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(More customer reviews)Mill Creek has put out another great collection of television shows, this time focusing on detective series from the 1950s. Although some of these episodes can be found in other low-priced sets, there are many series sampled here that have never been released on DVD before. Here are the individual episodes you'll find on the disk:The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956)
Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith (Lester Matthews) attempts to prevent the evil Dr. Fu Manchu (Glen Gordon) from achieving world domination. Episodes included in this package are: "Death Ships of Fu Manchu" and "Prisoner of Fu Manchu"The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1950)
This ill-fated Dumont network series, featuring Richard Hart as the titular detective, is represented by a single episode: "The Hanging Acrobat"Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955):
A curious choice for inclusion in this set, this series' premise had little to do with detective work. The episodes included can be found in many other public domain offerings: "The Cheney Vase" (starring Darren McGavin and Carolyn Jones) and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (starring Brandon de Wilde and Diana Dors).Burke's Law (1963)
Gene Barry starred as Amos Burke, an independently wealthy Chief of Detectives for the Los Angeles police force. The episode included in this set is "Who Killed Jason Shaw."The Cases of Eddie Drake (1952)
Originally nine episodes of this series, which starred journeyman actor Dan Haggerty, were filmed for CBS, but were never aired. Dumont purchased the group, filmed four additional episodes and released the series to the unsuspecting public in 1952. The episode presented here, "Shoot the Works" shows why CBS choose to cut their losses.Checkmate (1960)
Doug McClure, Anthony George and Sebastian Cabot starred in this series about a high-priced San Francisco detective agency. Episodes included in this package are "Human Touch" and "Nice Guys Finish Last".Code 3 (1957)
Richard Travis starred as the Assistant Sheriff of Los Angeles who introduces the episodes in this police procedural series. Included in this set are "The Benson Case", "The Man with Many Faces", "The Rookie Sheriff" and "The Sniper".Colonel March of Scotland Yard (1956)
Boris Karloff starred as the titular detective, based on the stories of John Dickson Carr. The series were originally released in England. The episode included with this set is "Error at Daybreak".Court of Last Resort (1957)
Founded by Erle Stanley Gardner, the court investigated potentially innocent men and women accused of crimes of which they might be innocent. Lyle Bettger starred as one of the lead investigators. Episode included are: "The Clarence Redding Case", "The Jim Thompson Case", "The John Smith Case" and "The Mary Morales Case".Decoy (1957)
Beverly Garland starred as an undercover New York City policewoman who faced all sorts of perilous situations. Episodes included are: "Fiesta at Midnight", "High Swing", "Night Light", "The Comeback", "The Sound of Tears" and "To Trap a Thief".Dick Tracy (1950)
Ralph Byrd, a capable lead in many B-movie adventure films, could never escape being typecast as Dick Tracy. Despite his aversion to reprising the role, Byrd agreed to play Chester Gould's iconic square-jawed detective in this early TV series because of a paucity of other offers. These six episodes show just how good an actor Byrd really was: "Dick Tracy and Flat Top", "Dick Tracy Meets Heels Beals", "Hijack", "Mole - Part 1 and 2: and "Shaky's Secret Treasure".
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents (1953):
This anthology series included an unsold television pilot for a detective series based on the adventures of Bulldog Drummond. The character was originally created in 1920 for a series of novels about a former British officer who was bored after the excitement of World War I. By the time this 1957 episode, entitled "Bulldog Drummond and `The Ludlow Affair'", aired, Drummond was a British private detective with no connection to the Great War. This episode starred Robert Beatty as Drummond.
Dragnet (1951)
Jack Webb starred as Los Angeles police sergeant Joe Friday in this classic 50s detective series. Twenty-five episode from the series are included in this package - "The Big Ante", "The Big Betty", "The Big Boys", "The Big Break", "The Big Casing", "The Big Cast", "The Big Crime", "The Big False Make", "The Big Frame", "The Big Girl", "The Big Grandpa", "The Big Hit and Run Killer", "The Big Lift", "The Big Little Jesus", "The Big Look", "The Big Oskar", "The Big Phone Call", "The Big Producer", "The Big Score", "The Big Send-Off", "The Big September Man", "The Big Seventeen", "The Big Shoplift", "The Big Show", "The Big .22 Rifle for Christmas".Federal Men (1950) aka Treasury Men in Action
The Chief (Walter Greaza) leads his team of agents against counterfeiters and other criminals whose misdeeds fall under the Department's purview. Episodes in this set include: "The Case of the Chartered Chiseler", "The Case of the Fatal Error", "The Case of the Iron Curtain", "The Case of the Man Outside" and "The Case of the Ready Guns".
