Unearthing Timeless TV Gems from YouTube's Vast Archive of Buried Treasures

Two leading examples that come to mind are East Side West Side, the groundbreaking drama with George C. Scott as social work antihero Neil Brock, and Slattery's People, starring Richard Crenna as a stage legislator. Both early '60s series from CBS tackled a wide range of social issues from race relations, the homeless and medical malpractice to the quality of education.

Produced in New York by David Susskind's Talent Associates during the 1963-64 season, East Side West Side was a recurring spotlight into inner-city existence, and the ongoing struggle by Brock and colleagues at private agency Community Welfare Service to resolve cases coming their way. One week, Brock would attempt to get an alcoholic couple off the Bowery; in another, he would help public school teachers deal with street gangs infiltrating their classrooms.

In "Who Do You Kill?" -- the highlight of East Side West Side's only season -- James Earl Jones and Diana Sands play a couple living in a Manhattan slum. Their baby is bitten by a rat and dies because no one is willing to help them in time. For me, one of the most heartbreaking TV sequences of all time – as powerful now as it was then, as captured by famed NYC-based series cinematographer Jack Priestley -- is that of Jones, baby wrapped in his arms, running through the streets at night and yelling for anyone to stop driving and take them to the nearest hospital. Try not to be moved by this episode … just try.

East Side West Side also had the guts to end numerous episodes up in the air or on a downer to let its audience think hard about what they just witnessed, and perhaps be moved to do something to make the quality of life for others somewhat better. Several episodes explored the latter point, whether the drama concerned a Korean War veteran with post-traumatic stress syndrome, or an autistic child. Excellent acting, writing and directing were hallmarks of East Side West Side, along with Kenyon Hopkins' cool urban jazz score.

Prolific writer-producer James Moser (Dragnet, Medic, Ben Casey) created and set the tone for Slattery's People, which enjoyed a slightly longer life on CBS from the fall of 1964 to the end of 1965. Crenna, as James Slattery, encounters a variety of issues very much in today's headlines, such as political corruption, educational and criminal justice reform, and racial prejudice. Taking a cue from the opening of Moser's classic Ben Casey -- when cast member Sam Jaffe was heard saying "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity" -- each episode of Slattery's has an off-camera voice intone the following while viewers see the voting equipment used by legislators: "Democracy is a very bad form of government. But I ask you never to forget: All the others are so much worse."

How does that not resonate today?

One of my favorite episodes available on YouTube is "Question: When Do We Hang the Good Samaritan?" In that story, a physician played by Claude Akins, on a fishing trip with buddies, comes to the aid of a visitor in dire straits. When that person later dies later, Akins' character is accused of malpractice and violating state law. Today's brigade of first responders and emergency medical personnel might find plenty of relevance in their current lives with this episode.

Throughout the 1960s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was one of the most prolific TV series producers of any Hollywood studio, with Dr. Kildare, Flipper, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Daktari among their popular, multi-season attractions. Amid that winning streak, MGM had more than a few one- or two-season buried treasures over that 10-year span. Thanks to YouTube (with some MGM encouragement, I trust), two of those gems -- which were telecast on NBC -- are once again enjoying public display.

One is The Lieutenant (1963-64), the first TV program created and produced by Star Trek originator Gene Roddenberry, featuring Gary Lockwood as a U.S. Marine Corps second lieutenant stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. The other is Sam Benedict (1962-63), featuring Oscar-winning actor Edmund O'Brien as a flamboyant lawyer operating in San Francisco, modeled after famous local attorney Jake Ehrlich.

What's striking about The Lieutenant is how natural and well-constructed the storytelling is, whether Lockwood's character deals head-on with matters of racism or sexism at the camp, or how military matters are treated by the media. Lockwood and his commanding Marine Corps superior (well played by Robert Vaughn) come off as grounded yet multi-dimensional people who regularly have to make tough decisions under fire from their own mindset or the outside world.

With Sam Benedict, the joy comes from watching O'Brien maneuver the ins and outs of seeking justice for his clients, right up to the last possible second when necessary. For example, check out the episode in which Benedict and his top colleague question the secretary of another lawyer (Ruth Roman) over and over and over again, looking for a critical piece of evidence that could force a new murder trial. In the hands of other people, this process could have come off as too over-the-top and redundant. Not here, thanks to fine acting and plotting.

Some of TV's best episodic TV writers and directors at the time worked on either The Lieutenant or Sam Benedict, and to judge from the episodes I have watched so far, they regularly hit the mark. Another enjoyable connecting point is memorable theme music, delivered in jaunty fashion. Jeff Alexander does the honors on The Lieutenant, while Nelson Riddle (whose Route 66 theme remains of the medium's all-time best) handles Sam Benedict.

Give these short-lived examples of quality 1960s dramatic TV a watch the next time you hang on YouTube. You won't soon forget them. Meanwhile, here's an ask of MGM: Please bring forth two more tremendous drama series from your archives -- Mr. Novak and The Eleventh Hour.

What roar you, Leo?

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