#SteveRandall TV 1.01 cont'd.
This reminds me of the formulaic #FrontPageDetective another pre-filmed in LA TV series that underwhelmed. Such TV shows just can't compete with live from New York TV drama like #MartinKane, #ThePlainclothesman and #RockyKing no matter how shiny they are.
#CharlieWild TV 3.02 cont'd.
The ep isn't great to be fair but I'm not sure it's inferior a show than DuMont's "Rocky King, Detective". However I can see why it wasn't kept on the network while competing against very watchable stablemates on CBS #ManAgainstCrime and on DuMont #RockyKing.
#RichardDiamond TV ep #2.06 "The Ed Church Case" (06-Feb-58).
Finally excitement as #RockyKing actor himself Roscoe Karns guests this ep. He's not playing Rocky King obvs but the photo they use to ID him is a publicity photo from "Rocky King, Detective"!
SQUEEE!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVrV...
#MartinKane TV ep #3.18 "A Jockey is Murdered" (27-Dec-51).
Horse racing ep. I didn't notice the clue but TBF I live 75 years in the future. It needed few more minutes with the many suspects before the reveal.
Again great live TV, far slicker a show than #RockyKing.
www.youtube.co/watch?v=00JZ...
#MartinKane TV ep #2.27 cont'd.
William Gargan's last surviving TV ep. So just 7 exist as some were mislabelled? I may yet dig up another.
This NBC TV show has higher production values than #RockyKing on DuMont TV. A shame CBS TV's #ManAgainstCrime has no live eps to allow a direct comparison.
#TheStranger TV 1.13 cont'd.
Compared to the sole #ShadowOfTheCloak ep from early 1952 you can see the huge improvement in DuMont's capability in their new TV studio.
And as per #RockyKing TV ep #5.48 this ep is surely an Electonicam film print rather a Kinescope as it looks fabulous in comparison.
#ShadowOfTheCloak TV 1.31 cont'd.
That special effect used in #RockyKing where we get the superimposed faces done live is impressive. Good for live TV no matter when!
Werner Klemperer who played Colonel Klink in "Hogan's Heroes" is the villain here.
The knife throwing was a filmed insert surely?
#ShadowOfTheCloak TV 1.31 cont'd.
Compared to the #RockyKing live eps which were also made in New York by the DuMont TV network I found this ep so slow and flat. The first half esp.
Rod Serling clearly can write but this is his 4th ever TV script and its got a lot of limitations imposed upon it.
#ManAgainstCrime Unanswered Qs:
What were the live eps like? Presumably CBS had a higher budget than DuMont's #RockyKing so were #Suspense level TV?
How many eps in S2 & S3?
In the summer eps of 1951 Robert Preston took over from Ralph Bellammy as Mike's brother Pat (see pic). What was that like?
#ThePlainclothesman TV 2.35 cont'd.
The ep of "Famous Jury Trials" has Calvin Martin as the defendant and that ep aired on 02-May-51. Also Season 3-5 of this show aired Sunday after #RockyKing by which time "Famous Jury Trials" had ended so it has to be an ep before 23-May-51.
#ManAgainstCrime TV 4.04 cont'd.
Ralph Bellamy is clearly better than any of this so he on his own carries it. Nice if the other actors tried. I'm not getting my #RockyKing fix in the plot as this is quite glacial in comparison but I like that Barnett has to do one clever thing to win the day.
#RockyKing End of walkthrough.
Do I recommend?
There doesn't appear to any afters for this show, ie no short stories or fan works. But as so few eps exist that's understandable. But with all 8 on YouTube yes I recommend it. It's a right lovable battler against those bigger network cop shows.
#RockyKing The show ran till 26-Dec-54 so it transmitted 252 live TV episodes in just 254 weeks. That's a punishing schedule! I'm nearly certain Todd Carns took the lead role in a few eps too to give his dad a rest.
Just 8 of the 252 eps are free but I see why this was a big success for DuMont.
#RockyKing TV 5.48 cont'd.
Gaffes:
The old Doctor forgot this stethoscope so had to run back to get it!
As usual Karns is a walking gaffe but it's part of Rocky's persona. TBF he has ~40% of the lines.
I just realised King's walk in the end credits is done live each week as it's always different?
#RockyKing TV 5.48 cont'd.
The nurse in this played by Lynn Brinker had a big part but this is her only ever TV ep! I wonder why? I think she did stage work instead?
This ep talks about the 1954 Niagara Falls Collapse (24-Jul-54) which happened just 8 days previous to the live ep.
