Harbor Command

*Harbor Command*
Harbor Command
Genre	Action
Starring	Wendell Corey; Casey Walters
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	39
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 mins.
Production company	Ziv Television Programs
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	October 11, 1957 –; July 4, 1958

Harbor Command is an American police series that was syndicated,^[1] with 39 half-hour episodes produced in 1957-1958.^[2] A Spanish-language version was broadcast in Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.^[3]

Overview

The series stars Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, head of the Harbor Command^[1] of a large coastal city. Baxter and the officers in his unit fought "dope smugglers, murderers, and other assorted villains".^[2]

Baxter differed from other police officers in that he had studied criminal psychology, enabling him "to figure out what the criminal mind would do under certain circumstances."^[4]

Although series had a water setting, much of Baxter's activity occurred on land as he used his police car to track down suspects.^[1]

Production

The series was produced by Ziv Television Programs,^[5] with the assistance of the law enforcement arms of Harbor and Port Authorities across the country. Captain Richard Storm, of the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police, was credited as the technical adviser for the series.^{[citation needed]} Vernon Clark^[6] and Herbert Strock were producers, and Strock directed. Vincent Forte wrote for the series.^[7]

Corey said that he and Ziv received most of the revenue from sales of the show, which affected the quality of episodes. "There isn't enough left to get good supporting actors or buy good scripts," he said.^[8] He added that executives in production often made bad scripts worse with their own changes.^[8]

Two episodes were filmed in San Diego, with the show otherwise being based in San Francisco.^[9]

Hamm's Beer sponsored the show in 55 markets in mountain states, the Midwest and the Southwest, closing the deal in January 1957 before the show debuted that fall.^[10]

Ziv selected Character Merchandising of New York to create items for Harbor Command-related items for children. The first product was a four-foot fireboat that shot water.^[11]

Production expenses led Ziv to end the series after its 39-episode initial run.^[1]

Critical response

A review in The New York Times called Harbor Command "a sea-going version of the landlubbing crime stories that float around the television screens Friday nights this season."^[12] The review complimented the way ships and the waterfront contributed a "colorful backdrop" but added that without those elements "you have the same old whodunit stew."^[12]

The trade publication Variety's review of the premiere episode called Harbor Command "Dragnet in a nautical setting".^[7] It observed that Corey was "okay" in his role but that the episode's script should have been better. It concluded that the "generally run-of-the-mill production" had some high points, but the music reached "annoying proportions both in volume and number of repeats."^[7]

Guest stars

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Champhor Tubes aka Cop Killer"	Herbert L. Stock	Story by : Leo Handel Teleplay by : Vincent Forte	October 11, 1957 (1957-10-11)
2	2	"Murder On Pier 7 aka Camera Murder"	James Sheldon	Arthur Weiss	October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)
3	3	"Boat Bomb aka Time Bomb"	Leon Benson	Don Ingalls	October 25, 1957 (1957-10-25)
4	4	"The Bag aka Metallic Sodium"	Herbert L. Strock	Story by : Teleplay by : John Kneubuhl	November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
5	5	"Fisherman's League aka Protection Racket"	James Sheldon	Don Clark	November 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
6	6	"Frightened Witness aka Silent Watchman"	Leon Benson	William Driskill	November 15, 1957 (1957-11-15)
7	7	"The Assassin aka Hired Killer"	Leon Benson	Lee Berg	November 22, 1957 (1957-11-22)
8	8	"Counterfeit Money aka Counterfeit"	Sutton Roley	A. Sanford Wolfe and Irwin Winehouse	November 29, 1957 (1957-11-29)
9	9	"Final Score aka Frame-Up"	Sutton Roley	Don Ingalls	December 6, 1957 (1957-12-06)
10	10	"Dead on 'B' Deck aka Smuggled Jewels"	Lew Landers	Arthur Weiss	December 13, 1957 (1957-12-13)
11	11	"Ransom At Sea aka Kidnapping"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 20, 1957 (1957-12-20)
12	12	"Floating Transmitter aka Heroin"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 27, 1957 (1957-12-27)
13	13	"Illegal Entry aka Crime vs. The Media"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 3, 1958 (1958-01-03)
14	14	"Yacht Club aka Simple Burglary"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 10, 1958 (1958-01-10)
15	15	"Trapped Pilings aka Revenge"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 17, 1958 (1958-01-17)
16	16	"Harbor Mission aka Mission Hideout"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 24, 1958 (1958-01-24)
17	17	"Gold Smugglers aka Suicide or Murder"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 31, 1958 (1958-01-31)
18	18	"Contraband Diamonds aka $500,000 in Diamonds"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 7, 1958 (1958-02-07)
19	19	"The Big Hoax aka Top Man Junkie"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 14, 1958 (1958-02-14)
20	20	"The Witness aka Child Witness"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 21, 1958 (1958-02-21)
21	21	"Killer On My Doorstep aka Held Hostage"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 28, 1958 (1958-02-28)
22	22	"Four To Die aka Black Pearls"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 7, 1958 (1958-03-07)
23	23	"Hostage aka Newlywed Hostages"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 14, 1958 (1958-03-14)
24	24	"Rendezvous At Sea aka Kidnap-Murder"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 21, 1958 (1958-03-21)
25	25	"Right To Die aka Self-Paid Murder"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 28, 1958 (1958-03-28)
26	26	"Date With Eternity aka Distress Call"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 4, 1958 (1958-04-04)
27	27	"Sunken Gold aka Gold and Murder"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)
28	28	"Decoy aka Smuggled Plates"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 18, 1958 (1958-04-18)
29	29	"Arson aka Firebug"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 25, 1958 (1958-04-25)
30	30	"Shore Patrol aka Rolling the Navy"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 2, 1958 (1958-05-02)
31	31	"Smallpox"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 9, 1958 (1958-05-09)
32	32	"Ghost Ship aka Boat Adrift"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 16, 1958 (1958-05-16)
33	33	"Bum's Rush aka Murder Extortion"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 23, 1958 (1958-05-23)
34	34	"Lover's Lane Bandits"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 30, 1958 (1958-05-30)
35	35	"Lobster Smuggling"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 6, 1958 (1958-06-06)
36	36	"Clay Pigeon aka Stalking Capt. Baxter"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 13, 1958 (1958-06-13)
37	37	"The Phychiatrist aka Imaginary Insult"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 20, 1958 (1958-06-20)
38	38	"Sanctuary aka Internation Intrigue"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 27, 1958 (1958-06-27)
39	39	"Desperate Men aka Armed Robbery"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	July 4, 1958 (1958-07-04)

