by Lee Goldberg
Cast: Robert Young (as Dr. Marcus Welby), Elena Verdugo (Nurse Consuelo Lopez), Darren McGavin (Dr. David Jennings), Morgan Stevens (Dr. Matt Jennings), Dennis Haysbert (Dr. Hoover Beaumont), Cyndi James-Reese (Phaedra Beaumont), Jessica Walter (Astrid Carlisle), Yvonne Wilder (Dr. Nina Velasquez), Cristina Raines (Nikki St. Hilliare), Joanna Kerns (Pamela Saletta), Katherine DeHetre (Francine Parnell), Milt Kogan (Perry McMasters), Robert Carnegie (Dr. Ingram), Milt Oberman (Joel Silvers), Nicholas Hormann (Kevin Saletta), Fran Ryan (Millie Clark), Jacqueline Hyde (Fanny Glickman).
290. The Return of Mod Squad. ABC 5/18/79. 2 hours. Spelling/ Thomas Productions. Director: George McCowan. Executive Producers: Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. Producer: Lynn Loring. Writer: Robert Janes. Music: Mark Snow, Shorty Rogers, and Earle Hagen.
An attempt at reviving the 1968-73 ABC series The Mod Squad, which followed the adventures of Pete Cochran (Michael Cole), Julie Barnes (Peggy Lipton), and Linc Hayes (Clarence Williams III—three young people of the "Flower Power" generation who are arrested and drafted into a special unit of the police department, headed by a no-nonsense cop Adam Greer (Tige Andrews), that infiltrates hippie organizations. In the new pilot businessman Pete, housewife and mother Julie, and school teacher Linc reunite to find a hitman who is after Greer, who is now Deputy Police Commissioner.
Cast: Michael Cole (as Pete Cochran), Peggy Lipton (Julie Barnes-Bennett), Clarence Williams, Ill (Line Hayes). Tige Andrews (Deputy Commissioner Greer), Simon Scott (Commissioner Metcalf), Roy Thinnes (Dan Bennett), Todd Bridges (Jason Hayes), Ross Martin (Buck Prescott), Victor Buono (Johnny Starr), Mark Slade (Richie Webber), Torn Bosley (Frank Webber), Toni Ewell (Cook), John Karlen (Marty), Jess Walton (Kate Kelsey), Taylor Lacher (Jake), Rafael Campos (Johnny Sorella), Byron Stewart (Bingo), Hope Holliday (Willie).
291. The Return of Sam McCloud. CBS I 1/12/89. 2 hours. Michael Sloan Productions and Universal Television. Director: Alan J. Levi. Executive Producers: Michael Sloan and Dennis Weaver. Producers: Nigel Watts and Bernadette Joyce. Writer: Michael Sloan. Creator: Herman Miller. Music: Steve Dorff
Sam McCloud, the country cop from Taos, New Mexico, who found himself a member of the N.Y.P.D., returns as a homespun United States Senator, enlisting the aid of his old colleague Joe Broadhurst, now chief of detectives, and their cantankerous former boss Peter Clifford, now police chief, to help bring down the corrupt chemical company that had his niece killed. (Even Diana Muldaur returned from the earlier series now as London Times correspondent.) Most of the action in this pilot takes place in London, where location filming was done. The charm of the original series was completely lost in this reprise, a victim of the baffling decision to scrap the old show's homespun premise in favor of making McCloud a crime-fighting politician. Patrick Macnee (John Steed from The Avengers) and David McCallum (Ilya Kuryakin from The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) guest star.
