77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip
Louis Quinn and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., 1962.
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Roy Huggins
Directed by	Irving J. Moore et al
Starring	Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Roger Smith Edd Byrnes Richard Long Louis Quinn Jacqueline Beer Robert Logan Joan Staley (Season 6)
Theme music composer	Mack David Jerry Livingston (original) Bob Thompson
Composer(s)	Max Steiner Jack Halloran
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	206 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	William T. Orr Jack Webb
Producer(s)	Howie Horwitz Harry Tatelman William Conrad Jerry Davis Fenton Earnshaw Joel Rogosin Roy Huggins Oren W. Haglund (production manager) Gordon Bau (make-up)
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	48–50 minutes
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Division
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	October 10, 1958 (1958-10-10) – February 7, 1964 (1964-02-07)
Chronology
Preceded by	I Love Trouble Conflict episode: "Anything for Money"
Related shows	Surfside 6 Bourbon Street Beat Hawaiian Eye

77 Sunset Strip is an American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes. Each episode was one hour long. The show ran from 1958 to 1964.

Description[edit]

Roger Smith with guest stars Biff Elliot and Maureen Leeds, 1961

The series revolves around two Los Angeles private detectives, both former government secret agents: Efrem Zimbalist Jr. played Stuart ("Stu") Bailey, a character Huggins had originated in his 1946 novel The Double Take (which he later adapted into the 1948 movie I Love Trouble, starring Franchot Tone in the role). Roger Smith played Jeff Spencer, also a former government agent, and a nonpracticing attorney. The duo worked out of a stylish office at 77 Sunset Boulevard (colloquially known as Sunset Strip), between La Cienega Boulevard and Alta Loma Road on the south side of the strip next door to Dean Martin's real-life lounge, Dino's Lodge. Suzanne, the beautiful French switchboard operator played by Jacqueline Beer, handled the phones.

Comic relief was provided by Roscoe the racetrack tout (played by Louis Quinn), and Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III (played by Edd Byrnes), the rock and roll-loving, wisecracking, hair-combing hipster and aspiring PI who worked as the valet parking attendant at Dino's, the club next door to the detectives' office. Byrnes had originally been cast as a contract killer in the series pilot, but proved so popular that he was brought back in a new role for the series.

Despite Huggins' hopes for a hard-edged drama, the tone of the series was much lighter and featured a strong element of self-deprecating humor. Many of the episodes were named "capers". The catchy theme song, written by the accomplished team of Mack David and Jerry Livingston, typified the show's breezy, jazzed atmosphere. The song became the centerpiece of an album of the show's music in Warren Barker-led orchestrations, which was released in 1959, a top-10 hit in the Billboard LP charts.

Sue Randall and "Kookie", 1964

The Kookie character 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, Edd Byrnes began a singing career with the novelty single "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" (Warner Bros. 5047), based on his frequent combing of his hair; this featured Connie Stevens on vocals in the chorus and the song, with words and music by Irving Taylor, became the first hit single for the recently established Warner Bros. Records. Kookie was also used to provide product placement for Harley-Davidson, appearing on their Topper motor scooter in the show and in Harley-Davidson advertisements.^[1][2]

When Byrnes' demands for more money and an expanded role were not met, he left the show, but he came back as a full-fledged partner in the detective firm in May 1960. (During his absence, Roscoe's and Suzanne's roles were beefed up to handle the leg work he normally did.) In 1961, Robert Logan became the new parking lot attendant, J.R. Hale, who usually spoke in abbreviations. In 1960, Richard Long moved from the recently canceled detective series Bourbon Street Beat with his role of Rex Randolph, but he left the program in 1962. Rex lived at 3770 Pastel Place, North Hollywood, California.

One of the series' more unusual episodes was the 1960 "The Silent Caper", written by Smith. It presented its story completely without dialogue, hence the title. Another off-beat entry was 1961's "Reserved For Mr. Bailey", which finds Zimbalist alone in a ghost town. He is the only actor on screen for the entire hour. (This latter episode was never included in the syndication package, and many fans had expressed their frustration at being unable to see it again. It finally resurfaced on MeTV on June 17, 2017.)

The show's popularity was such that rising young actors clamored for guest spots. Up-and-comers who made guest appearances included Ellen Burstyn, Roger Moore, DeForest Kelley, William Shatner, Mary Tyler Moore, Shirley MacLaine look-alike Gigi Verone, Robert Conrad, Dyan Cannon, Janet De Gore, Jay North, Connie Stevens, Irish McCalla, Adam West, Tuesday Weld, Sherry Jackson, Marlo Thomas, Max Baer Jr., Carole Mathews, Elizabeth Montgomery, Karen Steele, Randy Stuart, Susan Oliver, Robert Vaughn, Suzanne Storrs, Peter Breck, Donna Douglas, Troy Donahue, Chad Everett, Gena Rowlands, Cloris Leachman, Eve McVeagh, and Diane Ladd. Established film and TV actors and older stars guest-starred, as well, including Fay Wray, Francis X. Bushman, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Ida Lupino, Liliane Montevecchi, Keenan Wynn, Rolfe Sedan, Jim Backus, Billie Burke, Buddy Ebsen, George Jessel, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Burgess Meredith, Nick Adams, Gerald Mohr, and Roy Roberts, among others. The show occasionally featured sports stars such as Sandy Koufax in guest roles.

Controversial sixth season, 1963–1964[edit]

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In 1963, as the show's popularity waned, the entire cast was let go except for Zimbalist. Jack Webb was brought in as executive producer and William Conrad as a producer/director. The character of Stuart Bailey was presented as a solo private investigator, with no continuity or reference to his past years with Spencer, or his military OSS background. It was an abrupt, unexplained disconnect. The series and Bailey's personality took on a darker tone.^[3]. The familiar office, parking lot and Dino's Lodge were gone. A new musical theme was written by Bob Thompson.

