Behind Closed Doors is an American drama series

Dramatic programming

Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...

 set during the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

 hosted by and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon

Bruce Gordon (actor)

Bruce Gordon was an American actor best known for playing Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables....

 in the role of Commander Matson. The series, which aired on NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 from October 2, 1958, to April 9, 1959, focuses, among other themes, on how the former Soviet Union stole American missile secrets and proposes steps to prevent further espionage

Espionage

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...

. Behind Closed Doors is based on the files and experiences of Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 Ellis M. Zacharias

Ellis M. Zacharias

Ellis Mark Zacharias, Sr. was a Rear admiral and naval attaché to Japan, who served in World War I and World War II...

, who offers comments at the end of each segment.

Behind Closed Doors, a Screen Gems

Screen Gems

Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....

 production, replaced Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...

's sitcom The People's Choice

The People's Choice (TV series)

The People's Choice is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1955 to 1958, primarily sponsored by The Borden Company.It stars Jackie Cooper as Socrates "Sock" Miller, an ex-Marine and New City, California politician with a basset hound named "Cleo", whose thoughts , as she balefully...

, followed the NBC quiz show

Quiz Show

Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...

, Twenty-One

Twenty One (game show)

Twenty One is an American game show which aired in the late 1950s. While it included the most popular contestant of the quiz show era, it became notorious for being a rigged quiz show which nearly caused the demise of the entire genre in the wake of United States Senate investigations...

, and preceded the The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show

Tennessee Ernie Ford

Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...

. Its competition was The Pat Boone Chevy Show

Pat Boone

Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...

on ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.-Overview:Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short and Charles A. Wallace...

western

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

 anthology series on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

.

