American television series (1971)
Bearcats!
|
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Genre
| Western
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Created by
| Douglas Heyes
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Written by
|
- Jim Byrnes
- James L. Henderson
- Douglas Heyes
- Stephen Kandel
- Samuel Roeca
- Joe Ruby & Ken Spears
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Directed by
| |
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Starring
| |
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Theme music composer
| Hal Hopper
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Composer
| John Andrew Tartaglia
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Country of origin
| United States
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Original language
| English
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No.
of seasons
| 1
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No.
of episodes
| 13 (+ 1 pilot movie)
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Executive producer
| Douglas Heyes
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Producers
| |
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Running time
| 48 minutes
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Production company
| Rodlor
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Network
| CBS
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Release
| September 16
(
1971-09-16
)
?
December 30, 1971
(
1971-12-30
)
|
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Bearcats!
is an American
Western television series
broadcast on the
CBS
television network during the fall 1971
television season
. It starred
Rod Taylor
and
Dennis Cole
as troubleshooters in the period before the
American entry into World War I
(1917).
Bearcats!
was produced by
Filmways Inc.
(which previously produced many series including
The Addams Family
,
Mister Ed
,
The Beverly Hillbillies
,
Green Acres
, and
Petticoat Junction
). It was co-produced by Rodlor, Rod Taylor's production firm.
Synopsis
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Set in 1914, somewhat later historically than a traditional Western, the stories center on the heroes' use of a 1914
Stutz Bearcat
automobile. Although automobiles were common in the United States in 1914, a $2,000
sports car
would have been very rare in the more remote areas of the
Western United States
. How the heroes paid for this expensive ride was rather unusual, as well. They undertook work which could be considered "
private security
" for a prosperous clientele, and rather than charging a traditional fee, they extracted from the client a blank check, with the amount charged to be determined by just how difficult or dangerous the job proved to be once it was completed. "If you can put a price on it, you don't need them badly enough." Typical adventures included learning who was setting fire to
oil wells
, unraveling a plot where
German Imperial Army
soldiers dressed as American troops raided Mexican border towns hoping to force
Mexico into a war with the United States
, and stopping mercenaries from sabotaging medical supplies being sent overseas to the
Allies of World War I
.
Its time period also allowed the use of props not usually seen in typical westerns, including airplanes, a World War I-era
tank
, machine guns,
M1911 pistols
, and a number of period automobiles.
Cast
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Production
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The series was created by veteran TV writer/producer
Douglas Heyes
who also served as executive producer. He wrote and directed the TV movie
Powderkeg
that served as the pilot film for the series. Episodes were shot on location in near
Tucson, Arizona
, and also in and around
Santa Fe, New Mexico
.
[1]
Powderkeg
was syndicated in the 1970s and frequently aired by local U.S. TV stations, and was the only episode of the series to be released as a VHS videotape.
The series featured a number of well-known guest stars including
Leslie Nielsen
,
Kevin McCarthy
,
Jane Merrow
,
Keenan Wynn
,
Henry Darrow
,
David Canary
,
Ed Flanders
,
Morgan Woodward
, and
Eric Braeden
.
The Bearcat replica used most often in the series, the first built and restored to its TV colors, in 2008.
For filming, the series used two full-scale metal replicas of first generation (1912?1916) Stutz Bearcats made by Hollywood car customizer and film car builder
George Barris
. While externally very close to the original cars, in fact they were built on custom chassis powered by Ford drivetrains and had modern four wheel brake systems for safety. The two replicas were very similar to one another, however the first built (and the one used for most filming) had a manual 4-speed transmission while the second had an automatic. Additionally, there was a slight variation in the location of the horn bulb and the
pinstripes
on the sides of the hood of the second car, so the cars can be differentiated while closely viewing the episodes. In addition to the two cars used in the series, Barris built and retained a third car for use at car shows which differed in many details and color from the TV cars. All three cars survive today, though Barris' display car has been extensively modified.
[2]
The original Stutz Bearcat automobiles had been manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Stutz factory building still exists but is currently used as an arts and office complex.
The episode "Groundloop at Spanish Wells" features a 1918
Standard J-1
airplane (though it's called a
Curtiss Jenny
in the script) that had recently been restored in Tucson (where the episode was filmed) by Charles Klessig of Fargo, North Dakota. A later episode featuring the same pilot character, "The Return of Esteban", featured a 1929 British
de Havilland DH.60 Moth
biplane. According to Klessig, the episode was filmed in New Mexico where the higher altitudes precluded the use of the older aircraft.
[3]
The
World War I
tank shown in the episode "The Devil Wears Armor" is an
M1917 (aka Six Ton) tank
, an American-built version of the
Renault FT
. Its gun is not authentic. The M1917 was first ordered in 1917, and the first example was produced in late 1918, four years later than the series' 1914 setting.
The MPC (
Model Products Corporation
) model company released a 1/25th scale model kit of a Stutz Bearcat as a tie-in with the series. Its box art featured Taylor and Cole in costume with the genuine 1914 Bearcat used in
Powderkeg
. A photo on the side of the box showed the first Barris replica in a scene from the episode "The Devil Wears Armor".
Cancellation
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]
Bearcats!
, despite a large promotional campaign prior to its premiere and having a loyal fan base, lost in the
Nielsen ratings
to both
The Flip Wilson Show
on
NBC
and a more traditional Western,
Alias Smith and Jones
, on
ABC
, and was cancelled midseason.
Episodes
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Broadcasts
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The series was shown extensively overseas, including Germany, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Its pilot film,
Powderkeg
, was released as a theatrical feature overseas.
Home media
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]
On May 14, 2013,
Timeless Media Group
released
Bearcats! ? The Complete Series
in a three-DVD set in Region 1.
[6]
The 90-minute pilot episode "Powderkeg" is not included, but was released as a standalone DVD or as part of the "20 Great Westerns: Heroes and Bandits" DVD box set produced by TGG Direct.
Original novel based on the series
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]
When the series was announced, paperback publisher Award Books licensed book rights to
Bearcats!
and commissioned an original novel by veteran Western novelist
W.T. Ballard
, to be published in 1971, under his tie-in pseudonym "Brian Fox" (a by-line he had employed often when working for Award). But when the TV series was canceled before the book could be made ready for distribution, the book was canceled in turn. Ballard, apparently unwilling to let the novel go unpublished, retitled it, slapped on another of his pseudonyms, and, without so much as changing the names of its heroes, sold the book
again
to unsuspecting publisher
Ballantine Books
?who released it in December, 1972 under the title
Hell Hole
as by "John Hunter." The connection was not discovered during Ballard's lifetime.
References
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Other sources
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]
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle,
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
- "Still Hitting on All Four". Author not listed.
TV Guide
, September 18, 1971.
- Heyes, Douglas,
Bearcats! - The Complete Television Series
, Timeless Media Group, UPC 011301675767, 14 May 2013.
External links
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