User reviews

I watched this show at first out of curiosity and I laughed just as many of my generation probably have . . .or will. Then I started researching that era and now I know they were deadly serious when they made that series! This was the sort of thing that Americans were truly fearful of, a Communist takeover. This was just as serious in the 50's as a Chinese invasion was in the late 1930's. Okay so maybe they dramatised things but they did that in "Dragnet" too, right? This was American propaganda made to make Mr and Mrs. Average American believe that Commies were around every conner trying to subvert the mentality of Post (Korean) War America. This could have been what led to people building fallout shelters instead of swimming pools and schools teaching kids to "duck and cover".

Okay, so maybe I got a little heavy handed in that last paragraph but watching the adventures of Mr. Philbrick led me to wonder just how much of it was Hollywood and how much was real? A certain Mr. Kruschev did promise "We will bury you without firing a shot!" so I really began to wonder and started watching the episodes with a less cynical eye. The one about vacuum cleaners that were really missile launchers smacked of the gadgetry that proliferated the James Bond movies of the 1960's but then, where did they get that idea? The one about taking over an American newsreel company and making propaganda movies seems unreal too but then, remember wasn't the US Government doing the same thing at the same time too?

Today watching "I Led Three Lives" gives me a chill. Everything they were talking about might really have happened. Perhaps all that paranoia was not unfounded. Mr. Herbert Philbrick, wherever you are, thank you.

I recall the series very well and always tried to watch it. The series portrayed Mr. Hoover and his bureau as a professional, passionate, serious operation. I was a believer then. However, after Hoover's death, quite a bit was focused on how his bureau was run during the '50's and '60's, and his own hatred for Communists. A PBS program even depicted him as a power-hungry tyrant and a homosexual. Taking my own limited knowledge of the 1950 decade while growing up as a child, this TV series was very good. And, as far as Hoover is concerned, he knew how to handle the bunch of politicians in Washington probably better than anyone else. It would seem that this series is on some form of blacklist, as it never appears on cable, satellite, or independent TV channels running old shows. Why this is, I don't know. But, maybe after Mr. Khruschev's speech at the UN in 1960; "We Will Bury You", the country is in the form of being buried!

Supposedly Lee Harvey Oswald's favorite show, which raises many interesting questions not the least of which is : Was Oswald living out the main character of the show for real? Another question: If so, was that how Oswald was set up as a patsy on 11/22/1963, as he maintained on TV (recording still exists - search YouTube) while being dragged down a hallway of the Dallas police station past TV and print reporters?

"I Led 3 Lives" was a sincere and authentic expose of the activities of the Communist Party USA. I was impressed by it as a child and I think the plot lines remain very interesting. Although rather cheaply done it had good workmanlike production values. It still provides good insight into the motivations and activities of fanatical subversives which are still valid to this day. I think Richard Carlson did a good, serious job with his role and he was always one of my favorite actors of the '50's. My father, who was a USMC officer at the time with a great interest in the psychology of communism, followed the show regularly. All in all this was one of the more important television productions to ever come along. Unfortunately it would not be touched with a 10 foot pole by the establishment media producers today!

It's hard to be objective about a series designed to raise the strongest political emotions. I should say that I haven't seen an episode since the show left the air 50-some years ago. I did, however, grow up with the series and share in its political assumptions. What I couldn't see then, but do see now, is how much a creature of its time it was. I think it's probably telling that the series-- to my knowledge - has never been revived or syndicated since the original showing.

As I recall, the show worked well enough strictly as entertainment. The episodes followed a formula as most series do-Herb (Carlson) would learn of some nefarious red doings, consult with FBI man Dressler (Zaremba), foil the doings, and end the show with an instructional on the many insidious appeals of communism. Drama grew out of thwarting red plans and avoiding exposure since Herb was an undercover FBI informant. I don't know how good the ratings were, but I can see the show being kept on the air regardless of popular ratings.

Two general points are worth noting, neither of which makes specific assumptions about a series I haven't seen for decades. First, the program comes out of a formative Cold War period in which the complex dynamic of Western capitalism vs. Marxist anti-colonialism was reduced in the public mind to the simplistics of good vs. evil. Put briefly, the series functioned as a popular reflection of that McCarthy period in which self-serving stereotype replaced real world complexity.

Ironically, however, it's the same simplistic perception of good vs. evil that underlay much of the trauma of Vietnam ten years later, when the extreme disconnect between American beliefs about the war and the actual realities resulted in a domestic crisis at home and mutiny in the ranks abroad. In short, Americans of the 50's were woefully unprepared for the complex political realities evolving outside their TV sets. A longer-term consequence, I believe, of propaganda products like Three Lives and the simplistics of good vs. evil.

