| Alt Name: | Deadline for Action |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Director: | Lance Comfort Tom Gries |
| Starring: | Dane Clark George Brent Mercedes McCambridge |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 39 |
| List Episodes: |
|
| Executive Producer: | Warren Lewis Don Sharpe |
| Producer: | Buck Houghton |
| Company: | Desilu Productions |
| Runtime: | 45 - 48 minutes |
| Channel: | ABC |
Wire Service is an American television drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956–57 season lineup.
Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans Globe wire service,[1] which was similar to (and obviously inspired by) real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International. It was the first hour-long, weekly scheduled dramatic series with continuing characters to last a full season on network television.[2] However, the three reporters functioned independently of each other,[3] meaning that the series was essentially three different ones sharing a time slot and title.
This program was aired at 9 p.m. (Eastern Time) Thursdays from September 1956 to February 1957, when it was moved to Mondays at 8:30. It was not renewed for a second season, and the last prime time broadcast under this title was in September 1957. However, when a gap developed in the ABC schedule in February 1959, the episodes starring Dane Clark (only) were then rebroadcast under the title Deadline for Action.[4] The last of these repeat episodes was broadcast on September 13, 1959.
The series sometimes delved into topics that were controversial for its era. They included profiteering, nuclear testing, and prison reform.[5]
| Episode # | Episode Title | Director | Writer | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Blood Rock Mine" | Al C. Ward | October 4, 1956 | |
| 2 | "Campaign Train" | October 11, 1956 | ||
| 3 | "Hideout" | Alvin Ganzer | October 18, 1956 | |
| 4 | "The Johnny Rath Story" | October 25, 1956 | ||
| 5 | "Night of August 7th" | Alvin Ganzer | Al C. Ward | November 1, 1956 |
| 6 | "Conspiracy" | Reginald Le Borg | Seeleg Lester | November 8, 1956 |
| 7 | "The Tower" | November 15, 1956 | ||
| 8 | "Deported" | Tom Gries | November 22, 1956 | |
| 9 | "Until I Die" | TBA | Gabrielle Upton | November 29, 1956 |
| 10 | "The Avengers" | TBA | Malvin Wald and Jack Jacobs | December 6, 1956 |
| 11 | "The Deep End" | Tom Gries | December 12, 1956 | |
| 12 | "High Adventure" | TBA | TBA | December 20, 1956 |
| 13 | "Chicago Exclusive" | Alvin Ganzer | January 3, 1957 | |
| 14 | "World of the Lonely" | Gabrielle Upton | January 10, 1957 | |
| 15 | "The Third Inevitable" | John Peyser | Frank L. Moss | January 17, 1957 |
| 16 | "Flowers for the General" | Alvin Ganzer | January 24, 1957 | |
| 17 | "The Comeback" | Reginald Le Borg | Samuel Elkin | January 31, 1957 |
| 18 | "Atom at Spithead" | February 11, 1957 | ||
| 19 | "El Hombre" | Alvin Ganzer | February 18, 1957 | |
| 20 | "Profile of Ellen Gale" | Reginald Le Borg | John Copeland | February 25, 1957 |
| 21 | "Dateline Las Vegas" | Reginald Le Borg | Al C. Ward | March 4, 1957 |
| 22 | "Forbidden Ground" | Tom Gries | March 11, 1957 | |
| 23 | "No Peace in Lo Dao" | Reginald Le Borg | March 18, 1957 | |
| 24 | "A Matter of Conscience" | Harold Schuster | Stephen Thornley | March 25, 1957 |
| 25 | "Misfire" | Tom Gries | April 1, 1957 | |
| 26 | "The Indictment" | Tony Leader | Seeleg Lester | April 8, 1957 |
| 27 | "Ninety and Nine" | Harold Schuster | James Edmiston | April 15, 1957 |
| 28 | "The Oil Man" | Tom Gries | David Chandler and Lowell Barrington | April 22, 1957 |
| 29 | "Run, Sheep, Run" | Tony Leader | W.R. Harris and Frederic Brady | April 29, 1957 |
| 30 | "The Death Merchant" | May 6, 1957 | ||
| 31 | "Violence Preferred" | Tom Gries | Stanley Niss & Lowell Barrington | May 13, 1957 |
| 32 | "The Last Laugh" | Tony Leader | Andrew Solt and Glen Bohannan | May 20, 1957 |
| 33 | "Confirm or Deny" | Harold Schuster | John Michael Hayes and E. Jack Neuman | May 27, 1957 |
| 34 | "Four Minutes to Shot" | Tom Gries | Frank and Doris Hursley | June 3, 1957 |
| 35 | "The Washington Stars aka The Washington Story" | TBA | TBA | June 10, 1957 |
| 36 | "A Death at Twin Pines" | Harold Schuster | June 17, 1957 | |
| 37 | "The Nameless" | TBA | TBA | September 9, 1957 |
| 38 | "Rehearsal for Sabotage" | TBA | TBA | September 16, 1957 |
| 39 | "Escape to Freedom" | TBA | Malvin Wald and Jack Jacobs | September 23, 1957 |
The producers were Don Sharpe and Warren Lewis.[3] Directors included Lance Comfort. Some episodes were filmed in England.[6] Wire Service initially was broadcast at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays. Beginning on February 11, 1957, it was moved to Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was the sponsor.[7]
The program was produced by Desilu Productions at Desilu Studios in Hollywood, California.
A DVD set, Wire Service Volume 1, was released by Alpha Video on March 1, 2016.[8]