Gang, Champion, and Operation Eichmann and played Knobby Walsh on The Joe Palooka Story) plays police Lt. Collins. Sid Raymond (the voice of Baby Huey in numerous cartoon shorts and on The Baby Huey Show) plays a waiter.

Season 1, Episode 17, "Lonely Hearts Killer": John Gibson (Ethelbert on Crime Photographer, the chaplain on The Phil Silvers Show, and Joe Pollock on The Edge of Night) plays lonely hearts predator Fred Thompson. Barnard Hughes (shown on the left, appeared in Hamlet, Midnight Cowboy, TRON, and The Lost Boys and played Dr. Bruce Banning on Guiding Light, Wilfred Hollister on The Secret Storm, Mr. Barton on As the World Turns, Dr. Joe Bogert on Doc, Max Merlin on Mr. Merlin, Francis Cavanaugh on The Cavanaughs, and Buzz Richman on Blossom) plays Sunshine Friendship Club owner Mr. Sherwin. Martha Greenhouse (appeared in Up the Down Staircase, Bananas, and The Stepford Wives) plays Thompson's landlord.

Season 1, Episode 18, "Return to Murder": Stewart Bradley (Lt. Danton on Days of Our Lives) plays social worker Dave Simmons. Gilbert Green (appeared in Homicidal, Experiment in Terror, Executive Action, and Norma Rae) plays San Francisco Examiner reporter Stuart McClure. Joseph Walsh (Davy Corbin on Martin Kane and The Kid on Danger) plays teenage gang warlord Hammer. Jan Norris (shown on the right, appeared in Middle of the Night, Splendor in the Grass, and The Explosive Generation and played Irene Hoff on It's a Man's World) plays his girlfriend Fay. David Winters (Spike on Love of Life and Charles West on Atom Squad) plays rival gang member Vic the Shiv. Seymour Cassell (appeared in Juke Box Racket, Faces, Minnie and Moskowitz, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Dick Tracy (1990), Rushmore, and The Royal Tennenbaums and played Lt. Mickey Schwartz on Under Suspicion, Jack O'Shea on Good Company, Candy Casino on Tracey Takes On..., and Pops on Heist) plays a Flyers gang member. Jay Barney (Bruce McKee on First Love) plays police Lt. Holland.

Season 1, Episode 19, "Scramble": Edgar Stehli (see "old Man Lost" above) plays gas station owner Jack Wade. Ed Bryce (see "Charm Boy" above) plays Sherman Democrat reporter Matt Conklin. Sydney Pollack (shown on the left, Oscar winner, directed They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The Way We Were, Absence of Malice, Tootsie, and Out of Africa) plays Air Force base officer Charlie White. Matt Crowley (Samuel Thomas on The Man Behind the Badge, Commissioner Bucky O'Donnell on Naked City, and the Lakeview Chief of Police on The Edge of Night) plays ice cream shop owner Fred. John Karlen (Danny Boy Delaney on The Doctors, Jock Porter on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Willie Loomis on Dark Shadows, Sharkey Primrose on Hidden Faces, Harvey Lacey on Cagney & Lacey, and Lt. Sam Akers on Snoops) plays a drunk airman. Joseph Boley (Charlie on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing) plays menswear shop proprietor Jess. James Ray (Judge Frank Leeds on Falcon Crest) plays an Air Force NCO. Peter Helm (younger brother of actress Anne Helm) plays a rookie airman. Eddie Applegate (Richard Harrison on The Patty Duke Show) plays a whistler in the ice cream shop.

Season 1, Episode 20, "Massacre": Fredd Wayne (Sgt. Bill Hollis on Code 3) plays known killer Frank Gilgo. Eileen Ryan (mother of Sean, Chris, and Michael Penn) plays his girlfriend Betty. Alan Manson (appeared in The Rain People, Bang the Drum Slowly, and Cafe Society (1995), and played Ken Emerson on The Edge of Night) plays hunting lodge owner Alex Martin. Lester Rawlins (shown on the right, played Arthur Rysdale on The Secret Storm, Orin Hillyer on The Edge of Night, and Spencer Smith on Ryan's Hope) plays police Lt. Wallace. Lesley Woods (Evelyn Dark on The Edge of Night, Miriam Bentley on A Flame in the Wind, Vivian Gentry on The Nurses, Andrea Whiting on Search for Tomorrow, Isabel Jones on Bright Promise, Zoe Tate on Return to Peyton Place, Betty Wilson on All My Children, Alma Miller on Falcon Crest, and Grandma Helen Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful) plays wife of missing man Mrs. Seaford. William Johnstone (Judge James T. Lowell on As the World Turns) plays San Francisco Call Bulletin reporter John Keyes.

