NIGHT BEAT (2nd TV pilot attempt?) - 1954

"A Study in Panic" was Four Star Productions' second outing with the characters and situations originally created for the NBC radio drama NIGHT BEAT. But where Four Star first attempted to do a straight-forward television adaption of the series in 1953, this 1954 effort was more of a re-invention. The name of its protagonist was changed to Fred Jordon, and he was portrayed by Dick Powell (rather than Frank Lovejoy). His newspaper column was no longer "Night Beat," but "City After Dark." Yet, despite the cosmetic changes, "A Study in Panic" is still recognizable as a NIGHT BEAT story (with a script directly adapted for television from the 1951 NB episode "Fear"). "A Study in Panic" aired as the April 8, 1954 installment of FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE. Whether it was intended as a pilot for a potential series, or simply a stand-alone episode, is unclear. But it is clearly NIGHT BEAT's second foray into the world of television.

[@stepno]

Nicely done conversion to video from radio script... It uses the film noir lighting well, chooses what to show and what to tell, and still keeps some of that rich "writerly" Night Beat style, but not enough to make me think "people don't talk like that." Sorry the series didn't keep going!
Powell played newspaper reporters a time or two on radio, an interesting break from his many appearances as detectives -- who generally got conked on the head more than reporters do, but also got to kiss the girl more than the "always an outsider" reporter. I like this story better than the last Powell-as-reporter I heard, which sounded too much like his "Richard Diamond" or "Rogue's Gallery" character.

[@theloyalorderofclassictv5435]

Nice find.

[@derekseven1647]

Great episode Dick Powell never disappoints.

[@Dulcimertunes]

The music at the Globe was also on Jack Benny

[@Montgomery-e2p]

This is pretty good, but what makes you think it has a Night Beat connection? Are the producers and writers the same?

[@maljardin4251]

It's a reworking of a NIGHT BEAT script, both the radio and the TV version written by Larry Marcus.