Cast: Dennis Weaver (Sam McCloud), Terry Carter (Chief Joe Broadhurst), J.D. Cannon (Peter B. Clifford), Diana Muldaur (Chris Coughlin), Kerrie Keane (Ashley Stevens), Patrick Macnee (Tom Jamison), David McCallum (Inspector Craig), Melissa Anderson (Colleen), Roger Rees (Jason Cross), Simon Williams (Simon Langton), Sondra Currie (Rachel), Robert Beatty (William Maitland), Michael Cochrane (Geraint Davies), Patrick Monckton (Jack Barron). John Turner (McFarland), Ricco Ross (Rifkin), Linda Hayden (Nancy Cratchett), Mel Cobb (John Bishop), also Simon Tudor Owen, Hilary Crane, Ian Taylor, Raymond Marlowe, Alan Polonsky, Adam Richardson, Maxine Howe, Keith Nichols, Paul Stanton.
292. Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (aka Beverly Hillbillies Solve the Energy Crisis). CBS 10/6/81. 2 hours. CBS Entertainment. Director: Robert Leeds. Executive Producers: Albert J. Simon and Ron Beckman. Producer/Writer: Paul Henning. Music: Billy May.
The Clampetts, the hillbilly family that struck oil in the Ozarks and moved to Beverly Hills, return pretty much intact (Irene Ryan, the original Granny, had died, and Max Baer, the original Jethro, had gotten out of acting to become a producer/director) to solve the energy crisis for Energy Department Official Jane Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) with Granny's moonshine. Ray Young steps in as the new Jethro, and Imogene Coca guest stars as Granny's 100-year-old mother.
Cast: Buddy Ebsen (as Jed Clampett), Donna Douglas (Elly May), Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway), Ray Young (Jethro Bodine), Imogene Coca (Granny), Werner Klemperer (C.D. Medford), Linda Henning (Linda), King Donovan (Andy Miller), Lurene Tuttle (Mollie Heller), Charles Lane (Chief), Shug Fisher (Judge Gillim), Howard Culver (Veterinarian), Heather Locklear (Heather), also Shad Heller, Earl Scruggs, Nancy Gayle. Dana Kimmel!, Fenton Jones, John Hartford, Rodney Dillard, Buddy Van Horn.
293. The Return of the Greatest American Hero (aka Another Great American Hero; aka A New Great American Hero; aka Greatest American Heroine). NBC 20 minutes. Stephen J. Cannel! Productions. Director: Tony Mordente. Executive Producers: Stephen J. Cannell and Babs Greyhosky. Producer: Jo Swerling, Jr. Writer: Babs Greyhosky. Creator: Stephen J. Cannell. Music: Mike Post and Pete Carpenter.
A demonstration film aimed at sparking a revamped version of the ABC series The Greatest American Hero for the 7:00-8:00 Sunday evening timeslot (that eventually went to Our House). The original series followed schoolteacher Ralph Hinkley (William Katt), who was given a superhero suit by benevolent aliens he had stumbled upon and fought crime with conservative F.B.I. agent Bill Maxwell (Robert Culp). Now, the aliens give the suit to a young woman (Mary Ellen Stuart), also a school teacher and a foster parent (to Mya Akerling), and she, too, fights baddies with Maxwell's help. The demo film was later combined with excerpts from previous episodes, dubbed Greatest American Heroine, and added to the syndication package. Jerry Potter and John Zee guest starred.
294. The Return of Man From U.N.C.I,.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair. CBS 4/5/83. 2 hours. Michael Sloan Productions and Viacom Enterprises. Director: Ray Austin. Executive Producer/Writer: Michael Sloan. Producer: Nigel Watts. Creators: Norman Felton and Sam H. Rolfe. Music: Gerald Fried. Theme: Jerry Goldsmith.
Retired superspies Napoleon Solo, now a computer company chief with a taste for gambling, and Ilya Kuryakin, now a fashion designer, are called back to service by the new boss of U.N.C.L.E. (Patrick Macnee) to battle an old T.H.R.U.S.H. foe (Anthony Zerbe) who has escaped from prison. The veteran, albeit rusty, agents are teamed with a Benjamin Kowalski (Tom Mason), a brash, new U.N.C.L.E. operative. George Lazenby, one-time 007, made a cameo appearance as a thinly veiled James Bond named J.B. Michael Sloan would later oversee the revival of McCloud as well as The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. This U.N.C.L.E. pilot was later released on home video.
