Chicagoland Mystery Players
American TV police drama (1949–1950)
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Local origin
The live television series was first shown locally in Chicago in 1947, sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.[1]
When the series aired on WGN-TV in Chicago, viewers were not given the solution to the crime. Instead they were told that they could find the solution in the next day's Chicago Tribune,[6] the newspaper that sponsored the program.[7] WGN-TV was owned by the Tribune.[8] During its time on DuMont, the end was included as part of the program.[9]
Network
It was picked up by the DuMont Television Network and first aired on the network September 18, 1949,[2] or September 11, 1949.[10] The 30-minute show aired on Sundays at 8 pm Eastern Time.[2] The show was also known as The Chicagoland Players.[10]
Gordon Urquhart portrayed police officer Jeffrey Hall, who examined each crime scene, questioned witnesses, and interrogated suspects.[9] Bob Smith portrayed Sergeant Holland. The director was Bruno VeSota.[11]
In March 1950 the show's title changed to Chicagoland Players, and the format changed to dramatic presentations that would "cover a wider range of subjects."[12]
DuMont dropped the program on July 23, 1950, and it is unknown if it continued in Chicago for any time.
Episodes
The June 26, 1949, episode was "Adventures of the Curious Cat", written by George Anderson.[11] Other episodes of the series included:
No episodes of the series are known to have survived.[citation needed]
Critical response
See also
Bibliography
- David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6