Banyon is a detective series broadcast in the United States by NBC as part of its 1972–73 television schedule, though a standalone two-hour television movie was broadcast first in March 1971. The series was a Quinn Martin Production (in association with Warner Bros. Television), the first-ever show Martin made for the NBC network, though he did not produce the pilot.
| Banyon | |
|---|---|
 Banyon title card | |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 (+ 1 TV movie) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Quinn Martin |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 15, 1972 – January 12, 1973 |
Banyon was a period drama set in the late 1930s in Los Angeles. It concerned the life of private investigator Miles C. Banyon (Robert Forster), a tough-but-honest detective who would accept essentially any case for US$20/day. Located in the same complex (the famed Bradbury Building) as Banyon's office was the secretarial school operated by Peggy Revere (Joan Blondell). By an agreement between Banyon and Revere, part of the training provided to these young women was a period serving as Banyon's secretary; this gave him the advantage of not having to provide a salary for a secretary but meant that he never had the same one long enough for her to become a truly knowledgeable or reliable assistant. Besides Revere, the other ongoing female character was Banyon's girlfriend, Abby Graham (Julie Gregg), a nightclub singer who was constantly trying to encourage him to "settle down" and marry her, but to no avail during the brief run of this series. Banyon's police acquaintance with the Los Angeles Police Department was the cynical Lieutenant Pete McNeil (Richard Jaeckel).
Banyon was unable to find an adequate audience and lost in the Nielsen ratings to ABC's Love, American Style and movies on CBS and was canceled midseason. Despite the show's short life, Quentin Tarantino liked Forster's performance as the title character so much that he hired him for the feature film Jackie Brown many years later.[1][2]
It is one of the few Quinn Martin shows not owned currently by Paramount Global; the series rights remain with Warner Bros. Discovery. It is also one of only two QM shows to bill a cast member above the title (the other is A Man Called Sloane, featuring Robert Conrad).
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Pilot" | Robert Day | Ed Adamson | March 15, 1971 | |
|
Two-hour TV-movie; Banyon's client, a young woman, is found dead in Banyon's office, shot with Banyon's gun. José Ferrer, Leslie Parrish, Herb Edelman, Hermione Gingold and Anjanette Comer guest star. | |||||
| 1 | "The Decent Thing to Do" | Ralph Senensky | William P. McGivern | September 15, 1972 | |
|
When a man who hires Banyon as his bodyguard is murdered, Banyon does his best to solve the crime. Collin Wilcox, Frank Aletter and Marlyn Mason guest star. | |||||
| 2 | "The Old College Try" | Richard Donner | Ed Adamson Theodore J. Flicker Norman Katkov | September 22, 1972 | |
|
Banyon solves a campus killing and saves a bereaved father from the clutches of a greedy woman. Jessica Walter, Shelly Novack, Darrell Larson and Tim O'Connor guest star. | |||||
| 3 | "The Graveyard Vote" | Ralph Senensky | Milton S. Gelman Carey Wilber | September 29, 1972 | |
|
Political intrigue develops when Banyon investigates the murder of a candidate for state attorney general. Diana Hyland, Tom Bosley, Larry Gates and Pat O'Brien guest star. | |||||
| 4 | "Completely Out of Print" | Daniel Petrie | Norman Katkov | October 6, 1972 | |
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A pulp magazine publisher hires Banyon to find his missing star writer. Fritz Weaver, Rosemary Murphy, Phillip Pine and John Sylvester White guest star. | |||||
| 5 | "Meal Ticket" | Lawrence Dobkin | James D. Buchanan Milton S. Gelman | October 13, 1972 | |
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Immediately after a boxer scores an upset victory, he disappears and Banyon is hired to find him. Gabriel Dell, James McCallion, Bo Svenson and Sharon Farrell guest star. | |||||
| 6 | "The Clay Clarinet" | Charles S. Dubin | Jack Sher | October 27, 1972 | |
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A famous but obnoxious bandleader hires Banyon to find out who is trying to kill him. Jack Sheldon, Fred Sadoff, E. J. Peaker and John Saxon guest star. | |||||
| 7 | "Dead End" | Ralph Senensky | Milton S. Gelman | November 3, 1972 | |
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After being officially ordered off a case, a policeman (Jack Cassidy) hires Banyon to solve a suspected murder that has nagged him for almost seven years. Billy "Green" Bush, Morgan Sterne and Diana Muldaur guest star. | |||||
| 8 | "Time to Kill" | Arthur H. Nadel | Ed Adamson | November 10, 1972 | |
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Behind the scenes of a dance marathon of the 1930s, Banyon exposes a death hoax and the "second lift" of an ex-Busby Berkeley chorus girl (Jo Ann Pflug). Dick Van Patten and Barbara Babcock guest star. | |||||
| 9 | "Think of Me Kindly" | Marvin J. Chomsky | George F. Slavin Milton S. Gelman | November 17, 1972 | |
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Another private detective is hired by Banyon to handle a routine case, but the detective ends up getting murdered. Dabney Coleman, Ahna Capri, Gerald Hiken and Norma Crane guest star. | |||||
| 10 | "A Date with Death" | Charles S. Dubin | Morton Fine Milton S. Gelman | November 24, 1972 | |
|
In the midst of investigating the murder of a dime-a-dance hostess, Banyon clashes with an aggressive stage mother. Allen Garfield, Meredith MacRae, Eileen Heckart, Lane Bradbury, Teri Garr and Vincent Beck guest star. | |||||
| 11 | "Sally Overman Is Missing" | Lawrence Dobkin | Milton S. Gelman | December 1, 1972 | |
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Stolen information smuggled in the brain of Banyon's beautiful secretary, Sally Overman (Jo Ann Harris), makes her a target for murder. Robert Webber, Karen Carlson and Curt Conway guest star. | |||||
| 12 | "The Lady Killer" | Valentin de Vargas | Nelson Gidding Robert C. Dennis | December 8, 1972 | |
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A young waitress hires Banyon to find a driver who ran her down in an attempt to kill her. Jack Klugman, Elaine Giftos, Kristina Holland, Don Chastain, Marian McCargo, Arch Johnson and Paul Sorensen guest star. | |||||
| 13 | "The Murder Game" | Reza Badiyi | William P. McGivern | December 15, 1972 | |
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An old girlfriend of Banyon's, now a tennis pro, seeks his assistance after being frightened by two men. Kaz Garas, Skye Aubrey, Leigh Hamilton and Gregory Sierra guest star. | |||||
| 14 | "Just Once" | Marvin J. Chomsky | Mann Rubin | December 22, 1972 | |
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Banyon tries to find out why an ex-convict was gunned down just one day after being released from prison. Murray Matheson, Dennis Redfield, Ed Flanders and Janice Rule guest star. | |||||
| 15 | "Time Lapse" | Daniel Petrie | Ed Adamson Milton S. Gelman | January 12, 1973 | |
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While tracking down an ex-husband behind on his alimony payments, Banyon ends up being held captive by a major gangster. Estelle Winwood, John Fiedler, Donna Mills, Anne Seymour, Ken Lynch and Charles McGraw guest star. | |||||
References
edit- Notes
- Bibliography
Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows