''Detectives's Wife'' is an American television
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
that aired on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
from July 7 to September 29, 1950. The series was the
summer replacement for ''
Man Against Crime
''Man Against Crime'' (also known as ''Follow That Man'') starring Ralph Bellamy, one of the first television programs about private eyes, ran on CBS, the DuMont Television Network and NBC from October 7, 1949, to June 27, 1954, and was briefly ...
''.
Synopsis
Set in New York City, the
sustaining program
A sustaining program is a radio or television program that, despite airing on a commercial broadcast station, does not have commercial sponsorship or advertising. This term, mostly used in the United States, was common in the early days of radio, b ...
focused on Adam Conway, a private detective, and his wife Connie, who always got involved in his cases. Episodes focused more on her involvement than on his work.
Lynn Bari
Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was an American film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through t ...
portrayed Connie Conway, and
Donald Curtis played Adam Conway.
Bari narrated each episode in her first regular role on a TV series.
Production
Franklin Schaffner
Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), '' Nicholas and ...
was the producer and director,
and the writer was Milton Lewis.
or Mort Lewis.
It was broadcast live from New York
with a total of 14 episodes.
Critical response
A review of the July 14, 1950, episode in the trade publication ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' described the program as "a brightly satirical comedy-mystery series with some of the smartest dialog to hit video yet."
Jack Gould, writing in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', said that he gave up on the show's first episode after it became too complicated with five characters in addition to the two stars. "It takes more than a crowd to make a play," he concluded.
A review in the trade publication ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said the show "makes a fairly amusing whodunit."
[ It noted that the debut episode "foundered at times" but complimented Bari and Curtis on their work in the show.][
]
References
External links
*
1950s American sitcoms
1950 American television series debuts
1950 American television series endings
American live television series
Black-and-white American television shows
Television shows set in New York City
CBS sitcoms
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