Checkmate 

Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.

Creator:

Eric Ambler

Stars:

Anthony George, Doug McClure, Sebastian Cabot

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Anthony George	...	Don Corey 70 episodes, 1960-1962
Doug McClure	...	Jed Sills 70 episodes, 1960-1962
Sebastian Cabot	...	Dr. Carl Hyatt 70 episodes, 1960-1962

Storyline

Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.

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Plot Keywords:

criminologist | detective | detective agency | murder | gangster | 

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Taglines:

Two daring private eyes head off violent crimes in this thrilling and unique new series by famed mystery author Eric Ambler (season 1)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ajedrez fatal

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jamco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (70 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Car 54, Where Are You?: Quiet! We're Thinking (1962)

User Reviews

great old show

How funny - all of us baby boomers have memories of particular episodes.

"Checkmate" was a detective-type show starring Sebastian Cabot, Doug McClure, and Anthony George. Sadly, all these actors are gone now. The series was based in San Francisco. The firm was established to stop crime before it happened. Each episode would focus on a particular cast member, but the others would appear in the episode as well. The firm was owned by Don Corey (George) and he worked with an associate, Jed Sills (Doug McClure) and a university criminologist (Cabot). So you had a hunk for the teens in McClure, a familiar face in Cabot, who had been in movies from 1946 and later in television, and someone interesting to women over 18 (George). Cabot had not yet played Mr. French in "Family Affair." The creator of the series was the wonderful Eric Ambler.

This was a very classy show that had many guest stars from the world of film. I recently saw two episodes, one starring Claire Bloom and the other starring Jeffrey Hunter as a psycho. Episodes and DVDs of the whole series occasionally show up on ebay, so it's worth checking.

Personal memories - Tony George, during his years on "One Life to Live," used to live in my friend's building. He was a very slight man, though he doesn't look it on screen. When working on the Audrey Hepburn book, my research partner interviewed Doug McClure, and I actually transcribed the tape. He said that he had just been to the doctor and gotten a clean bill of health for his lung cancer. He died very shortly afterward, and I remember the man who interviewed him being very upset. When Jeremy Brett died shortly after I interviewed him, I received a card from my research partner that said, "Welcome to the black widow's club." Now, here's the episode I remember - it was with Anne Baxter and had something to do with a horse.

These really should be released on an official DVD.