WIKIPEDIA: William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan and Lee Tracy played Martin Kane, Private Eye on live television. Backup cast changed as the main character changed but the all important tobacconist remained the same. It ran on NBC-TV from September 1, 1949 until June 17, 1954. Sponsored by the United States Tobacco Company, far too much time was spent blatantly advertising their products with even a fair part of the show situated in a tobacconist extolling the virtues of four different pipe tobaccos as well as Sano and other cigarettes. Though good story-wise, the show obviously had a very tiny budget which allowed for few props, few people and even showed lumpy backgrounds outside windows in what should have been a smooth photo of a city scene. Happy McMann was played by Walter Kinsella, Captain Leonard by Walter Greaza, Captain Evans by Loring Smith, Captain Burke by Frank M. Thomas, King Calder as Lieutenant Gray, Sgt Ross by Nicholas Saunders and Sgt Strong by Michael Garrett. Happy McCann was the name of the tobacconist and was first up in the credits after Martin Kane which shows you the importance placed on tobacco in this series. The shows were written mainly by Harry Kane but also by Lawrence Young, music by Charles Paul, produced and directed by Frank Burns. At the start and finish of the show, Kane was shown in shadow lighting his pipe.
