"The Untouchables" (1959) TV series 1959-1963

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

15 October 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Plot:

Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.

Plot Keywords:

Organized Crime | Mafia | Federal Agent | US Treasury Agents | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Robert Stack	...	Eliot Ness (118 episodes, 1959-1963)
Walter Winchell	...	Narrator (118 episodes, 1959-1963)
Nicholas Georgiade	...	Agent Enrico Rossi / ... (105 episodes, 1959-1963)
Paul Picerni	...	Agent Lee Hobson / ... (83 episodes, 1960-1963)
Abel Fernandez	...	Agent William Youngfellow / ... (80 episodes, 1959-1963)
Steve London	...	Agent Jack Rossman / ... (65 episodes, 1959-1963)

(more)

Series Directed by
Walter Grauman		(21 episodes, 1959-1963)
Stuart Rosenberg		(16 episodes, 1960-1962)
Paul Wendkos		(12 episodes, 1961-1963)
John Peyser		(10 episodes, 1959-1961)
Robert Butler		(7 episodes, 1962-1963)
Bernard L. Kowalski		(7 episodes, 1962)
Howard W. Koch		(4 episodes, 1960)
Tay Garnett		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Roger Kay		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Don Medford		(3 episodes, 1961)
Ida Lupino		(3 episodes, 1962-1963)
Alex March		(3 episodes, 1962-1963)
Vincent McEveety		(3 episodes, 1962-1963)
Allen Reisner		(3 episodes, 1963)
Joe Parker		(2 episodes, 1959)
Robert Gist		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Abner Biberman		(2 episodes, 1962)
Paul Stanley		(2 episodes, 1962)
Leonard Horn		(2 episodes, 1963)

Series Writing credits
Oscar Fraley		(95 episodes, 1959-1963)
Eliot Ness		(94 episodes, 1959-1963)
Harry Kronman		(17 episodes, 1960-1963)
John Mantley		(12 episodes, 1960-1963)
George Eckstein		(9 episodes, 1961-1963)
Leonard Kantor		(8 episodes, 1959-1962)
David Zelag Goodman		(8 episodes, 1960-1963)
Joseph Petracca		(7 episodes, 1959-1961)
Harry Essex		(6 episodes, 1959-1961)
Robert C. Dennis		(6 episodes, 1959-1960)
William Spier		(4 episodes, 1960-1961)
Harold Gast		(4 episodes, 1962-1963)
Herman Groves		(4 episodes, 1962-1963)
Jerome Ross		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Charles O'Neal		(3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Sy Salkowitz		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
John D.F. Black		(3 episodes, 1962-1963)
David Karp		(2 episodes, 1959)
Ben Maddow		(2 episodes, 1960)
Robert Libott		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Gilbert Ralston		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Carey Wilber		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Tony Barrett		(2 episodes, 1963)

Series Produced by
Lloyd Richards	....	associate producer / producer (50 episodes, 1960-1963)
Alan A. Armer	....	executive producer / producer (37 episodes, 1960-1963)
Jerry Thorpe	....	executive producer (32 episodes, 1960-1961)
Quinn Martin	....	executive producer (28 episodes, 1959-1960)
Vincent McEveety	....	associate producer / producer (26 episodes, 1961-1962)
Josef Shaftel	....	producer (25 episodes, 1959-1961)
Norman Retchin	....	producer (24 episodes, 1959-1960)
Del Reisman	....	associate producer / producer (20 episodes, 1961-1963)
Alvin Cooperman	....	producer (10 episodes, 1962-1963)
Charles Russell	....	producer (7 episodes, 1959-1960)
Leonard Freeman	....	executive producer (7 episodes, 1962-1963)
Sidney Marshall	....	producer (4 episodes, 1959-1960)
Walter Grauman	....	producer (3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Desi Arnaz	....	executive producer (3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Stuart Rosenberg	....	producer (3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Paul Harrison	....	producer (2 episodes, 1959-1960)
Herman Hoffman	....	producer (2 episodes, 1960-1961)
Bert Granet	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Nelson Riddle		(3 episodes, 1960)
Pete Rugolo		(2 episodes, 1962)
Jack Cookerly		(unknown episodes)
William Loose		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Charles Straumer		(98 episodes, 1959-1963)
Glen MacWilliams		(6 episodes, 1962-1963)
Robert B. Hauser		(4 episodes, 1960)

