''Blue Light'' is a 1966 American

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

starring

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...

and

Christine Carère Christine Carère (27 July 1930 – 13 December 2008), born Christine de Borde, was a French film actress who co-starred in the 1966 American television series ''Blue Light''. Biography Born in Dijon, France, in 1930, Carère appeared in 25 ...

about the adventures of an American double agent in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It aired from January 12 to May 18, 1966.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 104.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Sixth Edition'', New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 116. A theatrical movie, ''

I Deal in Danger ''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light (TV series), Blue Light'', which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by ...

'', was created by editing ''Blue Light''s first four episodes together into a continuous story. ''I Deal in Danger'' was released in 1966 after ''Blue Light''s cancellation.The Classic TV Archive – Europe: Blue Light
/ref>mysteryfile.com A TV Series Review by Michael Shonk: BLUE LIGHT (1966).
/ref>

Synopsis

Prior to

s conquest of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, the United States places 18

sleeper agent A sleeper agent, also called sleeper cell, is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization not to undertake an immediate mission but to act as a potential asset if activated. Even if unactivated, the "sleeper agent" is still an asset ...

s – collectively forming an espionage organization called "Code: Blue Light" – inside Germany, assigned to penetrate the German high command during

. Journalist David March is one of them. He passes himself off to the Germans as a foreign correspondent who has officially renounced his American citizenship and come to Germany in order to support the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

cause. The Germans put him to work as a writer and broadcaster of Nazi

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

– and occasionally as a spy for Germany. The Germans catch and execute the other 17 Blue Light agents, and as the lone survivor March must work hard to maintain his cover and avoid detection and arrest by German counterintelligence agents while secretly spying for the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. He is so deeply undercover that except for a few

United States Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

officials who know that he is a double agent loyal to the United States, the entire world believes him to be a pro-Nazi traitor – so much so that not only does he discover that a woman he loves has committed suicide because of his supposed support for Nazism, but he must also avoid capture or assassination by Allied intelligence agencies unaware that he secretly works for the Allies. Marchs confidante, assistant, and contact with the underground is Suzanne Duchard, also a double agent who poses as a French ''

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

'' agent who hates him. She knows that he is a Blue Light double agent, and secretly both supports his espionage activities against the Germans and falls in love with him. In his adventures, March sees a lot of action and faces many moral dilemmas, such as tough choices between carrying out his orders and protecting innocents. He often kills in order to maintain his cover or fulfill a mission.

Cast

as David March *

as Suzanne Duchard

Production

Walter Grauman Walter E. Grauman (March 17, 1922 – March 20, 2015) was an American director of Theatre director, stage shows, Film director, films and television shows. Early life Grauman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Jacob and Irene Grauman, both chi ...

and

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

created ''Blue Light'', and

Buck Houghton Archible Ernest "Buck" Houghton (May 4, 1915 – May 14, 1999) was an American television producer and writer best known for producing the first three seasons of ''The Twilight Zone'', as well as many other television programs and independen ...

produced it. Episode directors included Grauman, Robert Butler,

James Goldstone James Goldstone (June 8, 1931 – November 5, 1999) was an American film and television director whose career spanned over thirty years. Career Goldstone was noted for the momentum and "fifteen-minute cliffhangers" that he brought to TV pilots ...

, Walter Graham,

Gerd Oswald Gerd Oswald (June 9, 1919 – May 22, 1989) was a German director of American films and television. Biography Born in Berlin, Oswald was the son of German film director Richard Oswald and actress Käthe Oswald. He worked as a child actor b ...

, and

Leo Penn Leonard Francis Penn (August 27, 1921 – September 5, 1998) was an American actor and director and the father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. Early life Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Russi ...

. Writers included Cohen,

Merwin Bloch Merwin or Merwyn may refer to: People * Merwin (name), or Merwyn, a surname and masculine given name *W.S. Merwin (1927–2019), American poet. Places ;United States * Merwin Dam, a hydroelectric dam in the state of Washington *Lake Merwin La ...

Walter Brough Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

Dick Carr Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

Jamie Farr Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing Corporal turned Sergeant Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom ''M*A*S*H''. He was inducted to ...

Harold Livingston Harold Livingston (September 4, 1924 – April 28, 2022) was an American novelist and screenwriter who was best known as the credited screenwriter for '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979). Others, including Alan Dean Foster and Gene Rodden ...

H. Bud Otto H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet. H may also refer to: Musical symbols * H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů * H, B (musical note) * H, B major People * H. (noble) (died after 1279 ...

, Brad Radnitz,

Curtis Sanders Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Gal ...

, Donald S. Sanford,

Roger Swaybill Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

Jack Turley Jack Bradford Turley (July 21, 1927 – January 19, 2021) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team for his work on ''General Hospital''. His credits included ...

, and

Dan Ullman Daniel B. Ullman (1918–1979) was an American screenwriter.Gevinson p.350 Also writer-director and director. Selected filmography * ''Ringside'' (1949) * ''Outlaws of Texas'' (1950) * ''Hot Rod'' (1950) * ''Flame of Stamboul'' (1951) * '' Smug ...

. Goulet's production company Rogo Productions produced the show in association with

Twentieth Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Com ...

, and

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elemen ...

composed its theme music, with Schifrin,

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

, Joseph Mullendore and

Pete Rugolo Pietro "Pete" Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011) was an American jazz composer, arranger and record producer. Life and career Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settle ...

writing episode scores. Except for its first episode, ''Blue Light'' was filmed entirely at Bavarian Studios in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

– according to Goulet, the first American television show filmed in color in Europe. Following the cancellation of ''Blue Light'', its first four episodes, which told a continuous story of David Marchs efforts targeting a German super-weapon facility at Grossmuchen, Germany, were edited together to create a movie. Entitled ''

'', it was released theatrically in the United States in December 1966 and in other countries in 1967 and 1968.

Episodes

Sources:tvguide.com Blue Light Episode Guide
/ref>

Broadcast history

''Blue Light'' premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on January 12, 1966. It was cancelled after the broadcast of its seventeenth episode on May 18, 1966. Reruns of the show continued to air in its regular time slot until August 31, 1966. It aired on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. throughout its run.

Critical reception

''Blue Light'' was violent by the standards of television in the mid-1960s; in situations where other television heroes knocked out guards and other opponents, March knifed them to death. It was credited for its gritty depiction of espionage in World War II and for the difficult moral choices it posed. Best known as a singer rather than an actor, Goulet received good reviews for his believable portrayal of March, and the show was fast-paced, with tight plots that kept moving. It also featured some of the best television character actors of the 1960s as its guest stars. Carère, however, was viewed as a liability for the show, especially in the romantic subplot between her character and Goulets. The shows 30-minute format also worked against it, forcing episode writers to meet time constraints in part by making David Marchs opponents shallow as characters and too easy for him to outwit.

References

External links