The F.B.I.

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.

Now that the show is back in syndication, I've watched as many as I can and see some major differences between the early shows (1965 or so) and later ones (in the early 70s). The early ones SHOWED more violence and often the bad guys were "pushing up daisies" by the end of the show. Later, the FBI agents hardly ever shot the bad guys or if they did it was just in the leg or arm--hardly realistic, but an apparent bow to overly sensitive pressure groups that had grown in the early 1970s. Also, while Inspector Erskine shot a lot of crooks, they tended to be non-lethal shots in later shows.

Another difference is by the end of the series, the FBI and its abuses had come to light...such as warrantless wiretaps, warrentless breakins and the like. So, to counter this, Inspector Erskine OFTEN would ask things like "makes sure we have a warrant"!

Finally, the earlier episodes made the characters seem a little more human--often, Erskine was shown with a good looking woman or would complain about having to work too hard, while later he was pretty much a robot. Finally, the earlier episodes were occasionally more histrionic--sometimes too much and some times very juicy and exciting! In general, I prefer the earlier shows--they may have been a little campier, but they seemed more exciting. Still, despite this, it's an exceptional series and holds up very well today.

"The FBI",appearing on ABC-TV from 1965 to 1974,was the longest running series from the prolific offices of QM Productions,the production company guided by the powerful television producer,Quinn Martin. Long time Martin associate and former writer Philip Saltzman produced this series for QM with the endorsement and cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For the nine years that it ran on the ABC-TV network this show ran opposite,"The Wonderful World Of Disney","Lassie", "Bonanza", and "The Ed Sullivan Show". This was in fact an Sunday night institution of entertainment that even after some 30 years off the air,it was one of the most realistic cop shows of all time,second to another successful crime drama show,"Dragnet".

"The FBI",marked the first time that Quinn Martin productions chronicled the exploits of an actual federal law enforcement body and each episode was subject not only to general Bureau approval,but to the personnel approval of director J. Edgar Hoover. And in each episode came with the proper procedure for bringing down and indicting some of the most dangerous criminals that were on the Bureau's most wanted list and bringing them to justice. This was a show that was acted in the utmost accuracy and exclusive detail with a genuine sincerity,and it reflected on the decency and majority of the FBI agents in the field,since most of the acting and the action sequences kept viewers tuned in each week. The show featured the brilliant talents of Efrem Zimbalist,Jr. as FBI Inspector Lewis Erskine. During the show's first two seasons(1965-1967), Agent Jim Rhodes(Stephen Brooks),was Erskine's associate and boyfriend to Erskine's daughter(Lynn Loring). But it was during the show's third season,that Brooks left the show,and he was replaced by Agent Tom Colby (William Reynolds),who was Erskine's sidekick for the remainder of the series. All the principals answered to Agent Arthur Ward(Philip Abbott) who was the head of the division of the FBI Offices along with the head of security for the FBI(Lex Barker). During the series run,these individuals were the infantry in an endless battle of crime,and received its assurance from those in the Bureau. Several more FBI agents joined the cause including,during the show's final season,a female agent,Chris Daniels(Shelly Novack),and a African-American agent appeared on the last season of the series.

The series drew critical scorn but it was very successful for ABC,slipping in and out of the Top Twenty shows for the nine years of its run,and quickly rising to the tenth position of the Nielsens during the 1970-1971 season. This was one of Quinn Martin's most successful show and it was second only to his other venture,the drama,"The Fugitive",which was on the same network for four seasons(1963-1967). One thing that was interesting about this show. Toward the end of each episode,Efrem Zimbalist,Jr. would step out of his character and would present the audience pictures of some of the most wanted criminals in America and request assistance in capturing them(the same format that is used today by John Walsh of America's Most Wanted). One of the most prominent names from this segment was James Earl Ray,the man who assassinated the civil rights leader,Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr. Another interesting concept was that in almost every episode,you get to see these FBI agents or criminals always driving around in a new Ford product,since the show's sponsor was The Ford Motor Company,and even at the ending credits you always saw Inspector Erskine driving towards his Washington,DC brownstone in a shiny brand new Ford product.

Shortly after the series left the air in 1974,Quinn Martin produced two made-for-television films,"The FBI versus Alvin Karpis"(1974),and the Emmy nominated "The FBI versus the Ku Klux Klan"(1975). What really canceled this successful show? For one,the loss in faith with the government,the scandal at Watergate,and trauma leading to the resignation of President Nixon,and the distrust of the Vietnam War,led ABC's decision to pull the plug on this brilliant show,which was still in the Top Ten of the Nielsens when it was cancelled.

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.