(NBC, 1955–1958)
Cast: Jackie Cooper (Sock Miller), Patricia Breslin (Mandy Peoples), Margaret Irving (Gus Bennett), Paul Maxey (John Peoples), Dick Wesson (Rollo), Leonid Kinskey (Pierre), Mary Jane Croft (voice of Cleo).
Basis: Life with Sock Miller, first as an ornithologist, then district councilmen, and finally sales manager for a housing project.
Socrates “Sock” Miller
Address: Paradise Park Trailer Camp (where he lives with his Aunt Gus).
Occupation: Ornithologist for the Bureau of Fish and Wildlife; 5th District city councilman; sales manager for the Barkerville Housing Project.
Education: Cornell University (member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity).
Military Service: Marine sergeant during the Korean War (stationed at Fort Baxter, where he was the platoon bayonet champion).
Pet Dog: Cleo.
Nickname: Nature Boy (as called by the mayor)
Character: Sock was raised by his aunt, Augusta Bennett (always called Aunt Gus), after his parents were killed in a car accident (when he was three years old). Sock had always been interested in wildlife and chose to become an ornithologist for the government (his job is described as “Following the birds.” He files reports on migratory birds, as their flights foretell climatic conditions and aid farmers when planting crops). Aunt Gus accompanies Sock on his assignments and found a permanent home in New City, California. New City was a city built in a hurry. While it is famous for its lettuce crops, it is also noted for its misappropriated funding, which left some areas with paved streets and sewers and other areas with bad roads, no sewers, and no streetlights. It was meeting Mandy Peoples, the mayor’s (John Peoples) daughter, that changed Sock’s life. He helped her fix a flat tire that had left her stranded, and when she learned that Sock was going to be transferred to Ohio (to discover why the rose-breasted grosbeak was laying smaller eggs that season), she convinced him to run for public office not only because he was the best man for the job but also because she has experienced a love at first sight.
Sock ran on a platform that he would improve the neglected areas of New City and not be in the mayor’s back pocket just because he is romantically involved with his daughter. Sock was elected and received special permission from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Western Division, to remain in New City until his term of office is completed. Sock and Mandy married in 1957, at which time Sock applied for a position as a lawyer for Barker Amalgamated in New York City. He is hired—but he is to remain in New City and manage Barkerville, a housing development with 294 homes “for sale 20 miles from nowhere” (homes sell for $15, 995, and Sock and Mandy reside in Model Home 119).
Amanda “Mandy” Peoples
Address: 39 Birch Road.
Place of Birth: Los Angeles.
Education: Valley High School, California State College.
Occupation: Secretary to her father, Mayor John Peoples (also acts as his campaign manager).
Nickname: My Ruby Throated Hummingbird (as called by Sock. It is “a dainty little atom possessing exquisite beauty”).
Beauty Contest Title: Runner-up in the Miss New City Pageant.
Character: Mandy is a young woman who has taken up her father’s political cause of improving the conditions that exist in New City. Mandy and her father were the earliest residents of the community, and John found that the only way to improve the city was to govern it (although his actions were somewhat ineffectual—until Sock came along and became the actual figure to see that things happen). Mandy appeared to be a behind-the-scenes person until Sock came into her life. Her father apparently controlled things, and she had little involvement in what actually happened (because she was a woman?). When she knew a change had to be made and tricked Sock into becoming a councilman, Mandy’s political future also seemed brighter, as she was “the woman behind the man.”
When Sock became a councilman and Mandy wanted to work for him as his secretary, Sock refused to hire her, fearing bad publicity, as she is the mayor’s daughter. Mandy understood—until Sock hired Vickie Summers (Joi Lansing), a gorgeous girl (38-24-34), as his secretary (at $250 a month). Sock insisted he hired Vickie because she can take shorthand and type 110 words a minute. Mandy became jealous and convinced her father to find Vickie another job (which he did in sanitation at $255 a month), and Mandy convinced Sock to let her become his secretary. Prior to Sock, Mandy dated a lawyer named Roger Crutcher (John Stephenson); Sock’s prior girlfriend was Valerie Delmar (Jean Porter).