Cast: Robert Vaughn (as Napoleon Solo), David McCallum ( Ilya Kuryakin), Patrick Macnee (Sir John Raleigh), Tom Mason (Benjamin Kowalski), Gayle Hunnicutt (Andrea Markovich), Geoffrey Lewis (Janus), Anthony ark (Justin Sepheran), Simon Williams (Nigel Pennington Smythe), John Harkins (Alexi Kemp), Jan Triska (Vaselievitch), Susan Woolen (Janice Friday), Carolyn Seymour (Actress), George Lazenby (J.B.), Judith Chapman (Z), Lois Dc Banzie (Ms. Delquist), Dick Durock (Guido), Randi Brooks (Model), Jack Somack (Tailor), Eddie Barker (Card Dealer).
295. The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. NBC 5/17/87. 2 hours. Michael Sloan Productions and Universal Television. Director: Ray Austin. Executive Producer: Michael Sloan. Producer: Bruce Lansbury. Writer: Michael Sloan, from a story by Sloan and Bruce Lansbury, based on the book Cyborg by Martin Caiden.
An attempt to mount a spin-off of The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC 1973-1978) and The Bionic Woman (ABC 1976-77. NBC 1977-78) series off this reunion. The bionic duo of Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) are called out of retirement and reunited by Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) to battle a maniacal villain (Martin Landau). In the midst of it all, they relive (via flashbacks) and rekindle their ill-fated romance. But the real story revolves around Steve's (never before mentioned) estranged son Michael (Tom Schanley), an Air Force test pilot who, like his father, is nearly killed in a catastrophic
crash. He's fitted with bionic parts, helped through feelings of freakishness by shrink Jaime, and reconciles with his father—all before being kidnapped by the evil baddie. Although this pilot earned big ratings, a Schanley bionic series didn't happen and a second pilot, The Bionic Showdown, featuring a young, female bionic spy, was made in 1989.
Cast: Lee Majors (as Steve Austin), Lindsay Wagner (Jaime Sommers), Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman), Tom Schanley (Michael Austin), Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells), Martin Landau (Charles Stenning), Lee Majors, II (Jim Castillian), Gary Lockwood (John Praiser), Deborah White (Sally), Robert Hoy (Kyle), Patrick Pankhurst (Duke Rennecker), Terry Kiser (Santiago).
296. Return to Green Acres. CBS 5/18/90. 2 hours. Jaygee Productions and Orion Television. Director: William Asher. Executive Producer: Jerry Golod. Producer: Anthony Santa Croce. Writers: Craig Heller, Guy Shulman, based on characters created by Jay Sommers. Music: Dan Foliart. Theme: Vic Mizzy. Sung by Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.
Just about everyone from the beloved sitcom of the 1960s is back for this bloated, witless revival that's a rarity—a two-hour pilot with a laugh track. Oliver Douglas, once the sensible and certainly the most intelligent citizen of Hooterville, has apparently softened over the years, mainly in the head, so that now he is as daffy as his neighbors. If only he were funny, too. Wife Lisa remains, well, Lisa. Otherwise, Hooterville is as we left it, but not for long—a greedy real estate tycoon (played by Henry Gibson) is about to bulldoze the entire town to make way for a parking lot. The new theme, sung by the two stars, began with the familiar "Green Acres" lyrics, then segued into:
OLIVER: "Seems time has been just rollin' on/ Made a lot of friends who've conic and gone/ Some things change as years go by/
On other things you can rely."
LISA: "I never thought you'd hear me say/ Milking cows is how I start my day."
OLIVER: "We're happy with this life we've found! Who needs the city, we're on solid ground."
OLIVER/LISA: "We'll take the country/ It's fresh and clear/
Green Acres, we live here."
Thankfully, Arnold the Pig had the sense not to join in.
