Operation B-52

Click on the image to see the clip (Quicktime Required).

Above, from left, Richard Anderson as cynical reporter Ben Radin, Dean Fredericks as Col. Steve Canyon, and John Compton as copilot Capt. Woody Buckler. This is an original 8x10 publicity photo from the series (which most likely has never before been published).

This is a minute and 10 seconds long Quicktime mp4 movie clip from the 13th episode, OPERATION B-52, which aired originally on Saturday November 15th 1958 at 9pm on NBC. It was repeated once by NBC on Tuesday June 30th 1959 at 8pm. When ABC aired summer reruns of Steve Canyon in 1960, for some reason this one (and 13 others) never got shown. What you are about to see is the first time in 48 years that any part of this episode has been seen in the United States. The shows were run on Armed Forces television overseas in 1963 and 1965, and dubbed in Japanese and broadcast by Nagoya TV in Japan in 1963, but otherwise (as far as we can ascertain) they were never aired anywhere else in the world. If you remember seeing STEVE CANYON broadcast at any other time or place since, we'd love to hear from you.

This particular episode is an interesting one, as it was written by famed Twilight Zone scribe Charles Beaumont, and was directed by the man himself, Arthur Hiller. Richard Anderson, Sylvia Lewis and Roxanne Berard all appeared. and to our knowledge was the first time a civilian crew was allowed to film aboard an actual Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (which was considered top-secret back during the Cold War). The film was shot at Universal Studios (and probably at Boeing) on October 3rd, 6th and 7th 1958 and concerns an around the world flight that is interrupted by a problem that threatens to destroy the $8 Million dollar plane. The film is dedicated to the Strategic Air Command 92nd Bomb Wing, Castle Air Force Base, California. Enjoy this restored clip, the entire program (along with at least the 33 other broadcast episodes, lovingly restored from the original 35mm network masters) will be available in the anniversary collection box set later this year. These shows never looked or sounded this good!

This restored STEVE CANYON clip is Trademarked and the property of The Estate of Milton Caniff, and all rights are reserved. Any other use is strictly prohibited.

Steve Canyon Sighting: Animation Archive

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog: Comics: Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon Dailies

Our friends over at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project have just put up a post that I am sure will be of interest not only to fans of Milton's work, but those who have yet to experience just what a master of graphic storytelling he really was. (Click on the picture to see the article.)

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog:
Comics: Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon Dailies

NOTE that the ASIFA website appears to be no more, but here is a link to an archived copy of the original post on archive.org, click HERE.

Back in action

We've been working furiously restoring all of the episodes of the STEVE CANYON tv series from the original 35mm network broadcast masters, and I've gotta tell ya that they look and sound terrific! I can safely say that they have never been seen like this before...network broadcast standards of 1958-1960 notwithstanding. The level of craftmanship that went into these 34 episodes is a revelation, and we will be sharing movie, stills and sounds from the restorations here in the days to come leading up to the release of these episodes on DVD later this year.

In the meantime, here is one of the many publicity photos we've uncovered in our archives that hasn't seen the light of day in many years. Thanks to Laura Lozano for the all the hard work scanning and organizing this and other materials to come!

Col. Steve Canyon (played by Fredericks) meets an old friend, Susan Alexander, who plays the part of "Jeets" in the STEVE CANYON episode, "OPERATION TOWLINE."

This shot is from the pilot episode, shot in late January/early February 1958 at the Hal Roach Studios. That's Nancy Valentine as the blonde nurse on the left.

Happy 60th Birthday Steve Canyon!

60 years ago on January 13th 1947 Steve Canyon began his life as a widely published comic strip which ran until Milton Caniff's death in 1988. To celebrate this event, the internet comicstrip page HumourousMaximus.com began publishing the original strips once again for all the world to enjoy. They will be appearing daily at:

Steve Canyon on Humourous Maximus link

You can follow the strip from it's original beginnings daily, until they run out...in 41 years!

Way to go Humourous Maximus!


Milton Caniff (above) doing what he did best.

Editor's note: When Humorous Maximus folded Steve Canyon dailies were moved to Dan Thompson's excellent Rip Haywire page.

The Steve Canyon Pilot Film

Click on the image to see the clip (Quicktime Required).

This is a minute and a half long Quicktime mp4 movie clip from the unaired pilot for the series. The opening titles were similar when finally aired on September 13, 1958 at 9pm on NBC, but this is the only time the logo for the comic strip is used in the series. According to Producer and show-runner David Haft, the intention was to have the show be looked upon as a realistic and adult show, therefore they tried to minimise certain references to the comic strip. This episode was the only one produced at the Hal Roach Studios (with exteriors at Convair in San Diego and other USAF airbase locations), the rest of the series being made at Universal International Studios. Work began on the pilot in late 1957, and when it was finished in April 1958, it was screened for Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company (Chesterfield Cigarettes) who immediately signed on as sponsors to fund the series.

As many as 39 episodes may have been shot, but only 34 (including the pilot) were finished and aired before the series was cancelled in 1959. We have a screenplay entitled "Project B-58", marked as Production #9216, and two other numbers (#9217 and #9224) that were skipped and unaccounted for amongst the finished shows. We are hoping to locate the missing materials needed to finish any remaining shows, which would then be added to the 34 restored episodes in our archives.

Milton Caniff's nephew Harry Guyton, executor of the estate, is Executive Producing the DVD collection which is scheduled for release late 2007 to coincide with the 100th birthday celebration of Caniff, and the 60th anniversary of the creation of Steve Canyon.

This restored STEVE CANYON clip is Trademarked and the property of The Estate of Milton Caniff, and all rights are reserved. Any other use is strictly prohibited.