"Gang Busters" (1952) TV series

Creator:

Phillips Lord

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

20 March 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

The format of the series were action-packed stories on the apprehension of major criminals, taken from actual police and FBI files...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Fact

Cast

Richard Crane	...	Homer Van Meter / ... (3 episodes, 1952)
Robert Bice	...	Special Agent Lt. Tyler / ... (3 episodes, 1952)
Don Marlowe	...	Bank Teller / ... (3 episodes, 1952)
Paul Dubov	...	Alvin Karpis / ... (3 episodes, 1952)
Myrna Dell	...	Undetermined Role / ... (3 episodes)
Michael Mark	...	Drunk / ... (3 episodes, 1952)
Tyler McVey	...	Undetermined Role / ... (3 episodes)
Myron Healey	...	John Dillinger (2 episodes, 1952)
Alan Reynolds	...	Lt. Dane / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
House Peters Jr.	...	Comm. Timothy J. O'Connor / ... (2 episodes)
Max Palmer	...	Nick Mandaro - the Phantom / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Rick Vallin	...	Joe Rollins / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Scott Douglas	...	Special Agent Lt. Clifton (2 episodes, 1952)
Robert Kendall	...	Baby Face Nelson (2 episodes, 1952)
Hal Gerard	...	Henri Boilat / ... (2 episodes)
Joseph J. Greene	...	Arthur Traser / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
John Goddard	...	Detective Ed / ... (2 episodes)
Frank Marlowe	...	Ordville Adkins / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Frank Pasqua / ... (2 episodes)
Helen Van Tuyl	...	Governor of Texas / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Dick Foote	...	Prison Trustee / ... (2 episodes)
Holly Bane	...	Bill / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Robert Vanselow	...	John Hamilton (2 episodes, 1952)
Stanley Farrar	...	Grocery Store Manager / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Connie Cezan	...	Alice / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Phillips Lord	...	Narrator (2 episodes, 1952)
Bill Baldwin	...	Lt. Fenton / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Lyle Talbot	...	Dr. Guelife / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Peter Davis	...	Burk / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Russ Whitney	...	Dr. Jertel / ... (2 episodes)
Rusty Wescoatt	...	Detective / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Frank Sully	...	Bartender / ... (2 episodes)
Florence Lake	...	Bessie / ... (2 episodes, 1952)
Sam Edwards	...	Fred Barker (2 episodes, 1952)
Jean Harvey	...	Ma Barker (2 episodes, 1952)

Also Known As:

Captured (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Trivia:

The series ran on alternate weeks with "Dragnet" (1951) on NBC on Thursday nights for a little more than a season. It was the highest rated show at the time NBC decided to cancel it, in favor of airing "Dragnet" weekly. The show appeared in syndication in 1954 under the title "Captured", hosted by Chester Morris. Old issues of TV Guide from this time verify that the episodes of "Captured" coincided with "Gang Busters", such as "The Willie Sutton Story" and The Unholy Three".

Movie Connections:

Version of Gang Busters (1942)

From pioneering radio to TV bench hitter

"Gang Busters" was a pioneering radio series detailing the activities of the nation's most notorious crime figures of the day. It was unique in that at the end of every episode, the announcer would inform listeners to call the local police or "Gang Busters" for information on wanted criminals still on the loose. In that respect, it was definitely a precursor of today's reality shows like "America's Most Wanted".

The television version, which premiered in 1952, stayed true to the radio format, telling stories of legendary scum like John Dillinger, Willie "The Actor" Sutton, etc. And just as on radio, viewers were informed of criminals still on the loose, and were encouraged to contact the show or the police. Yet, what worked so well on radio just didn't jell on the small screen. Despite series creator Phillips H. Lord's total involvement in the production, it all looked so disjointed and cheap, judging from the four episodes I have on DVD.

NBC obviously knew this as well, for despite very high ratings, they regarded this show as a stop gap filler for the equally successful "Dragnet" during its early years as a bi-weekly show. When Jack Webb filmed enough episodes for a weekly slot, "Gang Busters", one of the highest rated series of the 1952 season, had to go. So, what could have been a potential landmark in television history, as it was on radio, was merely a low-budget bench-hitter during the early days of TV. New episodes, however, were made for syndication under the title "Captured", apparently as not to tarnish the name that helped to pioneer the reality show. Today, the show has fallen into public domain, and has only now received a small cult status as one of crime TV's earliest offerings.

"Gang Busters" is a Phillips H. Lord Production, filmed by Visual Drama, Inc. for NBC-TV. 26 episodes were filmed, as well as a feature-length episode specially made for theaters in 1954. That, too, is in public domain.