77 Sunset Strip
Stuart Bailey, Jeff Spencer, Rex Randolph and "Kookie"
Created by Roy Huggins

"Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb!"

Roy Huggins' private eye STUART BAILEY was originally (and intentionally) quite Chandleresque, trudging through the mean streets of Los Angeles alone, carrying the weight of the world along with him. He gained a fluency in foreign languages, a past as a government agent, a slick wardrobe, a slick office, and a partner, JEFF SPENCER, when Huggins adapted him for television's 77 SUNSET STRIP, TV's first hour-long private eye show and -- simply put -- one of the the most influential private eye shows in history.

Spencer was also a former government agent, and a non-practising attorney. They worked out of swank digs at 77 Sunset Strip, next door to Dino's Restaurant, where French secretary suzanne handled the phones. Hanging around for comic relief were racetrack tout Roscoe, and hair-combing, Dino parking lot attendant and beatnik P.I. wanna-be KOOKIE. Comb sales soared. So much for Huggin's hopes for a straight P.I. series. Hardboiled drama was out and gimmicks were in.

And then the Warner Brothers hit factory started churning out copy cat versions of the show, all following the formula of two handsome male leads, a wanna-be, a pretty (but slightly ditzy) secretary, and a buffoon, with William Orr, Warner Brothers' first television producer, at the controls. Hawaiian Eye , Bourbon Street Beat, and Surfside Six all appeared within the next year or so, and the formula was soon also grafted onto non-P.I. shows such as The Islanders (an adventure series about two charter pilots in the tropics) and The Roaring Twenties (a newspaper drama).

Alas, not all the clones survived. The first copy, and the least successful, Bourbon Street Beat, crashed and burned within a year. But New Orleans gumshoe Rex Randolph soon found new employment, joining a certain Sunset Strip detective agency for the 1960 season.

A very influential show, incredibly cheesy at times, but also often quite entertaining. A true cult favourite. The latest rumour is that a big-screen version, starring Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Murray will begin filming in Hawaii and Alaska sometime in the autumn of 2001. the only mystery is: what kept 'em?

AN INSIDE JOB?

• "I have a copy of a thirteen- page outline, "Girl on the Run" written by Roy Huggins, but there is no date on it. (In fact, Huggins has left some blank spaces for certain names of characters in the outline).'

FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY

• "A fun show that generally played it straight but didn't take itself too seriously."
  (Ted Fitzgerald)

TELEVISION

• CONFLICT
  (Anthology)
  Producer: Roy Huggins
  

• "Anything For Money"
  (April 16, 1957)
  Pilot; shown as episode of anthology series CONFLICT)
  Based on short story "Death and the Skylark" by Roy Huggins
  

• GIRL ON THE RUN
  (October 10, 1958)
  Pilot; series started following week
  90 minutes
  Based on an unpublished story by Roy Huggins
  Screenplay by Marion Hargrove
  Producer: Roy Huggins
  Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as STU BAILEY
  
  
• 77 SUNSET STRIP (1958-64, ABC)
  1 90-minute pilot
  205 60-minute episodes
  Created by Roy Huggins
  Writers: Douglas Heyes, Howard Browne, Marion Hargrove, Roy Huggins, Leonard Lee, Charles Sinclair, Roger Smith
  Directors: William Conrad, Lawrence Dobkin, Robert Douglas, Douglas Heyes, Leslie H. Martinson, Irving J. Moore, Leo Penn, Richard Sarafian, George Waggner
  Producers: Roy Huggins, Howie Horowitz, Fenton Earnshaw, Harry Tatelman, Joel Rogosin, William Conrad
  Executive Producers: William T. Orr, Jack Webb
  A Warner Bros Production
  Theme by Jerry Livingston and Mack David
  Performed by Warren Barker
  Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as STU BAILEY
  Roger Smith as JEFF SPENCER
  Edd Byrnes as GERALD "KOOKIE" KOOKSON III
  and Richard Long as REX RANDOLPH
  Also starring Louis Quinn, Jacqueline Beer, Robert Logan, Joan Staley, Byron Keith
  Guest Stars: Francis X. Bushman, Robert Conrad, Sammy Davis Jr., James Garner (as himself), Barton MacLane, Mary Tyler Moore, Tuesday Weld, Fay Wray, Adam West
  

