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

Credited cast:
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
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Dante	...	Pressman Bar

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chief Ironside is seen as a physically able character for about a minute at the beginning of the TV film.

---

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, three, ...
[...]

---

Connections

Followed by Sarge (1971)

User Reviews

Complex mystery improves with time

Given that this movie takes place in Mid-60's San Francisco, even though I had remembered loving it many years ago, i thought it would probably seem dated now. Instead, it seems more relevant than ever. The characterizations of ever major and minor character are outstanding. Raymond Burr is masterful as Chief Robert T. Ironside. But even characters who have four lines have dimension, are well-acted, and memorable. This is as good a mystery as has ever been made for TV. If you get to see it, you are in for a real treat.

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