Dante is an American adventure/drama television series. It starred Howard Duff, and was broadcast on Monday nights at 9:30 p.m. on NBC from October 3, 1960, through April 10, 1961.
Earlier version of Dante
Dick Powell had previously played Dante in episodes of Four Star Playhouse, initially written by Blake Edwards, who had previously created the radio drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective for Powell. There, Willie operates an illegal gambling operation in the back room of the "Inferno", which police soon shut down. The only regular from the Four Star Playhouse version to be cast in the series as well was Mowbray, who had first played a millionaire named Jackson who had gambled away his fortune and then worked as one of Dante's waiters. These episodes were subsequently rebroadcast under the collective title The Best in Mystery.
Series synopsis
Willie Dante, a suave ladies' man, had previously run gambling establishments in different parts of the country, and when he opened a San Francisco nightclub called Dante's Inferno both the police and the criminal establishment believed that he was still breaking the law. Two of Dante's long-time sidekicks worked with him at the nightclub. Biff, the bartender, and Stewart, the British maitre d', continued to have an interest in criminal activities, and their interactions with Dante provided much of the show's humor.
In a 1960 interview about the series co-star Alan Mowbray stated: "Our gimmick? Charming dishonesty."