DVD release

On September 17, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Harbor Command- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Irvin, Richard (November 2, 2022). Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s. McFarland. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-1-4766-4770-8. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 422. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
^ "Ziv Overseas Release Click". Billboard. September 16, 1957. p. 15. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ "TV Dramas Are Not Dreamed Up — They Take Much Planning". The Boston Globe. September 29, 1957. p. 62. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "2 New Film Series on C. B. S. Agenda". The New York Times. January 30, 1957. p. 59. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ Fiset, Bill (September 27, 1957). "Old Film Keeps Actor Laughing". Oakland Tribune. p. E 27. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Harbor Command". Variety. October 16, 1957. p. 52. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Humphrey, Hal (July 6, 1958). "'If You Need Money, Don't Try TV Series'". Detroit Free Press. p. 42. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Pearson, Howard (October 30, 1957). "Wendell (Harbor Command) Corey Makes Personal Appearance Here". Deseret News and Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. p. 4 D. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Hamm's Buys Autumn Programming in Jan". Billboard. February 2, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ "Character Merch. To Handle Items For Ziv 'Harbot'". Billboard. September 2, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "TV Review: Corey Is Skipper in 'Harbor Command'". The New York Times. October 12, 1957. p. 39. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ Package Art Docks for 'The Complete Television Series' Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Harbor Command at IMDb
Harbor Command at CVTA

[pbtv-1] Irvin, Richard (November 2, 2022). Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s. McFarland. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-1-4766-4770-8. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[brooks-2] Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 422. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.

[3] "Ziv Overseas Release Click". Billboard. September 16, 1957. p. 15. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[4] "TV Dramas Are Not Dreamed Up — They Take Much Planning". The Boston Globe. September 29, 1957. p. 62. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "2 New Film Series on C. B. S. Agenda". The New York Times. January 30, 1957. p. 59. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[6] Fiset, Bill (September 27, 1957). "Old Film Keeps Actor Laughing". Oakland Tribune. p. E 27. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[v-7] "Harbor Command". Variety. October 16, 1957. p. 52. Retrieved March 31, 2023.

[dfp-8] Humphrey, Hal (July 6, 1958). "'If You Need Money, Don't Try TV Series'". Detroit Free Press. p. 42. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] Pearson, Howard (October 30, 1957). "Wendell (Harbor Command) Corey Makes Personal Appearance Here". Deseret News and Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. p. 4 D. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[bb-10] "Hamm's Buys Autumn Programming in Jan". Billboard. February 2, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[11] "Character Merch. To Handle Items For Ziv 'Harbot'". Billboard. September 2, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[nytreview-12] "TV Review: Corey Is Skipper in 'Harbor Command'". The New York Times. October 12, 1957. p. 39. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

[13] Package Art Docks for 'The Complete Television Series' Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine

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