Naked City (TV series)

Synopsis

Filmed on location in New York City, the series concerned the detectives of NYPD's 65th Precinct (changed from the film's 10th Precinct). Episode plots usually focused more on the criminals and victims portrayed by guest actors, characteristic of the "semi-anthology" narrative format common in early 1960s television (so called by the trade paper Variety). For the first season, the primary writer was Stirling Silliphant, who wrote 32 of the season's 39 episodes. Silliphant's work resulted in significant critical acclaim for the series and attracted film and television actors of the time to seek guest-starring roles.

Many scenes were filmed in the South Bronx near Biograph Studios (also known as Gold Medal Studios), where the series was produced, and in Greenwich Village and other neighborhoods in Manhattan. The exterior of the "65th Precinct" was the Midtown North (18th) Precinct, at 306 West 54th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, in the second and the third season, and the current 9th Precinct, at 321 East 5 Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues before it was renovated, in the first and in the fourth seasons.

Naked City was first broadcast during the 1958–59 season, with the title The Naked City, as a half-hour series featuring James Franciscus and John McIntire playing Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lt. Dan Muldoon – the same characters as in the 1948 film (played there by Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald). Harry Bellaver played the older, mellow Sgt. Frank Arcaro. For the first season, the narrator (voiced by Lawrence Dobkin) identified himself as "Bert Leonard," claiming to be producer Herbert B. Leonard. While critically acclaimed, the series did not have good ratings. Midway through the season, McIntire quit the show (his character being killed in a car crash with a criminal) because of his desire to leave New York and relocate back to his Montana ranch. He was replaced with Horace McMahon, who was then introduced in the same episode as Muldoon's curmudgeonly replacement, Lieutenant Mike Parker.

The cast change did not help the show's ratings; ABC cancelled Naked City at the end of the 1958–59 season. One of the show's sponsors (Brown & Williamson), along with production staff, successfully lobbied the network to revive the show as an hour-long series, which premiered in 1960. The 1960 version featured Paul Burke as Detective Adam Flint, a sensitive and cerebral policeman in his early thirties. Horace McMahon returned as Lt. Parker as did Harry Bellaver as Sgt. Arcaro. Nancy Malone appeared regularly (for about half the newly produced episodes) as Adam Flint's aspiring actress girlfriend, Libby Kingston. The hour-long version of the show was broadcast by ABC in the 10:00 p.m. slot on Wednesday nights.

For this iteration of the series, writer Silliphant was forced to reduce his involvement considerably, as he was simultaneously working as the main scriptwriter for Route 66 which began in October 1960. Silliphant wrote the first three episodes of *Naked City'''s second season, then did not write any further episodes until he wrote three episodes for season four. Those employed as writers of *Naked City'' episodes during seasons 2, 3 and 4 included veteran TV writer Howard Rodman (who also served as story editor), blacklisted screenwriter Arnold Manoff (writing with the pseudonym "Joel Carpenter"), and Shimon Wincelberg. Noted science-fiction TV writers Charles Beaumont and Gene Roddenberry also each contributed one episode.

Main cast

• John McIntire as Lt. Daniel Muldoon (season 1; 25 episodes)
• James Franciscus as Det. Jimmy Halloran (season 1; 39 episodes)
• Harry Bellaver as Det. Frank Arcaro (seasons 1-4; 136 episodes)
• Horace McMahon as Lt. Mike Parker (seasons 1-4; 110 episodes)
• Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint (seasons 2-4; 99 episodes)
• Nancy Malone as Libby Kingston (seasons 2-4; 51 episodes)

