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''Tightrope!'' is an American
crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J. B. Williams Company ( Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco ( Pall Mall). Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. The show was originally to have been titled ''Undercover Man'', but it was changed before going to air. Actor Robert Phillips, a former Los Angeles undercover policeman and US Marine claimed the show was based on his exploits, but that he was not chosen to portray himself.


Synopsis

Mike Connors' character narrated the episode, echoing
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
technique. He starred as an undercover police officer, known only as "Nick" (although some sources revealed that his last name was "Stone", his last name was never shown in the series' ending credits). Only his immediate superior on the police force knew he was working undercover. Because the police often did not know that Nick was working for the law, he was often in danger from both the good guys and the bad guys, as he walked the "tightrope" between good and evil. A special gimmick was that in addition to a gun in a shoulder holster, he carried a second gun, a snubnosed revolver, in a holster behind his back; he was often searched by both cops and bad guys, but they stopped searching after finding the first gun.


Episodes


Guest stars

*
Rico Alaniz Americo Zorilla "Rico" Alaniz (October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015) was a Mexican-American actor. Early years Alaniz was born in Juárez, Mexico, and began riding when he was a child. Selected filmography * '' The Capture'' (1950) - Policema ...
*
Jack Albertson Harold "Jack" Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981) was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him among a rare stature of 24 ...
* Raymond Bailey * Barbara Bain * Whit Bissell * Madge Blake * Whitney Blake * Neville Brand * Paul Burke * Jean Byron * Jeanne Carmen as Francie Verlaine * Anthony Caruso * Mary Castle * Russ Conway *
Ellen Corby Ellen Hansen Corby (June 3, 1911 – April 14, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. She played the role of List of The Waltons characters#Esther Walton, Esther "Grandma" Walton on the Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS television ...
* Jerome Cowan * Walter Coy * Dennis Cross * Donna Douglas * Jack Elam * Ross Elliott * Douglas Fowley * Bruce Gordon * Dabbs Greer * Ron Hagerthy * Myron Healey *
Connie Hines Connie Hines (March 24, 1931 – December 18, 2009) was an American actress best known for co-starring on the 1960s sitcom '' Mister Ed''. Life and career Hines was one of four children born in Dedham in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, t ...
* Richard Jaeckel * L.Q. Jones * Brett King * John Larch * Ruta Lee * Barton MacLane * John Marley * Ann McCrea * Ed Nelson * Simon Oakland * John M. Pickard * Stuart Randall * Mike Road * Madlyn Rhue * Doris Singleton * Olan Soule * Karl Swenson * William Tannen * Kent Taylor * George Tobias * Jesse White


Cancellation

Despite the show's popularity, it was canceled after only one season. Mike Connors stated in an interview that the show's primary sponsor (J. B. Williams) refused the network's request to move it to a later timeslot on a different day. When CBS head James Aubrey stated that the show was indisputably going to move timeslot, the sponsor dropped ''Tightrope!'', and underwrote another program on another network. Connors also did not agree with suggested changes to the show's format, that would have extended its length to one hour and added a sidekick, to be played by Don Sullivan. He thought such an alteration would eliminate the suspense element of the program. Yet another factor in the show's eventual cancellation were complaints concerning its alleged excessive violence. Seven years later, Connors would go on to star in the successful, long-running CBS crime series '' Mannix''.


Reboot

In April 2024, Roku announced it has greenlit a reboot of the show in the form of a slapstick comedy starring '' Modern Familys Ty Burrell with
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
as Executive Producer. This is similar to what ABC and the writers of ''
Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American disaster film, disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker in their List of directorial debuts, directoria ...
'' did in 1982 with '' Police Squad!'', a spoof of '' M Squad''.


References


External links

* * {{epguides, id=Tightrope, title=Tightrope 1959 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings 1950s American crime drama television series 1960s American crime drama television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS crime dramas American English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Screen Gems