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Drama Series
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Starring Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Season 5 (NBC) (1954-55)
(Filmed)
Episode Guide
compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by: Heikocleef, / Rina Fox
[Updated Dec 2017]
references:
TV Guide/
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
################## Big Town ##################
############## season 5 1954-55 ##############
##############################################
(Change of Network from CBS to NBC and New Star)
MS Television Productions
for
NBC (Mondays 10:30 pm EST) (11Oct54- Summer 1955)
Produced and Directed by Mark Stevens
Starring:
Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson #2, Managing Editor (1954-56)
Barry Kelley as Charlie Anderson, City Editor (1954-1956)
Trudy Wroe as Lorelei Kilbourne #5 (1954-1955)
John Doucette as Lt. Tom Greggory (1954-1955)
Lynn Stalmaster as "Rush" (1954-1955)
5.01 [--] Big Town: THE MOLESTER
11Oct1954 NBC Mon
Written & directed by George Waggner
Starring:
Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson): Trudy Wroe as Lorelei Kilbourne #5 (1954-1955)
with Barry Kelley (as Charlie Anderson) and Lynn Stalmaster (as Jimmy Rush)
Guest cast:
Lucien Littlefield
Mary Beth Hughes
John Doucette
Karen Sharpe
Dean Cromer
*News item: [Long Beach Press Telegram] 11Oct54.
The pretty little girl who sang those Paper-Mate commercials as half of the
"sweethearts" will be seen as a dramatic
actress in the new "Big Town" series debuting on a new network NBC tonight at
10:30pm.
Trudy Wroe will portray the part of Lorelei Kilbourne, gal reporter, opposite
Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson of the Illustrated Press.
Trudy hasn't been noted for acting but initial reports indicate that she plays
her new role to the same degree
of perfection that she demonstrated in her singing commercials.
The new "Big Town" will be filmed against the background of the city room and
composing room of the L.A. Times and stories
will be taken from actual news events. This to lend authenticity to the show.
Opening plot concerns the solution of the murder of a little girl and the arrest
of an innocent
man. Steve and Lorelei manage to prove the man's innocence and also to find the
real culprit.
5.02 [--] Big Town: THE HARBOR STORY
18Oct1954 NBC Mon
Starring:
Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Mary Beth Hughes
Synopsis:
Arms smuggling in Latin America leads the reporters to cover a longshoremans
murder
and come up against a gang of international crooks.
5.03 [--] Big Town: SEMPER FI
25Oct1954 NBC Mon
Directed by George Waggner
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
with Barry Kelley (as Charlie Anderson)
Guest cast:
Chuck Connors
John Doucette
Tina Carver
Vicki Raaf
5.04 [--] Big Town: WHO AM I?
01Nov1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Richard Karlan
Phillip Pine
Synopsis:
Steve Wilson befriends an amnesia victim who proves to be a
murderer and Lorelei's life is in danger.
5.05 [--] Big Town: BABY STORY
08Nov1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Anne Barton
Helene Stanley
Synopsis:
Steve and Lorelei work to solve a case of an infant's kidnapping.
5.06 [--] Big Town: FERRY BOAT
15Nov1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
5.07 [--] Big Town: JUVENILE CRIME PACK
22Nov1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Bobby Driscoll
5.08 [--] Big Town: HOT CAR MURDER
29Nov1954 NBC Mon
Directed by George Waggner
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Beverly Garland
Jerry Hausner
Arthur Space
Howard Hoffman
Byron Keith
5.09 [--] Big Town: THE SAUCER STORY
06Dec1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Synopsis:
Flying saucer reports send Steve Wilson out to investigate.
5.10 [--] Big Town: BUBONIC PLAGUE
13Dec1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
5.11 [--] Big Town: THE SENATOR STORY
20Dec1954 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Hillary Brooke
Ralph Moody
Synopsis:
A scheme to get some easy money via a tape-recording fails to come off
when Steve Wilson refuses to buy the damaging confessions of a deceased judge.
5.12 [--] Big Town: BOYS WEEK
27Dec1954 NBC Mon
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
with Barry Kelley as Charlie Anderson and Lynn Stalmaster as Rush
Guest cast:
John McGovern ........ Bobby Allen
Sally Fraser ................ Sue Wallace
Paul Richards ............ Dude Kiley
Morris Ankrum ........... Commodore
Lewis Charles ............ Johnny Eleven
Dorothy Adams ......... Mrs. Allen
Marshall Bradford ..... Mr. Wallace
and John Gallaudet (as Capt. Barney Drew).
Synopsis:
A young man and his girlfriend are attacked at lover's lane, the young man is
tied up while his girlfriend is taken away.
5.13 [--] Big Town: THE RACE TRACK STORY
03Jan1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
Guest cast:
Taylor Holmes
Lillian Powell
Synopsis:
An investigation is started by Steve Wilson of the Illustrated Press when he
discovers that his long time friend, a harness
racing driver, has been found dead in a horse stall. Further investigation by
Steve reveals a story of blackmail and intrigue.
*Syndication airing on "Headline" (20Jul1957 ABC Sat).
