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 O'Brien. In Pier 23, O'Brien 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 film's two-part structure leads to repetition and predictability, but it's fun to watch TV's "Ward Cleaver" making like Philip Marlowe.
Hugh Beaumont
as Dennis O'Brien
Ann Savage
as Ann Harmon
Edward Brophy
as Prof. Shicker
Richard Travis
as Police Inspector Lt. Bruger
Margia Dean
as Flo Klingle
Mike Mazurki
as Ape Danowski
David Bruce
as Charles Giffen
Raymond Greenleaf
as Father Donovan
Eve Miller
as Norma Harmon
Harry Hayden
as Dr. Earl J. Tomkins
Joi Lansing
as The Cocktail Waitress
Peter Mamakos
as Nick Garrison
