Month: May 2023

SUMMARY:                     RUNNING TIME: 43:14 Min.

Reuniting with producer Jay Bernstein, star (and co-executive producer) Stacy Keach resurrected Mike Hammer for a short-lived syndicated run of twenty-six episodes over two seasons in 1997-98.  This syndicated TV episode first aired on April 6, 1998.  Dimitri Logothetis directed the episode from a script co-written by Peter McGovern & Michael O’Connell.

Prodded by an egotistical call-in radio psychiatrist (Markoe), Hammer’s (Keach) far younger girlfriend, Nadine (Deno), reluctantly dumps him.  After Hammer angrily confronts ‘Dr. Sylvia,’ at her office, she soon winds up dead in her office’s dressing room (yes, the idea of supposed radio celebrities with private dressing rooms is amusing). 

Still, it appears that others aren’t fans of Dr. Sylvia’s abrasive relationship advice, either.  As a fugitive suspect framed for three murders, the big question mark for Hammer is: whose grudge is personal enough to repeatedly commit cold-blooded homicide? For that matter, is it possible that the hard-boiled sleuth has something in common with the culprit?  

Mike Hammer / Hammer’s Father (flashback): Stacy Keach

Velda: Shannon Whirry

Nick Farrell: Shane Conrad

Deputy Mayor Barry Lawrence: Kent Williams (appears in the title credits only)

NYPD (35th Precinct) Capt. Skip Gleason: Peter Jason

Grady: Gregg Daniel

Maya Ricci: Malgosia Tomassi (Keach’s real-life spouse)

Dr. Sylvia: Merrill Markoe

Frank: Gary Hudson

Ethan: Joe Crummy

Hailie: Elizabeth Baldwin

Sam Moeller: Michael Kagan

Dr. Simmons: Dr. Joyce Brothers

Nadine: Mary Deno

‘The Face’: Rebekah Chaney

Sylvia’s Radio Producer: Uncredited

Gangster (flashback): Uncredited

Mike Hammer – 9 years old (flashback): Shannon Keach (Keach & Tomassi’s son)

Herb Liebmann: Ritchie Montgomery

Herb’s Construction Workers: Uncredited

Reece (talent agent): Greg Grunberg

Duane (security guard): Ross Strauss

Keach’s Stunt Double: Uncredited

Ethan’s Stunt Double: Uncredited

Radio Station Engineers: Uncredited

Police Station (35th Precinct) Extras: Uncredited

Journalists/Photographers: Uncredited

Reece’s Audition Extras: Uncredited

Memorial Service Extras: Uncredited

Uniformed Cops: Uncredited

Policewoman (35th Precinct): Uncredited

Carmine Miranda: Uncredited

Dr. Sylvia’s on-air clients (female voices only): Uncredited

Dr. Wanda (voice only): Uncredited

Radio Ad (male voice only): Uncredited

Lou’s Bar Extras: Uncredited

Swimsuit Model: Caroline Ambrose

Warehouse Creep # 1: Uncredited

Warehouse Creep # 2: Uncredited.

Notes:  Curiously, this syndicated version of Mike Hammer isn’t a sequel to the 1984-87 CBS-TV series.  Case in point: besides Williams’ character by a slightly different name, the role of ‘Velda’ has been re-imagined and recast with a younger actress.  More so, unlike Keach’s prior version, the mysterious ‘Face’ forever eluding Hammer is never resolved. 

REVIEW:

Even without a network TV budget, 56-year-old Stacy Keach’s Mike Hammer is still watchable – to a degree.  Now far more an undemanding guilty pleasure, what this low-rent revival series sorely misses is the original show’s sense of updated noir.   With plausibility mostly out the window, the dubious trade-off on a limited budget is a ridiculous over-emphasis on scantily-clad women and too much cheesy humor – the trashy “Dump the Creep” is a prime example.  

Given this episode’s surplus of amateurish acting, such sleazy elements are pushed to an even more blatant degree than Keach’s original Hammer series.  Case in point: “Dump the Creep” squanders a solid contemporary premise and even a few good scenes, as the show’s pedestrian execution is too readily evident. The supposed need for Hammer to briefly bump into a not-so-bright swimsuit model at a radio station, no less, speaks for itself. The same applies to Hammer’s twenty-something girlfriend decked out in sexy lingerie for her two scenes (while supposedly waiting for hours on end before the gumshoe finally shows up). 

Aside from quirky casting of Dr. Joyce Brothers in a minor role, the plot’s sense of imagination doesn’t extend much beyond a well-played pre-credits sequence. For the logic police investigating plot holes, here’s a glaring one: exactly how would the culprit know about (let alone know where to find) Hammer’s own personal shrink is left to the imagination – that is, beyond a brief flashback of the second homicide Hammer is framed for? One can assume that Hammer was being unknowingly shadowed, but the script doesn’t clarify this point.

