Tod Griffin
Encyclopedia
Tod Griffin, born as Arthur Griffin (January 15, 1919 – April 23, 2002), was an American
actor
of stage
, film
, and television
, originally from Birmingham
, Alabama
.
farmer
s, but the senior Griffin moved to Birmingham to take a job with U.S. Steel
. Tod Griffin was an only child though his mother had been the youngest of thirteen children, and his father had six older siblings. He completed high school and attended college, having joined the United States Air National Guard prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
. His unit was quickly federalized after December 7, 1941.
During World War II
, Griffin flew forty bombing missions and attempted after the conflict to become an airline pilot but was rejected because at twenty-six he was deemed three years too old to become a beginning pilot. For two years under the GI Bill of Rights, Griffin attended the Theater School of Dramatic Arts in Carnegie Hall
in New York City
. His wife, Grace, initially a secretary but usually an office manager, supported them during his lean years in acting. His first paying job as an actor was with the summer stock
company, the Red Barn Theater of Westborough
in Worcester County
, Massachusetts
. He performed in eight or nine plays, a different one each week. He subsequently appeared in several films and guest starred on various television series between 1952 and 1961. In 1955, the Griffins moved from cold Brooklyn, New York
, to sunny Hollywood, California
, and occupied an apartment that had once been half of a house occupied by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
, and Mary Pickford
.
in "The Plot to Kidnap General Washington" on NBC
's Hallmark Hall of Fame
. He made two other Hallmark appearances too, in "Dinner for the General" (1953) and as Patrick Henry
in "The Farmer from Monticello", referring to Thomas Jefferson
, who lived at the estate Monticello
in Charlottesville
, Virginia.
From June 28 to August 9, 1953, Griffin starred as Commander Bill Hollister in the short-lived NBC science fiction
series, Operation Neptune, aired live and aimed at a juvenile audience. The program bore the same name as one of the military maneuvers in D-Day
on June 6, 1944. Operation Neptune was a summer replacement for The Red Skelton Show
. Griffin recalled that the series was created at a time "when they were just trying to put anything they could on the screen, just to get TV going." Griffin likened Operation Neptune to an early version of Batman
on a shoestring budget and with primitive technology or to Captain Video
underwater.
In 1956, Griffin starred in the episode "In the Eye of the Hurricane" of the syndicated
TV Reader's Digest
. He also played the boyfriend Kerry Shaw in "The Candy Caldwell Story" of CBS
's fantasy
drama
, The Millionaire, with Peggie Castle
in the title guest-starring role. In 1957, he played Norman Pangburn, Jr., in the episode "Pangburn's Pride" of the syndicated Captain David Grief
, starring Maxwell Reed
and based on Jack London
stories.
, was a natural fit for westerns. Griffin's film roles, all considered unsuccessful, included that of a rancher in a walk-in part on the film, In the Bottom of the Bottle and a ranger in The Desperadoes Are in Town (both 1956). In 1958, he co-starred in director
Richard E. Cunha
's film She Demons, which Griffin described as a "terrible movie" with an impossible plot. His agent urged him to accept the part of Fred Maklin merely to gain further exposure on film. The bizarre 76-minute picture involves a mad scientist, Nazis, a hurricane, dancing native girls, monsters, and island castaways. Griffin said that a producer
told him that he did as well as one could in the film because the terrible script guaranteed failure. The year before, Griffin appeared in a similar failed film, She Devil.
Griffin guest starred in 1958 as Charles Biddle, the boyfriend of the Barbara Eden
character, in the episode "Loco Leaves Home" of another syndicated television series, How to Marry a Millionaire
, a romantic comedy
also starring with Lori Nelson
, Merry Anders
, and Joseph Kearns
. In 1958, Griffin guest starred in two episodes each of the modern western
series, State Trooper
, syndicated and starring Rod Cameron
: as Bill Larson in "Still Water Runs Red" and as John Reinhardt in "Firebug". He also appeared twice that year on ABC's Maverick
as Jack Wade in "Day of Reckoning" and as Sheriff Jesse Carson in "Holiday at Hollow Rock".
In 1959–1960, he appeared twice on another ABC-Warner Brothers western, Bronco
, starring Ty Hardin
: as Sheriff Garth Nelson in "The Silent Witness" and as Chip Garnes in "Volunteers from Aberdeen". In 1960, he appeared as Tom Corey in "The Epidemic" of CBS's Lassie
. He guest starred that same year as Tinney in "Lady with a Mission" of NBC's western, The Deputy
, starring Henry Fonda
and Allen Case
. He appeared too as Lt. Col. Vern Driscoll in "Verdict in Orbit" of CBS's science fiction series, Men into Space
.
