The Naked City

The Naked City was a police drama series that aired from 1958 to 1963. Based on a 1948 motion picture, it portrayed police in New York City hunting down criminals played by guest stars. OK, before you scratch off the series as the usual police-catch-criminal stuff, it might be worth noting that it used a semi-documentary format, ground-breaking at the time, and that it was critically acclaimed (though it was not a hit in the ratings). The series' episodes were intended to center less on the crime than the lives of the people involved.

I was too young to comprehend the quality of the writing and the excellent performances, but I do remember the series' closing catch phrase:

"There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them."

I don't know where the name came from, other than title of the book on which it was based. And one could only wish that all 8 million people in New York City were nude or tolerant of other people being nude. Now and again, a tiny haven of urban nudity does pop up. Let's savor those moments.

Barcelona, Spain

San Francisco (prior to the ban on street nudity)

San Francisco (prior to ban on street nudity)

San Francisco (prior to the ban on street nudity)

San Francisco Bare to Breakers

Barcelona, Spain

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