[3] Kent Taylor portrayed Blackie, and Lois Collier (selected over 60 other actresses who sought the part) played Mary.
[8] Location shots of "exotic settings" were usually filmed near the studio at sites like the amusement pier in Santa Monica and the Japanese Gardens in San Francisco.
[13] The book The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present called Boston Blackie "a memorable B-grade television series".
"[1] Media critic John Crosby classified Boston Blackie and other Ziv TV productions as "triumphs in cost accounting over art", explaining that Ziv made TV shows "on a mass production basis, which is the only way movie techniques can be made to fit into the relatively small television budgets".
[9] He contrasted Boston Blackie ("shot in bits and pieces like any movie") with I Love Lucy, which was filmed with a story line in front of an audience, giving it a feeling of spontaneity.
Others who appeared in the program included Bob Benchely, Tom Kane, Allan Lurie, William Querner, and Golda Seiter.