Man Against Crime

Man Against Crime
Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett (1951)
Also known as ''Follow That Man''
Genre Crime drama
Created by Lawrence Klee
Written by Vin Bogert
Directed by Paul Nickel (1949)
Edward Montagne (1952-54)
William Berke (1953)
Frank McDonald (1953)
Paul Alter (1953)
Francis D. Lyon (1954)
Starring Ralph Bellamy (1949-1954)
Frank Lovejoy
Nita Talbot
Narrated by Carl King
Theme music composer Fred Steiner
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 122
Production
Producer(s) Edward Montagne
Lawrence M. Klee
Editor(s) Maria Montague (1952-53)
Running time 30 mins. (approx)
Release
Original network CBS (1949-1953)
DuMont (1953-1954)
NBC (1953-1954)
Picture format Black-and-white
Audio format Monoaural
Original release October 7, 1949 – June 27, 1954
Gloria McGhee and Ralph Bellamy in 1953

Man Against Crime (also known as Follow That Man) starring Ralph Bellamy, one of the first television programs about private eyes, ran on CBS, the DuMont Television Network and NBC from October 7, 1949, to June 27, 1954. The show was created by Lawrence Klee and was broadcast live until 1952.[1] The series was one of the few television programs ever to have been simulcast on more than one network: the program aired on both NBC and DuMont during the 1953-1954 television season.[2]

Synopsis

Man Against Crime stars Ralph Bellamy as Mike Barnett, a New York freelance private eye. In the 1951 season, Robert Preston co-starred as Mike Barnett's brother, Pat (who also assumed the lead while Bellamy was on vacation that summer). In the summer of 1956, Frank Lovejoy took over the role of Mike Barnett until the series' end that same year.

Accompanied by a frantic theme song by Fred Steiner, the film noir-style introduction features an unknown man running down a deserted New York City street while being chased by a black car, all of which is viewed from above. As he knocks on Barnett's door, there is a spray of sub-machine gun fire, and the man is killed. Barnett opens the door, hears the click of the bolt on the gun, ducks and is missed by a second, shorter burst of slugs. Barnett then takes off after the killer while Follow That Man appears in bold letters and the title of the episode is shown on a file folder that is propped up against a telephone. The filmed episodes were syndicated as Follow That Man because the sponsor owned the original title [see below].

The show's first prime-time episode aired on CBS on 7 October 1949, and the final prime-time episode was broadcast, on NBC, on 26 August 1956. In the 1950-1951 season, the series finished at #13 in the Nielsen ratings, followed by a #29 finish in 1951-1952.[3]

Filming

Interior filming was done at the Bedford Park Studios in New York City, while exteriors were filmed in Manhattan and NYC's other boroughs, as well as in Washington, D.C. ("The Washington Story"), and Pennsylvania.[4]

Sponsorship

The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Camel cigarettes) sponsored the series, as well as holding a monetary share in the program and a copyright on the series. Mike Barnett was frequently shown smoking a cigarette (and occasionally flashing a pack at the camera), and at the conclusion of the program, Ralph Bellamy would put on reading glasses and read a list of veterans' hospitals and military bases to which "the makers of Camels" was donating cigarettes that week.

DVD release

There were eighty-four filmed episodes (seasons 4 and 5), of which twenty-eight are available on DVD.

Episodes

Season 1 (1949-50)

