''Markham'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

series starring Ray Milland, which aired on CBS from May 2, 1959 until September 15, 1960 during the 1958–1959 and 1959–1960 seasons following '' Gunsmoke'' on Saturday nights (later appearing on Thursday nights at 9:30 P.M. Eastern, after January 1960), under the sponsorship of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. At the beginning of the second season,

Liggett & Myers Liggett Group ( ), formerly known as Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, is the fourth largest tobacco company in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Durham, North Carolina, though its manufacturing facility is 30 miles to the west in ...

became an alternate sponsor, succeeded by

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

when the series moved to Thursdays.

Plot

Milland played

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

and attorney Roy Markham (previously introduced in a June 1958 ''Suspicion'' episode, "Eye For An Eye"). In that Markham had been a successful lawyer, he had the leisure to take detective cases based on his own interest. His fees could vary from the very considerable for his wealthier and corporate clients, to nothing for those who desperately needed his services but had few financial means. Markham's cases could take him almost anywhere in the world, although he was based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In the early episodes of this program, Markham had an assistant, John Riggs ( Simon Scott), but the Riggs character was written out after only a few programs had aired, leaving Markham to solve crimes solo.

Guest stars

Dayton Lummis appeared as Howard Fulton in the 1959 episode titled "The Father".

Elen Willard Elen Willard (born November 19, 1935) is an American retired character actress who worked in American network dramatic television series from 1960-66. Her first aired performance was a supporting role in a 1960 episode of the short-lived CBS ...

made her acting debut as Deidre Waugh in the 1960 segment "The Bad Spell". Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., played Chief Gomez in the 1959 episode "The Bay of the Dead".

Carole Mathews Carole Mathews (born Jean Deifel, also credited as Jeanne Francis; September 13, 1920 – November 6, 2014) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Montgomery, Illinois, near Chicago, Mathews lived with her grandmoth ...

appeared as Jan Van Pelt in another 1959 episode, "The Glass Diamond".

Episodes

Season 1 (1959)

Season 2 (1959–60)

References

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows''

External links

* {{IMDb title 1950s American crime drama television series 1960s American crime drama television series 1959 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings American detective television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming Television series by Universal Television Television shows set in New York City