Confidential File is an American syndicated television interview and documentary series of 39 episodes that began in 1955[1] and ran through 1957.
[2] Confidential File began as a local series by Paul Coates on KTTV-TV in Los Angeles on August 27, 1953.
[9] Coates acknowledged that much of the program's content was sensational, but he pointed out that the staff had received "an unprecedented amount of cooperation" from the California Department of Mental Hygiene, the U. S. Public Health Service, The U. S. Pure Food and Drug Administration and local police and judges because the treatment of sensitive topics was "valuable and even educational".
[10] A screening of an episode of Confidential File led to passage of legislation by the New York State Assembly in March 1955.
The next day the Assembly unanimously passed a bill that prohibited sale of horror and sexually-oriented comic books to minors.
[23] Hal Erickson wrote in his book Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987, "Paul Coates' sincerity was never in doubt, though he could be a bit priggish, especially when not in full possession of the facts.
"[1] A review in the trade publication Motion Picture Daily said that the series shone a "spotlight on various economic, social and moral problems facing the nation today", adding that it "combines dramatic intensity and civic values".
[7] He anticipated that the program "will meet opposition from some quarters" because it "will surely reach into fields which some viewers consider too shady for TV".
"[18] Sid Shalit, writing in the Daily News, described a drug addict's description of her situation "one of the most tragic sights ever seen on television" but added that overall the topic "was handled constructively and in good taste".