"Banacek" (1972) TV series 1972-1974

Creator:

Anthony Wilson
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

13 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

The adventures of proud Polish-American detective Thomas Banacek.

Plot Keywords:

Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

George Peppard	...	Thomas Banacek (17 episodes, 1972-1974)
Ralph Manza	...	Jay Drury (17 episodes, 1972-1974)
Murray Matheson	...	Felix Mulholland (16 episodes, 1972-1974)

Series Directed by
Bernard L. Kowalski		(4 episodes, 1972-1974)
Richard T. Heffron		(4 episodes, 1972-1973)
Jack Smight		(2 episodes, 1972)
Andrew V. McLaglen		(2 episodes, 1973-1974)
Theodore J. Flicker		(unknown episodes)
Jimmy Sangster		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Anthony Wilson		(17 episodes, 1972-1974)
Robert Van Scoyk		(4 episodes, 1973-1974)
Stanley Ralph Ross		(3 episodes, 1972-1973)
Harold Livingston		(2 episodes, 1974)
William Link		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
George Eckstein	....	executive producer / producer (17 episodes, 1972-1974)
Howie Horwitz	....	producer (16 episodes, 1972-1974)
Paul Playdon	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Jack Elliott		(6 episodes, 1972-1973)
Allyn Ferguson		(6 episodes, 1972-1973)
Billy Goldenberg		(3 episodes, 1972-1973)
Dick DeBenedictis		(2 episodes, 1973-1974)

Series Cinematography by
Sam Leavitt		(17 episodes, 1972-1974)

Series Film Editing by
Robert Watts		(9 episodes, 1972-1974)
Albert J.J. Zúñiga		(4 episodes, 1973-1974)
Bill Brame		(3 episodes, 1972-1973)

Series Art Direction by
George C. Webb		(9 episodes, 1972-1973)
Sydney Z. Litwack		(8 episodes, 1973-1974)

Series Set Decoration by
Jerry Adams		(14 episodes, 1972-1974)
Frank Rafferty		(2 episodes, 1972)

Series Costume Design by
Grady Hunt		(17 episodes, 1972-1974)

Series Production Management
Jim Hogan	....	unit manager (11 episodes, 1973-1974)
Ben Bishop	....	unit manager (3 episodes, 1972)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Reuben L. Watt	....	assistant director (10 episodes, 1972-1974)
George Peppard	....	second unit director (7 episodes, 1973-1974)
Foster H. Phinney	....	assistant director (5 episodes, 1972-1974)

Series Sound Department
Don Sharpless	....	sound (6 episodes, 1973-1974)
John R. Carter	....	sound (4 episodes, 1972-1973)
Vic Carpenter	....	sound (2 episodes, 1972)

Series Stunts
Jesse Wayne	....	stunt double: Ralph Manza (9 episodes, 1972-1974)
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Richard Belding	....	editorial supervisor (17 episodes, 1972-1974)

Series Music Department
Hal Mooney	....	music supervisor (17 episodes, 1972-1974)
Quincy Jones	....	composer: "Wednesday Mystery Movie" theme (8 episodes, 1972-1973)

Series Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main titles (16 episodes, 1972-1974)
Robert Van Scoyk	....	executive story consultant (8 episodes, 1973-1974)
Paul Playdon	....	executive story consultant (7 episodes, 1972-1973)

Production Companies

• Universal TV

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972-1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Studios USA Television

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min (16 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Apartments, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The cigars Banacek smoked were actually George Peppard's private stock of panatelas from Club 21 in New York (they were the same cigars he smoked as Hannibal Smith in "The A-Team" (1983)).

Quotes:

Thomas Banacek:A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III (#4.5)" (1992)

"It's Bana-CHECK"

After years of playing what he described to TV Guide as "tight-jawed men of action" in routine theatrical films, George Peppard made his small-screen bow as the star of "Banacek," one of three series ("Madigan" and "Cool Million" were the others) that rotated under the umbrella of The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie when it premiered in September 1972 (following in the successful footsteps of the original Mystery Movie trio of "Columbo," "McCloud," and "McMillan and Wife" which moved to Sundays for their second season).

Almost every TV cop had a gimmick in that era, be it a wheelchair ("Ironside"), a Stetson ("McCloud"), or a walking stick ("Longstreet"). Thomas Banacek's appeal had much to do with his being Polish, and the sleuth (actually an insurance investigator) had enough confidence and sex appeal to counter any ethnic joke that came his way. When he wasn't seducing the leading ladies, he was correcting those who mispronounce his name ("It's Bana-CHECK"), more often than not with a smart-a** response.

Like "Columbo," this show's mysteries weren't who-done-its so much as they were how'd-they-do-it? Each episode opened with a mysterious disappearance (a football player vanishes after being tackled in one show, a priceless artifact or an airplane disappears in another) that Banacek would spend the bulk of each 90-minute episode attempting to solve. Smoking fine cigars, and displaying an expertise on the more elegant things in life that would make James Bond envious, Banacek could be insufferably arrogant, and Peppard inhabited the character to perfection.

"Banacek" was introduced in a two-hour World Premiere movie which aired on NBC in the 1971-72 season, then went on to headline 16 episodes from 1972-74. Despite healthy ratings, Peppard, whose contract with Universal and NBC originally called for a weekly series, and was therefore easily broken, bowed out in the hope of producing and directing a film about Long John Silver. When that project failed to materialize, he returned to series TV in the lesser "Doctors Hospital" in 1975 but enjoyed his greatest success as the leader of "The A Team" in the 80s. But "Banacek" remains his finest work in the television medium.