I'm on the trail of a TV show called 'The Forgotten Detective', circa 1974. This was pitched as a blend of film noir and modern detective tropes, starring a then up-and-coming actor, David Manners. It never made it to a full series, and only the pilot was supposedly shot.
Intriguingly, some old TV guides list the pilot in their schedules, but nobody seems to have footage. There are tales of a private collector in the Pacific Northwest who owns a 16mm copy.
Piecing together the show's history, the gritty narrative and stylized approach were rumored to be before its time, influencing later darker detective shows despite its own obscurity. I’ve reached out to some contacts in the collecting world, and they’ve started to put feelers out. Let's crack this case wide open!
Wow this sounds like a real hidden gem, I'm a huge fan of film noir and would die to watch that pilot. Can't believe it influenced other shows and still got swept under the rug. Have u tried reaching out to film preservation societies or maybe even universities with film programs? Sometimes they have weirdly specific archives. Good luck, I'd love to hear more about it!