The Man Behind the Badge
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Charles Bickford (1955) (Host)
| The Man Behind the Badge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Police drama |
| Developed by | Prockter Television Enterprises |
| Directed by | John Peyser, Paul Landres |
| Starring | Norman Rose (1953-1954)/ Charles Bickford (1955) (Host) |
| Theme music composer | Melvyn Lenard |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 52 episodes (live, 1953-1954) 38 episodes (filmed, 1955) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bernard J. Prockter, Jerome C. Robinson |
| Editor | Fred W. Berger |
| Running time | 30 mins. |
| Production companies | Prockter Television Enterprises Revue Studios MCA TV |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS Syndicated |
| Release | October 11, 1953 – September 24, 1955 |
The Man Behind the Badge is a half-hour American television police drama series which aired on CBS from October 11, 1953, to October 3, 1954,[1] originally hosted by Norman Rose. In its second syndicated season, the host became character actor Charles Bickford.[1] Jerry Robinson was the producer.[2]
The CBS version was broadcast from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays.[1] It replaced Arthur Murray Party[3] and was replaced by Honestly, Celeste!.[4] The sponsor was Bristol Myers.[3] Everett Rosenthal was the executive producer, with Arthur Singer as director.[5]
Beginning in January 1955,[1] a filmed version of the program was syndicated to local stations by MCA TV.[6]
In an interview with Kliph Nesteroff, assistant director Arthur Marks stated the filmed episodes were shot at the same time and on the same sets as Treasury Men in Action.[7] Bernard J. Prockter produced the series in Hollywood.[6]
Recurring roles and notable guest stars
The series is based on files from agencies of law enforcement.[8] In addition to police, the subjects of episodes included judges, park rangers, parole officers, and public defenders. Topics of episodes included divorce, life in a boys' home, and rehabilitation.[1]
| Actor | Role | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Norman Rose | Himself | 52 episodes |
| Charles Bickford | Himself | 38 episodes |
| Charles Bronson | Ralph | "The Case of the Invisible Mark" (1955) |
| Paul Brinegar | 3 episodes | |
| Sam Flint | 3 episodes | |
| Vivi Janiss | 2 episodes | |
| Carolyn Jones | Louise | "The Case of the Desperate Moment" (1955) |
| Ann McCrea | Laura | "The Case of the One-Armed Bandits" (1955) |
| Paul Newman | "The St. Paul Story" (1953) | |
| Leslie Nielsen | 2 episodes | |
| Anthony Perkins | Pedro | 2 episodes |
| Lillian Powell | 3 episodes | |
| Denver Pyle | Detective Lashley | "The Case of the Crying Lady" (1955) |
| Jason Robards | "The Case of the Last Escape" (1954) | |
| Lee Van Cleef | Floyd | "The Case of the Desperate Moment" (1955) |
| Jack Warden | "The Portland, Oregon Story" (1953) |