Cast: Eddie Albert (Oliver Douglas), Eva Gabor (Lisa Douglas), Alvy Moore (Hank Kimball), Mary Grace Canfield (Ralph Monroe), Sid Melton (Al Monroe), Tom Lester (Ed Dawson), Frank Cady (Sam Drucker), Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney), Mary Tanner (Daisy Ziffel), Henry Gibson (E. Mitchell Armstrong), John Scott Clough (Brad Armstrong), Mark Ballou (kb Dawson), Lucy Fee Flippin (Flo Dawson), John Asher (Chill), Jeff Rochlin (Lester), Lycia Naff (B.B.), John Alvin (E. Wilfred), Tom Simmons (Sheriff Bedford), Sally Kemp (Ruthie), Tippi Hedren (Arleen).
297. The Saint (aka Saint in Manhattan). CBS 6/12187. 60 minutes. D.L. Taffner Productions and Television Reports International Ltd. Director: James Frawley. Executive Producers: Dennis E. Doty and Robert S. Baker. Producer: George Manasse. Writers: Peter Gethers and David Handler. Creator: Leslie Charteris. Music: Mark Snow.
Aired as a segment of CBS Summer Playhouse. Andrew Clark, a mustachioed Australian actor, assumes the role of Simon Templar, the handsome rogue, thief, and dapper adventurer who, in this flop pilot. moves from London to New York, where he and his man-servant Woods reside in a luxurious Waldorf Astoria suite, to the consternation of N.Y.P.D. Inspector Fernack. Clark winked, mugged, and wiggled his eyebrows across Manhattan, but failed to capture the charm of his predecessors in the role. In the pilot, he becomes the prime suspect when the ballerina he's been protecting finds her diamond tiara missing. Robert S. Baker also served as executive producer of the original Saint TV series starring Roger Moore and its short-lived sequel, Return of the Saint, which starred Ian Ogilvy and aired on CBS late-night during the late 1970s. Undaunted by CBS' rejection, the producers took the project to syndication for a series of TV movies starring Simon Dutton.
Cast: Andrew Clarke (as Simon Templar), George Rose (Woods), Kevin Tighe (Inspector John Fernack), Christopher Mercantel (Joey), Holland Taylor (Fran Grogan), Caitlin Clarke (Jessica Hildy), Liliana Komorowska (Margot Layne), Michael Lombard (Wally Grogan), Raymond Serra (Carmine), Robert LuPone (Jeffrey Sinclair). Peter Maloney (The Fixer), Ben Vereen (Nightclub Singer), Kevin O'Rourke (Detective), Kelly Connell (Elevator Man), Brian Evers (Bartender), Mick Muldoon (Doorman), Elyse Knight (Stewardess), Katie Anders (Nanny), Ellis E. Williams (Wilie the Con), Mary Lou Picard (Desk Clerk), Frank Ferrara (Goon #1), Valentino Diaz (Goon #2). Al Cerullo (Helicopter Pilot), Ray lannicelli (Toy Store Clerk).
298. Still the Beaver. CBS 3/19/83. 2 hours. Bud Austin Productions and Universal Television. Director: Steven Hilliard Stern. Executive Producer: Bud Austin. Producer: Nick Abdo. Writer: Brian Levant, from a story by Levant and Nick Abdo. Creators: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher. Music: John Cacavas. Theme: Melvin Lenard, Mort Greene, and Dave Kahn.
A nostalgic, bittersweet pilot that reunites the cast of the beloved comedy Leave It to Beaver. Beaver Cleaver, now a divorced father of two kids, returns to Mayfield to raise his kids with the help of his widowed mother. His brother Wally is a married lawyer with a daughter of his own. and his friend Eddie Haskell is married, too, and has a son who's the mirror image of himself as a kid. Although CBS passed on it, Still the Bearer went on to become (with some cast changes) a successful series on the Disney Channel cable network. It then jumped to Superstation WTBS, where it was redubbed The New Leave it to Beaver and continued for several seasons before going into syndication.
