Whispering Smith (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Whispering Smith is a short-lived American
Western
series that aired on NBC
. Based on a 1948 movie
, the series stars Audie Murphy
as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver
, Colorado
. Filming of the series began in 1959, but the program did not air until May 8, 1961, because of unexpected production problems.
Whispering Smith combines elements of CBS's Have Gun - Will Travel starring Richard Boone
, NBC's Tales of Wells Fargo
starring Dale Robertson
, the syndicated
Shotgun Slade
with Scott Brady
, and ABC
's The Man From Blackhawk
, a Stirling Silliphant
production starring Robert Rockwell
. While the setting of the series is unique, it is otherwise a standard detective program.
, first head of the United States Secret Service
, in that the character Whispering Smith fought to bring modern police methods to the American West. Some episodes were based on actual cases from the files of the Denver Police Department. After seven episodes were filmed, costar Guy Mitchell
, a recording artist who portrayed detective George Romack, broke his shoulder in a fall from a horse. By the time he recovered, Murphy had a film commitment (Hell Bent for Leather, shot August 17 – September 11, 1959) and production had to be further postponed. Actor Sam Buffington, costarring as police chief John Richards, committed suicide
at the age of twenty-eight, and had to be replaced. Once scheduled, the series missed its intended debut date because of an NBC news special. After the premiere of Whispering Smith, the U.S. Senate Juvenile Delinquency
subcommittee claimed that the series was excessively violent, and Murphy rushed to its defense.
A hearing before the subcommittee made the front page of The New York Times
on June 9, 1961. With the lights dimmed in their meeting room, members of the subcommittee watched the second episode, “The Grudge”. They saw a story of bloody revenge that included the following: a fistfight, a gunfight, a mother horsewhipping her son, the same mother shooting her daughter, a man laughing after shooting another man six times in the stomach, and an assassination in a hotel room. The story was set in Denver, Colorado and when the lights came up Senator John A. Carroll
of Colorado called the episode “a libel on Denver”. An executive producer for Revue Studios defended the program before skeptical senators. The committee staff estimated that 2,500,000 children had watched “The Grudge”. The program was soon discontinued, as Murphy himself lost interest in the project.
The series was further inspired by a 1948 theatrical release of the same name, Whispering Smith
, starring Alan Ladd
, as a no-nonsense railroad investigator assigned to solve the mystery of a rash of train robberies. He sadly finds that the perpetrator of the crimes is an old friend, Murray Sinclaire, portrayed by Robert Preston
. The 1948 film, based on a Frank H. Spearman
novel
, was not the first motion picture based on the railroad detective. There were three Whispering Smith silent film
s in 1916, 1926, and 1927 and a talking picture in 1935. In the first of the silent films, Harold Lloyd
served as an assistant director, while the director, J.P. McGowan, also played the lead
. In 1951, the film, Whispering Smith Hits London starred Richard Carlson as an American detective working on a special case at Scotland Yard
in England
.
Twenty Whispering Smith episodes aired through September 18, 1961, in the time slot following Tales of Wells Fargo
. The remaining six segments were never broadcast on NBC. Whispering Smith aired at 9 p.m. Mondays opposite the CBS sitcom The Danny Thomas Show
and the second half of the ABC modern detective series Surfside 6
. Whispering Smith was filmed at Revue Studios in California
.
On October 20, 2011, it was announced that Timeless Media had located the missing episode that was not present on the previously release set and would now re-issue the third disc of that set to include this missing episode.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
series that 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...
. Based on a 1948 movie
Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith is a 1948 western film starring Alan Ladd as a railroad detective assigned to stop a gang of train robbers.It is based on a novel by Frank H. Spearman and a previous 1926 film adaptation starring H.B...
, the series stars Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Filming of the series began in 1959, but the program did not air until May 8, 1961, because of unexpected production problems.
Whispering Smith combines elements of CBS's Have Gun - Will Travel starring Richard Boone
Richard Boone
Richard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
, NBC's Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
starring Dale Robertson
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
, the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
Shotgun Slade
Shotgun Slade
Shotgun Slade is an American western television series starring Scott Brady that aired in syndication from October 24, 1959, until 1961. Created by Frank Gruber, the stories were written by John Berardino, Charissa Hughes, and Martin Berkeley...
with Scott Brady
Scott Brady
Scott Brady was an American film and television actor.Born as Gerard Kenneth Tierney, he was the younger brother of fellow actor Lawrence Tierney. Brady served in the Navy during World War II, where he was a boxing champ...
