Doorway to Danger
A spy series that changed names and agents across three summers.
Doorway to Danger is an American television spy series that aired on NBC as a summer replacement for The Big Story in 1951, 1952, and 1953. It originally debuted under the title The Door With No Name.
Quick Facts
- Original network
- NBC
- First broadcast
- July 6, 1951
- Final broadcast
- August 21, 1953
- Original title
- The Door With No Name
- Sponsor
- Pall Mall cigarettes
Facts from the source article.
1951
The radio drama The Door With No Name premiered on July 6, 1951, with Grant Richards starring as U.S. intelligence agent Doug Carter. His boss, John Randolph, was played by Mel Ruick, and Westbrook Van Voorhis served as narrator. Charles Paul composed the music. The series used a semi-documentary style for espionage tales, claiming to be rooted in actual federal agency operations. It ran Fridays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, concluding on August 17, 1951. Episodes covered efforts to stop opium smuggling and prevent a plane crash targeting Carter and three scientists. In July 1951, a special effects mishap injured three technicians when a powder bottle exploded. Tom Victor produced, Walter Seldon directed, and Irve Tunick and Martha Wilkerson wrote the scripts. The show originated at WNBT and was sponsored by Pall Mall cigarettes.
1952
Renamed Doorway to Danger, the series returned on July 4, 1952, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time for an eight-week run. Roland Winters played Randolph, also called The Chief. Each episode focused on a different agent rather than the same character weekly. The premiere featured a special agent who replaced a blind Czech man in a Russian mining operation. Ernest Chappell narrated, and Dick Schneider directed. Writers included Wilkerson. Pall Mall remained the sponsor, and the show was broadcast live. Variety noted the premiere built suspense but was choppy, complimenting Steve Elliott's performance as the sighted agent feigning blindness.
1953
Agent Carter was the lead again when Doorway to Danger returned for a summer run on NBC from July 3 to August 21, 1952. Stacy Harris played Carter, with Raymond Bramley as Randolph. Announcers were Chappell, John Cannon, and Charles Martin. Schneider and Cort Steen directed, while writers included Wilkerson, Bob Shaw, and Harry W. Junkin. Pall Mall and Simoniz sponsored. After NBC, the show moved to ABC-TV for five weeks, with Harris and Bramley reprising their roles and Pall Mall as the sole sponsor. Jim Hayes produced; Fred Carr and Steen alternated directing. Wilkerson and Tunick wrote, and Vladimir Selinsky handled music. The series originated from WABC-TV. Variety reviewed the premiere as a routine half-hour adventure yarn, with credible but unexciting acting and cliche-ridden dialogue that still moved fast.
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