biffot
'The Naked City' (1958-59): - Season one consisted of 30 minute episodes very much based on the same style as Jules Dassien's classic 1948 Movie with John McIntire (later of 'Wagon Train' & 'The Virginian') starring as a more 'Americanised' version of Barry Fitzgerald's film Lt. Dan Muldoon Irish/American cop, a more experienced, more accessible, if 'world weary' upstanding version of the diminutive figure of Muldoon than the film version.James Franciscus (later star of 'Longstreet') plays young Detective Jimmy Halloran well, with Suzanne Storrs as his wife Janet.The Muldoon/Halloran partnership of veteran Det. & young partner set against a famous city backdrop of location filming no doubt inspired the similar Karl Malden/Mike Douglas team later in 'The Streets of San Francisco'Harry Bellaver was supporting character Det. Frank Acaro from episode two and is the main continuity link for the show remaining throughout, The team were based at the 65th precinctHorace MacMahon appears early on in episode; 'Stakeout' billed as 'Chief', later he is crusty Lt. Mike Parker, whose 'bark' was worse than his 'bite', replacing McIntire's character (killed off in episode 25 'The Bumper' at the actor's request) the first season almost divides into two versions with Det. Halloran, Lt. Parker & Det. Acaro the team for the initial season latter episodes.The 30 minute episodes featured more action based tales than what followed. 'Naked City' (1960-63): - The show had ended in 1959 but returned as just; 'Naked City' in 1960, for seasons two to four with an expanded and revised format still set on the 65th precinct. These were hour long episodes starring Paul Burke (who rather resembled Franciscus) as the idealistic sharp young Det.Adam Flint, with his supportive aspiring actress fiancé Libby (Nancy Malone) plus Parker & Acaro continued in their established roles.This team investigated the deeper 'human drama' episodes, with famous guest stars, some just starting out on their acting careers (young actors such as; Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Christopher Walken, etc appeared in supporting roles) plus a few lighter comedic episodes were included and some very complex/intense 'character driven' tales which featured many strong compelling acting performances often in rather 'offbeat' stories.The show stands as the template for many TV Cop shows and dramas that followed with the city of New York itself being very much a featured 'star' of the show.
rcj5365
Few shows in television history have sustained a high level of directing as well as acting,production and writing. The anthology series "Naked City" was one example of just how fine a great television series was during that time. "Naked City" produced by Sterling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard under his production company Shelle Productions for Screen Gems Television/ABC-TV ran for four seasons on the air with the exception of it's first season which lasted one season and 39 episodes that aired from its premiere on September 30,1958 until June 23,1959. It was the first series to be filmed on location within New York City and was in classic black and white with locations filmed at the Biograph Studios and in sections of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and other areas. During the 1958-1959 season the two principal players was James Franciscus and John McIntyre. This half-hour version of "Naked City" was canceled by ABC after one season. Then on October 12,1960,an hour long version of "Naked City" premiered with Paul Burke and Horace McMahon replacing James Franciscus and John McIntyre. This hour long version lasted three seasons producing 99 episodes,all in classic black and white that aired from October 12,1960 until May 29,1963. In all,a total of 138 episodes were produced for ABC.During the show's fantastic run,it included some of the best writers and best actors in television history and it shows in the Four Prime-Time Emmys it won for Best Drama Series (1959,1961,1962,1963),and was nominated for three Golden Globes as Best Prime-Time Drama Series in 1962.The best writers for this series came from Frank R. Pierson to Barry Trivers, Howard Rodman, Richard Levinson, Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, to Sy Salkowitz, Stanley Kallis, Sterling Silliphant, Charles Beaumont, Alvin Sargent, Ken Kolb among others who contribute to some of the great episodes. Some of the best top-notch directors ranging from newcomers like Sydney Pollack to Richard Donner and future Hollywood director Arthur Hiller to such greats as David Lowell Rich, Jack Smight, William Conrad, Paul Wendkos, Bernard McEveety, Robert Gist, Paul Stanley, James Sheldon, Boris Segal, Irvin Kershner, Ralph Senensky, Harry Harris, Vincent McEveety, to Lawrence Dobkin and Marc Daniels among others. But what made the show stand out was the acting were some episodes were nothing short of breathtaking but were absolutely incredible.This series was a showcase for up and coming actors who made their debuts here ranging from Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Brock Peters, Dabney Coleman, Jessica Walter, Eli Wallach, Peter Falk, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, Roddy McDowell, Martin Sheen, Diane Ladd, Christopher Walken, to Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, William Shatner, James MacArthur, Burt Reynolds, Telly Savalas, Susan Oliver, Leonard Nimoy to future up and coming actors like Sandy Dennis, James Caan, George Segal to Robert Blake, Valerie Harper, Brenda Vaccaro, Greg Morris, to Ivan Dixon and Vic Morrow. Others were Suzanne Pleshette, Felicia Farr, Jack Klugman, Burgess Meredith, Godfrey Cambridge, Jack Lord, Leslie Nielsen, to Gilbert Roland, Carroll O' Connor, David Janssen, Cicely Tyson, Hari Rhodes, Ricardo Montalban to others like Barry Morse, Jan Sterling, Janice Rule, Piper Laurie, Diahann Carroll, to guest stars Jo Van Fleet, Edward Asner, Jack Lord, Constance Ford, to others like Herschel Bernardi, Eileen Heckhart, James Coburn, Dick York, Maureen Stapleton, Robert Culp, Cliff Robertson, Robert Vaughn to Lee Grant, Charles Bronson, Lois Nettleton, Walter Matthau, Sylvia Sidney, to George Maharis, Martin Milner, Mark Goddard, Glenn Corbett, Barbara Eden, George C. Scott, and a rare appearance by the famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner and one episode had a rare guest star appearance featuring Dorothy Dandridge. The show also had the rare occasion for actors who were just starting out and one episode had future television actor Conrad Bain in a small role along with future Oscar winning actress Faye Dunaway in bit parts."Naked City" was a series that featured a "ethnicity" of fine acting in various roles and for an anthology drama it did not stray away from several subject matters even though this was one of the great cop shows ever produced from television's golden age.
revtg1-2
An odd show, if you watch it closely. First of all, it ran from 1958 until 1963 and it was about honest cops in New York City. It had some great performers, but some of the scripts, especially those done by Sterling Silliphant, were a little pretentious bordering on klutzy. Not as stilted, formulated, pretentious or klutzy as Dragnet, but borderline. The other thing interesting is in the episodes done in 1961 the detectives drove brand new Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs but the blue suits guys drove 1953-54 Fords. In one episode the mean hit man, whose speciality was killing people with a car, drove a 1950 or 1951 Buick chasing the cops who were in a 1950 Oldsmoblie. Now that's low budget. The character of the main focus, a hard working detective played by James Franciscus, is a little too introspective and self doubting to be a good New York street cop. The same demeanor was carried on by Paul Burke. A cop in New York with those kinds of hang ups would have lasted about one month. New York City, even in those days, was a lot more interesting than the show is able to present it. No real New York native characters. Just the mysterious Emerald City and hard working, deticated public servant cops putting it all on the line. That and Wheaties is as all-American as in got on TV back then. Good show for car buffs who like to see the old machines in action again, though.
