Banacek

This article is about the TV series. For the mentalist/entertainer, see Banachek.

Banacek
Format	Crime, Mystery fiction
Starring	George Peppard Ralph Manza Murray Matheson
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	17
Production
Executive producer(s)	George Eckstein
Producer(s)	Howie Horwitz
Running time	90 min
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	October 8, 1972 – September 3, 1974

Banacek (pronounced 'BAN-ah-check'), one of the rotating NBC Mystery Movie series, is a short-lived, light-hearted detective TV series starring George Peppard on NBC from 1972 to 1974. It alternated in its timeslot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season.

The show had a mixture of humor combined with rather intricate plots that never generated strong ratings. Despite this, the show was well received by critics.

The Polish American Congress gave the series an award for portraying Polish Americans in a good manner.

Premise

Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a suave, Polish-American freelance investigator based in Boston, who solved seemingly impossible thefts (see locked room mystery). He then collected from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. One of Banacek's verbal signatures was the quotation of strangely worded yet curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs such as:

• If you're not sure that it's potato borscht, there could be orphans working in the mines.
• Though the hippopotamus has no sting, the wise man would prefer to be sat upon by the bee.
• A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn.
• If a wolf is after your sleigh throw him a raisin cookie—but don't stop to bake him a cake.
• Just because the cat has her kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits.

Another recurring gag was for other characters to mispronounce his name, often (particularly in the case of rivals) deliberately. The name "Banaczek" (as pronounced in the show) is actually very rare in Poland. The closest Polish names in common use are Banaszak (bah-NAH-shack) and Banasik (bah-NAH-sheek). In fact, Banáček is a Czech surname.

Also featured were Ralph Manza as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury, Murray Matheson as rare-bookstore owner and information source Felix Mulholland and Christine Belford as Carlie Kirkland, Banacek's sometime-lover and always-rival.

Episodes

Pilot (1972)

№	Title	Director	Writer	Airdate
0	"Banacek: Detour to Nowhere"	Jack Smight	Anthony Wilson	20 March 1972
Banacek finds himself in a race against his old adversary, Chief McKinney of the National Meridian Insurance Company, to solve the case of a missing armored truck carrying $1,600,000 of gold bullion that disappeared without a trace while under a police escort.

Season 1 (1972–1973)

№	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Airdate
1	"Let's Hear It for a Living Legend"	Jack Smight	Del Reisman	13 September 1972
Banacek is called in after a football player vanishes on national TV. Guest stars Stefanie Powers, Anitra Ford and John Brodie.
2	"Project Phoenix"	Richard T. Heffron	David Moessinger	27 September 1972
Banacek investigates the disappearance of a valuable prototype automobile. Guest stars William Windom, Bert Convy.
3	"No Sign of the Cross"	Daryl Duke	Robert Presnell Jr., Howard Browne	11 October 1972
Banacek searches for a valuable church artifact that disappeared from a sealed box. Guest star Broderick Crawford.
4	"A Million the Hard Way"	Bernard L. Kowalski	Stanley Ralph Ross	1 November 1972
A million dollars vanishes from a Las Vegas casino display. Guest star Margot Kidder; writer Stanley Ralph Ross appears as Larry Fields.
5	"To Steal A King"	Louis Antonio	Stephen Kandel	15 November 1972
Banacek searches for a missing coin collection. Guest stars Kevin McCarthy, Brenda Vaccaro, Pernell Roberts, and Roger C. Carmel.
6	"Ten Thousand Dollars a Page"	Richard T. Heffron	Paul Playdon	10 January 1973
A valuable book disappears from a highly secure room. Guest stars David Wayne.
7	"The Greatest Collection of Them All"	George McCowan	Theodore J. Flicker	24 January 1973
A charity art exhibit disappears right off the truck during shipment. Guest stars Penny Fuller and Mike Farrell.
8	"The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack"	Richard T. Heffron	Stanley Ralph Ross, Shirl Hendryx, Pat Fielder, Richard Bluel	7 February 1973
Plates used in the printing of stock certificates vanish. Guest stars Andrew Duggan, Jessica Walter.

Season 2 (1973–1974)

№	Title	Director	Writer(s)	Airdate
9	"No Stone Unturned"	Richard T. Heffron	Stephen Lord, Robert Van Scoyk, Lee Santley, George Sheldon Smith	3 October 1973
Banacek must locate a three-ton statue that disappeared right before its unveiling. With Gary Lockwood.
10	"If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?"	Bernard L. Kowalski	Robert Van Scoyk	7 November 1973
A huge medical computer vanishes from its secure building. Guest star Anne Baxter.
11	"The Three Million Dollar Piracy"	Andrew McLaglen	Stanley Ralph Ross, Robert Van Scoyk, Jack Turley	21 November 1973
An expensive wedding coach is stolen from a shipping container in the hold of a ship. Guest star Arlene Martel
12	"The Vanishing Chalice"	Bernard L. Kowalski	Morton Fine	15 January 1974
An ancient chalice disappears from a museum during the unveiling party. Guest star Cesar Romero.
13	"Horse of a Slightly Different Color"	Herschel Daugherty	Harold Livingston, Jimmy Sangster	22 January 1974
A racehorse disappears from the track during an exercise run. With Anne Francis.
14	"Rocket to Oblivion"	Andrew McLaglen	Robert Van Scoyk	12 February 1974
A prototype rocket engine vanishes during a private showing. With Linda Evans.
15	"Fly Me — If You Can Find Me"	Bernard L. Kowalski	Harold Livingston	19 February 1974
After an emergency landing, a charter airliner vanishes. Sterling Hayden, Victoria Principal.
16	"Now You See Me, Now You Don't"	Bernard McEveety	Stanley Roberts	12 March 1974
A stage magician, suspected of grand larceny, disappears during his act — but for real.

DVD releases

Arts Alliance America has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 was released on May 15, 2007, without the series pilot. Season 2 was released on January 22, 2008 and included the pilot episode. On September 30, 2008, Arts Alliance released Banacek: The Complete Series, a 5-disc boxset featuring all 16 episodes.

In Region 4, Madman Entertainment released Season 1 on DVD in Australia on April 21, 2010. Season 2 will be released on September 15, 2010.

Production

The episode titled "If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?" was shot on location at the California 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 the Norton Simon Museum of Art.

A customized 1969 American Motors AMX was built by George Barris for the second regular season episode. The car became known as the AMX-400 and it is now owned by an automobile collector. Other continuing cars in the series were a 1941 Packard 180 with a Victoria body designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin (license plate number 178344) and a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine (mobile telephone number KL 17811).

External links

• Banacek episode guide
• Banacek at the Internet Movie Database
• Banacek at TV.com