Checkmate was one of the best television dramas to come out of the 1960s, combining great scripts, locations and casting. Created by thriller-writer Eric Ambler and filmed on the streets of San Francisco, the series revolves around two investigators, Don Corey (Anthony George) and is young partner Jed Sills (Doug McClure). In their quest to prevent crimes before they happened, Dr. Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot), a university criminologist, joins them. Some of America's most talented actors and actresses joined the sleuths in their weekly tales of intrigue and danger. Some of them include Anne Baxter (Death Runs Wild), Joseph Cotton (Face In The Window), Dick Shawn (Laugh Till I Die), Mickey Rooney (The Paper Killer), and in one of his very few TV appearances, Charles Laughton (Terror From The East). The show's haunting music, composed by John Williams (Star Wars) is perfectly suited for Checkmate's San Francisco setting, of fog-filled streets, sweeping ocean views and cable cars. Williams garnered a Grammy® Award nomination for his work on Checkmate in 1962.
