The Quest (1976 TV series)

Not to be confused with The Quest (1982 TV series) or The Quest (2014 TV series).

The Quest
Series title screen
Genre	Western
Created by	Tracy Keenan Wynn
Written by	Anthony Lawrence Michael Michaelian Katharyn Powers Tracy Keenan Wynn
Directed by	Bernard McEveety
Starring	Kurt Russell Tim Matheson
Theme music composer	Richard Shores
Composer	Richard Shores
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producer	David Gerber
Producers	James H. Brown Mark Rodgers
Cinematography	Al Francis
Editors	Hugh Chaloupka John Elias Richard L. Van Enger Ken Zemke
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	44 mins.
Production companies	David Gerber Productions Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 22 (1976-09-22) – December 29, 1976 (1976-12-29)

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.

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

• Kurt Russell as Morgan 'Two Persons' Bodeen
• Tim Matheson as Quinton Beaudine
• Brian Keith as Tank Logan
• Keenan Wynn as H.H. Small

Guest actors

• John Anderson
• Neville Brand
• Erik Estrada
• Brian Keith
• Gary Lockwood
• Hal Miller
• Cameron Mitchell
• Read Morgan
• Morgan Woodward
• Keenan Wynn

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. 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.

Episode list

Season 1

Episode #	Episode Title	Original Airdate
1	"The Captive"	September 22, 1976
2	"The Buffalo Hunters"	September 29, 1976
3	"Shanklin"	October 13, 1976
4	"Day of Outrage"	October 27, 1976
5	"Seventy-Two Hours"	November 3, 1976
6	"Prairie Woman"	November 10, 1976
7	"Welcome to America, Jade Snow"	November 24, 1976
8	"The Longest Drive" (Part 1)	December 1, 1976
9	"The Longest Drive" (Part 2)	December 8, 1976
10	"Portrait of a Gunfighter"	December 22, 1976
11	"The Freight Train Rescue"	December 29, 1976
12	"The Last of the Mountain Men"	Never aired
13	"Dynasty of Evil"	Never aired
14	"The Seminole Negro Indian Scouts"	Never aired
15	"Incident at Drucker's Tavern"	Never aired

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.

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. The television film which served as the series' pilot episode was also released on DVD by Sony in 2011.

External links

• The Quest at IMDb (TV Movie – Pilot film)
• The Quest at IMDb (TV Series)
• The Quest: The Longest Drive at IMDb (DVD Release)
• The Captive: The Longest Drive II at IMDb (DVD Release)
• The Quest at epguides.com