Crusader (TV series)
Crusader (sometimes erroneously listed as The Crusader) is a half-hour black-and-white American drama series that aired on CBS from October 7, 1955, to December 28, 1956.
Synopsis
The series stars Brian Keith (1921-1997) as the fictitious free-lance journalist Matt Anders, whose mother's death in a World War II Nazi concentration camp in German-occupied Poland propels him to combat injustices worldwide during the height of the Cold War.[1] Keith's Crusader has been compared to Zorro, The Lone Ranger, or The Cisco Kid in that the principal character is devoted to altruism. Anders is particularly interested in liberating oppressed peoples from communism. The series began as Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the premier and the general secretary of the Communist Party in the former Soviet Union.[2] The 52-episode program, Keith's first television series,[3] aired on CBS at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fridays. It was replaced on January 4, 1957, by the Howard Duff and Ida Lupino sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve, the story of the private lives of two fictitious married Hollywood actors.[4]
Production notes
Crusader was filmed at Revue Studios, later part of Universal Television. Edwin A. Reimers (1912-2009), a Warner Brothers and Allstate Insurance announcer, narrated the series.[5]
Special appearances
Charles Bronson (1921-2003) appeared twice on Crusader as Mike Brod, an escapee from a communist country who becomes involved with dishonest fight promoters in the episodes "The Boxing Match" and "Freeze-out," the latter episode also featuring Diane Brewster (1931-1991) in the role of Charlene Hayes.[6]Raymond Bailey (1904-1980), later the popular banker Milburn Drysdale on CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies, appeared twice as the boxing commissioner.[5]
Inger Stevens (1934-1970) appeared as Alicia in the 1956 episode entitled, "The Girl Across the Hall." Actor and director Aaron Spelling (1923-2006) guest starred in two episodes as the character Andrew Hock. Don Haggerty (1914-1988), formerly an athlete at Brown University, appeared twice as Fred Martin. Character actors Claude Akins (1926-1994) and Robert F. Simon each appeared twice as characters named "Glenn" and "Dave Bridley," respectively. Robert O. Cornthwaite (1916-2006) starred twice too in the role of "Joe Brennan." Two years before he was cast as Dr. Alex Stone on ABC's The Donna Reed Show, Carl Betz (1921-1978) appeared twice on Crusader as Alan Kingman. Jay Novello also appeared twice as Bruno Menotti. Francis De Sales (1912-1988), formerly on Mr. and Mrs. North and later on the western. Two Faces West, appeared in two episodes as Sheriff Smithers. Simon Scott (1920-1991) appeared twice too in the role of Jim Farragut. Child actors Sandy Descher (born 1945) and Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968) appeared as war orphans awaiting adoption.[5]
Other guest stars
- Jack Albertson
- Anthony Caruso
- Virginia Christine
- Walter Coy
- John Dehner
- Frank Dekova
- Beverly Garland
- Anthony George
- Clegg Hoyt
- Werner Klemperer
- Michael Landon
- Dayton Lummis
- Strother Martin
- Burt Mustin
- Jeanette Nolan
- Jerry Paris
- Paul Richards
- Roy Roberts
- Gregory Walcott[5]
References
- ↑ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time National TV Shows, 1946–Present (New York; Random House, 1992), p. 195.
- ↑ Crusader. ClassicThemes.com. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ↑ Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1997, appendix
- ↑ McNeil, Total Television, appendix.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Crusader. Classic Television Archives. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ↑ The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia: Television with a Boxing Setting. cyberboxingzone.com. Retrieved on April 29, 2009.