The Untouchables (TV series)

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Television series
German title The incorruptible
Original title The Untouchables
Country of production United States
original language English
Year (s) 1959-1963
Production
company		 Desilu Productions
Langford Productions
length 45 minutes
Episodes 118 + pilot in 4 squadrons
genre Detective film
Theme music Nelson Riddle
Director Walter Grauman
Stuart Rosenberg
Paul Wendkos
John Peyser
and others
script Oscar Fraley
Eliot Ness
Harry Kronman
and others
production Lloyd Richards
Josef Shaftel
Alvin Cooperman
Norman Retchin
music Russell Garcia
Nelson Riddle
Alexander Courage
Pete Rugolo
Leith Stevens
Fred Steiner
camera Charles Straumer
Glen MacWilliams
Robert B. Hauser
Jack MacKenzie
First broadcast October 15, 1959 on ABC
German-language
first broadcast		 July 30, 1964 on ZDF
occupation

Robert Stack
Abel Fernandez
Nicholas Georgiade
Paul Picerni
Steve London
Bruce Gordon
Neville Brand

The Untouchables (Original title: The Untouchables , Alternative title Chicago 1930 ) is an American television series that was broadcast in 1959 to 1963rd The story is based on the memoir of the same name by the prohibition agents Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley from 1957. They are the fictional events of a handpicked team that fought the underworld in Chicago in the 1930s and was named "The Untouchables" for its incorruptible reputation . The book was used by Brian De Palma and the screenwriter David Mamet as a template for their film of the same name (1987). In 1993, a less successful remake of the series aired.

Themes and motifs

Stack as Eliot Ness with Gloria Talbott , 1962

A frequent leitmotif of the series is the enmity between Ness and the criminal empire of Al Capone and his successors in the time after his conviction on October 24, 1931. Mainly it is about violations of the prohibition law. Ness is portrayed by Robert Stack and Al Capone by Neville Brand .

The pilot for the series, a full-length television film, later marketed as "The Scarface Mob," first aired on January 22, 1959. It dealt with Ness' crusade against the jailed Al Capone. The weekly television series began in October 1959 with a storyline that began with the power struggle within the mob to establish the new Mafia boss in Capone's absence (in the series, contrary to reality, Frank Nitti is the new boss). The epigones and succession struggles for the vacant chairmanship in Capone's organization are the motive of several episodes. In the pilot, the gangsters usually speak with a Chico-Italian accent, but the idiosyncratic pronunciation was dropped at the start of the series. In the first season, perhaps in response to public criticism, the character of the agent Enrico Rossi, played by Nicholas Georgiade, was introduced. Rossi is of Italian descent and is picked up by the Ness team as a driver and later a full-time agent, although he lacks forensic training and experience in law enforcement . Rossi's story is told in a flashback . As a barber, he is said to have been deeply traumatized when one of his customers (a gangster) and a young employee (the manicure Tessie DiGiovanna) were shot at with submachine guns by Frank Nitti's men . But before the gangster could escape, he was killed by Enrico with a razor. He later testified against Nitti.

Criticism and controversy

The TV show drew harsh criticism from well-known Italian-Americans such as B. Frank Sinatra after himself. The portrayal of negative stereotypes of the Italian-American population, who felt discriminated against as criminals, was criticized. The Capone family sued the show's production management for $ 1 million in damages for the unauthorized use of a likeness of Al Capone. Other well-known critics were Anthony Anastasio, head of the Brooklyn Waterfront, and the International Longshoremen Association and the Federation of Italian-American Democratic Organizations. Further protests against L&M (Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company) began when the tobacco company wanted to launch a cigarette brand called "Chesterfield The Untouchables".

A boycott developed in 1961, which led to the following compromise with Anthony Anastasio and the production manager Desi Arnaz :

  • There should be no further fictional gangsters with Italian names in future productions.
  • More emphasis should be placed on law enforcement and the role of Rico Rossi, Ness' right hand man.
  • One focus will be on the "formidable influence" of Italian-American officials in the fight against crime and another on the "great contribution" of Americans of Italian descent to American culture.

