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 (35th 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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