• 1st season
• "Lovely Lady, Pity Me" (October 17, 1958)
• "A Nice Social Evening" (October 24, 1957)
• "Casualty" (October 31, 1957)
• "The Bouncing Chip" (November 7, 1958)
• "Two and Two Make Six" (November 14, 1958)
• "All Our Yesterdays" (November 21, 1958)
• "The Well-Selected Frame" (November 28)
• "The Iron Curtain Caper" (December 5, 1958)
• "Vicious Circle" (December 12, 1958)
• "One False Step" (December 19, 1958)
• "The Court Martial of Johnny Murdo" (December 26, 1958)
• "Hit and Run" (January 2, 1959)
• "Not an Enemy in the World" (January 9, 1959)
• "The Secret of Adam Cain" (January 16, 1959)
• "The Girl Who Couldn't Remember" (January 23, 1959)
• "Dark Vengeance" (January 30, 1959)
• "Conspiracy of Silence" (February 6, 1959)
• "Eyewitness" (February 13, 1959)
• "Lovely Alibi" (February 20, 1959)
• "In Memoriam" (February 27, 1959)
• "The Fifth Stair" (Marh 6, 1959)
• "The Pasadena Caper" (march 13, 1959)
• "The Hong Kong Caper" (March 20, 1959)
• "A Check Will Do Nicely" (March 27, 1959)
• "The Grandma Caper"" (April 3, 1959)
• "Honey for the Bee" (April 10, 1959)
• "Abra-cadaver" (April 17, 1959)
• "A Bargain in Tombs" (April 24, 1959)
• "The Widow Wouldn't Weep" (May 1, 1959)
• "Downbeat" (May 8, 1959)
• "The Canine Caper" (May 15, 1959)
• "Mr. Paradise" (May 22, 1959)
• "Strange Girl in Town" (May 29, 1959)
  
  
• 2nd season
• "The Kookie Caper" (October 9, 1959)
• "Six Superior Skirts" (October 16, 1959)
• "Clay Pigeon" (October 23, 1959)
• "Thanks for Tomorrow" (October 30, 1959)
• "Sing Something Simple" (November 6, 1959)
• "The Treehouse Caper" (November 13, 1959)
• "Out of the Past" (November 20, 1959)
• "The Widow and the Web" (November 27, 1959)
• "Secret Island" (December 4, 1959)
• "Texas Doll" (December 11, 1959)
• "Vacation with Pay" (December 18, 1959)
• "The Juke-Box Caper" (December 25, 1959)
• "Created He Them" (January 1, 1960)
• "Collector's Item" (January 8, 1960)
• "Switchburg" (January 15, 1960)
• "The One that Got Away" (January 22, 1960)
• "Ten Cents a Death" (January 29, 1960)
• "Who Killed Cock Robin?" (February 5, 1959)
• "Condor's Lair" (February 12, 1960)
• "The Starlet" (February 26, 1960)
• "Safari" (March 4, 1960)
• "Blackout" (March 11, 1960)
• "Return to San Dede; Part One: The Desert Story" (March 18, 1960)
• "Return to San Dede; Part Two: Capital City" (March 25, 1960)
• "Publicity Brat" (April 1, 1960)
• "The Fix (April 8, 1960)
• "Legend of Crystal Dart" (April 15, 1960)
• "Stranger than Fiction" (April 22, 1960)
• "Genesis of Treason" (April 29, 1960)
• "Fraternity of Fear" (May 6, 1960)
• "Spark of Freedom" (May 13, 1960)
• "Perfect Setup" (May 20, 1960)
• "Sierra" (May 27, 1960)
• "The Silent Caper" (AKA "Much Ado About Nothing"; June 3, 1960)
• "Family Skeleton" (June 10, 1960)
• "Only Zeroes Count" (June 17, 1960)
  
