Coronet Blue

This show made the summer of 1967. Frank Converse was out of this world. I followed everything he ever did after that, but he didn't do much. Brian Bedford went on to Broadway. We tuned in just to see how much, if anything, he would learn that week. If only they would re-run it. Today it would be a cult classic (even if it was in black and white) I am sure. Or maybe they could remake it. I would certainly watch.

I have read various accounts of the premise of Coronet Blue and how the pilot episode opens. There are two details I vividly remember differently and was wondering if anyone else noted them as I did. Most interesting is the origin of the series title. Some websites state Frank Converse's character climbs out of the water himself and mumbles only two words: "Coronet Blue" - hence, the title. I watched the pilot episode the night it first aired on television. Specifically, he was pulled from the water by other people, and unconscious at that. The people go through his pockets looking for identification, but the only thing he has on him is a matchbook with a design of a blue coronet (crown) on the outside of it. Doesn't anyone else remember that detail?

I see this on SuperChannel, which is a Japanese cable channel that's basically a graveyard for short-lived American TV shows. (Shaft, Serpico, Funny Face,...etc.) I got into it quickly.

This is obviously the inspiration for Matt Damon's 'Bourne' films.

The amnesia angle was played very well. Watching Frank Converse do what he felt he needed to do without knowing WHY was eerie.

You really felt for the guy. I'm surprised this show wasn't a hit and Converse wasn't a bigger star.

It was apparent that the cold war was the 'hidden' secret. But since the show never made it...we never really found out until Larry Cohen told us himself.

I never missed a show I thought Frank Converse was dreamy and very well cast. Every show made you think the next one was for sure going to reveal the secret that would unravel Michaels life. I can still hear the theme song in my head. I wish someone would have picked and the ball and ran with it! It's a shame a hit show just fell to the wayside..:(

Haven't thought of this fine series in ages. Then, suddenly that phrase that so haunted Frank Converse jumped into my head and I did a search. What do I get? The answer to the mystery. Thanks IMDb and like-minded fans. "Coronet Blue" was shot several years earlier than it's summer '67 airing. I remember this from a TV Guide article and I think we knew we'd never know the outcome. Is that possible? Was there a hope it's summer airing with less than a season of episodes might lead to its revival? I prayed so and caught every episode. Strong premise, Converse's intensity plus humanity, was convincing. And I have always recalled the camaraderie of Converse's running man and two other characters. I think one ran a coffee shop or bar and the third might have been black. Sadly, I've never heard of it resurfacing, which means it's probably rotting in some leaky vault. Please, how about a DVD set with at least an interview with Larry Cohen. "Coronet Blue" and my romance with Debbie Fink were the highlights of the summer of 1967.