Guest stars

The series was notable for featuring younger and/or lesser-known/little-known actors, some of whom became major stars, including Alan Alda, Michael Ansara, Ed Asner, Martin Balsam, Barbara Barrie, Orson Bean, Robert Blake, Sorrell Brooke, Hildy Brooks, James Caan, Godfrey Cambridge, Joseph Campanella, Diahann Carroll, James Coburn, Michael Constantine, Joan Copeland, William Daniels, Sandy Dennis, Bruce Dern, David Doyle, Keir Dullea, Robert Duvall, Louis Edmonds, Peter Falk, James Farentino, Peter Fonda, Eileen Fulton, Frank Gorshin, Harry Guardino, Gene Hackman, Barbara Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Diana Hyland, Richard Jaeckel, David Janssen, Salome Jens, John Karlen, Jack Klugman, Shirley Knight, Piper Laurie, Diane Ladd, Audra Lindley, Jack Lord, George Maharis, Nancy Marchand, Ross Martin, Sylvia Miles, Vic Morrow, Barry Morse, Robert Morse, Lois Nettleton, Leslie Nielsen, Carroll O'Connor, Susan Oliver, Marisa Pavan, Suzanne Pleshette, Robert Redford, Doris Roberts, Mitchell Ryan, Mark Rydell, Telly Savalas, George Segal, William Shatner, Martin Sheen, Jean Stapleton, Maureen Stapleton, Mel Stuart, Rip Torn, Charles Tyner, Cicely Tyson, Brenda Vaccaro, Diana Van der Vlis, Dick Van Patten, Jon Voight, Christopher Walken, Deborah Walley, Richard Ward, Jack Warden, Tuesday Weld, and Dick York.

The show also featured more established and/or better-known actors, including Luther Adler, Eddie Albert, Robert Alda, Louise Allbritton, Kirk Alyn, Richard Basehart, Theodore Bikel, Nancy Carroll, Lee J. Cobb, Gladys Cooper, Hume Cronyn, Ludwig Donath, Diana Douglas, James Dunn, Betty Field, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Nina Foch, Ruth Ford, Martin Gabel, Peggy Ann Garner, Vincent Gardenia, Eileen Heckart, Barnard Hughes, Kim Hunter, Sam Jaffe, Glynis Johns, Kurt Kasznar, Abbe Lane, Eugenie Leontovich, Al Lewis, Viveca Lindfors, Walter Matthau, Myron McCormick, Roddy McDowall, Burgess Meredith, James Mitchell, Jean Muir, Meg Mundy, Mildred Natwick, Cathleen Nesbitt, Jeanette Nolan, Nehemiah Persoff, Claude Rains, Eugenia Rawls, Aldo Ray, Ruth Roman, Mickey Rooney, Albert Salmi, George C. Scott, Sylvia Sidney, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, Robert Sterling, Beatrice Straight, Akim Tamiroff, Lawrence Tierney, Jo Van Fleet, Eli Wallach, David Wayne, Jesse White, Cara Williams, Roland Winters, and Keenan Wynn.

Many of the actors listed above played multiple roles for different episodes, as different characters.

Sanford Meisner, the noted acting coach, made a rare celluloid performance in an episode of the series. Acting coach and actress Peggy Feury also made an appearance, in a different episode. Rocky Graziano made an appearance during his relatively brief post-boxing acting career. Actors such as Conrad Bain, Dabney Coleman, Ken Kercheval, Burt Reynolds, and Jessica Walter appeared in minor roles, long before becoming famous.

Several actors played recurring roles, e.g. Suzanne Storrs (as "Janet Halloran" in nine episodes during the series' first version, featuring Franciscus and McIntire), Jimmy Little as "Sgt. Max Higgins", Robert Dryden as "Police Surgeon", and Richard Kronold as "Detective Dutton".

Episodes

Naked City was broadcast for four seasons starting in late 1958. A total of 138 episodes were produced during the four season run.

Season 1 (1958–1959)

Naked City premiered on ABC as The Naked City on September 30, 1958, with the episode Meridian. The first season was broadcast as 30-minute episodes from September 1958 to June 1959, consisting of 39 episodes. The series was cancelled after the first season. This original 30-minute version was sponsored by Viceroy cigarettes.

When their attempted hold-up goes awry, two teenagers take refuge at a gun show. Notable location: Filmed at the New York Coliseum on Columbus Circle, now the location of the Time Warner Center.

