The Untouchables (1959)
The Untouchables
Genre	Crime / Drama
Starring	Robert Stack Abel Fernández Nicholas Georgiade Paul Picerni Steve London Bruce Gordon Neville Brand
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	118 & 2-part pilot
Production
Running time	60 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	October 15, 1959 – May 21, 1963
Links
IMDb profile

The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it dealt with the experiences of Eliot Ness, a United States Justice Department agent, as he fought crime in Chicago in the 1930s with the help of a special team of agents handpicked for their incorruptibility, nicknamed the Untouchables. It was remade into a 1987 film by Brian De Palma with a script by David Mamet. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Charles Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003), better known as Robert Stack, was an American stage and movie actor. ... Paul Picerni (born December 1, 1922 in New York City) is an American actor. ... Bruce Gordon, 2005. ... Brand in D.O.A. (1950) Neville Brand (August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992), was an American television and movie actor. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... See also: 1958 in television, other events of 1959, 1960 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1959-60 American network television schedule. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... See also: 1962 in television, other events of 1963, 1964 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1963-64 American network television schedule. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... The Untouchables is an autobiographical book by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, published in 1957. ... Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois as the leader of a legendary team nicknamed The Untouchables. ... Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois as the leader of a legendary team nicknamed The Untouchables. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Led by Eliot Ness, the original group of Untouchables sought to enforce Prohibition and take down Al Capone. ... // May 9 - Actor Tom Cruise marries actress Mimi Rogers. ... The Untouchables is a 1987 film, directed by Brian De Palma, based on the 1959 ABC television series, which, in turn, was based on Eliot Nesss autobiographical account of his efforts to bring Al Capone to justice. ... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a controversial American film director. ... David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. ...

Series overview

The stories often revolved around Ness' enmity with the criminal empire of Chicago mob boss Al Capone, and many focused on crimes related to Prohibition. The show starred Robert Stack as Eliot Ness and Neville Brand as Al Capone, and was narrated by Walter Winchell. The show drew harsh criticism from some Italian-Americans, who felt it promoted negative stereotypes of them as mobsters and gangsters. “Capone” redirects here. ... The term Prohibition, also known as Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... Charles Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003), better known as Robert Stack, was an American stage and movie actor. ... Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois as the leader of a legendary team nicknamed The Untouchables. ... Brand in D.O.A. (1950) Neville Brand (August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992), was an American television and movie actor. ... “Capone” redirects here. ... Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972), an American newspaper and radio commentator, invented the gossip column at the New York Evening Graphic. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent. ...

The series had 118 episodes which ran 50 minutes each. Though the book it was based on chronicled the experiences of Ness and his cohorts over a span of time ranging from 1929 to 1935, the overwhelming majority of episodes were set in the early 1930s (for example, one episode, You Can't Play This Number, begins with Winchell's words, "October 1932 ... the depths of the Depression"). A few episodes were set primarily in a locale other than Chicago (such as the one dealing with the shootout involving Ma Barker and her gang). 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... The Great Depression was a time of economic down turn, which started after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ... Ma Barker Kate Ma Barker (October 8, 1873 - January 16, 1935). ...

Other recurrent actors were Jerry Paris as Agent Martin Flaherty,(1st season only) Abel Fernandez as Agt. William Youngfellow, Nick Georgiade as Agt. Enrico Rossi, Anthony George as Agt. Cam Allison,(1st season only) Paul Picerni as Agt. Lee Hobson,(2nd season on) Steve London as Agt.Jack Rossman, Bruce Gordon as Frank Nitti and Frank Dekova as Jimmy Napoli. Chuck Hicks as Agt Lamarr Kane (1st season only) Announcer: Les Lampson - Very distinctive dramatic voice. Tall, comedic actor born William Gerald Grossman in San Francisco, California on July 25, 1925. ... Anthony George (born January 29, 1921; died March 16, 2005) was an American actor mostly seen on television. ... Paul Picerni (born December 1, 1922 in New York City) is an American actor. ... Bruce Gordon (born February 1, 1916) is an American actor best known for playing Frank Nitti in the TV series The Untouchables. ... Francesco Raffaele Nitto, better known as Frank The Enforcer Nitti (January 27, 1888 – March 19, 1943) was an American gangster, one of the top henchmen of Al Capone and later a mob boss in his own right. ... Frank Dekova Italian actor (born March 17,1910) once taught languages as a school teacher in New York. ...

