Captain of Detectives

Captain of Detectives

1959 United States

A minor hit on both sides of the Atlantic starring Hollywood screen star Robert Taylor as the hard-nosed and humourless Captain Matt Holbrook, head of a city's detective department. The series was dropped by ABC after its second season but was picked up for one more run by NBC in 1961 under the title The Detectives, Starring Robert Taylor. In the UK it was more appropriately named Captain of Detectives, not relying on the star's name in the title to draw in the audience. 

Each episode allowed a different member of Holbrook's team to take centre stage and they included Lt. John Russo (Tige Andrews) and Sgt Chris Ballard (Mark Goddard). Holbrook himself was a widower who had little time for romance, although there was a brief affair with a police reporter called Lisa Bonay, who was played by Taylor's real-life wife Ursula Thiess. In the final season the team were joined by Sgt Steve Nelson played by an actor who would go on to make his own mark in television heaven as TV's Batman...Adam West. 

Share on...

Published on December 2nd, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Peter Gunn

Also tagged US Detectives

Ground-breaking and classic US detective series that set a new standard for what a television crime drama could be. The series was a precursor to shows like ‘The Rockford Files’ and ‘Magnum, P.I.’

Juke Box Jury

Also released in 1959

Popular music show of the 1960s where a guest panel listened to the latest releases and predicted whether or not they'd be a 'Hit' or a 'Miss'

Hawaiin Eye

Also released in 1959

Before Five-0 policed Hawaii there was a team of private detectives...

Foo Foo cartoon series

Also released in 1959

Foo Foo was created for ABC Television in the UK by Halas & Batchelor, who had been producing films since 1940.

The Rockford Files

Also tagged US Detectives

Adventures of a private detective who had served time for a crime which he hadn't committed.

Barnaby Jones

Also tagged US Detectives

A retired private investigator returns to the field after his son is murdered while working on a case. Determined to find his son’s killer, Barnaby reopens his detective agency and is joined by his widowed daughter-in-law

Ironside tv series

Also tagged US Detectives

American television crime drama about a paraplegic investigator...