Coronet Blue

In the summer of 1967, I was totally entranced by this show, “Coronet Blue.” The plot was about a fella who wakes up after an attempted drowning with no idea who he is. The only thing he remembers is the phrase “Coronet Blue.” So he goes about trying to figure out who he is. Maybe you don’t need to be Dr. Freud to figure out why this had particular resonance for me.

The thing is though, that CBS–which had filmed the show in 1965, then shelved it, thinking it was too “intellectual”–was essentially dumping the 13 episodes of this show in the summer, when they thought no one would be watching. Instead, it became a hit. But no further episodes were filmed, and the series ended at summer’s conclusion, without anyone ever finding out what “Coronet Blue” really was.

Years later, thanks to the ever dependable internet, the full story is revealed– apparently the hero was a Russian spy who was trying to defect to the US, and the Russians themselves tried to kill him to keep him from going over to “our” side.

So there’s that mystery cleared up. In the meantime, here’s this totally awesome opening title credit sequence, complete with go-go dancers, and the plaintive refrain, “I’m wondering who am I.”