77 Sunset Strip was one of the most popular of the detective television shows in early television. It ran on ABC from 1958 to 1964, and revolved around two detectives, both former government secret agents: Stuart ("Stu") Bailey (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith).
Other characters included the rock and roll-loving, wisecracking valet parking attendant next door, Gerald Lloyd Kookson III ("Kookie"), played by Edd Byrnes, and Roscoe, the racetrack tout (Louis Quinn). Kookie became a cultural phenomenon, with his slang expressions such as "ginchy" and "piling up Zs" (sleeping). When Kookie helped the detectives on a case by singing a song, "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" (based on his frequent combing of his hair), Edd Byrnes began a singing career. When his demands for more money were not met, he left the show, but came back later as a full-fledged partner in the detective firm.
In 1963, as the show's popularity waned, the entire cast except for Zimbalist was cut, and Jack Webb was brought in as producer and William Conrad as director. The character of Stuart Bailey became a globe-hopping investigator, with lavish international sets. The show was canceled at the end of the year.
The success of 77 Sunset Strip led to the creation of several other detective shows in exotic locales, all produced by the Warner Brothers studio which created "Strip" — Bourbon Street Beat in New Orleans, Hawaiian Eye in Hawaii and Surfside 6, in Miami. The casts of the various shows sometimes crossed to the other programs.
Season One
| No.
| Title
| Initial airing
| Written by:
|
| 1 | Girl on the Run | October 10, 1958 | Marion Hargrove
|
| 2 | Lovely Lady, Pity Me | October 17, 1958 | James O'Hanlon
|
| 3 | A Nice Social Evening | October 24, 1958 | Howie Horwitz & Frederic Brady
|
| 4 | Casualty | October 31, 1958 | Gene Levitt
|
| 5 | The Bouncing Chip | November 7, 1958 | Leonard Lee
|
| 6 | Two and Two Make Six | November 14, 1958 | Frederic Brady
|
| 7 | All Our Yesterdays | November 21, 1958 | Frederic Brady
|
| 8 | The Well Selected-Frame | November 28, 1958 | Gerald Drayson Adams & Charles Hoffman
|
| 9 | Iron Curtain Caper | December 5, 1958 | Fenton Ernshaw
|
| 10 | Vicious Circle | December 12, 1958 | Jim Barnett & Jack Emanuel
|
| 11 | One False Step | December 19, 1958 | George Fass & Howard Browne & Gertrude Fass
|
| 12 | The Court Martial of Johnny Murdo | December 26, 1958 | William L. Stuart
|
| 13 | Hit and Run | January 2, 1959 | John Hawkins & Ward Hawkins & James Gunn
|
| 14 | Not an Enemy in the World | January 9, 1959 | Barry Trivers & Leonard Lee
|
| 15 | The Secret of Adam Cain | January 16, 1959 | Unknown
|
| 16 | The Girl Who Couldn't Remember | January 23, 1959 | Al Martin & Howard J. Green & Leonard Lee
|
| 17 | Dark Vengeance | January 30, 1959 | Frederic Brady
|
| 18 | Conspiracy of Silence | February 6, 1959, | Frederic Brady & Anna Perrelli
|
| 19 | Eyewitness | February 13, 1959 | Peter R. Brooke & Jack Emanuel
|
| 20 | Lovely Alibi | February 20, 1959 | William L. Stuart
|
| 21 | In Memoriam | February 27, 1959 | Irwin Winehouse & A. Sanford Wolf
|
| 22 | The Fifth Stair | March 6, 1959 | Lowell Barrington
|
| 23 | Pasadena Caper | March 13, 1959 | N.B. Stone
|
| 24 | Hong Kong Caper | March 20, 1959 | Steve Fisher
|
| 25 | A Check Will Do Nicely | March 27, 1959 | Alan Caillou & Dwight Taylor
|
| 26 | The Grandma Caper | April 3, 1959 | Steve Fisher
|
| 27 | Honey from the Bee | April 10, 1959 | Charles Hoffman & Michael Forrestier
|
| 28 | Abra-Cadaver | April 17, 1959 | Talbot Jennings
|
| 29 | A Bargain in Tombs | April 24, 1959 | Charles Hoffman
|
| 30 | The Widow Wouldn't Weep | May 1, 1959 | Howard Browne & Frederic Brady
|
| 31 | Downbeat | May 8, 1959 | Maurita Pittman
|
| 32 | Canine Caper | May 15, 1959 | Fenton Ernshaw
|
| 33 | Mr. Paradise | May 22, 1959 | Frederic Brady & Richard Kebbon
|
| 34 | Strange Girl in Town | May 29, 1959 | Howard Browne & Frederic Brady
|
Season Two
| No.
