Target: The Corruptors!is an Americancrime dramaseries starringStephen McNallythat aired onABCfrom September 29, 1961 to September 21, 1962,[1]from 10 to 11 p.m. on Fridays.[2]The Navy Motion Picture Service also made some episodes available on 16 mm film for showing aboard ship to personnel of the United States Navy.[3]The series's title in syndication wasExpose.[2]: 433
| Target: The Corruptors! | |
|---|---|
 Logo of Target: The Corruptors
Marino, 1961 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Lester Velie |
| Written by | Harry Essex Harry Kleiner Christopher Knopf Dick Nelson Lester Pine Les Ralston Adrian Spies Palmer Thompson |
| Directed by | William Conrad Walter Doniger Arthur Hiller Józef Lejtes Don Medford John Peyser |
| Starring | Stephen McNally Robert Harland Harold J. Stone |
| Theme music composer | Rudy Schrager |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 1 |
| No.of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Leonard J. Ackerman John H. Burrows |
| Producers | Mort Abrahams Leonard J. Ackerman John H. Burrows Everett Chambers Joseph Dackow Vincent M. Fennelly Stanley Kallis Don Medford |
| Cinematography | Charles Burke George E. Diskant Gilbert Warrenton |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 48 mins. |
| Production companies | Four Star Television Velie-Burrows-Ackerman Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 29, 1961– June 8, 1962 |
Plot
editPaul Marino is a newspaper columnist, and Jack Flood is his assistant.[1]Together they investigate criminal activity and expose organized rackets and corruption.[4]In each episode they probe a different type of illegal activity such as bookmaking, charity scams, prostitution, and protection rackets.[2]
The New York Timeswrote that the first episode "indicated that the stress here may be more on violence andsensationalismthan on the social phenomenon under study. "[4]
Lester Velie, one of the series's creators, said that the program was an attempt to make a different kind of series for television, one that combined "the resources of investigative journalism with the drama of television".[5]He added that involving viewers in contemporary situations that affected people's lives would be a unique approach for a dramatic series. After the show ended, Velie had no explanation for its cancellation by ABC, especially considering its highNielsenratings.[5]
Cast
editMain cast
edit
- Stephen McNallyas Paul Marino[2]
- Robert Harlandas Jack Flood[2]
- Jo Heltonas Rose Vaclavic (recurring role)
- Dennis Crossas Reicher (recurring role)
Guest stars
editProduction
editThe series was produced byFour Star Television.[7]: 2368 The producers were Leonard Ackerman and John Burrows.Gene Roddenberrywrote for at least one episode.[1]Sydney Pollackdirected the episode "The Wreckers".[8]
In the opening episode, cameras used extreme closeups to show faces "in a way that projects them almost physically and uncomfortably into the living room."[4]
Senate hearing
editTarget: The Corruptors!was considered as part of an investigation by the Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. On July 28, 1961, a hearing focused on violence and crime on television, especially with regard to their depiction when many children were watching.[7]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Million Dollar Dump" | Don Medford | Story by : Palmer Thompson Teleplay by : Palmer Thompson & Don Brinkley & Christopher Knopf | September 29, 1961 |
| 2 | "Pier 60" | Walter Doniger | Palmer Thompson | October 6, 1961 |
| 3 | "The Platinum Highway" | Jules Bricken | Christopher Knopf | October 13, 1961 |
| 4 | "The Invisible Government" | Robert Ellis Miller | Ellis Kadison | October 20, 1961 |
| 5 | "The Poppy Vendor" | John Peyser | Les Pine | October 27, 1961 |
| 6 | "Bite of a Tiger" | John Newland | David Karp | November 3, 1961 |
| 7 | "Touch of Evil" | Irving Lerner | Luther Davis | November 10, 1961 |
