''I Led 3 Lives'' (also known as ''I Led Three Lives'') is an American

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

syndicated by

Ziv Television Programs Ziv Television Programs, Inc. was an American production company that specialized in productions for first-run television syndication in the 1950s. History The company was founded by Frederick Ziv in 1948 and was a subsidiary of his successful r ...

from October 1, 1953, to January 1, 1956. The series stars Richard Carlson. The show was a companion piece of sorts to the radio drama '' I Was a Communist for the FBI'', which dealt with a similar subject and was also syndicated by Ziv from 1952 to 1954.

Synopsis

The series was loosely based on the life of

Herbert Philbrick Herbert Arthur Philbrick (May 11, 1915 – August 16, 1993) was a Boston-area advertising executive who was encouraged by the FBI to infiltrate the Communist Party USA between 1940 and 1949. His autobiography was the basis for the 1950s television ...

, a Boston advertising executive who infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s and wrote a bestselling book on the topic, ''I Led Three Lives: Citizen, 'Communist', Counterspy'' (1952). The part of Philbrick was played by Richard Carlson. The "three lives" in the title are Philbrick's outward life as a

white-collar worker A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or other administrative setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, ...

, his secret life as a Communist agent, and his even more secret life as an FBI operative helping to foil Communist plots. ''I Led 3 Lives'' lasted 117 episodes. Philbrick served as a technical consultant, with Carlson narrating each episode. The episodes often had very little to do with the actual events of Philbrick's life as related in his book—Philbrick is credited with only 5 of the 117 screenplays. Screenplays gradually became more and more outlandish, featuring, for example, such supposed " Communist plots" as the conversion of household

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in order to remove dirt from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. The dirt is collected by either a ...

s (1942-1954

Electrolux Electrolux AB () is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool. Electrolux products sell under a variety ...

) into tactical missile launchers with which the Communists intended to destroy America's

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

anti-aircraft defensive missiles, and the manufacturing of untraceable "ghost guns" (unserialized

Colt M1911 The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for th ...

) with which the Communists intended to assassinate their political enemies. The series was honored by the

Freedoms Foundation The Freedoms Foundation is an American non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Bill of ...

as the best television program of 1955, and was nominated for Best Mystery in the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s of 1954 and 1955.

Main cast

* Richard Carlson – Herbert A. Philbrick *

Virginia Stefan Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are s ...

– Eva Philbrick *

Patricia Morrow Patricia Morrow is a former actress, best known for her portrayal of waif-like Rita Jacks in the primetime soap opera '' Peyton Place'' from 1965 to 1969. Career Acting career Morrow usually appeared on television and made her debut in 1953, ...

– Constance Philbrick * Charles Maxwell – Special Agent Joe Carney * William Hudson – Special Agent Mike Andrews * John Beradino – Special Agent Steve Daniels *

John Zaremba John Zaremba (October 22, 1908 – December 15, 1986) was an American actor most noted for supporting roles on science fiction films and television series. The Chicago-born Zaremba was a journalist for the '' Grand Rapids Press'' and '' Chicag ...

– Special Agent Jerry Dressler * Ed Hinton – Special Agent Henderson

Guest stars

Vivi Janiss Vivi may refer to: People * Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...

as Comrade Elaine in "Gun Running" and Comrade Endora in "Counterfeit" *

Eve McVeagh Eva Elizabeth "Eve" McVeagh (July 15, 1919 – December 10, 1997) was an American actress of film, television, stage, and radio. Her career spanned 52 years from her first stage role through her last stage appearance. Her roles included leading ...

as Miss Cutler in "Commie Dies" * Ewing Mitchell as Mr. Collins in "Defense Plant Security" *

Victor Rodman Victor Rodman (born Victor Rottman, August 6, 1892–June 29, 1965) was an American actor best known for his work on two Jack Webb NBC television programs, '' Dragnet'' and ''Noah's Ark''. Biography Rodman was born in Augusta, Arkansas. Nam ...

as Comrade Arthur in "Commie Dies"

Episodes

Season 1 (1953–54)

Season 2 (1954–55)

Season 3 (1955–56)

In popular culture

The show was a favorite of

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

, according to his brother. The title of the TV series ''

I Had Three Wives ''I Had Three Wives'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from August 14 to September 11, 1985. The series' lead was Victor Garber in his first starring role on television. Plot The series follows Los Angeles-based " ...

'', which aired briefly in 1985, is a pun on the name of the original; it was an otherwise unrelated comedy-drama about a private detective's three ex-wives, who cooperate on cases.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0045397, I Led 3 Lives
''I Led Three Lives'': Army Infiltration (S1 E7)
at

The Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

''I Led 3 Lives'' - Pilot
via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

1950s American drama television series 1953 American television series debuts 1956 American television series endings Black-and-white American television shows Cold War espionage English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Propaganda in the United States Television series by Ziv Television Programs