I Led 3 Lives

I Led 3 Lives (also known as I Led Three Lives) is an American drama series syndicated by Ziv Television Programs from October 1, 1953, to January 1, 1956. The series stars Richard Carlson. The show was a companion piece of sorts to the radio drama I Was a Communist for the FBI, which dealt with a similar subject and was also syndicated by Ziv from 1952 to 1954.

Synopsis

The series was loosely based on the life of Herbert Philbrick, a Boston advertising executive who infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s and wrote a bestselling book on the topic, I Led Three Lives: Citizen, 'Communist', Counterspy (1952). The part of Philbrick was played by Richard Carlson. The "three lives" in the title are Philbrick's outward life as a white-collar worker, his secret life as a Communist agent, and his even more secret life as an FBI operative helping to foil Communist plots. I Led 3 Lives lasted 117 episodes. Philbrick served as a technical consultant,^: 37 with Carlson narrating each episode.^: 86

The episodes often had very little to do with the actual events of Philbrick's life as related in his book—Philbrick is credited with only 5 of the 117 screenplays. Screenplays gradually became more and more outlandish, featuring, for example, such supposed "Communist plots" as the conversion of household vacuum cleaners (1942-1954 Electrolux) into tactical missile launchers with which the Communists intended to destroy America's Nike anti-aircraft defensive missiles, and the manufacturing of untraceable "ghost guns" (unserialized Colt M1911 .45 cal semi-automatics) with which the Communists intended to assassinate their political enemies.

The series was honored by the Freedoms Foundation as the best television program of 1955.

Main cast

• Richard Carlson – Herbert A. Philbrick
• Virginia Stefan – Eva Philbrick
• Patricia Morrow – Constance Philbrick
• Charles Maxwell – Special Agent Joe Carney
• William Hudson – Special Agent Mike Andrews
• John Beradino – Special Agent Steve Daniels
• John Zaremba – Special Agent Jerry Dressler
• Ed Hinton – Special Agent Henderson

Guest stars

• Vivi Janiss as Comrade Elaine in "Gun Running" and Comrade Endora in "Counterfeit"
• Eve McVeagh as Miss Cutler in "Commie Dies"
• Ewing Mitchell as Mr. Collins in "Defense Plant Security"
• Victor Rodman as Comrade Arthur in "Commie Dies"

Episodes

Season 1 (1953–54)

Season 2 (1954–55)

Season 3 (1955–56)

In popular culture

The show was a favorite of Lee Harvey Oswald, according to his brother.

The title of the TV series I Had Three Wives, which aired briefly in 1985, is a pun on the name of the original; it was an otherwise unrelated comedy-drama about a private detective's three ex-wives, who cooperate on cases.

References

Further reading

• Grams, Martin Jr. (2007). I Led 3 Lives: The True Story of Herbert A. Philbrick's Television Program. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1593930929.
• Kackman, Michael (1998). "Citizen, Communist, Counterspy: I Led 3 Lives and Television's Masculine Agent of History" (PDF). Cinema Journal. 38 (1): 98–114. doi:10.2307/1225737. JSTOR 1225737 – via Middlebury College Language Schools.

External links

• I Led 3 Lives at IMDb
• I Led Three Lives: Army Infiltration (S1 E7) at The Internet Archive
• I Led 3 Lives - Pilot via YouTube