  • 1.1 Episode #1.1 - October 7, 1949
  • 1.2 Episode #1.2 - October 14, 1949
  • 1.3 Episode #1.3 - October 21, 1949
  • 1.4 Episode #1.4 - October 28, 1949
  • 1.5 Episode #1.5 - November 4, 1949
  • 1.6 Episode #1.6 - November 11, 1949
  • 1.7 Episode #1.7 - November 18, 1949
  • 1.8 Episode #1.8 - November 25, 1949
  • 19 Episode #1.9 - December 2, 1949
  • 1.10 Episode #1.10 - December 9, 1949
  • 1.11 Episode #1.11 - December 16, 1949
  • 1.12 Episode #1.12 - December 23, 1949
  • 1.13 Episode #1.13 - December 30, 1949
  • 1.14 Episode #1.14 - January 6, 1950
  • 1.15 Episode #1.15 - January 13, 1950
  • 1.16 Episode #1.16 - January 20, 1950
  • 1.17 Episode #1.17 - January 27, 1950
  • 1.18 Episode #1.18 - February 3, 1950
  • 1.19 Episode #1.19 - February 10, 1950
  • 1.20 Episode #1.20 - February 17, 1950
  • 1.21 Episode #1.21 - February 24, 1950
  • 1.22 Episode #1.22 - March 3, 1950
  • 1.23 Episode #1.23 - March 10, 1950
  • 1.24 Episode #1.24 - March 17, 1950
  • 1.25 Episode #1.25 - March 24, 1950
  • 1.26 Episode #1.26 - March 31, 1950
  • 1.27 Episode #1.27 - April 7, 1950
  • 1.28 Episode #1.28 - April 14, 1950
  • 1.29 Episode #1.29 - April 21, 1950
  • 1.30 Episode #1.30 - April 28, 1950
  • 1.31 Episode #1.31 - May 5, 1950
  • 1.32 Episode #1.32 - May 12, 1950
  • 1.33 Episode #1.33 - May 19, 1950
  • 1.34 Episode #1.34 - May 26, 1950
  • 1.35 Episode #1.35 - June 2, 1950
  • 1.36 Episode #1.36 - June 9, 1950
  • 1.37 Episode #1.37 - June 16, 1950
  • 1.38 Episode #1.38 - June 23, 1950
  • 1.39 Episode #1.39 - June 30, 1950

[5]

Season 2 (1950)

  • 2.1 Episode #2.1 - September 8, 1950

[6]

Season 3 (1951)

  • 3.1 Episode #3.1 -August 10, 1951

[7]

Season 4 (1952-53)

  • 4.1 Phobia - October 1, 1952
  • 4.2 Murder in Rhyme - October 8, 1952
  • 4.3 Baker Grandee - October 15, 1952
  • 4.4 Joy Ride - October 22, 1952
  • 4.5 Carpathia - October 29, 1952
  • 4.6 Paradise Lost - November 5, 1952
  • 4.7 The Victim Is Venus - November 12, 1952
  • 4.8 Get Out Of Town - November 19, 1952
  • 4.9 Fuller's Folly - November 26, 1952
  • 4.10 Women's Reformatory - December 3, 1952
  • 4.11 Killer Cat - December 10, 1952
  • 4.12 Bartholdi - December 17, 1952
  • 4.13 The Day They Kidnapped Santa Claus - December 24, 1952
  • 4.14 Dragon's Blood - December 31, 1952
  • 4.15 Breaking Point - January 7, 1953
  • 4.16 Ferry Boat - January 14, 1953
  • 4.17 Murder in the Studio - January 21, 1953
  • 4.18 The Silken Touch - January 28, 1953
  • 4.19 Third Ball - February 4, 1953
  • 4.20 Exclusive - February 11, 1953
  • 4.21 The Midnight Express - February 18, 1953
  • 4.22 A Bottle of Death - February 25, 1953
  • 4.23 The Iceman - March 4, 1953
  • 4.24 Death Takes a Partner - March 11, 1953
  • 4.25 Sic Transit Gloria - March 18, 1953
  • 4.26 Family Affair - March 25, 1953
  • 4.27 The Hitch Heisters - April 1, 1953
  • 4.28 Free Ride - April 8, 1953
  • 4.29 Death Below Decks - April 15, 1953
  • 4.30 High Ambush - April 22, 1953
  • 4.31 The Cocoanut's Eye - May 6, 1953
  • 4.32 Room 505 - May 13, 1953
  • 4.33 The Day Man - May 20, 1953
  • 4.34 Hot Fur - May 17, 1953
  • 4.35 The Doll Bandit - June 10, 1953
  • 4.36 Washington Story - June 17, 1953
  • 4.37 Black Leg-White Tie - June 24, 1953
  • 4.38 Fraternity of Five - July 1, 1953
  • 4.39 Death on the Diamond - July 17, 1953
  • 4.40 The Polecat Shakedown - July 24, 1953
  • 4.41 Hide and Seek - August 7, 1953
  • 4.42 The Wire Tappers - August 14, 1953
  • 4.43 The Missing Cadet - August 28, 1953

