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Shaft (TV series) 
Summary
Shaft is a television series that aired along with Hawkins during 1973–74 television season on The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies. Broadcast every third week, the series is a follow-up continuation of the three feature films that preceded its release. Starring Richard Roundtree as private detective John Shaft, it serves as the fourth installment overall in the Shaft franchise. Ed Barth costars as Al Rossi.[1]
| Shaft | |
|---|---|
 Richard Roundtree and Ed Barth in "The Killing", 1973. | |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Based on | Shaft by Ernest Tidyman |
| Starring | Richard Roundtree |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production company | MGM Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | October 9, 1973 – February 19, 1974 |
| Related | |
| Shaft (2000 film) | |
Production edit
Because it was to be aired on over-the-air television, CBS felt that the narrative of Shaft needed to be toned down as compared to the original three films. Now instead of opposing the police, Shaft worked with them, creating conflicts with Hawkins starring cinema legend James Stewart, another police series with a starkly different viewership. Contemporary analysts suggested that since Shaft and Hawkins appealed to vastly different audience bases, alternating them only served to confuse fans of both series, giving neither one the time to build up a large viewership.[2][3][4][5] A further contributor to its ratings failure was competition from other crime drama series starring African-American private investigators, NBC's Tenafly and ABC's Get Christie Love!.[6] Richard Roundtree himself has publicly expressed his disdain for the small-screen version of Shaft.[7][8]
Episodes edit
| Nº | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Shaft and the Enforcers" | October 9, 1973 | |
| When a lawyer friend fails to return home after successfully defending a man accused of slaying a police officer, Shaft is summoned by the wife. When the lawyer and his client are fished out of the river, Shaft discovers they are the latest in a line of similar murders that have stumped police Lieutenant Al Rossi for months. | |||
| 2 | "Shaft and the Killing" | October 30, 1973 | |
| An ex-girlfriend of Shaft’s, Diana Richie, is badly beaten and ends up in hospital. Shaft goes up against the pimp who delivered the beating, but when the pimp later turns up dead Shaft is the chief suspect. | |||
| 3 | "Shaft and the Hit-Run" | November 20, 1973 | |
| Shaft is hired to help David Oliver, who is accused of killing Eddie Simmons in a hit-run with a stolen car. The investigation leads Shaft to come up against Clifford Grayson who is running an illegal gambling joint and for whom Simmons was a collector. | |||
| 4 | "Shaft and the Kidnapping" | December 11, 1973 | |
| Three kidnappers, disguised as black men, break into Williamson’s house in a small upstate town and kidnap Nancy and leave the banker bound and gagged. They demand a ransom of $250,000 be delivered by John Shaft the next day. | |||
| 5 | "Shaft and the Cop Killer" | January 1, 1974 | |
| Shaft is asked by a former high school classmate to help her husband, Police Officer Jerry Tyler, who has been accused of taking bribes. Although Shaft accepts Tyler’s story of being framed up by bar owner, Larry Doyle and his stooge, Brock, he declines the case but offers to seek help from the police. But when Lt Al Rossi is shot, Shaft takes a personal interest. | |||
| 6 | "Shaft and the Capricorn Murders" | January 29, 1974 | |
| Gil Kirkwood, a financier in deep corporate trouble, fakes his own death in a fire which was also meant to kill his wife, Joanna, who is independently wealthy. With his wife dead, and himself presumed dead, Kirkwood had hoped to escape to South America with $3 million in diamonds from her safe deposit box. But when Joanna is rescued from the fire she hires Shaft, who has previously worked for her father, to investigate. | |||
| 7 | "Shaft and the Murder Machine" | February 19, 1974 | |
| Shaft puts himself up as bait for hit-man Richard Quayle who inadvertently murders the fiancee of a friend whilst carrying out the assassination of a state witness. | |||
Cast and characters edit
- A private detective working with the New York Police Department (NYPD). Roundtree reprises his role from the theatrical Shaft film series.
- Ed Barth as Lt. Al Rossi:
- An NYPD police lieutenant working with Shaft. Barth replaces Angelo Gnazzo, who portrayed the character in Shaft's Big Score! (1972).
Overview edit
List indicator(s)
- This table only shows characters that have appeared in three or more films in the series.
