Harbor Command is an American police series that was syndicated,[1] with 39 half-hour episodes produced in 1957-1958.[2] A Spanish-language version was broadcast in Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.[3]
The series stars Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, head of the Harbor Command[1] of a large coastal city. Baxter and the officers in his unit fought "dope smugglers, murderers, and other assorted villains".[2]
Baxter differed from other police officers in that he had studied criminal psychology, enabling him "to figure out what the criminal mind would do under certain circumstances."[4]
Although series had a water setting, much of Baxter's activity occurred on land as he used his police car to track down suspects.[1]
The series was produced by Ziv Television Programs,[5] with the assistance of the law enforcement arms of Harbor and Port Authorities across the country. Captain Richard Storm, of the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police, was credited as the technical adviser for the series.[citation needed] Vernon Clark[6] and Herbert Strock were producers, and Strock directed. Vincent Forte wrote for the series.[7]
Corey said that he and Ziv received most of the revenue from sales of the show, which affected the quality of episodes. "There isn't enough left to get good supporting actors or buy good scripts," he said.[8] He added that executives in production often made bad scripts worse with their own changes.[8]
Two episodes were filmed in San Diego, with the show otherwise being based in San Francisco.[9]
Hamm's Beer sponsored the show in 55 markets in mountain states, the Midwest and the Southwest, closing the deal in January 1957 before the show debuted that fall.[10]
Ziv selected Character Merchandising of New York to create items for Harbor Command-related items for children. The first product was a four-foot fireboat that shot water.[11]
Production expenses led Ziv to end the series after its 39-episode initial run.[1]
A review in The New York Times called Harbor Command "a sea-going version of the landlubbing crime stories that float around the television screens Friday nights this season."[12] The review complimented the way ships and the waterfront contributed a "colorful backdrop" but added that without those elements "you have the same old whodunit stew."[12]
The trade publication Variety's review of the premiere episode called Harbor Command "Dragnet in a nautical setting".[7] It observed that Corey was "okay" in his role but that the episode's script should have been better. It concluded that the "generally run-of-the-mill production" had some high points, but the music reached "annoying proportions both in volume and number of repeats."[7]
On September 17, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Harbor Command- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[13]