KnotMissPriceless
Why so much hype?
Steineded
How sad is this?
Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
StrictlyConfidential
(*TV show quote*) - "There are 8 million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them."If you enjoy watching 1950's TV Crime/Dramas like "Dragnet" and "The Untouchables" - Then - "Naked City" is sure to be right up your alley when it comes to its overall entertainment-value.Yes. At times - These 1-hour, b&w episodes did lay it on pretty thick with the element of soap opera. But, that aside - The show's strive towards gritty realism and hard-edged drama was, often-enough, sufficient to hold my interest (for the most part).What I also liked about "Naked City" was its use of plenty of outdoor location shooting on the streets of NYC. As well - The regular cast of this show (and the guest stars) usually put in fairly convincing portrayals of their characters.
aimless-46
The 138 episodes (all in B&W) of the police drama "Naked City" were originally broadcast on ABC from 1958-1963. The series started in a 30-minute format (39 episodes), took a year long break and return in a 60-minute format. The series was filmed in the old Biograph Studios in the Bronx, famous as the studio where D.W. Griffith got his start. Image Entertainment's 3 DVD release "Naked City - Set 1" contains an assortment of twelve of the hour-long episodes from seasons 2 and 3. The titles, episode numbers, and original air-dates are detailed below.Although the title makes it sound like a racy exploitation series it is actually the total opposite. Many consider this gritty crime drama the best ever of its genre and the title reflects a focus on stripping away the glamor off NYC and exposing its ugly inside; at least to the extent that they could get away with on broadcast television during those years."Naked City" is a follow-up to the 1948 film noir feature of the same name. Both movie and television series utilized extensive location shooting and they definitely have a different feel than the Hollywood product of that era. Also unusual was featuring jazz music by Billy May and Nelson Riddle. The show never stopped changing its cast, it was a bit like "Police Story" in this regard as it made its guest stars (it drew a lot of big names from Broadway) the show's greatest asset. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.22 March 1961: (2-20) The Fault in Our Stars; 12 April 1961: (2-22) A Memory of Crying; 17 May 1961: (2-27) Make-Believe Man; 21 June 1961: (2-32) Take and Put; 18 October 1961 (3-4) The Fingers of Henri Tourelle; 15 Nov 1961: (3-7) Which Is Joseph Creely?; 6 Nov 1961: (3-10) Requiem for a Sunday Afternoon; 13 Dec 1961: (3-11) Ooftus Goofus; 3 Jan 1962: (3-13) The Face of the Enemy; 24 Jan 1962: (3-16) The Contract; 14 Feb 1962: (3-19) Let Me Die Before I Wake; 28 Feb 1962: (3-20) To Walk Like a Lion
tegan-5
The IMDb lists Paul Frees as the narrator of "Naked City" - the series. But it was my understanding that actor Lawrence Dobkin was the voice behind "There are eight million stories in the Naked City...This has been one of them".The discs of the show are excellent. You get the rare chance, not only to see some of the talent of yesterday like Roddy MacDowall, Carroll O'Connor, and Maureen Stapleton, but actors doing early roles, some only walk-ons, like Dustin Hoffman as a thief in BAREFOOT ON A BED OF COALS or Peter Falk in a tiny role as a gun man in DEATH OF PRINCES or Gene Hackman as a nervous reporter in PRIME OF LIFE.The series seemed to be approached by it's writers as New York theater, people talking a bit more emotionally than you would see on LAW AND ORDER. Their characters were delved in, rather than simply being shelved as "good" or "evil" as they do on today's series.There have been several discs on the show from Image Entertainment and I hope they continue to release them.
michael_ghee
My comments are regarding the 1 hour version (Naked City). Though technically a cop show (crime drama), its much deeper in that it richly examines the psyche of both victims and perpetrators involved in the crime as well as the social conditions they exist in. This makes for some pretty damn compelling viewing in addition to the fact the stories take place in New York City of the early 60's. My understanding is that this is the first TV show shot entirely on location so if your familiar with the city it is fun to check out the locales as they existed back then.The cops are based in the 65th precinct in NYC. They include Detective Adam Flint played brilliantly by Paul Burke as the young and always conscientious cop. His partner is a middle aged Det. Frank Arcaro who is dependable and good natured played well by Harry Bellaver. Lt. Mike Parker is played perfectly by Horace McMahon who act as the play it by the facts, grumpy boss. Its fun to watch the interaction between Flint and Parker as they argue over opinions on cases like father and son but yet you can tell there is respect for one another. Detective Flint's girlfriend appears in a few episodes as Libby played by Nancy Malone who in my opinion is just there to show at least one of these cops has a sex life and adds a light hearted element to the show when needed in the otherwise tense drama that usually pervades this program.The show has a few "snoozers", but when its a good episode, trust me, its GOOD. Naked City has its fair share of GOOD episodes. They tackled a variety of interesting subjects/crimes ahead of its time for TV back then such as stalking, domestic violence, child molestation in a addition to standard cop show crime fare (robberies, murder, kidnapping). As I mentioned before it strongly focused on the human condition of the people in the stories so you also see examinations of loneliness, low self esteem, mental illness, alcoholism etc. You name it, Naked City covered it. I have observed that the earlier episodes can be quite violent at times such as one that starred Rip Torn and Tuesday Weld as southern hillbillies going on a thrill killing orgy in NYC. However, over time the violence had seemed to be toned down a bit near the end of its run (possibly due to censor and public pressure ??) However it did not take away from the tense drama the stories provided. The show did not always have neat,tidy endings. Yes the perpetrator would be caught, but often the victims were so traumatized, they too ended up screwed. I loved the way in some episodes as this the camera just fades away from the scene on a street at the end showing the despair people were sometimes left in.Speaking of camera work, in this show it is phenomenal, showing vividly the live streets and gritty locales of NYC that Flint and Arcaro would deal with day after day, episode after episode. The show also featured a lot of good actors and actresses, many of which were just starting their careers. Picture this... Christopher Walken as a teen age son !, Dustin Hoffman as a stick up man !, A very young and unbelievably attractive Diahann Carroll facing a crisis as a school teacher ! There are just so many amazing things about this show, it deserves to be watched. Check it out on DVD. You wont be disappointed.
