Burke's Law (1963 TV series)

Did You Know?

• The musical score for Burke's Law was largely the work of Herschel Burke Gilbert, who also wrote the show's theme.
• Actress Anne Francis, who appeared in two episodes, starred in the spin-off Honey West TV series.
• In the 1994 revival, Burke's son Peter (played by Peter Barton) assisted him, and Henry was played by Danny Kamekona.

Premise

The show has a similar feel to Barry's earlier Western, Bat Masterson, where he also played a smooth-talking lawman. In the opening credits, a woman's voice purrs the title phrase, "It's Burke's Law!" The name also comes from Burke's habit of lecturing his team with little rules, like telling them never to ask a question unless they already know the answer. The odd idea of a millionaire police captain gets addressed in the first episode. When a witness hears that Amos Burke is both rich and head of homicide, he asks why he would be a cop. Detective Tilson replies by asking why the witness is a construction worker. The man says it is what he does best, and Tilson says that is why Burke is a cop. A similar exchange appears in the 1994 revival. Every episode title starts with "Who Killed...?" followed by the victim's name or description. Five or six special guest stars are the suspects. Burke arrives at the crime scene in his Rolls-Royce, driven by his chauffeur Henry. Burke is a bachelor, and his dates with attractive women often get cut short by a new case. He is sometimes distracted by a beautiful woman, and many women show interest in him. His team includes Detective Tim Tilson, a sharp young officer who nearly solves each case but gets outdone by Burke's gut instinct and experience; Detective Sergeant Les Hart, a tough veteran who has known Burke for years and calls him by his first name; and Henry, who provides comic relief. Coroner George McLeod and desk sergeant Gloria Ames also appear regularly. The group has a friendly camaraderie, often joking about each other's quirks.

Production

Before Gene Barry ever played the role, Dick Powell first portrayed millionaire detective Amos Burke in the September 1961 episode "Who Killed Julie Greer?" on The Dick Powell Show. That episode, produced by Powell's Four Star Television, already featured the show's trademark: a parade of famous guest stars as suspects, including Ronald Reagan. John Damler appeared as Sgt. Hart, a part later taken by Regis Toomey in the series. Leon Lontoc was the only actor from that original episode to carry his character into the later show. For its final season in 1965–1966, the series was completely revamped and renamed Amos Burke Secret Agent. Burke now worked for a covert government agency, though he still drove his Rolls-Royce—now discreetly fitted with bulletproofing by the agency. The regular supporting cast and heavy reliance on celebrity cameos were both eliminated. Producer Aaron Spelling explained that ABC forced the change, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the James Bond movies. Barry and the crew hated the new direction. Viewership dropped sharply, and the show was canceled halfway through the season. As of 2010, the Rolls-Royce from the original 1963 series belonged to a collector living in Palm Beach, Florida.

Cast

Gene Barry starred as Capt. Amos Burke. Gary Conway played Det. Tim Tilson in seasons 1–2. Regis Toomey played Det. Sgt. Les Hart in seasons 1–2. Leon Lontoc played Henry in seasons 1–2. Eileen O'Neill played Sgt. Ames in seasons 1–2. Michael Fox played Coroner George McCleod/McCloud in seasons 1–2. Carl Benton Reid played The Man in season 3 (Amos Burke Secret Agent). Additional actors appearing regularly in various roles through seasons 1 and 2 included June Kim, Don Gazzaniga, Bob Bice, Paul Dubov, Hy Averback, and Army Archerd. A large number of guest stars appeared as suspects, including Eddie Albert, June Allyson, Don Ameche, Mary Astor, Frankie Avalon, Ed Begley, William Bendix, Joan Blondell, Ann Blyth, Hoagy Carmichael, Rory Calhoun, John Cassavetes, Dick Clark, Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford, Arlene Dahl, Sammy Davis Jr., Linda Darnell, Laraine Day, Yvonne De Carlo, William Demarest, Andy Devine, Diana Dors, Joanne Dru, Dan Duryea, Barbara Eden, Nanette Fabray, Felicia Farr, Rhonda Fleming, Nina Foch, Anne Francis, Annette Funicello, Eva Gabor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Gloria Grahame, Jane Greer, Tammy Grimes, George Hamilton, Phil Harris, June Havoc, Richard Haydn, Celeste Holm, Oscar Homolka, Edward Everett Horton, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Tab Hunter, Betty Hutton, Martha Hyer, Carolyn Jones, Buster Keaton, Eartha Kitt, Frankie Laine, Fernando Lamas, Dorothy Lamour, Elsa Lanchester, Lauren Lane, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ida Lupino, Tina Louise, Paul Lynde, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Maxwell, Virginia Mayo, Burgess Meredith, Una Merkel, Dina Merrill, Vera Miles, Sal Mineo, Ricardo Montalbán, Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, Sheree North, Susan Oliver, Janis Paige, Fess Parker, Suzy Parker, Bert Parks, Walter Pidgeon, Zasu Pitts, Juliet Prowse, Basil Rathbone, Aldo Ray, Martha Raye, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles, Ruth Roman, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, Gena Rowlands, Janice Rule, Soupy Sales, Telly Savalas, Lizabeth Scott, William Shatner, Nancy Sinatra, Jan Sterling, Jill St. John, Gale Storm, Susan Strasberg, Gloria Swanson, Terry-Thomas, Jack Tornek, Miyoshi Umeki, Mamie Van Doren, James Whitmore, Michael Wilding, Chill Wills, Ed Wynn, and Keenan Wynn.