Famous guest-stars in selected episodes: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

• Lee Marvin, James Caan and Roy Thinnes in episode 4.10 A Fist of Five,
• Mike Connors in episode 4.7 The Eddie O'Gara Story,
• Martin Balsam in episodes 3.3 Tunnel of Horrors and 3.21 Man in the middle,
• Peter Falk in episodes 1.26 The Underworld Bank and 3.1 The Troubleshooter,
• Telly Savalas in episodes 2.20 The Antidote, 3.5 The Matt Bass Scheme and 4.14 The Speculator,
• Lee Van Cleef in episode 1.20 The Unhired Assassin,
• Charles Bronson in episode 3.16 The Death Tree,
• Barbara Stanwyck in episodes 4.8 Elegy and 4.13 Search for a Dead Man,
• Robert Redford in episode 4.15 Snowball.

Lee Marvin (born on February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... James Langston Edmund Caan (born March 26, 1940), commonly known as James Caan, is an American Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American film, stage and television actor. ... Roy Thinnes (born April 6. ... Mike Connors (born Krikor Ohanian in 1925), is an American actor of Armenian descent. ... Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ... Peter Michael Falk (born September 16, 1927) is an American actor. ... Telly Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor whose career spanned four decades. ... Lee Van Cleef (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American film actor, who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. ... For other persons named Charles Bronson, see Charles Bronson (disambiguation). ... Barbara Stanwyck (July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American film/television actress. ... Robert Redford (born Charles Robert Redford, Jr. ...

Episode summaries

Season 1

The Empty Chair 

Frank Nitti and Jake Guzik square off to see who will sit in Capone's seat of power with the crimelord behind bars. Meanwhile, Eliot Ness hires a new Untouchable, a barber named Enrico Rossi, who witnessed a hit by Nitti.

Ma Barker & Her Boys 

Ness and his men trace the notorious Ma Barker and two of her sons to their Florida hideaway, which results in a long and bloody gun battle.

The Jake Lingle Story 

After an ace reporter is murdered, a bounty hunter offers to give Ness information about mobster Barney Bershe as long as Ness gives him information on all that the Untouchables know about the reporter's murder. But Ness is suspicious of the bounty hunter's motives.

The George "Bugs" Moran Story 

Capone's archrival Bugs Moran decides to enter labor racketeering and tries to take over a truck drivers' union. In order to do so, he kidnaps the son of labor leader Larry Halloran, then illegally pressures the Patterson firm to sign a contract.

Ain't We Got Fun 

With the demise of Prohibition in the offing, Big Jim Harrington concocts a plan to get rid of his immense supply of whiskey.

The Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll Story 

Maverick gangster "Mad Dog" Coll stirs up the New York underworld and his arch rival Dutch Schultz by openly defying them. He decides to wreak havoc on underworld betting by shooting the Kentucky Derby favorite with a high-powered rifle during the famous race.

Mexican Stake Out 

A mobster facing testimony that could convict him kidnaps the witness and hides him away somewhere in Mexico. Ness and a special agent team up to rescue the witness. But then the agent is also kidnapped and Ness must find both the witness and the agent before the mobster's hitmen do.

The Artichoke King 

Mobster Ciro Terranova, known as "The Artichoke King", makes a gambit to shake down New York's fruit and vegetable dealers, and Ness must travel to the Big Apple to thwart this underworld plot.

The Tri-State Gang 

Ness declares war on a gang terrorizing Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The gang leader not only hijacks trucks but also shoots their drivers. When the Untouchables manage to drive the gang apart, the leader kidnaps a bookie and holds him for ransom.

The Dutch Schultz Story 

Ness wants to prosecute Schultz for fraud. Schultz manages to get the trial moved to a small town, where he hopes to win the townspeople over to his side with promises of money and power. With Schultz temporarily out of the way, Lucky Luciano plots to take over New York.

