Pier 23 (1951)

Pier 23 was one of three hour-long mysteries produced by Lippert Productions for both TV and theatrical release. Each of the three films was evenly divided into two half-hour episodes, and each starred Hugh Beaumont as San Francisco-based amateur sleuth Dennis OBrien. In Pier 23, OBrien first tackles the case of a wrestler who has died of a suspicious heart attack after refusing to lose a match. He then agrees to help a priest talk an escaped criminal into returning to prison. The films two-part structure leads to repetition and predictability, but its fun to watch TVs Ward Cleaver making like Philip Marlowe.