M Squad
Needle in the Haystack
TV Flash files “Needle in the Haystack” as hour 101 of 117 in the TV Flash guide — M Squad (1957–1960) on NBC, season 3, episode 23, aired 1960-02-23, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E23: listed hour 101 of 117 in the M Squad guide, hour 23 of 39 in season 3. It aired 1960-02-23 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Burglar's Nightmare” (S03E22). Next is “Race to Death” (S03E24).
Viewer FAQ
Where does Needle in the Haystack sit in the M Squad guide?
S03E23 is listed hour 101 of 117 — hour 23 of 39 in season 3, season 3 episode 23.
When did M Squad S03E23 air?
Needle in the Haystack aired 1960-02-23 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with Marvin's Ballinger on the Chicago squad. Minimal smiles, noir half-hours; the jazz bite is the extra.
In the series
Why this series still plays
M Squad is Lee Marvin's hard cop in a hard Chicago: noir procedural with a jazz bite, later meaner when Count Basie got a theme. Tough urban police drama before Marvin's film cool peaked. Watch it now as badge television with bruise — jazz, alleys, and a star practicing lethality in half-hour form.
The bruise is already on the badge. Lee Marvin as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, NBC 1957–1960, a special plainclothes squad cleaning up Chicago crime with minimal smiles: M Squad, noir procedural with a jazz bite, 117 episodes, three seasons, Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Paul Newlan as Capt. Grey holding the office while Marvin walked the alleys. Tougher than earlier badge shows. Later meaner in memory when Count Basie recorded a well-known version of the theme. Marvin practicing lethality in…
Filed against
- Lee Marvin as Det. Lt. Frank Ballinger
Lee Marvin's Det. Lt. Frank Ballinger made M Squad a hard cop in a hard Chicago — noir procedural with a jazz bite, later meaner when Count Basie got a theme, badge television with bruise. Tough urban police drama before film cool peaked.…
- Paul Newlan as Capt. Grey
Paul Newlan played Capt. Grey on M Squad, Lee Marvin’s 1950s hard cop in a hard Chicago — noir procedural with a jazz bite, later meaner when Count Basie got a theme. Tough urban police drama before Marvin’s film cool peaked. TV Flash…