| Banacek | |
|---|---|
 Peppard and guest starLinda Evans, 1974 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Anthony Wilson |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Billy Goldenberg[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | George Eckstein |
| Producer | Howie Horwitz |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Production company | Universal Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | March 20, 1972 (1972-03-20) – March 12, 1974 (1974-03-12) |
| Related | |
| NBC Mystery Movie | |
Banacek is an American detective television series starringGeorge Peppard that aired onNBC from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotatingNBC Wednesday Mystery Movie anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows, but was the only one of them to last beyond its first season.
Peppard played Thomas Banacek,[2] aPolish-American freelance, Boston-based, private investigator who solves seemingly impossible thefts. He collects from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. One of Banacek's verbal signatures is the quotation of strangely worded yet curiously cogent "Polish proverbs" that Ralph Manza, as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury, rarely understand. Banacek also has a running agreement with his chauffeur for a 10% share of Banacek's 10% if he solved the crime. Mr. Drury is never at a loss for a potential solution that Banacek always manages to shoot down with his very next line. Another recurring gag is for other characters—particularly his rivals—to mispronounce his name deliberately. The name "Banaczek" (as pronounced in the show) is actually quite rare in Poland.[3]
Murray Matheson plays seller of rare books and information source Felix Mulholland, a character always ready with a droll remark and who exhibits a passion for chess and jigsaw puzzles. He is also the series' only character to ever call Banacek by his first name.
Recurring characters include insurance company executive Cavanaugh (George Murdock), Banacek's rival and sometime love interest Carlie Kirkland (Christine Belford), and another insurance investigator/rival Fennyman/Henry DeWitt (Linden Chiles).
Banacek lives on historicBeacon Hill in Boston.[4] While he has a limousine and driver, he also owns and sometimes drives an antique 1941Packard convertible. Both vehicles are equipped withmobile radio telephones at a time when such devices are uncommon and expensive. Banacek is intelligent, well-educated, cultured, and suave. An unapologetic ladies' man who enjoys the company of beautiful women, he is also street-smart and can engage in hand-to-hand combat when the need arises; in one episode he mentions having learnedjudo in the Marine Corps, which is probably a reference to George Peppard's two-year enlistment in the Marine Corps, being discharged at the rank of corporal. He grew up inScollay Square and a childhood acquaintance described him as the neighborhoodjock who excelled in all sports. For recreation he jogs, playssquash, engages in weekendtouch football, andsculling on theCharles River.
In general, the series was shot on theUniversal Studios backlot, though location scenes were filmed aroundLos Angeles in areas that could pass for Boston, or rural areas near there. The episode titled "If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?" was shot on location at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts around the time the school first opened. "Ten Thousand Dollars a Page" was filmed at the Pasadena Art Museum, later known as the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art and now theNorton Simon Museum of Art. "Horse of a Slightly Different Color" was filmed atHollywood Park Racetrack, now the site ofSoFi Stadium.
A customized 1969American Motors AMX was built byGeorge Barris for the second regular-season episode.[5] The car became known as theAMX-400 and it is now owned by an automobile collector.[6] Other continuing cars in the series were a 1941 maroonPackard 180 with a Victoria body designed byHoward "Dutch" Darrin (license plate number 178344),[7] a 1973Corvette (driven by Ms. Kirkland) and a 1973Cadillac Fleetwoodlimousine (mobile telephone number KL 17811). In keeping with both the exotic car theme and the humor between Banacek and his driver Jay Drury, he was even chauffeured around in aWillys MB,Jeep CJ2A,[8] and a CJ6,[9] as well as a brand newFord/De Tomaso Pantera. Two Packards were used in filming, a 1941 used for principal photography and a modified 1942 model used for some shots in Los Angeles. The main 1941 picture car was auctioned in 2019 byRM Sotheby's for $373,500.[10]
In preparation for the pilot and then the first and second seasons, the cast went to Boston and filmed a variety of background scenes. These scenes were then used through the series and are especially shown in the opening scenes, including Banacek rowing on theCharles River and walking throughGovernment Center. In the pilot, Banacek's car pulls into his Beacon Hill home, the historicSecond Harrison Gray Otis House located at 85 Mount Vernon Street. In other episodes, views are shown of thePublic Garden, the entry to Felix's bookstore at 50Beacon Street, and theEsplanade. The Boston-filmed pieces were done by asecond unit and directed by Peppard himself.