, and 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...
's The Man From Blackhawk
The Man From Blackhawk
The Man From Blackhawk is a Western television series starring Robert Rockwell that aired on the ABC television network from October 9, 1959, until September 9, 1960. The Man From Blackhawk was created by Academy Award winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant.In The Man From Blackhawk, Rockwell...
, a Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Glendale, California as a child, graduated from Hoover High School, and was educated at the University of Southern California...
production starring Robert Rockwell
Robert Rockwell
Robert Rockwell was an American actor best known for playing the handsome, but awkward biology teacher Philip Boynton in the radio and television situation comedy Our Miss Brooks opposite Eve Arden....
. While the setting of the series is unique, it is otherwise a standard detective program.
Program background
Along with the film, the program was also loosely based on the exploits of Allan PinkertonAllan Pinkerton
Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.-Early life, career and immigration:...
, first head of the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
, in that the character Whispering Smith fought to bring modern police methods to the American West. Some episodes were based on actual cases from the files of the Denver Police Department. After seven episodes were filmed, costar Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
, a recording artist who portrayed detective George Romack, broke his shoulder in a fall from a horse. By the time he recovered, Murphy had a film commitment (Hell Bent for Leather, shot August 17 – September 11, 1959) and production had to be further postponed. Actor Sam Buffington, costarring as police chief John Richards, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at the age of twenty-eight, and had to be replaced. Once scheduled, the series missed its intended debut date because of an NBC news special. After the premiere of Whispering Smith, the U.S. Senate Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
subcommittee claimed that the series was excessively violent, and Murphy rushed to its defense.
A hearing before the subcommittee made the front page of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on June 9, 1961. With the lights dimmed in their meeting room, members of the subcommittee watched the second episode, “The Grudge”. They saw a story of bloody revenge that included the following: a fistfight, a gunfight, a mother horsewhipping her son, the same mother shooting her daughter, a man laughing after shooting another man six times in the stomach, and an assassination in a hotel room. The story was set in Denver, Colorado and when the lights came up Senator John A. Carroll
John A. Carroll
John Albert Carroll was a Democratic United States Representative and United States Senator from Colorado. Born in Denver, he attended the public schools, and during the First World War served in the United States Army...
of Colorado called the episode “a libel on Denver”. An executive producer for Revue Studios defended the program before skeptical senators. The committee staff estimated that 2,500,000 children had watched “The Grudge”. The program was soon discontinued, as Murphy himself lost interest in the project.
The series was further inspired by a 1948 theatrical release of the same name, Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith is a 1948 western film starring Alan Ladd as a railroad detective assigned to stop a gang of train robbers.It is based on a novel by Frank H. Spearman and a previous 1926 film adaptation starring H.B...
, starring Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd
-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
, as a no-nonsense railroad investigator assigned to solve the mystery of a rash of train robberies. He sadly finds that the perpetrator of the crimes is an old friend, Murray Sinclaire, portrayed by Robert Preston
Robert Preston (actor)
-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
. The 1948 film, based on a Frank H. Spearman
Frank H. Spearman
Frank Hamilton Spearman was an American author.He was known for his books in the Western fiction genre and especially for his fiction and non-fiction works on the topic of railroads....
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, was not the first motion picture based on the railroad detective. There were three Whispering Smith silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s in 1916, 1926, and 1927 and a talking picture in 1935. In the first of the silent films, Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
served as an assistant director, while the director, J.P. McGowan, also played the lead
Leading actor
A leading actor, leading actress, star, or simply lead, plays the role of the protagonist in a film or play. The word lead may also refer to the largest role in the piece and leading actor may refer to a person who typically plays such parts or an actor with a respected body of work...
. In 1951, the film, Whispering Smith Hits London starred Richard Carlson as an American detective working on a special case at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Twenty Whispering Smith episodes aired through September 18, 1961, in the time slot following Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
. The remaining six segments were never broadcast on NBC. Whispering Smith aired at 9 p.m. Mondays opposite the CBS sitcom The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
and the second half of the ABC modern detective series Surfside 6
Surfside 6
Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
. Whispering Smith was filmed at Revue Studios in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Notable guests
Among current and future stars who appeared on Whispering Smith were- Robert RedfordRobert RedfordCharles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
and Gloria TalbottGloria TalbottGloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...
as Johnny and Cora Gates in "The Grudge", the second episode of the series - Harry Carey, Jr.Harry Carey, Jr.Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
as Sergeant Stringer in "Safety Valve" - Richard ChamberlainRichard ChamberlainGeorge Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
as Chris Harrington in "Stain of Justice" - James BestJames BestJames 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:...
in starring role in "The Hemp Reeger Case" - Roscoe AtesRoscoe AtesRoscoe Ates was an actor and musician in primarily western films and television.-Early years:Ates was born in the rural hamlet of Grange, Mississippi, northwest of Hattiesburg. Grange is no longer included on road maps...
