Ralph Bellamy was the actor Hollywood always took for granted, the player who always lost the girl in the final reel but it was on Broadway during the late 1940s that he made people sit up and take notice. That was for the play "State of the Union" and it ran for an astonishing 765 performances. He then turned to Sidney Kinsgley's "Detective Story" where he introduced the role of vindictive Detective McLeod who Kirk Douglas made so memorable on film. While all this was going on you would have thought Bellamy would have had enough on his plate but no, he entered into television which brought him even greater popularity. The show was called "Man Against Crime" although for a while it was known as "Follow That Man" but with either name it was highly successful, over the years clocking up over 90 episodes and in 1952 still winning awards for favourite mystery drama. It was filmed at a time when a lot of shows were filmed live and this one was no exception and again Bellamy's performance as Mike Barnett, Private Investigator, was highly acclaimed. Several episodes appear on "Best of TV Detectives" DVD.
"Paradise Lost" - Mike Barnett's friend is killed by his son Abel but the audience knows within minutes. Mike doesn't and Abel is able to pose as the grieving son but Julie, his wife, finds out and it is touch and go whether she makes it to her appointment with Barnett.
"The Iceman" - a man returns from a drunken night out only to collapse at his wife's feet. The bell boy runs to get water but that is all the time the couple need - to make an impression of the master key in wax!! They are professional cat burglars but they slip up - they leave wax on the key and Barnett is called in to solve the problem of the hotel's burglaries. The couple seem to be one jump ahead of the law - then the Federal Postman steps in.
"The Cube Root of Evil" - a crooked dice game is broken up at a painter's convention, a man is beaten but his attacker leaves a calling card, a distinctive mark made by a ring. Mike sets himself up as part of a crooked crap game hoping to bring in some hustlers. Frank Albertson has a guest role.
"Paradise Lost" - Mike Barnett's friend is killed by his son Abel but the audience knows within minutes. Mike doesn't and Abel is able to pose as the grieving son but Julie, his wife, finds out and it is touch and go whether she makes it to her appointment with Barnett.
"The Iceman" - a man returns from a drunken night out only to collapse at his wife's feet. The bell boy runs to get water but that is all the time the couple need - to make an impression of the master key in wax!! They are professional cat burglars but they slip up - they leave wax on the key and Barnett is called in to solve the problem of the hotel's burglaries. The couple seem to be one jump ahead of the law - then the Federal Postman steps in.
"The Cube Root of Evil" - a crooked dice game is broken up at a painter's convention, a man is beaten but his attacker leaves a calling card, a distinctive mark made by a ring. Mike sets himself up as part of a crooked crap game hoping to bring in some hustlers. Frank Albertson has a guest role.