Second, during the three years of series run-time (1953-56), covert arms of the US gov't were directly responsible, we now know, for subverting at least two popular democracies abroad-The elected Arbenz gov't of Guatemala (1954) and the elected Mossadegh gov't of Iran (1953). Rather odd behavior, I believe, for the touted defender of democracy as the McCarthyite period presented our side. I wonder what Philbrick and Dressler would have said about our own sneaky subversives, keeping in mind that in democratic theory the will of the people is sovereign above all else.

These brief points are not intended as an apologetic for Soviet communism. I'm sure they propagandized their own people with similar stereotypes about the West, that is, when they weren't busy crushing dissent in their own part of the world. The too, I expect they had their own version of good vs. evil so as to revile capitalist legitimacy. Instead, these points amount to a way of putting together a more critically realistic perspective than what we're force-fed in the media and by long-ago shows like Philbrick's.

In reflecting back on that time, I think it's important to keep such considerations as these in mind. At any rate, It's too bad the episodes aren't available for viewing even now 60-years later. I think they'd still be as provocative and even relevant in today's world, though maybe not in the way intended.

(In passing-for readers too young to recall context. When Khruschev made his reckless "We'll bury you" remark, he was referring to out-producing the West, not to mass murder. Too bad it's since been retailed out of context, but I guess that's the sort of thing I've been talking about.)

We remember hearing somewhere, some time ago, a saying that went something like this:

"The Devil does his best when the belief in him by the people of the World in his existence is low!"

Now, one can take this LITERALLY, as a METAPHOR or even both ways, we want to respect your own beliefs. But no matter which route you take, the one universally true fact remains. There is true Evil in the world. We have to deal with that every day.

"There is No Evil!", I heard someone say? We have "moral equivalence" among different beliefs of various Peoples, Nations, Creeds, Political and Economic Systems. One is as good as the next. Is that what you say? Well, let's go there, just momentarily.

Let's see now, can we think of any examples of what could be truly be labeled as "Evil", with that Capital "E". How 'bout the indiscriminate detonation of explosives or incendiary devices in a crowded place, with a innocent civilian lives(you know, women, children, the aged, the infirm). Is this a "justified" "Warefare"? What about Late Term "Abortion"? Really now, wouldn't Late Term "Murder" be a more realistic terminology? Finally, what about Child Pornography? Got anyone out there who wants to defend this true "Evil"? Just as this 'Devil', be it literal or metaphoric, prospers the most when ignored, so it is the same for the "Vanguard of the People", the Communist Party.

If we go back to say, the 1930's, one could be an openly Soviet type "Scientific Socialist" (It's their term, not mine). Then, we came to the Post World War II Era of "the Iron and Bamboo Curtain", aka the 'Cold War'. We found former Allies like the Soviet Union with our former "Uncle Joe" Stalin still calling the shots and China, with "Agraian Reformer", Mao Tse Tung, now in charge. In short order, the Communist Party of the United States of America, found itself on our sh*t list. They were declared illegal. The reasoning being, that the Soviet-style of Socialism, aka International Communism, is a movement that recognizes on international boundaries in their self proclaimed "Revolution without borders." Ergo, the C.P.U.S.A. is an extension of the Kremlin's own field operators.*

So we come to this I LEAD 3 LIVES TV series. It was a moderately budgeted, yet very realistically produced series of half hour dramas.The choice of Richard Carlson as the lead portraying the real life hero, one Herbert A. Philbrick. The only other regulars that this writer can recall were(actors name unk to me)Mrs. Philbrick and his F.B.I. contact man(played by the same guy who was later cast as "The Hills Brothers Coffee Broker" in those commercials.) The episode always had at least one scene of Philbrick getting his assignment or passing info by meeting with his "handler" in some supermarket, drug store or similar type of shop .

Because so much of the action of the story takes place with the main character, Philbrick dealing with his Red superiors, there is a lot of voice over "thinking to self" portrayed. Lines from Mr. Carslon something like, "What do you do now, Philbrick?", are employed in virtually every segment.

As an instructional as well as public service, the main pillars of the Reds' belief system are clearly exemplified on screen. Hence, we have references to the Party and Atheism, Dialectic Materialism, Class Struggle and etc. There is proper protocol maintained by the calling by the fellow 'Cell' members "Comrade".

