I had never seen 77 Sunset Strip before since it was on before I was born and somehow had never seen it in re-runs. I had heard many times the old song "Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb..." and from the short descriptions of its background i basically wrote the show off as a goof. Fast forward to December 2017, after a blowing winter wind woke me one night and unable to go back to sleep I started watching 77SS on MeTv and was amazed to find that this is a really good show! While of course it's slightly dated what with it being filmed in B&W, no computers, no cellphones, the old candlestick style phones showing up fairly frequently and oh! those gorgeous classic cars! The plots hold up extremely well and with a mix of action and just the right amount of cool comedy this show is very enjoyable. As I write this I'm enjoying a DECADES Tv 77 Sunset Strip binge marathon where the episode Strange Bedfellows with an obvious Zsa Zsa Gabor caricature of the "damsel in distress" has just finished up and Face In The Window which pairs up Richard Long (Rex) with Peter Breck a few years before they co-star together in The Big Valley is starting. While it's not horribly important with this particular series, it is very nice that both MeTv and Decades are playing these episodes in their proper order.

I would rate the first 3 seasons a 10, then it went downhill, that's why I rated it an 8. The last year, 1963-1964 is a pain to watch. No more theme song, Stu is alone in a new office, never explained why. Episodes are too serious. But the first 3 seasons were marvelous, especially when Kookie was parking cars. Sure, in season 3, it was starting to go a bit downhill, but as long as Kookie was there, I was satisfied. When I first started watching it, it brought back so many childhood memories, I was gaga for Kookie and his hip talk.

This is a creation of the quite prolific Roy Huggins for Warner Brothers Television. Perhaps we could shorten this write-up, as well as so many others, simply by creating a list which would enumerate all of the Motion Pictures and TV Series which Mr. Huggins did NOT have a hand in creating. This man was simply prolific and, we presume, $ort of Wealthy.We really mean this. In looking over Mr. Huggins' resume, we find it to be not only extensive, but also quit eclectic; having credits in many genre and multi-media. The Huggins Output includes Motion Picture Comedies: THE FULLER BRUSH MAN (Columbia, 1948) with Red Skelton and THE GOOD HUMOR MAN (Columbia, 1950) with Jack Carson as well as such varied TV Series as: MAVERICK (Warner Brothers TV/ABC, 1957-60) with James Garner (Bret) & Jack Kelly (Bart), 77 SUNSET STRIP (Warners/ABC, 1958-64) co-starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith & Edd Byrnes, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE (Roncom/Universal TV/National Broadcasting Company, 1965-68) with Ben Gazzara, THE FUGITIVE (Quinn Martin Prod./United Artists TV/American Broadcasting Company, 1963-67) Mr. Huggins' Pinnacle with David Jansen, THE OUTSIDER (Universal TV/NBC, 1968-69) with Darren McGavin, CITY OF ANGELS (Roy Huggins-Public Art Prod./Universal/NBC, 1976) with Wayne Rogers, THE ROCKFORD FILES (Cherokee/Roy Huggins-Public Art/Universal TV/NBC, 1974-80) which is right up there with FUGITIVE & starred Jim Garner and HUNTER (Stephen J. Cannell Prod./Lorimar/NBC Network, 1984-91) with Fred Dryer & Stephanie Kramer.Additionally, when in-between projects, he contributed scripts to many an other series. So, here's the list-don't ask again! AS for 77 SUNSET STRIP, Mr. Huggins called upon his experience in mystery & hard-boiled detective Noir stories and novels to give Warner Brothers TV and we, the spoiled, pampered, oversexed, overpaid and under-appreciated Viewing Public a right now, happening and super-cool Private Detective show. Setting the show in Los Angeles; the creator disdained the obvious taking the sleazy route in favor of a couple of real "Class Guys" in Stu(art) Bailey (Mr. Zimbalist) and Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith). I mean these guys were smart William F. Buckley Jr., classy like Olivier but tough like Ralph Meeker.IN giving the series a comic relief component, young co-star Eddy Byrnes was recruited to portray 'Kookie" a young (but not that young) as a concession to the Female Teenie Boppers and to give us a character to assist the big guns and thus keep that old storyline moving along..Jacqueline Beer (love that surname!) appeared as "Fronch-speaking" secretary-receptionist, Suzanne and Louis Quinn as societal bottom feeder, Race Track hustler and first class informant, Roscoe! THE tone of the stories varied greatly from week to weekly episode. Some stories were deadly serious; whereas others were true Farce. Some scripts seemed to be strictly that; that is type of story that sort of marks time and operates like the menu in a Chinese restaurant. You know what we mean; two from column A, 1 from column B and before you know it, whah-lah, we have enough elements for a story.The second type is very serious; sort of like a big time Film Noir Movie that failed. Certain aspects are damn near brutal, too violent for TV. Murders abound and the Private "I" always seems to find himself out in a sort of limbo between the sleaze of the underworld and the bright light world of the straight and narrow.The third type is very similar to a typical MAVERICK Script in that it's all played for laughs; almost being a parody of the Detective Genre.Whatever the variety that we were shown on a particular week, it was a sure-fire, lead-pipe cinch that the combination of plot, characters & their interaction and some of the Coolest (though now seemingly badly dated) Music all added up to a great Friday's evening of enjoyable TViewing. (TV + Viewing = TViewing. We suspect it'll make it into Webster's this year.) BUT, if there's one thing that is certain in Television, it is that once "The Suits" in the front office start to monkey around with what has been a successful series; it usually means that the show is nearing the end of its run. We're not certain if the declining series prompts the changes or if the changes hurt the ratings of the show; although we suspect that either scenario is likely to occur and indeed has.IN its final season of 1963-64, the new Production Head of Warner Brothers' Television, old Sgt. Joe Friday (Himself!), Jack Webb decreed that two extreme changes should be implemented. First off, in order to attempt to ca$h in on the JAMES BOND Spy craze, Private Detective Stu Bailey (operating solo, without Jeff Spencer*), turned to international intrigue and espionage. Secondly, the story went to serialization. Though no Cliff Hanger Chapterplay type endings were employed, the stories continued from week to week. Also gone was any semblance of levity that had been a series hallmark for 77 SUNSET STRIP. The series left the air in February of 1964, pre-maturely cancelled.Mr. Jack Webb was soon shown the door at Warner Brothers as well; in no small way being due to that botched experiment of Detectives to Spies switcharoo.What with all of that adaption of old TV Series and Cartoon Shows into Live Action tidbits for the pleasure of a rapidly aging Baby Boomer Generation, we wonder if an adaptation of this great Detective Series can be far off! Whatta ya think, Schultz? NOTE: * Roger Smith had to leave the series and indeed all acting abruptly. He was compelled to go into an early retirement due to serious illness. About 20 years had passed and in 1985, he was pronounced as being in full remission.POODLE SCHNITZ!!