The National Association for Better Radio and Television named "The Untouchables" one of the most violent TV series broadcast in the United States.

occupation

The incorruptible were represented by:

other common actors:

Guest stars

A significant number of actors who appeared in supporting roles or specific episodes later became well-known TV or cinema stars.

  • Edward Andrews as Carl in episode 1.14 "Someone is After Me"
  • Edward Asner as Fedor Bartok in episode 3.16 "The Death Tree"
  • Martin Balsam in episodes 3.3 "Tunnel of Horrors" and 3.21 "Man in the Middle"
  • John Banner as Franz Koenig in episode 3.17 "Takeover"
  • Joanna Barnes as Marcie McKuen in episode 2.32 "90-Proof Dame"
  • William Bendix as Wally Legenza in episode 1.9 "The Tri-State Gang"
  • Scott Brady as Floyd Gibbons in "The Floyd Gibbons Story" (1963)
  • Charles Bronson in episode 3.16 "The Death Tree"
  • Victor Buono as Melanthos Moon in episode 2.25 "Mr. Moon "and as Pamise Surigao in episode 3.13" The Gang War "
  • James Caan as Keir Brannon in episode 4.10 "A Fist of Five"
  • Dyan Cannon as Mavis Carroll in episode 3.14 "Silent Partner"
  • Mike Connors in episode 4.7 "The Eddie O'Gara Story"
  • Russ Conway in episodes 2.12 and 2.13 "The Big Train", 2.25 "Mr. Moon "
  • Francis De Sales in episodes 1.23 "Three Thousand Suspects" and 2.9 "The Larry Fay Story"
  • Robert Duvall in episode 4.17 "Blues for a Gone Goose"
  • Peter Falk in episode 1.26 "The Underworld Bank" and as Nate Selko in episode 3.1 "The Troubleshooter"
  • Herbie Faye in episode 3.12 as Lefty in "Fall Guy"
  • Anne Francis as Doreen Maney in episode 1.24 "The Doreen Maney Story"
  • Clu Gulager as Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll in "Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll"
  • Richard Jaeckel as Hans Eberhardt in episode 2.10 "The Otto Frick Story"
  • Conrad Janis as sticks in episode 2.5 "The Mark of Cain"
  • I. Stanford Jolley as Pete Laffey in episode 4.21 "The Man in the Cooler"
  • Robert Karnes (also as co-star of The Lawless Years ) in episodes 2.9 "The Larry Fay Story" and 4.15 "Snowball"
  • Jack Klugman as Morton Halas in episode 3.6 "Loophole"
  • Martin Landau as Larry Coombs in episode 3.6 "Loophole" and as Jerry Fanning in episode 1.7 "Mexican Stake-Out"
  • Cloris Leachman as Mrs. Mailer in episode 3.7 "Jigsaw" and episode 3.21 "Man in the Middle"
  • Robert Loggia as Leo Mencken in episode 3.17 "Takeover"
  • Jack Lord in episode 1.3 "The Jake Lingle Killing"
  • Lee Marvin as Nick Acropolis in episode 2.31 "The Nick Acropolis Story"
  • Gavin MacLeod as Whitey Metz in episode 3.6 "Loophole"
  • Ricardo Montalbán as Frank Makouris in episode 2.27 "Stranglehold"
  • Elizabeth Montgomery as Rusty Heller (for which she received an Emmy Award nomination, 1960)
  • Barry Morse as Michel Viton in episode 2.30 "The King Of Champagne" and as Larry Bass in episode 4.18 "Globe Of Death"
  • Patricia Neal as Maggie Storm in episode 3.20 "The Maggie Storm Story"
  • Leslie Nielsen as Tom Sebring in episode 1.23 "Three Thousand Suspects"
  • Leonard Nimoy as Packy in episode 3.17 "Takeover"
  • Lloyd Nolan as Bugs Moran in episode 1.4 "The George 'Bugs' Moran Story"
  • Carroll O'Connor as Barney Lubin in episode 3.2 "Power Play"
  • Nehemiah Persoff as Jake Guzik in three episodes, episode 1.1 "The Empty Chair", episode 2.29 "The Seventh Vote" and episode 4.12 "Doublecross"
  • Gregg Palmer as Paul Di Marco in episode 2.12 "The Big Train: Part 1"
  • Robert Redford in episode 4.15 "Snowball"
  • Cliff Robertson as Frank Halloway in episode 1.12 "The Underground Railway"
  • Telly Savalas in episodes 2.20 "The Antidote", 3.5 "The Matt Bass Scheme" and 4.14 "The Speculator"
  • Henry Silva as "Little Charlie Sebastino" in episode 2.5 "The Mark of Cain" and as Joker in episode 3.15 "The Whitey Steele Story"
  • Barbara Stanwyck in Episodes 4.8 "Elegy" and 4.13 "Search for a Dead Man"
  • Jan Sterling as Francie McKay in episode 2.8 "Kiss of Death Girl"
  • Suzanne Storrs in " Jack" Legs "Diamond " and "Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll"
  • Frank Sutton as Benny Stryker in episode 3.18 "The Stryker Brothers"
  • Roy Thinnes as Denny Brannon in episode 4.10 "A Fist of Five" and as Red Thomas in episode 4.19 "An Eye for an Eye"
  • Rip Torn as Harry Strauss in episode 2.14 "The Masterpiece"
  • Claire Trevor as Ma Barker in episode 1.2 "Ma Baker and Her Boys"
  • Lee Van Cleef in episode 1.20 "The Unhired Assassin"
  • Jack Warden as Otto Frick, in episode 2.10 "The Otto Frick Story" and as Larry Halloran in episode 1.3 "The George 'Bugs' Moran Story"
  • Steven Hill as Jack "Legs" Diamond, in episode 2.2 "Jack 'Legs' Diamond"

