Checkmate was one of the best television dramas to come out of the 1960s, combining great scripts, locations and casting. Created by thriller-writer Eric Ambler and filmed on the streets of San Francisco, the series revolves around two investigators, Don Corey (Anthony George) and his young partner Jed Sills (Doug McClure). In their quest to prevent crimes before they happen, Dr. Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot), a university criminologist, joins them. Some of America's most talented actors and actresses joined the sleuths in their weekly tales of intrigue and danger. Some of them include Anne Baxter, Joseph Cotton, Dick Shawn, Mickey Rooney, and in one of his very few TV appearances, Charles Laughton.