5.14 [--] Big Town: THE AIRPLANE STORY
10Jan1955 NBC Mon
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
with Barry Kelley as Charlie Anderson and Lynn Stalmaster as Rush
Guest cast:
Jeanne Vaughn ....... Lawrence Mercer
Marjorie Owens ....... Mary Bannon
Roy Roberts ............. Dr. Jack Young
Charles Watts ........... Frank Dilling
Jean Andern ............. Lela Dilling
John Gallaudet ......... Capt. Barney Drew
Robert Burton .......... Dunston
5.15 [--] Big Town: THE SCHOOL TEACHER
17Jan1955 NBC Mon
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
with Barry Kelley as Charlie Anderson
Guest cast:
Morris Ankrum
Gavin Gordon
Evelyn Scott
Malcolm Atterbury
David Kasday
Kendall Clark
Barry Froner
Earle Ross
Synopsis:
"Big Town" is upset over the suspension of a teacher who is alleged to have
struck a child.
5.16 [--] Big Town: RANDOLPH'S BOMB
24Jan1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson; Trudy Wroe as Lorelei
*News item: Mt. Vernon Register 24Jan55.
"Fate of the leading ladies on "Big Town" is a big mystery on Hollywood's TV
Alley. Jane Nigh, the original Lorelei,
was ready to resume the role after dating the stork but Beverly Tyler took over.
Then she was replaced with Trudy Wroe.
Now Trudy's been dropped. There's a sameness about "Big Town" plots but at least
the show offers suspense about the
identity of its leading lady. Thirteen weeks seems to be par for the course."
5.17 [--] Big Town: THE GRAND ALMOST
31Jan1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
Guest cast:
Ludwig Stossel
Gretchen Wyler
Paul Picerni
Synopsis:
Steve Wilson proves the innocence of a parolee suspected of theft.
5.18 [--] Big Town: THE SNIPER
07Feb1955 NBC Mon [Long Beach Press Telegram]
Written & Directed by George Waggner
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
Guest cast:
Jean Byron
Dabbs Greer
Ann Doran
Chick Chandler
Cheryl Callaway
Keye Luke
Synopsis:
Five mysterious fatal shootings of policemen are solved by editor Steve Wilson
as Lorelei (Trudy Wroe, who
will soon be the third Lorelei dropped from the series) finds a broken lens from
a pair of spectacles.
5.19 [--] Big Town: THE LOVERS
14Feb1955 NBC Mon
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
With Barry Kelley (as Charlie Anderson) and John Gallaudet (as Capt. Barney
Drew)
Guest cast:
James McCallion ..... Half-Price Harry
Jaclynne Greene ..... Joan Welby
Willard Sage ............. Ray Stelman
Stuart Nedd .............. Roy Sherman
5.20 [--] Big Town: AN EYE FOR AN EYE
21Feb1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
Guest cast:
Barry Kelley .............. Charlie Anderson
Kay Stewart ............... Mrs. Anderson
Cheryl Calloway ....... Sherry Anderson
Francis J. McDonald ... Benny
Peter Mamakos ......... Rich Burton
Synopsis:
Just before he is electrocuted, a condemned killer bequeaths his
eye corneas to a man he blinded 20 years before. Steve Wilson has
24 hours to find the man.
5.21 [--] Big Town: FRAME UP
28Feb1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
Guest cast:
George Wallace
Adele Mara
Randy Stuart
Synopsis:
A fatal hit-and-run accident sends the crew of the Illustrated Press on
a search for the truth.
5.22 [--] Big Town: POLICE STORY
07Mar1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
5.23 [--] Big Town: EGOMANIAC
14Mar1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
Guest cast:
Billy Halop ............. Marty 'Killer' Craig
Olive Carey ............ Marcia Craig
Harry Carey Jr. ..... John Clovis
Betty Caulfield ...... Roberta Cassell
James Parnell ....... Pete
John Larch ............ Police Sergeant
Dabbs Greer .......... Sgt. Jim Ward
Barry Kelley ........... Charlie Anderson
Morris Ankrum ...... Commodore
Lynn Stalmaster ... Jimmy Rush
5.24 [--] Big Town: USED CAR FINANCE RACKET
21Mar1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
5.25 [--] Big Town: FIRETRAP
28Mar1955 NBC Mon
Directed by Mark Stevens
Starring: Mark Stevens as Steve Wilson
With Barry Kelley (as Charlie Anderson), Dabbs Greer (as Sgt. Jim Ward), Morris
Ankrum (as Commodore)
Guest cast:
Tol Avery ................. Fire Commissioner Vincent Keely
Tom Powers ........... Hampton Norris
Olive Blakeney ....... Charlotte Wheeler
Ross Elliott .............. Jackson Tucker
Charlotte Knight ..... Emma Bryan
Robert Foulk ............ Tom Bryan
Barbara Pepper ....... Mamie Caldwell
John Harmon ........... Twitch
5.26 [--] Big Town: THE PHONEY HERO
04Apr1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
5.27 [--] Big Town: OPERATION SURVIVAL (aka Hurricane)
11Apr1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Natalie Norwick ... Margery
Synopsis:
Steve serves for two weeks as a Marine Corps Reserve captain and gets caught in
a violent hurricane.