Although the show had a mixture of humor and rather intricate plots, it never generated strong ratings. Despite this, the show was well received by critics. In addition, thePolish American Congress gave the series an award for portraying Polish Americans in a good manner.[11] It also helped revive Peppard's career.[12]
Banacek was well received by television critics, and, as a result, was picked up for a third season. However, before the third season could start, Peppard quit the show to prevent his ex-wifeElizabeth Ashley from receiving a larger percentage of his earnings as part of their divorce settlement.[13] The complication ended any chance of revivingBanacek during Peppard's lifetime.A&E continued rebroadcasts ofBanacek in syndication.
Both seasons of Banacek have been released on DVD under the TV Guide Presents banner.
Season one was released on 2007 with Season two following in 2008
Thementalist Steven Shaw adopted his stage name "Banachek" after the television program.[14]
The show was referenced by the bandFun Lovin' Criminals in the lyrics of its 1998 single "Love Unlimited".
"Banacek" is the name of the special effects technician in "Cry of the Cat," a very meta two-part episode of theGoosebumps TV series from 1998.[15]
The character Banacek was also referenced inThe Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror III" segment "Dial Z for Zombies" when Bart tries to cast a spell to rid Springfield of the zombies he unleashed by intoning the magic words "Kojak,Mannix, Banacek,Danno..." (All names of 1970s TV detectives.)
In 2018,Banacek was the subject of an episode-length parody inThe Simpsons ("Homer Is Where the Art Isn't"), withBill Hader voicing the Peppard character, named "Manacek". The episode is patterned closely after a typical Banacek outing, referencing items from the series' storytelling format to its establishing shots. The opening and closing credits mimickedBanacek's style, even including Goldenberg's theme music.[16] In theAkron Beacon Journal, Rich Heldenfels called the episode "a dead-on parody ofBanacek."[17]
Banacek has a clear resemblance to the title character of theSteve McQueen movieThe Thomas Crown Affair, particularly in his attitude towards women and authority. The house used for exterior shots of Thomas Crown's home in Boston, theHarrison Gray Otis House, was used for Banacek's home in the series. Both the film and the show revolve around insurance investigations, but in the series Banacek is solving crimes, not committing them.
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Banacek: Detour to Nowhere" | Jack Smight | Anthony Wilson | 20 March 1972 (1972-03-20) | |
Banacek finds himself up against his old adversary, corporate insurance investigator McKinney of the National Meridian Insurance Company, when a missing armored truck with $1,600,000 of gold bullion disappears without a trace while under a police escort from Texas to Oklahoma. | ||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Let's Hear It for a Living Legend" | Jack Smight | Del Reisman | 13 September 1972 (1972-09-13) | |
Banacek is called in after a football player vanishes on national TV and is held for ransom. Guest starsStefanie Powers,Anitra Ford andJohn Brodie. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Project Phoenix" | Richard T. Heffron | David Moessinger | 27 September 1972 (1972-09-27) | |
Banacek investigates the disappearance of a prototype automobile from a moving train's flatcar (an idea borrowed from aThorpe Hazell short story). Guest starsWilliam Windom,Joanna Pettet,Bert Convy. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "No Sign of the Cross" | Daryl Duke | Robert Presnell Jr., Howard Browne | 11 October 1972 (1972-10-11) | |
Banacek searches for a jewel encrusted, gold cross, donated by a dying Italian mobster, that disappears in transit from Mexico to a Los Angeles parish. Guest starsBroderick Crawford,Louise Sorel | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "A Million the Hard Way" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Stanley Ralph Ross | 1 November 1972 (1972-11-01) | |
