The Name of the Game; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Jack Kelly; Nancy Kovack-Mehta; Pat Hingle; Grace Lee Whitney

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Season #1, Episode # 10.

The Name of the Game.

Original Air Date - December 26, 1963

Setting/Time - The present in a Las Vegas casino/hotel.

Plot/Review/Discussion -

Jack Kelly plays a professional gambler, who, while knowledgeable about casino gambling, is broke. He is approached by a "high roller" at the casino with a proposition. The high roller is long on cash but short on knowledge. The high roller will bankroll Kelly for the purpose of making a big score overnight and splitting the proceeds.

The conflict centers on disputes between the two main characters over strategy and control. The action is often interrupted by romantic distractions involving each man. The plot does not simply involve beating the casino. The plot revolves around the battle between the two main characters as they gamble.

There is an element of surprise and mystery to this episode that is not revealed until near the end.

This episode gives the appearance of class to casino gambling. The men wore suits and the women were elegant, even while losing large amounts of money at the table (I cannot remember whether they played craps or roulette). This image, while unrealistic, makes for a nice contrast with actual players in casinos now popping up all over the country.

The KST casino was unrealistically small and simple in contrast to actual casinos or casinos featured in modern television or movies.

The plot is believable. When the surprise element is introduced, it is apparent to the viewer that it was present all along. All elements of the story are brought together in the conclusion and resolution.

A conflict over control of casino strategy (coupled with romantic side stories) may seem weak, but it works in this case. Not every situation need be life-or-death to generate audience interest. Whether they gamble or not, an audience might more easily identify with the two gamblers' conflict than with much of what appears on television today.

Miscellaneous - This is the first of two KST episodes to focus on casino gambling.

Cars - Vehicles played a small role in this episode. I believe a Lincoln Continental was visible in the casino parking lot from the manager's office window toward the end of the episode. [I will update this portion if RTV reruns this episode.]

Actors -

Jack Kelly plays the professional gambler. Kelly made the first of his three KST appearances in this episode. Kelly began acting at age 12 and continued for more than 50 years. Kelly previously played in Maverick as one of the title characters. Kelly also played a major role in Forbidden Planet and played the lead in one episode of Kraft Mystery Theatre with future KST actor Broderick Crawford.

Pat Hingle plays the high roller that bankrolled Kelly's character and spent most of the episode fighting him. Hingle's career lasted more than 50 years (until his recent death) and included such series as Twilight Zone, KST spinoff Run For Your Life, Magnum, Murder She Wrote, the 2001 Christian movie Road to Redemption and many others.

Sydney Pollack directed this episode (and two later KST episodes - "Watchman" and "Last Clear Chance").

Star Trek Connection -

Even though the plot was not as strong as some earlier episodes (episodes ## 3, 4, 5 and 6), this one is a favorite of mine largely because of the Star Trek connection. As far as I know, only season #2's "Eddie Carew" features more Star Trek connections than "Name of the Game." [My knowledge is incomplete, as I have not seen about 12 episodes and IMDB.com is unreliable.] This episode and "Eddie Carew" each featured 4 Star Trek actors, but "Eddie Carew" also featured a Star Trek director. The Trek actors in "Eddie Carew" also played more important roles, while two of the Star Trek actors in "Name of the Game" were less important.

Nancy Kovack (now Nancy Mehta) played the romantic interest for Kelly's character in "Name of the Game." She would later play a pivotal role in Star Trek's "Private Little War." Her character in KST would be almost unrecognizable to Trek fans, as it is so different from Kovack's Trek character. Her KST character is one of the most enjoyable parts of "Name of the Game."

Kovack enjoyed a 25 year career in radio and in Hollywood and elsewhere, winning eight beauty pageants and guest starring in such shows as Bewitched, Mannix and the Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Numerous of her episodes are available on Hulu.com.

She became a historical footnote more than a decade ago, as she was on the periphery of the Bill Clinton scandals of the 1990's. She was the victim of an embezzlement scheme of Susan McDougal, who also served jail time in connection with Clinton's Whitewater scandal. McDougal escaped conviction on charges related to Kovack-Mehta when McDougal's attorney, future Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson defender Mark Geragos, denounced the prosecution as part of a conspiracy to harm Bill Clinton.

Barry Atwater plays the Casino manager. Atwater later played Spock's Vulcan hero Surak on "The Savage Curtain." Atwater and Jack Kelly each have the distinction of having played opposite Robby the Robot; - Kelly in Forbidden Planet and Atwater in an episode of Thin Man (with Peter Lawford). Atwater acted until his death in 1978 on such shows as Gunsmoke, Mission Impossible and Twilight Zone. In every role in which I have seen him, his character is very similar to that of Surak.