He appeared in the common role of Kurt Branden in Rory Calhoun
's The Texan
in two 1959–1960 episodes, "Trouble on the Trail" and "Badman". In 1958 and 1961, he appeared twice on Clint Walker
's ABC western series, Cheyenne
, as Sheriff Frank Day in "The Empty Gun" and as Rafe Donovan in "The Greater Glory". His last acting appearance, at the age of forty-two, was released on May 31, 1961: the role of Joe Sanger in "They Met in Honolulu" in Rod Cameron's third series, COronado 9
, a detective
program set near San Diego
, California
.
, from which he retired after twenty-two years in 1983. In retirement, he and Grace (January 28, 1922 – October 20, 1997), formerly of Florida
, resided in Bishop
in Inyo County
, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, originally from Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Early years
Griffin's parents were descended from a long line of MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s, but the senior Griffin moved to Birmingham to take a job with U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
. Tod Griffin was an only child though his mother had been the youngest of thirteen children, and his father had six older siblings. He completed high school and attended college, having joined the United States Air National Guard prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. His unit was quickly federalized after December 7, 1941.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Griffin flew forty bombing missions and attempted after the conflict to become an airline pilot but was rejected because at twenty-six he was deemed three years too old to become a beginning pilot. For two years under the GI Bill of Rights, Griffin attended the Theater School of Dramatic Arts in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His wife, Grace, initially a secretary but usually an office manager, supported them during his lean years in acting. His first paying job as an actor was with the summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
company, the Red Barn Theater of Westborough
Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various...
in Worcester County
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He performed in eight or nine plays, a different one each week. He subsequently appeared in several films and guest starred on various television series between 1952 and 1961. In 1955, the Griffins moved from cold Brooklyn, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to sunny Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and occupied an apartment that had once been half of a house occupied by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, and Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
Television debut
In 1952, Griffin made his television debut as George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in "The Plot to Kidnap General Washington" on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
. He made two other Hallmark appearances too, in "Dinner for the General" (1953) and as Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
in "The Farmer from Monticello", referring to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, who lived at the estate Monticello
Monticello
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, Virginia.
From June 28 to August 9, 1953, Griffin starred as Commander Bill Hollister in the short-lived NBC science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series, Operation Neptune, aired live and aimed at a juvenile audience. The program bore the same name as one of the military maneuvers in D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
on June 6, 1944. Operation Neptune was a summer replacement for The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
. Griffin recalled that the series was created at a time "when they were just trying to put anything they could on the screen, just to get TV going." Griffin likened Operation Neptune to an early version of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
on a shoestring budget and with primitive technology or to Captain Video
Captain Video
Captain Video and His Video Rangers is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network, and was the first series of its kind on American television...
underwater.
In 1956, Griffin starred in the episode "In the Eye of the Hurricane" of the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
TV Reader's Digest
TV Reader's Digest
TV Reader's Digest is the title of a 30 minute American television anthology drama series which aired on the ABC from 1955 to 1956.Based on articles that appeared in Reader's Digest magazine, the episodes based on true stories which were varied in their themes, plots and content. Themes included...
. He also played the boyfriend Kerry Shaw in "The Candy Caldwell Story" of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, The Millionaire, with Peggie Castle
Peggie Castle
Peggie Castle was an American actress who specialized in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. She was also billed under the names Peggy Castle and Peggie Call.-Career:...
in the title guest-starring role. In 1957, he played Norman Pangburn, Jr., in the episode "Pangburn's Pride" of the syndicated Captain David Grief
Captain David Grief
Captain David Grief is an American syndicated television series that aired via syndication between 1957 and 1960. The cast included the Irish-born Maxwell Reed as Captain Grief, Tudor Owen as Elihu Snow, Mickey Simpson as Boley, Mel Prestidge as Jackie-Jackie, and Maureen Hingert as Anura.Among the...
, starring Maxwell Reed
Maxwell Reed
Maxwell Reed was a British actor who became a matinee idol during the 1950s with the Rank Organisation in Britain....
and based on Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
stories.
Later roles
The well-built and handsome Griffin, who had a voice remarkably similar to that of Robert MitchumRobert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
, was a natural fit for westerns. Griffin's film roles, all considered unsuccessful, included that of a rancher in a walk-in part on the film, In the Bottom of the Bottle and a ranger in The Desperadoes Are in Town (both 1956). In 1958, he co-starred in director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Richard E. Cunha
Richard E. Cunha
Richard Earl Cunha was a Hawaiian born cinematographer and film director...