Cleo
Character: A basset hound that comments on the situations that occur (heard only by the viewing audience). Cleo was six months old when Sock, a marine, won her in a poker game. As a puppy, Cleo liked to roam around the base and make her sleeping quarters the camp’s dynamite shed. Cleo mentions that she is glad Sock can’t talk for her—“If he could, I’d be off the show.”
Other Characters
Mayor John Peoples runs the city from the Municipal Building (phone extension 40). He also found romance with Aunt Gus and married her shortly after Sock and Mandy wed. He also owns part interest in a whaling ship in Seattle. He calls Aunt Gus “Mousey.”
Hexley “Hex” Rollo is Sock’s childhood friend who now resides in New City. They served in the marines together and Hex is considered a jinx, as he is cursed with bad luck (in the service, for example, he lost a 20-ton amphibious tank).
Pierre Quincy is another friend of Sock’s, an eccentric painter called “The Michelangelo of the Paradise Trailer Park.” He calls Cleo “Funny Face” and is a member of the local Artist’s Club.
(CBS, 1957–1966)
Cast: Raymond Burr (Perry Mason), Barbara Hale (Della Street).
Basis: A brilliant attorney (Perry Mason) and the step-by-step process he uses to solve a criminal case and bring the guilty party to justice.
Suite 904 of the Brent Building in Los Angeles is the office of Perry Mason, a brilliant criminal attorney known for the unexpected (especially during courtroom proceedings) in his defense of clients. Madison 5-1190 is his office phone number, and his retainer fees range from $1,000 to $5,000. Perry works strictly by the book and performs best when the odds are stacked up against him. Although he does not like to admit it, Perry uses whatever legal tactics he can find to win his case—but always within that fine line that separates legal from illegal. Plea bargaining is something Perry will not consider; the risk of losing a case is much better to him than winning a case under suspicious circumstances or with a reduced sentence.
While Perry seems stern and one to fear, he is not without compassion. If he sees a client cannot afford his services but honestly believes the client is innocent, he will either reduce his fees or defend the case for free. While most lawyers would just sit back and let their investigators do the legwork (here by Paul Drake), Perry feels he needs to get into the thick of things and, with Della’s help, will investigate his own cases. While Perry is competent as a detective, it is in the courtroom where his abilities shine. He is shrewd and cunning and never lets it be known that he does not have sufficient evidence to defend a client (he became famous for waiting for that vital piece of evidence at the last possible minute during a trial). Perry delivers his opening and closing statements with such eloquence that he can mesmerize jurors. He is also famous for doing the unordinary—bringing in last-minute witnesses who would ultimately clear his client. Perry’s constant devotion to work often left him little time for home-cooked meals. He ate regularly at McQuade’s Bar and Grill or at Clay’s Grille.
Perry is, without a doubt, tough, persistent, and an unrelenting force for right when it comes to his clients. Della Street, his proficient, pretty, dedicated secretary (and investigative assistant), is the only woman who can tame his roughness. Della has as much passion as (or even more than) Perry and gives of herself to help her friends or clients she feels are in deep trouble. Della assisted Perry in various ways but most often appeared in various disguises and always uses her feminine intuition to best serve Perry. She is always elegantly dressed and loves to wear perfume (she is sort of an expert on it). Hollywood 2-1799 is her home phone number.
Raymond Burr as Perry Mason and Barbara Hale as Della Street. © CBS Photofest
In a series of 1980s TV movies, Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale reunited to continue playing the roles of Perry Mason and Della Street. In the interim, Perry had become a judge and Della a secretary to Arthur Gordon of Arthur Gordon Industries. When Della is framed and arrested for Arthur’s murder, she calls on an old friend, Perry, for help. Perry, eager to get away from what he considers a boring job, accepts the case. He clears Della, resigns from the Appeals Court (“Let’s say, I just got tired of writing opinions”), and reestablishes his practice with Della again by his side.
The series update, The New Perry Mason (CBS, 1973–1974), features Monte Markham as Perry Mason, with Sharon Acker as Della Street, Harry Guardino as Hamilton Burger, Dane Clark as Arthur Tragg, and Brett Somers as Gerdie Lade.