Steve Ihnat plays a brief, but important, role as the pit boss. The role is important because the pit boss' (and later Atwater's) approval of certain large bets makes those bets more dramatic. Ihnat later played the main guest star in Star Trek's "Whom Gods Destroy." He died at age 38 of a heart attack in 1972. He played on numerous TV episodes, usually as a villain, including a guest role on Big Valley opposite KST guest star Harold Stone.

The most interesting Trek connection is Grace Lee Whitney, who plays a gambler that briefly wins before losing it all at one of the tables. This role is uncredited at IMBD.com and unmentioned in Whitney's autobiography. (I know of Whitney's role only because I noticed her name in the closing credits). Whitney's KST character is not similar in appearance or temperament to Yeoman Rand.

That KST remains so unknown at this time is so unfortunate because the Trek fans would surely enjoy seeing the Star Trek actors play in other roles, especially when there are so many in one episode. Few fans are as familiar with their favorite series as Trekkies are with every detail of Star Trek. I am sure they would appreciate seeing some of these details rearranged and in a new light. Many Star Trek fans are unaccustomed to seeing most of the television shows of the 1960's. As I commented weeks ago:

Those of us that grew up in the 1970's watching reruns of classic Star Trek became accustomed to seeing each of the guest stars solely in his Star Trek role. It is surprising now for us to see these actors in other roles. Many of these actors (the guest stars as well) have become well known more for their Star Trek role than for anything else. Those guest stars that survive make frequent appearances at Star Trek conventions. Many of their other roles are forgotten, even though the Star Trek appearance was often only one of many, many roles in their long careers.

"Name of the Game" was one of the first KST episodes I have seen. This episode helped get me hooked on KST, as picking out the Star Trek connection(s) added another enjoyable element to each episode.
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Kraft Suspense Theatre; The Hunt; Mickey Rooney; James Caan; Bruce Dern

Season #1; Episode #9.

The Hunt

Original Air Date - December 19, 1963.

Setting/Time - The California Mountains in the present.

Plot/Review/Discussion -

A surfer bum is caught by a corrupt and sadistic local sheriff in the mountains of California on his way to the beach. This story is essentially an action story instead of a story focusing on choices and internal conflict.

The story falls into the cliche' of the small town sheriff, beyond the reach of the outside world, terrorizing an innocent passerby. The cliche'd premise makes the story somewhat weak, but the story is told well. The suspense builds slowly until the final confrontation.

The plot is composed of three parts:

1. The small town sheriff cliche;
2. A mystery set in motion when the sheriff's posse kills a local criminal near the beginning of the episode; and
3. The action-intensive climax that results when the main character solves the mystery and must face the consequences.

The intensity of the climax overcomes its predictability.

Cars - The only vehicles I recall are the surfer's panel van, an old jeep and an old truck or two.

Actors -

James Caan plays the main character/surfer, in one of his earlier roles. This role is mentioned in Caan's Wikipedia entry, unlike those of other KST actors.

Mickey Rooney plays the sheriff.

Bruce Dern plays one of the sheriff's allies. Dern remains active today after more than 50 years in Hollywood. He is set to star in next year's movie release of the Big Valley remake. He played a recurring guest role on the KST spinoff Run For Your Life.

Star Trek Connection - Harry Townes plays in the first of his four KST appearances. He played in "Return of the Archons" three years later on Star Trek.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley;

Season #1, Episode #8



The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley



Original Air Date - December 12, 1963


Setting/Time - The main story takes place in a modern office building. The flashback (occupying most of the show) takes place at the end of World War II as the allies march through Western Europe.


Plot/Review/Discussion -

This episode presents a challenge to review because the real plot is more subtle than simply waiting to see the outcome of the trial.

James Whitmore plays J. Marvin Bean, a modern attorney that cares only about winning. We see him in the opening scene upbraiding his employee for caring about right-and-wrong instead of winning. That dialogue sets the stage for the plot of the episode.

Bean is then confronted by an armed visitor to the office (Smalley), whom Bean has forgotten. Smalley tells Bean and his associates (at gunpoint) the story of Bean's representation of Smalley during World War II. The action switches to Smalley's flashback of World War II Europe, as Smalley shoots his superior officer. The issue in Smalley's court martial is whether he intended to shoot the officer or whether it was an accident. Bean is appointed to represent Smalley.

