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The program starred Howard Duff (as Sam Stone) and Dennis Cole (as Jim Briggs) as police detectives in an unnamed Western city. Duff's character was the veteran who was teaching his younger partner the nuances of life in this new facet of police work. Another main character was desk sergeant Dan Briggs (portrayed by Ben Alexander ), the father of Cole's character. Originally entitled, "Men Against Evil," the show was set to be a soap opera-type program about a police captain. However, when the concept proved to be unworkable, the project was changed to a standard police drama with three main characters. In addition, following a sponsor's objection about being associated with the word "evil," the show's title was changed. For the first two years of the show's run, it was broadcast on Monday nights, with 30 episodes comprising a season's run. In the Fall of 1968 , it was switched to Friday evening, a move that proved disastrous when the program was cancelled at midseason after just 13 shows. The final episode of the series was part of a crossover with another ABC program, " Judd For The Defense ." The stunt proved to be no more effective for "Judd," which was also cancelled after the season. Alexander's role in the series was not only was on screen, but also off it as a technical adviser. His earlier work with Jack Webb in Dragnet was the basis for this added position, and ironically resulted in his inability to reprise his role of Frank Smith when Webb revived Dragnet in 1966. Sadly, he died of a Heart Attack less than six months after Felony Squad left the air. |
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