This was one of four detective shows from Warner Brothers, four of a couple dozen series they did for ABC, (that MADE that network), from the mid 50's to the early 60's under the stewardship of William Orr and with the creative genius of Roy Huggins, (who later came up with the best show of all time, "The Fugitive"). Huggins had fancied himself a detective writer in the 40's and came up with Stuart Bailey, an Ivy Leaguer with a background in World War II intelligence who set up his own detective agency in Los Angeles. When Huggins became a story editor for Warners, it was decided to create a show around the Bailey character, 77 Sunset Strip, which debut in 1958. They gave Bailey a partner, Jeff Spencer and created the character of Kookie, the parking lot attendant, for comic relief. It set the stage for the other three, similar shows, each with a pair, (or three) handsome detectives operating in glamorous or exotic locations. Warner's learned you needed a pretty girl involved and the comic relief. they also learned from "Peter Gunn" that a musical interlude would occasionally be welcome."Bourbon Street Beat", set in New Orleans, debuted in 1959. So did "Hawaiian Eye", from Honolulu and in 1960 came "Surfside Six" from Miami Beach. Each had a catchy theme tune from Mack David and Jerry Livingstone. The plots were not very inspired but serviceable, (they serviced many episodes, being frequently reused). Sometimes, Warner's would do versions of novels they owned the rights to or TV remakes of some of their classic movies of the past, such as "Strangers on a Train" or "Dial M for Murder", in the guise of episodes of these shows. Characters from one show would show up on another, either in crossover episodes or full scale transfers of characters to be new members of the casts. This was easy because the shows were not shot on location: it was all done in LA.The real difference in the shows were the cast members themselves. "77 Sunset Strip" had the charming and talented Ephram Zimbalist Jr. and Roger Smith. It also had the "Fonzie" of the 50's, Edd Byrnes. But it lacked a significant female regular or the musical interludes. "Bourbon Street Beat" had the charming and talented Richard Long, who took his charm and talent to Sunset Strip after BSB folded in 1960. It also had craggy character actor Andrew Duggan, young pretty boy Van Williams and Arlene Howell, a slightly ditzy southern belle. No one here was musically inclined but a jazz combo did a turn from time to time. "Hawaiian Eye" had it all. Anthony Eisley was a competent but slightly boring lead. Young Robert Konrad had the most charisma of any of them. Connie Stevens was a cute songbird who belted out the classic tin pan alley and show tunes. Poncie Ponce was a ukulele strumming cab driver who knew every place and every one or had a cousin who did. "Surfside Six" was maybe the weakest entry. Lee Patterson had some presence and acting ability but Van Williams, (over from BSB) and Troy Donahue were attractive but talent challenged. Marguerite Sierra was a clichéd Latin Spitfire songstress, (who unfortunately died young of a heart ailment). Diane McBain was attractive window dressing.The other main difference was the setting. "77 Sunset Strip" was about glamorous people up to no good or international intrigue, (and Stu Bailey traveled a lot more than these other guys did). "Hawaiian Eye" was exotic- perhaps a little too much so with an occasional embarrassing story about witch doctors and voodoo type curses and such. Natives were played by guys from Jersey and Chicago in the grand tradition. Surfside Six had a beachboy look to it. Bourbon Street beat was darker and more mysterious. New Orleans at that time was not a tourist trap but a relic of the old south in which Miss Havisham's cake might have seemed at home.But they were all pretty solid entertainment. If you liked one, I'm sure you'd like them all- if you could find them. They are all in black and white, so cable stations are loathe to show them It seems that the moment a younger audience sees those monotones, they turn the stations. It's too bad. They don't know what they're missing.