I've been somewhat obsessive the last couple of years in observing anniversaries of the true golden age of television. I've been revisiting episodes of "Star Trek," "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and "Dark Shadows" on their 50th anniversary dates. And I've also been observing the silver anniversary of "The NBC Mystery Movie" ... as well as is possible. While complete series runs of "Columbo" and "McMillan and Wife" are easily obtained, fans of "McCloud" have been ill-served, with only two seasons released in this country. Which brings me to possibly the most unorthodox entry in the history of the "Mystery Movie" (with apologies to "Lannigan's Rabbi"), "Hec Ramsey."
Richard Boone rotated with Peter Falk, Rock Hudson and Dennis Weaver in the second and third seasons of the "NBC Mystery Movie," the only "fourth spoke" to make it two years in the format. Hec Ramsey is a reformed gunfighter, admittedly not a very good one, who hangs up his enterprise to become a deputy sheriff in the town of New Prospect, Oklahoma. The year is right around 1900, and Ramsey is fascinated by the emerging science of forensics. He has a miniature crime lab of sorts in the case that he carries, filled with a primitive magnifying viewer, powders and dusts for fingerprints, and the like. He has an uneasy working relationship with the young police chief (Rick Lenz), who mistrusts the gunslinger, and is chummy with the town surgeon, Doc Coogan (a tour-de-force performance for Harry Morgan). The movies are half Western, half detective drama.
The series was produced by Jack Webb, who described the show as "'Dragnet' meets John Wayne." The series performed on a par with "McMillan" and "McCloud," ratings-wise (nobody could touch "Columbo"), but was canceled after two years due to the frequent clashes of Boone with the suits at Universal.
In order to watch "Hec Ramsey," I've had to resort to bootleg DVDs, since the studio has never seen fit to release ANY of the also-rans of the "Mystery Movie." Heck, as I mentioned above, even "McCloud" has yet to see the complete light of day. These DVDs are fifth or sixth generation dubs of VHS recordings from Hec's days as the second half of the "CBS Late Movie." So while a good amount of squinting still has to occur to get the picture, so to speak, at least the episodes were unedited, unlike the hacked-up "Columbo" and "Kojak" episodes that usually preceded it. And what can be seen is great fun. Boone clearly loves playing the role. He's an unconventional leading man ... not drop-dead gorgeous like Hudson ... but Hec's sense of justice, fair play and honesty makes it easy for guest stars like Sharon Acker, Angie Dickenson and Rita Moreno to swoon.
Morgan's Coogan is also a joy to behold. Part country doctor, he shares Ramsey's fascination for emerging sciences, experimenting with his own brand of forensic medicine while he runs his surgery/barber shop/baths facility.
If there's a weakness in the show, it's Lenz as Sheriff Oliver Stamp. He performs like a C+ student at a summer theater camp. He's simply not believable as a sheriff, which is a pity. The writers have given him wonderful scenes to play and situations to explore.
The writing constantly surprises. You can't entirely predict how a "Hec Ramsey" script will play out, because frontier justice doesn't work the way Lieutenant Columbo's does in his fantasy L.A. world of the 1970s. The writers frequently inject a B-storyline into the plot that also intrigues, saving "Ramsey" from some of the padding issues which occurred when NBC decided thay wanted just one more half hour from time-to-time.
It frankly surprises me that Universal sits on so much content. Granted, there's a decidedly "niche" audience for these made-for-TV mysteries, but they ARE out there! If not MOD DVD releases, how about adding them to one of NBC's many streaming options? Frankly, I'd love to be able to see the original 60 minute versions of "McCloud," from his first season on "Four-in-One." How bad WERE the failed series, such as "Amy Prentiss," "McCoy," "Faraday and Company," "Tenafly," and "Cool Million?"
CBS already has a fine business model with their online service, offering episodes of their current programming, as well as a well-stocked library of classic series currently in their stable. Unfortunately, many of their best archived offerings are widely available on commercial releases, which would make an NBC/Universal off-shoot a natural.
In the meantime, every four weeks this season, I'll pull up a chair on Sunday nights for a visit with "Hec Ramsey." And squint.