And speaking of the depiction of these "Cell Meetings", there is great care showing of the secrecy employed.**Hence, we were shown how the members would all arrive to the secret location via separate routes, at staggered times,and both entering and exiting via different routes.

And so about my favourite episode involved the discovery by Mrs. Philbrick that husband Herb was a Communist. It seems that it must have been about 3/4 of the program filled with Mrs. P giving her husband the needle by using such references as, "why pray, Herb, your kind doesn't believe in God!" Eventually Herb's FBI Handler shows up and sets the record straight!

There are some lesson to be learned by our Nation from this 1950's cold war relic. In particular is the use of these highly secret "Cells", with all of their super secret activity. If the Cells of the Reds were dangerous to our way of life then why do we not take the secret Cells of the Militant Islamists seriously.

After all, what is the reason for all of this secrecy? You don't suppose that it means that they're involved in some dangerous, deadly and (yes) evil activity, do you? Shocking!!

* Although most folks in the USA, were not fooled by the Red propaganda machine, it was proved that Moscow was financing this Gus Hall(perennial CPUSA Leader) & Company for the years.

** It also is an obvious question, but who needs secret operations, other than "wrong Doers", who are up to no good!

Anyone who lived through the Red Scare and the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s will understand this show and will be familiar with its "reds-under-the-beds" theme. Bland leading man Richard Carlson plays Herbert Philbrick, who infiltrates evil Communist cells in the U.S. and attempts to hold back the tide of domestic Communism. If you weren't alive during those times, you may regard this show as a camp masterpiece, with unintentionally funny dialogue and rampant paranoia about commies who are apparently everywhere and just waiting to take over the country.

I lived through those times, and I like the show. The dialogue can be a little over the top, and the plots became more outrageous as the series progressed, but it was a sober presentation of what was a real concern back then-subversive enemy agents attempting to destroy our way of life. Carlson's performances are always sober and to the point, so he was a perfect choice for the role. The supporting players are generally unknowns, although the luscious Yvette Vickers does appear in "Campus Story" as a pretty young Commie who is recruiting more impressionable young people to the cause.

You can do a lot worse than "I Led 3 Lives" but your appreciation for the show will depend on your age. I regard it as an interesting portrayal of a long-ago time and the issues of those days. If you're young, try to appreciate that things were a lot different back then.

Ah, for the good old days of rampant paranoia. This show's silly two dimensional world view, coupled with a modest production budget, left the screenwriters little to work with each week, the plots basically revolving around two or three predictable situations, to bring the audience to a peak of breathless anxiety. Richard Carlson was earnest and workmanlike as was the overall feel of the series. 'Secret' meetings on park benches, 'secret' notes folded into newspapers, microfilm, typewritten code, 'hide-in-plain-sight' signals, droning narration and an iconic theme. Although it seems to still appeal to the political fringe today, it is nevertheless, a true artifact of the fifties. Not to be missed. Somewhere John Foster Dulles is smiling.

After World War II there was a deep fear of Communist infiltration. The paranoia became so extreme that many people were accused of being Un-American for exercising their constitutional right against self-incrimination. People such as Ring Lardner Jr., Paul Robeson, and John Henry Faulk were blacklisted and their careers suffered. John Henry Faulk took his accuser to court and won. The simple we heard you knew some who's knew someone who might have communist learning. The committee went way off course and caused harm. Back to my review, Henry Philbrick after learning the organization he was apart of wasn't what it represented. A great peril in went undercover to help monitor the on goings.

In my childhood Richard Carlson was perhaps my favorite actor because of his many appearances in '50s sci-fi movies (Magnetic Monster, It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc.). In these and similar movies he consistently portrayed a model of calm, intelligent, thoughtful bravery in the face of strange new dangers, and he continued in this vein in the TV series "I Led Three Lives".

As a child I had no reason to disbelieve the show's portrayals of subversive Communist activities in the United States. Later I read Herbert Philbrick's book that served as the source of the name and background for the series, and it too had the ring of truth.

Yet as other comments here about this show reveal, the idea that America was the target of conspiracy and espionage is derided as paranoid. The investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee are described as a witch hunt, on the implicit premise that since there are no witches, there must not have been Communists either. We still hear laments for the Hollywood writers, directors, etc., who found it difficult to find work after being blacklisted for refusing to admit to their membership in the Communist Party.

Well, folks, the cat is out of the bag. As if the world was not already full of enough evidence of the evil of Communism, the fall of the Soviet Union led to the opening of the KGB archives in Moscow to researchers, and guess what... At the direction of the Soviet Union, there were Communist agents and sympathizers in the US Army, the Manhattan Project, the State Department, many labor unions, and other strategic targets. The archives show that the Communist Party USA received millions of dollars each year from the Soviet Union for purposes of undermining America, with Hollywood being specifically targeted for infiltration.

