It can’t be argued that crime shows proved at least as popular in the nascent television market as they had on radio, before that on stage, and today on our fancy wide-screen entertainment centers. Fortunately for mystery writers, the public’s appetite proved voracious. The DuMont Television Network led with their own stable:
| Adventures Of Ellery Queen Chicagoland Mystery Players Famous Jury Trials Front Page Detective¹ Hands of Murder/Mystery |
Man Against Crime¹ The Plainclothesman Rocky King, Detective They Stand Accused Trial By Jury² |
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| ¹ syndicated | ² reality courtroom show |
Early television programming was noted for live action. Soaps with their few set changes seemed reasonable enough, but detective dramas took considerable planning to accomplish seamless transitions, when a director earned his keep. Occasionally sets were found on different floors, requiring actors to run up and down stairs to meet the story requirements. Not until the 1970s would wild car chases become popular enough to obscure muddled plots.
The Plainclothesman appeared in the 9:30 Eastern Time slot immediately following Rocky King. That program innovated ‘subjective camera PoV’, adding a level of complexity and sophistication to live on-camera work. Rather than the audience passively observing a show put on for their benefit, they could participate through the eyes of the protagonist, looking at scenes, actions, and clues as he would see them.
It’s 9 o’clock of a Sunday evening where family gathers around that fascinating new piece of furniture, the DuMont television set. Mom has opened its cabinet doors and Dad switches on the set. The screen brightens, wriggles, and then takes shape… Come with us now for another Rocky King adventure …
Death Has Dark Hands
broadcast: 1952-Oct-19
in which dies a chemist with a glowing reputation…
So enjoy the drama of it all – especially that music!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the links to the old shows. When SA finally got TV in 1975, we were treated to old, nay, ancient shows from all over the English-speaking world. Somehow, these were missed.
[Oh, possibly ‘cos they’re not in English! (laughing)]
As you'll remember from earlier articles Paramount did their best to destroy DuMont, already beset with poor policies by the FCC and AT&T. Thanks, ABA!
ReplyDelete