Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1950s Television
    1950s Television 1960s Television Drama Shows U 4 Mins Read

    Untouchables, The

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 5 9 – 1 9 6 3 (USA)
    119 x 60 minute episodes

    In the 1930s, gangsters and G-Men alike were busy dealing with the fallout of Prohibition. Real-life government agent Eliot Ness put Al Capone in jail for tax evasion, and because he and his team of law enforcers couldn’t be bribed (and back then, practically everyone had their price), they were nicknamed “The Untouchables”.

    In real life, Ness and his men went their separate ways after Capone’s arrest, but the series had them stay together well into the 1940’s, going gun to gun against nearly every famous gangster of the time, with some Nazis and presidential assassins thrown in for good measure.

    untouchables_41899Desilu, the production company owned by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, started it all when they produced a two-hour TV movie based on the 1947 novel co-written by Ness which aired as part of Desilu Playhouse.

    It had a coarse, documentary feel to it, and the voice-over drone, which added a sense of reality to the proceedings, came courtesy of Walter Winchell, the ubiquitous voice of 30s and 40s era newsreels (and who, incidentally, had actually pointed a Communist-witch hunter finger at none other than Lucille Ball a few years prior).

    The TV movie was such a success that years later, it was even released as a movie in the cinemas.

    Several networks vied for the rights to make an Untouchables series, but ABC won the bidding war and insisted that each episode was as action-packed as the pilot.

    By the end of the second season, The Untouchables was a ratings hit, and the producers claimed that real-life shady sorts called in with kudos and even suggestions for story ideas. But unfortunately, Ness and the gang had also attracted plenty of controversy.

    In the show, Eliot Ness’ most frequent enemy was Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s right-hand man and the leader of Capone’s empire after Ness sent the big man to the pokey. And when it wasn’t Nitti raising hell, you can bet it was some other Italian-American – which left Italian civic groups up in arms about their biased portrayal.

    untouchables

    The FBI was unhappy because the show insinuated that it was Ness who arrested crooks like George ‘Bugsy’ Moran and Ma Barker, when it was actually the Agency.

    Such pressure eventually forced ABC to create additional FBI characters to more accurately portray the people involved in the show’s historically-based cases.

    The real Capone family was unhappy that the show was making money from Al’s name and brought a million-dollar lawsuit against producer Desi Arnaz for using the Capone likeness for profit. This was particularly upsetting for Arnaz who had been a classmate and friend of Al Capone’s son.

    untouchables_410Desi Arnaz, the network, and the chairman of the Italian-American League to Combat Defamation made peace with one another and agreed that no more Italian surnames would be used for the bad guys.

    In the show’s last years, its violence was toned down substantially, and gangsters of various non-Italian ethnicities popped up – there was even a Russian villain named Joe Vodka.

    But the show wasn’t the same anymore, and the very things that angered special interest groups were the things that made it a naughty viewing pleasure. Now on Tuesday nights, watchers were starting to skip the Chicago crime scene altogether, and tune into Jack Benny or The Price is Right.

    Though a good crime-busting premise will sometimes take a breather, it never completely retires. Brian De Palma directed a new The Untouchables feature film in 1987, starring Kevin Costner and based loosely on Ness’ book and the resulting series.

    untouchables8

    Producer Quinn Martin went on to produce a number of other crime dramas, including The FBI and The Streets of San Francisco, both employing the same type of ominous narration that Walter Winchell provided on The Untouchables.

    The later shows had more revolvers than tommy guns, but the same type of quasi-authentic (by Hollywood standards, at least) look at crime.

    Eliot Ness 
    Robert Stack
    Agent Martin Flaherty

    Jerry Paris
    Agent William Youngfellow 

    Abel Fernandez
    Agent Enrico Rossi 

    Nick Georgiade
    Agent Cam Allison 

    Anthony George
    Agent Lee Hobson 

    Paul Picerni
    Agent Rossman 

    Steve London
    Frank Nitti 

    Bruce Gordon
    Al Capone 

    Neville Brand
    Joe Kulak 

    Oscar Beregi Jr.
    Captain Jim Johnson 

    Robert Bice
    LaMarr Kane 

    Chuck Hicks
    Pete Konitz 

    Carl Milletaire
    Frankie Resco 

    Grant Richards
    Beecher Asbury 

    Frank Wilcox
    Captain Dorsett 

    Jason Wingreen
    Narrator 

    Walter Winchell

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Call the Gun Expert
      Call the Gun Expert
      1 9 6 4 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes This police procedural drama from the BBC dealt with famous historical…
    • Strike Force
      Strike Force
      1 9 8 1 - 1 9 8 2 (USA) 20 x 60 minute episodes Captain Frank Murphy (Robert The Untouchables Stack)…
    • Accused
      Accused
      1 9 5 8 - 1 9 5 9 (USA) 30 minute episodes This ABC courtroom drama based on actual case…
    • Restless Gun, The
      Restless Gun, The
      1 9 5 7 - 1 9 5 9 (USA) 77 x 30 minute episodes "I ride with the wind, my…
    • Name Of The Game, The
      Name Of The Game, The
      1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 1 (USA) The Name Of The Game was actually three shows under one…
    • Three Tough Guys
      Three Tough Guys
      1 9 5 7 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Harry Green, Warren Mitchell and Peter Welch starred as three bumbling…
    • Tracer, The
      Tracer, The
      1 9 5 7 (USA) 39 x 25 minute episodes Regan (James Chandler) was the chief investigator for an organisation that…
    • Blue Angels
      Blue Angels
      1 9 6 0 - 1 9 6 1 (USA) 39 x 30 minute episodes Long before Top Gun, pilots swooshed…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleUFO
    Next Article Monocled Mutineer, The

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small. 

    Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your trip in the time machine!

    You may also like

    • Lawless Years, The
      Lawless Years, The
      1 9 5 9 - 1 9 6 1 (USA) 47 x 30 minute episodes This mid-season replacement show featured tough…
    • Name Of The Game, The
      Name Of The Game, The
      1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 1 (USA) The Name Of The Game was actually three shows under one…
    • Crime Story
      Crime Story
      1 9 8 6 - 1 9 8 8 (USA) 43 x 60 minute episodes The saga of a Chicago police…
    • West Point Story, The
      West Point Story, The
      1 9 5 6 - 1 9 5 8 (USA) Produced with the cooperation of the US Department of Defense and…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.