The Manhunter
The Manhunter is an American crime drama that was part of CBS' lineup for the 1974–1975 television season. The series was produced by Quinn Martin and starred Ken Howard as Dave Barret, a 1930s-era private investigator from Idaho.
| The Manhunter | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Written by | William Bast Robert Bloch Robert C. Dennis Robert I. Holt Robert W. Lenski Sam Rolfe Carey Wilber |
| Directed by | Walter Grauman Leslie H. Martinson |
| Starring | Ken Howard Hilary Thompson Ford Rainey Claudia Bryar Robert J. Hogan |
| Composer(s) | Duane Tatro |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 (+ pilot) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Quinn Martin |
| Producer(s) | Adrian Samish |
| Running time | 60 mins. (approx) |
| Production company(s) | Quinn Martin Productions |
| Distributor | Viacom Paramount Television CBS Paramount Television CBS Television Distribution (current as of 2007) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 11, 1974 – March 5, 1975 |
Synopsis
The series' premise has Dave going from his parents' farm in Idaho to other parts of the Western and North Central United States to solve crimes, after the death of his best friend during a bank robbery. Using a car which is well stocked with weapons, he hunts down men who were wanted by the law. The series also starred Hilary Thompson as Dave's sister Lizabeth Barret, Ford Rainey as his father, James, Claudia Bryar as his mother, Mary and Robert J. Hogan as Sheriff Paul Tate.
Among the series' guest stars were Michael Constantine, Joan Van Ark, Denver Pyle, Tom Skerritt, Leslie Nielsen, Sam Elliott, Dabney Coleman, Paul Carr, a pre-Star Wars Mark Hamill, Linda Marsh, Parley Baer, a pre-The Simpsons Jo Ann Harris and Barbara Rhoades. Already known for his portrayal of Thomas Jefferson in 1776, Howard would later become famous playing the main character on The White Shadow.
The Manhunter pilot episode was shown on February 26, 1974. It was then picked up as a regular series by CBS, with its first regular episode being shown 8 months later on September 11, 1974. Although being ranked 19th for the week that it premiered, the series was cancelled by CBS because of stiff competition from ABC's Get Christie Love! and NBC's Petrocelli with its last regular episode being shown on March 5, 1975. Reruns of the series were then shown until April.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Ma Gantry Gang" | September 11, 1974 |
| 2 | "The Man Who Thought He Was Dillinger" | September 18, 1974 |
| 3 | "The Baby-Faced Killers" | September 25, 1974 |
| 4 | "Death on the Run" | October 2, 1974 |
| 5 | "Trackdown" | October 9, 1974 |
| 6 | "Terror From the Skies" | October 16, 1974 |
| 7 | "The Doomsday Gang" | October 23, 1974 |
| 8 | "The Deadly Brothers" | October 30, 1974 |
| 9 | "The Trunk Murders" | November 6, 1974 |
| 10 | "Jackknife" | November 13, 1974 |
| 11 | "The Carnival Story" | November 20, 1974 |
| 12 | "The Lodestar Ambush" | December 4, 1974 |
| 13 | "A.W.O.L. to Kill" | December 11, 1974 |
| 14 | "Flight to Nowhere" | December 18, 1974 |
| 15 | "Web of Fear" | January 1, 1975 |
| 16 | "Day of Execution" | January 15, 1975 |
| 17 | "Man in a Cage" | January 22, 1975 |
| 18 | "The Seventh Man" | January 29, 1975 |
| 19 | "The Wrong Man" | February 5, 1975 |
| 20 | "The Death Watch" | February 19, 1975 |
| 21 | "To Kill a Tiger" | February 26, 1975 |
| 22 | "Trial by Terror" | March 5, 1975 |