It becomes apparent through the flashback that Bean cares little for the actual truth, a position that is consistent with his instructions to his young associate in the beginning of the episode. But he develops an effective strategy for winning the case, relying on technicalities and strategy instead of anything that reflects faith in Smalley's story. That Bean was concerned only with winning weighs heavily upon Smalley, as he apparently lacked any other source of validation in the two decades since his trial. Bean was thus forced to confront the issue of a client's actual guilt or innocence, instead of a mere checkmark in the win or loss column.

While Smalley was the main/title character, Bean's confrontation with his entire approach to clients and the practice of law provided the main conflict in the story. That conflict was more important to the final resolution than the outcome of the court case. Rather than simply waiting to find out who wins in court, the viewer sees the attorney forced to confront the truth. That is a much more interesting conflict.

Cars - Vehicles played no part in the episode, except for possible military vehicles.

Actors -

James Whitmore starred as attorney Bean. Whitmore starred in film and television from the late 1940's through 2007. This was the first of two KST episodes for Whitmore. His credits include many of the well-known television shows from the past generation, including Twilight Zone, Big Valley, Bonanza and KST spinoff Run For Your Life. He had a commanding presence and often played military/authority figures, including Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

Richard Crenna played Edward Smalley. Crenna worked as an actor and director from 1950 until his death in 2003. His most famous role came as Luke McCoy in The Real McCoys.

Ron Hayes enjoyed a long career that included a second KST episode in season #2. Philip Abbott, John Alonzo and Arch Johnson also starred in season #2. Alonzo and Abbott both starred in "Once Upon a Savage Night."

Kraft Suspense Theatre; The Machine That Played God; lie detector tests; Anne Francis; William Boyett; Malachi Throne

Season #1; Episode #7

The Machine That Played God

Original Air Date - December 5, 1963 - This was the first episode after a three week hiatus since One Step Down on November 14, 1963.



Setting/Time - A modern city.



Plot/Review/Discussion -

A woman and her husband are involved in a car wreck early in the episode. The husband dies. The police suspect that the wife caused the accident on purpose. I forget the alleged motive - whether it was to kill the husband or herself (or both). That aspect is not of primary importance in this review.

The interesting point is the progression of the plot. The woman gradually becomes convinced that the police are right. Most of the KST episodes are about an ultimate choice between right and wrong. In this case, a bad choice is allegedly made early in the episode, for which the main character tries to take responsibility.

The main character becomes convinced that she is guilty solely on the basis of repeated lie detector tests that she takes that indicate her guilt. The episode is an indictment of the concept of the lie detector test. The woman ultimately learns the real truth in court during her trial.

Criminal law underwent drastic changes in the 1950's and 1960's. There may have been a political agenda against lie detectors at that time that fueled the writing in this episode. Later KST episodes would campaign against the death penalty.

I found the plot to be weaker than the previous few episodes. The focus on the main character's internal struggle was compelling, but somewhat unrealistic. I did not find it believable that a woman could be convinced that she intended to wreck a car simply because she failed lie detector tests. I think the anti-lie detector test agenda colored the plot and made it less believable.

---------- update 9-18-10 ----------- (plot spoiler warnings)

After seeing this episode again, it appears that the criminal trial was a convoluted scenario by which the woman's defense attorney convinced her client that she was not guilty. She had confessed, thus resulting in her prosecution. During the trial, the defense attorney introduced evidence of the lie detector (and its flaws) to convince her that the lie detector was wrong about her own guilt. (Ordinarily, lie detector evidence would be inadmissible.) Thus the criminal trial placed the lie detector on trial instead of the woman. Once the woman could no longer assert her own guilt, the prosecution dropped its case as if the woman was the only judge of her own guilt. I will not begin to deconstruct the legal errors inherent in this scenario. I will say only that this approach is a more extreme example of KST plots where the main character's adversary is himself/herself instead of a third party.

Cars - I am almost certain that the main character drove a 62-64 Lincoln in the initial accident.


Actors -

Anne Francis played the main character. She previously played a prominent role in The Forbidden Planet, with future KST actors Leslie Nielsen and others. She remained active on television and in movies from the late 1940's through recent years.

William Boyett played a detective in the first of his two KST roles - the second being "The Jack is High" during season #2. He played many, many policemen during his nearly 50 year Hollywood career, including 2 guest appearances on KST-spinoff Run For Your Life. He had an uncredited role in The Forbidden Planet. His most long-running roles were as policemen on two of the most famous cop shows of all time, Highway Patrol (starring future KST star Broderick Crawford) and Adam-12 (with KST star Martin Milner). He also guest starred on Star Trek:TNG, but I don't count that toward the Star Trek Connection.

