Girl on the Run
Encyclopedia
For the Victoria Silvstedt
album, see Girl on the Run (album)
.
Girl on the Run is a 1958
private detective film starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
, Erin O'Brien and Edd Byrnes. The film is in truth, although not legal fact, based on characters and situations created by writer Roy Huggins
in a series of 1940s novels and novellas. It was directed by Richard L. Bare and aired on ABC
as the pilot for 77 Sunset Strip
after an initial, brief theatrical release in the Caribbean
.
, and not Huggins, had written the script and called it Girl on the Run. Since he had been writing under an episodic television contract, Hargrove had no rights to the series whatsoever. By releasing the project theatrically under the episode title, Warner emphasized Hargrove's contribution at Huggins' expense. When it was thereafter aired on television, it was not legally the debut of a new series, but the television premiere of a theatrical film. This made it possible for Warner to argue that the resulting television series was based on the film, which he wholly owned, rather than Huggins' literary work.
carhop
—who also compulsively combed his hair. Because of the narrative improability of a killer becoming a trusted ally of Stu Bailey, Byrne's appearance in Girl on the Run was addressed directly in the series proper. At the beginning of the episode which followed Girl, Zimbalist broke the fourth wall with the announcement:
; she appeared as a featured solo singer on six episodes of The Steve Allen Show
during this same period. Veteran character actors Barton MacLane
and Ray Teal
rounded out the supporting cast.
as Stuart Bailey
Erin O'Brien as Kathy Allen/Karen Shay
Edd Byrnes as Kevin Smiley
Barton MacLane
as Francis J. Brannigan
Ray Teal
as Harper
Victoria Silvstedt
Karen Victoria Silvstedt is a Swedish celebrity model, actress, singer, and television personality.-Background:Born in Skelleftehamn, Silvstedt was raised in a family of five in Bollnäs, having one older sister and one younger brother...
album, see Girl on the Run (album)
Girl on the Run (album)
Girl on the Run is Victoria Silvstedt's first and only studio album. It was released in 1999 and produced and managed by Huma. It includes the three singles: "Hello Hey", "Rocksteady Love" and "Party Line".-Track listing:-Chart performance:...
.
Girl on the Run is a 1958
1958 in film
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
private detective film starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
, Erin O'Brien and Edd Byrnes. The film is in truth, although not legal fact, based on characters and situations created by writer Roy Huggins
Roy Huggins
Roy Huggins was an American novelist and an influential writer/creator and producer of character-driven television series, including Maverick, The Fugitive, and The Rockford Files....
in a series of 1940s novels and novellas. It was directed by Richard L. Bare and aired 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...
as the pilot for 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
after an initial, brief theatrical release in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Legal Controversy
This trip to the Caribbean was legally significant. Huggins' claim to the characters and situations of 77 Sunset Strip was strong, since he had created them in a series of 1940s novels and novellas. But his relationship to this, the first episode of the upcoming series, was comparatively weaker. Marion HargroveMarion Hargrove
Marion Hargrove was an American writer noted for the World War II bestselling book See Here, Private Hargrove, a collection of humorous newspaper columns written mostly before the United States entered the war...
, and not Huggins, had written the script and called it Girl on the Run. Since he had been writing under an episodic television contract, Hargrove had no rights to the series whatsoever. By releasing the project theatrically under the episode title, Warner emphasized Hargrove's contribution at Huggins' expense. When it was thereafter aired on television, it was not legally the debut of a new series, but the television premiere of a theatrical film. This made it possible for Warner to argue that the resulting television series was based on the film, which he wholly owned, rather than Huggins' literary work.
From Psycho to Sidekick
Beyond the creator rights struggle, the film is also important for allowing one of its guest stars to graduate to the regular cast. In Girl, Edd Byrnes played a vicious killer, Kevin Smiley, who compulsively combed his hair. When the youth audience reacted favorably to his performance, he was given a new, recurring character to play in the series proper. In 77 Sunset Strip, Byrnes became "Kookie," a comically hepHip (slang)
Hip is a slang term meaning fashionably current and in the know. Hip is the opposite of square or prude.Hip, like cool, does not refer to one specific quality. What is considered hip is continuously changing. The term hip is said to have originated in African American Vernacular English in the...
carhop
Carhop
A carhop is a waiter or waitress who brings food to people in their cars at drive-in restaurants. Usually car hops work on foot but sometimes use rollerskates. The popularity of movies such as American Graffiti and shows like Happy Days created a misconception of carhops as exclusively roller...
—who also compulsively combed his hair. Because of the narrative improability of a killer becoming a trusted ally of Stu Bailey, Byrne's appearance in Girl on the Run was addressed directly in the series proper. At the beginning of the episode which followed Girl, Zimbalist broke the fourth wall with the announcement:
Supporting Players
The film also featured the talents of singer/actress Erin O'Brien, whose singing performance as a singer required no dubbingDubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
; she appeared as a featured solo singer on six episodes of The Steve Allen Show
Steve Allen (comedian)
Stephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent...
during this same period. Veteran character actors Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. Although he has appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, he was known for his role as Gen...
and Ray Teal
Ray Teal
Ray Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
rounded out the supporting cast.
Cast
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
as Stuart Bailey
Erin O'Brien as Kathy Allen/Karen Shay
Edd Byrnes as Kevin Smiley
Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. Although he has appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, he was known for his role as Gen...
as Francis J. Brannigan
Ray Teal
Ray Teal
Ray Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
as Harper
External links
- Roy Huggins' Archive of American Television Interview
- Girl on the Run at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Stuart Bailey at Thrilling Detective