Episodes

Episode #	Title	Air date
1	"The Cape Canaveral Story"	October 2, 1958
	Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...  fisherman Wayne Hollister (played by Joe Maross Joe Maross Joe Maross was an American actor who appeared in movies and made guest appearances on many television series from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served in World War II and was stationed in Hawaii.... ) is approached by a Mr. Meyers (Jacques Aubuchon) who rents his boat for one day and demands to be taken to Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...  to observe the launch of a rocket Rocket A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction... . Also starring Virginia Christine Virginia Christine Virginia Christine was an American film and television actress and voice artist. Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television. She played "Mrs...  as Julie, Peter Whitney Peter Whitney Peter Whitney, was an American actor in film and television. Born as Peter King Engle in Long Branch, New Jersey, Whitney's corpulent, heavy build qualified him to play villains in many Hollywood movies in the 1940s and 1950s.From the late 1950s, he was more prolific playing character roles in...  as Edwin Getty, and Bruce Gordon as Matson.
2	"Flight To Freedom"	October 9, 1958
	–
3	"Double Jeopardy"	October 16, 1958
	A Russian language professor working for the British secret service poses as a custodian in the Soviet embassy in an effort to uncover the whereabouts of Soviet nuclear weapons. British and American intelligence agents learn that the Soviet ambassador to the United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...  (Alexander Akimoff) is scheduled to arrive in London and to reveal the new tactics to his embassy there. The Allies then attempt to install a recording device in the embassy.
4	"M.I.G. 9"	October 23, 1958
	–
5	"Trouble In Test Cell #19 (aka Trouble In Test Cell #10)"	November 2, 1999
	Sabotage Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...  is determined to have caused a new jet engine to explode on its final test, as American intelligence agents seek to find the culprit.
6	"Man In the Moon"	November 6, 1958
	A lonely widow named Clara Keller (Judith Evelyn Judith Evelyn Judith Evelyn was an American stage and film actress. She was born Evelyn Morris in Seneca, South Dakota.Evelyn appeared on Broadway in the following plays:* The Shrike as "Ann Downs"... ) falls prey to foreign agents. She joins a friendship club, unaware that the group is a communist front Communist front A Communist front organization is an organization identified to be a front organization under the effective control of a Communist party, the Communist International or other Communist organizations. Lenin originated the idea in his manifesto of 1902, "What Is to Be Done?"... . Guest star Denver Pyle Denver Pyle Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:... .
7	"The Nike Story"	November 13, 1958
	Captain John Benson (John Doucette John Doucette John Doucette was a film character actor. He was a balding, husky man remembered for playing mob muscle and western bad guys in movies... ) investigates the murder of a fellow officer who had been trying to entrap an enemy agent on a missile base. Benson holds an open house at the base to capture the entire ring of spies there. The plot further concerns the proposed establishment of a Nike Hercules missile site which draws the opposition of a citizens’ group that is soon infiltrated by enemy agents.
8	"It Was Learned On High Authority"	November 27, 1958
	Enemy agent Fred Lang (Robert Knapp) is ordered to place a bomb on a plane carrying a group of scientists to Cape Canaveral.
9	"The Enemy On the Flank"	December 4, 1958
	American intelligence learns that a Soviet submarine Submarine A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...  operating from a base in Albania Albania Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...  plans to interfere with maneuvers of the United States Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Two agents are assigned to probe the situation. Guest stars include James Best James Best James Best is an American actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has also worked as an acting coach, artist, and musician.-Early years:...  as Webb, Francis De Sales Francis De Sales (actor) Francis A. De Sales was an American actor. He was known for his roles on two early television series: as police Lieutenant Bill Weigand on the CBS and then NBC drama Mr. and Mrs. North and as Sheriff Maddox in the syndicated western Two Faces West... , Myron Healey Myron Healey Myron Daniel Healey was an American actor. He began his Hollywood, California, career during the early 1940s in bit parts and minor supporting roles at various studios.-Early years:...  as Lister, and Olan Soule Olan Soule Olan Soule was an American character actor with hundreds of credits in films, radio, commercials, television and animation.-Early life:... .
10	"A Cover Of Art"	December 11, 1958
	Commander Matson enters Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...  in disguise as an art dealer with the hope of rescuing atomic scientist Andrew Fleming (Keith Richards). As he bails out of a crashing airplane, communists captured Fleming and held him prisoner behind the Iron Curtain Iron Curtain The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989... . As Fleming's trial approaches, Matson asks Czech resistance fighters for help. At close of show, Admiral Zacharias maintains that the Fleming case demonstrates that the United States will use its resources to free its captured citizens.
11	"The Middle East Story"	December 18, 1958
	Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... i agent Jessica Tabor overhears a plot to assassinate King Hussein of Jordan Jordan Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...  and turns to secret agents James Foster (Richard Webb Richard Webb (actor) Richard Webb was a film, television and radio actor. He was born in Bloomington, Illinois.He appeared in more than fifty films, including many westerns and films noir including Out of the Past , Night Has a Thousand Eyes , I Was a Communist for the FBI and Carson City... ) and Harry Shaw (John Sutton John Sutton (actor) John Sutton , who was born in Rawalpindi, British India , was actor of British parentage.-Filmography:*Rawhide as Lord Ashton... ) to relate the information to the Jordanians. The story takes place in Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... , which is depicted as undergoing a revolution.
12	"The Brioni Story"	December 25, 1958
	A plot is unveiled to murder Marshal Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz Tito Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...  of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century.... , who is placed under protective watch of General Raca. The only outsider allowed to see Tito is a sculptor, Sarah Fletcher.
13	"The Obelisk"	January 1, 1959
	A British atomic scientist steals important papers and heads for the moors Moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog... , where he plans to meet a Soviet helicopter Helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally... .
