Night Beat - The Night Is A Weapon (02-13-50)

Broadcast on NBC, Nightbeat ran from 1949 to 1952 and starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn't. It is generally regarded as a 'quality' show and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962) isn't remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to pack in a lot in a short time, and there was a good supporting cast, orchestra, and sound effects. 'The Slasher', broadcast on 10 November 1950, the last show of season one, has a very loosely Ripper-derived plot in which Stone searches for an artist. Supporting actors included Parley Baer, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Frees, Jack Kruschen, Peter Leeds, Howard McNear, Lurene Tuttle and Martha Wentworth.

THIS EPISODE: April 9, 1950. NBC netWORK. Sustaining. Tom Morrison is a man with "noctophobia," a fear of darkness. He is being driven to commit murder by George Brewster. Nightbeat was being heard more than once a week at this time. Brian Donlevy appears on the show to promote his "Dangerous Assignment" series. Frank Lovejoy, Brian Donlevy, Jane Morgan, Larry Marcus (writer), Frank Worth (music), Warren Lewis (director), Ruth Perrott, David Ellis, Lurene Tuttle, Charles Seel, Margaret Brayton. 29:24.