Cast: Barbara Billingsley (as June Cleaver), Tony Dow (Wally Cleaver), Jerry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver), Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell), Frank Bank (Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford), Ed Begley, Jr. (Whitey Whitney), Corey Feldman (Corey Cleaver), John Slice (Oliver Cleaver), Richard Correll (Richard Rickover), Rusty Stevens (Larry Mondello), Janice Kent (Mary Ellen Cleaver), Joanna Gleason (Kimberly Cleaver), Diane Brewster (Miss Canfield), Luke Fafara (Tooey Brown), Damon Hines (Marcus Garvey), Eric Osmond (Eddie Haskell, Jr.).
299. Still Crazy Like a Fox. CBS 4/5/87. 2 hours. Shulman/Baskin/ Schenk /Cardea Productions and Columbia Pictures Television. Director: Paul Krasny. Executive Producers/Writers: George Schenk and Frank Cardea. Producer: Bill Hill. Based on characters created by Roger Shulman. John Baskin, George Schenk, and Frank Cardea. Music: Mark Snow.
An attempt to pump new life into the 1984-1986 series Crazy Like a Fox, with rumpled, spur-of-the-moment private investigator Harry Fox vacationing in London with his uptight button-down lawyer son Harrison, daughter-in-law Cindy and grandson Josh. and finding himself accused of murdering a duke. The plot revolves around his proving his innocence. The pilot, which the production company referred to simply as "episode #36," was filmed entirely on location in England. Plans were to offer the revival series into first-run syndication if the network turned it down. Apparently, the fickle independent stations were not interested, having also rejected Columbia's newly proposed The Return of Ben Casey and That's My Mama Now!
Cast: Jack Warden (Harry Fox), John Rubinstein (Harrison Fox), Penny Peyser (Cindy Fox), Robby Kiger (Josh Fox), Catherine Oxenberg (Nancy Church), Graham Chapman (Inspector Palmer), Michael Jayston (Randall Perry), James Faulkner (William Church), Rosemary Leach (Mrs. Eleanor Trundle), also Colin Stinton, Moray Watson, John Moffatt, Maxine Howe, Matt Zimmerman, Allan Cuthbertson, John Cater, Paul Brooke, C. J. Allen, Stephen Churchett, Alberto Morris.
300. The Wild Wild West Revisited. CBS 5/9/79. 29 hours. CBS Entertainment. Director: Burt Kennedy. Executive Producer: Jay Bernstein. Producer: Robert L. Jacks. Writer: William Bowers. Creator: Michael Garrison. Music: Richard Markowitz.
The first of two unsold pilots reuniting secret service agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin), who traveled the frontier in the 1860s and the airwaves on CBS from 1965-1969. They are brought out of retirement (West owns a border saloon, Gordon is a struggling actor) to battle the son (Paul Williams) of their long-dead arch-foe Dr. Loveless, who is dabbing in cloning and nuclear power. Available on home video.
Cast: Robert Conrad (as Jam
es West), Ross Martin (Artemus Gordon), Paul Williams (Miguelito Loveless), Harry Morgan (Robert T. Malone), Rene Auberjonois (Capt. Sir David Edney), Jo Ann Harris (Carmelita Loveless), Trisha Noble (Penelope), Jeff Mackay (Hugo Kaufman), Susan Blu (Gabrielle), Pavia Ustinov (Nadia), Wilford Brimley (President Grover Cleveland), Robert Shields (Alan), Lorene Yarnell (Sonya), Jacqueline Hyde (Queen Victoria), Alberto Morin (Spanish King), Jeff Redford (The Kid), Ted Hartley (Russian Tsar), Skip Homeier (Joseph), John Wheeler (Henry), Mike Wagner (Manager), Joyce Jameson (Lola).
300a. More Wild Wild West. CBS 10/7/80. 2 hours. CBS Entertainment. Director: Burt Kennedy. Executive Producer: Jay Bernstein. Producer: Robert L. Jacks. Writers: William Bowers and Tony Kayden. Creator: Michael Garrison. Music: Richard Markowitz and Jeff Alexander.