Episodes and Cast

The main actors: (from left) Abel Fernandez, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni and (seated) Robert Stack
Neville Brand as Al Capone

The series consists of 118 episodes with a running time of 50 minutes each. Although the book about Ness' experiences is chronological and spans a period from 1929 to 1935, the TV episodes were not broadcast in a chronological timeline; they play in the early 1930s. So begins z. B. the episode "You Can't Pick the Number" in the words of the narrator Winchell: "October 1932 ... the depths of the great depression". Other episodes primarily depict an area other than Chicago , such as the shooting with Ma Barker and her gang. But characters and “facts” were not entirely fictional in the majority of the episodes, but often fragments from the real life of the criminals of that time. The theme music for the series is by Nelson Riddle .

Short content of known episodes from the first season

"The Empty Chair"
First episode. Chicago 1931. Frank Nitti and Jake Guzik take attack positions when Capone's chair of power vacates after his imprisonment. Meanwhile, the government agent Eliot Ness hires a new "Untouchable", a barber named Enrico Rossi, who is a witness to a contract murder ordered by Nitti .
" Ma Barker & Her Boys" (mother Barker's sons)
Ness and his men pursue bank robbery and kidnapping specialist Ma Barker and two of her sons on the Florida Highway, which ends in a long and bloody firefight.
"The Jake Lingle Killing" (The murder of Jake Lingle)
After a star reporter who acted as a liaison between two Chicago gangs was murdered, a bounty hunter Eliot Ness offers information about the mobster Barney Bershe if the Untouchables reveal everything they know about the death of the journalist. Ness distrusts the bounty hunter's motives.
"The George" Bugs "Moran Story" (The Bugs Moran Story)
Capone's arch-rival Bugs Moran decides to blackmail into the union market and tries to take over a truck drivers union. To do this, he kidnaps the son of the labor leader Larry Halloran and puts pressure on the Patterson company to sign a collective agreement.
"Ain't We Got Fun" (To the Blue Poodle)
With the prospect of an early end to Prohibition , Big Jim Harrington hatches a plan to dump a large supply of whiskey. He and other underworld giants are starting to find alternative sources of income. In connection with this, the “Zum Blaue Pudel” bar is being extorted for protection money. The landlord suffers burns in an attack and then decides to work with Ness.
"The Vincent" Mad Dog "Coll Story" (Like a mad dog)
The Maverick gangster "Mad Dog" Coll brings unrest in the New York underworld by his arch-rival Dutch Schultz brings to open resistance. He decides to continue provoking the underworld by using a sniper rifle to shoot a racehorse during the Kentucky Derby .
"Mexican Stake Out" (The trail leads to Mexico)
A mobster, fearing a testimony in court, kidnaps the witness and takes him to Mexico . Ness and a special agent are used to rescue the witness. However, after the special agent is kidnapped, Ness must find the two prisoners before they can be tracked down by the mobster's hired men.
"The Artichoke King" (The Artichoke King)
Mobster Ciro Terranova , known as the “Artichoke King”, is planning a big move against the New York greengrocer. Ness must travel to New York to thwart this plan.
"The Tri-State Gang" (The Harry's Transport Company)
Ness declares war on a gang that operates in the states of Pennsylvania , Maryland and Virginia . The gang not only kidnaps trucks, but also shoots their drivers. While the "Untouchables" succeed in driving the gang away, an accountant is kidnapped by her and held prisoner for ransom. In this episode, agent LaMarr Kane (Chuck Hicks) dies.
"The Dutch Schultz Story" (The Dutch Schultz Story)
Ness is investigating gangster Dutch Schulz for fraud. Schultz manages to move the hearing to a small town, where he hopes to win over the citizens, and thus the jury, with the promise of money and power. Since Schultz is temporarily out of the way, Lucky Luciano takes power in New York.
"You Can't Pick The Number" (head or tails)