You Can't Pick The Number 

A friend of one of the Untouchables gets mixed up in the numbers racket. When he gets in trouble with the syndicate leaders, the Untouchable tries to convince his friend and his son to turn evidence over to Ness. They refuse. The father is killed, and the son decides to lead Ness to the headquarters of the numbers racket.

Underground Railway 

A gangster escapes prison and uses a syndicated escape route to travel across the U.S. in the company of a woman pretending to be his wife. The gangster undergoes plastic surgery and dental alterations so that neither the Untouchables nor his underworld rivals can recognize him.

Syndicate Sanctuary 

When Judge Zabo, the reform candidate for mayor of a small Illinois city, is gunned down by the mob, Ness steps in to prevent Guido Morelli from turning the town into a wide-open sanctuary where gambling and vice proliferate.

The Noise of Death 

An aging mob boss squares off against a younger gangster, who has the support of Chicago's top bosses. Ness uses the elder gangster's predicament to his advantage and tries to convince him to confess before the mob kills him.

Star Witness 

An accountant retires from mob employment but is soon set up for a hit by his former boss because of his inside information. He agrees to testify and Ness and his men must guard the accountant and his family.

The Saint Louis Story 

A nightclub owner tries to take over that city's rival gangs by hijacking a U.S. mail truck and stealing over a million dollars. Ness must work with a corrupt police lieutenant who could be a key to stopping the nightclub owner.

One-Armed Bandit 

A former mobster sent to prison by Ness is released and vows to go straight. But another mobster blackmails him into an illegal gambling racket and then orders him to kill Ness.

Little Egypt 

A southern Illinois town is dominated by a mobster and his thugs. A new Untouchable manages to infiltrate the gang but is soon discovered sending messages via carrier pigeons.

The Big Squeeze 

Ness crosses swords with a crafty bank robber who refuses the company of women, saying they would ruin his business. But during a trip to Florida he meets a woman whom he falls in love with.

The Unhired Assassin 

Frank Nitti plans to assassinate Chicago's mayor, Anton Cermak. Cermak is shot and killed in Miami Beach while appearing alongside President Franklin Roosevelt, but it's not Nitti who fires the fatal bullets.

The White Slavers 

A Capone lieutenant in charge of prostitution recruits young girls from Mexico with promises of a better life in the U.S. When a truck carrying the girls is stopped, the women are ordered massacred. Ness joins forces with a local madam to battle the gangster, and soon the girls themselves organize a union to battle their evil employer.

Three Thousand Suspects 

A mobster is murdered in prison and Ness orders another convict to flush out the killers.

The Doreen Maney Story 

Loosely based on the story of Bonnie and Clyde, a man and a woman lead a notorious gang of bank robbers. Ness and his men capture and woman and take her cross country to jail.

Portrait of a Thief 

Despite the Depression, the illegal alcohol traffic in Chicago thrives, thanks in large part to Capone's mentor, Johnny Torrio, and two mysterious men who are not all that they seem.

The Underworld Bank 

The underworld sets up its own bank to finance illegal activities. A petty crook falls in love with the niece of a mob boss and plans to marry her. When he doesn't get the full cut of a heist, he decides upon revenge.

Head of Fire, Feet of Clay 

Ness attempts to put a boxing racketeer out of business. He recruits an old high school friend for assistance, but Ness's buddy may not be as honest as Ness thought.

The Frank Nitti Story 

Prohibition is coming to an end, and Nitti tries to shake down the motion picture industry. Threats and violence are used to keep theater owners at bay. When a fellow Untouchable is killed, Ness becomes more determined to end Nitti's career.

Francesco Raffaele Nitto, better known as Frank The Enforcer Nitti (January 27, 1888 – March 19, 1943) was an American gangster, one of the top henchmen of Al Capone and later a mob boss in his own right. ... George Clarence Bugs Moran (August 21, 1891 – February 25, 1957) was a Chicago Prohibition-era gangster. ...

