Harlem Detective (TV series)

*Harlem Detective*
Harlem Detective
Genre	Police drama
Created by	Lawrence Menkin.[1]
Written by	William Attaway
Directed by	Bob Eberle
Starring	William Hairston, William Marshall
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	14
Production
Producer	Lawrence Menkin[1]
Release
Original release	October 14, 1953 –; January 13, 1954

Harlem Detective is a short-lived TV series that aired on WOR in 1953 and 1954. It is the first television crime program with an interracial pair of detectives, and the first program with an interracial cast.[2] The show was created by Lawrence Menkin[1] and starred William Hairston and William Marshall, among others.[3]

Although debuting to high ratings[4] despite a low budget,[3] the show was quickly cancelled. The producers stated the cancellation was because Marshall was being released to "fulfill movie commitments," however Marshall claimed it was actually because of his political beliefs[5] — he was accused of being a communist[2] and placed on the Hollywood Blacklist.[6][7]

Several episodes were written by African American script editor William Attaway[8]

References

"Larry Menkin papers". Archives West.
Raymond, Emilie (2015). Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement. University of Washington Press. p. 48. ISBN 9780295806075.
MacDonald, J. Fred (1983). Blacks and White TV: African Americans in Television Since 1948. Nelson-Hall. p. 47. ISBN 9780830413263.
"'Harlem Det.', 'Tension' Pace WOR-TV Drama in Telepulse". The Billboard. 1953-12-05. p. 3. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.
"Marshall Denies 'Red' Charge, Fired From TV". Jet. p. 59: Johnson Publication Company. 21 Jan 1954. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
Goldstein Sepinwall, Alyssa (2021). Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496833129.
Caute, David (May 1, 1979). The Great Fear: The Anti-Communist Purge Under Truman and Eisenhower. Touchstone. ISBN 978-0671248482.
"People: William Attaway". Jet. p. 33: Johnson Publication Company. 3 Dec 1953. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

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[menkinpapers-1] "Larry Menkin papers". Archives West.

[starsbook-2] Raymond, Emilie (2015). Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement. University of Washington Press. p. 48. ISBN 9780295806075.

[AATV1948-3] MacDonald, J. Fred (1983). Blacks and White TV: African Americans in Television Since 1948. Nelson-Hall. p. 47. ISBN 9780830413263.

[4] "'Harlem Det.', 'Tension' Pace WOR-TV Drama in Telepulse". The Billboard. 1953-12-05. p. 3. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.

[5] "Marshall Denies 'Red' Charge, Fired From TV". Jet. p. 59: Johnson Publication Company. 21 Jan 1954. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

[6] Goldstein Sepinwall, Alyssa (2021). Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496833129.

[7] Caute, David (May 1, 1979). The Great Fear: The Anti-Communist Purge Under Truman and Eisenhower. Touchstone. ISBN 978-0671248482.

[8] "People: William Attaway". Jet. p. 33: Johnson Publication Company. 3 Dec 1953. Retrieved 20 Sep 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link)