A friend of the Untouchables becomes involved in the machinations of illegal gambling . When he gets into trouble with the boss of the Syndicate , he tries to convince the Untouchable Martin "Marty" Flaharty, played by Jerry Paris , to use evidence against Ness. Both refuse him. The father is killed and the son leads Ness to the headquarters of the gambling syndicate.
"Underground Railway" (The Escape Route)
A well-known gangster escapes from prison and uses escape routes within the US with a woman who pretends to be his wife. The gangster undergoes facial surgery and a tooth change in order not to be recognized by the Ness agents or by rivals from the underworld.
"Syndicate Sanctuary" (Free Elections)
Judge Zabo, a reform candidate for a small town in Illinois , is shot dead. Ness prevents Guido Morelli from turning the city into a stronghold of gambling and vice.
"The Noise of Death" (Who the Mafia Retires)
Aging mob boss Joe Bucco has to assert himself against a younger gangster who has the support of the top bosses in Chicago . Ness convinces Bucco to testify against the younger man before he is murdered.
"Star Witness" (witness for the prosecution)
An accountant pulls out of business with the mob. Because of his inside knowledge, his former boss plans to have him murdered. He agrees to testify against his ex-boss and is guarded by Ness and his men.
"The Saint Louis Story" (The St. Louis Story)
A nightclub owner tries to take over the turf of his rivals. He raids a US Post Office car and loots over a million dollars. Ness has to work with a corrupt police lieutenant who becomes a key figure in the campaign against the nightclub owner.
"One-Armed Bandit"
A former mobster, who was investigated by Ness at the time, is released from prison. He swears that he will no longer commit criminal acts. However, another gangster blackmails him to participate in illegal gambling and orders him to kill Eliot Ness.
"Little Egypt" (The Major)
A town in southern Illinois is dominated by bullies and their thugs. An untouchable agent is smuggled into their organization and discovered while sending mail pigeons .
"The Big Squeeze"
Ness fights a cunning bank robber who refuses the presence of women because he believes they are ruining his business. He falls in love during a trip to Florida .
"The Unhired Assassin" in two episodes (part 1 drug is not a toy & part 2 the unordered killer)
Frank Nitti plans the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak . Cermak is fatally wounded in Miami Beach while performing with President Franklin Roosevelt . However, the deadly bullets did not come from Nitti.
"The White Slavers"
The lieutenant and pimp Al Capone, Mig Torrance, recruits young girls in Mexico , whom he promises a better life in the USA. When a truck with ordered girls is stopped, they are all massacred. Ness allied himself with a local brothel owner, and the girls also organize against their criminal exploiters.
"Three Thousand Suspects" (3000 suspects)
A criminal is murdered in prison. Ness works with another inmate to find the killers.
"The Doreen Maney Story" (The Doreen Maney Story)
Based on the story of Bonnie and Clyde , a man and a woman commit a series of bank robberies. Ness and his men arrest the woman.
"Portrait of a Thief" (The Imposter)
The Untouchables smashed up much of Chicago's illegal breweries and distilleries. Deliveries are now mainly from New York. Charlton Duncan, the owner of a legal brewery, is used by Ness to break up the Syndicate. Capone's mentor, Johnny Torrio , and two mysterious backers are involved in the story.
"The Underworld Bank" (The Underworld Bank)
The underworld sets up its own bank to fund its activities. Its director is former gangster Milo Sullivan. A petty criminal falls in love with the niece of the mob boss and plans to marry her. Since he does not get his full share in a robbery on the underworld bank, he seeks revenge.
"Head of Fire, Feet of Clay" (low blow for Ness)
Ness tries to sabotage a boxing racketeer's business. He works with an old school friend, who turns out to be not quite as loyal as previously assumed.
"The Frank Nitti Story" (The Frank Nitti Story)
Prohibition is over and Nitti wants to get into the film business. He keeps the cinema owners in check with violence and threats. When an agent of the Untouchables, Cam Allison (played by Anthony George ), is killed, Eliot Ness is very motivated to end Nitti's career.

