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IMDbPro

Checkmate

  • TV Series
  • 1960–1962
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
342
YOUR RATING
Checkmate (1960)
CrimeDramaMystery

Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high-priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxfor... Read allDon Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high-priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high-priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.

  • Creator
    • Eric Ambler
  • Stars
    • Anthony George
    • Doug McClure
    • Sebastian Cabot
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    342
    YOUR RATING
    • Creator
      • Eric Ambler
    • Stars
      • Anthony George
      • Doug McClure
      • Sebastian Cabot
    • 10User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Episodes70

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    Top cast99+

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    Anthony George
    Anthony George
    • Don Corey
    • 1960–1962
    Doug McClure
    Doug McClure
    • Jed Sills
    • 1960–1962
    Sebastian Cabot
    Sebastian Cabot
    • Dr. Carl Hyatt
    • 1960–1962
    Ken Lynch
    Ken Lynch
    • Lt. Thomas Brand
    • 1960–1961
    Jack Betts
    Jack Betts
    • Chris Devlin
    • 1961–1962
    Donna Douglas
    Donna Douglas
    • Barbara Simmons
    • 1961
    Barney Phillips
    Barney Phillips
    • Capt. Holland…
    • 1961
    Ed Nelson
    Ed Nelson
    • Carson…
    • 1961–1962
    Jeane Wood
    • Maid…
    • 1961–1962
    Norman Leavitt
    Norman Leavitt
    • Bus Driver…
    • 1961–1962
    Tyler McVey
    Tyler McVey
    • Marine Major…
    • 1960–1962
    Richard Conte
    Richard Conte
    • Manuel Alvarez…
    • 1960–1962
    Diana Lynn
    Diana Lynn
    • Joan Emerson…
    • 1961
    Susan Oliver
    Susan Oliver
    • Gloria Kenyon…
    • 1961–1962
    Julie Adams
    Julie Adams
    • Janet Evans…
    • 1960–1962
    Tod Andrews
    Tod Andrews
    • Dr. James Low…
    • 1960–1962
    Ilka Windish
    • Maria Richards…
    • 1960–1962
    Henry Jones
    Henry Jones
    • Ed Thurston…
    • 1960–1961
    • Creator
      • Eric Ambler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    7.5342
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    Featured reviews

    8blanche-2

    great old show

    How funny - all of us baby boomers have memories of particular episodes.

    "Checkmate" was a detective-type show starring Sebastian Cabot, Doug McClure, and Anthony George. Sadly, all these actors are gone now. The series was based in San Francisco. The firm was established to stop crime before it happened. Each episode would focus on a particular cast member, but the others would appear in the episode as well. The firm was owned by Don Corey (George) and he worked with an associate, Jed Sills (Doug McClure) and a university criminologist (Cabot). So you had a hunk for the teens in McClure, a familiar face in Cabot, who had been in movies from 1946 and later in television, and someone interesting to women over 18 (George). Cabot had not yet played Mr. French in "Family Affair." The creator of the series was the wonderful Eric Ambler.

    This was a very classy show that had many guest stars from the world of film. I recently saw two episodes, one starring Claire Bloom and the other starring Jeffrey Hunter as a psycho. Episodes and DVDs of the whole series occasionally show up on ebay, so it's worth checking.

    Personal memories - Tony George, during his years on "One Life to Live," used to live in my friend's building. He was a very slight man, though he doesn't look it on screen. When working on the Audrey Hepburn book, my research partner interviewed Doug McClure, and I actually transcribed the tape. He said that he had just been to the doctor and gotten a clean bill of health for his lung cancer. He died very shortly afterward, and I remember the man who interviewed him being very upset. When Jeremy Brett died shortly after I interviewed him, I received a card from my research partner that said, "Welcome to the black widow's club." Now, here's the episode I remember - it was with Anne Baxter and had something to do with a horse.

    These really should be released on an official DVD.
    10ericocean

    One of the best

    I loved this series, and I do not like television series in general. The cast was perfect: Corey as tough, worldly-wise chief of "Checkmate" and mentor to partner Doug McClure, who here was able to get away from the grinning, pretty-boy roles that would dog his career, playing the younger detective with (for him) a subdued grittiness. And then there was Sebastian Cabot--vested suits, walking stick, sparkling eyes, he stole every scene he was in. The writing was excellent, and yes, the opening was way ahead of its time. An all-around classy show with terrific guest stars...naturally it is not available on VHS or DVD. Another reason that even at that age I was in agreement with Newton Minnow's description of television programming as a "vast wasteland." And the waste is the stuff that makes it to TVland and DVD. Which would be fine if shows like "Checkmate" were not lost forever.
    10coop-16

    the show with the surreal opening credits..