- A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced.
| Character | Episodes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Enforcers | The Killing | Hit-Run | The Kidnapping | Cop Killer | The Capricorn Murders | The Murder Machine | |
| 1973 | 1974 | ||||||
| John Shaft | Richard Roundtree | ||||||
| Lt. Al Rossi | Ed Barth | ||||||
| The Detective | Rudy Doucette | Rudy Doucette | Rudy Doucette | ||||
| The Hood | Arnold Roberts | Arnold Roberts | |||||
| Laura Parks | Judie Stein | Judie Stein | |||||
| The Pit Boss | Nick Borgani | ||||||
| The Sportsman | Robert Strong | Robert Strong | |||||
| Marshall Cunningham | Robert Culp | ||||||
| Det. Sgt. Lew Turner | Richard Jaeckel | ||||||
| Gerald Felk | Kaz Garas | ||||||
| Juan Otero | Rafael Campos | ||||||
| Charles Dawson | Noah Keen | ||||||
| Judge McCormick | Dean Jagger | ||||||
| Bobby | Michael Gregory | ||||||
| Gordon Dana | Charles Boyd | ||||||
| Walter Anderson | Maurice Hill | ||||||
| Stan Burgess | Harv Selsby | ||||||
| Dr. Helen Connors | Jeanne Sorel | ||||||
| Sister Elizabeth | Diana Webster | ||||||
| Jane Cunningham | Barbara Babcock | ||||||
| Cathy Cunningham | Melissa Sue Anderson | ||||||
| Court Member | Dusty Cadis | ||||||
| Numbers | Peter Elbling | ||||||
| Court Member | Bill Hickman | ||||||
| Don Lewis | Richard Lawson | ||||||
| Diana Richie | Ja'net DuBois | ||||||
| Kyle Bruckner | Leonard Frey | ||||||
| Sergeant Duff | Michael Ansara | ||||||
| Sonny Bruckner | Michael Pataki | ||||||
| Stanley Hollister | Henry Beckman | ||||||
| Archie McGill | Ron Soble | ||||||
| Victor Perrine | Jared Martin | ||||||
| Captain Rigano | Val Avery | ||||||
| Charley | Vito Scotti | ||||||
| Jack Benjamin | Louis Guss | ||||||
| Mrs. Richie | Royce Wallace | ||||||
| Logan | Albert Popwell | ||||||
| Selma Thomas | Jacque Lynn Colton | ||||||
| Judge Graves | Michael Fox | ||||||
| Judge Weinberg | Jack Bernardi | ||||||
| Iggie | Lou Kane | ||||||
| Bailiff | Benjie Bancroft | ||||||
| Courtroom Spectator | Al Beaudine | ||||||
| Court Clerk | Billy Beck | ||||||
| Court Reporter | Dick Cherney | ||||||
| Juror | George Holmes | ||||||
| Passerby | Kathryn Janssen | ||||||
| Workman | Danny Sands | ||||||
| Gambler | Eddie Smith | ||||||
| Detective | Nico Stevens | ||||||
| Tom Oliver | Howard Duff | ||||||
| Marcus Lowell | Percy Rodrigues | ||||||
| Ann Lowell | Judy Pace | ||||||
| David Oliver | Tony Geary | ||||||
| Paul Hanson | Don Matheson | ||||||
| Clifford Grayson | Tony Curtis | ||||||
| Charles Harris | Nicky Blair | ||||||
| Mona | Pat Delaney | ||||||
| Secretary | Paula Shaw | ||||||
| Pit Boss | Ted Jordan | ||||||
| Jacquard | Jason Wingreen | ||||||
| Mrs. Pattion | Shirley Anthony | ||||||
| Hoods | Fred Carson | ||||||
| Bill Catching | |||||||
| Croupiers | Sig Frohlich | ||||||
| Joseph La Cava | |||||||
| Dealer | Bob Harks | ||||||
| Club Patrons | Eddie Garrett | ||||||
| Robert Hitchcock | |||||||
| Joe Pine | |||||||
| Bartender | Shep Houghton | ||||||
| Eddie Simmons | Charlie Picerni | ||||||
| Pit Boss | Hank Robinson | ||||||
| Crouper | George Washburn | ||||||
| Elliot Williamson | Paul Burke | ||||||
| Nancy Williamson | Karen Carlson | ||||||
| Matthew Potter | Nicholas A. Beauvy | ||||||
