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Probe (film)

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Probe
GenreCrime
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Written byLeslie Stevens
Directed byRuss Mayberry
StarringHugh O'Brian
Elke Sommer
Burgess Meredith
Lilia Skala
Music byDominic Frontiere
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerLeslie Stevens
CinematographyJohn M. Stephens
EditorBill Brame
Running time95 minutes
Production companiesLeslie Stevens Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseFebruary 21, 1972 (1972-02-21)

Probe is a 1972 American made-for-television crime sci-fi thriller film produced as a pilot for a science fiction detective series, originally to have continued under that title. Created by Leslie Stevens, it starred Hugh O'Brian as Hugh Lockwood, one of a group of high-tech private eyes working for the organization "World Securities Corp." When picked up for series production, the title was changed to Search, because Probe was the name of an existing PBS series. The film originally aired February 21, 1972 on NBC.[1]

The investigators, called Probes, were outfitted with various electronic implants including a button-sized "scanner" containing a miniaturized video camera, microphone and transmitter linked to a team of technicians and experts who constantly monitored the Probe's surroundings, actions and vital signs; they were able to supply the Probe with encyclopedic information on any subject.

Lockwood was designated "Probe One." In the pilot, he sets out for Europe to track down a multimillion-pound stash of gemstones amassed by Hermann Goering during World War II.

The pilot has been released as a publish-on-demand DVD-R on August 1, 2011.

Cast

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Probe Control

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Probe agents reported to V.C.R. Cameron (Burgess Meredith), the "director" of the investigations, who ran Probe Control Unit One, a center patterned on the NASA Mission Control Center. "Cam" was the leader of the expert team who monitored and provided the agent with intelligence. Early in the series the Probe Control set was placed in a darkened isolated space, alluding to a large-scale operations center. By the middle of the season, the control room was scaled down and relocated to a well-lit but smaller "bunker rush" room. According to the show's credits, the computer equipment was provided by Control Data Corporation.

The building used as the headquarters for World Securities Corporation is currently the headquarters for Bank of America in San Francisco.

World Security Headquarters - Probe Control

References

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  1. ^ ""PROBE (2hr. pilot TV movie for the series "Search")"". Classic TV Archive. Archived from the original on 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
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