| Title
| Initial airing
| Written by:
|
| 1 | Only Zeroes Count | October 2, 1959 | L. Stuart & Howard Browne
|
| 2 | The Kookie Caper | October 9, 1959 | Maurita Pittman
|
| 3 | Six Superior Skirts | October 16, 1959 | William L. Stuart & Richard Wormser
|
| 4 | Clay Pigeon | October 23, 1959 | Jim Barnett & Leonard Lee
|
| 5 | The Bouncing Chip | November 30, 1959 | W.R. Burnett & William L. Stuart
|
| 6 | Sing Something Simple | November 6, 1959 | Fenton Earnshaw
|
| 7 | The Treehouse Caper | November 13, 1959 | Joel Kane & Jack Lloyd
|
| 8 | Out of the Past | November 20, 1959 | Stephen Kandel
|
| 9 | The Widow and the Web | November 27, 1959 | Leonard Lee
|
| 10 | Secret Island | December 4, 1959 | Leonard Lee
|
| 11 | The Texas Doll | December 11, 1959 | Jerry Davis & Frederic Brady
|
| 12 | Vacation with Pay | December 18, 1959 | Herbert Epstein
|
| 13 | The Jukebox Caper | December 25, 1959 | Fenton Earnshaw
|
| 14 | Created He Them | January 1, 1960 | Howie Horwitz
|
| 15 | Collector's Item | January 8, 1960 | Leo Townsend
|
| 16 | Switchburg | January 15, 1960 | Montgomery Pittman
|
| 17 | The One That Got Away | January 22, 1960 | Jerry Davis
|
| 18 | Ten Cents a Death | January 29, 1960, | Peter R. Brooke
|
| 19 | Who Killed Cock Robin? | February 5, 1960 | N.B. Stone
|
| 20 | Condor's Lair | February 12, 1959 | Gloria Elmore
|
| 21 | The Starlet | February 26, 1960 | Sig Herzig & Ed Jurist
|
| 22 | Safari | March 4, 1960 | Bernard C. Schoenfeld
|
| 23 | Blackout | March 11, 1960 | Leonard Lee
|
| 24 | Return to San Dede 1: The Desert Story | March 18, 1960 | Montgomery Pittman
|
| 25 | Return to San Dede 2: The Capital City | March 25, 1960 | Montgomery Pittman
|
| 26 | Publicity Brat | April 1, 1960 | Richard DeRoy
|
| 27 | The Fix | April 8, 1960 | Steven Ritch
|
| 28 | Legend of Crystal Dart | April 15, 1960 | Gloria Elmore
|
| 29 | Stranger Than Fiction | April 22, 1960 | Ed Jurist & Herman Epstein
|
| 30 | Genesis of Treason | April 29, 1960 | Charles Sinclair
|
| 31 | Downbeat | May 6, 1960 | Richard Stenger & W. Hermanos
|
| 32 | Spark of Freedom | May 13, 1960 | Richard Grey & W. Hermanos
|
| 33 | Perfect Setup | May 20, 1960 | Howard Browne & W. Hermanos
|
| 34 | Sierra | May 27, 1959 | W. Hermanos
|
| 35 | The Silent Caper | June 3, 1960 | Roger Smith
|
| 36 | Family Skeleton | June 10, 1960 | Jonathan Haze & James Gunn
|
External Links
- The 77 Sunset Strip TV Show (http://www.crazyabouttv.com/77sunsetstrip.html) page at Crazy About TV provides trivia, theme song lyrics, a description of the series, and cast information.