Season 1, Episode 21, "The Blue Dahlia": Bernard Kates (Lalley on The Asphalt Jungle, Ben Scott on Guiding Light, and Arthur Saxton on Where the Heart Is) plays young soldier Danny Vlasco. Shirley Ballard (shown on the left, Miss California 1944, wife of actor Jason Evers, script supervisor on Mad Max and continuity supervisor on Water Under the Bridge and The Sullivans) plays nightclub singer Mary Lawlor. Frank Overton (see "State Scandal" above) plays Vlasco's base commander Capt. J.J. McGee. Joseph Campanella (Dr. Ted Steffen on The Doctors and the Nurses, Brian Darrell on The Bold Ones: The Lawyers, Lew Wickersham on Mannix, Ed Cooper on One Day at a Time, Hutch Corrigan on The Colbys, Harper Deveraux on Days of Our Lives, Joe on That's Life, Judge Joseph Camp on The Practice, and Jonathan Young on The Bold and the Beautiful) plays McGee's first sergeant. Mason Adams (Dr. Carl Westheimer on Love of Life, Judge Halstad on Where the Heart Is, Dr. Frank Prescott on Another World, Charlie Hume on Lou Grant, Gordon Blair on Morningstar/Eveningstar, and Everett Daye on Knight & Daye) plays second Sgt. Rossoff.

Season 1, Episode 22, "Checkmate": Arthur Storch (shown on the far right, appeared in The Strange One, The Mugger, Girl of the Night, and The Exorcist) plays married college student George Manners. Irene Dailey (Liz Matthews on Another World) plays his wife Elaine. Michael Constantine (shown on the near right, appeared in The Last Mile, The Hustler, The Reivers, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding and played Jack Ellenhorn on Hey, Landlord, Principal Seymour Kaufman on Room 222, Judge Matthew Sirota on Sirota's Court, and Gus on My Big Fat Greek Life) plays beauty shop owner Russ. John Kellogg (Jack Chandler on Peyton Place) plays San Francisco Examiner reporter Ed Montgomery. John Gibson (see "Lonely Hearts Killer" above) plays his photographer Bob Bryant. Rudy Bond (appeared in A Streetcar Named Desire, Miss Sadie Thompson, On the Waterfront, Run Silent Run Deep, Because They're Young, and The Godfather) plays police Lt. Bill Frrazer. Penney Parker (Terry Williams on The Danny Thomas Show and Maybelle Jackson on Margie) plays high school student Roberta Simmons.

Season 1, Episode 23, "Jail Break": Michael Strong (shown on the left, appeared in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, Point Blank, and Patton and played Oliver Barbour and Dick Appleman on The Edge of Night and Sgt. Clark on Our Private World) plays prison inmate Ray Storren. Al Lewis (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Car 54, Where Are You?) plays fellow inmate Gus Fletcher. Gilbert Green (see "Return to Murder" above) plays prison warden E.J. Stone. Will Kulava (Charlie Kingman on Primus) plays Stone's inmate secretary Kenny Wilson. Diana Douglas (Mary Claire Thurmond Morgan on Three Steps to Heaven, Lily Chernak Donnelly on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Annie Andersen on The Cowboys, Martha Evans on Days of Our Lives, and Professor Tyler on The Paper Chase) plays reporter's wife Mrs. McCormick.

Season 1, Episode 24, "Mad Bomber": Bill Zuckert (see "The Human Storm" above) plays New York Journal American editor Eddie Mahar. John Kellogg (see "Checkmate" above) plays reporter Paul Schoenstein. Donald Briggs (see "Extortion" above) plays reporter Sam Day. John Cecil Holm (shown on the right, playwright whose plays were adapted into the feature films Three Men on a Horse, Blonde Inspiration, and Best Foot Forward, wrote screenplays for Broadway Television Theatre, Kraft Theatre, and Playhouse 90) plays bomber George Metesky. Sam Gray (see "Murderess" above) plays reporter Guy Richards.

