Chicagoland Mystery Players

Chicagoland Mystery Players, a police procedural, was "television's first crime series".[1] The series was one of several on DuMont that began in a local TV market before being picked up nationally.

Chicagoland Mystery Players
GenreMystery
Directed byErnest Lukas
StarringRobert Smith
Gordon Urquart
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkWGN-TV (1947-50)
DuMont (1949-50)
Original releaseSeptember 11, 1949 (1949-09-11) –
July 23, 1950 (1950-07-23)

Local origin

The live television series was first shown locally in Chicago in 1947, sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.[1]

When the series aired on WGN-TV in Chicago, viewers were not given the solution to the crime. Instead they were told that they could find the solution in the next day's Chicago Tribune,[2] the newspaper that sponsored the program.[3] WGN-TV was owned by the Tribune. During its time on DuMont, the end was included as part of the program.[4]

Network

It was picked up by the DuMont Television Network and first aired on the network September 18, 1949,.[5] or September 11, 1949.[6] The 30-minute show aired on Sundays at 8 pm Eastern Time.[5] The show was also known as The Chicagoland Players.[6]

Gordon Urquhart portrayed police officer Jeffrey Hall, who examined each crime scene, questioned witnesses, and interrogated suspects.[4] Bob Smith portrayed Sergeant Holland. The director was Bruno VeSota.[7]

In March 1950 the show's title changed to Chicagoland Players, and the format changed to dramatic presentations that would "cover a wider range of subjects."[8]

DuMont dropped the program on July 23, 1950, and it is unknown if it continued in Chicago for any time.

Episodes

The June 26, 1949, episode was "Adventures of the Curious Cat", written by George Anderson.[7] Other episodes of the series included:

  • "The Fangs of Death"[5]
  • "Kiss of Death"[5]
  • "Tryst with a Dummy"[5]

No episodes of the series are known to have survived.

Critical response

Chris Raczkowski, in the book A History of American Crime Fiction, wrote that dramatizations on the program "were presented with as much of an air of realism as possible".[1] Raczkowski added that publishing the solutions to cases in the newspaper "added even more of an air of reality."[1]

See also

Bibliography
  • David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6

References
  1. Raczkowski, Chris (October 26, 2017). A History of American Crime Fiction. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-108-54843-4. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  2. Labov, William; Browne, Ray Broadus; Browne, Pat (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Popular Press. p. 565. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  3. Raczkowski, Chris (26 October 2017). A History of American Crime Fiction. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-108-54843-4. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  4. Bianculli, David (2017). The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific. Anchor Books. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-101-91132-7. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  6. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 160. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  7. "New mystery series begins on WGN-TV today". Chicago Tribune. June 26, 1949. p. 22. Retrieved April 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Chicagoland Players to Widen Range of Dramas". Chicago Tribune. March 5, 1950. p. Part 3 - Page 10. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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