Ace Crawford, Private Eye
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Ace Crawford, Private Eye.jpg
| caption =
| genre = {{Plainlist|
}}
| creator = Ron Clark & Tim Conway
| director = {{Plainlist|
}}
| developer =
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
}}
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 5
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| camera = Multi-camera
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
- Conway Enterprises
- Viacom Productions
}}
| network = CBS
| first_aired = {{Start date|1983|03|15}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1983|04|12}}
}}
Ace Crawford, Private Eye is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from March 15 to April 12, 1983. The series parodied the "hard-boiled detective" genre.
Synopsis
Tim Conway stars as a trench-coated private investigator who always solves the case and catches the bad guy, despite his constant bumbling. The show was broadcast on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Only five episodes were aired.
Cast and characters
- Tim Conway as Ace Crawford, Private Eye.
- Joe Regalbuto as Toomey, a CPA and Crawford's assistant; he always saw Crawford as a hero, and thought that his bumbling was simply some kind of cunning strategy.
- Billy Barty as Inch, owner and bartender of The Shanty, a wharfside bar where Crawford hangs out.
- Shera Danese as Luana, a singer at The Shanty who lusted after Crawford.
- Bill Henderson as Mello, a blind jazz musician at The Shanty.
- Dick Christie as Detective Lieutenant Fanning, who was always mystified as to how Crawford solved every case.
Format
In each half-hour episode, Crawford would be hired for, or otherwise find himself involved in, a case in which criminals were taking advantage of innocent citizens. He would then approach the case using Conway's trademark comedy style; in one episode he was disguised as a feeble old man, in another he was using a children's toy microphone as a "wire." In spite of the slapstick results of his actions, Crawford would always emerge triumphant.
Every episode ended the same way: Crawford would leave The Shanty at night and walk along the wharf, vanishing into the fog... and then audibly fall into the water.
Each episode was on film (as opposed to videotape), and had a laugh track.
US TV ratings
{{Series overview
| infoA = Nielsen Rank
| infoB = Nielsen Rating
| color1 = #500050
| link1 = #Episodes
| episodes1 = 5
| start1 = {{Start date|1983|03|15}}
| end1 = {{End date|1983|04|12}}
| infoB1 = N/A
}}
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#500050 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |overallT=Nº |directorT=Directed by: |writerT=Written by: |airdateT=Air date |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=1
| Title=Murder at Restful Hills
| DirectedBy=Michael Preece
| WrittenBy=Ron Friedman
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|03|15}}
| ShortSummary=Ace investigates the claim of Luana's grandmother that deaths at a nursing home weren't the result of natural causes.
| LineColor=500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=2
| Title=Bull Bates
| DirectedBy=Charles S. Dubin
| WrittenBy=Ron Clark,
Tim Conway
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|3|22}}
| ShortSummary= Deedee, the girlfriend of gangster Bull Bates, gives to Ace a book detailing everyone that Bates has rubbed out.
| LineColor=500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=3
| Title=Inch in a Pinch
| DirectedBy=Michael Preece
| WrittenBy=Arnie Kogen
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|03|29}}
| ShortSummary= Ace sets a trap for a merciless mobster when his bartender friend Inch is beaten up by thugs.
| LineColor=500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=4
| Title=The Microchip Caper
| DirectedBy=Michael Preece
| WrittenBy=Rudy De Luca
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|04|05}}
| ShortSummary=Ace finds himself in the middle of a multi-million dollar con when he is hired to test a computer company's plant security.
| LineColor=500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=5
| Title=The Gentleman Bandit
| DirectedBy=Michael Preece
| WrittenBy=Mickey Rose
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|04|12}}
| ShortSummary=Ace goes undercover as a secretary to nab a thief who is preying on a magazine's female employees.
| LineColor=500050
}}
}}
Home media
In 1989, a VHS videocassette was released containing the first three episodes. In August 2020, Shout! Factory TV acquired complete streaming rights.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shoutfactorytv.com/series/ace-crawford-private-eye|title=Watch Full Episodes of "Ace Crawford, Private Eye"|website=ShoutFactoryTV.com|access-date=June 20, 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0084968}}
Category:1983 American television series debuts
Category:1983 American television series endings
Category:1980s American multi-camera sitcoms
Category:1980s American mystery television series
Category:1980s American parody television series
Category:American detective television series
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Television series by CBS Studios