Mark Saber
Script error: No such module "AfC submission catcheck".
| Mark Saber | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | ABC Mystery Theater |
| Last appearance | Saber of London |
| Portrayed by | Robert Carroll Les Damon Tom Conway Donald Gray |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Police Inspector/private detective |
| Nationality | British |
Search Mark Saber (character) on Amazon.
Mark Saber is a fictional detective featured in various radio and television productions for almost a decade. Over the course of these incarnations, the character went through numerous changes in regards to his background and characterisation.
Radio[edit]
Saber made his debut on ABC Mystery Theater in 1951, played first by Robert Carroll, then Les Damon. Saber was a British police Inspector, based in the US, and serving as the head of the local Homicide Squad in an unidentified metropolitan city. He was aided by Sergeant Tim Maloney (voiced by James Westerfield, Douglas Chandler, and Walter Burke). The series lasted 3 seasons, concluding in 1954.
Television[edit]
The Tom Conway era (1951-54)[edit]
In 1951, a television version of ABC Mystery Theater was produced to run concurrently with the radio version. Tom Conway played Saber as a debonair, dashing figure. Like on radio, Inspector Saber was once again accompanied by Sgt. Maloney (James Burke).
The program was initially titled Mystery Theater. Later variants included Mark Saber Mystery Theater, Mark Saber, Inspector Mark Saber - Homicide Squad and Homcide Squad. Like its radio counterpart, this series ran 3 seasons, and ended in 1954.
The Donald Gray era (1955-1960)[edit]
The character was revived the following year, albeit with a massive overhaul in regards to casting, setting and characters. The Vise, as it was originally titled, relocated Saber to his home country, specifically the city of London.
In contrast to the gentlemanly police inspector he had been depicted as previously, Saber (now played by Donald Gray) was reimagined as a more grounded private investigator. Additionally, he was now missing his left arm, as Gray himself was an amputee in real life.
Gone was Sgt. Maloney, replaced by a variety of different sidekicks who came and went over the course of the series. The initial assistants were American gumshoe Barney O’ Keefe (played by English actor Michael Balfour), and secretary Judy (Teresa Thorne). Judy was replaced by Stephanie "Stevie" Ames (Diana Decker), whilst Barney’s successors included Pete Paulsen (Neil McCallum), Larry Nelson (Gordon Tanner), and Bob Page (Robert Arden). Aside from Gray, the only other long-term cast member was Colin Tapley, who played Inspector Parker.
Like its predecessor, the series underwent several title changes. Originally The Vise, (retitled Mark Saber in the US, and Uncovered for Syndication), it became Saber of London after the show switched to NBC, with US titles including Detective’s Diary. The Gray series ran for five seasons and a total of 156 episodes.
This article "Mark Saber (character)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Mark Saber (character). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