Another nonsensical moment (frankly, it’s more disturbing without giving away a spoiler) is how the epilogue has Hammer’s voice-over express sympathy for the culprit, as far as needing some heavy-duty therapy. Considering how one of this episode’s brutal homicides (as mentioned above) is a totally innocent bystander, such sentiment makes no sense. It’s worsened by the inference that Hammer has evidently shrugged off a personal confidant’s murder that was solely meant to incriminate him.

Before the culprit’s ‘big reveal’ becomes a giveaway in the last ten minutes (including a ludicrous stunt sequence), this tawdry murder-mystery rates maybe a 3 or 4 on anybody’s 0-10 whodunnit scale.  “Dump the Creep,” as a whole, has some entertaining moments, but it’s also a readily forgettable excuse for late-night viewing.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         3 Stars

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SUMMARY:              RUNNING TIME: 43:15 Min.

Reuniting with producer Jay Bernstein, star (and co-executive producer) Stacy Keach resurrected Mike Hammer for a short-lived syndicated run of twenty-six episodes over two seasons in 1997-98.  This TV episode first aired on March 1, 1998. Jonathan Winfrey directed the episode from screenwriter Chris Baena’s script. On this occasion, Keach’s former co-star, Kent Williams, returns in a thinly-disguised retread of his 1984-87 role as Hammer’s prickly nemesis, ‘Assistant District Attorney Lawrence D. Barrington.’

With his campaign for District Attorney in its final days, hard-nosed Deputy Mayor Barry Lawrence’s (Williams) extra-marital affair with a scheming young model (Chun) has been brutally silenced.  Having been burnt up {off-screen} in her apartment’s own oven, the police dismiss Tracy Potter’s death as merely a bizarre suicide.  Perusing the crime scene, Hammer quickly realizes that it’s definitely murder.  To console Potter’s grieving parents (Kam & Kelly-Young), Hammer seeks to uncover how far Lawrence, is willing to go to protect/advance his career. 

After resisting arrest, Hammer’s stint in the 35^th Precinct’s jail means his protégés, Nick & Velda (Conrad & Whirry), conduct much of the case’s footwork.  A masked thug means to violently scare them (and later Hammer) off the scent by any means necessary.  Among the simmering possibilities is a blackmailing tabloid journalist and an illicit money laundering scheme linking Lawrence’s campaign coffers to a Hudson River environmental group.  Yet, who really has the most sordid reason for killing the victim? 

Velda, meanwhile, persuades a reluctant Grady (Daniel) to put up Lou’s Bar as collateral towards Hammer’s $25,000.00 bail for assault and battery to help snare the seemingly elusive killer.       

Note: There is a glaring discrepancy between the murder (briefly seen before the opening credits) and a climatic flashback supposedly replaying the monents before that same sequence.  Suffice to say, look for the black leather gloves or, later, the absence thereof.  Hence, the most vital forensic clue makes no sense, if the pre-credits scene is accurate.

Mike Hammer: Stacy Keach

Velda: Shannon Whirry

Nick Farrell: Shane Conrad

Deputy Mayor Barry Lawrence: Kent Williams

NYPD (35^th Precinct) Capt. Skip Gleason: Peter Jason

Grady: Gregg Daniel

Maya Ricci: Malgosia Tomassi (Keach’s real-life spouse)

Lucille Banks: Karen Moncrieff

Claire Lawrence: Kimberly Warren

Jonathan Lawrence: Dean Scofield

Tracy Potter: Alexandra Bokyun Chun (aka Bok Yun Chon)

Mrs. Potter: Cynthia Kam

Mr. Potter: Leonard Kelly-Young

Carl Prichard: Unidentified

Chloe: Suzanne Krull

Underwood (cop): Uncredited

Uniformed Cops: Uncredited

Lawrence’s Chauffeur: Gregory McKinney

Inmate # 1: Jeff Thomas

Other Jail Inmates: Uncredited

Jailed Prostitutes: Uncredited

Lawrence’s Campaign Workers: Uncredited

Lawrence & Banks’ Police Station Entourage: Uncredited

Cece (Lucille’s Aide): Uncredited

Journalists: Uncredited

Natural Rivers Now Representative: Caroline Williams

Lou’s Bar Extras: Uncredited

Police Station Extras: Uncredited

City Extras: Uncredited

Natural Rivers Now Office Extras: Uncredited

Beauty Salon/Nail Salon Extras: Uncredited

‘The Face:’ Rebekah Chaney

Unspecified Roles: Jeff Thomas, Shayna Ryan, Ryan Thomas Brown, Michael Barrett Caron, & Jason Carmichael.

