Car 54, Where Are You?

Car 54, Where Are You? Information

Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963, and featured two New York police officers in their patrol car. Episodes had different directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes. Most filming was on location in The Bronx, and at Biograph Studios.

Synopsis

The series follows the adventures of New York Police Department officers Gunther Toody (Joe E. Ross) and Francis Muldoon (Fred Gwynne), assigned to Patrol Car 54 in the fictional 53rd precinct of The Bronx. Toody was short, stocky, nosy, not very bright, and lived with his loud, domineering wife Lucille. Muldoon, was very tall, quiet, and more intelligent. He was a shy bachelor who lived with his mother and two younger sisters.

Cast

Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody
Fred Gwynne as Officer Francis Muldoon
Ruth Masters as Mrs. Muldoon
Hank Garrett as Officer Ed Nicholson
Jim Gormley as Officer Nelson
Albert Henderson as Officer Dennis O'Hara
Bruce Kirby as Officer Kissel
Al Lewis as Officer Leo Schnauser (1961"1963)

Beatrice Pons as Lucille Toody
Charlotte Rae as Sylvia Schnauser
Paul Reed as Capt. Paul Block
Joe Warren as Officer Steinmetz
Nipsey Russell as Officer Anderson
Ossie Davis as Officer Omar Anderson
Frederick O'Neal as Officer Wallace
Patricia Bright as Mrs. Claire Block

Guest stars

Several celebrities, including Hugh Downs, Mitch Miller, Jan Murray, and Sugar Ray Robinson, appear as themselves on the series. Among others cast in various episodes are:

Tom Bosley
Sorrell Booke
Heywood Hale Broun
Wally Cox
Dana Elcar
Alice Ghostley
Arlene Golonka
Bruce Gordon
Bob Hastings

Don Keefer
Jake LaMotta
Shari Lewis
Simon Oakland
Molly Picon
Charles Nelson Reilly
Billy Sands
Maureen Stapleton
Larry Storch

Production

Many of the scripts were written by Nat Hiken. In 1962, Hiken won an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Emmy Award for his work on the series. Hiken had previously produced The Phil Silvers Show that featured Joe E. Ross and Beatrice Pons as a married couple.

The series was originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

Cars

The TV show's police cars on location shots were actually bright red and white, which appeared as the proper shade of gray for an NYPD car on black-and-white film. NYPD cars of that era were black and green with a white roof and trunk. Two Plymouth Savoys were used as the title vehicle during the series; a 1961 Savoy during the first season, and a 1963 Savoy during the second.

Theme song

The theme song's lyrics were written by series creator, writer, and director Nat Hiken, with music by John Strauss.

There's a holdup in the Bronx,

Brooklyn's broken out in fights;