Climax! Premiere Episode "The Long Goodbye" (1950s CBS TV Show)



Climax! (later known as Climax Mystery Theater) was an anthology series broadcast by CBS in America between 1954 and 1958. Every episode showcased an entirely new story and production, most of which were performed and broadcast live. While many episodes of this series are considered lost, there is one that stands out amongst fans, that being the very first episode, titled The Long Goodbye (an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel of the same name).

On October 7th, 1954, during the live broadcast of the premiere episode, actor Tristam Coffin (who was at the time playing the part of a dead person) stood up and walked off set, thinking he was no longer in frame. The broadcast, and subsequent goof was seen by many, and write-ups about the incident appeared in multiple newspapers, later going on to spawn an urban legend in which the actual events were slightly altered. Coffin later explained to CBS exactly how the mix-up had occurred, also admitting that he had been embarrassed by the event. The episode (as with many of them) is not available for viewing today; it is entirely unknown if a copy still even exists.

As of 2013, the only episode of Climax! to ever get an official release on home media was Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde which appeared in a Classic Sci-Fi TV compilation. Several episodes from later seasons have also shown up online.