Philip Marlowe (TV series)
A gentlemanly detective who lets viewers solve alongside him.
Philip Marlowe is an ABC crime series featuring Philip Carey as the fictional private detective created by Raymond Chandler. It aired from October 6, 1959, until March 29, 1960.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 30 minutes per episode
- Creator
- Raymond Chandler
- Starring
- Philip Carey
- Country
- United States
- Network
- ABC
- Company
- Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions
- in association with
- California National Productions
- First aired
- 6 October 1959
- Last aired
- 26 March 1960
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The television Marlowe worked alone, but was more gentlemanly than his literary counterpart. He avoided personal involvement while protecting people, solving crimes, and tracking missing persons. In one episode he described himself as an ex-cop, unlike Chandler's version who came from a district attorney's office. Episodes contained no surprise endings; viewers had the same information as Marlowe throughout.
Production
NBC bankrolled the initial pilot with Carey, then offloaded both the show and the actor to ABC, which reworked the concept. Mark Goodson and Bill Todman handled production. The directing team included Irvin Kershner, Robert Ellis Miller, and Paul Stewart, with scripts by Charles Beaumont and Gene Wang. The series struggled because it resembled other detective shows airing at the time. It went up against CBS's The Red Skelton Show.
More in Television Series by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions
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