"Beacon Hill" (1975) TV series

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

Fielder Cook
Mel Ferber

Writer:

Lionel Chetwynd (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

25 August 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Soap opera about rich family and their servants in 1920s Boston.

Plot Keywords:

Soap | Period Piece | Irish American

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Peter Coffield	...	Larry Greene (2 episodes, 1975)
Robin Mary Paris	...	Alix Greene (2 episodes, 1975)

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO)

Highly Underrated Series -- Beacon Hill was superb!

This series was an Americanized version of Upstairs/Downstairs which had just become a huge hit in England and then the USA. It revolved around the wealthy Boston Lassiter family. It featured a superb cast -- Stephen Elliot, David Dukes, Paul Rudd, Maeve MacGuire, Edward Herrman, Nancy Marchand, Michael Nouri, George Rose, Beatrice Straight, Kathryn Walker....

Another reviewer savaged this series, but I totally, entirely disagree. This was richly produced, had the distinctive 1920's flavor and each episode built on the previous. There was a smack of the early Kennedy money/Irish mob background which would have been great to build upon.

David Dukes was outstanding as Rob Lassiter, the war-injured, somewhat bitter son of patriarch Benjamin Lassiter (Stephen Elliott), returned from WWI minus an arm. His sister, Fawn, was the flapper of the family, and was a fun, sexy character.

I sure would like to see this series out on DVD! It's a shame it only ran 1/2 a season (13 episodes).

Even after all these years, I recall what a well-produced, well-acted fun show this was. It was ahead of the times for prime-time soaps like Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing.