Stingray (1985) (TV)

Director:

Richard A. Colla

Writers:

Stephen J. Cannell (creator)
Stephen J. Cannell (teleplay)

Release Date:

14 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A district attorney is kidnapped by a criminal who then has a deranged doctor do something to him that leaves him with the mind of a child...

Plot Keywords:

Favor | Car | Corvette | Undercover

Cast

Nick Mancuso	...	Ray
Susan Blakely	...	Evelyn Decter
Robyn Douglass	...	Assistant D.A. Daphne Delgado
Gregory Sierra	...	Anthony 'Tony' Mendosa
Michael Fairman	...	Ned Rosenberg, M.D.
Lee Richardson	...	Dr. Ernst Decter
Wendell Wright	...	Fast Freddy
Joe Penternia	...	Chief Deputy D.A. Eduardo Cantero
John Aprea	...	Peter Shefland
Fern Fitzgerald	...	Marcia Finch
Greg Monaghan	...	Norm
Thomas Payne	...	Cundo Rio
Ellen Geer	...	Sybil Rosenberg
Ramón Franco
Anne Wyndham

Runtime:

Germany:90 min | USA:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Stephen J. Cannell Productions

Trivia:

As a tie-in for this show, Monogram Models made a plastic kit of the Black Corvette the main character drove. Unfortunately shortly after the kit's release the show was canceled, so the kit was re-released as Item #2724 '65 Corvette Street Machine. While the box changed you can still build a replica of the car from this show with this kit.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Stingray" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Stingray

A HIDDEN TREASURE

This show was only on for 1 season, back when NBC went through 1-hour dramas like Janet Jackson goes through silicone. I was so upset when it wasn't renewed!

Nick Mancuso, at his sexiest here, plays "Ray". What do we know about Ray? Well, he's got a penchant for all-black clothing, drives the coolest car of all 80's television (sorry "KITT"...) and he's on a mission to help people out. When you can't call the police, or you've got an unordinary task no typical private-dick can perform, Ray's your man. Just don't offer to pay him in bills, he doesn't want your money. Instead, he insists to be paid in favors! (I'm gonna try that one with my mechanic...fix my muffler and someday I'll owe ya' one..)

Ray's terms-of-service are: "Someday I'll return, and I'll ask you to perform a favor, and you must do it". Sounds like a good deal huh? Well, this is the clever plot-device that allows Ray to accomplish his many bizarre tasks. What's that you say? You need me to obtain those confidential medical documents? Let me just contact that doctor I helped out last spring! This also allows for a continually changing supporting cast; the only familiar things we see from episode-to-episode is Ray and that kick-*ss car!

The show's writing was clever and thoughtful and often asked you to think. Take the episode where Ray had to commit himself to an insane asylum. On other shows, you would have the hero saving the loonies, but not before goofing all over them. Here, Ray gets to know the residents and ponders what "sanity" really is anyway. The writing sympathizes with the mentally-challenged instead of discarding them as Hollywood caricatures. They are portrayed as commonly as your next door neighbor. This is pretty notable considering we're talking about an 80's network action-drama.

Sure, the show had it's "MacGyver"-esque absurdities. Like when Ray gets the cat to bring him keys to the cell where he's imprisoned. But these type of events are inconsequential to the theme or message of each show. And they're actually just plain fun.

This show never got the praise or attention it deserved. It's nearly impossible to find on video, but certainly worth the exhaustive search.