Harbor Command

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American police TV series

title: "Harbor Command" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1957-american-television-series-debuts", "1958-american-television-series-endings", "1950s-american-drama-television-series", "1950s-american-police-procedural-television-series", "american-action-television-series", "black-and-white-american-television-shows", "american-english-language-television-shows", "first-run-syndicated-television-programs-in-the-united-states", "television-series-by-ziv-television-programs", "television-shows-filmed-in-california"] description: "American police TV series" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Command" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American police TV series ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

Field	Value
image	Harbor Command.jpg
genre	Action
starring	Wendell Corey
Casey Walters
country	United States
language	English
num_seasons	1
num_episodes	39
camera	Single-camera
runtime	30 mins.
company	Ziv Television Programs
channel	Syndication
first_aired
last_aired
::

Harbor Command is an American police series that was syndicated, with 39 half-hour episodes produced in 1957-1958. A Spanish-language version was broadcast in Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

Overview

The series stars Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, head of the Harbor Command of a large coastal city. Baxter and the officers in his unit fought "dope smugglers, murderers, and other assorted villains".

Baxter differed from other police officers in that he had studied criminal psychology, enabling him "to figure out what the criminal mind would do under certain circumstances."

Although series had a water setting, much of Baxter's activity occurred on land as he used his police car to track down suspects.

Production

The series was produced by Ziv Television Programs, with the assistance of the law enforcement arms of Harbor and Port Authorities across the country. Captain Richard Storm, of the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police, was credited as the technical adviser for the series. Vernon Clark and Herbert Strock were producers, and Strock directed. Vincent Forte wrote for the series.

Corey said that he and Ziv received most of the revenue from sales of the show, which affected the quality of episodes. "There isn't enough left to get good supporting actors or buy good scripts," he said. He added that executives in production often made bad scripts worse with their own changes.

Two episodes were filmed in San Diego, with the show otherwise being based in San Francisco.

Hamm's Beer sponsored the show in 55 markets in mountain states, the Midwest and the Southwest, closing the deal in January 1957 before the show debuted that fall.

Ziv selected Character Merchandising of New York to create items for Harbor Command-related items for children. The first product was a four-foot fireboat that shot water.

Production expenses led Ziv to end the series after its 39-episode initial run.

Critical response

A review in The New York Times called Harbor Command "a sea-going version of the landlubbing crime stories that float around the television screens Friday nights this season." The review complimented the way ships and the waterfront contributed a "colorful backdrop" but added that without those elements "you have the same old whodunit stew."

The trade publication *Variety'''s review of the premiere episode called Harbor Command "*Dragnet'' in a nautical setting". It observed that Corey was "okay" in his role but that the episode's script should have been better. It concluded that the "generally run-of-the-mill production" had some high points, but the music reached "annoying proportions both in volume and number of repeats."

Guest stars

Episodes

::data[format=table] | No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | EpisodeNumber=1 | EpisodeNumber2=1 | Title=Champhor Tubes aka Cop Killer | DirectedBy= Herbert L. Stock | s=Leo Handel|t=Vincent Forte}} | 1957|10|11}} | ::

DVD release

On September 17, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Harbor Command- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.

References

(2007). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present". [[Ballantine Books]].
(September 16, 1957). "Ziv Overseas Release Click".
(November 2, 2022). "Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s". McFarland.
(September 29, 1957). "TV Dramas Are Not Dreamed Up — They Take Much Planning". The Boston Globe.
(January 30, 1957). "2 New Film Series on C. B. S. Agenda". The New York Times.
(September 27, 1957). "Old Film Keeps Actor Laughing". Oakland Tribune.
(October 16, 1957). "Harbor Command".
(July 6, 1958). "'If You Need Money, Don't Try TV Series'". Detroit Free Press.
(October 30, 1957). "Wendell (Harbor Command) Corey Makes Personal Appearance Here". Deseret News and Telegram.
(February 2, 1957). "Hamm's Buys Autumn Programming in Jan.".
(September 2, 1957). "Character Merch. To Handle Items For Ziv 'Harbot'".
(October 12, 1957). "TV Review: Corey Is Skipper in 'Harbor Command'". The New York Times.
[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Harbor-Command-The-Complete-Televsion-Series/18751 Package Art Docks for 'The Complete Television Series'] {{webarchive. link. (2013-07-27)

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