NIGHT BEAT (2nd TV pilot attempt?) - 1954
"A Study in Panic" was Four Star Productions' second outing with the characters and situations originally created for the NBC radio drama NIGHT BEAT. But where Four Star first attempted to do a straight-forward television adaption of the series in 1953, this 1954 effort was more of a re-invention. The name of its protagonist was changed to Fred Jordon, and he was portrayed by Dick Powell (rather than Frank Lovejoy). His newspaper column was no longer "Night Beat," but "City After Dark." Yet, despite the cosmetic changes, "A Study in Panic" is still recognizable as a NIGHT BEAT story (with a script directly adapted for television from the 1951 NB episode "Fear"). "A Study in Panic" aired as the April 8, 1954 installment of FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE. Whether it was intended as a pilot for a potential series, or simply a stand-alone episode, is unclear. But it is clearly NIGHT BEAT's second foray into the world of television.