Classic Film Noir Television Spotlight: The Naked City

A gritty crime drama in which the primary focus centers around the lives of the dedicated detectives who work out of New York's 65^th Precinct. 

The emphasis of each story was the human element and real life crime. The television series was based on a 1948 film noir drama also titled The Naked City. The screen play for the motion picture was written by Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald. It was directed by Jules Dassin, and produced by Mark Hellinger, who also narrated. Starring in the movie are Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor, Howard Duff, and Dorothy Hart. This is one of the first movies that was actually filmed on the streets of New York.

The Naked City television series first aired on ABC in 1958. The semi-documentary style drama was produced for four seasons, from 1958 until 1963. There are one hundred and thirty eight episodes, with thirty nine half hour episodes, and ninety nine sixty minute episodes. The series was also filmed on location in New York. 

The series premier was a half hour episode starring John McIntire as Lieutenant. Dan Muldoon, and James Franciscus as Detective Jimmy Halloran, also the names of the officers in the original film noir motion picture. Midway through the first season John McIntire was replaced by long time actor Horace McMahon in the role of the crusty but kind hearted Lieutenant Mike Parker. 

ABC had plans to cancel The Naked City once the 1959 season came to an end. Brown & Williamson, who was one of the sponsors, and members of the production staff successfully convinced ABC to revive the series. The Naked City returned as an hour series in 1960. The cast from 1960 included Paul Burke in the role of Detective Adam Flint, as well as the return of Horace McMahon. Classic character actor Harry Bellaver joins the cast as Sargent Frank Arcaro. The part of Libby, who was Adam's girlfriend and aspiring actress, was played by Nancy Malone. 

During it's four season run, The Naked City featured many of the young stage actors who performed in New York. All of these young actors went on to become major film stars. There is an impressive list of performers who appeared on the television series. Some of the young actors featured on The Naked City include Carroll O'Connor, Mickey Rooney, Walter Matthau, Jack Klugman, Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Peter Falk, Robert Duvall, Claude Raines, William Shatner, Burgess Meredith, Robert Redford, Eli Wallach, George Segal, Aldo Ray, Martin Sheen, Rip Torn, Nehemiah Persoff, George C. Scott, and Jack Warden.  

Some female performers who appeared on The Naked City series are Kim Hunter, Tuesday Weld, Suzanne Pleshette, Jean Stapleton, Sylvia Miles, Sandy Dennis, Eileen Heckart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Betty Field, Mildred Natwick, Viveca Lindfors, Laura Heineman, and Jan Sterling. The hour long episodes of The Naked City could be seen on the ABC television network on Wednesday nights at ten p.m.   

Both the 1948 film noir classic, and the 1958 television series featured one of the most famous closing lines in movie going history. 

“There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.”

Serving Classic Film Noir for your enjoyment. Find The Naked City and other Classic Film Noir television shows:

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Film Noir Spotlight: William Powell

William Horatio Powell was born on July 29, 1892, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was an only child who learn to love performing at an early age. The Powell family moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1907, William graduated from Central High School in 1912. The Carpenter family lived a few blocks from the Powell home. Their daughter Harlean, is famously known as Jean Harlow. 

Early Life
Graduating high school when he was 18, Powell moved to New York to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon his graduation from the AADA, the young actor began working in vaudeville and stock companies. After appearing several times on Broadway, William Powell's Hollywood career  began in 1922 in a production of Sherlock Holmes. It was a small role as Professor Moriarty's evil henchman. The production also starred John Barrymore. In The Last Command, filmed in 1928, Powell gave a memorable performance as a spiteful film director. This lead to his first starring role as the informal detective, Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case, filmed in 1929.

Film Career
During his impressive Hollywood career, William Powell was cast in ninety six different roles. While he appeared in well known films such as Life with Father, My Man Godfrey, The Great Ziegfeld, Beau Geste, and The Kennel Murder Case, he is most famous for his portrayal of the suave and witty detective, Nick Charles in the The Thin Man, filmed in 1934. Powell's co-star was Myrna Loy, who played his rich, inquisitive wife Nora. The movie was a huge success, and the duo went on to film five more mysteries with Nick & Nora Charles. William Powell and Myrna Loy had a great on-screen presence, they made fourteen films together and remained friends until Powell died from heart failure March 5, 1984.