Paul Drake (William Hopper) is Perry’s investigator; Hamilton Burger (William Talman) is the prosecuting attorney; Gertie Lade (Connie Cezon) is Perry’s receptionist; Margo (Paula Courtland) is Drake’s secretary; David Gideon (Karl Held) is Perry’s associate (later episodes) and Perry works with the following L.A.P.D. police officials: Lt. Arthur Tragg (Ray Collins), Lt. Steve Drumm (Richard Anderson), Sergeant Brice (Lee Miller), and Lt. Andy Anderson (Wesley Lau). Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner; only the last of 245 episodes was filmed in color.
(NBC, 1959)
Cast: William Reynolds (Pete Kelly), Connee Boswell (Savannah Brown), Phil Gordon (George Lupo), Anthony Eisley (Johnny Cassiano).
Basis: The life of a jazz musician (Pete Kelly) in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1927 (as Pete says, “This one’s about Pete Kelly. It’s about the world he goes around in; it’s about the big music, the big trouble and the big Twenties”).
Peter “Pete” Kelly
Place of Birth: Chicago.
Parents: Paul and Doreen Kelly.
Address (Chicago): 18th Street and Halstead Avenue.
Address (Kansas City): Grand Avenue near Washington Square.
Occupation: Jazz musician (plays the cornet); leader of a band called the Big Seven.
Employment: Lupo’s, a speakeasy (formally a brownstone turned funeral parlor).
Address (Lupo’s): 17 Cherry Street.
Work Hours: 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
Character: As a kid, Pete became fascinated with music, especially the cornet, and set his goal on becoming a jazz musician. Pete first mentions that a musician named Gus Trudeaux taught him how to play the cornet. They became friends, but when Gus became involved with the Chicago mob, Pete left him and chose to make it on his own, heading for Kansas City. He next relates his origins as a struggling musician who befriended Gus at a musician’s union meeting. At this same time, he also met a piano player named Angie and teamed with him, playing small clubs until they drifted to Kansas City, where Pete later formed his jazz band. Although Pete lives to play music, he often finds himself turning unofficial private detective to aid people looking to him for help.
Other Regulars
George Lupo, the owner of the speakeasy. He was born in Kansas City (Linback County) and, as Pete says, “was a tough kid who got turned down for reform school.” He served with the 102nd Infantry during World War I and pays Pete’s band scale—“with a five dollar kickback.” Savannah Brown is Pete’s friend, a jazz and blues singer at Fat Annie’s, a speakeasy on the Kansas side (Kansas City, Kansas). Savannah was born in Georgia and, like Pete, drifted to Missouri (they met each other playing small clubs). Savannah discovered her ability to sing when she was a youngster and was pushed by her parents to pursue a musical career (as Annie says, “It’s easy to sing the blues—all you need to do is be born when there is rain on the roof”). Fat Annie’s is a speakeasy a bit higher in class than Lupo’s (which is plagued by trouble and, as Pete says, “which you can get by the yard, the pound, wholesale and retail”). Johnny Cassiano is the police officer with the Kansas City Police Department, which becomes part of the troubles Pete encounters. Musician Dick Cathcart is the off-screen cornet player for Pete; the Matty Matlock Combo provide the music for the club scenes.
(NBC, 1958–1960; ABC, 1960–1961)
Cast: Craig Stevens (Peter Gunn), Lola Albright (Edie Hart), Herschel Bernardi (Lieutenant Jacoby), Hope Emerson, Minerva Urecal (Mother).
Basis: Case investigations of Peter Gunn, a suave and sophisticated detective based in Los Angeles, California.
Peter Gunn
Occupation: Private detective (owner of Gunn Investigations; also seen as The Peter Gunn Private Detective Agency and Peter Gunn’s Private Detective Agency, which he established on July 7, 1957).
Business Address: 731 Ocean Park Drive.
Mobile Telephone Number: JL1-7211.
Home Address: 351 Park Road.
Home Phone Number: KR2-7056.