Follow That Man (1949) aka Man Against Crime
Ralph Bellamy played Mike Barnett, a two-fisted private detective operating in New York City. Originally broadcast live, the episodes in this set were filmed for the series fourth and fifth season. The shows included are "Ferry Boat", "Fraternity of Five", "Paradise Lost", "The Cube Root of Evil", "The Iceman" and "The Silken Touch".
Front Page Detective (1951)
Edmund Lowe played a hard-bitten newspaper reporter who investigated crime stories for a major eastern newspaper. Episodes included are "Little Black Book", "Murder Rides the Night Train", "Seven Seas to Danger".
Gang Busters (1951)
An anthology series based on the Phillip H. Lord's long-running radio program, this series alternated with Dragnet throughout 1951 because Jack Webb was unable to produce enough episodes of his iconic show to air every week. Although both series received extremely high ratings, Gang Busters was canceled after only 13 episodes. Episodes included are "The Bayless Case", "The Phantom", "The Scissors Case" and "The Unholy Three".
I'm the Law (1953)
George Raft played a gritty New York police detective in this series which ran only 26 episodes. This set features episodes "O Sole Mio", "The Cowboy and the Blind Man Story" and "The Trucking Story".The Lawless Years (1959)
Sixteen years before James Gregory portrayed Police Inspector Frank Luger on Barney Miller, he fought organized crime in 1920s New York as detective Barney Ruditsky. The series lasted two years. Episodes in this set are "Framed", "The Cutie Jaffe Story", "The Dutch Schultz Story", "The Morrison Story", "The Poison Ivy Story" and "The Story of Lucky Silva".
Lock-Up (1959)
Defense attorney Herbert Maris (Macdonald Carey) protects his unjustly accused clients each week. The eight episodes included in this set are "Flying High", "His Father's Footsteps", "Murder Is a Gamble", "Society Doctor", "The Beau and Arrow Case", "The Case of Joe Slade", "The Case of Nan Havens" and "Top Secret".
Lone Wolf (1955)
Louis Hayward was one of the few A-list Hollywood stars who embraced television almost from its inception. He plays Michael Lanyard, a swaggering P.I. who leaves a coin with a wolf on it as a calling card. Episodes in this set are "The Beverly Hills Story", "The Karachi Story", "The Las Vegas Story, "The Oil Story" and "The Stamp Story".
The Man Behind the Badge (1953)
Police anthology series featuring a stellar cast of character actors. Six episodes from the series are included in this set, "The Case of the Hunted Hobo", "The Case of Operation Sabotage", "The Case of the Capital Crime", "The Case of the Dying Past", "The Case of the Hot Stock" and "The Case of the Priceless Passport".
Man with a Camera (1958)
Charles Bronson starred as Mike Kovac, a globe-trotting photographer in search of interesting assignments. Episodes from the two-year run include, "Missing" and "Two Strings of Pearls".
Mannix (1967)
Mike Connors starred in this violent, long-running series as Joe Mannix, a private detective who seemed to get shot in the shoulder every other week. The series ran for eight years. Episodes from the show are "Nothing Ever Works Twice" and "The Cost of a Vacation".Martin Kane, Private Eye (1949)
This NBC detective series survived numerous cast changes to run for five years. Kane was played by William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan and Lee Tracy and episodes from each actor's tenure are included in this package. About the only constant during the series' run was Happy's tobacco shop, which allowed the tobacco company that was series' sponsor to have its advertisements built into the fabric of the show. Episodes included are "A Crooner Is Murdered", "A Jockey Is Murdered", "Altered Will", "The Black Pearl", "The Comic Strip Killer", and "The District Attorney Killer".
Miami Undercover (1961)
Lee Bowman starred as an undercover detective operating in southeastern Florida during the early 60s. The show was shot in around Miami. The single episode included is...Read more›
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Best of TV Detectives 150 Episodes (2007)
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