Diagnosis: Unknown

Diagnosis: Unknown is an American medical drama that aired on CBS television from July 5 to September 20, 1960. The series aired as a summer replacement for The Garry Moore Show[1] from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.[2]

Diagnosis: Unknown
GenreMedical drama
Created byAlan Woods
James A. Bank,
based on "Diagnosis: Homicide" by Lawrence G. Blochman
Written byJoel Carpenter
Arnold Manoff
Bill S. Ballinger
Elliott Norman
Steven Gethers
Theodore Apstein
Alvin Boretz
Ernest Kinoy
Directed byFielder Cook
Paul Stanley
William Corrigan
StarringPatrick O'Neal
Phyllis Newman
Chester Morris
Martin Huston
Cal Bellini
Theme music composerIrwin Kostal
Edward Scott
Joe Hamilton
Opening theme"Diagnosis: Unknown" (aka "Coffee's Theme")
ComposerIrwin Kostal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producerBob Banner
ProducerLeo Davis
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companiesBob Banner Associates, Inc.
Red Wing Productions, Inc.
CBS Television
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseJuly 5 (1960-07-05) –
September 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

Premise

Daniel Coffee, head of a hospital's pathology lab, worked with police (particularly Detective Captain Max Ritter) to find criminals who committed bizarre murders. Lab assistants Doris Hudson and Motilal Mookerju supported Coffee in his work. Another regular character was Link, a boy who worked as handyman and kept the lab clean.[2]

Personnel

The cast was as follows:

Bob Banner was the producer.[3]

Joel Carpenter wrote the script for the program's premiere episode.[4]

Theme

"Coffee's Theme", the program's theme song, was recorded by Warren Covington and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Decca 31146).[5]

Critical reception

In a review of the program's initial episode in The New York Times, Jack Gould called the show "sick television" and said it indicated that "beatniks have taken over" at CBS.[6] The review said that the show's "laboratory is populated by gone kids" and noted elements in the laboratory's environment: "haze of cigarette smoke . . . the din of transistor radios . . . jive talk".

Critic John Crosby wrote that he liked the emphasis on the mystery, and he complimented O'Neal's portrayal of Coffee. He liked the dialogue's "intelligence and flashes of humor" but added that some scenes were "awfully talky" while others were "pretty awkward".[3]

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"A Case of Radiant Wine"Fielder CookJoel CarpenterJuly 5, 1960 (1960-07-05)
Guest star: Tom Bosley[4]
2"Main Course -- Murder"UnknownUnknownAugust 2, 1960 (1960-08-02)
3"A Sudden Stillness"UnknownUnknownAugust 9, 1960 (1960-08-09)
4"Final Performance"UnknownUnknownAugust 16, 1960 (1960-08-16)
5"The Case of the Elder"UnknownUnknownAugust 23, 1960 (1960-08-23)
6"The Curse of the Gypsy"UnknownUnknownAugust 30, 1960 (1960-08-30)
7"Gina, Gina"UnknownUnknownSeptember 6, 1960 (1960-09-06)
8"The Parasite"UnknownUnknownSeptember 13, 1960 (1960-09-13)
9"The Red Death"UnknownUnknownSeptember 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

References
  1. 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. 215. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 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. 352. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. Crosby, John (September 6, 1960). "'Diagnosis Unknown' Gets Mild Praise". The Tampa Tribune. p. 26. Retrieved December 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Adams, Val (June 20, 1960). "Tom Bosley takes TV-mystery role". The New York Times. p. 57. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  5. "Very Strong Sales Potential: Popular" (PDF). Billboard. August 29, 1960. p. 37. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  6. "TV Review: Diagnosis: Unknown' New C.B.S. Mystery". The New York Times. July 6, 1960. p. 67. Retrieved December 30, 2022.


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