In popular culture

• Series created by Quinn Martin and produced by Quinn Martin, Jerry Thorpe, Leonard Freeman and Desilu.
• The telephone number of Elliot Ness' office was STAte 1096, while Frank Nitti (who took over the Chicago mob after Capone went to federal prison for tax evasion) could be reached at WABash 1098 (in pre-World War II Chicago, phone numbers consisted of a name, the first three letters of which were actually dialled, along with the four numbers that followed). Most of the characters could be seen talking on candlestick-style telephones — an anachronism since during the time period in which virtually all of the episodes were set, the Model 202 telephone was in standard use.
• The series is mentioned as a must-see show in the 1960 movie The Apartment.
• Outside the United States, the series was first shown
  • in the United Kingdom from 1966 on ITV
  • in Spain from February 1964 on TVE as Los Intocables
  • in Germany from July 1964 on ZDF as Die Unbestechlichen and later as Chicago 1930
  • in France from January 1966 on the first channel of ORTF as Les Incorruptibles
• WWE Wrestler and Rapper John Cena had a song called " The Untouchables ".

The program was a huge hit in overseas markets. German and French teenagers began to dress like the Chicago gangsters of that era and would assume nick names such as "Scarface", "Big Al","Bugs" and "the Enforcer". The program was condemned by local youth monitoring authroities. They were particularly disturbed by the show's scenes of gratuitous and excessive violence where rival gangs were shown blasting each other from cars and windows. Certain "truisms" quickly emerged such as if a car is involved in a chase or shot at, it was certain to explode into flames. No machine gun was fired unless there was a close promimity of glass such as a large storefront glass window, a mirror in a barbar shop, or all the bottles of liquor in a bar or in a brewery. Although repeatedly exposed to withering fire from dozens of automatic weapons and shotguns, Mr. Ness never so much as suffered a scratch. Quinn Martin (May 22, 1922 - August 6, 1987) was one of the most successful American television producers of all time. ... Leonard Freeman (died January 20, 1974) was an American television writer and producer whose most famous achievement was the creation of the CBS television network series Hawaii Five-O in 1968. ... Desilu Productions was a company jointly owned by American actors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. ... The telephone is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly speech) across distance. ... Francesco Raffaele Nitto, better known as Frank The Enforcer Nitti (January 27, 1888 – March 19, 1943) was an American gangster, one of the top henchmen of Al Capone and later a mob boss in his own right. ... This article contrasts tax evasion, tax avoidance, tax resistance and tax mitigation. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Model 202 telephone was produced by Western Electric from 1930 through 1936. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Apartment is a 1960 romantic comedy-drama directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... TVE may stand for: Televisión Española Township and Village Enterprise This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television), ZDF, is a public service German television channel based in Mainz. ... The Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1974, with providing public radio and television in France. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr. ...

• The Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company mainly via their Chesterfield (cigarette) brand was one of the main sponsors of the show early on. However because of pressure from some Italian-American groups and Mob controlled Unions, the sponsorship was withdrawn. DIAL soap was also a sponsor and had a matching theme look to the commercials making them 'fit' the look of the show.
• Warner Bros. released a Bugs Bunny cartoon spoof of the show in 1963, entitled The Unmentionables.
• according to www.findagrave.com,Walter Winchell's listing says that Desi Arnaz,Ricky Ricardo of I Love Lucy,was the producer of the show. In the 1975-1976 season of Saturday Night Live,Desi Arnaz hosted and they did a sketch where they made fun of The Untouchables. Dan Ackroyd played Eliot Ness.

Advertisement for Chesterfield cigarettes from the early 20th century At one time, Chesterfield was one of the three most smoked brands of cigarettes in the United States. ... Warner Bros. ... Bugs Bunny is a fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... The Unmentionables is a 1963 animated short film in the Merrie Melodies series produced by Warner Bros. ...

DVD release

On April 10, 2007, Paramount Home Entertainment released The Untouchables- Season 1- Volume 1 on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. This 4-disc collection features the first 14 episodes of Season 1. Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1981. ...

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ...

Further reading

• Tucker, Kenneth. Eliot Ness and the Untouchables: The Historical Reality and the Film and Television Depictions. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-7864-0772-7

External links

• "The Untouchables" at the Internet Movie Database
• Encyclopedia of Television
• The Untouchables, Then and Now by Ed Robertson, an article about the show