| 8 | "Mr. Megalomania" | Don Medford | Adrian Spies | November 17, 1961 |
| 9 | "The Golden Carpet" | Josef Leytes | Story by : Ellis Marcus Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus & Harold Callen | November 24, 1961 |
| 10 | "To Wear a Badge" | Walter Doniger | Story by : Gene Roddenberry Teleplay by : Harry Essex | December 1, 1961 |
| 11 | "Silent Partner" | Don Medford | Story by : David Chandler & Shimon Wincelberg Teleplay by : Shimon Wincelberg | December 8, 1961 |
| 12 | "Prison Empire" | William Conrad | Harry Essex | December 15, 1961 |
| 13 | "The Fix" | James Sheldon | Carey Wilber | December 22, 1961 |
| 14 | "Quicksand" | Josef Leytes | Jack Curtis | December 29, 1961 |
| 15 | "A Man is Waiting to Be Murdered" | John Peyser | Louis Lantz | January 5, 1962 |
| 16 | "One for the Road" | Donald McDougall | Paul King | January 12, 1962 |
| 17 | "Play it Blue" | William Conrad | Story by : Richard Landau Teleplay by : Alexander Richards & Harry Essex | January 19, 1962 |
| 18 | "Chase the Dragon" | Don Medford | Harry Kleiner | January 26, 1962 |
| 19 | "The Middle Man" | David Alexander | Morton Fine & David Friedkin | February 2, 1962 |
| 20 | "Viva Vegas" | Walter Doniger | Les Pine | February 9, 1962 |
| 21 | "Fortress of Despair" | Arthur Hiller | Gilbert Ralston | February 16, 1962 |
| 22 | "The Wrecker" | Sydney Pollack | Dick Nelson | March 2, 1962 |
| 23 | "Babes in Wall Street" | William Conrad | Story by : Daniel Mainwaring Teleplay by : Daniel Mainwaring & Harry Essex | March 9, 1962 |
| 24 | "My Native Land" | William Conrad | Story by : Bruce Geller Teleplay by : Jerry Sohl & Harry Essex | March 16, 1962 |
| 25 | "The Malignant Hearts" | Don Medford | John Wry | March 23, 1962 |
| 26 | "A Man's Castle" | William Conrad | Les Pine | March 30, 1962 |
| 27 | "Journey into Mourning" | William Conrad | Christopher Knopf | April 13, 1962 |
| 28 | "The Blind Goddess" | Harry Keller | Harry Kleiner | April 20, 1962 |
| 29 | "A Book of Faces" | William Conrad | Dick Nelson | April 27, 1962 |
| 30 | "License to Steal" | Unknown | Unknown | May 4, 1962 |
| 31 | "Yankee Dollar" | William Conrad | Unknown | May 11, 1962 |
| 32 | "The Organizers: Part 1" | Unknown | Unknown | May 18, 1962 |
| 33 | "The Organizers: Part 2" | Unknown | Unknown | May 25, 1962 |
| 34 | "Nobody Gets Hurt" | Unknown | Unknown | June 1, 1962 |
| 35 | "Goodbye Children" | Unknown | Unknown | June 8, 1962 |
References
edit- ^abcMcNeil, Alex (1996).Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present(4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 818.ISBN0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^abcdeBrooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009).The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present.Random House Publishing Group. p. 1358.ISBN978-0-307-48320-1.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.
- ^"List of New Motion Pictures And TV Series Available To Ships and Overseas Bases".All Hands: The Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin.February 1963. pp. 46–47.RetrievedFebruary 22,2023.
- ^abcde"'Father of the Bride' Seen in Premiere ".The New York Times.September 30, 1961. p. 51.RetrievedFebruary 22,2023.
- ^abDaniel, Douglass K. (January 1, 1996).Lou Grant: The Making of TV's Top Newspaper Drama.Syracuse University Press. pp. 11–12.ISBN978-0-8156-0363-4.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.
- ^Sculthorpe, Derek (October 4, 2018).Edmond O'Brien: Everyman of Film Noir.McFarland. p. 197.ISBN978-1-4766-7443-8.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.
- ^abHearings before the Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate: Eighty-Seventh Congress, First Session.United States Senate.pp. 2365–2403.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.
- ^Meyer, Janet L. (August 13, 2015).Sydney Pollack: A Critical Filmography.McFarland. p. 10.ISBN978-1-4766-0979-9.RetrievedFebruary 26,2023.