77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip
Premiere	October 10, 1958
Finale	February 7, 1964
Network/Provider	ABC
Style	60-minute crime drama
Company	Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television
Seasons	6
Episodes	206
Origin	USA

77 Sunset Strip is a crime drama that aired on ABC.

Based on a series of stories by Roy Huggins, the show featured Stuart Bailey and Jeff Spencer, two detectives who worked out of a stylish office on the title street. Suzanne was their telephone operator; tagging along for the ride was Roscoe, a racetrack fancier, and Gerald "Kookie" Kookson, a P.I. wannabe who worked as a valet next door at Dino's Lounge, the nightclub owned by Dean Martin. Kookie and Roscoe provided many of the show's lighter moments.

Edd Byrnes (Kookie) left the show in 1959 following a contract dispute (he had become something of a pop icon with his catch phrases and a record by Connie Stevens--"Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb") but returned a year later as a member of the firm. At the very onset, Warner Bros. was embroiled in an ownership dispute over the show and characters with its creator, Roy Huggins.

Edd Byrnes would turn up again in late 1974 auditioning to be the host of NBC's new game show Wheel of Fortune. But when he was spotted appearing inebriated and trying to commit the alphabet to memory, he would be replaced by Chuck Woolery when the show hit the air.

Prior to the start of the sixth season in 1963, all cast members on the show except for Efrem Zimbalist Jr. were let go, his Stuart Bailey character went out on his own as a solo private eye and most of the continuity with the show's previous seasons were dropped in favor of giving the show a new film-noir look and feel and a new setting, in what was deemed to be a controversial move by the show's producers (headed by new WB head of programming Jack Webb). Later into Season Six, Bailey's secretary Hannah, who was previously only referenced by Bailey, began appearing onscreen and quickly became a love interest to Bailey, though the interest was one-way on Bailey's part as Hannah continually rebuffed him by playing hard-to-get.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.	Stuart Bailey	*	*	*	*	*	*
Roger Smith	Jeff Spencer	*	*	*	*	*
Edward Byrnes	Gerald "Kookie" Kookson III	*	*	*	*	*
Louis Quinn	Roscoe	o	*	*	*	*
Jacqueline Beer	Suzanne Fabray	o	*	*	*	*
Richard Long	Rex Randolph			*
Robert Logan	J.R. Hale				*	*
Orange/Red/o indicates a recurring or guest role during that season. Dark Green indicates top billing during that season.
Supporting/Recurring Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6
Byron Keith	Lt. Roy Gilmore	*	*	*	*	*
Joan Staley	Hannah						*

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
ABC
Season One	October 10, 1958	May 29, 1959				34
Season Two	October 2, 1959	June 10, 1960				36
Season Three	September 16, 1960	June 9, 1961				39
Season Four	September 22, 1961	June 29, 1962				41
Season Five	October 12, 1962	June 14, 1963				36
Season Six	September 20, 1963	February 7, 1964				20

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

There are no DVD releases for this show.

External Sites

• opening creditson YouTube