21 Beacon Street (1959) Ep. #1, Opening Scene Clip

- 21 Beacon Street (1959) TV Series
- Clip from episode 1, The Rub Out
- Street date: 06/27/2023

Now available for the first time on DVD from ClassicFlix—the rarely seen TV crime drama 21 Beacon Street starring Dennis Morgan!

In the city of Boston, Dennis Chase (Morgan) is the go-to private investigator for law enforcement and citizens alike. With the help of his secretary Joanna (Joanna Barnes, Spartacus) street-wise attorney Brian (Brian Kelly, Flipper TV show) and high-tech wiz Jim (James Maloney), Dennis keeps a close watch on law and order by devising clever methods to trap lawbreakers.

A summer replacement for NBC’s popular The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, and in some ways seen as a forerunner to the 1960s crime-action series Mission: Impossible (Beacon creators later sued M.I. producers for plagiarism), 21 Beacon Street was the first TV series produced by Filmways Pictures Corporation, which would later put out such fan favorites as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and The Addams Family, among many others.

While former Warner Bros. leading man Dennis Morgan did make occasional guest appearances on television, 21 Beacon Street was his first, and only, shot to star in his own TV series. The 13 episodes in this complete collection include such familiar guest stars as DeForest Kelley, Jerry Paris, Whit Bissell, Anthony Caruso, Steve Brodie, Ted de Corsia, Barney Phillips, Paul Bryar, Paul Dubov, Harry Bellaver, Henry Corden, Sally Fraser, John Hoyt, Myron Healey, Jean Willes, Alberto Morin, Paul Richards, Joan Taylor, Cyril Delevanti and Donna Douglas.

BONUS FEATURES:

Select episodes have an option to play original commercials

[Peshkatari]

I ordered this on the strength of its comparison to Mission: Impossible (which I'm a fan of), and it looks like I *won't* be disappointed! Right from the start, you can see the similarities (esp. with the later M:I episodes helmed by Laurence Heath, who also worked on this show), right down to the introduction of the team, their abilities, and their plotting out how to pull off the mission. I was already really looking forward to seeing this, and now after watching this short clip, I can hardly wait for my copy to get here!

[jubalcalif]

Many thanks for uploading this cool clip ! I had never heard of this summer replacement series until reading Dennis Morgan's biography at Wikipedia. Certainly looks interesting & intriguing ! At the program's Wikipedia page, it said that the producers of "Mission : Impossible" eventually settled out of court after being sued by the producers of "21 Beacon Street" for plagiarism.

[jims]

Whit "I was in every show ever made" Bissell 😂