Tue 16 Aug 2016
A TV Mystery Review: TREASURY MEN IN ACTION “The Case of the Deadly Dilemma” (1955).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[7] Comments
TREASURY MEN IN ACTION “The Case of the Deadly Dilemma.” ABC, 24 March 1955. (Season 5, Episode 25.) Series shown in syndication as Federal Men. Walter Greaza (as The Chief), Charles Bronson, Lewis Charles, Lillian Buyeff, Ralph Moody. Director: Leigh Jason.
Information on this series, which ran for five years on ABC, NBC then back to ABC, is scarce. (Even the information in that first sentence may be wrong.) But it ran for quite a while, so in my opinion, it doesn’t really deserve to have been forgotten for so long, which I think it has been.
The chief, who introduces and narrates this episode, is this time around the head of the Secret Service. I do not know, but I do not believe that that was always the case. Counterfeiting, in particular, is the crime, and it is Charles Bronson’s character who is assigned to go undercover to get the goods on the big shot who’s the head of the gang.
To prove himself, though, he’s asked to kill an old man whose wife has gotten tired of him. This is where the dilemma of the title comes in. Bronson is really on the spot, up on the roof with the old man and the head of the gang, the latter with a gun on him. It’s kill, or be killed.
It’s a tough situation, and to this point, a rather good story. Too bad both the screenwriter’s creative imagination ran out, as did the running time for this episode, no more than 25 minutes long.
August 16th, 2016 at 1:16 am
According to Evelyn Mack Truitt’s “Who Was Who on Screen,” tough guy actor Lewis Charles (pictured with Charles Bronson) had early experience as a ballroom dancer!
August 16th, 2016 at 9:53 am
I can easily believe that, Gary, but on TV, I doubt he was ever cast as anything but a tough guy hoodlum. He had the face for it!
August 18th, 2016 at 12:56 am
I love to research.
TREASURY MEN IN ACTION (aka T-MEN IN ACTION)
PTE PRODUCTION – Developed and Executive Produced by Bernard Prockter – CAST: Walter Greaza as The Chief
ABC Monday 8-8:30 Sept 1950 – December 1950
Premired 9/11/50 for sponsor Chrysler and shot “live†in New York. This anthology series took place in different agencies of the Treasury department. The episodes only common point was Walter Greaza playing the head of each different department as “The Chief.â€
NBC Thursday 8:30-9 April 51 – April 54
Borden Company (coffee) is the series’ new sponsor and places it on NBC. It would renew it for 52 weeks on NBC starting January 7, 1954. But quickly changed it mind.
In early 1954 Borden decides to drop TREASURY MEN IN ACTION for either series JUSTICE or PEOPLE ARE FUNNY. NBC approves of both and Bordon picked JUSTICE.
ABC Thursday 8:30-9 October 1954 – June 1955
ABC Friday 8:30-9 June 1955 – September 1955
Chevrolet picked up sponsorship as the series production moved to Hollywood where it was filmed at American National Studio lot.
Its syndicated title would be FEDERAL MEN. Ads offered a package of 39 episodes.
The man behind the series was Bernard Jay Prockter who also was involved with BIG STORY, MAN BEHIND THE BADGE, DECOY, PLAYHOUSE 15 and others.
The series did well in the ratings at times in the Top 15 especially in the NBC era where it was carried by more stations.
The series won many awards including the Sylvania for Best Documentary Melodrama in 1952.
June 1953 TREASURY MEN IN ACTION was replaced for eight weeks by summer TV series PLACE THE FACE.
May 1955 Prockter sells his company PTE Production and its shows including TREASURY MEN IN ACTION to two of his company’s top executives Everett Rosenthal (who was executive producer of the later episodes) and Leonard Loewenthan. The two men form a new production company called Pyramid.
There are several episodes available to watch on YouTube, including “The Case of the Deadly Dilemmaâ€
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9BqZaksZM
August 18th, 2016 at 11:43 am
Great work, Michael. Thanks! You’ve added a lot of information that I couldn’t find anywhere else on the Internet.
August 18th, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Broadcasting had most of it. I have tried to leave links to the site before but here is another try…
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Broadcasting_Individual_Issues_Guide.htm
There is not much on Prockter after he sold his production company. IMDb has him dying in May of 1986 but little else.
August 18th, 2016 at 7:49 pm
Long-term soap fans will remember Walter Greaza (gray-za) as Winston Grimsley, the richest man in Monticello, on Edge Of Night, a part he played from 1956 to 1973.
On Edge, everybody got tried for murder at some point.
When Winston Grimsley stood trial, Walter Greaza maintained a steely calm through a rough cross-examination – I was a kid at the time, but I was duly impressed.
August 18th, 2016 at 8:07 pm
Not the sharpest photo in the world, but the best I could come up with: