Naked City (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Naked City | |
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| Genre | Dramatic television series |
| Starring | Paul Burke (1960-1963) Horace McMahon (1960-1963) Harry Bellaver (1960-1963) James Franciscus(1958-1959) John McIntire (1958-1959) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 138 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1958-1959); 60 minutes (1960-1963) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 30, 1958 – May 29, 1963 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Naked City was a television series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format.
Filmed on location in New York City, the series centers on the detectives of NYPD's 65th Precinct, but episode plots were often focused more on the criminals and victims portrayed by guest stars. Primary writer Stirling Silliphant nurtured a focus on intelligent drama with elements of comedy and pathos, leading to significant critical acclaim for the series, and leading film and television actors of the time sought out guest-starring roles.
In addition, extensive location shooting made New York as much a star of the series as any of the actors. Many scenes were filmed in the south Bronx near Biograph Studios, where the series was produced, and in Greenwich Village and other neighborhoods of Manhattan.
The series first aired in 1958 as a half-hour series starring James Franciscus and John McIntire playing, respectively, Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lt. Dan Muldoon--the same characters as in the 1948 film. While critically acclaimed, did not garner high ratings. canceled by ABC after its first season, one of the show's sponsors, along with production staff, lobbied the network to revive the show as an hour-long series, which premiered in 1960.
The 1960 version of the series featured Paul Burke as "Detective Adam Flint", a sensitive and cerebral cop in his early thirties who does much of the legwork in the episodes. Horace McMahon portrayed his seasoned and crusty superior, Lieutenant Mike Parker, and Harry Bellaver played his older, mellow partner, Sgt. Frank Arcaro. McMahon's character was also a regular in the earlier half-hour format series.
The series was notable for featuring young New York stage actors who later became major stars. Among the future stars to appear in the series were Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Jon Voight, Sandy Dennis, and Dustin Hoffman. The show also featured established performers in major roles, including Eli Wallach, Burgess Meredith, Jack Warden, Mickey Rooney and, in a rare performance, the famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
In addition to Silliphant, who went on to win an Academy Award for his script of In the Heat of the Night, writers of Naked City episodes included veteran TV writer Howard Rodman and blacklisted screenwriter Arnold Manoff, writing under the pseudonym "Joel Carpenter."
The theme song of the series, "Somewhere in the Night" by musician Billy May, became popular in its own right and appears in many jazz music compilations to this day.
