Baywatch: Panic at Malibu Pier (1989)

Pilot for the cult 90s show 'Baywatch' about a team of L.A. county lifeguards led by heroic Mitch Buchannon. Jill trains rookies. Craig is stalked by a teen girl he saved. Aussie troublemaker joins the team. Mitch's kid needs rescuing.

Director:

Richard Compton

Writers:

Michael Berk (teleplay), Douglas Schwartz (teleplay)

Stars:

David Hasselhoff, Parker Stevenson, Shawn Weatherly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Hasselhoff	...	Mitch Buchannon
Parker Stevenson	...	Craig Pomeroy
Shawn Weatherly	...	Jill Riley
Billy Warlock	...	Eddie Kramer
Erika Eleniak	...	Shauni McClain
Peter Phelps	...	Trevor Cole
Gina Hecht	...	Gina Pomeroy
Brandon Call	...	Hobie Buchannon
Monte Markham	...	Captain Don Thorpe
Mädchen Amick	...	Laurie Harris (as Madchen Amick)
Wendie Malick	...	Gayle Buchannon
Richard Jaeckel	...	Al Gibson
Nancy Valen	...	Hallie
Michael McManus	...	Sid Wilson
Hope Marie Carlton	...	Trevor's Girl

Storyline

Pilot of the popular syndicated series introduces a close-knit group of lifeguards at Baywatch, a Los Angeles beach, who protect the lives of people that come to the beach everyday. They include the team leader, the recently promoted Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon, whose devotion to his job has recently cost him his marriage. His lawyer ex-wife, Gayle, wants him to limit visits with their 10-year-old son Hobie. Craig Pomeroy is a part-time lawyer, who rescues an emotionally disturbed teenage girl, named Laurie, after falling off a pier in which she gets obsessed with him and when he rejects her advances, Laurie begins to go 'Fatal Attraction' by targeting Craig's wife Gina. Jill Riley is a veteran lifeguard who takes the eager rookie, Shauni McLain, under her wing to show her the ropes of rescue, while Shauni develops a crush on the rookie Eddie Kramer, a brooding loner with a mysterious past. Also, Trevor Cole is an arrogant, but incompetent, Australian lifeguard from a private beach ...

---

Plot Keywords:

teenage girl obsessed with adult man | underage girl in love with an adult man | topless female nudity | nude photo shoot | baywatch | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Baywatch - Die Rettungsschwimmer von Malibu: Pilot

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

GTG Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Craig Pomeroy (Parker Stevenson) makes the first rescue in the series.

---

Connections

Followed by Baywatch: Forbidden Paradise (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Slave to Love
Written by Bryan Ferry
Performed by Bryan Ferry

User Reviews

Watch it for Madchen Amick

If you like Baywatch, then you'll like this. As it is the first ever episode, it at least has some more plot development than the later episodes which were all about just showing off beach flesh. Madchen Amick made her screen debut in this (just after a small role in Star Trek TNG) and she looks just as stunning as she does in 'Twin Peaks.' She has a beauty in this that takes it to another level beyond the typical blond beach chick. She also adds a darker edge to the film as a disturbed girl who falls for one of the lifeguards. Strangely, this movie version does involve some topless shots of a woman being photographed (and also another saucy scene in a beach tent)which I cannot imagine the network could show at a prime time hour. Maybe these scenes were added for the video release.