I must confess to a weakness for all things detective. I remember fondly the old movies starring Chester Morris, but this series starring Kent Taylor has a particularly warm spot in my heart.
The few episodes I've seen since the show's syndicated run (I saw them years after the original run on television in the late '50s) were of dubious quality. In fact, the very first videotapes I got when I had my first VCR were duplications of other VHS tapes of old TV series.
I still get a kick out of the announcer appearing at a little newsstand when Boston Blackie walks by not even noticing this booming voice character narrating about our intrepid hero. "Yes that's Boston Blackie, and he's quite a guy." Well, he really was.
There was the usual shtick of the detective being a wiseguy to the frustrated police inspector (played with exasperated skill by Frank Orth) and his little dog Whitey who replaced his sidekick in the books and movies.
There was inevitably a great chase scene at the end of every half hour (Yes, kiddies. They actually made half hour adventure series back then.) And the most exciting was a top a roller coaster.
They just do make detective shows like that anymore, and that's a shame.
ACTION! DANGER! EXCITEMENT! BOSTON BLACKIE. FRIEND TO THOSE WHO HAVE NO FRIENDS. ENEMY TO THOSE WHO MAKE HIM AN ENEMY.
The old shows still give me chills with their great introductions.
