Tightrope!

Tightrope!
Mike Connors with Leigh Snowden (left) and Claire Kelly, 1960
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Clarence Greene Russell Rouse
Written by	Frederick Brady Berne Giler Clarence Greene Steven Ritch Russell Rouse Al C. Ward
Directed by	Abner Biberman Irving J. Moore Russell Rouse Oscar Rudolph
Starring	Mike Connors
Theme music composer	George Duning
Opening theme	Vic Schoen & Orchestra
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	37
Production
Producers	Clarence Greene Russell Rouse
Cinematography	Scotty Welbourne
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Greene-Rouse Productions Screen Gems
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 8, 1959 – September 13, 1960

Tightrope! is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J.B. Williams Company (Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco (Pall Mall). Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. The show was originally to have been titled Undercover Man, but it was changed before going to air. Actor Robert Phillips, a former Los Angeles undercover policeman and US Marine claimed the show was based on his exploits, but that he was not chosen to portray himself.

Synopsis

Mike Connors' character narrated the episode, echoing film noir technique. He starred as an undercover police officer, known only as "Nick" (although some sources revealed that his last name was "Stone", his last name was never shown in the series' ending credits). Only his immediate superior on the police force knew he was working undercover. Because the police often did not know that Nick was working for the law, he was often in danger from both the good guys and the bad guys, as he walked the "tightrope" between good and evil. A special gimmick was that in addition to a gun in a shoulder holster, he carried a second gun, a snubnosed revolver, in a holster behind his back; he was often searched by both cops and bad guys, but they stopped searching after finding the first gun.

Episodes

Guest stars

Cancellation

Despite the show's popularity, it was canceled after only one season. Mike Connors stated in an interview that the show's primary sponsor (J.B. Williams) refused the network's request to move it to a later timeslot on a different day. When CBS head James Aubrey stated that the show was indisputably going to move timeslot, the sponsor dropped Tightrope!, and underwrote another program on another network. Connors also did not agree with suggested changes to the show's format, that would have extended its length to one hour and added a sidekick, to be played by Don Sullivan. He thought such an alteration would eliminate the suspense element of the program. Yet another factor in the show's eventual cancellation were complaints concerning its alleged excessive violence.

Seven years later, Connors would go on to star in the successful, long-running CBS crime series Mannix.