A William T. Orr title card for a Warner Bros. western show
Another in an occasional series about unsung figures of television
In the 1950s, Hollywood studios grappled with how to deal to deal the new-fangled medium of television.
One of the more aggressive TV operations was at Warner Bros. Jack L. Warner wasn’t a fan of TV. But his son-in-law, William T. Orr, saw an opportunity.
Orr had married Warner’s adopted daughter Joy Page in 1945. A decade later, he oversaw Warner Bros.’ television operation.
An early success was Cheyenne, a Western starring Clint Walker. Under Orr, Warners came up with other Western shows, starting with Maverick in 1957, starring James Garner. Other shows soon followed, including Lawman, Colt 45, Sugarfoot and others.
Another success was the 1958 private eye show 77 Sunset Strip, with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as one-time OSS agent Stuart Bailey. It was a hit. Soon after followed other private eye series such as Hawaiian Eye, Bourbon Street Beat, and Surfside 6.
In that era, the Warner Bros. shows had a charm to them. On 77 Sunset Stript, Zimbalist’s Bailey appeared to be going on an alcoholic binge. He encounters the famous Warner Bros. TV star James Garner who says Stu should take it easy. (It turns out Stu was actually working undercover.)
In another installment of 77 Sunset Strip, Bailey and partner Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith) entrust sidekick Kookie (Edd Byrnes) the task of playing bodyguard for a young woman. While doing so, Kookie reads a copy of TV Guide with Maverick stars James Garner and Jack Kelly on the cover.
Finally, in one episode of Maverick, Jack Kelly seeks help from the stars of other Warner Bros. Western shows. One gag was how Bart Maverick enters an office covered in spider webs. It was a reference to Colt 45, which had been canceled and was no longer on the air.
Bill Orr, of course, didn’t do all of this by himself. One of his major lieutenants was writer-producer Roy Huggins, who created Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip. But Jack Warner absolutely did not want to give out a “created by” credit. Eventually, Huggins moved on.
This sort of thing undoubtedly was a lot of fun (except for getting screwed out of proper credit) at the time. Orr himself moved on from the TV division of Warner Bros. in the 1960s and he divorced Joy Page in 1970. Orr died in 2002 at the age of 85.
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: 77 Sunset Strip, Clint Walker, Jack L. Warner, James Garner, Joy Page, Maverick, Warner Bros., William T. Orr |
The Spy Command 
Nice posting.
Upbeat and fun.
You deserve a Thalberg!
( I hear you can now get them at Kmart when you purchase any Daniel Craig 007 DVD. Limited to 59 per customer)
“Bill Orr, of course, didn’t do all of this by himself. One of his major lieutenants was writer-producer Roy Huggins, who created Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip. But Jack Warner absolutely did not want to give out a “created by” credit. Eventually, Huggins moved on.”
In the 1970’s, Roy Huggins moved on to another major project with his Maverick star, James Garner, when he created “The Rockford Files” as a vehicle for him to star as a private detective, one of the best private detective shows ever put on television.