Target: The Corruptors!
| Target: The Corruptors! | |
|---|---|
| Logo of Target: The Corruptors
Marino, 1961 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Lester Velie |
| Written by | Harry Essex Harry Kleiner Christopher Knopf Dick Nelson Lester Pine Les Ralston Adrian Spies Palmer Thompson |
| Directed by | William Conrad Walter Doniger Arthur Hiller Józef Lejtes Don Medford John Peyser |
| Starring | Stephen McNally Robert Harland Harold J. Stone |
| Theme music composer | Rudy Schrager |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Leonard J. Ackerman John H. Burrows |
| Producers | Mort Abrahams Leonard J. Ackerman John H. Burrows Everett Chambers Joseph Dackow Vincent M. Fennelly Stanley Kallis Don Medford |
| Cinematography | Charles Burke George E. Diskant Gilbert Warrenton |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 48 mins. |
| Production companies | Four Star Television Velie-Burrows-Ackerman Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 29, 1961 (1961年09月29日) – June 8, 1962 (1962年06月08日) |
Target: The Corruptors! is an American crime drama series starring Stephen McNally that aired on ABC from September 29, 1961 to September 21, 1962,[1] from 10 to 11 p.m. on Fridays.[2] The Navy Motion Picture Service also made some episodes available on 16 mm film for showing aboard ship to personnel of the United States Navy.[3] The series's title in syndication was Expose.[2] : 433
Plot
[edit ]Paul Marino is a newspaper columnist, and Jack Flood is his assistant.[1] Together they investigate criminal activity and expose organized rackets and corruption.[4] In each episode they probe a different type of illegal activity such as bookmaking, charity scams, prostitution, and protection rackets.[2]
The New York Times wrote that the first episode "indicated that the stress here may be more on violence and sensationalism than on the social phenomenon under study."[4]
Lester Velie, one of the series's creators, said that the program was an attempt to make a different kind of series for television, one that combined "the resources of investigative journalism with the drama of television".[5] He added that involving viewers in contemporary situations that affected people's lives would be a unique approach for a dramatic series. After the show ended, Velie had no explanation for its cancellation by ABC, especially considering its high Nielsen ratings.[5]
Cast
[edit ]Main cast
[edit ]
- Stephen McNally as Paul Marino[2]
- Robert Harland as Jack Flood[2]
- Jo Helton as Rose Vaclavic (recurring role)
- Dennis Cross as Reicher (recurring role)
Guest stars
[edit ]- Ed Asner
- Parley Baer
- Martin Balsam
- Ed Begley
- Robert Burton
- William Conrad
- Michael Constantine
- Wendell Corey
- Robert Culp
- Barbara Eden
- Jack Elam
- Peter Falk [4]
- Felicia Farr
- Constance Ford
- Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
- Alan Hale, Jr.
- David Janssen
- Brian Keith
- Ray Kellogg
- Jess Kirkpatrick
- Jack Klugman
- Shirley Knight
- Bethel Leslie
- Robert Loggia
- Frank Lovejoy
- Walter Matthau [4]
- Vic Morrow
- Jeanette Nolan
- James Nusser
- Edmond O'Brien [6]
- Dan O'Herlihy
- Warren Oates
- Suzanne Pleshette
- Gilman Rankin
- Gena Rowlands
- Penny Santon
- Simon Scott
- Robert F. Simon
- William Tannen
- Kelly Thordsen
- Robert Vaughn
- Virginia Vincent
- Jack Warden
- Keenan Wynn
- Hayden Rorke
Production
[edit ]The series was produced by Four Star Television.[7] : 2368 The producers were Leonard Ackerman and John Burrows. Gene Roddenberry wrote for at least one episode.[1] Sydney Pollack directed the episode "The Wreckers".[8]
In the opening episode, cameras used extreme closeups to show faces "in a way that projects them almost physically and uncomfortably into the living room."[4]
Senate hearing
[edit ]Target: The Corruptors! was considered as part of an investigation by the Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. On July 28, 1961, a hearing focused on violence and crime on television, especially with regard to their depiction when many children were watching.[7]
Episodes
[edit ]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Million Dollar Dump" | Don Medford | Story by : Palmer Thompson Teleplay by : Palmer Thompson & Don Brinkley & Christopher Knopf | September 29, 1961 (1961年9月29日) |
| 2 | "Pier 60" | Walter Doniger | Palmer Thompson | October 6, 1961 (1961年10月6日) |
| 3 | "The Platinum Highway" | Jules Bricken | Christopher Knopf | October 13, 1961 (1961年10月13日) |
| 4 | "The Invisible Government" | Robert Ellis Miller | Ellis Kadison | October 20, 1961 (1961年10月20日) |
| 5 | "The Poppy Vendor" | John Peyser | Les Pine | October 27, 1961 (1961年10月27日) |
| 6 | "Bite of a Tiger" | John Newland | David Karp | November 3, 1961 (1961年11月3日) |
| 7 | "Touch of Evil" | Irving Lerner | Luther Davis | November 10, 1961 (1961年11月10日) |