    I was three years old, and I watched this show a lot..what seems to have made an impression, from what I remember, was the opening credits, on a background that looked like a Jackson Pollock painting..of course, I had no idea who Jackson Pollock was, or what the word "Checkmate" meant...its fascinating that 1. this show starred Sebastian Cabot..who later played the Butler, Mr. French in the inane, A Family Affair and 2. It was created by Eric Ambler.. Why hasn't it been re-run? I must say, however, that I just remembered another reason it was so unique..it featured one of the few TV guest appearances by Charles Laughton. In fact, it may have have been his last bit of acting, anywhere. It was called "Wind From the East",and it starred Laughton as a Chinese master-spy, a sort of cross between Fu Manchu and Wo Fat..
    VetteRanger

    Classic series dripping with nostalgic satisfaction

    I remember Checkmate from when I was four years old, oddly. I have a few other memories from that age but the swirling colors in the opening, even in black and white, stuck with me and somehow I enjoyed the show even at that age, though I'd have understood little behind the stories.

    As an adult, I years ago bought the DVD set. I haven't watched it all by a long shot. To be truthful the episodes are a bit dated by now and not all of their plot points really hold together that well. A lot of things happened because it was 'convenient' for the writers, rather than a plot point making good sense.

    Still, the episodes are enjoyable and a window into the world of the early 60s. If you have a hankering for this type of classic show, 77 Sunset Strip is head and shoulder better than Checkmate, but I've seen most of 77 Sunset Strip twice. LOL I'd say the story quality of Checkmate is more in line with Hawaiin Eye.

    This show was made when networks bought almost twice as many episodes as they have for many years. You can still pick the DVD set up for just more than 50 cents an episode. That's a good value.
    aimless-46

    Unique

    The 70 black and white hour-long episodes of "Checkmate" were originally broadcast from 1960-62 on CBS. Those who only remember Sebastian Cabot as the prissy butler "French" on "Family Affair" will be surprised at his superior acting talent, which was nicely showcased in this series.

    "Checkmate Inc." was an unusual organization based in San Francisco, a posh detective agency whose specialty was thwarting crimes "before" they occurred. The plot line for each episode was structured to resemble a chess game, which reflected the series title.

    Middle age detective Don Corey (Anthony George) operated the firm out of his elegant Nob Hill apartment. Young Jed Sills (Doug McClure) was the designated hunk of the series. Dr. Carl Hyatt (Cabot) was a trained criminologist who served as the organization's brain trust. The three mostly worked as a team and a lot of the humor came from Cabot's frequent frustration over the dimness of his two associates.

    Warner Brothers had hit on a successful formula for the intelligent detective series (insert "Surfside Six", "77 Sunset Strip", etc. here) and Jack Benny's "JaMco Productions" appropriated this and turned it into "Checkmate". At least they eliminated Warner's obligatory weird side-kick/informer and good looking but airheaded singer/girlfriend/etc.

    So they basically had a main character targeted at all age levels of the female demographic, with one of which almost any male viewer could identify. And each episode included some attractive young actress(s) and a couple has-been movie stars in the cast.

    The early John Williams' theme music was a memorable jazz instrumental for which he received a Grammy nomination. As often happens with these things they tried to get cute between seasons and added Jack Betts to the cast as investigator Chris Devlin and they moved the agency into a normal office suite. It limped through its second season until cancellation.

    15 episodes from Season One are now out in a DVD package with the misleading title "Best of Checkmate:Season One". It does not appear that any effort was made to actually cull out the "best" episodes for this release, it looks more like this group was included because they were the only ones to which Edi Video had the rights and/or the only ones in good enough condition for digital re-mastering. The DVD package has no special features and is a relatively low-budget but serviceable effort. A similar collection of Season Two episodes is due for release in March 2008.

    Then again what do I know? I'm only a child.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
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    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Connections
      Featured in CBS Fall Preview Special: Seven Wonderful Nights (1961)

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    FAQ18

    • How many seasons does Checkmate have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 17, 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ajedrez fatal
    • Filming locations
      • Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Jamco Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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