Notes:  Curiously, this syndicated version of Mike Hammer isn’t a sequel to the 1984-87 TV series on CBS-TV.  Case in point: besides Williams’ character being identified by a slightly different name, the role of Hammer’s long-time secretary, ‘Velda’ has been re-imagined and recast with a younger actress.  More so, unlike Keach’s prior version, the mysterious ‘Face’ forever eluding Hammer is teased yet never resolved. 

REVIEW:

Lacking a network TV budget, 56-year-old Stacy Keach’s Mike Hammer is still watchable – that is, to a modest degree.  With his hard-boiled gumshoe jailed for more than half of this episode (fair warning: this show’s loose concept of a jail cell is amusing), co-stars Shannon Whirry and Shane Conrad do okay work in their extended screen time.

Note: Considering the extensive beating Conrad’s Nick Farrell takes in one scene, it’s “amazing” how upon regaining consciousness moments later, he is physically unscathed. At a minimum, bruised ribs, a busted-up face, and a concussion would have occurred, had there been any sense of reality. 

With some tweaking (i.e. replacing the surplus of amateur hour detective genre antics with plausible noir), this standard-issue plot might have been a ideal fit for Keach’s 1984-87 Hammer – especially with Kent Williams playing ‘Lawrence D. Barrington’ again.  In this instance, however, both the not-so-impressive ensemble acting and the script hover merely upwards toward lukewarm – including a tasteless macho joke before the epilogue. 

If anything, given the broad hints in the episode’s second half, the ‘big reveal’ subsequently rates maybe a 3 at most on anybody’s 0-10 whodunnit scale. “A Candidate for Murder,” overall, is low-rent, late-night viewing that proves easily forgettable the next morning.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                3 Stars

Note: Working a similar premise, Columbo’s 1973 “Candidate for Crime” (with Peter Falk & guest star Jackie Cooper) is a recommended viewing alternative – even if its last 15-20 minutes are far-fetched. 

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SUMMARY:        RUNNING TIME: 43:17 Min.

Reuniting with producer Jay Bernstein, star (and co-executive producer) Stacy Keach resurrected Mike Hammer for a short-lived syndicated run of twenty-six episodes over two seasons in 1997-98.  This TV episode first aired on October 18, 1997.  Rex Piano directed the episode off screenwriter George Melrod’s script. 

Greedy sports agent Jeff King (Uncredited) is murdered one night at point-black range in his office.  The police’s prime suspect is the NBA’s inevitable number one pick in its coming draft: Mayron Hughes (Cross).  Referred to Mike Hammer by his ex-coach (Houston), Mayron desperately needs Hammer’s help.  With Mayron locked up for most of the episode, Hammer must decipher who the killer’s vendetta is really against: the slick-talking victim or Mayron himself. 

On and off the court, Hammer’s investigation leads him to King’s ambitious ex-girlfriend-turned-rival (Guzman), some of Mayron’s jealous on-court buddies, an unsavory merchandising hustler (Kane), and even Mayron’s own father.  Drawing closer to the murky truth, multiple retaliatory homicides finds Hammer and his protégé, Nick Farrell (Conrad), in the ensuing crossfire.

Mike Hammer: Stacy Keach

Velda: Shannon Whirry

Nick Farrell: Shane Conrad

Deputy Mayor Barry Lawrence: Kent Williams (appears in the title credits only)

NYPD (35^th Precinct) Capt. Skip Gleason: Peter Jason

Maya Ricci: Malgosia Tomassi (Keach’s real-life spouse)

Blue Davis: Joe Bays

Mayron Hughes: Malcolm Ian Cross

Norrie Hughes: Conroy Gideon

Susan Wake: Alecia Guzman

Raheem: Mongo Brown Lee

Desmond: Billy Kane

Elvin Grace: Josef Cannon

Eddie Thomas: Fitz Houston

Jeff King: Uncredited

Joe McDonald (radio host – voice only): Uncredited

Street Thugs: Uncredited

Gleason’s Uniformed Cops: Uncredited

Susan’s Photographer: Uncredited

Photo Shoot Extras: Uncredited

Yoga Class Extras: Uncredited

Bar Extras: Uncredited

Police Station Extras: Uncredited

Gym Extras: Uncredited

Chinese Restaurant Extras: Uncredited

‘The Face:’ Rebekah Chaney (uncredited).

Notes:  Curiously, this syndicated version of Mike Hammer isn’t a sequel to the 1984-87 CBS-TV series.  Case in point: besides Kent Williams’ character going by a slightly different name, the role of ‘Velda’ has been re-imagined and recast with a younger actress.  More so, unlike Keach’s prior version, the mysterious ‘Face’ forever eluding Hammer is teased yet never resolved. 

