Gangbusters, as I write this review, is currently shown on the Decades cable TV channel which shows old CBS/Viacom catalog shows. I don't know how CBS got this NBC show so it's possible they are public domain now but shows are frequently sold around to others. It's shown in the 5AM EST timeslot. I have watched two episodes so far and loved each one! The first one I watched starred two actors from the Grapes of Wrath, Russell Simpson (the old man who dies in GOW) and John Carradine, just 13 or so years after Grapes of Wrath, both are in a fight to the death in Gangbusters! The other episode was about a family gang of some really tough bank robbers. The show starts with titles showing masses of police marching in formation with a scene of a jail break. With the video intro you get what I assume is the radio show introduction saying "Gangbusters!" along with radio show sound effects of a slide whistle for a police siren! The radio show was still going on in 1952 and would last until 1957, lasting about 20 years. Unfortunately, the TV show only lasted about 1 and a half seasons. The stated reason was that this was a filler program while they were making more Dragnet episodes. I don't really buy that because this was a top 10 show when it got cancelled. The reason why I think it got cancelled was because unlike Dragnet and most other TV shows of the time that focused on the cops and good guys, Gangbusters focused on the bad guys. There are murders shown (not wounds, dead) and the bad guys are very despicable, my guess is NBC having many shows already in the top 10 cut this bad guy show so it wouldn't tarnish its reputation. The show would not go away in 1952 though being brought back in rerun syndication in 1955 with some unaired episodes shown as well. Unlike most TV from 1952, this one seems to be filmed versus kinescoped so that part holds up OK. If you are looking for something that holds up better than the usual drama or variety show from 1952, you can't go wrong with Gangbusters. I plan on watching all the episodes that the Decades channel shows! 8 of 10.
2 Reviews
From pioneering radio to TV bench hitter
blondiesguy200413 March 2007
"Gang Busters" was a pioneering radio series detailing the activities of the nation's most notorious crime figures of the day. It was unique in that at the end of every episode, the announcer would inform listeners to call the local police or "Gang Busters" for information on wanted criminals still on the loose. In that respect, it was definitely a precursor of today's reality shows like "America's Most Wanted".
The television version, which premiered in 1952, stayed true to the radio format, telling stories of legendary scum like John Dillinger, Willie "The Actor" Sutton, etc. And just as on radio, viewers were informed of criminals still on the loose, and were encouraged to contact the show or the police. Yet, what worked so well on radio just didn't jell on the small screen. Despite series creator Phillips H. Lord's total involvement in the production, it all looked so disjointed and cheap, judging from the four episodes I have on DVD.
NBC obviously knew this as well, for despite very high ratings, they regarded this show as a stop gap filler for the equally successful "Dragnet" during its early years as a bi-weekly show. When Jack Webb filmed enough episodes for a weekly slot, "Gang Busters", one of the highest rated series of the 1952 season, had to go. So, what could have been a potential landmark in television history, as it was on radio, was merely a low-budget bench-hitter during the early days of TV. New episodes, however, were made for syndication under the title "Captured", apparently as not to tarnish the name that helped to pioneer the reality show. Today, the show has fallen into public domain, and has only now received a small cult status as one of crime TV's earliest offerings.
"Gang Busters" is a Phillips H. Lord Production, filmed by Visual Drama, Inc. for NBC-TV. 26 episodes were filmed, as well as a feature-length episode specially made for theaters in 1954. That, too, is in public domain.
The television version, which premiered in 1952, stayed true to the radio format, telling stories of legendary scum like John Dillinger, Willie "The Actor" Sutton, etc. And just as on radio, viewers were informed of criminals still on the loose, and were encouraged to contact the show or the police. Yet, what worked so well on radio just didn't jell on the small screen. Despite series creator Phillips H. Lord's total involvement in the production, it all looked so disjointed and cheap, judging from the four episodes I have on DVD.
NBC obviously knew this as well, for despite very high ratings, they regarded this show as a stop gap filler for the equally successful "Dragnet" during its early years as a bi-weekly show. When Jack Webb filmed enough episodes for a weekly slot, "Gang Busters", one of the highest rated series of the 1952 season, had to go. So, what could have been a potential landmark in television history, as it was on radio, was merely a low-budget bench-hitter during the early days of TV. New episodes, however, were made for syndication under the title "Captured", apparently as not to tarnish the name that helped to pioneer the reality show. Today, the show has fallen into public domain, and has only now received a small cult status as one of crime TV's earliest offerings.
"Gang Busters" is a Phillips H. Lord Production, filmed by Visual Drama, Inc. for NBC-TV. 26 episodes were filmed, as well as a feature-length episode specially made for theaters in 1954. That, too, is in public domain.
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