The thing that sticks with me about “Highway Patrol” is how Brod always stopped the car and stood in the open door to talk on the radio (just to get the shot). It was always at “the junction of such-and-such” and on location in the middle of nowhere. One of the best gritty voices ever.
“Ripcord” and “Sea Hunt” were pretty much the same premise, and really didn’t work too well — apparently they never heard of taking a car anywhere.
“Bat” is a little before my time (in fact, most of these I remember from reruns), but I’ve seen some epi on Antenna TV or something, one of the subchannels on the new digital broadcast TV. :’)
I love the old Ziv tv-shows. There was something so doggedly unpretentious about them. Very no-nonsense and matter-of-fact. The scripts, the characters, the whole attitude of just “not putting up with crap” which they exuded. No whiney displays of over-emotionalism, no ulterior political subtexts, no overblown ‘operatic’ dramatics, no moral relativism, no self-conscious direction. Sort of the exact opposite of everything you see on tv today. Just masculine, Cold-War era, American confidence.
“Highway Patrol,” “Sea Hunt,” “Men into Space,” “Ripcord,” “The Man Called X,” “Harbor Command,” “This Man Dawson,” “Science Fiction Theater,” “West Point Story,” and countless others.
Highway Patrol was one of the best shows EVER! Used copters and planes way before other similar shows.
I get to watch it several times a week and of course it was my favorite show when I was growing up. Episodes are also available for free on IMDB!
FWIW a lot of the show was filmed in and around North Hollywood, Lancaster and several other California locations in San Fernado and Simi Valleys. Quite often street signs and business signs can be seen. There is an internet group that notes them and searches for them on Google maps.
It’s interesting to see that some are still around! - a Motel on Rt 14 IIRC - a couple of diners/restaurants and the construction company that developed the area. That name escapes me...I think it started with M and there is an entire town named for the developer.
The writers also often used real street names and they can be found on Google maps.