Series Film Editing by
Ben Ray		(34 episodes, 1959-1963)
Robert L. Swanson		(23 episodes, 1959-1962)
Robert Watts		(13 episodes, 1961-1963)
Elmo Veron		(10 episodes, 1960-1961)
William B. Murphy		(8 episodes, 1960-1961)
George Jay Nicholson		(4 episodes, 1959-1960)
Axel Hubert Sr.		(4 episodes, 1962-1963)
John M. Foley		(3 episodes, 1959-1961)

Series Casting by
James Lister		(54 episodes, 1960-1963)
Lynn Stalmaster		(54 episodes, 1960-1963)
Kerwin Coughlin		(13 episodes, 1959-1960)

Series Art Direction by
Rolland M. Brooks		(74 episodes, 1959-1963)
Ralph Berger		(47 episodes, 1959-1961)
Howard Hollander		(45 episodes, 1961-1963)
Frank T. Smith		(33 episodes, 1959-1961)
William Glasgow		(9 episodes, 1961)
James Hulsey		(2 episodes, 1962)

Series Set Decoration by
Sandy Grace		(60 episodes, 1959-1961)
Harry Gordon		(42 episodes, 1961-1963)

Series Costume Design by
Frank Delmar		(10 episodes, 1959-1962)

Series Makeup Department
Kiva Hoffman	....	makeup artist / make-up (102 episodes, 1959-1963)
Irene Beshon	....	hair stylist (50 episodes, 1959-1961)
Anna Malin	....	hair stylist (8 episodes, 1961-1962)
Jane Chabra	....	hair stylist (7 episodes, 1962-1963)
Jean Udko	....	hair stylist (5 episodes, 1961-1962)
Beth Langston	....	hair stylist (3 episodes, 1961-1962)
David Newell	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1959-1962)
Merle Reeves	....	hair stylist (2 episodes, 1961-1963)
Lorraine Roberson	....	hair stylist / makeup artist (2 episodes, 1962)

Series Production Management
Marvin Stuart	....	production manager (71 episodes, 1960-1963)
Argyle Nelson	....	production supervisor (60 episodes, 1959-1961)
Jerry Thorpe	....	executive in charge of production (43 episodes, 1961-1963)
James Paisley	....	production supervisor (40 episodes, 1961-1963)
Lloyd Richards	....	production manager (28 episodes, 1959-1960)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sergei Petschnikoff	....	assistant director (39 episodes, 1959-1961)
Vincent McEveety	....	assistant director (28 episodes, 1959-1961)
Ted Schilz	....	assistant director (20 episodes, 1961-1963)
Bud Grace	....	assistant director (18 episodes, 1960-1963)
Russ Haverick	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1960-1963)
Marvin Stuart	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1960)
Lou Watt	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Alan Levine	....	property master (42 episodes, 1959-1963)
Irving A. Feinberg	....	property master (30 episodes, 1959-1962)
Kenneth L. Westcott	....	property master (12 episodes, 1961-1962)
Don Smith	....	property master (7 episodes, 1959-1963)
Charles West	....	property master (3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Al Joyce	....	property master (2 episodes, 1959)

Series Sound Department
Joseph G. Sorokin	....	sound editor / supervising sound editor (69 episodes, 1959-1963)
T.T. Triplett	....	sound engineer (47 episodes, 1959-1961)
S.G. Haughton	....	sound engineer (40 episodes, 1961-1963)
Cam McCulloch	....	sound engineer (29 episodes, 1959-1962)
Ross Taylor	....	sound editor (24 episodes, 1961-1963)
Josef von Stroheim	....	sound editor / supervising sound editor (16 episodes, 1959-1960)
Wayne Fury	....	sound editor (7 episodes, 1961)
Karl Zint	....	sound engineer (6 episodes, 1959)
John Post	....	sound editor (2 episodes, 1961)

