Banacek
- The Second Season (DVD-Video)
Picture: C
Sound: C+
Extras: B Telefilm
Episodes: B
One of the best TV on DVD releases of a more obscure show to hit
the shelves has been Banacek, the
grossly underrated George Peppard detective show which has had its 16 episodes
issued in two sets. The first was under
the Hart Sharp name featuring the first eight exceptional episodes. You can read more about it at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5617/Banacek+-+The+First+Season
Changing their name to Arts Alliance America, the company has
issued The Second Season and
it is a strong as the first. To recap, Peppard
is Thomas Banacek, a well-off troubleshooter who is so good at solving tough
cases that he becomes the man they turn to (for a healthy percentage) when they
need a case solved beyond who is normally available.
The great character actor Murray Matheson and Ralph Manza were
regulars playing a friend/consultant and chauffeur respectively, though these
shows also have Christine Belford returning as Carlie Kirkland (who was in the
pilot) and George Murdock’s Cavanaugh also surfaced more often this
season. The shows this time, with key
guest stars noted, include:
- No Stone Unturned (guest stars Scott Brady, Gary Lockwood, Candy Clark
& Don Shroud)
- If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn’t He Tell Us Where He
Is? (guest
stars Anne Baxter, Jim Davis, Richard Jordan & William Sylvester)
- The Three Million Dollar Piracy (guest stars Hal Buckley
& Rudy Challenger)
- The Vanishing Chalice (guest stars Eric Braeden,
Sue Ane Langdon, Cesar Romero & John Saxon)
- Horse Of A Different Color (guest stars Ramon Bieri,
Anne Francis, John Crawford, Pamela Hensley, Allen Ludden & Harry
Carey Jr.)
- Rocket To Oblivion (guest stars Linda Evans, Philip Carey, Don
Gordon, Andrew Prine, Jayne Kennedy, Tom Drake & Dick Van Patten)
- Fly Me – If You Can Find Me (guest stars Sterling
Hayden, Beverly Gill & Victoria Principal)
- Now You See Me, Now You Don’t (guest stars Kathie Browne,
Peter Marshall, Nancy Olson, Jay Robinson & Pat Harrington)
Though much was shot indoors and at Universal Studios, the show
takes place in Boston and there is always a celebratory affinity for the town
that makes these Universal detective shows of the time (including Chicago in Kolchak: The Night Stalker) the
ultimate of classy extravagant gestures that proved any major U.S. city could
be as interesting as London or Paris.
This is sorely missing from just about all TV since the 1980s. It is just another detail that makes Banacek
one of the best of all U.S. TV detective series.
The 1.33 X 1 image on the 3 DVDs here are not bad, though there is
some minor detail issues here and there that hold back the great cinematography
all such Universal shows of the time became famous for. It is another one we can’t wait to see in HD,
but these DVDs are even better looking than many motion-blur loaded new
HD-produced TV shows, which says something about the superior quality of filmed
television only a few decades ago. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is good, but can show its age. There are a few minor spots of warping, but
it sounds good for the most part, including the theme music.
The only extra is a good one, the original TV telefilm pilot of
the series known under the Banacek name, is not always included as part of the
series and was also entitled Detour To
Nowhere. It is most impressive
establishing the main and side characters and was an enough of a hit to launch
the series. That is why it is such a
plus to have here.
A contract gap allowed Peppard to leave the series and sadly,
Universal and NBC (separate companies at the time) did not do anything to get
him back to reprise the character, though he’d work for both companies
again. Ironically, the lame brain The A-Team was a huge hit and somehow
NBC and Universal could not scrap together a Banacek reunion telefilm. At
least the 17 mysteries made are all excellent.
- Nicholas Sheffo
