This 1969-70 series, which had 15 regular episodes after the excellent pilot TV-movie, is available on dvd, which is how I'm watching it. The dvd print looks very good, clear and sharp. It looks shot on film, to me. So far I've watched the pilot and the first episode after that, and now this one, and I'm wondering, why didn't this series click and run longer?
Christopher George is an appealing hero: handsome, charming, ruggedly manly. He could be tough and also sympathetic and kind. All of those qualities are on display in this episode. The supporting cast is good. David Brian, the aging tycoon who covets making George his ticket to immortality, is very believable as the head bad guy. Don Knight, a very intense actor, is effective as his ruthless lieutenant. Jack Albertson is always good, and beautiful Rosemary Forsyth does her usual fine job, even with what I would consider the drawback of a really unflattering hairstyle which perhaps the show stuck her with to make her look more like a doctor.
This episode has a good balance of action and character development. As Chris was such a good-looking guy, the producers were not going to miss many chances to put in a romance angle with one of the many very appealing young actresses of that era! Which is one reason to own this dvd set!
One criticism I would have of this episode, is that I thought it started to drag and get slow-paced in about the last ten minutes or so. It was still entertaining and watchable, but the ending felt rather padded to me.
The premise of the show is very similar to The Fugitive: a man on the run, who has adventures and meets people on his path. David Jansen was looking for the real killer of his late wife, and Ben Richards (Chris) is looking for his long-lost brother, who may also have the super-blood that prevents aging and disease. This series, in that major plot point, has a very strong resemblance to the set-up of The Fugitive, so maybe audiences thought: been there, seen that.
One big asset the pilot and the first regular episode had, to me, was the presence of the amazingly lovely Carol Lynley, one of my favorite actresses. She is such a pleasure to watch, in anything! She added her special quality of delicate beauty and subtle empathy to that pilot and regular episode. That might be why this episode doesn't feel as strong to me as the ones Carol was in.
Still, this is certainly a watchable episode, especially for fans of Christopher George, Rosemary Forsyth and Jack Albertson.
Christopher George is an appealing hero: handsome, charming, ruggedly manly. He could be tough and also sympathetic and kind. All of those qualities are on display in this episode. The supporting cast is good. David Brian, the aging tycoon who covets making George his ticket to immortality, is very believable as the head bad guy. Don Knight, a very intense actor, is effective as his ruthless lieutenant. Jack Albertson is always good, and beautiful Rosemary Forsyth does her usual fine job, even with what I would consider the drawback of a really unflattering hairstyle which perhaps the show stuck her with to make her look more like a doctor.
This episode has a good balance of action and character development. As Chris was such a good-looking guy, the producers were not going to miss many chances to put in a romance angle with one of the many very appealing young actresses of that era! Which is one reason to own this dvd set!
One criticism I would have of this episode, is that I thought it started to drag and get slow-paced in about the last ten minutes or so. It was still entertaining and watchable, but the ending felt rather padded to me.
The premise of the show is very similar to The Fugitive: a man on the run, who has adventures and meets people on his path. David Jansen was looking for the real killer of his late wife, and Ben Richards (Chris) is looking for his long-lost brother, who may also have the super-blood that prevents aging and disease. This series, in that major plot point, has a very strong resemblance to the set-up of The Fugitive, so maybe audiences thought: been there, seen that.
One big asset the pilot and the first regular episode had, to me, was the presence of the amazingly lovely Carol Lynley, one of my favorite actresses. She is such a pleasure to watch, in anything! She added her special quality of delicate beauty and subtle empathy to that pilot and regular episode. That might be why this episode doesn't feel as strong to me as the ones Carol was in.
Still, this is certainly a watchable episode, especially for fans of Christopher George, Rosemary Forsyth and Jack Albertson.