In that atmosphere I think it is remarkable that "I Led Three Lives" ever got produced. I whole-heartedly hope that this show does get re-released. However much it may have been dramatized, "I Led Three Lives" shows how America was in fact endangered by its enemies, foreign and domestic.

I Led Three Lives was shown in Akron, Ohio, on now defunct WAKR channel 49 as reruns in the late 70's-early 80's, and thank goodness for it. I remember gathering around the television at my father's insistence as a family, as if the news were coming on, during its original broadcasting. Don't believe a word of the nonsense posted here that this was more of a documentary and true story premise. Yes, this kind of paranoia reigned supreme, but Senator Joe McCarthy was and will always be a proved fraud, the HUAC Hearings were a national disgrace, and whatever the KGB spent on agents here, and no matter the intent, it was all absurdly harmless. pc-privconfounder has the only realistic review here, and just as an aside, one I personally remember watching was about the lead character, Herbert Philbrick, noticing what appeared to be single men buying large carts of groceries, reporting this to his FBI connection, and then discovering that commies were actually buying more groceries than they could eat! Why? Because they were deliberately driving the prices up, causing inflation. Common sense would tell anyone the KGB would need millions of shoppers every week buying hundreds of carts full of groceries each (that they threw away into a nearby dumpster in the show) to actually have any noticeable result like claimed, but that didn't stop many millions (some posting here) from truly believing inflation and higher milk and bread costs were a commie plot to disrupt normalcy in the United States. Yeah, right, sure, sure; that's the ticket. Yeah. Well, it was the '50's; what else can one say? Its not about liberal or conservative viewpoints; its about perception and intelligence. This was one of the funniest unintentionally-so shows ever created, and SHOULD be watched by every American just to see what truly was paralyzing intelligent growth in America for several decades. Unfortunately, the newest suspicion involving the show is that it also unintentionally promotes marijuana use. Watch it, and see if you don't light up for a more profound appreciation of its hilarious plot lines.

"I Led 3 Lives" Was Lee Harvey Oswald's favorite TV show when he is young boy Living in Forth Worth, Texas. This was confirmed by his older brother during his interview on "Frontline" Lee was immersed in the series during the 1952 Season. After his older brother left to the Marine Corps. Lee was intrigued by the idea of a man creating a new and separate identity. The early Black and White Espionage Television show was based on the true-life exploits of Herbert Philbrick, an FBI agent who worked undercover as a communist sympathizer infiltrating communist cells and suspected subversive groups. His love for the show was also noted in the Warren Commission Report.

Lucille Ball was a citizen, comedian, and a communist. Did she led 3 lives too?

"In 1953, Ball was subpoenaed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities because she had registered to vote in the Communist party primary election in 1936" (from Wikipedia)

"I Led 3 Lives" was part of the early 1950s, right wing extremism that gave us Joe McCarthy, John Birchers and HUAC (House Un-American Activies Committee).

Someone once described the Eisenhower years (1950s) as 'Washington Sept Here'

Thank you JFK for getting us back on track and thank you Lucy for your tremendous contributions to our culture.

Ricky/Desi (commenting on these charges) was right:

"The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that's not legitimate."

Neither is "I Led 3 Lives" Skip this show, except as historical reference for the politics of that time.

"I Led 3 Lives" needs to live another life--on dvd. Preferably as a complete box set, but I'd be happy with a multi-volume Alpha Video release a la "The Adventures of Fu Manchu." This is a great show that is entertaining today not only for it's bizzaro camp appeal, but also because it is a great look into the paranoid world view of the super-paranoid, mindlessly anti-communist mindset that ruled American life from the end of WWII to the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was serious stuff back in the day! And that's what makes this deadly earnest show all the more hilarious.

Hey those in charge: We Need this Show on DVD!

This was a good series while it lasted. It pretty much showed what was gong on during this period in our history and the efforts to keep it in check. The left doesn't like the series because it shined a light on communist activities in the U.S. We don't track "commies" anymore because the cold war is over and they lost. Today people can be openly against the U.S. without any fear. They are in academia, the media,Hollywood, the judiciary and at all levels of local and national politics. Their still is, however, resentment among many that there is no longer a U.S.S.R. It would be great to have an updated series like this today. McCarthy was a little over-zealous in his time, but not far off the mark.