Character: Peter Gunn is the first actual private detective created for TV (as opposed to adapting radio and movie characters). He is sophisticated, always well dressed, and more respectful than his predecessors. He frequents a classy hangout (Mother’s), although he can also be seen entering such dives as Nate’s Hot Dogs, the Green Café, and Cooky’s, a beatnik coffeehouse. Although Peter Gunn is a TV original, he inherited a flare for violence—whether it is by fists or gunplay. While Peter most often works alone, he does have snitches that supply information (the most notable being “Babby” [Billy Barty], a diminutive pool player whom Gunn pays $10 and who often tells him to “Think tall.” When Babby sees that Gunn is troubled, he says, “You’ve got that eight-ball look”). Lieutenant (no first name) Jacoby of the Los Angeles Police Department is the homicide detective Gunn assists (and vice versa). His office desk phone number is 366-2561.
Edith “Edie” Hart
Occupation: Singer at Mother’s, a waterfront nightclub.
Address: The Bartell Hotel, Apartment 15, at 1709 Verbanna Street.
Phone Number: KL6-0699.
Character: Glamorous, always fashionably dressed, and the one steady influence in Peter’s life (could be considered his romantic interest). Edie later purchases the club from Mother and renames it Edie’s. She is not the typical private detective’s sidekick and rarely becomes involved in Gunn’s actual case investigations. Her role is to add a touch of glamour and elegance to the program, and she accomplishes that in an era when such crime series did not focus on that aspect (Connie Stevens, in her role of Cricket Blake on Hawaiian Eye, could be considered the second such woman to inherit Edie’s accomplishment).
Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn and Lola Albright as Edie Hart. © NBC
(CBS, 1955–1959)
Cast: Phil Silvers (Ernest Bilko), Paul Ford (Colonel Hall), Maurice Gosfield (Duane Doberman), Billy Sands (Dino Paparelli), Herbie Faye (Sam Fender), Mickey Freeman (Fielding Zimmerman), Allan Melvin (Corporal Henshaw), Joe E. Ross (Rupert Ritzik).
Basis: Life in a fantasized U.S. military camp as seen through the eyes of Ernest Bilko, a man who sees the army as a means to become rich through elaborate cons (that almost always fail).
Master Sergeant Ernest Bilko, serial number 10542699, is stationed at the Fort Baxter army base in Roseville, Kansas. There he is in charge of the 3rd Platoon of the Company B Motor Pool (24th Division) and is totally dedicated to acquiring money by manipulating the U.S. Army for his own personal benefit.
When Bilko buys an old army trunk at an auction, he discovers it contains a map indicting gold in California’s Grove City. Through an elaborate scheme to get the army to declare a closed and decrepit army base (Camp Fremont) to be a historic military site (and allow him to dig for gold), he literally manipulates the top military brass to reopen the camp and have his Fort Baxter crew transferred to Grove City. The camp is, at first, anything but inviting; Bilko’s dreams of finding gold and becoming rich are shattered (as the land contains only fool’s gold), and the final-season episodes (1958–1959) are set at Camp Fremont, where Bilko continues his conniving ways.
Bilko, a master con artist, does not get up before noon and began his “career” during World War II. At that time, he was with the 38th Division and stationed in New Guinea; he supplied the USO (United Serviceman’s Organization) girls with something they desperately needed but were unable to get—nylons at $5 a pair. After the war, Bilko, a master at pool and cards, was transferred to Fort Baxter, where he now oversees the 3rd Platoon of Company B, which includes Privates Duane Doberman, Dino Paparelli, Sam Fender, Fielding Zimmerman, and Corporal Henshaw. The base cook, Rupert Ritzik, is Bilko’s main patsy. Ritzik eats Crispy Crunchies breakfast cereal, reads comic books, and believes in flying saucers (he keeps a nightly watch in the hope of spotting one). His favorite television show is Captain Dan, Space Man, and he claims to have, although he is very forgetful, a photographic memory. Bilko serves as the chairman of the Camp Base Shows and finds bedtime both a pleasure (when he dreams about money) and a nightmare (when he can’t count it or acquire it).
Other Characters
John T. (“Jack”) Hall is Bilko’s commanding officer. He spent four years at West Point, three years at War College, and two years at Field Officer’s School, and, as he says, “I still can’t outmaneuver a greedy sergeant” (referring to Bilko, whom he knows is a con artist but can’t prove it). Elisabeth Fraser is WAC Master Joan Hogan, Bilko’s girlfriend; Julie Newmar is “Stacked” Stacey, the waitress at the local diner, the Paradise Bar and Grill (Fort Baxter episodes); and George Kennedy plays various military police roles.
