Diagnosis: Unknown

1960 American TV series or program

Diagnosis: Unknown

Genre| Medical drama
Created by| Alan Woods
James A. Bank,
based on "Diagnosis: Homicide" by Lawrence G. Blochman
Written by| Joel Carpenter
Arnold Manoff
Bill S. Ballinger
Elliott Norman
Steven Gethers
Theodore Apstein
Alvin Boretz
Ernest Kinoy
Directed by| Fielder Cook
Paul Stanley
William Corrigan
Starring| Patrick O'Neal
Phyllis Newman
Chester Morris
Martin Huston
Cal Bellini
Theme music composer| Irwin Kostal
Edward Scott
Joe Hamilton
Opening theme| "Diagnosis: Unknown" (aka "Coffee's Theme")
Composer| Irwin Kostal
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 9
Production
Executive producer| Bob Banner
Producer| Leo Davis
Running time| 45-48 minutes
Production companies| Bob Banner Associates, Inc.
Red Wing Productions, Inc.
CBS Television
Original release
Network| CBS
Release| July 5 (1960-07-05) –
September 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

Diagnosis: Unknown is an American medical drama that aired on CBS television from July 5 to September 20, 1960. The series aired as a summer replacement for The Garry Moore Show[1] from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.[2]

## Premise

[edit]

Daniel Coffee, head of a hospital's pathology lab, worked with police (particularly Detective Captain Max Ritter) to find criminals who committed bizarre murders. Lab assistants Doris Hudson and Motilal Mookerju supported Coffee in his work. Another regular character was Link, a boy who worked as handyman and kept the lab clean.[2]

## Personnel

[edit]

The cast was as follows:

* Patrick O'Neal as Coffee[2]
* Phyllis Newman as Hudson[2]
* Cal Bellini as Mookerji[2]
* Martin Huston as Link[2]
* Chester Morris as Ritter[2]

Bob Banner was the producer.[3]

Joel Carpenter wrote the script for the program's premiere episode.[4]

## Theme

[edit]

"Coffee's Theme", the program's theme song, was recorded by Warren Covington and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Decca 31146).[5]

## Critical reception

[edit]

In a review of the program's initial episode in The New York Times, Jack Gould called the show "sick television" and said it indicated that "beatniks have taken over" at CBS.[6] The review said that the show's "laboratory is populated by gone kids" and noted elements in the laboratory's environment: "haze of cigarette smoke . . . the din of transistor radios . . . jive talk".

Critic John Crosby wrote that he liked the emphasis on the mystery, and he complimented O'Neal's portrayal of Coffee. He liked the dialogue's "intelligence and flashes of humor" but added that some scenes were "awfully talky" while others were "pretty awkward".[3]

## Episodes

[edit]

No.  | Title  | Directed by  | Written by  | Original air date

|
|
|
|

1| "A Case of Radiant Wine"| Fielder Cook| Joel Carpenter| July 5, 1960 (1960-07-05)

Guest star: Tom Bosley[4]

2| "Main Course -- Murder"| Unknown| Unknown| August 2, 1960 (1960-08-02)
3| "A Sudden Stillness"| Unknown| Unknown| August 9, 1960 (1960-08-09)
4| "Final Performance"| Unknown| Unknown| August 16, 1960 (1960-08-16)
5| "The Case of the Elder"| Unknown| Unknown| August 23, 1960 (1960-08-23)
6| "The Curse of the Gypsy"| Unknown| Unknown| August 30, 1960 (1960-08-30)
7| "Gina, Gina"| Unknown| Unknown| September 6, 1960 (1960-09-06)
8| "The Parasite"| Unknown| Unknown| September 13, 1960 (1960-09-13)
9| "The Red Death"| Unknown| Unknown| September 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 215\. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 352\. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
3. ^ a b Crosby, John (September 6, 1960). "'Diagnosis Unknown' Gets Mild Praise". The Tampa Tribune. p. 26. Retrieved December 31, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ a b Adams, Val (June 20, 1960). "Tom Bosley takes TV-mystery role". The New York Times. p. 57. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
5. ^ "Very Strong Sales Potential: Popular" (PDF). Billboard. August 29, 1960. p. 37. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
6. ^ "TV Review: Diagnosis: Unknown' New C.B.S. Mystery". The New York Times. July 6, 1960. p. 67. Retrieved December 30, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Diagnosis: Unknown at IMDb

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