's film She Demons, which Griffin described as a "terrible movie" with an impossible plot. His agent urged him to accept the part of Fred Maklin merely to gain further exposure on film. The bizarre 76-minute picture involves a mad scientist, Nazis, a hurricane, dancing native girls, monsters, and island castaways. Griffin said that a producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
told him that he did as well as one could in the film because the terrible script guaranteed failure. The year before, Griffin appeared in a similar failed film, She Devil.
Griffin guest starred in 1958 as Charles Biddle, the boyfriend of the Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
character, in the episode "Loco Leaves Home" of another syndicated television series, How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series)
How to Marry a Millionaire is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from 1957 to 1959. The series was based on the 1953 film of the same name which starred Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall.-Synopsis:...
, a romantic comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
also starring with Lori Nelson
Lori Nelson
Lori Nelson is an American actress born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 15, 1933. She began as a performer, dancing at the young age of 4, as well as winning a Little Miss America title. Many of her early auditions were unsuccessful. However, in 1952, she made it into her first role as Marjie...
, Merry Anders
Merry Anders
Merry Anders is an American actress who has appeared in a number of television programs and films since the 1950s. In 1954, she succeeded Ann Todd as Stuart Erwin's daughter in the final season of his TV series, The Stu Erwin Show.In the 1955-1956 season, she joined Janis Paige in the 26-week CBS...
, and Joseph Kearns
Joseph Kearns
Joseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
. In 1958, Griffin guest starred in two episodes each of the modern western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series, State Trooper
State Trooper (TV series)
State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
, syndicated and starring Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
: as Bill Larson in "Still Water Runs Red" and as John Reinhardt in "Firebug". He also appeared twice that year on ABC's Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
as Jack Wade in "Day of Reckoning" and as Sheriff Jesse Carson in "Holiday at Hollow Rock".
In 1959–1960, he appeared twice on another ABC-Warner Brothers western, Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
, starring Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin, born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr., is a former American actor best known as the star of the 1950s ABC western television series Bronco.-Early life:...
: as Sheriff Garth Nelson in "The Silent Witness" and as Chip Garnes in "Volunteers from Aberdeen". In 1960, he appeared as Tom Corey in "The Epidemic" of CBS's Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
. He guest starred that same year as Tinney in "Lady with a Mission" of NBC's western, The Deputy
The Deputy (TV series)
The Deputy is a 1959-1961 half-hour NBC western series featuring Henry Fonda as Chief Marshal Simon Fry of the Arizona Territory and Allen Case as Deputy Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried to avoid using a gun.-Production:...
, starring Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
and Allen Case
Allen Case
Allen Case was an American television actor most noted for the lead role of Deputy Clay McCord in NBC's The Deputy opposite series regular Henry Fonda...
. He appeared too as Lt. Col. Vern Driscoll in "Verdict in Orbit" of CBS's science fiction series, Men into Space
Men Into Space
Men Into Space is an American sci-fi television series broadcast from September 30, 1959 to September 7, 1960 by CBS which depicted future efforts by the United States Air Force to explore and develop outer space. The black-and-white filmed show starred William Lundigan as Col...
.
He appeared in the common role of Kurt Branden in Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun was an American television and film actor, screenwriter and producer, best known for his roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
's The Texan
The Texan (TV series)
The Texan is a Western television series starring popular B movie star Rory Calhoun. It aired on the CBS television network from 1958-1960.-Production notes:...
in two 1959–1960 episodes, "Trouble on the Trail" and "Badman". In 1958 and 1961, he appeared twice on Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
's ABC western series, Cheyenne
Cheyenne (TV series)
Cheyenne is a western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC from 1955 to 1963. The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season...
, as Sheriff Frank Day in "The Empty Gun" and as Rafe Donovan in "The Greater Glory". His last acting appearance, at the age of forty-two, was released on May 31, 1961: the role of Joe Sanger in "They Met in Honolulu" in Rod Cameron's third series, COronado 9
COronado 9
Coronado 9 is a syndicated crime drama set in San Diego, California, starring Rod Cameron as Dan Adams, a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned private detective. Coronado 9 is Adams's address; the numeral 9 on a rock shown near his front door in the opening credits denotes the...
, a detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
program set near San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Real estate
Griffin then entered the field of industrial real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, from which he retired after twenty-two years in 1983. In retirement, he and Grace (January 28, 1922 – October 20, 1997), formerly of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, resided in Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
in Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
, California.