Father Murphy
| Father Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Title screen |
|
| Format | Western Drama |
| Starring | Merlin Olsen Moses Gunn Katherine Cannon Timothy Gibbs Byron Thames Lisa Trusel Richard Bergman Ivy Bethune |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Landon |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original run | November 3, 1981 – September 18, 1983 |
Father Murphy is an American television drama series that aired on the NBC network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon created the series, was the executive producer, and also directed the show in partnership with William F. Claxton, Maury Dexter, Victor French and Leo Penn.
It stars former NFL Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle football player and Little House on the Prairie actor Merlin Olsen as an 1870s frontiersman named John Michael Murphy who teams up with prospector Moses Gage (Moses Gunn) to shelter a group of orphans who are being threatened with a workhouse. Murphy disguises himself as a priest and befriends a schoolmarm to help the children find a home. At the end of the first season, his true identity is revealed to the head of the workhouse, and the orphans seem destined to a life of labor. Instead, Murphy marries the schoolmarm and they get custody of the children.
Many of the episodes were filmed at the Old Tucson Studios and theme park just outside of Tucson, Arizona. The main village from the show, however, was located at the Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, California (the filming location for the famed television series Little House on the Prairie). The village was located approximately 200 yards up the hill from the Ingall's farm.
The show is an NBC production and syndicated worldwide by Sony Pictures Television. However, Sony does not own the video rights, as indicated below.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Merlin Olsen as John Michael Murphy
- Katherine Cannon as Mae Woodward
- Timothy Gibbs as Will Adams
- Moses Gunn as Moses Gage
- Scott Mellini as Ephram Winkler
- Lisa Trusel as Lizette Winkler
- Kirk Brennan as David Sims
- Byron Thames as Matt Sims
Notable guest appearances on the series included: Shannen Doherty, Kellie Martin, John M. Pickard, Eddie Quillan, Christina Applegate, Amanda Peterson, Donna Wilkes, Tina Yothers, Wilfred Hyde-White, and James Cromwell.
[edit] DVD releases
Image Entertainment (under license from NBC Studios) released both seasons of Father Murphy on DVD in Region 1 in 2004/2005. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | October 26, 2004[1] |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 25, 2005[2] |
[edit] List of episodes
[edit] Season 1 (1981-1982)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 101 | "Father Murphy" | 3 November 1981 |
| 2 | 102 | "Eggs, Milk and a Dry Bed" | 10 November 1981 |
| 3 | 103 | "Establish Thou the Works of Our Hands" | 17 November 1981 |
| 4 | 104 | "A Horse from Heaven" | 24 November 1981 |
| 5 | 105 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 1" | 1 December 1981 |
| 6 | 106 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 2" | 8 December 1981 |
| 7 | 107 | "False Blessings" | 15 December 1981 |
| 8 | 108 | "The Ghost of Gold Hill" | 22 December 1981 |
| 9 | 109 | "Graduation" | 5 January 1982 |
| 10 | 110 | "Will's Surprise" | 12 January 1982 |
| 11 | 111 | "Eighty-Eight Keys to Happiness" | 19 January 1982 |
| 12 | 112 | "Knights of the White Camelia" | 2 February 1982 |
| 13 | 113 | "The Parable of Amanda" | 9 February 1982 |
| 14 | 114 | "The Spy" | 16 February 1982 |
| 15 | 115 | "The Heir Apparent" | 23 February 1982 |
| 16 | 116 | "In God's Arms" | 2 March 1982 |
| 17 | 117 | "The Dream Day" | 14 March 1982 |
| 18 | 118 | "Laddie" | 21 March 19822 |
| 19 | 119 | "Matthew and Elizabeth" | 28 March 1982 |
| 20 | 120 | "The First Miracle: Part 1" | 4 April 1982 |
| 21 | 121 | "The First Miracle: Part 2" | 11 April 1982 |
[edit] Season 2 (1982-1983)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 201 | "Happiness Is..." | 28 September 1982 |
| 23 | 202 | "The Father Figure" | 5 October 1982 |
| 24 | 203 | "Stopover in a One-Horse Town" | 26 October 1982 |
| 25 | 204 | "Outrageous Fortune" | 9 November 1982 |
| 26 | 205 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 1" | 16 November 1982 |
| 27 | 206 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 2" | 23 November 1982 |
| 28 | 207 | "Buttons and Beaux" | 30 November 1982 |
| 29 | 208 | "John Michael Murphy, R.I.P." | 7 December 1982 |
| 30 | 209 | "The Witness" | 14 December 1982 |
| 31 | 210 | "Blood Right" | 21 December 1982 |
| 32 | 211 | "Sweet Sixteen" | 28 December 1982 |
| 33 | 212 | "The Rockets' Red Glare" | 1 June 1983 |
| 34 | 213 | "The Matchmakers" | 18 September 1983 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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This article relating to a drama television series in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- American drama television series
- NBC network shows
- Western (genre) television series
- 1980s American television series
- Television series by NBC Universal Television
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
- 1981 television series debuts
- 1983 television series endings
- United States drama television series stubs
