Banacek
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| Banacek | |
| Format | Detective show |
|---|---|
| Starring | George Peppard Ralph Manza Murray Matheson |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| 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 |
This article is about a TV series. For the mentalist/entertainer, see Banachek.
Banacek (one of the rotating NBC Mystery Movie series) was 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 it was the only one to last beyond its first season. It was later rebroadcast on A&E Network.
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, and was picked up for a third season. However, before the third season could start production, Peppard quit the show in order to prevent his ex-wife Elizabeth Ashley from receiving a larger percentage of his earnings as part of their divorce settlement.
Contents |
[edit] 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 value of the insured property. Banacek's signature was quoting strangely worded, but curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs: "There's an old Polish proverb that says, if you're not sure that it's potato borscht, there could be orphans working in the mines", and "Just because the cat has her kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits" are two examples. Another recurring gag was for other characters to mispronounce his name, often (particularly in the case of rivals) deliberately; another gag was other characters asking Banacek if he is related to famous Polish persons with the Banacek 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.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Pilot
| Title | Airdate |
|---|---|
| Banacek: Detour to Nowhere | 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. | |
[edit] Season one
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Let's Hear It For A Living Legend | 13 September 1972 |
| Banacek is called in after a star running back vanishes from a dogpile on national television. Guest stars Stephanie Powers, Anitra Ford and John Brodie. | ||
| 2 | Project Phoenix | 27 September 1972 |
| Banacek investigates the disappearance of a valuable prototype automobile. Guest stars William Windom, Bert Convy. | ||
| 3 | No Sign of the Cross | 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 | 1 November 1972 |
| A million dollars vanishes from a Las Vegas slot machine display. Guest star Margot Kidder. | ||
| 5 | To Steal A King | 15 November 1972 |
| Banacek searches for a missing coin collection. Guest stars Brenda Vaccaro, Pernell Roberts, and Roger C. Carmel. | ||
| 6 | Ten Thousand Dollars A Page | 10 January 1973 |
| A valuable book disappears from a highly secure room. Guest stars David Wayne. | ||
| 7 | The Greatest Collection of Them All | 24 January 1973 |
| A large charity art exhibit disappears right off the truck during shipment. Guest stars Penny Fuller. | ||
| 8 | The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack | 7 February 1973 |
| Plates used in the printing of stock certificates vanish. Guest stars Andrew Duggan, Jessica Walter. | ||
[edit] Season two
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | No Stone Unturned | 3 October 1973 |
| Banacek gets to locate a 3 ton, 3 meter tall statue that somehow disappeared before its unveiling. | ||
| 10 | If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is? | 7 November 1973 |
| A huge medical computer vanishes from the secured building it had filled. | ||
| 11 | The Three Million Dollar Piracy | 21 November 1973 |
| An expensive wedding coach is stolen from a shipping container in the hold of a ship. | ||
| 12 | The Vanishing Chalice | 15 January 1974 |
| An ancient chalice disappears from a museum during the official unveiling party. | ||
| 13 | Horse of A Slightly Different Color | 22 January 1974 |
| A race horse disappears from a track, during an exercise run. | ||
| 14 | Rocket to Oblivion | 12 February 1974 |
| A prototype rocket engine vanishes during a private showing. | ||
| 15 | Fly Me — If You Can Find Me | 19 February 1974 |
| After an emergency landing at an abandoned desert airstrip, a charter airliner vanishes, leaving a dead member of the flight crew as the only trace. | ||
| 16 | Now You See Me, Now You Don't | 12 March 1974 |
| Banacek assists the daughter of a stage magician, suspected of grand larceny, who disappeared during his act — for real. | ||
[edit] DVD releases
On May 15, 2007, Banacek: The First Season was released in the US under the TV Guide Presents label by Arts Alliance America. All eight first season episodes, but not the series pilot, were included. Season 2 was released on January 22, 2008, and it includes the pilot episode. On September 30, 2008, Arts Alliance will release Banacek: The Complete Series, a 5-disc boxset featuring all 16 episodes of the series.
| Cover Art | DVD Name | Episodes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Banacek: The First Season | 8 | May 15, 2007 |
| Banacek: The Second Season | 8 | January 22, 2008 | |
| Banacek: The Complete Series | 16 | September 30, 2008 |
[edit] 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).
