Wire Service
Wire Service is an American television drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956–57 season lineup.
| Wire Service | |
|---|---|
 Dane Clark as Dan Miller, 1956. | |
| Also known as | Deadline for Action |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Al C. Ward Frederick Brady |
| Directed by | Lance Comfort Tom Gries |
| Starring | Dane Clark George Brent Mercedes McCambridge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Warren Lewis Don Sharpe |
| Producer | Buck Houghton |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company | Desilu Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution (from 2007) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 4, 1956 – June 17, 1957 |
Synopsis
Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans Globe wire service,[1] which was similar to (and obviously inspired by) real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International. It was the first hour-long, weekly scheduled dramatic series with continuing characters to last a full season on network television.[2] However, the three reporters functioned independently of each other,[3] meaning that the series was essentially three different ones sharing a time slot and title.
This program was aired at 9 p.m. (Eastern time) Thursdays from September 1956 to February 1957, when it was moved to Mondays at 8:30. It was not renewed for a second season, and the last prime time broadcast under this title was in September 1957. However, when a gap developed in the ABC schedule in February 1959, the episodes starring Dane Clark (only) were then rebroadcast under the title Deadline for Action.[4] The last of these repeat episodes was broadcast on September 13, 1959.
The program was produced by Desilu Productions at Desilu Studios in Hollywood, California.
The series sometimes delved into topics that were controversial for its era. They included profiteering, nuclear testing, and prison reform.[5]
Cast
- Dane Clark as Dan Miller[1]
- George Brent as Dean Evans[1]
- Mercedes McCambridge as Katherine Wells[1]
The producers were Don Sharpe and Warren Lewis.[3]
Home video
A DVD set, Wire Service Volume 1, was released by Alpha Video on March 1, 2016.[6]
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode Title | Director | Writer | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Blood Rock Mine" | Alvin Ganzer | Al C. Ward | October 4, 1956 |
| 2 | "Campaign Train" | Tom Gries | Story by : Gordon and Mildred Gordon Teleplay by : Frederick Brady | October 11, 1956 |
| 3 | "Hideout" | Alvin Ganzer | Teleplay by : Gabrielle Upton | October 18, 1956 |
| 4 | "The Johnny Rath Story" | Robert Florey | Story by : Al C. Ward Teleplay by : Frederick Brady | October 25, 1956 |
| 5 | "Night of August 7th" | TBA | Al C. Ward | November 1, 1956 |
| 6 | "Conspiracy" | TBA | TBA | November 8, 1956 |
| 7 | "The Tower" | Reginald Le Borg | Story by : Merwin Gerard Teleplay by : James Edmiston and Merwin Gerard | November 15, 1956 |
| 8 | "Deported" | TBA | Story by : Joel Kane Teleplay by : Jack Jacobs, Joel Kane, and Malvin Wald | November 22, 1956 |
| 9 | "Until I Die" | TBA | Gabrielle Upton | November 29, 1956 |
| 10 | "The Avengers" | TBA | Malvin Wald and Jack Jacobs | December 6, 1956 |
| 11 | "The Deep End" | Tom Gries | Story by : Fredric Brown Teleplay by : James Edmiston | December 12, 1956 |
| 12 | "High Adventure" | TBA | TBA | December 20, 1956 |
| 13 | "Chicago Exclusive" | Alvin Ganzer | Story by : Steve Fisher Teleplay by : Steve Fisher | January 3, 1957 |
| 14 | "World of the Lonely" | TBA | TBA | January 10, 1957 |
| 15 | "The Third Inevitable" | TBA | Frank L. Moss | January 17, 1957 |
| 16 | "Flowers for the General" | TBA | László Görög | January 24, 1957 |
| 17 | "The Comeback" | TBA | TBA | January 31, 1957 |
| 18 | "Atom at Spithead" | Lance Comfort | Teleplay by : Frederic Brady | February 11, 1957 |
| 19 | "El Hombre" | TBA | Story by : Richard M. Bluel and M.L. Lynn Teleplay by : Frederic Brady | February 18, 1957 |
| 20 | "Profile of Ellen Gale" | TBA | John Copeland | February 25, 1957 |
| 21 | "Dateline Las Vegas" | TBA | Al C. Ward | March 4, 1957 |
| 22 | "Forbidden Ground" | Tom Gries | Teleplay by : Jack Jacobs and Malvin Wald | March 11, 1957 |
| 23 | "No Peace in Lo Dao" | TBA | TBA | March 18, 1957 |
| 24 | "A Matter of Conscience" | TBA | TBA | March 25, 1957 |
| 25 | "Misfire" | TBA | TBA | April 1, 1957 |
| 26 | "The Indictment" | TBA | TBA | April 8, 1957 |
| 27 | "Ninety and Nine" | TBA | TBA | April 15, 1957 |
| 28 | "The Oil Man" | TBA | TBA | April 22, 1957 |
| 29 | "Run, Sheep, Run" | TBA | TBA | April 29, 1957 |
| 30 | "The Death Merchant" | Michael McCarthy | Story by : Jack Laird Teleplay by : Marc Brandel | May 6, 1957 |
| 31 | "Violence Preferred" | TBA | TBA | May 13, 1957 |
| 32 | "The Last Laugh" | TBA | TBA | May 20, 1957 |
| 33 | "Confirm or Deny" | TBA | TBA | May 27, 1957 |
| 34 | "Four Minutes to Shot" | TBA | TBA | June 3, 1957 |
| 35 | "The Washington Stars aka The Washington Story" | TBA | TBA | June 10, 1957 |
| 36 | "A Death at Twin Pines" | TBA | TBA | June 17, 1957 |
| 37 | "The Nameless" | TBA | TBA | September 9, 1957 |
| 38 | "Rehearsal for Sabotage" | TBA | TBA | September 16, 1957 |
| 39 | "Escape to Freedom" | TBA | Malvin Wald and Jack Jacobs | September 23, 1957 |
References
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of television shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 1185. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- Castleman, Harry, and Podrazik, Walter (1984): The TV Schedule Book https://www.amazon.com/TV-Schedule-Book-Programming-Sign/dp/0070102775
- McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 919. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- Books, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1979). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows : 1946 - Present. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 689. ISBN 0-345-25525-9.
- O'Brien, Scott (Spring 2015). "George Brent: Hollywood's Mysterious Lone Wolf". Films of the Golden Age (80): 55.
- "Wire Service Volume 1". TCM Shop. Retrieved 15 February 2017.