While Lt. Muldoon tries to convince an aging ferry boat captain to retire, a meticulously planned armored car hijacking is taking place below deck. Note: the captain's name is "Adam Flint", the same name as Paul Burke's character when he joins the revamped series in its second season. Notable location: Staten Island ferry.

Lt. Halloran tries to cope with the emotional after effects of killing a man in the line of duty for the first time. Notable location: Penn Station.

A man "fishes" for dropped coins from beneath sidewalk grates in hopes of raising enough money to support an orphan. "From a New Yorker story by Meyer Berger". Notable location: Allen Street Public Baths.

Halloran goes undercover in a mental ward to find out who killed one of the patients. Notable locations: Welfare (now Roosevelt) Island, Queensborough Bridge elevator.

Was a detective killed running away from thieves instead of confronting them - or is his partner who survived the confrontation lying? Note: Horace McMahon, who joins the series later in the season as "Lt. Parker" appears in this episode as the head of an anti-theft squad; in the closing credits his character's name is simply "Chief".

When a teenager is killed by a rival gang, his friends debate whether to "rumble" with their rivals - or simply murder one of them in revenge.

A thief poses as a milkman to ransack the apartments of the real milkman's customers while they are on vacation. Notable location: Belvedere Castle in Central Park.

A gangland assassination in a barber shop leads to the fiancee of the gangster who ordered the hit - and a showdown between Halloran and the gangsters in an isolated lighthouse. Notable location: Execution Rocks Light in Long Island Sound.

A disturbed young man is compelled to kill attractive but handicapped women in order to "be somebody" – but the police refuse to believe him when he tries to confess. Notable location: Riverside Church.

A tough construction magnate with underworld connections refuses to cooperate with the police when an extortionist threatens his life.

A young woman overhears a murder on her newly installed telephone; the detectives don't believe her story--but the killer does. Notable locations: Rockefeller Center, New York City Incinerator (address unknown).

The detectives cross paths with a variety of oddball characters on Christmas Eve - and a pair of dangerous hold-up men.

The ne'er-do-well husband of the daughter of a wealthy man plants a bomb on her father's yacht when he threatens to disown them.

The embittered son of a humble sewer worker plans a heist using those same sewers as a getaway route.

A meek man seeks vengeance against the bookmaker who brutalized his fiancee.

A quiet neighbor of Detective Halloran and his wife embarks on an inexplicable killing spree. Notable location: Coney Island, including Steeplechase Park.

Circumstantial evidence makes a harmless Bowery derelict appear a murderer, while the actual killer goes undetected - at first... Notable location: Shot at night mostly around the Bowery just south of Houston St. Filmed inside Sammy's On The Bowery (no. 267 made famous by photographer Weegee among others) with owner Sammy Fuchs and noted clientele with a famous Follies performer singing.

A son wants to follow in his policeman father's footsteps, but refuses to accept the fact he's not up to the task.

When the woman with whom he was having an illicit affair is murdered, a mild-mannered married man seeks the real killer.

Halloran goes undercover at a tough high school to find a teacher's killer.

An embittered man plans to detonate a bomb along the route of an Olympic hero's ticker tape parade.

Bootleggers running an illicit still on a deserted beach resort in mid-winter resort to violence to protect their operation.

When a simple immigrant wins $6,000 on a lucky bet in the illegal "numbers" game, he's paid off in counterfeit money.

Lt. Parker takes command of the squad when Lt. Muldoon and the gangster he is accompanying to trial are killed by an assassin who uses a car as his murder weapon. Notable Location: the 125th Street Riverside Drive Viaduct, Harlem

When the innocent son of a cruel dictator comes to New York he is targeted by revolutionaries from his home country.

A bellboy tries to protect his idol - a washed-up former football star - when the man is involved in an accidental death at a rigged poker game.

Halloran tries to prove a man was unjustly convicted of the hit and run death of a child--but the man refuses to accept his help.