Birth Name: William Horatio Powell
Birth Date: July 29, 1892
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Award Nominations: 1934 Best Actor The Thin Man; 1936 Best Actor My Man Godfrey
Academy Awards: 1947 Best Actor The Senator Was Indiscrete; 1948 Best Actor Life With Father 
Years Active: 1911 / 1955
Died: March 5, 1984 Palm Springs, Ca
Cause of Death: Heart Failure
Age: 91

William Powell Movies (Collector's List)
Sherlock Holmes 1922
Dangerous Money 1924
Beau Geste 1926
The Great Gatsby 1926
The Last Command 1928
Partners in Crime 1928
Interference 1928
The Canary Murder Case 1929
The Greene Murder Case 1929
The Benson Murder Case 1930

The Thin Man Series:
The Thin Man 1934
After The Thin Man 1936
Another Thin Man 1939
Shadow of the Thin Man 1941
The Thin Man Goes Home 1945 

Film Noir Spotlight

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
Starring:
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, & Ida Lupino
Supporting Cast:
George Zucco, Alan Marshal, E. E. Clive,
Terry Kilburn, Arthur Hohl, May Beatty, 
Peter Willes, Mary Gordon, Holmes Herbert,
George Regas, Mary Forbes, Frank Dawson,

William Austin, Anthony Kemble-Cooper, Henry Stephenson

Following " The Hound of the Baskervilles," this second film finds Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the trail of the infamous Professor Moriarty who hatches a plan to steal the Crown Jewels. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are perfect as the clever inspector and his ever present doctor. Ida Lupina plays Ann Brandon, a high-strung young woman who is troubled by an ancient family curse. The imperiled and frightened lass has no idea that the evil Professor is plotting against her. Ida Lupino plays the part beautifully.

Inspector Holmes dons the disguise of a music hall entertainer with a cockney accent. Basil Rathbone gives an excellent performance as the quick witted inspector and the lively musician. It is plain to see why he is the actor most remembered as Sherlock Holmes. Elementary, my dear.

George Zucco is wonderfully evil in his role of Professor Moriarty. He relishes the outcome of his plan to steal the family jewels from the confused, unsuspecting Ida Lupina.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
Technical Credits:
Director: Alfred L. Werker
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Associate Producer: Gene Markey
Editor: Robert Bischoff
Costumes/Costume Designer: Gwen Wakeling
Screenwriters: Edwin Blum & William A. Drake
Art Directors: Richard Day & Hans Peters
Sound/Sound Design: W.D. Flick & Roger Heman
Set Decoration/Design: Thomas K. Little
Musical Direction: Cyril Mockridge
Score Composer: David Raskin
Cinematographer: Leon Shamroy

Bios:

Basil Rathbone

June 13, 1892, Johannesburg, South Africa

July 21, 1967, New York City at the age of 75

Birth Name: Phillip St. John Basil Rathbone
Military service during WWI
Second Lieutenant
Liverpool Scottish
2nd Battalion
Intelligence
Military Cross for Bravery.
Filmography:
One hundred and twenty movies and television episodes.

Film career began in 1921.

Noted Films:
The Bishop Murder Case (1930)
Love from a Stranger (1937) 
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The Mad Doctor (1941)
Crossroads (1942)
Fingers at the Window (1942)

We're No Angels (1955)

Sherlock Holmes 13 episodes from 1939 to 1946

Nigel Bruce

February 4, 1895, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

October 8, 1953 Santa Monica, California. Heart attack at the age of 58

Birth Name: William Nigel Ernle Bruce

Descendant of Robert the Bruce, and of the Royal Stuarts.

Fought with the British Army in WWI. Seriously wounded in action.
Began acting career on stage in 1920.

