Season 1 • Episode 26
LatestA not-so-devoted husband hires a Kansas City killer to travel to Denver to murder his wife when the couple arrive by stagecoach several days later. After the young woman dies, he sets about arranging for his mother's return to England after an absence of 14 years. The older woman, however, becomes suspicious of her doting "son's" true identity.
Whispering Smith is an American Western series that aired on NBC. Based on a 1948 movie, the series stars Audie Murphy as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver, Colorado. Filming of the series began in 1959, but the program did not air until May 8, 1961, because of unexpected production problems. Whispering Smith combines elements of CBS's Have Gun – Will Travel starring Richard Boone, NBC's Tales of Wells Fargo starring Dale Robertson, the syndicated Shotgun Slade with Scott Brady, and ABC's The Man From Blackhawk, a Stirling Silliphant production starring Robert Rockwell. While the setting of the series is unique, it is otherwise a standard detective program.
Acting
Murphy's authentic stillness—PTSD made into performance.
Production
Cursed 1959 production finally limped to air in '61.
Practical Effects
Genuine 1870s Denver locations before urban renewal.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Murphy was so traumatized by WWII that he slept with a loaded gun under his pillow; producers built Whispering Smith's minimal dialogue around his comfort.
This was NBC's failed bid to copy CBS's 'Have Gun – Will Travel,' but Murphy's authentic war hero status couldn't compete with Richard Boone's theatrical flair.
US