Series Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	special effects (unknown episodes)
A. Paul Pollard	....	special effects (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (52 episodes, 1961-1963)
Carol Daniels	....	stunt double: Barbara Luna (2 episodes, 1959-1962)

Series Casting Department
Kerwin Coughlin	....	casting (28 episodes, 1959-1960)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frank Delmar	....	costumer / wardrobe / ... (102 episodes, 1959-1963)
Byron Munson	....	costumer (2 episodes, 1960)

Series Editorial Department
Bill Heath	....	editorial supervisor / supervising editor (99 episodes, 1959-1963)

Series Music Department
Nelson Riddle	....	composer: theme music / composer: themes (118 episodes, 1959-1963)
Robert H. Raff	....	music supervisor / music editor (71 episodes, 1960-1963)
Ted Roberts	....	music supervisor (28 episodes, 1959-1960)
Wilbur Hatch	....	music supervisor (16 episodes, 1960-1963)
Julian Davidson	....	music coordinator (12 episodes, 1962-1963)

Series Other crew
Harry Fried	....	story editor (60 episodes, 1959-1961)
Kellam de Forest	....	researcher (41 episodes, 1961-1963)
Arthur Fellows	....	assistant to executive producer (27 episodes, 1959-1960)
Del Reisman	....	story editor (21 episodes, 1961-1962)

Production Companies

• Desilu Productions
• Langford Productions

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1959-1963) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Paramount International Television (2004) (Non-USA) (TV)
• Desilu Studios
• Paramount Pictures
• Super! Drama TV (2006) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Glen Glenn Sound  sound (as Glen Glenn Sound Co.)
• Howard Anderson Company, The  photographic effects (as Howard Anderson Co.)
• Stalmaster-Lister Co.  casting

Runtime:

60 min (118 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

According to testimony from Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno, a Mafia boss turned FBI informant, the Chicago family of the Mafia ordered the assassination of the show's producer Desi Arnaz because they didn't like, (a) the fact that the success of the show was focusing attention on the Mafia, and (b) the show's portrayal of Italians. Fratianno said that two hitmen hid themselves near Arnaz's house one night waiting for him to show up, but he never did. Shortly afterwards the assassination order was rescinded when it was realized that Arnaz's murder would cause the Mafia more trouble than it was worth.

Quotes:

Police Officer: There is nothing in that area... except an old abandoned warehouse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis: There's Always Room for One Less (#4.26)" (1963)

One of the greatest television series ever

I must differ only slightly from the praise of one who precedes me, but yes, it was a cracking good show! When a local station ran the series in syndication at midnight in 1967, I turned into an insomniac.

Part of it was my youth; part was/is the b&w presentation giving it a brooding, "gritty" (pardon the cliche) flavour; part was the musical score. Frankly, I found it much superior to the colour and more mature (?) series recently under the same title. Possibly the early '60s series had the elements of a morality play that move some part of me that the more ambiguous -- and in places historically accurate -- new UNTOUCHABLES can not.

One thing bothers me, however, although I fully understand that in the television productions of forty years ago one had to be discrete. It concerns the depictions of violence. I do not object (within reason) to violence per se, but THE UNTOUCHABLES showed a lot of it without the horror. With a more jaundiced eye of the 1990s, when on very rare occasions I have been able to see an old time episode, I am struck by the trivialisation of violent scenes. Even the point-blank firearms shots are comically muted, and there is never a hint of flying blood.

That said, however, I consider the advent of THE UNTOUCHABLES and BONANZA in the 1959-60 season as the beginning of the REAL "golden age of television" in the United States.

Post scriptum: I am sure there were a couple of spin-off "made for TV" movies in the 1960s from the series. Of that I know nothing more save the title of one of them: THE GUN OF ZANGARA.