Filmography:

Seventy eight movies 

Noted Films:
Birds of Prey (1930)
Murder in Trinidad (1934)
Treasure Island (1934)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

Kidnapped (1938)

Suspision (1941)

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)

Sherlock Holmes: Dr. John Watson (1939 to 1946)

Ida Lupino

February 4, 1914, Camberwell, London, England, UK

August 3, 1995, Los Angeles, California

Stroke related to colon cancer at the age of 81

Birth Name: Ida Lupino

Born into a show business family.

Began acting career in 1932 at the age of 18.

Directed her first picture in 1949.

Directed a few episodes of The Untouchables in 1959.

Directed The Fugitive in 1963.

The only female to direct an episode of The Twilight Zone 1959.

Directed and starred in Twilight Zone's The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine.

Filmography:

Starred in one hundred and two motion pictures.

Directed more than forty television episodes.

Writer of numerous screen plays & television episodes.

Noted Films:

The Lady and the Mob (1939)

High Sierra (1941)

Out of the Fog (1941)

Beware, My Lovely (1952)

Private Hell 36 (1954)

The Big Knife (1955)

Strange Intruder (1956)

George Zucco

January 11, 1886, Manchester, England, UK

May 28, 1960, Hollywood, California

Pneumonia at the age of 74

Birth Name: George Desylla Zucco

Toured the American Vaudeville circuit with his wife Frances during the 1910s.

A stage actor in Britain in 1920.

Acting career began in 1930s.

Filmography:

Ninety eight movies

Film career from 1931 to 1951

Noted Films:

After The Thinman (1936)

Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938)

The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Scared To Death (1947)

Secret Service Investigator (1948)

Madame Bovary (1949)

Harbor of Missing Men (1950)

E. E. Clive

August 28, 1879, Monmouthshire, Wales

June 6, 1940, North Hollywood, California

Heart Attack at the age of 61

Birth Name:  Edward E. Clive

Quit medical studies at the age of 22 to pursue acting.

Toured the provinces for ten years.

Came to America in 1912, forming his stock company in Boston, Massachusetts.

Moved the company to Hollywood in the 1920s.

Filmography:

Ninety five movies from 1932 to 1940

Noted Films:

Father Brown, Dectective (1934)

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Bulldog Drummond Eight episodes from 1937 to 1939

Alan Marshal

January 29, 1909, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

July 13, 1961, Chicago, Illinois

Heart attack at the age of 52

Birth Name:  Alan Marshal

Both parents were actors.

Born while his mother and father were touring Australia in a stage play.

Experienced a bad fall as a young man when his Harley Davidson

hit an icy New York pavement.

Began acting career in 1936.

Filmorgraphy:

Forty movies and television appearances 1936 to 1961

Noted Films:

After the Thin Man (1936)

The Garden of Allah (1936)

Night Must Fall (1937)

Lydia (1941)

The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)

The Dark Corner (1950)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

May Beatty

June 4, 1880, Christchurch, New Zealand

April 1, 1945, Covina, Calfornia

Birth Name:  May Beatty

Professional career started in Christchurch at the age of eleven. Began touring New Zealand and Australia with her thirteen year old sister in Tom Pollard's Juvinile Comic Opera Company. Film career began in 1925.

Filmography:

Sixty eight movies from 1925 to 1943

Noted Films:

Mary, Queen of Tots (1925)

The Benson Murder Case (1930)

Mystery of Edwin Drood  (1935)

Private Number (1936)

I Am a Criminal (1938)

Dressed to Kill (1941)

I Wake up Screaming (1941)

Terry Kilburn

November 25, 1926, London, England, UK

Know As:  Terence or Terrance Kilburn

Began acting career in 1934. Co-starred with Gregory Peck, Greer Garson, and Reginald Owen.Was featured in two episodes of Bulldog Drummond. Appeared in one episode of Get Smart in 1969. Currently lives in the United States.
Filmography:

Thirty eight movies and television episodes from 1934 to 1969

Noted Films:

No Greater Glory ( 1934)

A Christmas Carol (1938)    

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)  

Swiss Family Robinson (1940)

National Velvet (1944)