An emotionless hit man comes out of retirement for one last job to kill a gangster about to testify against the mob--then takes Det. Halloran hostage.

A scrubwoman robs a bank to buy herself the "dignity" she feels the world has denied her.

When a soldier returns home and discovers his kid sister has fallen in with a shoplifting ring, he confronts the ringleader in the criminal's lair. This episode was intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for what would eventually develop into the TV series Route 66, which began its run in the fall of 1960. Robert Morris, intended to be the series' co-lead alongside Maharis, died in May 1960.

When a punch-drunk former boxer disposes of a body for a gangster to finance his comeback, he accidentally kills a policeman in the process.

The investigation into the murder of a private eye reveals his corrupt values and leads to an unexpected killer.

A getaway driver past his prime panics when a hold-up goes wrong.

A pair of suspect-tracking bloodhounds wind up in the detectives' custody.

A high-powered entertainment executive who has made many enemies begins receiving death threats.

A man seemingly kills his son-in-law to protect his criminal activities - but the body in the morgue belongs to someone else.

A gambler takes advantage of a boxer in need of money and encourages him to take on a bout that might kill him.

Halloran tries to convince the woman whose fraudulent testimony is about have a man executed to recant.

Season 2 (1960–1961)

The series was revived as an hour-long show in 1960 with the title, Naked City. The first episode of the revived series was A Death of Princes and premiered on October 12, 1960. This season ran until June 1961 with 32 episodes.

A corrupt police detective blackmails people who have committed crimes to help him pull off a big heist.

When his young runaway daughter returns 15 years later a grown woman, her alcoholic father discovers she's now involved with gangsters.

The detectives try to discover who killed a playboy with a long list of conquests and his latest girlfriend.

An embittered man resorts to increasingly dangerous and bizarre methods - including an amusement park house of horrors - to prove a neighbor caused the fire that killed his wife and child. Note: the legendary Wilhelm Scream is heard at appx 48:25 into the episode.

A Wall Street executive tries to hide the fact he witnessed a murder in a gambling parlor and was wounded by a stray bullet.

A disturbed young murders policemen to get "revenge" against his deceased war hero father he believes abandoned him.

A gambler tries to stonewall the police when a player is murdered at his high-stakes poker game - while dealing with the woman who's arrived from his homeland for an arranged marriage.

When the daughter of a mobster kills a man attacking her, her controlling mother claims to have committed the crime,

A successful, uncultured man discovers his trophy wife is selling the expensive jewelry he is giving her and wearing substitutes in their place.

Flint is accused of cowardice when he refrains from pulling his gun on robbers to protect bystanders.

A teenager is shocked to discover his beloved dad is a gangland assassin.

A celebrated painter who has been locked away in a mental asylum tries to reclaim his identity.

In the shadow of Yankee Stadium a desperate criminal holds his aunt and her neighbors hostage as the police close in.

The deliberate electrocution of a wiretapper eavesdropping on phone conversations by his partner reveals a tangled web of romantic obsession and corporate espionage.

The owner of a company manufacturing linings for fur coats has second thoughts about his plan to rob his own company.

When a man is found shot to death at a gas station the paroled convict working at the station fears he will be arrested for the crime.

The pressure of managing his late father's corporation drives his young son to madness--and murder.

A murder and robbery involving a woman dressed as a policeman leads to a deadly rivalry between former Nazi SS officers. Note: There is no opening narration to this episode.

The hunt for a robbery ring targeting valuable items stored in waterfront warehouses leads to a conflicted Italian family.

An out-of-work actor resorts to murder to support himself when his career stalls.

Four young men murder derelicts and don Nazi uniforms to "make a statement" about society.

A lawyer turns delusional and refuses to believe his wife died in childbirth, embarking on a crime and gambling spree to pay for the deluxe hospital accommodations he imagines she deserves.

Detective Flint travels to Los Angeles to extradite two criminals to New York.

A man trained in karate uses his skills to murder a gangster threatening the elderly owners of his favorite restaurant.