A million dollars in $1000 bills seems to vanish from a sealed Las Vegas casino display. Guest starMargot Kidder; writerStanley Ralph Ross appears as Larry Fields. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "To Steal a King" | Lou Antonio | Stephen Kandel | 15 November 1972 (1972-11-15) | |
Banacek searches for a $3 million collection of historical coins that vanishes from a Boston hotel-room vault. Guest starsKevin McCarthy,Brenda Vaccaro,Pernell Roberts,Roger C. Carmel,Janis Paige. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Ten Thousand Dollars a Page" | Richard T. Heffron | Paul Playdon | 10 January 1973 (1973-01-10) | |
A business tyrant loans his greatest personal treasure, a gift from his dead wife, to a local museum; the $1 million text disappears from a highly secured room. Guest starsStella Stevens,David Doyle,George Lindsey,David Wayne,Ted Cassidy. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Greatest Collection of Them All" | George McCowan | Theodore J. Flicker | 24 January 1973 (1973-01-24) | |
A $23 million Impressionist charity art-exhibit disappears during shipment back to Boston from NYC via tractor trailer. Guest starsPenny Fuller,Mike Farrell,Penny Marshall,Garry Walberg. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack" | Richard T. Heffron | Stanley Ralph Ross, Shirl Hendryx, Pat Fielder, Richard Bluel | 7 February 1973 (1973-02-07) | |
Plates used in the printing of stock certificates vanish. Guest starsAndrew Duggan,Jessica Walter,David White. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "No Stone Unturned" | Richard T. Heffron | Stephen Lord, Robert Van Scoyk, Lee Santley, George Sheldon Smith | 3 October 1973 (1973-10-03) | |
Banacek must locate a three-ton statue that disappeared. Guest starsCandy Clark,Scott Brady,Gary Lockwood. | ||||||
| 10 | 2 | "If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Robert Van Scoyk | 7 November 1973 (1973-11-07) | |
A huge medical computer vanishes from its secure building. Guest starsAnne Baxter,Richard Jordan,Sabrina Scharf. | ||||||
| 11 | 3 | "The Three Million Dollar Piracy" | Andrew McLaglen | Stanley Ralph Ross, Robert Van Scoyk, Jack Turley | 21 November 1973 (1973-11-21) | |
An expensive wedding coach is stolen from the hold of a ship. Guest starsChristine Belford,Arlene Martel. | ||||||
| 12 | 4 | "The Vanishing Chalice" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Morton Fine | 15 January 1974 (1974-01-15) | |
An ancient chalice disappears from a museum during the unveiling. Guest starsCesar Romero,John Saxon. | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Horse of a Slightly Different Color" | Herschel Daugherty | Harold Livingston, Jimmy Sangster | 22 January 1974 (1974-01-22) | |
A racehorse disappears from the track. Guest starsAnne Francis,Terry Wilson, Lane Bradbury,Harry Carey, Jr. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Rocket to Oblivion" | Andrew McLaglen | Robert Van Scoyk | 12 February 1974 (1974-02-12) | |
A prototype rocket engine vanishes during a private showing. Guest starLinda Evans. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Fly Me — If You Can Find Me" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Harold Livingston | 19 February 1974 (1974-02-19) | |
After an emergency landing, an airliner vanishes. Guest starsSterling Hayden,Victoria Principal. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" | Bernard McEveety | Stanley Roberts | 12 March 1974 (1974-03-12) | |
A stage magician, suspected of grand larceny, disappears during his act — but for real. Guest starsGretchen Corbett,Peter Marshall. | ||||||
Arts Alliance America has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. Season one was released on May 15, 2007, without the series pilot. Season two was released on January 22, 2008, and included the pilot episode. On September 30, 2008, Arts Alliance releasedBanacek: The Complete Series, a five-disc box set featuring all 17 episodes.
In Region 2, Fabulous Films released both seasons on DVD in the UK on February 10, 2014.[18][19]
In Region 4,Madman Entertainment has released both seasons on DVD in Australia.[20][21]