| Beck | Greg Mullavey | ||||||
| Hayden | Timothy Scott | ||||||
| Leo | Vic Brandt | ||||||
| Sheriff Bradley | Frank Marth | ||||||
| Deputy Walter | Philip Kenneally | ||||||
| Deputy Daley | Erik Holland | ||||||
| Deputy Milton | Frank Whiteman | ||||||
| Mr. Tolliver | Stephen Coit | ||||||
| Debbie | Jayne Kennedy | ||||||
| Potter | Richard Stahl | ||||||
| Cab Driver | Joseph Petrullo | ||||||
| Bank Customer | Robert Casper | ||||||
| Wally Doyle | George Maharis | ||||||
| Officer Charles Tyler | James A. Watson Jr. | ||||||
| Tom Donegan | Richard Schaal | ||||||
| Brock | Arch Johnson | ||||||
| Marcia Tyler | Kim Hamilton | ||||||
| Eve | Talya Ferro | ||||||
| Capt. Brian Brewster | Darren McGavin | ||||||
| Dr. Meyer | Gene Elman | ||||||
| Helen Rossi | Mitzi Hoag | ||||||
| Tony | Max Gail | ||||||
| Marks | Joseph George | ||||||
| Cargill | Peter Canon | ||||||
| Bartender | Vic Christy | ||||||
| J. L. Teague | Don Knight | ||||||
| Gil Kirkwood | David Hedison | ||||||
| Joanna Kirkwood | Cathy Lee Crosby | ||||||
| Harry Praeger | Robert Phillips | ||||||
| Fire Investigator | Bert Freed | ||||||
| Frank Lucas | Arthur O'Connell | ||||||
| Bank Clerk | June Dayton | ||||||
| Bank Officer | Dean Harens | ||||||
| Myrna | Candice Rialson | ||||||
| Carol | Thelma Pelish | ||||||
| Nicky | Jo Ella Deffenbaugh | ||||||
| Police Officer | David Armstrong | ||||||
| Franklin Carter | George Bryson | ||||||
| Boermer | Edward Colmans | ||||||
| Gunther | Gil Perkins | ||||||
| Detective | Ray Pourchot | ||||||
| Intern | Walter Smith | ||||||
| Richard Quayle | Clu Gulager | ||||||
| Louise Quayle | Fionnula Flanagan | ||||||
| Henry Kassner | Mills Watson | ||||||
| Gerald Wallace | Joe Warfield | ||||||
| Frank Higget | Sheldon Allman | ||||||
| Plainclothesmen | John Garwood | ||||||
| Glenn Robards | |||||||
| Bookie | Danny Wells | ||||||
| Moon | Bill Walker | ||||||
| Girl | Janice Durkin | ||||||
| Higget's Bodyguard | Sid Haig | ||||||
| Corman | Than Wyenn | ||||||
References edit
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (2 October 2011). "Warner Bros Releasing Short-Lived "Shaft" TV Series Collection To DVD".
- ^ Serafino, Jason (28 June 2012). "The 10 Worst TV Shows Inspired By Movies". Complex.
- ^ Murray, Noel (9 November 2011). "Shaft: The TV Movie Collection". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Hicks, Chris (7 October 2011). "'Shaft' TV movies come to DVD". Deseret News.
- ^ King, Susan (30 October 1994). "Retro : Return of the Short Timers : SERIES THAT DIDN'T LAST MORE THAN A SEASON GET A SECOND SHOWING ON TNT". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Walker, David F. (August 2020). "Fifty Years of Shaft". RetroFan (10). United States: TwoMorrows Publishing: 9.
- ^ Mooney, Joshua (August 15, 1997). "Scowling 'Shaft' In His Past, Roundtree's Even Taking On Comedy". Archived from the original on September 22, 2015.
- ^ "Richard Roundtree." Unsung Hollywood. Nar. Gary Anthony Williams. Exec. Prod. Frank Sinton, Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, and Mark Rowland. TV One, 25 Mar. 2015. Television.
External links edit
- Shaft at IMDb
- TV Party: "Shaft" on TV
- Steve Aldous Guide to Shaft TV Series 1973-4
