Highway Patrol was, after Sea Hunt, probably the most popular and influential of the dramatic series offered to stations in the 1950s by syndicator Ziv TV. It starred Broderick Crawford as Chief Dan Matthews, the gruff and dedicated commander of a police force in a large, unidentified Western state. A signature shot of the series was fedora-wearing Matthews barking "10-4!" and other rapid-fire dialogue into a radio-microphone as he leaned against the door of his patrol car (call sign ID# "2150"). There were no other regular cast members but William Boyett, later behind the badge again as Sgt. MacDonald in Adam-12, made numerous appearances as Sgt. Ken Williams.
In the early seasons the series was provided with technical assistance by the California Highway Patrol. The Dodges and Buicks used as police vehicles were designed to resemble the then-current CHP fleet in both paint scheme and door insignias.
It was also famous for its location shooting - in rural and desert areas of southern California - in the still very studio-bound early years of television (it was produced from 1955-1959), and like most Ziv series, had its repeats syndicated for many years afterward. The rights to all 156 episodes are currently held by MGM Television.
Powerful patrol cars, fast motorcycles, and superheterodyne two-way radios combine to fight crime on the rural highways of America's wide open spaces. Written by Thomas McWilliams
