The Quest (1976 TV series)

The Quest is an American Western series which aired on NBC from September to December 1976. The series stars Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson. The pilot episode aired as a television movie on May 13, 1976.

Not to be confused with The Quest (1982 TV series) or The Quest (2014 TV series).
The Quest
Series title screen
GenreWestern
Created byTracy Keenan Wynn
Written byAnthony Lawrence
Michael Michaelian
Katharyn Powers
Tracy Keenan Wynn
Directed byBernard McEveety
StarringKurt Russell
Tim Matheson
Theme music composerRichard Shores
Composer(s)Richard Shores
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes15 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s)David Gerber
Producer(s)James H. Brown
Mark Rodgers
CinematographyAl Francis
Editor(s)Hugh Chaloupka
John Elias
Richard L. Van Enger
Ken Zemke
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time44 mins.
Production company(s)David Gerber Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
DistributorColumbia TriStar Domestic Television
Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 22 (1976-09-22) –
December 29, 1976 (1976-12-29)
Chronology
Preceded byThe Quest
Tim Matheson and Kurt Russell

Overview

Two brothers Morgan (Kurt Russell) and Quentin Bodine (Matheson) are seeking the whereabouts of their long-lost sister, Patricia, being held by the Cheyenne. Morgan, known as "Two Persons", was a captive of the Cheyenne for eight years until he was freed by the United States Army.

In the story, Quentin is a young physician from San Francisco. The pair crosses thousands of miles across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in search of Patricia; hence, the title The Quest.

Cast

Guest actors

Production

The series was created by Tracy Keenan Wynn, son of Keenan Wynn, who also made two appearances on the series. David Gerber served as the executive producer. Much of the filming was in Arizona.

Reception and cancellation

The Quest aired at the 10 p.m. Eastern Wednesday slot opposite ABC's Charlie's Angels.[2] Low ratings, coupled with the fact that Westerns had fallen out of favor with networks and audiences, contributed to the demise of the series. The Quest was canceled during its first season. The final episode aired on December 29, 1976. Four of the fifteen episodes produced never aired in the US.

Episode list
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
"The Quest"TBATBAMay 13, 1976 (1976-05-13)
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"The Captive"Barry ShearMark RogersSeptember 22, 1976 (1976-09-22)
2"The Buffalo Hunters"Earl BellamyPaul SavageSeptember 29, 1976 (1976-09-29)
3"Shanklin"Corey AllenCharles A. McDanielOctober 13, 1976 (1976-10-13)
4"Day of Outrage"TBATBAOctober 27, 1976 (1976-10-27)
5"Seventy-Two Hours"Alf KjellinAnthony LawrenceNovember 3, 1976 (1976-11-03)
6"Prairie Woman"Bernard McEveetyEarl W. WallaceNovember 10, 1976 (1976-11-10)
7"Welcome to America, Jane Snow"Bernard McEveetyAnthony LawrenceNovember 24, 1976 (1976-11-24)
8"The Longest Drive: Part 1"Bernard McEveetyKatharyn Powers and Michael MichaelianDecember 1, 1976 (1976-12-01)
9"The Longest Drive: Part 2"TBATBADecember 8, 1976 (1976-12-08)
10"Portrait of a Gunfighter"TBATBADecember 22, 1976 (1976-12-22)
11"The Freight Train Rescue"Michael O'HerlihySean BaineDecember 29, 1976 (1976-12-29)
12"The Last of the Mountain Men"TBATBAUNAIRED
13"Dynasty of Evil"TBATBAUNAIRED
14"The Seminole Negro Indian Scouts"TBATBAUNAIRED
15"Incident at Drucker's Tavern"TBATBAUNAIRED

Awards and nominations

The Quest was nominated for a prime time Emmy Award for costume design. One episode, "Hatcher's Drive" won a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for script writers Katharyn Powers and Michael Michaelian. The writers tied with Jim Byrnes of ABC's How the West Was Won.[3]

DVD release

While the entire series has not been released on DVD, a two-part episode, "The Longest Drive", was released on Region 1 DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2005.[4] The television film which served as the series' pilot episode was also released on DVD by Sony in 2011.[5]

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See also

References
  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580575/?ref_=nv_sr_1
  2. 1976-1977 American network television schedule
  3. IMDb, The Quest, Awards
  4. "The Quest - The Longest Drive". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  5. "The Quest - TV Movie". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
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