  
• 3rd season
• "The Attic" (September 16, 1960)
• "The Fanatics" (September 23, 1960)
• "The President's Daughter" (September 30, 1960)
• "The Office Caper" (October 7, 1960)
• "The Wide-Screen Caper" (October 14, 1960)
• "The Negotiable Blonde" (October 21, 1960)
• "The Laurel Canyon Caper" (October 28, 1960)
• "Double Trouble" (November 4, 1960)
• "Trouble in the Middle East" (November 11, 1960)
• "The Duncan Shrine" (November 18, 1960)
• "The Double Death of Benny Markham" (November 25, 1960)
• "The Antwerp Caper" (December 2, 1960)
• "The Affairs of Adam Gallante" (December 9, 1960)
• "The Valley Caper" (December 16, 1960)
• "The Dresden Caper" (December 23, 1960)
• "The Rice Estate" (December 30, 1960)
• "The Hamlet Caper" (January 6, 1961)
• "The Man in the Mirror" (January 13, 1961)
• "The College Caper" (January 20, 1961)
• "The Positive Negative" (January 27, 1961)
• "The Corsican Caper" (February 3, 1961)
• "Once Upon a Caper" (February 10, 1961)
• "Strange Bedfellows" (February 17, 1961)
• "Face in the Window" (February 24, 1961)
• "Tiger by the Tail" (March 3, 1961)
• "The Space Caper" (March 10, 1961)
• "Open and Close in One" (March 17, 1961)
• "The Legend of Leckonby" (March 24, 1961)
• "Old Card Sharps Never Die" (March 31, 1961)
• "Vamp Till Ready" (April 7, 1961)
• "Common Denominator" (April 14, 1961)
• "The Six Out of Eight Caper" (April 21, 1961)
• "The Celluloid Cowboy " (April 28, 1961)
• "The Eyes of Love" (May 5, 1961)
• "Designing Eye" (May 12, 1961)
• "Caper in E Flat" (May 19, 1961)
• "The Hot Tamale Caper; Part One" (May 26, 1961)
• "The Hot Tamale Caper; Part Two" (June 2, 1961)
• "Mr. Goldilocks" (June 30, 1961)
  .
• 4th season
• "The Rival Eye Caper" (September 22, 1961)
• "The Desert Spa Caper" (September 29, 1961)
• "The Man in the Crowd" (October 6, 1961)
• "The Inverness Caper" (October 13, 1961)
• "The Lady has the Answers" (October 20, 1961)
• "The Unremembered" (October 27, 1961)
• "Big Boy Blue" (November 3, 1961)
• "The Cold Cash Caper" (November 10, 1961)
• "The Missing Daddy Caper" (November 17, 1961)
• "The Turning Point" (November 24, 1961)
• "The Deadly Solo" (December 1, 1961)
• "Reserved for Mr. Bailey" (December 8, 1961)
• "The Navy Caper" (December 15, 1961)
• "Bullets for Santa" (December 22, 1961)
• "The Chrome Coffin" (December 29, 1961)
• "The Down Under Caper" (January 5, 1962)
• "Mr. Bailey's Honeymoon" (January 12, 1962)
• "Penthouse on Skid Row" (January 19, 1962)
• "The Diplomatic Caper" (January 26, 1962)
• "The Bridal Trial Caper" (February 2, 1962)
• "The Brass Ring Caper" (February 9, 1962)
• "The Bel Air Hermit" (February 16, 1962)
• "The Parallel Caper" (February 23, 1962)
• "Twice Dead" (March 2, 1962)
• "Jennifer" (March 9, 1962)
• "The Baker Street Caper" (March 16, 1962)
• "The Long Shot Caper" (March 23, 1962)
• "Violence for Your Furs" (March 30, 1962)
• The Pet Shop Caper" (April 6, 1962)
• "The Steerer" (April 13, 1962)
• "Ghost of a Memory" (April 20, 1962)
• "The Disappearance" (April 27, 1962)
• "The Lovely American" (May 4, 1962)
• "The Gemmologist Caper" (May 11, 1962)
• "Flight from Escondido" (May 18, 1962)
• "Dress Rehearsal" (May 25, 1962)
• "Framework for a Badge" (June 1, 1962)
• "Pattern for a Bomb" (June 8, 1962)
• "Upbeat" (June 15, 1962)
• "Nightmare" (June 22, 1962)
• "The Gang's All Here" (June 29, 1962)
  
