M Squad
Badge for a Coward
TV Flash files “Badge for a Coward” as hour 113 of 117 in the TV Flash guide — M Squad (1957–1960) on NBC, season 3, episode 35, aired 1960-05-24, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E35: listed hour 113 of 117 in the M Squad guide, hour 35 of 39 in season 3. It aired 1960-05-24 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Two Days for Willy” (S03E34). Next is “Closed Season” (S03E36).

Viewer FAQ
Where does Badge for a Coward sit in the M Squad guide?
S03E35 is listed hour 113 of 117 — hour 35 of 39 in season 3, season 3 episode 35.
When did M Squad S03E35 air?
Badge for a Coward aired 1960-05-24 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…