----update--- Charles Alvin Bell played in the first of his two KST episodes.

Star Trek Connection -

The Star Trek Connection for this episode is Malachi Throne, who plays the prosecutor. Throne makes the first of his three appearances in KST in this episode. He portrayed the voice of Star Trek's first villain in the original pilot. His voice was dubbed out before that episode aired, but Throne played a more pivotal role in the final product, which became Star Trek's only two-parter. He also played an important role in the pilot for Big Valley. He was a regular on It Takes a Thief and has continued to work in recent years as part of a 50 year career.

The Comparative Legacies of Kraft Suspense Theatre and Star Trek

Star Trek was a low rated show that teetered on the brink of cancellation for its entire first run on television. Kraft Suspense Theatre attracted the best actors of its (or any) era. Yet Star Trek, its performers and its trivia are discussed and dissected far out of proportion to its original success. KST is virtually forgotten.

I wrote in my initial post that Kraft Suspense Theatre has been largely ignored by fans and biographers of 1960's television and the actors from that era:

Stars and their biographers are quick to point out their roles on other shows of that era, including Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Hitchcock, etc. But they usually see no benefit in touting their performance on Suspense Theatre.

In response, director Ralph Senensky has written to me that he often forgets Kraft Suspense Theatre when he is asked what shows he directed. Senensky directed numerous popular television shows before during and after the 1960's.

I suspect that many of the biographies that I have seen lack reference to KST because the biographers do not appreciate the significance of the show. Because KST has not been in syndication very much, it is not considered significant among biographers and historians.

Star Trek received poor ratings during its entire first run. Many other shows of that era did better in the ratings. Yet actors that played roles on Star Trek emphasize their Star Trek roles to the exclusion of shows that were more popular during the 1960's. Star Trek guest stars still appear at Star Trek conventions across the country, while there are no such conventions for KST or many other popular shows of the 1960's.

So not only is KST largely ignored, the original Star Trek's legacy exceeds its original success and reflects mainly its post-run popularity.

Grace Lee Whitney devoted most of her book to Star Trek (plus some small roles in other shows), while not mentioning her role on KST (IMDB.com still does not mention her role in KST, even though she had a speaking role).



Ralph Senensky's blog is named "Ralph's Trek," even though he directed more episodes of some other shows than he directed of Star Trek. Senensky's Wikipedia entry does not mention KST (or Hart to Hart or Barnaby Jones), but mentions Star Trek.

Lloyd Bridges' Wikipedia entry makes no mention of KST, yet includes a reference to Star Trek merely because Bridges turned down a role on that show.

Joseph Pevney's Wikipedia entry does not mention KST. It does mention Star Trek and also lists many of the individual Star Trek episodes (while failing to mention individual episodes for any other series).

Actor Ian Wolfe worked for almost 60 years, including some prominent roles with famous actors. His Wikipedia entry does not mention KST, even in the long catalogue of credits at the bottom. The narrative part of the entry does list both of his Star Trek episodes by name (and little else).

Perhaps no actor played a more prominent role on Kraft Suspense Theatre than Jack Kelly. Kelly's Wikipedia entry does not mention KST, but mentions his less prominent role in Kraft Mystery Theatre.

Warren Stevens played in three KST episodes, none of which were mentioned on his Wikipedia page. That page did mention his one Star Trek role.

Malachi Throne played in three KST episodes, none of which were mentioned on his Wikipedia page. But the same Wikipedia entry discussed his one Star Trek role at length.

Actress Katherine Crawford starred prominently in three KST episodes (and had family connections to the show and to Universal Studios). She had no connection with Star Trek. Not surprisingly, she has no Wikipedia entry. Had she guest starred even once on Star Trek, it is safe to say that by now she would have appeared at numerous Star Trek conventions and would enjoy her own cult following.

Of course, the Wikipedia entries and IMDB bios (as opposed to the IMDB catalogues) for Mickey Rooney, Milton Berle, Peter Lorre and other KST guest stars make no mention of KST.

There are many other examples.

This legacy helps define one purpose of this blog. The plots are the most important part of each review, but cataloging the well-known actors of each episode serves its own purpose. The list of famous actors adds gravitas to KST. The demand for KST would be much greater if it was more widely known that KST featured less prominent performances of the all-time greats. These considerations may hasten the day of a DVD release or KST availability on hulu.com.

Roncom; Perry Como

Roncom was Perry Como's production company. Roncom produced each of the episodes of Suspense Theatre. This helps explain why, every few weeks, Suspense Theatre's network time slot would be taken over by a Perry Como music special during Suspense Theatre's initial run on television.