An elderly couple trying to locate their daughter in Communist-controlled Hungary are swindled by a con artist pretending to know her whereabouts.

An absent-minded chemistry professor creates a batch of nitroglycerin--and forgets where he left it.

An alcoholic derelict with a strong resemblance to a foreign leader is trained to be a stand-in for the man to help spark a revolution.

In a moment of passion a lonely woman stabs the man dating her when she discovers he's married, then goes on the run believing she's killed him.

A criminal gang commandeers a yacht to hold well-to-do business executives hostage for ransom. Notable location: an extensive scene photographed in New York City's since-demolished Pennsylvania Station.

A father and son both claim responsibility for killing a watchman during a jewel robbery.

In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode number 93 on its list of the "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time".

The only witness to the brutal murder of a convention-goer is the security guard who committed the crime.

The mastermind behind the jewel robberies that keep a once wealthy, now impoverished upper-class family afloat... is their maid.

Season 3 (1961–1962)

The third season of Naked City premiered on September 27, 1961, with the episode Take Off Your Hat When a Funeral Passes. This season ran through June 1962 and comprised 33 episodes.

Lt. Parker pressures a mentally unstable man to once again inform on his criminal brother. Notable Location: Beneath the Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge

A man living a fantasy world of chivalry becomes a menace to those he sees as dishonorable.

An illegal immigrant smuggling racket and a drug ring are exposed when a man in a coffin turns out to be very much alive. Notable location: Filmed inside and outside of Lanza's Italian Restaurant (opened in 1904 and closed in 2016) on 10th Street and 1st Avenue and along 1st Avenue.

When the head of a fashion studio is found shot to death, almost every one of his underlings had a motive to kill him.

The au pair looking after a wealthy family's son fears for the boy's safety after overhearing his parents' violent arguments--and has a secret of her own. A domineering wife convinces her reluctant husband to kidnap a little girl for ransom.

A man scheduled to be executed for murder gets a new trial after a tumor is removed from his brain, erasing his memory and changing his personality.

An unbalanced young man accompanies the woman he is obsessed with on an odyssey to find shelter for a homeless elderly woman. Notable location: Shot around The Cooper Union, Cooper Square and the Bowery.

Two would-be criminals steal a priceless statue in hopes of selling it to a wealthy collector--and find themselves way over their heads. Notable Location: 79th Street Boat Basin

A middle-aged shoemaker struggles to understand his much younger, and very unhappy wife. Notable location: Park scenes were filmed at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

A frustrated, ignored man vents his anger against society with anonymous letters to the newspapers, and bizarre--and increasingly dangerous--pranks.

An elderly man challenges a railroad company when they refuse to honor an agreement made long ago with his family.

An unbalanced World War II hero unable to put his life back together goes on a killing spree.

When an artist awakes and finds his wife murdered, he believes he committed the crime.

When the son of a close friend is involved with a robbery, a woman doctor tries to shield him from the law. Notable Locations: Coney Island, Steeplechase Park

When a young Chinese woman is found dead, both her suitors claim responsibility for her murder. Notable Locations: Chinatown, Manhattan, Queensboro Bridge

A gangster tries to bribe, then intimidate a teacher into giving his son a passing grade. (Note: this episode does not feature an opening narration.)

In an episode inspired by Charles Starkweather's 1959 killing spree (which is mentioned in the episode), a backwoods couple leave a trail of murders behind when they arrive in Manhattan and shoot Sgt. Arcaro.

A hit-and-run attempt on a beloved neighborhood figure suffering from agoraphobia reveals a web of suspicion and unfaithfulness.

A meek man confesses to embezzling money from his employer to pay for his mother's healthcare, and offers to pay it back - but everyone wants him to keep the money!

A patrolman suffering a nervous breakdown takes the precinct hostage.

A hit man on the run from the police and the mob takes a gambler on a hot streak hostage in the hope the man will win enough money to finance his leaving the country.

A petty theft at an orphanage leads to a man with a troubled - and violent - past.

