What was the first American police drama with a female protagonist? A lot of people, I'm sure, wouldn't hazard a guess. Others might guess Police Woman, the 70s show starring Angie Dickinson. But it was actually Decoy, which aired in 1957-58.
Decoy starred Beverly Garland, who starred in several Roger Corman movies including It Conquered the World and who would later play Fred MacMurray's new wife on My Three Sons. It was created for syndication, which in some ways may have been a problem. It was consistently popular, but not being supported by a network meant the producers ran out of money after one season. That season has 39 episodes, though.
Garland is an appealing lead, flitting from role to role as the undercover job requires, but always projecting warmth and decency. She narrates in voice-over while appearing onscreen, and at the end usually breaks the fourth wall to talk to the viewer. The show overall has a lyrical feeling.
1 comment:
Oh that was very neat. I'm familiar with Beverly Garland's name but other than seeing her the odd time on various tv shows and B movies I wasn't familiar with her role as the lead in a drama about a policewoman. I have found a few episodes on youtube where I watched outtakes of a few of them.
The revews on IMDB are very positive. I especially liked the references to NYC as being on the downslide in 1957 and 1958. I'd thought it took longer than that but apparently not. In her role as Decoy policewoman Casey Jones was compared to Jack Webb as Sgt Friday on the Naked City. From what little I've seen the multiplicity of characters she played appears to be far more interesting. We've watched a bit of NC and found it a little too dry and repetitive to appeal to our interests in old tv and movies.
It would be fascinating to have a look inside Pennsylvania Station as it used to be.
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