Other Soldiers
Corporal Rocco Barbella (Harvey Lembeck), Sergeant Francis Grover (Jimmy Little), Private Mullin (Jack Healy), Private Lester Mendelsohn (Gerald Hiken), Private Greg Chickeriny (Bruce Kirby), and Sergeant Stanley Sowicki (Harry Clark).
Relations
Beatrice Pons (Rupert’s nagging wife, Emma Ritzik), Hope Sansbury (John’s wife, Nell Hall), Sal Dano (Rocco’s brother, Angelo Barbella), Betty Walker (Sam’s wife, Hattie Fender), Toni Romer (Stanley’s wife, Agnes Sowicki), George Richards (Stanley’s son, Stanley Jr.), Doreen McLean (Joan’s mother), Harry Adams (Joan’s father). Not seen were Sam’s kids: Raoul, Olivier, Benji, Claude, Cindy, and Tab.
Note: The series was originally titled You’ll Never Get Rich and is also known as Sergeant Bilko.
(CBS, 1953–1957)
Cast: Ann Sothern (Susie McNamara), Don Porter (Peter Sands), Ann Tyrrell (Vi Praskins), Jesse White (Cagey Calhoun).
Basis: The life of a glamorous New York secretary (Susie McNamara). Now known by its syndicated title Susie (copies of the program under its original title have been withdrawn due to copyright issues).
Susan Camille “Susie” McNamara
Employment Company: International Artists.
Business Address: Suite 2201 at 10 East 56th Street in Manhattan.
Place of Birth: Mumford (mentioned as being in Iowa).
Education: Mumford High School.
Ancestry: Scottish.
Birth Sign: Libra.
Military Service: Three years as a WAVE (1942–1945) during World War II.
Date of Employment: June 1945.
Work Skills: Types 65 words a minute; takes 125 words a minute in shorthand.
Home Address: The Brockhurst Apartments (Apartment H) on East 92nd Street in Manhattan.
Character: A beautiful middle-aged, incurably romantic woman with a penchant for always being in style. Susie, as she is called, enjoys the excitement of the big city and recalled that a big Saturday night in Mumford “was to get all dressed up, go to City Hall and watch them polish the cannon.” She is most famous for writing an article called “How to Handle the Boss” for New Feature magazine (for which she received $500). Although not mentioned in the article, Susie often uses flattery to handle Peter.
Relations: Gloria Winters as Patty, Susie’s niece.
Peter Sands
Occupation: Theatrical agent.
Business: Owner of International Artists, Inc. (which he established in 1945).
Phone Number: Plaza 5-1955.
First Notable Talent Discovery: Harriet Lake (Ann Sothern’s real name).
Education: University of New York (where he was voted “Most Likely to Succeed”).
Birth Sign: Aries.
Military Service: Air force captain during World War II (1941–1945).
Character: A charming ladies’ man who enjoys looking at women’s legs (“I enjoy exercising that privilege”). Peter calls Susie “the most faithful and loyal secretary I ever had” and enjoys being babied, at times by Susie (who, for example, prepares Peter’s coffee with only an eyedropper of milk and makes two copies of every letter she types). When Susie first came to work for Peter, he took her to lunch at the Penguin Club. Susie defines Peter as “alluring, popular and intelligent.”
Relations: Alma Sands as Peter’s mother, Mrs. Sands.
Other Regulars
Violet “Vi” Praskins is the office receptionist and began working for Peter on October 23, 1949. Vi, whom Susie says is “the first line of defense in the office,” is not as aggressive as Susie when it comes to men (“I’m still looking for Mr. Right”). She is a Scorpio and believes in fortune-tellers and horoscopes (she can be seen reading Advanced Astrology magazine).
Michael “Mickey” Calhoun, called “Cagey,” runs the rival (although far less prestigious) theatrical agency (M. C. Calhoun & Co., Ltd-Inc.). Cagey, as he is always called, calls Susie “Foxy” and “Foxy McNamara” and acquires clients (virtually all unknowns) through schemes.