Perry Como










Roncom continued to produce Como's television music specials into the 1970's.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; One Step Down; Gena Rowlands; Leslie Nielsen, Ida Lupino; Phillip Pine

Season 1, Episode #6

One Step Down

Original Air Date - November 14, 1963 - This would be the last episode broadcast before the JFK assassination - 8 days later. KST would not resume until December 5th. I don't know whether news coverage disrupted the broadcast schedule. I suspect Thanksgiving interrupted regular programming (KST was a Thursday show). (There may also have been a Perry Como musical special during the hiatus - more on that later.)

Setting/Time - Ojai, California in the present.

Plot/Review/Discussion -

This episode is another of my favorites. The story involves a choice between right and wrong, much like "Hero" and "Are There Any More Out There Like You?" Unlike those two episodes, the choice in "One Step Down" is made in the beginning. The main character (Janet Cord/Gena Rowlands) makes a wrong choice to start the show, and spends the entire episode hoping to escape the consequences. The suspense comes not from wondering what choice she will make. The suspense comes from the fear of the consequences.

Cord/Rowlands opens the episode by going to a hotel with a married man (she is married herself to Dr. David Cord/Leslie Nielsen). Nothing happens - she gets cold feet and tries to leave. Events from this point forward spin out of control. I leave out a few facts to avoid spoiling the plot, but suffice it to say that the tryst is discovered, but only in part. The innocent spouses know only that something went on in a hotel between the boyfriend and an unknown woman. Cord/Rowlands seems to have dodged a bullet. We watch the scorned wife attempt to discover the identity of the unknown woman for most of the episode. The plot is complicated by the close friendship of the two couples. We see Ida Lupino as the scorned woman planning her revenge, not knowing that the target of her ire (Cord/Rowlands) stands before her in fear and anxiety the entire time.

Rowlands plays the part sympathetically, suffering from fear instead of enjoying the possibility of getting away with near infidelity. I wrote in "Hero" about "class" in KST. Gena Rowlands played this role with class. She was well-dressed, articulate and reserved. It was obvious that this situation was out of the ordinary for her character. Modern dramas feature actual infidelity as a routine matter. The women who are portrayed today differ markedly from Rowlands' character.

The resolution is enjoyable because it is believable. This is standard for KST. The Hitchcock resolutions (of the same era) are too clever, relying on improbable coincidences, Rube Goldberg plans or supernatural events. KST resolutions rely on human interaction and the ability to overcome fears, emotions and frailties. We can identify with KST, even if we have never been in exactly the same situation.

Cars - Leslie Nielsen drives a 1963 Mercury Monterey. The boyfriend drives a @ 62-64 Lincoln convertible. I cannot remember all of the vehicles, but I seem to recall a Plymouth police car and a 1958 GM car toward the end driven by the scorned wife. There is also one limousine, as I recall. I believe Rowlands drove an early 1960's Ford/Mercury. The plot does not revolve around the vehicles.

Update - December 5, 2010 - Rowlands drove a 1962-1963 Ford Falcon wood panel station wagon. Lupino drove a 1957-1958 Plymouth (similar to the car in Stephen King's Christine (1983)). The limousine I recalled was an early 1960's Cadillac hearse with too brief an appearance to identify exactly.

Actors - Gena Rowlands remains active today. She has acted since the mid-50's. This was the first of two KST episodes for Rowlands, the second being "Won't it Ever be Morning" in Season Two. She made 10 movies with her husband John Cassavetes.

Leslie Nielsen starred also in Season 2's "The Green Felt Jungle." He remains active today after 60 years of acting. He starred in 6 episodes of Kraft Theatre in the early 1950's. He was one of many KST actors to star in The Forbidden Planet in 1956.

Don Collier played the police detective. He appeared in Season 2's "Kill me on July 20th."

Ida Lupino was one of Hollywood's first female directors and producers. She helped found Four Star Productions in the 1950's, which produced many television programs over the next decade and more, including Big Valley in the 1960's.

Star Trek Connection -

The Star Trek Connection in this episode is Phillip Pine, in a supporting but important role as the private detective charged with discovering the identity of the unknown woman. Pine played Colonel Green in the Star Trek episode, "Savage Curtain." He was active in Hollywood for more than 60 years. He was known for guest roles on many police shows of the 1970's, including Barnaby Jones, Streets of San Francisco, Adam-12, Ironside, Police Woman, Swat, Police Story, Kojak, Chips, Hawaii Five-O, Baretta, The Rookies and more.