The Season Six show title was not changed, it still was an address, but Bailey's new office was dramatically different from Bailey and Spencer's 77 Sunset Strip office of the past five years. The interior of Bailey's new office building was shown behind the show's opening and closing credits, forcing viewers to ponder how the same address could look so very different (it was actually the historic Bradbury building in downtown Los Angeles).

There seemed to be no mention of his office address in the Season Six shows, however in episode "Bonus Baby" when a police officer inspects Bailey's Private Investigator License, a close-up shows "77 Sunset Strip". Perhaps that brief shot was supposed to explain the show's title, but surely it confused viewers. The P.I. License shows his business as "Bailey Investigations", and his name as "S. Bailey", though a real license would state the person's full name.

As the season progressed, there were some shifts in tone. Several episodes into the season, Bailey's stern personality became lighter, though still different from prior seasons. His secretary Hannah, previously known to viewers only because Bailey addressed her in his recorded dictations, became a real person, working in Bailey's office, where he developed a romantic interest in her but she continually frustrated him by playing hard-to-get. As of episode "Alimony League", opening and closing background of Bradbury building was gone, replaced by Bailey in silhouette walking past lighted store windows.

Episode "The Target" was unusual because key roles were played by the show's primary behind-the-scenes people, who happened to also be experienced actors. Show producer William Conrad played "Maestrian", associate producer James Lydon played "Charlie", writer Tony Barrett played "Carnovan", and director "Lawrance Dobkin" played "Landers".

Season Six of "77 Sunset Strip" was essentially a different show that oddly used the title and one character from a different prior show, and showed a different building with the same address. Viewers did not appreciate such a massive alteration, and the show was cancelled halfway through its sixth season in February 1964. In the 1964 summer reruns period, shows from Bailey and Spencer years were shown; the Season Six episodes were abandoned, rarely seen until September 2017 on MeTV.

Broadcast history[edit]

NOTE: The most frequent time slot for the series is in bold text.

• Friday at 9:30–10:30 pm on ABC: October 10, 1958 – May 29, 1959; October 12, 1962 – June 14, 1963
• Friday at 9:00–10:00 pm on ABC: October 2, 1959 – June 29, 1962
• Friday at 7:30–8:30 pm on ABC: September 20, 1963 – February 7, 1964

Legal controversy[edit]

The show was the subject of an ownership battle between Roy Huggins and Warner Bros., which was the proximate cause of Huggins' departure from the studio. The series was based on novels and short stories written by Huggins prior to his arrival at Warner, but as a matter of legal record, derived from a brief Caribbean theatrical release of its pilot, Girl on the Run, which was also given a theatrical release in the UK on the ABC circuit in 1959 and the supporting film to Warner Bros. The Old Man and the Sea starring Spencer Tracy.

Related shows[edit]

The success of 77 Sunset Strip led to the creation of several other detective shows in exotic locales, all produced by the Warner Bros. studio, which created Strip — Bourbon Street Beat in New Orleans, Hawaiian Eye in Honolulu, and Surfside 6 in Miami Beach. The casts and scripts of these various shows sometimes crossed over, which was logistically easy, since they were all shot in Burbank on the Warner Bros. lot.^{[citation needed]}

The office and bar/nightclub sets of 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye were on the same WB soundstage, intertwined to save space, with shared room walls and some doors actually going between the sets (not obvious to viewers). Production crews would pay attention to each other. For example, a carpenter hammering on a set would hear "Quiet" from the other set and hold the hammer mid-stroke until hearing "Cut".^{[citation needed]}

Legacy[edit]

Andra Martin as a guest star on 77 Sunset Strip with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., 1960

Currently, only an engraving in the Sunset Boulevard sidewalk (address number 8524) between La Cienega Boulevard and Alta Loma Road commemorates 77 Sunset Strip, and the area is slated for redevelopment as part of "The Sunset Millennium" project.^[4] In a twist of fate, the opposition to the redevelopment of the area is known as "Save Our Strip" or "SOS" and is spearheaded by former 77 Sunset Strip semiregular Gigi Verone. No number 77 exists on the Strip, as all Sunset Boulevard addresses in the area have four digits.

The show was referenced in an episode of Jay Ward's Fractured Flickers, showing a satirical depiction of Ward looking at a lineup of fictional shows, one of them being "77 Gaza Strip".

Episodes of the television series can be seen in reruns, through syndication packages offered by Warner Bros. Studios. At one time, 43 episodes had been removed from syndication for various legal reasons, but 13 of these can now be seen in reruns. As of 2017, the syndication package aired on Me-TV contained every original episode.

Thirty-one years after the series left the air, Warner Bros. proposed a modern revival of 77 Sunset Strip, that was to be the first hour-long drama series to air on the new WB Television Network. It was to be produced by Clint Eastwood and starred Jim Caviezel, Timothy Olyphant, and Maria Bello.^[5] A 25-minute pilot presentation was shot for upfronts in the spring of 1995, but despite a few attempts to get it modified and finalized for broadcast in 1995–1996, the project never made it past the testing stage. Early mentioning of the show was made in the network's fall affiliate presentation promotion, the 77 Sunset Strip logo visible in the movie back lot motif.

Episode list[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 77 Sunset Strip.

• 77 Sunset Strip on IMDb
• 77 Sunset Strip at Thrilling Detective
• 77 Sunset Strip at TV.com
• 77 Sunset Strip at TVparty.com
• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. interview in 1997 by Sylvia Stoddard