Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City police officers who patrol the fictional 53rd precinct in The Bronx. Car 54 was their patrol car.
The series had a rotating group of directors, including Al De Caprio, Stanley Prager, and series creator Nat Hiken. Filming was done both on location and at Biograph Studios in the Bronx.
Synopsis
The series follows the adventures of New York City Police Department officers Gunther Toody (badge #1432) (Joe E. Ross) and Francis Muldoon (badge #723 and #1987 in early episodes) (Fred Gwynne), assigned to Patrol Car 54. Toody is short, stocky, nosy, and not very bright, and he lives with his loud, domineering wife Lucille (Beatrice Pons). College-educated Muldoon is very tall, quiet, and more intellectual. A shy bachelor, he lives with his mother and two younger sisters. He is reluctant to get married.
Much of the series is set in the station house, with commanding officer Captain Block (Paul Reed) ordering his men to answer neighborhood police calls or investigate baffling cases that have stymied the force at large. Toody and Muldoon often blunder into these cases, encountering the criminals accidentally and proceeding on a wrong assumption. By sheer perseverance, inadvertence, and luck, Toody and Muldoon bring each case to a successful conclusion.
Cast
Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody
Fred Gwynne as Officer Francis Muldoon
Beatrice Pons as Lucille Toody
Al Lewis as Officer Leo Schnauser
Charlotte Rae as Sylvia Schnauser
Hank Garrett as Officer Ed Nicholson
Paul Reed as Capt. Paul Block
Bruce Kirby as Officer Kissel
Jimmy Little as Sgt. Jim McBride
Joe Warren as Officer Steinmetz
Nipsey Russell as Officer Anderson
Ossie Davis as Officer Omar Anderson
Frederick O'Neal as Officer Wallace
Jim Gormley as Officer Nelson
Albert Henderson as Officer Dennis O'Hara
Ruth Masters as Mrs. Muldoon, Francis's mother
Patricia Bright as Mrs. Claire Block
Martha Greenhouse as Rose, Lucille's sister
Nathaniel Frey as Sergeant Abrams
Jerome Guardino as Officer Antonnucci
Episode list
Production
Many of the scripts were written by Nat Hiken, who won an "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy" Emmy Award for his work on the series.
Hiken had previously produced The Phil Silvers Show in New York; it was a military comedy with Silvers (as Sgt. Bilko) and his gang of comical soldiers. Hiken recruited many of the Bilko alumni for this new series. Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne had featured roles on the Bilko show, and Beatrice Pons was hired to reprise her old role of Ross's wife. Other veterans from the Bilko show were Paul Reed, Al Lewis, Charlotte Rae, Jimmy Little, Jack Healy, Frederick O'Neal, Martha Greenhouse, Bob Hastings, Billy Sands, and Gerald Hiken.
Some supporting players on Car 54 were so well received that they were brought back for additional episodes. Molly Picon played Mrs. Bronson, an enterprising matron who made life miserable for city authorities but always adhered strictly to the law, forcing her whims to be accommodated. Larry Storch played Charlie, the town drunk, whose constant scrapes with the police compelled Toody and Muldoon to rehabilitate him. Gene Baylos was the hapless Benny the Bookie, whose attempts at swearing off gambling always involved Toody and Muldoon. Carl Ballantine appeared as Al, Toody's imperious brother-in-law, who commanded instant obedience from his wife, Rose (Martha Greenhouse).
Cars
So that they would not be mistaken for actual police cars during location filming, the cars used for the series were painted red and white, which appeared as the proper shade of gray on black-and-white film to replicate NYPD cars of that era, which were black and green, with a white roof and trunk.
Three cars were used as the title vehicle during the series: a 1961 Plymouth Belvedere during most of the first season, followed by a 1962, and later a 1963, Plymouth Savoy.
Theme song
The theme song's lyrics were written by series creator, writer, and occasional director, Nat Hiken, with music by John Strauss.
There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights; There's a traffic jam in Harlem That's backed up to Jackson Heights; There's a Scout troop short a child, Khrushchev's due at Idlewild; Car 54, Where Are You?