Probe (1972)

High-tech investigations company World Securities uses agents, called Probes, to solve various international cases, such as the retrieval of a famous diamond collection stolen by the Nazis during WW2.

Director:

Russ Mayberry (as Russell Mayberry)

Writers:

Leslie Stevens (creator), Leslie Stevens

Stars:

Hugh O'Brian, Elke Sommer, Burgess Meredith

Cast

Cast overview:
Hugh O'Brian	...	Hugh Lockwood
Elke Sommer	...	Heideline 'Uli' Ullman
Burgess Meredith	...	V.C.R. Cameron
Lilia Skala	...	Frieda Ullman
Angel Tompkins	...	Gloria Harding
John Gielgud	...	Harold L. Streeter (as Sir John Gielgud)
Kent Smith	...	Dr. Edward Laurent
Alfred Ryder	...	Cheyne
Ben Wright	...	Kurt van Niestat
Robert Boon	...	Felix Ernst
Albert Popwell	...	Dr. Griffin
A Martinez	...	Carlos Lobos (as A. Martinez)
Byron Chung	...	Kuroda
Ginny Golden	...	Miss Keach

Storyline

Pilot for sci-fi detective series "Search." Hugh O'Brian as Lockwood, a high-tech private eye, was outfitted with two electronic implants (one to hear what was said at HQ and a dental contact he could bite to communicate with HQ--one bite for yes and two bites for no) and a button-sized "scanner" that combined a micro-miniaturized television camera that could also see in infrared spectrum, microphone, medical sensors, and transmitter, putting him in constant contact with a room full of experts monitoring his actions and vital signs and supplying him with encyclopedic information. Burgess Meredith as Cameron, Lockwood's "head kibitzer." Story involves missing diamonds. Series plots tended to be "missing object(s) or person(s)"-type detective stories, rather than murder "whodunits" or "howcatchems."

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Plot Keywords:

high tech | miniature camera | implanted monitor | cia agent | intrigue | 

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Genres:

Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agent

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leslie Stevens Productions,Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie it is explained that a famous collection of diamonds was stolen during WW2 by the Nazis, namely by Nazi leader Hermann Goering.In real life, Nazi leader Hermann Göring, was an avid collector of diamonds and other precious gems.Nazi Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer, wrote in his memoirs about Goering's habit of filing his coat's pockets with precious gems and often time running his hands through the gems.

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Goofs

The flight that Lockwood and Streeter take at the beginning of the film changes from a 707 to a 747 apparently in mid-flight.

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Quotes

[Cameron is discouraging Lockwood's romantic distraction after his dinner with Uli]
Heideline 'Uli' Ullman: It's later...
V.C.R. Cameron: Miss Ullman's right. Listen to her!
Heideline 'Uli' Ullman: ...and time to go to bed.
V.C.R. Cameron: Hold the remarks, everybody! Now Lockwood, you have a long flight ahead of you tomorrow. It's time to assist the young lady to the elevator.
[Lockwood offers Uli his hand]
Hugh Lockwood: May I?
Heideline 'Uli' Ullman: Mais oui!
[or "May we!"]
Dr. Griffin: If she's speaking French, the lady says "yes".

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Connections

Followed by Search (1972)

User Reviews

Way ahead of its time

I can add little to the excellent previous reader comments about the movie.

I disagree a bit on the TV series. I thought the rotating cast was a brilliant idea, and actually preceded rotating casts on a number of other shows. I was always a fan of all three actors.

One of the most common comments I heard during the short TV show run was "It's too unrealistic...a TV camera the size of a pendant? Being able to talk to the Probe ANYWHERE in the world? A computer system that's linked to computers all over the country? Those things will never happen." Of course, we take all three of those things for granted today.

I think the demise of the TV show was, at least in part, due to the fact that the ideas (much like Star Trek) were way too far ahead of their time.

While the pilot movie appears on TV from time-to-time, I have never seen the TV series run. I would love to get the series on DVD.