Broadcast history

The series aired weekly on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. for the first three seasons in the United States, the last season on Tuesday at 10 p.m. after the sitcom Margie starring Cynthia Pepper . In 1997, the episode "The Rusty Heller Story" ranked 99th out of the 100 most popular episodes of all time.

Released on DVD

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount ) has released three seasons of The Untouchables on DVD in Region 1. The first two seasons were also launched for Region 4. Season 4 Vol. 1 & 2 appeared on July 24, 2012 in Region 1.

DVD name Episode # Publication date
Region 1 Region 4
Season 1- issue 1 14 + pilot April 10, 2007 September 30, 2009
Season 1- issue 2 14th September 25, 2007 September 30, 2009
Season 2- issue 1 16 March 18, 2008 September 30, 2009
Season 2- issue 2 16 August 26, 2008 September 30, 2009
Season 3 issue 1 16 August 25, 2009 N / A
Season 3 issue 2 12 November 20, 2009 N / A
Season 4- issue 1 15th July 24, 2012 N / A
Season 4- issue 2 15th July 24, 2012 N / A

Region 2

Paramount Home Entertainment released the first two seasons of The Untouchables on DVD in the UK . These releases are complete sets as opposed to Region 3 and 4.

DVD name Episode # Publication date
season 1 28 August 18, 2008
season 2 32 September 14, 2009
season 3 28 20th September 2010
Season 4 30th July 24, 2012

literature

  • Kenneth Tucker: Eliot Ness and the Untouchables: The Historical Reality and the Film and Television Depictions . Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-7864-0772-7 .
  • Tise Vahimagi: "The Untouchables" London, England: BFI Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0-85170-563-4 (detailed study of the series with the content of the episodes)

Web links

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ The Scarface Mafia
  2. ^ Gay Talese, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," p. 27, Esquire Magazine, April 1966
  3. ↑ Jay Harris, together with the editors of the TV Guide “TV Guide: The First 25 Years,” Simon & Schuster, 1978, p. 52-53, ISBN 0-671-23065-4
  4. ^ The Palm Beach Post, Jul 16, 1961, p. 5
  5. ↑ Jake Lingle: Alfred "Jake" Lingle Jr. (* July 2, 1891, † June 9, 1930) was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune . Linge was shot in public in 1930 by the German-American gangster Leo Vincent Brothers in the Illinois Central Commuter Train Station. At first Lingle was portrayed by the press as some sort of martyr in the fight against organized crime, until it was found that he was involved in numerous mafia activities.
  6. ↑ engl. Labor racketeering
  7. ↑ Ital. Caporegime
  8. ↑ TV shows on DVD
  9. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LV6W00
  10. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ezydvd.com.au
  11. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RZIGTA
  12. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ezydvd.com.au
  13. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00114XTHK
  14. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ezydvd.com.au
  15. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019F02VW
  16. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ezydvd.com.au
  17. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G0MFCE
  18. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G0MFQA
  19. ↑ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000RGSXW4
  20. ↑ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0029KQNZU
  21. ↑ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003SX0X6C