Rocky King Detective

Rocky King Detective (also known as Inside Detective) is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast live on the DuMont Television Network on Sundays at 9pm ET for most of its run. The series ran for six seasons, from January 7, 1950, to December 26, 1954.[1] From January 7, 1950, to July 22, 1950, the series was broadcast on Saturdays at 8:30pm ET, and from September 8, 1950, to March 9, 1951, it was broadcast on Fridays at 9:30pm ET, until moving to Sundays.

Rocky King Detective
Roscoe Karns as Rocky King
Also known asInside Detective
GenreAction
crime drama
police procedural
StarringRoscoe Karns
Earl Hammond
Todd Karns
Grace Carney
Music byJack Ward
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons6
Production
ProducerWilbur Stark
Production companyStark-Layton Production
Release
Original networkDuMont Television Network
Original releaseJanuary 7, 1950 (1950-01-07) –
December 26, 1954 (1954-12-26)

When the series began in 1950 it was seen on nine DuMont stations, and budget limitations forced its star, Roscoe Karns to change in the men’s restroom. In 1953 it was shown on 45 stations and, after moving production to DuMont’s new Tele-Center, Karns obtained his own dressing room.[2] The series became one of DuMont’s most popular shows, lasting nearly to the end of DuMont’s operations.[1]

Overview

Each episode begins with Roscoe Karns, as the title character, walking down a long hallway towards the camera, as the announcer says “Rocky King, chief of homicide of the Metropolitan Police Force in an exciting fight against crime.”[3] During the first three seasons Earl Hammond portrayed King's partner, Detective Sgt. Lane. During the final two seasons, Karns' real life son Todd portrayed King's partner Detective Hart. Rounding out the cast was Grace Carney as Mabel King.[1]

As an economy measure Carney was heard, but never seen, as the wife of Detective King. DuMont always suffered from limited funds, and in an early episode Carney was asked to play both the detective’s wife and a woman connected to the crime being investigated. Since the thirty-minute series was broadcast live there wasn’t time for Carney to change her clothing and make-up, so she spoke her Mabel lines offscreen. The audience enjoyed the novelty of a character that was never seen, and so Carney continued to speak her lines out of camera range.[1]

The series tried to show an accurate depiction of police work. Detective King and his assistants sometimes missed clues, or failed to arrest suspects in a timely manner, but the audience appreciated that the characters were depicted as being fallible.[4] Roscoe Karnes had met a few detectives, and tried to model his role after them. He stated “The cops I’ve met like Rocky because the show doesn’t ridicule them.”[2]

The series blended dramatic police investigation with humorous banter between Rocky and his wife Mabel; banter which often pertained to their son, Junior. Mabel said foolish things, and nagged her husband, but it was shown that the couple cared for each other.[4] Each episode ended with Rocky calling his wife to say he would soon be home, then he looked at the camera and remarked “Wonderful girl, that Mabel.” Roscoe Karns wrote much of the dialogue between Rocky and Mabel.[4]

Episode status

Of hundreds of Rocky King Detective episodes 38 kinescope copies are archived at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, but 11 of those episodes are marked as being Non-circulating Safety Storage (archival or research) copies.

In 2006 Alpha Home Entertainment released a four-episode Rocky King Detective DVD. Several episodes are available for online viewing. Below is information about the most readily accessible episodes.

Selected episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Murder Scores a Knockout"Lee PolkCarl Abrams13 July 1952 (1952-07-13)
Magician Lionel the Great is poisoned in an actor’s boarding house. His room is ransacked, but his cash-filled wallet is left untouched. Detective King's son may be working for a bookie.
2"The Hermit’s Cat"Wesley KenneyCarl Abrams31 August 1952 (1952-08-31)
A millionaire recluse never leaves his mansion, but his body is discovered on the highway, an apparent victim of a hit and run accident.
3"One Minute For Murder"Wesley KenneyCarl Abrams28 September 1952 (1952-09-28)
Gossip columnist Art Paulson is blackmailing actress Nora Wade. On opening night of Nora’s new play Art is shot in her dressing room. Detective Lane solves the crime while Detective King is away.
4"Death Has Dark Hands"Wesley KenneyBob Corcoran19 October 1952 (1952-10-19)
A famous chemist is murdered and his secretary, his assistant, and a visitor all have secrets they want to keep hidden. A police chemist believes a powder may help solve the crime.
5"Murder Ph. D."Wesley KenneyFrank Phares26 October 1952 (1952-10-26)
A man will be electrocuted at midnight for the murder of his wife’s psychiatrist. Hours before the execution Detective King receives a phone call from a man who claims to be the real murderer.
6"Murder In Advance"Wesley KenneyCy Charmak and Fran Carroll7 March 1954 (1954-03-07)
An author of mystery stories attends a party at his publisher’s house, and vows to tell how he became successful. Later that night he is murdered.
7"Return For Death"Wesley KenneyEd Morris23 May 1954 (1954-05-23)
A cemetery watchman finds a murdered man in a family mausoleum. Jack Klugman plays Frank Garrison.
8"In the Bag"Wesley KenneyPhillip S. Goodman1 August 1954 (1954-08-01)
A hospital patient, who is searching for his estranged wife, dies of poisoning. His nurse declares the man’s traveling bag was filled with money.

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rocky King, Inside Detective.

References
  1. Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present (Seventh Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999, page 866.
  2. The Actor Hollywood Forgot: Roscoe Karns Has Outlasted All Other TV Detectives, TV Guide, July 31, 1953, pages 20 to 22.
  3. Vincent Terrace, Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings Since 1949, page 119, Scarecrow Press, 2013
  4. David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network, DuMont and the Birth of American Television, pages 147 and 148, Temple University Press, 2004
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