The F.B.I. (1965–1974)

The cases of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Stars:

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Philip Abbott, William Reynolds

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Inspector Lewis Erskine (241 episodes, 1965-1974)
Philip Abbott	...	Arthur Ward (172 episodes, 1965-1974)
William Reynolds	...	Special Agent Tom Colby (110 episodes, 1966-1974)

Storyline

Cases, based on real FBI files, were handled by Inspector Lewis Erskine and several coworkers over the years. Erskine reported to Arthur Ward, assistant to the director of the FBI.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | based on film | police | acronym in title

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Genres:

Drama | Crime

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

F.B.I.

Filming Locations:

Angeles National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM), Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (239 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

F.B.I. memos, which were recently released under the Freedom of Information Act, have revealed that the real F.B.I. had a veto over casting for guest stars on the series. According to the memos, actors Robert Blake and Bette Davis were barred from making guest appearances on the series.

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Connections

Spun-off from The FBI Story (1959)

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Soundtracks

"F.B.I. Theme"
by Bronislaw Kaper

User Reviews

a good series but early episodes are different from later ones

Now that the show is back in syndication, I've watched as many as I can and see some major differences between the early shows (1965 or so) and later ones (in the early 70s). The early ones SHOWED more violence and often the bad guys were "pushing up daisies" by the end of the show. Later, the FBI agents hardly ever shot the bad guys or if they did it was just in the leg or arm--hardly realistic, but an apparent bow to overly sensitive pressure groups that had grown in the early 1970s. Also, the earlier episodes made the characters seem a little more human--often, Erskine was shown with a good looking woman or would complain about having to work too hard, while later he was pretty much a robot. Finally, the earlier episodes were occasionally more histrionic--sometimes too much and some times very juicy and exciting! In general, I prefer the earlier shows--they may have been a little campier, but they seemed more exciting.