Screen Gems produced Dan Raven.[citation needed] It was the first starring role for Skip Homeier,[3] a former child film star.[1][3] The show′s setting along the Sunset Strip created an opportunity for the characters to engage with famous performers as guest stars each week.[1][2][3] Some of the guest stars played themselves on the show, while others portrayed fictional characters.[2][3]Mel Tormé, who appeared in episode 8 ("The Junket"), co-composed (with Stanley Styne and George Duning) and recorded for the show a song titled "(These) Desperate Hours".[4]
Broadcast history
Alex McNeill′s Total Television claims that the show premiered in a 30-minute format on January 23, 1960, airing on Saturdays, then expanded to a 60-minute format beginning with the broadcast of September 23, 1960,[1] and numerous other sources repeat this claim. According to Brooks and Marsh′s Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, however, the show premiered on September 23, 1960 and consisted only of 60-minute episodes.[2] The 60-minute episodes on and after September 23, 1960, are well documented,[5][6] but no source provides any information on any 30-minute episodes or any episodes broadcast prior to September 23, 1960.
The following list of episodes reflects the 60-minute episodes of Dan Raven. A total of 13 of these episodes ran from September 23, 1960, to January 6, 1961, broadcast on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[2]
While in Los Angeles for a singing engagement, singer and actor Bobby Darin is approached by an old friend who has fallen on hard times and tries to help him. But when a young woman is murdered, she dies screaming "Bobby!" — and her body is found next to an autographed picture of Darin. Bobby Darin plays himself in the episode. Other guest stars include Corey Allen, Richard Carlyle, Sue Ane Langdon, and Elaine Martone.
2
"The Mechanic"
Unknown
Unknown
September 30, 1960 (1960-09-30)
A nightclub entertainer is in danger after he eavesdrops on the conversations of organized crime figures patronizing the club. Guest stars: Buddy Hackett and Eddie Ryder
3
"L.A. 46"
Unknown
Unknown
October 14, 1960 (1960-10-14)
Alternative title "The Trade." Singer Paul Anka becomes the victim of an extortion scheme in which he is told that if does not pay up, someone will be killed. Paul Anka plays himself. Other guest stars include Bernard Fein, Joe di Reda, William Shaw and Mark Bailey.
After a woman's body is found in Hollywood Hills, the investigation into her death at first yields evidence that she had dated Raven and had committed suicide after he broke her heart. Evidence even begins to suggest that Raven may have killed her — but until her body was found, he had never even heard of her. Guest stars: William Leslie, Suzanne Storrs, Marian Collier, and Stanley Adams.
6
"The Night is Numbered"
Unknown
Unknown
November 11, 1960 (1960-11-11)
The detectives suspect that a numerologist is committing murder to reaffirm his reputation as a seer. Singer and dancer Bob Crewe plays himself. Other guest stars include Kent Smith, Henry Corden, and Jon Lormer.
A hit singer′s brother is jealous of his success — and comes under suspicion in the murder of a disc jockey after he expresses an unusual amount of sorrow over the disc jockey's death. Actor Dick Whittinghill plays himself, and other guest stars include Mel Torme, Don Dubbins, and Ed Prentiss.
^ abcdefgMcNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, ISBN0 14 02 4916 8, p. 195.
^ abcdefghBrooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Sixth Edition), New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN0-345-39736-3, p. 237.