| 8 | "Mr. Megalomania" | Don Medford | Adrian Spies | November 17, 1961 (1961年11月17日) |
| 9 | "The Golden Carpet" | Josef Leytes | Story by : Ellis Marcus Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus & Harold Callen | November 24, 1961 (1961年11月24日) |
| 10 | "To Wear a Badge" | Walter Doniger | Story by : Gene Roddenberry Teleplay by : Harry Essex | December 1, 1961 (1961年12月1日) |
| 11 | "Silent Partner" | Don Medford | Story by : David Chandler & Shimon Wincelberg Teleplay by : Shimon Wincelberg | December 8, 1961 (1961年12月8日) |
| 12 | "Prison Empire" | William Conrad | Harry Essex | December 15, 1961 (1961年12月15日) |
| 13 | "The Fix" | James Sheldon | Carey Wilber | December 22, 1961 (1961年12月22日) |
| 14 | "Quicksand" | Josef Leytes | Jack Curtis | December 29, 1961 (1961年12月29日) |
| 15 | "A Man is Waiting to Be Murdered" | John Peyser | Louis Lantz | January 5, 1962 (1962年1月5日) |
| 16 | "One for the Road" | Donald McDougall | Paul King | January 12, 1962 (1962年1月12日) |
| 17 | "Play it Blue" | William Conrad | Story by : Richard Landau Teleplay by : Alexander Richards & Harry Essex | January 19, 1962 (1962年1月19日) |
| 18 | "Chase the Dragon" | Don Medford | Harry Kleiner | January 26, 1962 (1962年1月26日) |
| 19 | "The Middle Man" | David Alexander | Morton Fine & David Friedkin | February 2, 1962 (1962年2月2日) |
| 20 | "Viva Vegas" | Walter Doniger | Les Pine | February 9, 1962 (1962年2月9日) |
| 21 | "Fortress of Despair" | Arthur Hiller | Gilbert Ralston | February 16, 1962 (1962年2月16日) |
| 22 | "The Wrecker" | Sydney Pollack | Dick Nelson | March 2, 1962 (1962年3月2日) |
| 23 | "Babes in Wall Street" | William Conrad | Story by : Daniel Mainwaring Teleplay by : Daniel Mainwaring & Harry Essex | March 9, 1962 (1962年3月9日) |
| 24 | "My Native Land" | William Conrad | Story by : Bruce Geller Teleplay by : Jerry Sohl & Harry Essex | March 16, 1962 (1962年3月16日) |
| 25 | "The Malignant Hearts" | Don Medford | John Wry | March 23, 1962 (1962年3月23日) |
| 26 | "A Man's Castle" | William Conrad | Les Pine | March 30, 1962 (1962年3月30日) |
| 27 | "Journey into Mourning" | William Conrad | Christopher Knopf | April 13, 1962 (1962年4月13日) |
| 28 | "The Blind Goddess" | Harry Keller | Harry Kleiner | April 20, 1962 (1962年4月20日) |
| 29 | "A Book of Faces" | William Conrad | Dick Nelson | April 27, 1962 (1962年4月27日) |
| 30 | "License to Steal" | Unknown | Unknown | May 4, 1962 (1962年5月4日) |
| 31 | "Yankee Dollar" | William Conrad | Unknown | May 11, 1962 (1962年5月11日) |
| 32 | "The Organizers: Part 1" | Unknown | Unknown | May 18, 1962 (1962年5月18日) |
| 33 | "The Organizers: Part 2" | Unknown | Unknown | May 25, 1962 (1962年5月25日) |
| 34 | "Nobody Gets Hurt" | Unknown | Unknown | June 1, 1962 (1962年6月1日) |
| 35 | "Goodbye Children" | Unknown | Unknown | June 8, 1962 (1962年6月8日) |
References
[edit ]- ^ a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 818. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ a b c d e Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 1358. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1 . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "List of New Motion Pictures And TV Series Available To Ships and Overseas Bases". All Hands: The Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin. February 1963. pp. 46–47. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "'Father of the Bride' Seen in Premiere" . The New York Times. September 30, 1961. p. 51. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Daniel, Douglass K. (January 1, 1996). Lou Grant: The Making of TV's Top Newspaper Drama. Syracuse University Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-8156-0363-4 . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Sculthorpe, Derek (October 4, 2018). Edmond O'Brien: Everyman of Film Noir. McFarland. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-4766-7443-8 . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Hearings before the Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate: Eighty-Seventh Congress, First Session. United States Senate. pp. 2365–2403. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Janet L. (August 13, 2015). Sydney Pollack: A Critical Filmography. McFarland. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4766-0979-9 . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
External links
[edit ]- 1961 American television series debuts
- 1962 American television series endings
- 1960s American crime drama television series
- Black-and-white American television shows
- American English-language television shows
- Television series by Four Star Television
- Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
- Television shows set in New York City
- American detective television series
- American Broadcasting Company crime dramas