I’d like to think I’m a connoisseur of both Classic Cars and Classic TV, though the latter took a hit recently when I came across an early ’60s TV show on YouTube that I was completely unfamiliar with. The name of the show is “Shannon,” and it starred Hollywood leading man George Nader, running from October 1961 to May 1962. The real star, though, was his ride: a 1961 Buick Special.
I think the reason I hadn’t heard of “Shannon” was because it was a first-run syndication program, which were popular in the ’50s and early ’60s. First-run syndication programs weren’t sponsored by one of the (then) three networks — they were filmed by their production companies, in this case Columbia, then sold to individual local TV stations. Think “Highway Patrol” with Broderick Crawford. None of our local central Ohio stations evidently picked it up.
“Shannon” is not a bad 30-minute crime drama by early 60’s standards. The hero is not a cop, but an investigator with a bonding company, who looks into crimes and claims and solves them, even if they cost his company money — early 60’s innocence. The writing is fairly good, the acting OK, and there’s lots of location shooting – which means CC’s abound. In fact, here’s an episode titled “The Sports Car Story” which has quite a few roadside gems.
But again, the real star is Shannon’s Buick Special — which, consistent with typical crime and detective shows of this era, has a “gimmick” (or actually several). First, it has a mobile telephone, rare at the time. There is also a tape recorder in the glove box so he can dictate the specifics of all those cases he’s solving. Then, there are two video cameras: one inside that pops out of a console between the seats and is video only, and another one shaped like a siren near the side mirror that swivels and can pick up both audio and video. High-tech…
What perplexes me a little, though, is Shannon is obviously the company’s top investigator, and the company bonds items in the millions of dollars — but the best they can do for their No. 1 guy is a Buick Special? A ’61 four-door Special had an MSRP of $2384 — for just $2993 they could have let their hero wheel around in a nice LeSabre hardtop. My guess is Columbia was trying to save on production costs. On the other hand, maybe Buick provided the car gratis. The Special was their all-new Y-body compact, also introduced in October, so maybe they hoped to give it some exposure.
So, give “Shannon” a look. It might not be there for long, so treat yourself to some nostalgic early ’60s tech and CCs.
Related Reading
Vintage Car Life Comparison Test: 1961 Buick Special vs. Volvo 122S – An Unfair Comparison? (by Paul N)
CC Tech: 1961–1963 Buick Dual-Path Turbine Drive Transmission – Forward Thinking About Going Backwards (by Aaron Severson)
Thanks for the tip. I’m always looking for NOS (new old shows) to watch, and hadn’t heard of this one.
Car focus is a plus. Highway Patrol included some unintended road test comparisons showing the superiority of Dodge torsion bar suspension.
Thanks! I remember the show, and also the car… I was seven at the time…
I remember these Buicks, I think they are and were great little cars .
-Nate
they are! I have one!
My brother and I watched this when we were early teens during it’s original run. We really liked it and all the gadgets. I caught an episode on youtube a month or so ago. I guess I need to look for more episodes.
My 61 Special sedan. Despite manual steering and manual drum brakes, it’s a very pleasant car to drive. I wonder if the GM Y body’s lived an extended life slightly altered as the new for 1964 Opel Diplomat & its siblings. There’s definitely a resemblance.
Paving the way for James Bond`s Aston Martin in ‘Goldfinger’? Maybe it was a start.
My husband just came across this show! He did a full restoration of our 1961 Buick Special I call “Midge”! We get comments from people about why we would want to restore something like this, why not?! She is a beauty!
what I get all the time is “what is it?”