Naked City
The Sweetly Smiling Face of Truth
TV Flash files “The Sweetly Smiling Face of Truth” as hour 97 of 138 in the TV Flash guide — Naked City (1958–1963) on ABC, season 3, episode 26, aired 1962-04-25, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E26: listed hour 97 of 138 in the Naked City guide, hour 26 of 33 in season 3. It aired 1962-04-25 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Lament for a Dead Indian” (S03E25). Next is “...And If Any Are Frozen, Warm Them...” (S03E27).
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Sweetly Smiling Face of Truth sit in the Naked City guide?
S03E26 is listed hour 97 of 138 — hour 26 of 33 in season 3, season 3 episode 26.
When did Naked City S03E26 air?
The Sweetly Smiling Face of Truth aired 1962-04-25 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with the location-shot New York cases and stay for the eight-million-stories close. Half-hour early form and later hours are both the city; sample each texture if you can.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Naked City shot crime on real New York streets and closed with the ultimate city-show mic drop: eight million stories. Location-shot urban drama that pushed documentary realism into prime time. A 2026 viewer watches the ancestor of every the-city-is-the-character cop hour — pavement, faces, and narration that still lands.
So about last night, except last night is 1958 and the location is actually New York. Naked City (ABC, 1958–1963) shot crime on real streets and closed with the ultimate city-show mic drop: there are eight million stories in the naked city, and this has been one of them. (I said spoiler-free. The catchphrase is the fandom. It is also the ending every week, so consider this a fence you can see through.) Inspired by the 1948 film, produced by Herbert B. Leonard, written into pavement by Stirling Silliphant. Early…
Filed against
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James Franciscus’s Det. Jimmy Halloran walked Naked City’s real New York streets — eight million stories, location-shot crime, 1950s prime time pushing documentary grit into the living room. Pavement as the co-star. TV Flash files him as…
- Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint
Paul Burke played Det. Adam Flint on Naked City, the 1950s crime hour shot on real New York streets and closed with the ultimate city-show mic drop: eight million stories. Location-shot urban drama that pushed documentary realism into…
- Horace McMahon as Lt. Mike Parker
Horace McMahon's Lt. Mike Parker closed Naked City with the eight-million-stories mic drop already in the air — crime on real New York streets, location-shot urban drama pushing documentary realism into 1950s prime time. The city as the…