Shannon

Joe Shannon is an investigator for a large insurance company. Played by George Nader, each week Shannon finds himself in the middle of cases ranging from the abduction of a race horse to armored truck hijackings. Shannon uses all the latest modern devices to find the bad guys starting with an ultra-modern 1961 Buick, outfitted with a still camera in the side spotlight as well as a film camera that hides in the center console and extends when needed, to tape recorders in the glove box and an arsenal of weapons stored around the car.

Shannon was produced by Screen Gems / Columbia Pictures and ran in syndication for one season from 1961 to 1962. The show was created by John Hawkins and producers for the series were Robert Spark and Jerry Briskin. All 36 half hour episodes were directed by Fred Jackman.

George Nader was one of the numerous beefcake actors of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood and best friends with Rock Hudson. His other television series included 'The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen' in 1958, and 'The Man and The Challenge' in 1959. Because of injuries sustained in later movies, Nader was forced to retire from the film business and eventually became a best selling novelist.

Shannon predated all of the James Bond films, as well as most television spy dramas, and set the standard for those shows with the use of imaginative and creative special effects and props.