"Steve Randall" (1952) TV series 1952-1953

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

7 November 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Steve Randall, a private detective, is a disbarred lawyer who turned to detective work in the hope that he can become a lawyer again...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Character Name In Title

Cast

Melvyn Douglas

...

Steve Randall (12 episodes, 1952)

Series Directed by
M. Milton Schwarz		(8 episodes, 1952)
Marion Parsonnet		(2 episodes, 1952)

Series Writing credits
James P. Cavanagh		(1 episode, 1952)
Frederick Stephani		(1 episode, 1952)
Alford Van Ronkel		(1 episode, 1952)

Series Produced by
Marion Parsonnet	....	producer / executive producer (11 episodes, 1952)

Series Cinematography by
J. Burgi Contner		(1 episode, 1952)

Series Film Editing by
Frank W. Madden		(1 episode, 1952)
Morrie Roizman		(1 episode, 1952)

Series Makeup Department
Eddie Senz	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1952)

Series Production Management
Walter Blake	....	production supervisor (1 episode, 1952)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ben Berk	....	assistant director (1 episode, 1952)

Series Art Department
Aldrich	....	sets (1 episode, 1952)

Series Sound Department
Addison Tice	....	sound recordist (1 episode, 1952)

Series Special Effects by
Hugo Casolaro	....	special effects (1 episode, 1952)
Milton Gottlieb	....	special effects (1 episode, 1952)

Series Editorial Department
M. Milton Schwarz	....	supervising film editor (1 episode, 1952)

Production Companies

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
• DuMont Television Network
• Jerry Fairbanks Productions

Distributors

• DuMont Television Network (1952-1953) (USA) (TV) (first season)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1953) (USA) (TV) (second season)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

The final DuMont broadcast was on 30 January 1953, and the series resumed over CBS on 16 June 1953. The final broadcast (over CBS) was on 11 August 1953.

Early Hollywood-based series

When Melvyn Douglas was having career problems with the blacklist in 1952, he went to New York and shot this t.v. series which ironically takes place in Hollywood. He stars as a lawyer who has been wrongly disbarred and finds work as a private detective in and around the movie business. The show was titled "Hollywood Offbeat" but was then retitled as "Steve Randall." It had also been known in preproduction as "Randall's Briefcase." In one episode, Cara Williams, plays a second-tier star who has had her contract canceled and sets up a plan to steal $50,000 worth of prop jewelry by using her stand-in to create an alibi. When a studio guard is accused of the theft, Randall takes the case and exposes the real culprit. The sets are cheap-looking and the New York production work was heavily inter-cut with stock location shots of Hollywood. Douglas often appears inside his car, augmented by voice-over, driving to and fro, without the help of rear-screen projection. Each show ended with a credit for filming at Parsonnet Studios in New York.