Brett Halliday's hard-nosed private eye, Michael Shayne, had been a success on radio, but, like a fair number of radio series, the transition from radio to television proved to be a tougher nut to crack.
A pilot had been shot in 1958 that didn't sell. Two years later, Four Star picked up a license to adapt Shayne for the small screen, having already scored a hit with Richard Diamond. Richard Denning (ex-Mr. & Mrs. North) was cast as Shayne. What resulted was a 1 season series that had the usual tropes of the genre, including the titular hero being routinely beaten up by a suspect's subordinates well before wrapping up the case.
In "Call For Michael Shayne", a corrupt politician tries to force Shayne to give up his latest case, reopening the death of the politico's wife, which had been ruled an accident.
Standard fare for the period. Because it lasted just 1 season, and deserved a better fate, despite airing opposite studio stablemate The Detectives, it never made it to syndication.
No rating.
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