Diagnosis: Unknown is an American medical drama that aired on CBS television from July 5 to September 20, 1960. The series aired as a summer replacement for The Garry Moore Show[1] from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.[2]
| Diagnosis: Unknown | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Medical drama |
| Created by | Alan Woods James A. Bank, based on "Diagnosis: Homicide" by Lawrence G. Blochman |
| Written by | Joel Carpenter Arnold Manoff Bill S. Ballinger Elliott Norman Steven Gethers Theodore Apstein Alvin Boretz Ernest Kinoy |
| Directed by | Fielder Cook Paul Stanley William Corrigan |
| Starring | Patrick O'Neal Phyllis Newman Chester Morris Martin Huston Cal Bellini |
| Theme music composer | Irwin Kostal Edward Scott Joe Hamilton |
| Opening theme | "Diagnosis: Unknown" (aka "Coffee's Theme") |
| Composer | Irwin Kostal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bob Banner |
| Producer | Leo Davis |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production companies | Bob Banner Associates, Inc. Red Wing Productions, Inc. CBS Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | July 5 – September 20, 1960 |
Premise
Daniel Coffee, head of a hospital's pathology lab, worked with police (particularly Detective Captain Max Ritter) to find criminals who committed bizarre murders. Lab assistants Doris Hudson and Motilal Mookerju supported Coffee in his work. Another regular character was Link, a boy who worked as handyman and kept the lab clean.[2]
Personnel
The cast was as follows:
- Patrick O'Neal as Coffee[2]
- Phyllis Newman as Hudson[2]
- Cal Bellini as Mookerji[2]
- Martin Huston as Link[2]
- Chester Morris as Ritter[2]
Bob Banner was the producer.[3]
Joel Carpenter wrote the script for the program's premiere episode.[4]
Theme
"Coffee's Theme", the program's theme song, was recorded by Warren Covington and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Decca 31146).[5]
Critical reception
In a review of the program's initial episode in The New York Times, Jack Gould called the show "sick television" and said it indicated that "beatniks have taken over" at CBS.[6] The review said that the show's "laboratory is populated by gone kids" and noted elements in the laboratory's environment: "haze of cigarette smoke . . . the din of transistor radios . . . jive talk".
Critic John Crosby wrote that he liked the emphasis on the mystery, and he complimented O'Neal's portrayal of Coffee. He liked the dialogue's "intelligence and flashes of humor" but added that some scenes were "awfully talky" while others were "pretty awkward".[3]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Case of Radiant Wine" | Fielder Cook | Joel Carpenter | July 5, 1960 | |
Guest star: Tom Bosley[4] | |||||
| 2 | "Main Course -- Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | August 2, 1960 | |
| 3 | "A Sudden Stillness" | Unknown | Unknown | August 9, 1960 | |
| 4 | "Final Performance" | Unknown | Unknown | August 16, 1960 | |
| 5 | "The Case of the Elder" | Unknown | Unknown | August 23, 1960 | |
| 6 | "The Curse of the Gypsy" | Unknown | Unknown | August 30, 1960 | |
| 7 | "Gina, Gina" | Unknown | Unknown | September 6, 1960 | |
| 8 | "The Parasite" | Unknown | Unknown | September 13, 1960 | |
| 9 | "The Red Death" | Unknown | Unknown | September 20, 1960 | |
