Dark of Night is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on the DuMont Television Network on Fridays at 8:30pm EST[1] from October 3, 1952, to May 1, 1953.[2]
| Dark of Night | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Anthology |
| Starring | Shirley Jones Alan Hale, Jr. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Frank Bunetta |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | DuMont |
| Release | October 3, 1952 – May 1, 1953 |
The series starred mostly unknown actors. In it, the character known as "The Stranger" traveled to a different site each week in order to solve a crime. Each episode was filmed at a different location in the New York City area. , Locations included a Coca-Cola bottling plant, Brentano's book store in Manhattan, a castle in New Jersey, and the American Red Cross Blood Bank.[1] Dark of Night was one of the first network dramas to use such locations, which saved money for the network.[3]
Actors who performed on the program included Scott Forbes.[4]
When the program was canceled, the trade publication Variety reported that it "had good critical reaction but no sponsor interest".[5]
Production
editDark of Night was broadcast live. Frank Bunetta was the producer and director.[2] Preparation for each episode began with selection of the set to be used. Then a writer was chosen to write a script suited to the set, after which actors were chosen for the cast.[6]
Episode status
editThough most episodes of DuMont series were eventually destroyed, the UCLA Film and Television Archive has one episode of Dark of Night.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 198. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ Weinstein, David (2004). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Temple University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-59213-499-1. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Friday January 23". Ross Reports. January 26, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "DuM 'Dark of Night' Axed". Variety. April 22, 1953. p. 34. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Mishkin, Leo (March 20, 1953). "Stories Written to Fit Location Are Big Success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 36. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Appendix Five: UCLA". DuMont Television Network. Clarke Ingram. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
External links
edit- Dark of Night at IMDb
- DuMont historical website Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Dark of Night at CVTA with episode list
