Johnny Midnight
Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Arthur Batanides, Barney Phillips, Yuki Shimoda
First Aired: January 3, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000* per episode with inflation
A few decades back, private detective shows were all the rage. In case you didn’t know, that was the case. Despite the fact that they are still popular now, back in the 1960s, every network was scrambling to find success with one. Johnny Midnight was a television series that centered on a tough New York City detective played by Edmond O’Brien. The narration in this MCA crime thriller was comparable to that of Walter Winchell or Humphrey Bogart, who both played detectives. Additionally, Arthur Batanides played Sergeant Olvera, Barney Phillips played Lieutenant Geller and Yuki Shimoda played Uki, in addition to O’Brien’s performance as the main character. Whitney Blake, Joey Flynn, J. Pat O’Malley, and other celebrities made cameo cameos on Johnny Midnight. Many aspects of the series pay homage to shows that came before it, including the use of cinema noir settings and narration provided by the title character.
Johnny Midnight
Sea Hunt
Starring: Lloyd Bridges
First Aired: January 4, 1958
Number of Seasons: 4
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation
It can be difficult to direct and even more difficult to raise the necessary funds for underwater adventures, yet something about Sea Hunt seemed to connect. Even now, the action-adventure television series is regarded as a great testimony to the genre’s achievements. Lloyd Bridges played the starring role of Mike Nelson, a former Navy frogman, in the film. During his tenure as an independent scuba diver, Nelson is called upon to lend a hand when things go wrong. It was a combination of stock footage of underwater settings and post-production work that created the breathtaking backdrop for this MGM drama. Many of the scenes for Sea Hunt were shot in some of the most beautiful locales on the planet, including Grand Bahama Island and Paradise Cove. The dramatic and engaging series drew in viewers from the start, and the show’s ratings remained above water for the whole four-season duration of the show. Despite its widespread success, Sea Hunt came to an early end when complications with syndication arose, thereby eliminating any hope of further episodes being broadcast.
Sea Hunt