  
• 5th season
• "The Reluctant Spy" (October 12, 1962)
• "Leap, My Lovely" (October 19, 1962)
• "Terror in a Small Town" (October 26, 1962)
• "The Raiders" (November 2, 1962)
• "The Floating Man" (November 9, 1962)
• "The Catspaw Caper" (Novenber 16, 1962)
• "Wolf! Cried the Blonde" (November 23, 1962)
• "The Dark Wood" (November 30, 1962)
• "Shadow on Your Shoulder" (December 7, 1962)
• "Adventure in San Dede" (December 14, 1962)
• "The Odds on Odette December 21, 1962)
• "The Snow Job Caper" (December 28, 1962)
• "Falling Stars" (January 4, 1963)
• "The Tarnished Idol" (January 11, 1963)
• "Scream Softly, Dear" (January 18, 1963)
• "Terror in Silence" (January 25, 1963)
• "Crashout" (February 1, 1963)
• "The Night was Six Years LOng" (February 8, 1963)
• "Six Feet Under" (February 15, 1963)
• "Escape to Freedom" (February 22, 1963)
• "Dial "S" for Spencer" (March 1, 1963)
• "Nine to Five" (March 8, 1963)
• "Stranger from the Sea" (March 15, 1963)
• "The Man Who Wasn't There" (March 22, 1963)
• "Flight 307" (March 29, 1963)
• "Target Island" (April 5, 1963)
• "Reunion at Balboa" (April 12, 1963)
• "Walk Among Tigers" (April 19, 1963)
• "The Left Field Caper" (April 26, 1963)
• "The Heartbeat Caper" (May 3, 1963)
• "To Catch a Mink" (May 10, 1963)
• "Lady inthe Sun" (May 17, 1963)
• "Our Man in Switzerland" (May 24, 1963)
• "The Checkmate Caper" (June 7, 1963)
• "Never to Have Loved" (June 14, 1963)
  
  
• 6th season
• "5, Part One" (September 20, !963)
• "5, Part Two" (September 27, 1963)
• "5, Part Three" (October 4, 1963)
• "5, Part Four" (October 11, 1963)
• "5, Part Five" (October 18, 1963)
• "White Lie" (October 25, 1963)
• "88 Bars" (November 1, 1963)
• "Don't Wait for Me" (November 8, 1963)
• "By His Own Verdict" (November 15, 1963)
• "Deposit with Caution" (November 29, 1963)
• "The Toy Jungle" (December 6, 1963)
• "The Fumble" (December 13, 1963)
• "Bonus Baby" (December 20, 1963)
• "Paper Chase" (December 27, 1963)
• "Lover's Lane" (January 3, 1964)
• "Alimony League" (January 10, 1964)
• "Not Such a Simple Knot" (January 17, 1964)
• "The Target" (January 24, 1964)
• "Dead as in "Dude" (January 31, 1964)
• "Queen of the Cats" (February 7, 1964)

COMIC BOOKS

• 77 SUNSET STRIP
  (1960-62, Dell Four-Color series)
  6 issues, photo cover
  Writers: Eric Friewald (who also wrote for the show)
  Artists: Alex Toth, Russ Manning.

• (Dell Four-Color Series #1066, 1960)
• (Dell Four-Color Series #1106)
• (Dell Four-Color Series #1159)
• (Dell Four-Color Series #1211)
• (Dell Four-Color Series #1263)
• (Dell Four-Color Series #1291)
  

• 77 SUNSET STRIP
  (1962, Dell)
  1 issue, photo cover
  Writers: Eric Friewald (who also wrote for the show)
  Artists: Russ Manning
  

• (Dell #01-742-209, 1962)
  

• 77 SUNSET STRIP
  (1962-63, Gold Key)
  Two issues, photo covers
  Writers: Eric Friewald (who also wrote for the show)
  Artists: Alex Toth, Russ Manning

• (Issue #1)
• (Issue #2)

ETC.

• KOOKIE....Buy this CD
  (1959, Warner Bros.)
  "Performed" by Edd Byrnes
  The ultimate 77 tie-in, this 1959 LP (Reissued on CD in 2001) boasted a cool dozen cuts, all featuriing Kookie's, uh, unique vocal stylings. Get your groove on to such instant classics as"Hot Rod Rock," "Kookie's Mad Pad," "The Kookie Cha Cha Cha" and, of course, the immortal Kookie/Connie Stevens duet "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)." Like, absolutely the ginchiest!
  Actually, the real star here is Don Ralke, who not only scored the incidental music for the television show, but was also one of the prime movers of the Space Age Bachelor Pad/Ultra Lounge movement . His touch is evident on every track, resulting in -- as the All Music Guide puts it, "a fun ride and recommended for enthusiasts reminiscent for a slice of pop culture's past."
  Like, go wild, daddy-o.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks to Dick Martin for some of the info on this page.