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| Hec Ramsey | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Harold Jack Bloom |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jack Webb |
| Producers |
|
| Running time |
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| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 8, 1972 (1972-10-8) – April 7, 1974 (1974-4-7) |
Hec Ramsey is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974, starringRichard Boone. The series was created byJack Webb's production company,Mark VII Limited in association withUniversal's television productions. The series was first broadcast in theUnited States byNBC as part of theNBC Mystery Movie, awheel series format.
Richard Boone portrayed Hector "Hec" Ramsey, a former gunfighter turned lawman, with a keen interest in the emerging field offorensics. Hec replaced his "gunfighter" rig with a cut-down Colt revolver - "Faster draw, good at short range. Use a rifle for long" that echoed modern detectives' guns - but his most important tools includedfingerprinting equipment and magnifying lenses, which enabled him to determine the perpetrators of crimes with greater accuracy. Ramsey had served as a Deputy United States Marshal in the Oklahoma Indian Territory under the supervision of Judge Isaac Parker, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, which had jurisdiction for the Indian Territory.
The series follows Ramsey after he accepts the position of deputypolice chief in the fictional town of New Prospect,Oklahoma.In the series' pilot, "The Century Turns", set in 1901, Hec meets New Prospect's chief of police, Oliver B. Stamp (Rick Lenz), a young, inexperienced lawman who needs help and after some initial friction, the two men develop a working relationship. They are frequently accompanied by a colorful local doctor, Amos Coogan, who is also the local Coroner/Medical Examiner (played by frequent Webb performerHarry Morgan, who was also a regular onThe Richard Boone Show). All of them went on to appear in "The Shootist" with John Wayne.
The series was one of the first television Westerns set in the early 20th century[1] at a time when viewer interest in theold West was waning. Two contemporary series with a similar setting wereNichols andBearcats! (the latter was set in 1914).
ProducerJack Webb described Hec Ramsey as "Dragnet meetsJohn Wayne" and critics picked up on that.[2] The scripts balanced authentic "modern" investigative methods of the 1900s with action and adventure.[3][4]
Despite good ratings, the series was canceled after two seasons, following disagreements between Boone and Universal.[citation needed] Douglas Benton and creatorHarold Jack Bloom were the producers; Jack Webb was executive producer.
Among the guest stars in the series' 10 episodes, were:Claude Akins,Rory Calhoun,Jackie Cooper (in "Dead Heat"),Angie Dickinson,Steve Forrest,Kim Hunter,Rita Moreno,Sheree North,Ruth Roman,Kurt Russell (in "Scar Tissue"),Stuart Whitman (in "A Hard Road to Vengeance") andMarie Windsor (in "Mystery of the Green Feather").
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Century Turns" | Daniel Petrie | Harold Jack Bloom | October 8, 1972 (1972-10-8) | |
An aging lawman in 1901 Oklahoma employs the latest crime detection techniques to solve the murder of ahomesteading couple while overcoming the skepticism of his young, college-educated police chief. Guest stars:Ray Middleton,Sharon Acker,Dick Van Patten andHarry Morgan | |||||
| 2 | "Hangman's Wages" | George Marshall | Shimon Wincelberg | October 29, 1972 (1972-10-29) | |
Legendary outlaw Wes Durham is being held in the New Prospect jail, awaiting a new form of execution:electric chair. Hec's job is to uncover and capture an admirer of the outlaw, who is killing a person each day until Durham is set free. Guest stars:Steve Forrest,Lee Montgomery,Stella Stevens andG.D. Spradlin. | |||||
| 3 | "The Mystery of the Green Feather" | Herschel Daugherty | John Meston | December 17, 1972 (1972-12-17) | |
Hec sets out to uncover the killers of a family of settlers. Their arrow-pierced bodies and a brave'smedicine bag containing a green feather implicate a local Native American tribe, but Hec is reluctant to rush to judgment. Guest stars:Lorraine Gary,Lloyd Bochner,John Fiedler andRory Calhoun. | |||||
| 4 | "The Mystery of the Yellow Rose" | Douglas Benton | Story :William R. Cox, Douglas Benton Teleplay :John Meston | January 28, 1973 (1973-1-28) | |
Hec tracks a check forger toSanta Rita, New Mexico, where he encounters an old flame who is being framed for murder. Hec plays attorney to free his friend, which puts him afoul of Henry T. Madden, a tyrant who holds the town in fear. Guest stars:Diana Muldaur,Claude Akins,Virginia Gregg andDavid Brian. | |||||
| 5 | "The Mystery of Chalk Hill" | Harry Morgan | Harold Swanton | February 18, 1973 (1973-2-18) | |
Hec quits his job and relocates toEnid, Oklahoma, where he immediately finds himself hard driven to solve a tragic double-homicide. Guest stars:Bruce Davison,Jeanette Nolan,Pat Hingle andLouise Latham. | |||||
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | "A Hard Road to Vengeance" | Alex March | Story :S. Bar-David Teleplay :S. Bar-David &Harold Jack Bloom | November 25, 1973 (1973-11-25) | |
A lawman arrives in the town of New Prospect to tell the citizens his side of the story of how he shot the idolized outlaw they're about to honor with a monument. Guest stars:Keenan Wynn,Rita Moreno,Harold J. Stone,Stuart Whitman,Perry Lopez andRuth Roman. | |||||
| 7 | "The Detroit Connection" | Nicholas Colasanto | Joseph Calvelli | December 30, 1973 (1973-12-30) | |
When a crime syndicate from Detroit murders one of the oil drillers they have tricked into accepting loans, Hec sets out to take them down. Guest stars:Angie Dickinson,Kim Hunter,Richard Jordan andMarshall Thompson. | |||||
| 8 | "Dead Heat" | Richard Quine | Brad Radnitz | February 3, 1974 (1974-2-3) | |
A young man dies of heart failure and Hec suspects foul play. Guest stars:Sheree North,Jackie Cooper,John Anderson andAlfred Ryder. | |||||
| 9 | "Scar Tissue" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Mann Rubin | March 10, 1974 (1974-3-10) | |
Matthias Kane comes to New Prospect looking for the father he never met. Hec befriends the hot-headed young man and assists him in locating his father, uncovering dark secrets and shady pasts in the process. Guest stars:Kurt Russell,Chill Wills,Hilarie Thompson andAlbert Salmi. | |||||
| 10 | "Only Birds and Fools" | Harry Morgan | Richard Fielder | April 7, 1974 (1974-4-7) | |
New Prospect hosts the first flight by two airplane inventors, but a cloud hanging over the celebrated exhibition is Hec's investigation of a mysterious murder. Doc Coogan attempts to heal a family torn asunder byalcoholism. Guest stars:Robert Foxworth,Charles Aidman,Fionnula Flanagan andKatherine Helmond. | |||||
