Remarkable Reruns

As part of a lengthy crime-fiction news wrap-up in April 2024, I mentioned that I had been in touch with Frank Gregorsky, a non-fiction editor in northern Virginia who writes a free, PDF-formatted Web quarterly called Detective Drama Gems—and has been doing so ever since April 2020, revisiting episodes of vintage mystery and crime shows broadcast via both the TV and radio waves. At the time, he had recently published a piece about a 1976 episode of the NBC Mystery Movie series McMillan & Wife, and wanted me to know it was available. (I being a huge NBCMM fan!)

Back then, it was difficult to access old Gems issues and be alert to new ones appearing. There was no dedicated Internet page where they were catalogued and easily accessible. However, Gregorsky e-mailed me last week to report that changes have been made. He and his “Web guy” have created a Gems contents page—“simple, concise, no graphics, no selling, and no sounding like a classic ‘reviewer’ or anyone with a long track record in this field,” as he put it. The page currently features all back issues of Detective Drama Gems, #0 through #16; it will soon add a slightly delayed 17th issue. The three series spotlighted in each edition are listed there, along with links to background information on the shows, available elsewhere online.

Over the last half-decade, Gregorsky has showcased weekly installments from still-popular shows such as 77 Sunset Strip, Columbo, Naked City, and The Streets of San Francisco along with largely forgotten programs on the order of Rocky Jordan, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. Write-ups generally include plot and character details, together with trivia and notes about principal cast members and guest stars. Gregorsky’s comments are thoughtful and clearly express his enthusiasm for these dusty crime and mystery dramas. Don’t be surprised if you end up trying to locate and watch the episodes under consideration.

I’ve added a Detective Drama Gems link to this blog’s right-hand column (under the heading “General Crime Fiction”), so you can check up on it easily in the future.