REVIEW:

Even without a network TV budget, 56-year-old Stacy Keach’s Mike Hammer is still watchable – well, sort of.  The same, unfortunately, doesn’t much apply to the episode itself.  Aside from Peter Jason’s fun police buddy, Keach’s youthful, on-screen sidekicks (Shannon Whirry & Shane Conrad) appear strictly as eye candy. 

Suffice to say, both this cast’s somewhat amateurish acting and the clichéd script heats up to only lukewarm.  At least, this episode deserves some credit for not resorting to some of its favorite tawdry gimmicks: scantily-clad women and unnecessary sex scenes for plot filler. As for this script’s whodunnit factor, it barely rates a ‘2’ on a 0-10 scale.  “Hoop Nightmares” is undemanding late-night fare, as viewers will forget about it long before morning.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         3½ Stars

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SUMMARY:      APPROX.  RUNNING TIME: 45:00 Min.

First airing March 18, 1987, on CBS-TV, Michael Vejar directed this episode off a script from Clyde Phillips & Stan Berkowitz.  As established in the pilot episode, fiery Chicago cop Sgt. Joey La Fiamma (Paré), due to a mob vendetta, has been recently transferred to Houston’s police department.  Acclimating to this humid environment, La Fiamma is occasionally at odds with his new partner, the cool-tempered Sgt. Levon Lundy (Beck), under the supervision of Lt. Beaumont (Douglass). 

In the Mexican border town of Matamoros, slimy criminal defense attorney Farnum (Albert) sadistically {off-screen} kills a young prostitute, Lotus (Uncredited).  Local cop Gutierrez (Figueroa) and a blackmailing pimp (Meléndez) pursue Farnum back to Houston, as both are seeking payback for different reasons.  Despite intense friction with a vengeful Gutierrez, Sgts. La Fiamma and Lundy eventually pivot towards whom the real threat to public safety is.

Meanwhile, aside from her exasperation overseeing Lundy & La Fiamma’s troubled investigation, Lt. Beaumont copes with marital problems. She also personally knows the one vital witness who may be able to help bring a ruthless Farnum to justice.

Houston Police Sgt. Joey La Fiamma: Michael Paré

Houston Police Sgt. Levon Lundy: Michael Beck

Clarence (aka ‘Chicken’): John Hancock

Houston Police Lt. Joanne Beaumont: Robyn Douglass

Houston Police Capt. James Scully: James Hampton (appears in title credits only)

Lester Farnum: Edward Albert

Sgt. Estaban Gutierrez: Efram Figueroa

Serpiente: Tonyo Meléndez

Katie Loomis / Katie Pettybone: Doran Clark

Tommy Pettybone: Uncredited

Katie & Tommy’s Young Son: Uncredited

Brad Beaumont: Uncredited

Medical Examiner (Thurgood): Ron Pinkard

Officer Mallory: Richard Partlow

Bartender: Uncredited

Mexican American Prostitute (Houston): Uncredited

Farnum’s Client: Uncredited

Police Plainclothes Interrogator: Uncredited

Nurse: Uncredited

Various Cops: Uncredited

Extras (Matamoros): Uncredited

Extras (Pool Hall): Uncredited

Extras (Bar): Uncredited

Extras (Hospital): Uncredited

Extras (Public Park): Uncredited

Note: Beginning as a mid-season replacement, this 1987-88 CBS TV series last 1½ seasons.  Houston Knights was produced by co-creator Jay Bernstein, who had previously supplied Stacy Keach’s Mike Hammer to CBS.

REVIEW:

As evidenced by this early episode, Houston Knights is a 1980’s moody-and-macho TV cop show relic that could have lasted a measly five episodes or just maybe even go a full season before cancellation.  Given the show’s generic cops-on-the-edge content, ultimately surviving for a total of 31 episodes proves a better network run than expected.       

Clearly meant to chase Miami Vice’s demographic, “North of the Border” turns up the ‘moody and macho cop’ quotient to nearly a full PG-13 blast – mostly through grim inferences and some surprising profanity (at least, by 1987’s prime-time standards). 

With Michael Paré and Michael Beck’s mismatched partners as a prime example, a decent cast, otherwise, inhabits familiar genre caricatures.  Paré’s one-dimensional La Fiamma, in particular, falls far short of imitating shades of Miami Vice’s Don Johnson. Beck’s low-key acting, by comparison, is more believable, but he, too, isn’t really given enough of a character to work with.

Still, this episode isn’t half-bad viewing, as far as pitching some gritty plot twists. In fact, the last of which is so blatantly illegal, in terms of abusing police custody, it’s the less said the better. This speaks to the storyline’s inherent problem: the plot isn’t nearly watchable enough to overcome all its implausibilities.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       4 Stars

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