Highway to Heaven 

A probationary angel, sent back to Earth, teams with an ex-cop to help people.

Creator:

Michael Landon

Stars:

Michael Landon, Victor French, James Troesh

Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Michael Landon	...	Jonathan Smith 111 episodes, 1984-1989
Victor French	...	Mark Gordon 111 episodes, 1984-1989

Storyline

Jonathan Smith is a probationary angel sent back to Earth to help people. During the series' first episode, he meets embittered ex-policeman Mark Gordon (as Jonathan is walking along a little-used road, on which Mark happens to be driving). Jonathan helps reform Mark, with the grateful Mark agreeing to become Jonathan's right-hand associate in carrying out the heavenly mission. The two begin traveling the country as itinerant workers, receiving assignments from "the Boss" (God), with their mission being to deliver love, understanding and humility to the people they encountered. Typical episodes stressed moral, Christian themes; though many episodes dealt with common human failings, such as egotism, bitterness and greed, some shows addressed such topics as racism and cancer. A few shows, however, were played mainly for laughs (such as Landon recreating his first famous starring role in a takeoff of his 1957 film I Was a Teenage Werewolf and his role in in little house on the prairie).

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Plot Keywords:

angel | comic relief | friendship between men | friendship | angel on earth | 

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Taglines:

Some powers are higher than others.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les routes du paradis

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Michael Landon Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (111 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Rose, the composer of the Highway to Heaven theme was also the composer of The Stripper (1962), a song commonly played at weddings during the garter removal.

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Quotes

Mark Gordon: Cute, Jonathan. Real cute.

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Connections

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2006)

User Reviews

Never Sanctimonious

One might expect that any show about an angel of god who walks the Earth trying to help people would be heavy-handed and depressing. Highway to Heaven is neither. It's an uplifting show that showcases all the best aspects of religion and niceness. Unlike "Touched by an Angel" and the televangelist shows, HtH deals with whether a person is good, not whether they subscribe to the right religion. There is room in the definition of "good" to include businessmen, politicians, and former criminals. I'm a hardcore atheist and I still love this show.

In addition, the element of God's power is never used as a club. Jonathan has "the stuff," but never uses it until words and persuasion have failed. It almost makes one feel that with a little effort, they might do some good themselves in the world. Throw in the grainy mid-80s picture and you've got a wonderful bit of escapism to a world where just a little good will can move mountains.