5.28 [--] Big Town: CORONER REPORT PROBE
18Apr1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Edward Binns ............ Sam Blaine
Addison Richards ..... Dr. Butler
Peter Gray ................... Dr. Ames
Synopsis:
Steve Wilson, editor of the Illustrated Press, goes on a crusade when he learns
that the medical examiner
is issuing death certificates without thoroughly investigating the cause of
death. [RF]
5.29 [--] Big Town: TOO OLD TO WORK? (film)
25Apr1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
James Bell
Emile Meyer
Francis Morris
James P. Mitchell
Synopsis:
Editor Steve Wilson investigates the problem of a fellow employee who has been
dismissed from the staff
because of his age. Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell will appear to discuss
this growing problem. [RF]
5.30 [--] Big Town: MERCY OR MURDER? (film)
02May1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Wilton Graff
Synopsis:
Steve Wilson gets involved with this moral issue when he gets a tip
that a prominent doctor is planning a "mercy killing". [RF]
5.31 [--] Big Town: FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
09May1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Mary Adams
Owen McGiveney
5.32 [--] Big Town: THE BLOOD PROFITEER (film)
16May1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Paul Burke ......... Gardiner
Harvey Petrie ..... Harvey Bannock
Vernon Rich ....... Milton Sherman
Synopsis:
Editor Steve Wilson is suspicious of a commercial blood bank which is
charging abnoramally high rates. He assigns to the story a young
reporter, just back from the Medical Corps in Korea. [RF]
5.33 [--] Big Town: TEACHER'S ORDEAL (film)
23May1955 NBC Mon (Rerun - original air date not known)
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Morris Ankrum .... Commodore
Kendall Clark ...... Mr. Forrest
Evelyn Scott ........ Mrs. Elwood
David Kasday ...... John Elwood
Synopsis:
A schoolteacher is suspender for supposedly striking a young child.
Steve Wilson and the Illustrated Press help bring about a just verdict.
(This is a request repeat of an earlier telecast. [RF]
5.34 [--] Big Town: MATERIAL WITNESS
(aka Hostage of the Law)
30May1955 NBC Wed
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Anthony Caruso .... Harold Milo
Jack Klugman ........ Jack Orliffe
Paul Frees ............... Willy Kozmar
Morris Ankrum ....... Commodore
Synopsis:
Editor Steve Wilson finds reason to question the methods of Big Town's
district attorney. Wilson objects to the D.A.'s arrest of a bookie's
brother-in-law. [RF]
5.35 [--] Big Town: OUT ON PAROLE (film)
06Jun1955 NBC Mon
Written and directed by Mark Stevens
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
with Barry Kelley (as Charlie Anderson)
Guest cast:
Anne Barton ............ Nan Frey
Joanne Davis .......... Dorothy Gavin
Tom Avera ................ Edward Gavin
Vic Perrin ................... Pete Snyder
Ruth Perrott ............... Bertha Dillon
John Hiestand ........... Governor Ryan
Jack Kruschen .......... Guard Broderick
Kenneth Patterson ... James Davis
Synopsis:
A criminal, released on parole, kills a policeman in a holdup. Steve Wilson
investigates the story to learn whether parole boards exercise
good judgment. [RF]
5.36 [--] Big Town: COMIC BOOK MURDER
13Jun1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Jeanette Nolan
Alan Reed
Jack Klugman
5.37 [--] Big Town: FIGHT GAME
20Jun1955 NBC Mon (rerun 09Apr1956 NBC Mon)
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Ross Bagdasarian
Milly Dolph
Dennis McCarthy
Synopsis:
A badly beaten prizefighter helps lead Steve Wilson on the trail of crooked
boxing in Big Town.
5.38 [--] Big Town: HONEST COP
27Jun1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
John Dennis .............. Matthew Peck
Joseph Conley .......... Albert Hayes
John Stephenson .... Stuart Forrester
Dick Simmons ........... Attorney Crane
Harry Clark ................. Patrolman Lloyd Oliver
Tony Barrett
5.39 [--] Big Town: THE BIG ROADBLOCK
04Jul1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
5.40 [--] Big Town: DEADLY CARGO
11Jul1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
5.41 [--] Big Town: THE LAST ASSIGNMENT
18Jul1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Tom Powers
Olive Blakeney
5.42 [--] Big Town: SHIELD OF A KILLER
25Jul1955 NBC Mon
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast:
Mort Mills
Gil Lamb
Danny Beck
Billy Wayne
5.43 [--] Big Town: THE BESERK GUNMAN
01Aug1955 [Long Beach Press Telegram]
03Aug1955 [Amarillo Sunday News Globe]
Starring: Mark Stevens (as Steve Wilson)
Guest cast
Philip Pine
Barry Kelley (the city editor of Steve's paper "The Illustrated Press").
Synopsis:
An amnesia victim wanders into Steve's office and asks for help. Steve puts the
man up in his own apartment
while waiting for someone to identify the pictures he has published. Steve's
guest disappears with Steve's
German Luger and he begins to wonder if he has been duped.
################## Big Town ##################
############### end of season 5 ##############
##############################################
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