#RockyKing TV 5.48 cont'd.
Detective Hart is now Detective Sergeant Hart as he's just passed the exam.
With the improved quality we also get filmed inserts now and even see the outside of King's house!
Why Hart is having dinner at King's is unclear but again he really does seems to be King's nephew?
#RockyKing TV 5.48 cont'd.
DuMont's new TV studio had opened by now and boy does the show look better and not just as it's a film print.
Lead actor Roscoe Karns had to dress in the toilets before the new studio opened so he finally has his own dressing room now!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQV...
#RockyKing TV ep #5.48 "In the Bag" (01-Aug-54).
OMG this ep is an Electronicam film print!!
It's absolutely flipping pristine.
Electonicam is technology developed by DuMont that simultaneously shot a film print and a TV image at the same time! Quality is vastly better than Tele-Trancscription!
#RockyKing TV 5.38 cont'd.
As this is live TV they just carry on no matter what!
In ep #5.27 Roscoe Karns got a surname wrong and was calmly corrected by another actor in character.
Here after a scuffle the gun fell on the floor somewhere but they had to carry on acting until Todd Carns found it.
#RockyKing TV 5.38 cont'd.
This ep concerns a murder in a family crypt in a graveyard. And Mabel wants Rocky to write a new will.
At one stage Hart calls Mabel "Aunt". Is Hart the nephew of King (as well as being his real life son)? Or just a term of endearment?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogT...
#RockyKing TV ep #5.38 "Return for Death" (23-May-54)
Quincy M.E. himself Jack Klugman is a heavy in this ep. I have actually already seen his second ever role in #Suspense TV ep #2.33 "Murder at the Mardi Gras" (18-Apr-50). As he's still playing a bit-part heavy 4 years on so he isn't yet famous.
#RockyKing TV 5.27 cont'd
Peggy French I saw in #Suspense TV ep #1.14 "Help Wanted" (14-Jun-49) and #LightsOut TV ep #2.51 "The Man With the Watch" (13-Aug-51). This Rocky King ep is her last IMDB role. So I've seen her first and her last IMDB roles!
#RockyKing TV 5.27 cont'd.
The guy turning off the TV showing static was the indicator it was late. That's pure 1950s!
We got a bit of 1950s meta!!:
"Who's your favourite TV detective sir?"
"Well I'd rather not say it's kinda personal".
I liked the mystery writer murder mystery theme in this ep.
#RockyKing TV 5.27 cont'd.
I didn't understand the clue in the shoe until i was writing these tweets! You really have to do the spadework as a viewer in 1950s TV.
Roscoe Karns' son Todd now plays his new partner Detective Hart. He's pretty good actually probably better than Earl Hammond TBF.
#RockyKing TV ep #5.27 "Murder in Advance" (07-Mar-54).
Onto S5 and TV ep #5.11 "Marked for Murder" (15-Nov-53) exists but only in the UCLA Archive so #5.27 is the next survivor.
Decent but routine ep. The show is still very cheap looking so it feels dated for 1954.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ah8...
#RockyKing TV 4.08 cont'd.
Just a reminder that DuMont dumped their entire 10,000+ Kinescope TV archive into the Hudson River. Their film archive was scoured for silver nitrate first before also being dumped in the Hudson River.
(Still not as bad as UCLA Archives hogging episodes today mind).
#RockyKing TV 4.08 cont'd.
Rocky King as a cop is different from a contemporary cop like Joe Friday. King is domestic and homely. He has a big personality but is sharp. He's very much a prototype for a Frank Colombo or a Jack Frost than other harder edge cops. This show is not real but King is.
#RockyKing TV ep #4.08 "Murder PhD" (26-Oct-52).
Great ep!
Lane and King must prove a man on death row is innocent but have less than 3 hours to do so. Whilst being teased by a mastermind who is always one step ahead.
There's no let up in this race against time!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM6_...
#RockyKing TV 4.07 cont'd.
A famous chemist has been murdered at this home.
Yes 120dpi is a slog but it's worth it.
Love the insert put between scenes till the actors can get to their marks for the next live scene. It's of a chemical so presumably the new invention?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YCB...
#RockyKing TV ep #4.07 "Death Has Dark Hands" (19-Oct-52).
The video says 240dpi but I think it's just 120dpi but at least it exists!!
These would've transmitted in 360dpi or maybe 480dpi?
The sound is excellent and the tele-transcription* is not wobbly.
* What DuMont called Kinescope tech.