(1895–1962), formerly of the 1950 western The Marshal of Gunsight PassThe Marshal of Gunsight PassThe Marshal of Gunsight Pass is a 1950 live broadcast western television series starring Russell Hayden , former Country music singer Eddie Dean , and Riley Hill as Marshal #1, Marshal #2, and Marshal #3, respectively. Hayden is not identified by a character name. Dean uses his own name in the...
, as a sheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
in the episode entitled "Three for One" - Clu GulagerClu GulagerClu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
, later co-star of The Tall ManThe Tall Man (TV series)The Tall Man is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1960 to 1962. The series was produced by Revue Productions.-Synopsis:...
and The VirginianThe Virginian (TV series)The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, as Jeff Whalen in "The Devil's Share" - Myron HealeyMyron HealeyMyron 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 Jim Conley in "Double Edge" - Don KeeferDon KeeferDonald "Don" H. Keefer is a retired American actor known for the versatility of his roles. He was born in Highspire in Dauphin County near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Keefer's first role was as Bernard in the 1951 film, Death of a Salesman, based on the Arthur Miller play...
as Dr. Johnson in "The Deadliest Weapon" - Read MorganRead MorganRead Morgan is a former American actor whose longest-running role was as a United States Army cavalry officer in the 1960-1961 season of The Deputy, a western television series on NBC created by Norman Lear. Morgan appeared in thirty episodes as the one-eyed Sergeant Hapgood Tasker, recognized by...
as Hob Tyler in "The Jodie Tyler Story" - Forrest TuckerForrest TuckerForrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
, later star of the western sitcom F TroopF TroopF Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
, as Gunman Bardot in "Trademark" - Alan Hale, Jr.Alan Hale, Jr.Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
, who starred in the western series Casey JonesCasey Jones (TV series)Casey Jones is an American children's Western series that ran during the '58-'59 television season, based around the pioneering western railroads. The series aired in syndication in the United States...
, appeared in the series finale, "The Idol", as Ole Brindessen, the witness to a swindler who commits murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "The Blind Gun" | May 8, 1961 |
| 1-2 | "The Grudge" | May 15, 1961 |
| 1-3 | "The Devil's Share" | May 21, 1961 |
| 1-4 | "Stake-Out" | May 29, 1961 |
| 1-5 | "Safety Valve" | June 5, 1961 |
| 1-6 | "Stain of Justice" | June 12, 1961 |
| 1-7 | "The Deadliest Weapon" | June 19, 1961 |
| 1-8 | "The Quest" | June 26, 1961 |
| 1-9 | "Three for One" | July 3, 1961 |
| 1-10 | "Death at Even Money" | July 10, 1961 |
| 1-11 | "The Hemp Reeger Case" | July 17, 1961 |
| 1-12 | "The Mortal Coil" | July 24, 1961 |
| 1-13 | "Cross Cut" | July 31, 1961 |
| 1-14 | "Double Edge" | August 7, 1961 |
| 1-15 | "Trademark" | August 14, 1961 |
| 1-16 | "The Jodie Tyler Story" | August 21, 1961 |
| 1-17 | "Poet and Peasant Case" | August 28, 1961 |
| 1-18 | "Dark Circle" | September 4, 1961 |
| 1-19 | "Swift Justice" | September 11, 1961 |
| 1-20 | "The Idol" | September 18, 1961 |
| 1-21 | "String of Circumstances" | Never aired |
| 1-22 | "The Interpreter" | Never aired |
| 1-23 | "The Homeless Wind" | Never aired |
| 1-24 | "Trial of the Avengers" | Never aired |
| 1-25 | "Prayer of a Chance" | Never aired |
| 1-26 | "Hired to Die" | Never aired |
DVD release
Timeless Media Group released 25 episodes of this series in a 3 disc Region 1 set on April 20, 2010. A bonus feature, Medal of Honor: The Audie Murphy Story, is included.On October 20, 2011, it was announced that Timeless Media had located the missing episode that was not present on the previously release set and would now re-issue the third disc of that set to include this missing episode.