Season 1, Episode 25, "Character Witness": Andrew Prine (shown on the left, starred in The Miracle Worker, The Devil's Brigade, Bandolero!, and Chisum and played Andy Guthrie on The Wide Country, Dr. Roger Helvick on Dr. Kildare, Timothy Pride on The Road West, Dan Costello on W.E.B., and Wayne/Wyatt Donnelly on Weird Science) plays steel mill worker Steve Rostov. Lanna Saunders (Ellen Dennis Williams on The Brighter Day and Marie Horton on Days of Our Lives) plays his girlfriend Holly Webster. Peter Brandon (Bruce Jamison on Days of Our Lives and Frank Andrews on Another World) plays Johnstown Democrat reporter Leo Sheridan. Kevin Coughlin (T.R. Ryan on Mama) plays Sheridan as a boy. Beulah Garrick (Viola Renfield on Guiding Light) plays Rostov's sister Kate.

Season 1, Episode 26, "Dumb Kid": Malcolm Brodrick (Pete Marriott on The Marriage) plays newspaper copy boy Fred Wegner, Jr. Jada Rowland (shown on the right, played Amy Ames Britton on The Secret Storm, Dr. Susan Burke Stewart Baxter Stewart on As the World Turns, Janine/Jennie on Sesame Street, and Nurse Carolee Simpson Aldrich on The Doctors) plays his girlfriend Kathy. James Dukas (appeared in The St. Louis Bank Robbery, Pretty Boy Floyd, Brubaker and played Carl Manning on The Doctors) plays sadistic robber Dave. Crahan Denton (appeared in The Parent Trap, Birdman of Alcatraz, and To Kill a Mockingbird) plays an auto mechanic. Sid Stone (commercial announcer on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater) plays a traveling salesman.

Season 1, Episode 27, "A Story for Christmas": Robert Lansing (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on 87th Precinct) plays Washington Post reporter William Key. Avra Petrides (Marjorie on Smith's Point) plays diner waitress Flora Adams. Chris Gampel (Dr.Taylor on Our Private World) plays her boss Mr. Ellis. Doris Rich (Ma Kettle on The Egg and I and Mrs. Doane on Three Steps to Heaven) plays her landlady Mrs. Franklin. Beatrice Pons (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Car 54, Where Are You?) plays hospital nurse Annie. John Napier (Cliff Williams on Search for Tomorrow, Rev. Ken Cleveland on Dr. Kildare, and Jerry Barnes on Days of Our Lives) plays a con man.

Season 1, Episode 28, "Birthday Present": Harry Holcombe (shown on the right, appeared in The Fortune Cookie, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Foxy Brown, Escape to Witch Mountain, and Empire of the Ants and played Malcolm Overton on The Road of Life, Frank Gardner on Search for Tomorrow, Doc Benson on My Mother the Car, Mr. Kendricks on Barefoot in the Park, and Dr. J.P. Martin on Bonanza) plays Wichita, KS District Attorney Tom. John McGovern (Dr. Wallace on The Doctors and the Nurses) plays murder suspect's father Mr. Linden. Alice Yourman (Laura Grant on Guiding Light, Mrs. Wilson on The Brighter Day, and Anita Borkowitz on The Edge of Night) plays his wife. Alfred Sandor (Barney West on The Edge of Night and Raymond Shaw on The Young Doctors) plays the Wichita medical examiner. Mitzi McWhorter (first wife of actor Wayne Rogers) plays coffee shop waitress Mickey.

Season 1, Episode 29, "Suspicion of Murder": Edith Meiser (radio drama author who co-created The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) plays San Francisco Chronicle reporter Bernice Freeman. Jason Evers (shown on the left, starred in The Brain That Wouldn't Die, House of Women, The Green Berets, and Escape From the Planet of the Apes and played Pitcairn on Wrangler, Prof. Joseph Howe on Channing, and Jim Sonnett on The Guns of Will Sonnett) plays murder suspect Larry Ellis. Crahan Denton (see "Dumb Kid" above) plays the Nevada City sheriff. Jim Boles (see "The Accusing Finger" above) plays his deputy. Jan Miner (see "Clean Kill" above) plays murder victim's widow Mrs. Lindley.

