New Orleans, Bourbon Street

I got to see this series on 7 February 2005 on GoodLife TV, and it is a series that wears well. Of all the Warner Brothers TV Detective series, I think this may be the crown jewel, because it is supposed to be set in New Orleans, away from the glamor and glitter of Hollywood.

The two main characters are played by Andrew Duggan and Richard Long, who do a great job. Van Williams was one year away from his starring role on Surfside 6, and seven away from The Green Hornet, but is still fun to watch. Definitely a 1959 series that did well, as did Johnny Staccato, and it should be released on DVD. Hopefully, GoodLife TV will continue to show this series.

The location was great, the characters were great, the cast was great. So why only one season? The reason became clear about 2/3 of the way through the season. Early on, BSB's New Orleans was full of black people and white people mixing together - whites still held the privileged spots, mind you, but black people had jobs and dignity and white private eyes had no problem working with them and even visiting them in their homes. Then, suddenly, all the black musical bands became white. All the black people on the street disappeared. Even the Baron, head of the band at the Absinthe House, disappeared with his black band and a white band replaced them. (Note, the Baron was played by Eddie Cole, Nat "King" Cole's older brother - Nat's own tv show was canceled, by him, only 3 years earlier because they couldn't get any sponsors for the show by a black man even if he was Nat "King" Cole).. White USA in 1959 was not interested in seeing black people and white people together, and that interaction was what gave BSB's New Orleans its flavor and made it the background to its stories more interesting. Without that NO flavor, BSB was more like just another 77 Sunset Strip, and not the series it was really born to be. Kudos and respect to everyone involved in taking a chance at integration, even if the US wasn't ready for it - the product was very good, and maybe it helped us in the long run.

Two of the characters went on - Rex Randolph (Richard Long) to 77 Sunset Strip and Kenny Madison (Van Williams) to Surfside Six. Long, whose career began in film in 1945, went on to other series (The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor) but had suffered an early heart attack at age 33 and died at 47, in 1974, working steadily to the end and set to appear in All the President's Men when he passed. Andrew Duggan (Cal Calhoun in BSB) went on to do Lancer and Van Williams went on to do The Green Hornet.

I understand Arlene Howell left the series early because she became pregnant, and that she did not work in the industry after that.

A New Orleans PI's adventures in the late fifties Big Easy. Excellent representation of New Orleans street life, this was ahead of its time which probably contributed to its relitively short run. Great actors, great writing, I hope its syndicated someday. Its being transferred to video tape by some diehard fans, you can pick it up on EBAY and its well worth the trouble.

This was one of four detective shows from Warner Brothers, four of a couple dozen series they did for ABC, (that MADE that network), from the mid 50's to the early 60's under the stewardship of William Orr and with the creative genius of Roy Huggins, (who later came up with the best show of all time, "The Fugitive"). Huggins had fancied himself a detective writer in the 40's and came up with Stuart Bailey, an Ivy Leaguer with a background in World War II intelligence who set up his own detective agency in Los Angeles. When Huggins became a story editor for Warners, it was decided to create a show around the Bailey character, 77 Sunset Strip, which debut in 1958. They gave Bailey a partner, Jeff Spencer and created the character of Kookie, the parking lot attendant, for comic relief. It set the stage for the other three, similar shows, each with a pair, (or three) handsome detectives operating in glamorous or exotic locations. Warner's learned you needed a pretty girl involved and the comic relief. they also learned from "Peter Gunn" that a musical interlude would occasionally be welcome.

"Bourbon Street Beat", set in New Orleans, debuted in 1959. So did "Hawaiian Eye", from Honolulu and in 1960 came "Surfside Six" from Miami Beach. Each had a catchy theme tune from Mack David and Jerry Livingstone. The plots were not very inspired but serviceable, (they serviced many episodes, being frequently reused). Sometimes, Warner's would do versions of novels they owned the rights to or TV remakes of some of their classic movies of the past, such as "Strangers on a Train" or "Dial M for Murder", in the guise of episodes of these shows. Characters from one show would show up on another, either in crossover episodes or full scale transfers of characters to be new members of the casts. This was easy because the shows were not shot on location: it was all done in LA.

The real difference in the shows were the cast members themselves. "77 Sunset Strip" had the charming and talented Ephram Zimbalist Jr. and Roger Smith. It also had the "Fonzie" of the 50's, Edd Byrnes. But it lacked a significant female regular or the musical interludes. "Bourbon Street Beat" had the charming and talented Richard Long, who took his charm and talent to Sunset Strip after BSB folded in 1960. It also had craggy character actor Andrew Duggan, young pretty boy Van Williams and Arlene Howell, a slightly ditzy southern belle. No one here was musically inclined but a jazz combo did a turn from time to time. "Hawaiian Eye" had it all. Anthony Eisley was a competent but slightly boring lead. Young Robert Konrad had the most charisma of any of them. Connie Stevens was a cute songbird who belted out the classic tin pan alley and show tunes. Poncie Ponce was a ukulele strumming cab driver who knew every place and every one or had a cousin who did. "Surfside Six" was maybe the weakest entry. Lee Patterson had some presence and acting ability but Van Williams, (over from BSB) and Troy Donahue were attractive but talent challenged. Marguerite Sierra was a cliched Latin Spitfire songstress, (who unfortunately died young of a heart ailment). Diane McBain was attractive window dressing.

The other main difference was the setting. "77 Sunset Strip" was about glamorous people up to no good or international intrigue, (and Stu Bailey traveled a lot more than these other guys did). "Hawaiian Eye" was exotic- perhaps a little too much so with an occasional embarrassing story about witch doctors and voodoo type curses and such. Natives were played by guys from Jersey and Chicago in the grand tradition. Surfside Six had a beachboy look to it. Bourbon Street beat was darker and more mysterious. New Orleans at that time was not a tourist trap but a relic of the old south in which Miss Havisham's cake might have seemed at home.

But they were all pretty solid entertainment. If you liked one, I'm sure you'd like them all- if you could find them. They are all in black and white, so cable stations are loathe to show them It seems that the moment a younger audience sees those monotones, they turn the stations. It's too bad. They don't know what they're missing.

The Warner Brothers detective clone factory came out with a model that didn't sell. Perhaps had Jack Warner actually shot the thing in New Orleans, taking advantage of the many sights and wonders the Big Easy has to offer Bourbon Street Beat would have had a longer run.

This show featured three detectives Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, and Van Williams with a curvaceous secretary named Melody played by beauty queen Arlene Howell. As with the other shows 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, and Surfside Six detectives in a hands across the studio policy helped each other out on cases. Certainly did save Jack Warner on spending money for pricey guest stars.

Bourbon Street Beat only lasted one year, the shortest of any of the clones. But the resourceful folks at Warner Brothers had Van Williams move to Miami Beach and open a detective agency on a houseboat there, long before Frank Sinatra and Don Johnson would operate from same. Williams took his Ken Madison character and over to Surfside 6 and co-starred with Lee Patterson and Troy Donahue. In the meantime Richard Long as Rex Randolph moved to the other coast and joined the guys at 77 Sunset Strip..

As for Andrew Duggan, a few years after Bourbon Street Beat was canceled he popped up on a 77 Sunset Strip episode assisting Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. when a case took him to New Orleans. Duggan's Cal Calhoun character had gone back to the New Orleans PD from whence he came.

It was like they cannibalized parts from one model fix up their other cars. It maybe what makes Bourbon Street Beat unique among forgotten television series.