Series Description

The Untouchables was a 60 minute crime drama series on ABC about a group of men called, "The Untouchables", who were led by Elliot Ness. Their purpose was to capture or kill gangland leaders.

The Untouchables Cast

Robert Stack .... Eliot Ness
Nicholas Georgiade .... Agent Enrico Rossi
Abel Fernandez .... Agent William Youngfellow
Bruce Gordon .... Frank Nitti
Paul Picerni .... Agent Lee Hobson
Steve London .... Agent Jack Rossman
Neville Brand .... Al Capone
Jerry Paris .... Agent Martin Flaherty
Anthony George .... Agent Cam Allison
Grant Richards .... Frankie Resco
Frank Wilcox .... Beecher Asbury
Chuck Hicks .... LaMarr Kane
Jason Wingreen .... Captain Dorsett
Robert Bice .... Captain Jim "Hale" Johnson
Carl Milletaire .... Pete Konitz
Oscar Beregi Jr. .... Joe Kulak
Walter Winchell .... Narrator

The Untouchables Trivia

The Untouchables was produced by Desilu Studios. It began with two episodes on the Desilu Playhouse which were so popular that the studio decided it merited a TV show of its own. Both were adapted from the real-life Elliot Ness's biography.

Hollywood actors Van Johnson and Van Heflin were both offered the role as Eliot Ness and both turned it down. Some other famous stars who were considered for the role included Jack Lord ("Hawaii Five-0"), Fred MacMurray ("My Three Sons"), and Cliff Robertson.

Many of the criminals on The Untouchables in the beginning were of Italian descent. Italian and Italian/American groups weren't exactly thrilled with the way they felt that their heritage was being represented on the show. ABC and the show's producers agreed to only use Italian names for criminal characters when they were based on real-life Italians. Eventually they even gave much bigger parts to Nicholas Georgiade who played the role of good guy, "Agent Enrico Rossi" who was of Italian descent. Ironically, the group that most threatened the Untouchables in a legal sense was Al Capone's Estate! They claimed that the series should pay them for the constant use of Al Capone's name!

One day a man came into the office of Desi Arnaz ("I Love Lucy") and said, "The boys (referring to the mob) don't like what you're doing with the show." Desi responded, "The gate swings two ways. She swings in, she swings out!" In other words, he told him to get off the lot! Two days later, three gunshots were fired into the "Indian Wells Hotel", owned by Desi. It was later disclosed by a mob insider that a "contract" was put out on Desi, but the mob soon changed their mind over fears that the F.B.I. could get called in on the case if he was murdered! They didn't want the Untouchables on THEIR trail!

In an American Heritage magazine article about gangsters, they stated that Al Capone was the most over-rated gangster of the 20th century. They claimed that was due to his portrayal by cast member Neville Brand on The Untouchables TV show.

The Untouchables was highly contraversial in the beginning as its episodes were among the most violent on television. The ratings were also huge, perhaps mostly due to the realism that the violence conveyed on the TV show.

TV Pilot Episodes

(Aired on the Desilu Playhouse)

The Scarface Mob - Part 1 (4/20/1959)
The Scarface Mob - Part 2 (4/27/1959)

TV Reunion Movie

The Return of Eliot Ness (11/10/1991)

Theatrical Movie

The Untouchables (Kevin Costner 1987)