Season 1, Episode 30, "Thesis for Murder": John McLiam (shown on the right, appeared in Cool Hand Luke, In Cold Blood, Sleeper, The Missouri Breaks, and First Blood) plays Phoenix police Lt. Mike Goucher. Vincent Gardenia (appeared in Murder Inc., Bang the Drum Slowly, Death Wish, Heaven Can Wait, and Moonstruck and played Frank Lorenzo on All in the Family, Ray Stoller on Breaking Away, and Murray Melman on L.A. Law) plays the Arizona Republic editor. Richard Kronold (Det. Dutton on Naked City) plays car salesman Tom Franklin.

Season 1, Episode 31, "Exposure": Pat Englund (shown on the left, daughter of actress Mabel Albertson, niece of actor Jack Albertson, and sister of producer George Englund) plays photography studio owner Lorraine Delahaye. Felice Orlandi (appeared in The Harder They Fall, The Pusher, Bullitt, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and The Long Riders and played Pierre Dumont on Santa Barbara) plays ex-con shadow owner Arnie Bauer. Henrietta Moore (Peggy Gordon on First Love) plays studio phone saleswoman Carol. Carl Low (Dr. Hadley and Ken Jacobson on The Secret Storm, Martin Sider on The Edge of Night, Charley Beckwith on Another World, and Dr. Bob Rogers on Search for Tomorrow) plays The Columbus Citizen editor. Warren J. Kemmerling (Dr. Joe Hendricks on Days of Our Lives and Judge Rense on How the West Was Won) plays attorney Bob Hamilton. William Woodson (the narrator on Dick Tracy, The Americans, The Invaders, Battle of the Planets, and Centurions, voiced J. Jonah Jameson on Spider-Man and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and played Sgt. Ed Blankey on This Man Dawson) plays studio assistant Chester Price.

Season 1, Episode 32, "Pig Woman": Nancy Franklin (shown on the right, Daytime Emmy-winning writer for Guiding Light, also wrote for The Doctors, Loving, and Another World, played Ann Waite on One Man's Family, Barbara Ferra on The Doctors, and Mrs. MacGruder on One Life to Live) plays diner waitress Louise. Bernie Grant (Steve Burke on One Life to Live) plays Oneonta Star reporter Gerald Gunthrop. Wallace Rooney (Andrew Winters on The Doctors and Tim Butterfield on Lou Grant) plays police Sheriff Baker.

Season 1, Episode 33, "To Move a Mountain": Frank Sutton (shown on the left, appeared in Marty, Town Without Pity, and The Satan Bug and played Eric Raddison on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Sgt. Vince Carter on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.) plays Newark Star-Ledger reporter John McDowell. Steve Franken (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays newspaper copy boy Pete. Sam Gray (see "Murderess" above) plays New Jersey House Representative F. Rodino. Allen Nourse (Roger Harper on The Edge of Night and Dr. George Richards on The Doctors) plays the U.S. Senate Whip. David Clarke (see "The Face of a Thief" above) plays an apartment building superintendent.

Season 1, Episode 34, "One Tall, One Short": Malachi Throne (shown on the right, played Martin Phelps on Ben Casey, False Face on Batman, Noah Bain on It Takes a Thief, The Narrator on Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, Ted Adamson on Search for Tomorrow, The Narrator on Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, and Morgan Rutherford on All My Children) plays prison mail room clerk Frank Sully. Mickey Freeman (Pvt. Fielding Zimmerman on The Phil Silvers Show) plays his partner Robertson. Ben Yaffee (Mr. Hansen on The Doctors) plays diner counterman Webli. Edward Holmes (see "Chain Reaction" above) plays Boise police Capt. Jenks. William Redfield (appeared in Hamlet, Duel at Diablo, The Fantastic Voyage, The Hot Rock, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and played Jimmy Hughes on Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop and Wyn Strafford on Kitty Foyle) plays Idaho Daily Statesman reporter Clayton Darrah. Mel Ruick (Dr. Barton Crane on City Hospital and Paul Kennedy on First Love) plays business leader Murchison.

