The Killing Ground (24 Feb. 1975)

Responding to an early morning call reporting a family dispute Officer Jim Street and his partner fall prey to an ambush by three gunmen. It is just one in a series of ambushes which have ... See full summary »

Director:

Harry Falk

Writers:

Robert Hamner (creator), Rick Husky (developer),

Stars:

Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Forrest	...	Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson
Robert Urich	...	Officer Jim Street
Rod Perry	...	Sergeant David 'Deacon' Kay
Mark Shera	...	Officer Dominic Luca
James Coleman	...	Officer T.J. McCabe
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Jack Bonelli
Jesse Vint	...	Dallas
William Lucking	...	Ray West (as Bill Lucking)
Annette O'Toole	...	Rita Bonelli
Taylor Lacher	...	Rob Duran
Mel Scott	...	Sam Hanks
Kenneth Tobey	...	Sergeant (as Kenneth Toby)
Terry Lumley	...	Mary Duran
Keith Walker	...	T.V. Announcer
Stephen Coit	...	Doctor

Storyline

Responding to an early morning call reporting a family dispute Officer Jim Street and his partner fall prey to an ambush by three gunmen. It is just one in a series of ambushes which have plagued the police. In the aftermath of the shooting Street's partner is dead and he tries out for an opening in a newly formed S.W.A.T. unit being headed by Lt. 'Hondo' Harrelson. The teams first assignment is to find and stop the gunmen who have declared war on the city's police.

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Plot Keywords:

ambush | police badge | cop killer | police officer killed | dead cop

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1975 (USA)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Officer Jim Street and his partner are seen on patrol in a 1974 Dodge police car. however, when they arrive at the scene of a call that they receive, they are in a 1974 Ford police car.

User Reviews

The first episode...kind of. 45

Episode one of "S.W.A.T." is not exactly the first episode. Shortly before the series debuted, a two-hour pilot episode aired on the TV show "The Rookies"--making "S.W.A.T." a spin-off series. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to see this pilot, as only the first two seasons of "The Rookies" are on DVD and this two-hour show debuted later in the series. So, for now, this is the closest you can get to a premier episode.

Because it's the first episode (of sorts), the show is mostly about the assembling of a S.W.A.T. team and the crime is secondary. The show begins with a police car being ambushed and Officer Street (Robert Urich) and his partner are pinned down by three maniacs. The partner is killed and the three manage to get away--for now. In this mess, the leader of the S.W.A.T. team, Lt. Harrelson (Steve Forrest) sees Street in action and impressed--and later invites him to apply for a job with his team. Much of the rest of the show concerns the selection process and boot camp. Now this part of the show really made me laugh, as only three guys were going to be chosen for the team and EVERY TIME THE CAMERA SHOWED STREET, the other two future members of the team (Luca and McCabe) were standing next to him and usually were talking to him!! Talk about no suspense at all as to who the three guys will be!!

As for the ambushers, they are led by the very familiar character actor Geoffrey Lewis. Eventually, the team is able to locate and dispatch the baddies. The ending is very violent BUT despite folks being shot at point-blank range with M-16s, there is absolutely no blood! I could see why some thought the show was too violent, but compared to modern TV and especially movies, it was a bit tame. Interesting and worth seeing....and to laugh at the three guys in training who are ALWAYS together like the Three Stooges!