Dark of Night

Dark of Night
GenreAnthology
StarringShirley Jones
Alan Hale, Jr.
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerFrank Bunetta
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time25 minutes
Original release
NetworkDuMont
ReleaseOctober 3, 1952 (1952-10-03) –
May 1, 1953 (1953-05-01)

Dark of Night is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on the DuMont Television Network on Fridays at 8:30pm EST[1] from October 3, 1952, to May 1, 1953.[2]

The series starred mostly unknown actors. In it, the character known as "The Stranger" traveled to a different site each week in order to solve a crime. Each episode was filmed at a different location in the New York City area. , Locations included a Coca-Cola bottling plant, Brentano's book store in Manhattan, a castle in New Jersey, and the American Red Cross Blood Bank.[1] Dark of Night was one of the first network dramas to use such locations, which saved money for the network.[3]

Actors who performed on the program included Joel Ashley,[4] Raymond Bailey,[5] Martin Balsam,[6] Patricia Barry,[5] Wolfe Barzell,[6] Ray Boyle,[5] Frank Campanella,[7] Flora Campbell,[8] Hal Cooper,[7] Joe Downing,[9] Bramwell Fletcher,[10] Scott Forbes,[11] Joey Forman,[10] Joy Geffen,[12] Lauren Gilbert,[8] Bruce Gordon,[8] Leo Gordon,[13] Sally Gracie,[14] Allan Hale,[15] Peg Hillias,[7] Betty Lou Holland,[4] Joseph Holland,[16] Arch Johnson,[9] Bernard Kates,[6] Brian Keith (as Robert Keith Jr.),[17] Jack Klugman,[18] Doreen Lang,[19] Will Lee,[20] Paul Lipson,[21] George Lowther,[5] Jock MacGregor,[9] Jack Manning,[13] Bill McCutcheon,[22] Mercer McLeod,[23] Robert Middleton,[4] Dick Moore,[9] Lois Nettleton,[17] Allen Nourse,[19] Vince O'Brien,[15] Judson Pratt,[9] Logan Ramsey,[22] Hal Riddle,[8] Norman Rose,[24] P. Jay Sidney,[6] Art Smith,[24] John Stanley,[19] Rod Steiger,[14] Harold Stone,[20] Michael Strong,[12] Grant Sullivan,[16] Victor Thorley,[15] Harry Townes,[19] Peter Turgeon,[18] Richard Ward,[21] and Ruth White.[25]

When the program was canceled, the trade publication Variety reported that it "had good critical reaction but no sponsor interest".[26]

Production

Dark of Night was broadcast live. Frank Bunetta was the producer and director.[2] Preparation for each episode began with selection of the set to be used. Then a writer was chosen to write a script suited to the set, after which actors were chosen for the cast.[27]

Episode status

Though most episodes of DuMont series were eventually destroyed, the UCLA Film and Television Archive has one episode of Dark of Night, from January 30, 1953.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  2. ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 198. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  3. ^ Weinstein, David (2004). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Temple University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-59213-499-1. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Friday February 27". Ross Reports on Television. February 29, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Friday March 13". Ross Reports on Television. March 15, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Friday December 12". Ross Reports on Television. December 14, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Friday May 1". Ross Reports on Television. May 3, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d "Friday November 28". Ross Reports. November 30, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Friday March 20". Ross Reports on Television. March 22, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Friday October 17". Ross Reports on Television. October 19, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  11. ^ "Friday January 23". Ross Reports. January 26, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Friday October 31". Ross Reports on Television. November 2, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Friday October 10". October 12, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Friday April 17". Ross Reports on Television. April 19, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c "Friday January 23". Ross Reports on Television. January 25, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Stal. (October 8, 1952). "Television Review: Dark of Night". Variety. p. 38. ProQuest 963139195. Grant Sullivan, as the ship' first officer, and Joseph Holland, as the captain, fared best in the cast.
  17. ^ a b "Friday April 3". Ross Reports on Television. April 5, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Friday March 27". Ross Reports on Television. March 29, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c d "Friday January 9". Ross Reports on Television. January 11, 1953. p. 7.
  20. ^ a b "Friday April 24". Ross Reports on Television. April 26, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Friday April 10". Ross Reports on Television. April 12, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Friday February 13". Ross Reports on Television. February 15, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  23. ^ "Friday March 6". Ross Reports on Television. March 8, 1953. p. 8. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Friday October 24". Ross Reports on Television. October 26, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  25. ^ "Friday February 20". Ross Reports on Television. February 22, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  26. ^ "DuM 'Dark of Night' Axed". Variety. April 22, 1953. p. 34. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  27. ^ Mishkin, Leo (March 20, 1953). "Stories Written to Fit Location Are Big Success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 36. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Appendix Five: UCLA". DuMont Television Network. Clarke Ingram. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.


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