Season 1, Episode 35, "The Cave": Christopher Walken (shown on the left, starred in Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, The Milagro Beanfield War, and Pulp Fiction and played Burt on Severence and Frank Sheldon on The Outlaws (2021)) plays spelunker Martin Stern. Mickey Freeman (appeared in Onionhead, Up Periscope, and Splendor in the Grass and played The Culhane on Dundee and the Culhane and Yannuck on The Secret Empire) plays his partner Ralph Brower. Richard McMurray (appeared in The Swimmer, Zig Zag, and Raging Bull and played Jake Steel on The Nurses and Dr. Mel Bailey on Days of Our Lives) plays police Lt. Cunningham. Robert Burr (Tom Donnelly on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and Paul Raven on Love of Life) plays police Trooper Smith. Loretta Leversee (Eleanor on The Aldrich Family and Miss Probst on The Doctors and the Nurses) plays reporter's wife Eunice Billeter. Frank Tweddell (Pa Kettle on The Egg and I) plays police Sheriff Gregg.

Season 1, Episode 36, "The Two Ounce Trap": Lou Polan (appeared in Murder, Inc., Hamlet (1964), and The Seven-Ups) plays Columbus Citizen reporter Paul Quick. Gregory Morton (Mr. Wainwright on Peyton Place and Walter Williams on Ben Casey) plays alcoholic "rest home" owner Sid Ellis. Telly Savalas (shown on the right, starred in Cape Fear, The Birdman of Alcatraz, The Dirty Dozen, and Kelly's Heroes and played Mr. Carver on Acapulco and Lt. Theo Kojak on Kojak) plays Health Commissioner Walter Anders. Henderson Forsythe (played the House Detective on Hotel Cosmopolitan, Martin Sprode on The Edge of Night, Jim Benson on From These Roots, Dr. David Stewart on As the World Turns, Barnett Lutz on Eisenhower & Lutz, and Grandpa Jack Garrett on Nearly Departed) plays Ellis recruit Charley Tanner. Michael Wager (Jonas Roving on Ryan's Hope) plays Ellis patient Frank Collins. Patricia Bosworth (Cindy Clayton on Concerning Miss Marlowe, Fran Merrill on Young Dr. Malone, and Lyn Wilkens Warren on The Edge of Night) plays Collins' wife Vera.

Season 1, Episode 37, "The Last Knockout": Alfred Ryder (appeared in T-Men, Hamlet (1964), Hotel, and True Grit) plays boxing trainer and bar owner Vinnie Moran. Michael Conrad (Lt. Macavan on Delvecchio and Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues) plays his fighter Baby Joe Burns. Fred J. Scollay (shown on the left, see "The Human Storm" above) plays Oregon Journal reporter Ed Reid. James Dukas (see "Dumb Kid" above) plays police Sgt. Casey.

Season 1, Episode 38, "Wetback": Martin E. Brooks (shown on the right, played Paul Raven on Love of Life, Skip Curtis on The Secret Storm, Dr. Everett Moore on Search for Tomorrow, Deputy D.A. Chapman on McMillan and Wife, Dr. Rudy Wells on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, Dr. Arthur Bradshaw on General Hospital, Edgar Randolph on Dallas, and Mike Snow on Hunter) plays San Diego Union reporter Gene Fuson. Ford Rainey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Window on Main Street) plays Border Patrol agent Frank Lowman. Malachi Throne (see "One Tall, One Short" above) plays immigrant smuggler Capitan. Johnny Seven (Lt. Carl Reese on Ironside) plays Capitan's assistant Pedro. Norman Rose (the narrator on Police Story (1952) and The Big Story, and played Alex Gura on The Edge of Night, Dr. Marcus Polk on One Life to Live and All My Children, and the Minister on Search for Tomorrow) plays desperate immigrant Juan. Simon Oakland (see "The Victor Riesel Story" above) plays one of Capitan's coyotes.

Season 1, Episode 39, "Smoke Screen": Joe Helgeson (Price on The Man Behind the Badge) plays Erie Dispatch reporter Arthur. Logan Field (see "The Victor Riesel Story" above) plays the Erie fire captain. Ruth Manning (shown on the left, see "The Case of the Stranger" above) plays the mother of a suspected arsonist Mrs. Thomas. Edward Holmes (see "Chain Reaction" above) plays a fire scene witness.