''Official Detective'' is an American

anthology television series An anthology series is a written series, radio program, radio, television show, television, film series, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, Season (television) ...

which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor

Everett Sloane Everett H. Sloane (October 1, 1909 – August 6, 1965) was an American character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films, and television. Early life Sloane was born in Manhattan on October 1, 1909, to Nathaniel I. Sloane and Rose (Gerst ...

.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books. .

Overview

The production of the first pilot was announced in December 1956. The story dealt with the slaying of a woman where the main challenge is to identify the body. Mort Briskin was the producer, and Lee Sholem was the director. The episodes of ''Official Detective'' are archived at the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the film preservation, preservation, film studies, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As a nonpro ...

in Los Angeles.UCLA Library Catalog
UCLA Library. Retrieved 2009-08-22. Episodes were produced for NTA at Desilu. Desilu employed professional detectives as technical advisers to ensure that procedures depicted in the program accurately represented real-life police work. Scripts were adapted from articles published in ''Official Detective'' magazine, and officials at the magazine reviewed the scripts' content for accuracy.

Critical response

Critic

Jack Gould John Ludlow Gould (February 5, 1914 – May 24, 1993) was an American journalist and critic, who wrote commentary about television. Early life and education Gould was born in New York City into a socially prominent family and attended the Loomis ...

, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', described the program as "another routine crime series", adding, "The major horror of the first episode was the senseless slaughter of half-hour by a very ancient blunt instrument." A review in the trade publication ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' called the program "another of this year's more solid entries into the syndication field". The review called the premiere episode's approach "a little too pedestrian". Although it said that some dialog was corny, it added that the show "has enough muscle to have planted a firm foot on the ground."

References

External links

*
''Official Detective'' at CVTA with episode link
1957 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings 1950s American anthology television series American detective television series Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Desilu Productions {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub