Best of Checkmate: Season One Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very pleased that someone finally released Checkmate on DVD. It is definitely one of my favorite shows of yesteryear.
But why? The premise of the show, dreamed up by its creator, Eric Ambler, is outstanding. The staff of detectives are not in business to investigate crimes already committed, they are in business to prevent crimes from being committed. So far, every story I have seen is quite good. Their firm, Checkmate, Inc., is the only possible agency that would actively try to save a client by driving her would-be killer half-crazy. Great premise. You'd have to see that one to believe it.
Like another reviewer, I have to say that I was young when this series was first on the air--actually, I was 12 when it made its debut in 1960. But there were very strong images from this show that have stayed with me for decades. There was the cool, pulsating, darkly jazzy theme music of John Williams; the swirling mass of paints underneath the credits; and best of all, the mature, thoughtful dramas always leading to twists and turns. It offers its own black and white style of film noir. Checkmate was not necessarily the best show, but I rank it as one of the better ones.
The stars of the series were Anthony George, Doug McClure, and the great Sebastian Cabot. Many remember McClure from The Virginian, and Cabot from Family Affair (he played the butler). George, for whatever reason, seemed to fade from fame after the 1960s. It is a shame. He strongly plays the main character that superbly drives this show. Cabot, is also very, very good. It is too bad he did not live long enough to headline his own series along the lines of a Murder She Wrote or Hercule Poirot. He would have been perfect. McClure, whom many have derided in the past for reaosn unclear to me, should be praised for his work on this series. His smooth performance here proves he could play more than just a western character (and by the way, I thought he did a bang-up job in one of his other shows, "the Virginian").
I had remembered some of the twelve episodes in this box set. The one with Mickey Rooney playing a cartoonist being marked for murder by a comic strip character he had created really stood out! Also, episodes guest starring Ricardo Montalban, Jane Wyman, Ann Baxter and others I sort of remembered. It truly surprised me to see such stars as Joan Fontaine, Joseph Cotten and Charles Laughton in important guest star roles. They are quite good I might add.
Yes, the sound and picture quality could be a lot better. I nearly downgraded the set for this reason. However, I was so happy to see these shows released at all that I wanted to give it a top review. Anyone who loves mysteries, detective stories, and simply well-written shows featuring good performances by terrific stars of the 1950s and 1960s should purchase this set. Also, I agree that the distributors should release more episodes. I further think they should do a better job of restoring them; Checkmate episodes are "keepers."

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