14	"Message From Mardenburg a.k.a. The Germany Story"	January 8, 1959
	Dr. Haas (Carl Esmond Carl Esmond Carl Esmond was an Austrian stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria. His birth name was Willy Eichberger which he later changed to Charles Esmond and finally to Carl Esmond. Like many of his fellow actors, Esmond fled Nazi Germany to England during World War II. Esmond continued to appear on the... ) heads a German fencing society as a front for his subversive plans.
15	"The Alkaloid Angle"	January 22, 1959
	Communists smuggle hashish Hashish Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...  into Lebanon Lebanon Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among... . After an American agent is killed, retired agent Robert Hatfield (Buff Elliot) is called upon to investigate. He learns that a traitor has joined the communists. Hashish is portrayed in the episode as the "drug of the assassin; a drug that turns a man into a mindless, murdering animal."
16	"Crypto 40"	January 29, 1959
	Scientist David Sparrow (William Bishop), the inventor of a code-breaking machine, is captured and held behind the Iron Curtain. Americans race to free Sparrow before he can be compelled to make a similar machine for the Soviets.
17	"The Alaskan Story"	February 5, 1959
	Captain Jim Rand (Brad Dexter Brad Dexter Brad Dexter , was an American actor.-Life and career:Dexter was born Boris Malanovich , in Goldfield, Nevada, of Serbian parentage. He spoke Serbian as his first language. Burly, dark and handsome, Brad Dexter was usually given supporting roles of a rugged character... ) enters a penitentiary Prison A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...  in Alaska Alaska Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...  to befriend a communist agent, with the expectation that if can help the man escape, he will lead Rand to other members of the ring. Don Haggerty Don Haggerty Don Haggerty was an American film actor appearing in films in the 1940s and 1950s. Before entering films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the US military...  guest stars as "Mitchell".
18	"The Quemoy Story"	February 12, 1959
	Anna Sung (Roberta Haynes), an American agent on the Asian island of Macao Mação Mação is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 400.0 km² and a total population of 7,763 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of eight parishes, and is located in the Santarém District....  is kidnapped by communists. Commander Ralph Bennett (Ralph Richards) and Mike Perrera, a local police detective (Paul Picerni Paul Picerni -Life and career:Picerni was born in New York City, New York. He was an Eagle Scout who joined the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, where he served as a B-24 Liberator bombardier in the China-Burma-India Theater. He flew 25 combat missions with the 493rd Bomb Squadron of the 7th... ), find a plan to capture the island of Quemoy.
19	"The Vicec Story"	February 19, 1959
	Imre Vicec photographs teachers and pupils in a communist training school in Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... . Vicec is killed in an escape attempt, and American agent David J. Thatcher (Dean Harens Dean Harens Dean Harens was an American actor. He appeared in several movies and TV programs over four decades.Born in South Bend, Indiana in 1924, Harens' first appearance in a film came at the age of 24, in the 1944 film Christmas Holiday. He appeared in seven movies in all over his career, although never... ) is ordered to locate the pictures.
20	"The Geneva Story"	February 26, 1959
	U.S. agent Nick Blake (Dennis Patrick Dennis Patrick Dennis Patrick was a well-respected American character actor best known for his works in television shows such as Jason McGuire and Paul Stoddard in Dark Shadows, Somerset, Vaughn Leland in Dallas, movies such as Joe... ) is ordered to learn why the Soviets hired an American assassin Assassination To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...  to kill one of their own officials as he attends a nuclear arms conference in Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... , Switzerland.
21	"The Meeting"	March 5, 1959
	American agent Ralph Drake (Ray Danton Ray Danton Ray Danton , also known as Raymond Danton, was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous role was The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond... ) goes to neutral Austria to meet with western agents from six Iron Curtain countries after it is revealed that the Soviets have named a new head of the secret police. Virginia Gregg Virginia Gregg Virginia Gregg Burket was an American actress best known for her many roles in radio dramas.Born in Harrisburg, Illinois, Virginia Gregg was the daughter of musician Dewey Alphaleta and businessman Edward William Gregg.-Radio:Gregg was a prolific radio actor, heard on such programs as The...  guest stars as Zina.
22	"Mightier Than the Sword"	March 12, 1959
	U.S. agent Douglas Kincaid (Simon Scott) joins the Communist Party and learns that Feodor Mashay (Robert Carricart), a former Kremlin Kremlin A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...  official, wants to defect. The story opens in an apartment Apartment An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...  in San Francisco, California San Francisco, California San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland... , where a communist cell meeting is underway, and Kincaid is arrested. Kincaid is sent to Yalta Yalta Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...  to assist in Mashay's defection.
23	"The Gamble"	March 19, 1959
	Statesmen meet in Huế Hue Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...  in South Vietnam South Vietnam South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...  to discuss how to block communist infiltration from North Vietnam North Vietnam The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout... . A prince and his wife defect after communists try to force him to denounce the West in a speech. This episode aired six years before U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...  unveiled in February 1965 the massive American buildup in the former South Vietnam, well before most Americans had an acquaintance with the former French Indochina French Indochina French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887.... .
24	"Double Agent"	March 26, 1959
	A spy working for both the communists and the British is uncovered shipping arms to anti-communists behind the Iron Curtain.
25	"The Antidote"	April 2, 1959
	–
26	"Assignment Prague"	April 9, 1959
	Soviet agents filming an anti-American propaganda film at a studio in Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland. The head of the film project moves against American sympathizers in her ranks. Warren Stevens Warren Stevens Warren Stevens is an American stage, screen, and television actor.Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens began his acting career after serving in the U.S. Army Air Force as a pilot during World War II. He trained at The Actor's Studio in New York, received notice on Broadway, and thereafter... guest stars as John William Carpenter.