[8]

Season 5 (1953-54)

  • 5.1 Dead Wears Lead Shoes Part 1 - October 11, 1953
  • 5.2 Dead Wears Lead Shoes Part 2 - October 18, 1953
  • 5.3 Three Cents Worth of Murder - October 25, 1953
  • 5.4 Time Keepers - November 1, 1953
  • 5.5 Murder in the Rough - November 8, 1953
  • 5.6 Main Bout Is Murder - November 15, 1953
  • 5.7 Thirty Dimes - November 22, 1953
  • 5.8 Cube Root of Murder - November 29, 1953
  • 5.9 Murder Mountain - December 6, 1953
  • 5.10 A Very Dead Ringer - December 13, 1953
  • 5.11 Petite Larceny - December 20, 1953
  • 5.12 Going, Going Gone '- December 27, 1953
  • 5.13 Don't Feed the Animals - January 3, 1954
  • 5.14 Danger For Duffy - January 10, 1954
  • 5.15 Terror 12 Stories High - January 17, 1954
  • 5.16 Holler Uncle - January 24, 1954
  • 5.17 Beauty and the Beasts - January 31, 1954
  • 5.18 Little Boy Blues - February 7, 1954
  • 5.19 Target With Two T's - February 14, 1954
  • 5.20 Mike's Missing Marbles - February 21, 1954
  • 5.21 U.F.O. - February 28, 1954
  • 5.22 Will o' the Wisp - March 7, 1954
  • 5.23 Rigged For Murder - March 14, 1954
  • 5.24 Hit and Run - March 21, 1954
  • 5.25 Canary Yellow - March 28, 1954
  • 5.26 The Plugged Shilling - April 4, 1954
  • 5.27 The Chinese Dolls - April 11, 1954
  • 5.28 Barometer Falling - April 18, 1954
  • 5.29 The Man from Dannemora - April 25, 1954
  • 5.30 The Man in the Iron Car - May 2, 1954
  • 5.31 The Sunset Farm - May 9, 1954
  • 5.32 Where's Mimi? - May 16, 1954
  • 5.33 Hot as Three Pistols - May 23, 1954
  • 5.34 Concrete Jungle - May 30, 1954
  • 5.35 The Young Hoods - June 6, 1954
  • 5.36 Next to Closing - June 13, 1954
  • 5.37 No Place to Hide - June 20, 1954
  • 5.38 Connecticut State Police - June 27, 1954

[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oldies.com "Follow That Man (a.k.a. Man Against Crime)" Check |url= value (help). Oldies.com. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  2. ↑ Marsh, Earle and Tim Brooks (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946-Present, p. 513. Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
  3. ↑ http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/index.htm
  4. ↑ Bedford Park Studios "Locations" Check |url= value (help). IMDb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  5. ↑ Man Against Crime Season 1 Episode Guide
  6. ↑ Man Against Crime Season 2 Episode Guide
  7. ↑ Man Against Crime Season 3 Episode Guide
  8. ↑ Man Against Crime Season 4 Episode Guide
  9. ↑ Man Against Crime Season 5 Episode Guide

Bibliography

  • David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
  • Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN 0-14-024916-8
  • Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964) ISBN 0-345-31864-1
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