The F.B.I.

"The FBI" is one of those wonderful old shows I remember from when I was a kid, and it was great finding it being rerun on the "American Life" channel.

There was no question who the good guys and bad guys were, and Inspector Lewis Erskine is as straitlaced as they come, he and Sargent Friday were two of a kind.

The theme music is perfect, it has a serious solidity to it, and the writing is just what it should be. I also love seeing all the new, old cars, and seeing what high technology (like their computers) was in those days helps us to appreciate what we have today.

Great show, well worth watching again.

Indeed, yes, I remember this series... and I don't believe I've seen it in reruns myself, although I'm aware of it being rerun on stations I could not receive. I think I tuned into this two to four years before it came to an end in 1974. I am old enough to remember that the show was produced with the cooperation of the director of the FBI, whats-his-name, um, J. Edgar Hoover. The last season or so had different names since Hoover had died.

I really liked the way they set up the episodes, showed the crimes being initiated, the charges being shown on the screen. The oft-repeated scene of showing Erskine listening on the phone at the same time as a crime victim or victim's family. Erskine going under cover, like masquerading as a blind man. The high school boys trapping a friend in an old mine shaft or whatever and discovering, just after they were arrested, that the field had been leveled and buried with fill.

This would be good to see on DVD, but I'd be happy if it was rerun on one of the cable specialty channels.

I don't think it was an accident that The FBI came to television when it did and left when it did. If J. Edgar Hoover was one thing it was that he was conscious of the image of his agency. He really did personally supervise films like The Street With No Name, The House On 92nd Street, and The FBI Story, anything where the Bureau was involved. And it was never shown in a bad light.

But in 1965 we had just lost a president through assassination and while the FBI does not have direct responsibility for presidential protection, the rumblings about Hoover's relationship with the Kennedys were being heard. I think Hoover felt that the FBI needed some good publicity so this show was aired.

It wasn't a bad show, it wasn't the best police action adventure show on television, but it had its share of well acted episodes. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. was a stalwart defender of law and order and he was ably assisted first by Stephen Brooks and later William Reynolds for most of the show's run and then Shelley Novack. Take a look at the cat list, a whole lot of people who later became prominent appeared in this show.

Hoover died in 1972, rather suddenly and the FBI then became a casualty of the Watergate Scandal. It was put forth in that film The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover that if Hoover had lived a few more years, Watergate would never have seen the light of day. I think there's some truth to that. In any event acting director L. Patrick Gray was forced to resign in the whole Watergate mess and a show about The FBI just wasn't a big item any more for television.

Indirectly I think the show was a casualty of Watergate as well though it was probably nearing its end in any event. No coincidence it ended in the year Richard Nixon resigned as president.

Still The FBI is both a reflection of the times and it somehow stood outside the changes that were going on in America during its run.

For years, this show ran opposite the Disney show and "Bonanza," yet I personally preferred watching this one because it seemed more realistic. Years later, it is clear this show is still VERY watchable. Watergate, the loss of faith in government it caused and the resulting trauma led to the show being canceled in 1974.

Never mind what went on in J. Edgar Hoover's life. The show is acted with a genuine sincerity, and reflects the decency of the majority of the FBI agents in the field. The acting is very good, and one can also see many interesting guest stars. Just seeing Efrem Zimbalist Jr. alone is a delight. Indeed, it took over the mantle for "The Twilight Zone," as a show where so many performers could show their work. Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas did early performances, and it also had such seasoned performers as Gene Tierney and Jessica Tandy.

This was one show that may not have had the flash of "Batman," "The Avengers" or "The Smothers Brothers Show," but it had enough staying power to last nine years. And for a time, it was the longest-running crime drama on TV.

The first season focused more on the human element. While the late Stephen Brooks was a good actor, I loved what William Reynolds did as SAC Tom Colby from 1967 to 1973. Shelly Novack also did a great job, proving the show did not "jump the shark." Incidentally, Messrs. Zimbalist and Reynolds and Lynn Loring (who played Inspector Erskine's daughter, Barbara) are, as of 2012, the surviving lead cast members.

If the show itself did not fully reflect the reality of the Bureau, the stories told and the acting make up for it. It is a fun piece of film making from the 1960s and '70s. And I am glad to see the series coming on DVD.

I remember watching this great crime drama as a child every Sunday night with my Father. He was a big fan of the show and I got to be one also. Ephrem Zimbelist Jr. was great in the part and the stories were always very believable. I think this was one of the best crime dramas ever made. (I'd rank this one up there with Dragnet.)

My complaint is: Please bring back this wonderful series in reruns! I do not think I've seen it since it went off the air in 1974 and I'd love to see it again. It's hard to believe a great show like this was never shown in syndication.

The great shows are the ones that are many times overlooked.