This syndicated drama series revolved around Herbert Philbrick (Richard Carlson), who led three lives – as a private citizen (a pipe-smoking Boston advertising executive), an undercover agent, and FBI counterspy.
Stories depicted his life as a counterspy and his efforts to infiltrate the American Communist Party and inform government officials of the Red military movement. He was constantly called upon to participate in nefarious plots against the US and always ran the risk of discovery and perhaps elimination as a traitor.
The Communist schemes included sabotage of vital industries, stealing government secrets, dope-smuggling (to poison the nation’s youth), and spreading the party line through the infiltration of unions, university faculties, and even churches.
Sometimes Philbrick was ordered to carry out the plans himself, perhaps using his position in the advertising agency; sometimes, he was just a courier.
Schemes were constantly being smashed, and party members arrested wherever he went, but the party hierarchy never seemed to catch on.
Eva Philbrick (Virginia Stefan) was Herbert’s wife and Constance (Patricia Morrow) was their daughter.
Jerry Dressier (John Zaremba), Henderson (Ed Hinton), Steve Daniels (John Beradino), Mike Andrews (William Hudson) and Joe Carey (Charles Maxwell) were FBI agents.
Dark alleyways and secret meetings in basements were part of every episode. So was suspicion. Any indication of left-wing views would cause a raised eyebrow and the whispered comment, “Maybe he is . . . a Communist.”
In one episode, a mother reported her daughter’s boyfriend because she thought he had caused her daughter to start talking about how she hated bombing and wars and such. “Where did my daughter get the outrageous ideas she’s been expressing?” the mother worried.
Philbrick tracked down the real Commie – an art dealer the daughter knew – and at the end noted with relief that the girl was “not only safe and sound, but cured of her Communist infection.”
To heighten the dramatic impact, Philbrick was also the narrator, referring to himself in the third person. Even though little violence was seen, he always emphasised the danger (“This could be a trap, Philbrick”).
This product of the McCarthy era contained perhaps the most explicit political propaganda ever found in a popular drama series on American television.
Today it stands as a genuine period piece, reflecting the stereotypes that were all too prevalent during the Red Scare of the 1940s and early 1950s.
In this show, Communist spies really were behind every bush, and anyone with liberal views was a suspect. The show even had the approval of J Edgar Hoover and the FBI, which reviewed all scripts.
In later episodes, as the writers ran out of material, the stories strayed further from actual events (one episode even had the Commies plotting to undermine the American guided missile program by converting vacuum cleaners into bomb launchers).
The production company, Ziv, saw the program primarily as a profit-maker – “We’re not trying to deliver a message,” they said, “That’s not our field. Our chief purpose is to find good story properties, turn them into good films, and sell them.”
Richard Carlson, when queried, invariably rattled off the financial advantages (he got a piece of the profits) and the benefits of a filmed series in allowing him time for other pursuits. “ I’m just an actor,” he insisted.
Virginia Stefan expressed amazement at the seriousness with which some viewers took the show. “It’s hard to believe, but people actually write us and ask us to investigate Communists in their neighbourhood.” The letters were turned over to the FBI.
Most politically motivated was author Philbrick, whose new career as a lecturer and writer on the Communist menace was boosted by this hit series.
Herbert Philbrick
Richard Carlson Eva Philbrick
Virginia Stefan Constance Philbrick
Patricia Morrow Special Agent Jerry Dressier
John Zaremba Special Agent Henderson
Ed Hinton Special Agent Mike Andrews
William Hudson Special Agent Steve Daniels
John Beradino Special Agent Joe Carney
Charles Maxwell
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The Communist schemes included sabotage of vital industries, stealing government secrets, dope-smuggling (to poison the nation’s youth), and spreading the party line through the infiltration of unions, university faculties, and even churches.
To heighten the dramatic impact, Philbrick was also the narrator, referring to himself in the third person. Even though little violence was seen, he always emphasised the danger (“This could be a trap, Philbrick”).
