Forgotten TV: 21 Beacon Street (1959)

 21 Beacon Street was the first series from Filmways, which, admittedly, was much more successful with sitcoms than they were with dramas over the course of 23 years (1959-82)

Film star Dennis Morgan, in his only series lead role, was Dennis Chase, a private investigator that police and ordinary citizens alike turned to for help. Brian Kelly (later of Flipper) and Joanna Barnes co-starred.

Launched as a summer replacement for Tennessee Ernie Ford's NBC variety show, 21 Beacon Street lasted just 11 weeks, with the reruns moving to ABC in the winter of 1960. Filmways would not place another primetime series on NBC until the evening edition of Hollywood Squares a few years later.

In this sampler, Chase sets up a plan to take down a crooked boxing promoter.

Part of the reason this series failed was there was already quite a bit of crime drama on the networks at that time. It happens.

Rating: B.