Highway Patrol

"Highway Patrol" episodes are especially compelling because they are almost all action. There is very little talk. Compare it to "Dragnet," which is almost all talk and very little action. "Highway Patrol" episodes generally start with a crime, and when Dan Mathews and his team are called in, they snap to and get busy. There is no banter around the police station.

Part of this is because of the 30-minute format. There just wasn't time to set everything up. They had to use every minute to develop and resolve the story.

The compelling drama makes it hard to get up, even for a minute. I wish TV shows were still like this. "24" was like this, but just about every other crime drama wastes a lot of screen time with banter and nonsense.

Just about every episode of "Highway Patrol" is a good ride.

There has been much fun made of the part played by Broderick Crawford---and much denigration accorded the show in general. I have a complete collection of the series. I watch them when I need a fix from the current workaday world of crime now overwhelming law-enforcement...and the courts allowing it to happen.

Crawford, whose mom and dad worked the Vaudeville circuit, was a very talented and forceful visage in "Highway Patrol". One didn't have to look like Clark Gable in order to portray a dedicated cop. No, he wasn't pretty. Yes, he looked like an unmade bed. But, that just added authenticity to the show in my 15-19 year old (at the time) eyes.

I would have hated being interrogated by him even if I hadn't done anything wrong. Think about how much more latitude the first line of law-enforcement had during that show's time. It started four years before the passage of the Miranda Act. Folks who got too chirpy with "the law" in those days, learned a pretty good lesson before they even got locked up. Wish it still held true. Buddy Buchanan

Although I often watch this show because I remember watching it as a little girl and still enjoy the plots and acting, my husband watches because he enjoys seeing all of the 1950's cars. He drools over them because they are in pristine condition, a condition that is impossible to find even at car shows. He especially likes the the late 50's Chrysler Corporation cars. He also enjoys seeing the Los Angeles area locations, especially Griffith Park where so many of the chases take place. He also enjoys all of the train stations. Many of them are no longer there, and the ones that remain aren't in the beautiful condition they are in this show. Surprisingly quite a few shows have people getting on and off passenger trains. I would recommend this show if you enjoy police procedural and 1950's ambiance.

I was about 14 when this show first aired and like most teenagers I used to like the cars and the car chases. My uncle had a 1955 Buick Century hardtop and I would pretend that it was a Highway Patrol Car. I saw a few poor copies lately and the production values were rough but I still wish I had some good copies of the shows. Too bad they are not on video.

The music. Do you remember the starting theme? It defined action, and a warning. Too bad the series isn't run more often. Very hard to find anywhere. It used to be on a local private station KOFY-TV 20 out of San Francisco, but our local service provider didn't want to use channel 20 anymore, so we lost out. I remember watching the series as a child in Seattle, and never missed a show. I now live next door to a CHP Officer and it's strange. A very nice family man, couldn't ask for better neighbors. My 2 nephews are now enrolled in the CHP Cadet Explorer program and I help them study the 10 codes. I'll never forget that opening music to "Highway Patrol". Those of you who have heard it, know what I mean.