Philip Marlowe (TV series)

*Philip Marlowe*
Philip Marlowe
Created by	Raymond Chandler
Starring	Philip Carey
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Production companies	Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions; in association with; California National Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 6, 1959 –; March 26, 1960

Philip Marlowe is a half-hour ABC crime series, featuring Philip Carey as Marlowe,^[1] the fictional detective created by Raymond Chandler. It was broadcast from October 6, 1959, until March 29, 1960.^[2]

Premise

Like the Marlowe in Chandler's novels, the detective worked alone in the TV show, but he "had become a much more gentlemanly sort than on the printed page."^[2] He avoided personal involvement while he sought "to protect people, solve crimes, and track down missing persons."^[2]

Episodes of the series contained no surprise endings. As each episode progressed, viewers had the same information that Marlowe had, enabling them to try to solve the crime along with him.^[3]

Cast

Philip Carey as Philip Marlowe^[4]
William Schallert as Lt. Manny Harris^[5]
Ed Kemmer as Ralph Craig^{[citation needed]}

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Ugly Duckling"	Robert Ellis Miller	Gene Wang	October 6, 1959 (1959-10-06)
2	"Prescription for Murder"	Unknown	Unknown	October 13, 1959 (1959-10-13)
3	"Buddy Boy"	Unknown	Unknown	October 20, 1959 (1959-10-20)
4	"Death in the Family"	Unknown	Unknown	October 27, 1959 (1959-10-27)
5	"Mama's Boy"	Unknown	Unknown	November 3, 1959 (1959-11-03)
6	"Child of Virtue"	Unknown	Unknown	November 10, 1959 (1959-11-10)
7	"Bum Wrap"	Unknown	Unknown	November 17, 1959 (1959-11-17)
8	"The Temple of Love"	Unknown	Unknown	November 24, 1959 (1959-11-24)
9	"The Mogul"	Unknown	Unknown	December 1, 1959 (1959-12-01)
10	"Hit & Run"	Unknown	Unknown	December 8, 1959 (1959-12-08)
11	"Mother Dear"	Unknown	Unknown	December 15, 1959 (1959-12-15)
12	"The Hunger"	Unknown	Unknown	December 22, 1959 (1959-12-22)
13	"Ricochet"	Unknown	Unknown	December 29, 1959 (1959-12-29)
14	"The Scarlet A"	Unknown	Unknown	January 5, 1960 (1960-01-05)
15	"A Standard for Murder"	Unknown	Unknown	January 12, 1960 (1960-01-12)
16	"Poor Lilli, Sweet Lilli"	Unknown	Unknown	January 19, 1960 (1960-01-19)
17	"Death Takes a Lover"	Unknown	Unknown	January 26, 1960 (1960-01-26)
18	"One Ring for Murder"	Unknown	Unknown	February 2, 1960 (1960-02-02)
19	"Gem of a Murder"	Unknown	Unknown	February 9, 1960 (1960-02-09)
20	"Time to Kill"	Unknown	Unknown	February 16, 1960 (1960-02-16)
21	"Murder in the Stars"	Unknown	Unknown	February 23, 1960 (1960-02-23)
22	"Murder by the Book"	Unknown	Unknown	March 1, 1960 (1960-03-01)
23	"Murder is a Grave Affair"	Paul Stewart	Gene Wang	March 8, 1960 (1960-03-08)
24	"Murder is Dead Wrong"	Unknown	Unknown	March 15, 1960 (1960-03-15)
25	"Last Call for Murder"	Unknown	Unknown	March 22, 1960 (1960-03-22)
26	"You Kill Me"	Unknown	Unknown	March 29, 1960 (1960-03-29)

Production

NBC-TV financed the original pilot for a Marlowe series starring Carey, but it sold the program and Carey to ABC, which revamped it.^[6] Mark Goodson and Bill Todman produced the series. The directors were Irvin Kershner, Robert Ellis Miller, and Paul Stewart. The writers were Charles Beaumont and Gene Wang.^[5]

The program's lack of success was attributed to its similarity to other contemporary detective series.^[7] Sponsors were Brown & Williamson and American Home Products.^[4] The series had 26 episodes.^[7] It was broadcast from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays.^[2] Its competition included The Red Skelton Show on CBS. NBC initially had Startime, which was succeeded by The Arthur Murray Party.^[8]

References

^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 831. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 805. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
^ "Sinister world of crime background for Raymond Chandler's 'Philip Marlowe'". The Gazette. Iowa, Cedar Rapids. October 25, 1959. p. 79. Retrieved August 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Philip Marlowe" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 28, 1959. p. 50. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
^ ^a ^b Terrace, Vincent (October 21, 2022). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-4766-4693-0. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
^ Scheuer, Steven H. (September 3, 1959). "TV Keynotes: Another Private Eye". The Morning Call. Pennsylvania, Allentown. p. 42. Retrieved August 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Brunsdale, Mitzi M. (2010). Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection: From Sleuths to Superheroes [2 volumes]: From Sleuths to Superheroes. ABC-CLIO. p. 531. ISBN 9780313345319. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
^ Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved August 8, 2023.