Ironside (1967)

Citizens of San Francisco are stunned by the news that Robert Ironside, the city's hard-nosed, tough-talking chief of detectives, has been shot and left for dead while vacationing at his ... See full summary »

Director:

James Goldstone

Writers:

Don Mankiewicz (teleplay) (as Don M. Mankiewicz), Collier Young (story)

Stars:

Raymond Burr, Geraldine Brooks, Wally Cox

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Cast overview:
Raymond Burr	...	Robert Ironside
Geraldine Brooks	...	Honor Thompson
Wally Cox	...	Scoutmaster
Kim Darby	...	Ellen Wells
David Sheiner	...	Doctor
Lilia Skala	...	Sister Agatha
Gene Lyons	...	Commissioner Dennis Randall
Don Galloway	...	Det. Sgt. Ed Brown
Barbara Anderson	...	Eve Whitfield
Don Mitchell	...	Mark Sanger (as Donald Mitchell)
Joel Fabiani	...	Dr. Schley
Ayllene Gibbons	...	Baby Peggy Marvel
Terrence O'Flaherty	...	Announcer
Eddie Firestone	...	Wheels Montana

Storyline

Citizens of San Francisco are stunned by the news that Robert Ironside, the city's hard-nosed, tough-talking chief of detectives, has been shot and left for dead while vacationing at his friend the Police Commissioner's rural retreat. Ironside survives the murder attempt, but the bullet has damaged nerves in his spine, leaving him a paraplegic. Unable to gain reinstatement as chief of detectives, Ironside gets permission to continue investigating criminal cases as a citizen volunteer. With the assistance of two former protegees, Det. Sgt. Ed Brown and Officer Eve Whitfield, and a newly-hired aide/driver, Mark Sanger, Ironside sets out to solve his first case as a civilian by finding the people responsible for the attempt on his life.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | man in a wheelchair | robert ironside character | volunteer | police | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein beinah tödlicher Fall

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harbour Productions Unlimited, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When TV news staff are discussing a possible obituary piece for Ironside, he is revealed to be 46 years old.

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Quotes

Robert Ironside: [Inspecting a small envelope] Some miscellaneous nuts.
[Looks at Ed]
Robert Ironside: Some miscellaneous nuts?
Det. Sgt. Ed Brown: I tagged that one myself.
Robert Ironside: I don't believe it. You wrote "some miscellaneous nuts"?
Det. Sgt. Ed Brown: Well, what's the matter with it?
Robert Ironside: Why nothing at all. Except that in police work there is no such things as "some," numbers are important. And miscellaneous means a lot of different things, and these are all the same. And nuts is too general and happens to be incorrect. Otherwise, a splendid piece of labeling. One, two, ...
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On (1999)

User Reviews

Excruciating.

Excruciating pilot episode that, somehow, spawned a successful internationally syndicated television show.

Raymond Burr is cheerless. The plotting is baffling. The writing is astonishingly bad. The acting is mundane.

Watching this makes you want to be shot, instead of Ironside.