Climax! "The Long Goodbye" (lost premiere episode of anthology series; 1954)

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ClimaxTheLongGoodbye-TitleCardCoffin.png

The title screen from Climax/actor Tristram Coffin.

Status: Lost

Climax! (later known as Climax Mystery Theater) was an anthology series that ran on American network CBS between 1954 and 1958. Each episode showcased a different story, most of which were adapted from other media, and usually performed live. While many episodes are considered lost, the series premiere is especially sought-after as it contains one of the most memorable production errors in TV history.

The 'walking corpse' incident

On October 7th, 1954, Climax premiered with a live adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye. About midway through the broadcast, actor Tristram Coffin - who was at the time playing the part of a murder victim lying under a sheet as investigators examined the crime scene - abruptly sat up, discarded the sheet and calmly headed off the set. (Different accounts describe the erstwhile corpse as either 'crawling' or 'strolling' away.) Adding to the surreal vibe, the actors playing the investigators continued their examination, even discussing the removal of the now-absent body, seeming entirely oblivious to the bizarre turn of events. The show carried on and the murder was solved without further deviation from Chandler's story, leaving many confused viewers in its wake.

Aftermath

Since Climax billed itself as a top-tier, highbrow program, its debut had garnered considerable critical attention. Write-ups of the gaffe, including confirmation from embarrassed CBS executives that Coffin had believed himself to be out of frame at the time, appeared in multiple newspapers.[1] The gaffe would pass into television history, albeit sometimes attached to the wrong show or episode. These days it is most often claimed that the incident happened during "Casino Royale", a special live dramatization of the James Bond novel that aired around the same time; this is probably due to it being conflated with the third episode of Climax!, also an adaptation of Casino Royale.

Availability

The episode has not resurfaced since its first airing, and it is unknown if a copy is still in existence. It is highly unlikely, given that early live TV was not often recorded, and even if it had been a gaffe of this magnitude would not have been thought worth saving.

As of this writing, the only episode of Climax! to ever get an official release on home media is "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde", which appeared in a Classic Sci-Fi TV compilation. Several episodes from later seasons have also shown up online.

Reference