Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters

Any episode of a crime or mystery series involves some or all of the following: the perpetration of a crime; its investigation; the analytical process which involves the determination of the villain; the arrest and trial of the culprit; and the handing out of the appropriate punishment. Such series involving the exploits of a wide variety of courageous heroes and heroines were very popular during the 1950s, and they featured a host of actors and actresses, including famous television detectives (e.g., Raymond Burr), those famous in other genres (e.g., Boris Karloff, Charles Bronson), and over 250 other players with recurring roles.
This reference work lists every player who had a regular role in a crime or mystery series during the early era of television. All covered series offered live or filmed episodes of a crime or mystery nature, and all were shown on American television. All series had either regular stars or a recognizable host. Entries cover the player’s real name, family information and education; how the player originally broke into show business; the player’s career preceding the series; and his or her marriage, children, death date, and film and television credits. Appendices provide a catalog of American mystery series and a list of regular mystery series players whose roles began after December 31, 1959.

Everett Aaker has written reference books on television western actors and actresses of the fifties and early television crime fighters. He was a finalist in the BBC quiz shows Film Buff of the Year and Screen Test in which his subject was George Raft. He lives in England.

Everett Aaker
Format: softcover (7 x 10 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 671
Bibliographic Info: 231 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2006]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6409-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0636-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction      1
The Players      5
Appendix 1. Television Series Catalog      607
Appendix 2. Players Too Late for Date Range      619
Bibliography      621
Index      625

• “Recommended”—Booklist
• “A key reference work for the study of 1950s crime dramas”—Big Reel
• “Wonderful”—ARBA
• “Full of intriguing information”—Mystery Scene
• “Useful”—Reference Reviews