Manimal

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Manimal
Genre Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Created by Glen A. Larson
Donald R. Boyle
Written by Michael Berk
Larry Brody
Sam Egan
Joseph Gunn
Paul Mason
Douglas Schwartz
Directed by Chuck Bail
Georg Fenady
Daniel Haller
Sidney Hayers
Leslie H. Martinson
Russ Mayberry
Starring See Cast below
Narrated by William Conrad
Theme music composer Paul Chihara
Opening theme "Manimal"
Composer(s) Paul Chihara
Alan Silvestri
Country of origin  United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 8
Production
Executive producer(s) Glen A. Larson
Paul Mason
Running time 60 mins.
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run September 30, 1983 – December 17, 1983

Manimal was a short-lived American action/adventure/fantasy television series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. It was repeated on British television throughout 1984.

Contents

[edit] Opening narration

For every episode except the pilot, actor William Conrad recites the opening narration that tells of Chase's wealthy present life and his early days in Africa with his missionary father.

“ Dr. Jonathan Chase... wealthy, young, handsome. A man with the brightest of futures. A man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa's deepest recesses, to the rarefied peaks of Tibet, heir to his father's legacy and the world's darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man... Manimal! ”

[edit] Overview

Manimal premiered as a 90 minute pilot that aired on September 30, 1983. The series featured the story of Jonathan Chase (Simon McCorkindale), a shape-shifting man who can turn himself into a snake, a hawk, or a black panther, and uses this ability to fight crime.

By modern standards its special effects, though plentiful, are relatively low-quality, not surprising given the time period and other constraints. While Dr. Chase was meant to have the ability to change himself into any animal, in practice his onscreen transformations were almost always into a hawk or black panther, with the exact same backdrops each time, presumably to save on the budget, though on one occasion he was seen becoming a snake. In the episodes when Dr. Chase turns into a bull, dolphin and horse, the actual transformations occur off-screen.

Manimal was a part of NBC's 1983 fall lineup which also featured eight other series (including Jennifer Slept Here, Bay City Blues, and We Got it Made) that were canceled before their first seasons ended.[1] The series, which was scheduled opposite CBS's popular soap opera Dallas, was also canceled after eight episodes. However, Manimal did receive success in its television run in South Asia. A similar success was achieved in Peru through a local television network Frecuencia Latina.

Glen Larson, the creator, briefly resurrected the Chase character for a crossover with his 1990s underground classic Nightman.

[edit] Episode list

EP# Title Airdate Prod. code
1 "Manimal (90-minute pilot)" September 30, 1983 101

When a group of thieves devise a plan to hijack a shipment of nerve gas, Detective Brooke Mackenzie must stop them. She teams up with Dr. Jonathan Chase, a man that knows the secrets that divide man and animal and who is trained in an African technique that allows him to change into different animal forms.

Special Guest Stars: Ursula Andress as Karen Jade and Ed Lauter as Colonel Hunt 
2 "Illusion" October 14, 1983 102

A Bulgarian Ambassador hides behind his immunity status to smuggle illegal goods into the country.

Special Guest Star: Richard Lynch as Zoltan Gregory 
3 "Night of the Scorpion" October 21, 1983 103
While being interrogated by Russian agents about the location of a list, a man dies from a truth serum drug. A note and $2 million dollars are left to his daughter, Terry. Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must protect Terry while trying to locate the list before the Russian agents do. 
4 "Female of the Species" October 28, 1983 104

After a girl is found living with wolves in the forests of Sultanpur, India, she is the topic of discussion at a local university where she is being held. When an attempt is made on her life, Jonathan takes her into his care and protection. Her identity must be found in order to discover who it is that is trying to kill her.

Special Guest Star: Michael McGuire as Stanford Langly 
5 "High Stakes" November 4, 1983 105

When a horse trainer recognizes her stolen horse in a race, Jonathan helps her try and recover it. Furthermore, Dr. Chase alludes to the episode title at least three times. At the bar he says both, "The stakes seem high," and "These are some high stakes... almost too high." Later that night in the restaurant he remarks, from off camera, "How about those stakes back there? Pretty high, huh?"

Special Guest Star: David Sheiner as Sheldon Greentree 
6 "Scrimshaw" December 3, 1983 106

While at the beach, Jonathan and the others discover a scrimshaw (walrus tusk with carvings on it) in the clutches of a skeleton. They begin investigating at local bar where they encounter someone who has been looking for it for their whole life.

Special Guest Stars: Meeno Peluce as Corky Morgan and Keenan Wynn as Sea Dog Morgan 
7 "Breath of the Dragon" December 10, 1983 107
Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must stop a criminal who extorts money from businesses in China Town while posing as a superstitious icon known as The Dragon. 
8 "Night of the Beast" December 17, 1983 108
While on a well deserved vacation, Jonathan, Ty and Brooke get involved to thwart an attempt by a syndicate boss to illegally take over the town of Birch Hollow in order legalize gambling and build a large casino. 

[edit] Cast

[edit] International broadcasters

[edit] Other points of interest

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2008)
  • The often derided transformation sequences were designed and created by Academy Award-winning SFX artist Stan Winston.
  • In the episode "Breath of the Dragon," Walter Nebicher from Automan can be seen walking outside the Chinese restaurant. Both Manimal and Automan were filmed back to back with the same scene, at a different angle, appearing in the episode of Automan.
  • The show is referenced in the song "Wind Up" by Foo Fighters on their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.
  • In the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, John C. Reilly's character Cal Naughton, Jr. makes a brief reference to Manimal.
  • Online comedy show The Bill Binkley Show! references the series in their short, The Hunt for Billy Dee. Binkley's sidekick Ed believes Billy Dee Williams has become a Manimal in order to elude and ambush the duo.
  • Psych, a detective show on the USA Network, references the show in the episode "Meat is Murder, But Murder is Also Murder".
  • In his televised round the world motorcycle journey Long Way Round, Ewan McGregor receives a mosquito bite in Kazakhstan which causes his brow to swell alarmingly. As he inspects his swollen face in the mirror, he jokingly comments to his companions that he looks like Manimal.
  • In an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, after Will sabotages a taping of a Soap Opera, Geoffrey claims that it was the biggest disaster aired on television since the cancellation of Manimal.
  • In the episode "High Stakes," Dr. Chase alludes to the episode title at least three times. At the bar he says both, "The stakes seem high," and "These are some high stakes... almost too high." Later that night in the restaurant he remarks, from off camera, "How about those stakes back there? Pretty high, huh?"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hofstede, David (2004). What Were They Thinking: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History. Back Stage Books. pp. 87. ISBN 0-823-08441-8. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manimal"
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