Recently the Ironside seasons 5-8 have become available as a DVD box. This is fortunate. Although the Ironside Facebook group offers interesting summaries, the real thing is obviously better. The Priest Killer is the first episode of S5 and special for many reasons. First, Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) has unfortunately left the team for various reasons. Second, it is a 2-hours episode. And third, it is used as a pilot for the TV series Sarge, with Georgey Kennedy playing the principal role. Sarge is a former detective, who has switched to a career as a priest. In this episode he teams up with Ironside in order to catch a mentally disturbed killer. The film script is quite credible, and contains lots of suspense. In the first scenes a priest is killed. In the beginning the motive for the murder is unclear. But when two more priests are murdered, the real motives surface. During the second half of the episode the identity of the killer has been revealed. The end will be clear: Ironside always gets his target. But now the challenge is to stop the killer before he can do more harm. And the killer, although mentally disturbed, plans his deeds cleverly. In addition to the suspense, the psychology of the plot is well thought-out. This pilot is certainly one of the better Ironside episodes.
4 Reviews
The movie "The Priest Killer", provided the beginning for an excellent detective/mystery TV series named "Sarge".
starmax-9871815 May 2015
The TV series, "Sarge" was one of my favorite shows. With the main role starring George Kennedy as a cop turned priest, it came with a terrific supporting cast, a well put together storyline, intriguing mystery, danger, suspense, character, feeling, and even humor. This series had all the makings of what should have been a long running classic. Before it had really come into it's own, it was placed against 2 hugely successful time slots for Hawaii 5-O and Movie of the Week. It's loss from the screen had nothing to do with the quality or believability of the show as one TV critic stated. The show had a solid following and many disappointed fans when it ended. I would LOVE to see this series again, especially if it were available on a set of DVDs with each season on a single DVD (not multi-layered). I recently purchased another great detective mystery set that was packaged in such a way and it has been a perfect addition to our collection. The multi-layered set of the same was not well received and had LOTS of problems.
WOW! Ironside gets feature film treatment
TopekaBob28 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Pardon the enthusiasm, but when you watch 4 seasons of an episodic TV show, even a good one, and then they start a season with by filming entirely on-location, achieving a film-noirish feature film effect, and the Director taking the time to set up cool shots and awesome angles and multi-layered scenes - well, it's a shocker. And then to get Raymond Burr, George Kennedy, and Ann Doran together. Very nice.
So this was a TV movie that launched a new Series starring Kennedy, "Sarge," and they really made it work. Even Ironside's old office looks different, bathed in shadows and somewhat eerie. And the use of Mark Sanger in this one is very nice - usually just sitting or standing in the background, cast in shadow, just...watching.
There's several really cool scenes. The funeral scene at the cemetery, where during the burial camera, in one take, slowly moves around the mourners. Then later when Sarge is talking to a distraught Priest, the camera pans back and while they're talking cars from the funeral keep passing them by, in succession. Finally, what loving care for the final shot, from a helicopter!
And then there's the treat of the actors we get to see. Real pros. Ann Doran, acting since 1934. Louise Latham, pretty much in every single TV show from the 1950's-1990's. Both in Perry Mason episodes of course.
And Anthony Zerbe as the disturbed killer - always memorable to me for his role in the second Planet of the Apes films, but of course was in hundreds of others. Even Max Gail, later in Barney Miller, appears in his first role All in all a real treat. Enjoy.
So this was a TV movie that launched a new Series starring Kennedy, "Sarge," and they really made it work. Even Ironside's old office looks different, bathed in shadows and somewhat eerie. And the use of Mark Sanger in this one is very nice - usually just sitting or standing in the background, cast in shadow, just...watching.
There's several really cool scenes. The funeral scene at the cemetery, where during the burial camera, in one take, slowly moves around the mourners. Then later when Sarge is talking to a distraught Priest, the camera pans back and while they're talking cars from the funeral keep passing them by, in succession. Finally, what loving care for the final shot, from a helicopter!
And then there's the treat of the actors we get to see. Real pros. Ann Doran, acting since 1934. Louise Latham, pretty much in every single TV show from the 1950's-1990's. Both in Perry Mason episodes of course.
And Anthony Zerbe as the disturbed killer - always memorable to me for his role in the second Planet of the Apes films, but of course was in hundreds of others. Even Max Gail, later in Barney Miller, appears in his first role All in all a real treat. Enjoy.
Overly long and boring
spunkins22 July 2023
Beside the fact that this episode is way too long and interminably boring, the main disappointment is that the most elegant and gracious Eve has been given the boot. A real loss to the cast, and now the show has a weird unfamiliar feel, and you know that it will never be the same again.
Similar to how Kojak changed format and theme tune in the last series, thereby sounding its death knell.
Nevertheless it is good to see Anthony Zerbe (from Harry O) staring.
The Sarge bloke gets on my nerves, even though he is a good actor.... This episode is clearly just a crappy pilot for Sarge to have his own show.
To sum up: long, boring and needlessly prolonged. A disappointing start to season 5 and a terrible new direction for the show, overall.
Similar to how Kojak changed format and theme tune in the last series, thereby sounding its death knell.
Nevertheless it is good to see Anthony Zerbe (from Harry O) staring.
The Sarge bloke gets on my nerves, even though he is a good actor.... This episode is clearly just a crappy pilot for Sarge to have his own show.
To sum up: long, boring and needlessly prolonged. A disappointing start to season 5 and a terrible new direction for the show, overall.
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