A sailor seeking revenge against the captain responsible for his brothers' deaths kills the man's wife by mistake. Short bar sequence filmed inside Sammy’s Bowery Follies, 267 Bowery.

An American Indian, just released from prison, travels to New York to convince his army buddy to give up his criminal lifestyle

Did he fall or was he pushed? The death of a show biz agent casts a shadow on an egotistical actress, a philandering husband and the chauffeur who witnessed the incident.

A Rumanian uses his wedding as a distraction to rob an old rival.

A sculptor refuses to stop working on a statue of his homeland's dictator, even when threats are made against his life. (Note: There is no opening narration in this episode.)

The detectives are confounded when they discover a mild-mannered office worker is simultaneously leading four secret lives. Notable location: The original Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)

A streetwise kid shelters a killer on the run from the police.

Detective Flint finds his motives and behavior questioned at the trial of a wealthy young woman he's arrested for drug use and reckless driving, .

A college professor, exposed to a dangerous chemical tries to separate truth from fantasy about his past. Notable Location: Freedomland U.S.A., a short lived amusement park located in the N.Y.C. borough The Bronx. Now the location of the Co-op City housing development.

A chauffeur kills the elderly woman he works for in order to marry her daughter--who is being blackmailed by the butler for supposedly committing the crime.

Season 4 (1962–1963)

The fourth season was the last for Naked City and started on September 19, 1962, with the episode Hold for Gloria Christmas. A total of 34 episodes were produced for this last season, which ran from September 1962 through May 1963.

The investigation into the murder of a Greenwich Village Beat poet reveals a life of tragic self-destruction.

An obsessed fan shoots the pro football star she's in love with.

A rage-filled father tries to "protect" his daughter by attacking young men he believes are threatening her. (Note: There is no opening narration to this episode.)

A disfigured man saves a woman from an attacker--but fears to show his face to the world.

The detectives try to help a troubled woman after her suicide attempt.

A gambler takes advantage of a boxer desperate for money to help his wife achieve her dream. Remake of season one episode 38, "The Canvas Bullet". (Note: there is no opening narration to this episode.)

A "common man" drunkard with a grudge against Flint starts a mini-crime wave as a practical joke on the detective, then takes a "scientist" hostage only to encounter a man as common as himself.

An informant finds his life and family threatened when his information prevents a robbery.

When a son places his father in a retirement home against the man's wishes, he vents his rage by phoning bomb threats to abusive people he's read about in the papers.

A vision-impaired, near-blind child flees his school outing and wanders the streets to prove his independence.

Is an acting student performing when he portrays a psychotic menace - or is he revealing his true self?

The murder of their chef doesn't stop the couple owning the restaurant from their bickering - or flirting with others.

Two old friends express their friendship by brawling and drinking, at increasing danger to their lives.

The discovery of a body buried 25 years earlier reunites the friends responsible for his death - and threatens to expose their guilt.

A married man's fling with a Las Vegas showgirl takes a bizarre turn when she follows him back to New York--and takes him prisoner at gunpoint.

A manipulative thief seduces a lonely maid in order to rob the wealthy family she works for.

A liquor store owner risks his life to set a trap for the thieves who have been robbing other stores in the neighborhood and killing their owners.

An overprivileged young man and his buddies rob his parents' wealthy friends for kicks. (Note: there is no opening narration to this episode.)

An informant desperately tries to raise enough money to leave the city when he discovers gangsters are going to murder him.

A detective addicted to taking dangerous chances puts the lives of the other detectives at risk

Flint is unnerved when he is called upon to witness the execution of the violent criminal he arrested.

An immigrant desperate for work gives his last $50 to a con artist who promises to find him a job.

The lone holdout in a murder trial tries to convince his fellow jurors the prosecution lacks evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt" to convict the defendant.

A frustrated low-level executive accidentally kills a man in a fight over a parking space.

When a woman reports her car stolen Flint is suspicious of her increasingly erratic behavior.

