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*The Man Behind the Badge*
The Man Behind the Badge
Genre	Police drama
Developed by	Prockter Television Enterprises
Directed by	John Peyser, Paul Landres
Starring	Norman Rose (1953-1954)/; Charles Bickford (1955) (Host)
Theme music composer	Melvyn Lenard
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52 episodes (live, 1953-1954); 38 episodes (filmed, 1955)
Production
Executive producers	Bernard J. Prockter, Jerome C. Robinson
Editor	Fred W. Berger
Running time	30 mins.
Production companies	Prockter Television Enterprises; Revue Studios; MCA TV
Original release
Network	CBS; Syndicated
Release	October 11, 1953 –; September 24, 1955

The Man Behind the Badge is a half-hour American television police drama series which aired on CBS from October 11, 1953, to October 3, 1954,^[1] originally hosted by Norman Rose. In its second syndicated season, the host became character actor Charles Bickford.^[1] Jerry Robinson was the producer.^[2]

The CBS version was broadcast from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays.^[1] It replaced Arthur Murray Party^[3] and was replaced by Honestly, Celeste!.^[4] The sponsor was Bristol Myers.^[3] Everett Rosenthal was the executive producer, with Arthur Singer as director.^[5]

Beginning in January 1955,^[1] a filmed version of the program was syndicated to local stations by MCA TV.^[6]

In an interview with Kliph Nesteroff, assistant director Arthur Marks stated the filmed episodes were shot at the same time and on the same sets as Treasury Men in Action.^[7] Bernard J. Prockter produced the series in Hollywood.^[6]

Synopsis

The series is based on files from agencies of law enforcement.^[8] In addition to police, the subjects of episodes included judges, park rangers, parole officers, and public defenders. Topics of episodes included divorce, life in a boys' home, and rehabilitation.^[1]

Recurring roles and notable guest stars

Actor	Role	Appearances
Norman Rose	Himself	52 episodes
Charles Bickford	Himself	38 episodes
Charles Bronson	Ralph	"The Case of the Invisible Mark" (1955)
Paul Brinegar		3 episodes
Sam Flint		3 episodes
Vivi Janiss		2 episodes
Carolyn Jones	Louise	"The Case of the Desperate Moment" (1955)
Ann McCrea	Laura	"The Case of the One-Armed Bandits" (1955)
Paul Newman		"The St. Paul Story" (1953)
Leslie Nielsen		2 episodes
Anthony Perkins	Pedro	2 episodes
Lillian Powell		3 episodes
Denver Pyle	Detective Lashley	"The Case of the Crying Lady" (1955)
Jason Robards		"The Case of the Last Escape" (1954)
Lee Van Cleef	Floyd	"The Case of the Desperate Moment" (1955)
Jack Warden		"The Portland, Oregon Story" (1953)

Critical response

Dwight Newton, writing in the San Francisco Examiner, said that the first episode "had possibilities but fell apart at the themes."^[9] He mentioned transparent acting and too much use of narration in particular and referred to actors who "gesture like they did in the old silent movie days."^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 844. ISBN 9780307483201. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 513. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
^ ^a ^b "(untitled brief)" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 20, 1953. p. 31. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
^ Leszczak, Bob (November 8, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7864-9305-0. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "This Week (Cont'd)". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 4, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "MCA Tv to Distribute 'Lombardo,' 'Badge' Films" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 13, 1954. p. 46. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
^ Nesteroff, Kliph (15 April 2012). "Classic Television Showbiz: An Interview with Arthur Marks".
^ "Radio-TV Notes". The New York Times. July 16, 1953. p. 28. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Newton, Dwight (October 26, 1953). "Day and Night with Radio and Television". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 30. Retrieved March 4, 2023.