Probe (1972 TV pilot)
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Probe (1988 TV series)
Probe was a 2 hour TV pilot movie created by Leslie Stevens
that first aired on February 21, 1972 on NBC
. Probe was the pilot for the science fiction detective series Search
starring Hugh O'Brian
as Hugh Lockwood, a high-tech private eye designated “Probe One”. When picked up for series production, the title had to be changed because Probe was the name of an existing PBS
series.
Probes were agents for a group known as “World Securities,” who were outfitted with various electronic implants, and were equipped with a button-sized "scanner" that contained a micro-miniaturized video camera, microphone and transmitter, which connected them with a team of technicians and experts who constantly monitored his surroundings, actions and vital signs, and were able to supply the Probe with encyclopedic information on any subject.
Lockwood was an American astronaut now working as a Probe for World Securities. In the pilot, Lockwood sets out for Europe; his assignment is to track down a multi-million-pound stash of gemstones that were amassed by Hermann Goering
during World War II
.
The pilot has been released as a publish-on-demand
DVD-R
, effective May, 2011.
), the "director" of the investigations, who ran Probe Control, a center patterned on the NASA
Mission Control Center
. "Cam" was the leader of the expert team who monitored and provided the agent with intelligence. Early in the series the Probe Control set was placed in a darkened isolated space, alluding to a large scale operations center. By the middle of the season, the control room was scaled down and relocated to a well-lit but smaller "bunker" room. According to the show's credits, the computer equipment was provided by Control Data Corporation
.
The building used as the headquarters for World Securities Corporation is currently the headquarters for Bank Of America in San Francisco.
Probe was a 2 hour TV pilot movie created by Leslie Stevens
Leslie Stevens
Leslie Clark Stevens III was the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits and director of the cult horror film Incubus , starring William Shatner. He wrote an early work of New Age philosophy, Est: The Steersman Handbook .-Early life and career:Leslie Stevens was born in Washington, D.C...
that first aired on February 21, 1972 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...
. Probe was the pilot for the science fiction detective series Search
Search (TV series)
Search is an American science fiction series that aired on Wednesday nights on NBC at 10 pm ET, from September 1972 to August 1973. It ran for 23 episodes, not including the two-hour pilot film originally titled Probe. When picked up for series production, the title had to be changed because Probe...
starring Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
as Hugh Lockwood, a high-tech private eye designated “Probe One”. When picked up for series production, the title had to be changed because Probe was the name of an existing PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series.
Probes were agents for a group known as “World Securities,” who were outfitted with various electronic implants, and were equipped with a button-sized "scanner" that contained a micro-miniaturized video camera, microphone and transmitter, which connected them with a team of technicians and experts who constantly monitored his surroundings, actions and vital signs, and were able to supply the Probe with encyclopedic information on any subject.
Lockwood was an American astronaut now working as a Probe for World Securities. In the pilot, Lockwood sets out for Europe; his assignment is to track down a multi-million-pound stash of gemstones that were amassed by Hermann Goering
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The pilot has been released as a publish-on-demand
Print on demand
Print on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...
DVD-R
DVD-R
DVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005....
, effective May, 2011.
Probe Control
Probe agents reported to V.C. Cameron (Burgess MeredithBurgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
), the "director" of the investigations, who ran Probe Control, a center patterned on the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Mission Control Center
Mission Control Center
A mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...
. "Cam" was the leader of the expert team who monitored and provided the agent with intelligence. Early in the series the Probe Control set was placed in a darkened isolated space, alluding to a large scale operations center. By the middle of the season, the control room was scaled down and relocated to a well-lit but smaller "bunker" room. According to the show's credits, the computer equipment was provided by Control Data Corporation
Control Data Corporation
Control Data Corporation was a supercomputer firm. For most of the 1960s, it built the fastest computers in the world by far, only losing that crown in the 1970s after Seymour Cray left the company to found Cray Research, Inc....
.
The building used as the headquarters for World Securities Corporation is currently the headquarters for Bank Of America in San Francisco.
External links
- Probe title sequence 1972
- Search publicity ProbeControl.com
- Fan Site World Securities Corporation