The Investigators (U.S. TV series)
| The Investigators | |
|---|---|
 James Franciscus and guest star Mickey Rooney in "I Thee Kill", 1961. | |
| Genre | Adventure/Drama |
| Starring |
James Franciscus James Philbrook Alan Austin Mary Murphy |
| Theme music composer | Jack Marshall |
| Composer(s) | Pete Rugolo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Richard Irving |
| Producer(s) | Michael Garrison |
| Running time | 60 mins. |
| Production company(s) | Revue Studios |
| Distributor | MCA TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 5 – December 28, 1961 |
The Investigators is an American adventure/drama television series that aired on CBS from October 5, to December 28, 1961.
Synopsis
The series starred James Franciscus as insurance investigator Russ Andrews part of the firm of Investigators, Inc. The program was the second of Franciscus's five attempts at series television. The series co-starred James Philbrook as Steve Banks, Alan Austin as Bill Davis, and Mary Murphy as Maggie Peters, the secretary who frequently helped the three investigators with their cases. The Investigators was based in New York City. The program was similar to ABC's successful detective series 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye.[1]
The Investigators faced tough competition. Two ABC sitcoms, Fred MacMurray's My Three Sons, in its second season, and Cynthia Pepper's Margie, in its only season, aired opposite The Investigators. National Broadcasting Company offered two new programs, Richard Chamberlain in Dr. Kildare and Shirley Booth in Hazel, at the same hour.[2]
Though the series ran so briefly, it nevertheless featured an array of guest stars, including Joanna Barnes, Edward Binns, Pat Carroll, William Fawcett, Rhonda Fleming, Dennis Hopper, Bethel Leslie, Ida Lupino, Gavin MacLeod, Lee Marvin, Dina Merrill, Mickey Rooney, Richard Rust, Albert Salmi, Vaughn Taylor, Harry Townes, Claire Trevor, and Jane Wyman.
After the series ended, Franciscus was later cast in his most successful television role in NBC's Mr. Novak (1963–1965), as a high school English teacher. He starred later in ABC's Longstreet, as an insurance investigator once again, but this the character, Mike Longstreet, is a blind man. Coincidentally, The Investigators and Longstreet aired at the same time, Thursdays at 9 PM (Eastern).
Episode list
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Murder on Order" | October 5, 1961 |
| 1-2 | "The Oracle" | October 12, 1961 |
| 1-3 | "New Sound for the Blues" | October 19, 1961 |
| 1-4 | "I Thee Kill" | October 26, 1961 |
| 1-5 | "Quite a Woman" | November 2, 1961 |
| 1-6 | "Style of Living" | November 9, 1961 |
| 1-7 | "In a Mirror, Darkly" | November 16, 1961 |
| 1-8 | "De Luca" | November 23, 1961 |
| 1-9 | "Death Leaves a Tip" | November 30, 1961 |
| 1-10 | "Panic Wagon" | December 7, 1961 |
| 1-11 | "The Mind's Own Fire" | December 14, 1961 |
| 1-12 | "Something for Charity" | December 21, 1961 |
| 1-13 | "The Dead End Man" | December 28, 1961 |
References
- ↑ Thrilling Detective.com: The Investigators
- ↑ 1961-1962 American network television schedule