Black Beauty (1946)
Only the Valiant (1951)

Henry Stephenson

April 16, 1871, Granada, British West Indies

April 24, 1956, San Francisco, California

Illness due to age at 85

Birth Name: Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall

Henry Stephenson Garroway
Began acting career in his twenties, Broadway debut was in 1901.
Appeared in several silent films, began talkies in 1932.
Studied at Rugby, appeared on stage in London and New York from 1901 to 1932.
Filmography:
Ninety movies from 1917 to 1951. Often co-starred with Errol Flynn.
Noted Films:
The Spreading Dawn (silent/1917)    
The Tower of Jewels (1920)
Little Women (1933)
Tarzan Finds a Son (1939)
Of Human Bondage (1946)
Dark Delusion (1947)
Oliver Twist (1948)

Arthur Hohl

May 21, 1889, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

March 10, 1964, Los Angeles, California at the age of 75

Birth Name:  Arthur Hohl

Appeared on Broadway from 1917 to 1932 in plays written George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare, and Henrik Ibsen. First film was made in 1924.

Filmography:

One hundred and four movies from 1924 to 1949

Noted Films:

The Night of June 13th (1932)

The Kennel Murder Case (1933) 

Show Boat (1936)

Whispering Ghosts (1942)

The Scarlet Claw (1944)

The Yearling (1946)

The Vigilantes Return (1947)

Mary Gordon

May 16, 1882, Glasgow, Scotland

August 23, 1963, Pasadena, California at the age of 81

Birth Name:  Mary Gilmour

Was a professional dressmaker before turning to the stage. Joined an American tour, touring in stock and appearing on Broadway in several small roles. Mostly cast as mothers or landladies, she played Sherlock Holmes housekeeper in ten movies and several radio plays. Appeared in eight John Ford Films. Became a member of the Hollywood Canteen and entertained servicemen during World War II. Retiring before television became popular, she only made one appearance in an episode of The Cisco Kid  that aired in November of 1950. 
Began her movie career in 1925.

Filmography:

Two hundred and eighty seven films and movies.

Noted Films:

Tessie (1925)

Hangman's House (1928)

Framed (1930)

The Whirlwind (1933)

After the Thinman (1936)

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

Highway 13 (1948)

Holmes Herbert

July 30, 1882, Mansfield, Nottinghamingshire, England, UK

December 26, 1956, Hollywood, California at the age of 74

Birth Name:  Horace Edward Jenner

Made his first films soon after coming to America.

First silent movie was made in 1915.

Filmography:

Two hundred and twenty nine movies from 1915 to 1952.

Noted Films:

His Wife (1915)

Dead Men Tell No Tells (1920)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928)

The Invisible Man (1933)

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

Man Hunt (1941)

The Magnificent Yankee (1950)

Peter Willes

April 30, 1913,London, England

October 22, 1991, Gloucester, England at the age of 78

Birth Name:  Peter Willes

British actor, director, and producer.

First film appearance was in 1937.

Filmography:

Co-starred in six films from 1937 to 1946.

Producer/executiveproducer of two hundred and six shows including No Hiding Place, 1963,  Seven Deadly Sins (two episodes in 1966 & 1967).  ITV Playhouse (eighteen episodes from 1967 to 1980).

The Root of all Evil (thirteen episodes from 1968 to 1969).  The Main Chance (thirty one episodes from 1969 to 1972).

Noted Films:

Call It a Day (1937)

The Dawn Patrol (1938)

Idiot's Delight (1939)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

The Way We Live (1946)

George Regas

November 9, 1890, Sparta, Greece 

December 13, 1940 at the age of 50

Birth Name:  Jorge Rigas

Brother of actor Pedro Regas

Began performing on the stage in Athens before arriving in New York to play "Romeo".  

First appeared on film in 1921.

Filmography:

Ninety three movies from 1921 to 1940.

Noted Films:

The Dangerous Moment (1921)

Beau Geste (1926)

Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934)

Mr. Moto takes a Chance (1938)

Code of the Secret Service (1939)

The Light That Failed (1939)

The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Mary Forbes