Once Upon a Murder (1983– )
"Chiefs" (original title)

Three generations of police chiefs for a southern town go about their jobs while a serial murderer operates.

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Keith Carradine, Stephen Collins

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Charlton Heston	...	Hugh Holmes (3 episodes, 1983)
Keith Carradine	...	Foxy Funderburke (3 episodes, 1983)
Stephen Collins	...	Billy Lee (3 episodes, 1983)
Brad Davis	...	Sonny Butts (3 episodes, 1983)
Tess Harper	...	Carrie Lee (3 episodes, 1983)
Wayne Rogers	...	Will Henry Lee (3 episodes, 1983)
Paul Sorvino	...	Sheriff Skeeter Willis (3 episodes, 1983)
Victoria Tennant	...	Trish Lee (3 episodes, 1983)
Billy Dee Williams	...	Tyler Watts (aka Joshua Cole) (3 episodes, 1983)
Lane Smith	...	Hoss Spence (3 episodes, 1983)
Leo Burmester	...	Emmett Spence (2 episodes, 1983)
Kaiulani Lee	...	Mrs. Butts (2 episodes, 1983)
Novella Nelson	...	Nellie Cole (2 episodes, 1983)
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Dr. Tom Manton (2 episodes, 1983)
James Brown Henderson	...	Pieback Johnson (2 episodes, 1983)
Leon Rippy	...	Tommy Allen (2 episodes, 1983)

Storyline

This series tells the story of a southern town's police chiefs and the serial murderer who confounds them. Will Henry Lee is the first chief, an easygoing man who works to establish the position while the murderer begins his havoc. The second is a violent racist who stumbles about his job as the murderer continues his. Tyler Watts is the final chief in the story, an African-American cop who must deal with the virulent racism of his community while he puts together the pieces to finally bring the murderer to justice.

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Plot Keywords:

police chief | police | racism | tv mini series | whipping | 

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Taglines:

An epic adventure seeming with power, love and hatred.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chefia

Filming Locations:

Chester, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highgate Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min 229 min (video) 283 min (3 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Andy Griffith was announced to part of the cast, but he became ill and was replaced by Keith Carradine.

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Quotes

Tyler Watts: Just pretend you're back in the service, and I'm your commanding officer. And if that doesn't work, just pretend I'm... GOD!

User Reviews

Great Story: I would Give It A+

Charlton Heston, was a great narrator in this series. Through three generations, how murders were happening under their noses. The murderer was among them. Each Chief investigated the murders. I didn't like Sonny Butts. He was a womanizer and likewise wasn't police material. They should have found another Will Henry Lee. It did keep your attention. However you know the murderer, from the first.