Flint's investigation into a bungled robbery takes him into the advertising world - and to a surprising job offer.

Flint's investigation into the death of a high-rise construction worker is stymied by the code of silence of the dead man's native American co-workers.

An insecure man struggles to escape from the shadow of his domineering late father who robbed him of his self-confidence.

The police race to find a woman carrying a rare disease.

When a young man unable to put down roots witnesses an accidental killing resulting from his brother's criminal activities, the other members of the brother's gang fear he will inform on them.

In a fit of rage, a junkman hoping to salvage a valuable cargo ship kills his business partner after the man refuses to help him achieve his dream.

The rivalry between the head of a box company and a popular worker for a woman's affections spirals out of control.

A high-powered TV executive who refuses to acknowledge his drinking problem finds himself in court after striking his wife and crosses paths with a blue-collar worker fighting the same demons.

An unstable man desperate to give his life meaning poses as a police officer

Syndication

During the late 1980s, Naked City aired weekly early Monday mornings on New York City's WNYW-TV, Channel 5. In July 2011, Retro Television Network began airing episodes of both The Naked City and Naked City. In October 2011, MeTV began carrying Naked City, airing it weekly overnight, and in mid-2013, it began showing two episodes of The Naked City back-to-back. As of October 2023, Naked City can be seen on Retro Television Network.

Home media

Between 2003 and 2006, Image Entertainment, under license from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, released a series of single-disc releases containing four of the hourlong episodes per disc, followed by three releases billed as "Box Set" 1 to 3, each of which contained three discs and 12 one-hour episodes, with their original commercials and sponsors' slots included as bonus features. These releases are now out of print. Early 2013 saw the release of a 10-disc Best of Naked City set containing 40 episodes, all of which had been included on the earlier DVDs, and Naked City: 20 Star-Filled Episodes, a five-disc set with 10 more re-releases and 10 previously unreleased shows. It includes two half-hour episodes, the earlier series' first appearance on DVD. None of these releases attempts to present the show in chronological order; their contents appear to have been selected for the episodes' famous guest stars, whose names are prominently featured on their covers and other packaging.

On November 5, 2013, Image Entertainment released Naked City: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 29-disc set contains all 138 episodes of the series.

Awards

Naked City also received Emmy nominations for Best Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour in 1959; Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama in 1961, 1962 and 1963; Paul Burke for Outstanding Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Series in 1962 and 1963; Horace McMahon for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor in 1962; Arthur Hiller for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama; Nancy Malone for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress in 1963; and Diahann Carroll for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in 1963.

In popular culture

• The title Naked City is used for the L.A. Noire DLC vice case titled "The Naked City".
• The series is parodied in an episode of Top Cat titled "Naked Town".

Tie-in book

A tie-in collection of short stories was written to capitalize on the success of the TV series. It was titled The Naked City, and was published as a mass-market paperback by Dell in 1959. Although it was credited on the book's cover solely to series creator Stirling Silliphant, it actually consisted of writer and newspaperman Charles Einstein's prose adaptations of eight Silliphant stories from the series' first season of half-hour episodes. Einstein is the half-brother of comedian Albert Brooks. The cover featured an evocative photo montage by photographer David Attie. The book is well regarded by fans of the series, but it has long been out of print.

Notes

References

References

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2. (June 28 – July 4, 1997). "Special Collectors' Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time".
3. (2000). "Television: The Critical View". [[Oxford University Press]].
4. ((Editors of TV Guide Magazine)). (2005). "TV Guide: TV on DVD 2006: The Ultimate Resource to Television Programs on DVD". [[Macmillan Inc..
5. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. (1971). "Motion Pictures, 1960–1969". [[Library of Congress]].
6. (2004). "Der neue Serien-Guide/Bd. 2. F – L.". [[Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag.
7. [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Naked-City-The-Complete-Series/18891 Package Art and Street Date for 'The Complete Series' 29-DVD Set] {{webarchive. link. (2014-01-02)
8. "Emmy Nominations 1964". www.emmys.com.