Robert A. Cinader Movies

Quincy (Jack Klugman) frantically searches for a source when three people die of food poisoning. Ulitmately, he connects the three fatalities to a stadium where a championsihp football game is to be played in three days. Racing against the clock and cutting a swath through a tangle of bureaucracy, Quincy must prevent a deadly epidemic from infecting some 90,000 football fans. Diana Muldaur makes her first series appearance as Quincy's new lady friend, Dr. Janet Carlyle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Rebels was the second "Operation Prime Time" miniseries to be based on author John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles (the first was The Bastard). The saga of Philip Kent (Andrew Stevens), illegitimate son of a British blueblood, picks up with Kent fighting in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Part One of this two-part endeavor busies itself with setting up characters, places and events; Part Two finds Kent and his pal Judson Fletcher (Don Johnson) teaming up to prevent the assassination of General George Washington (Peter Graves). The enormous all-star cast includes Richard Basehart, Doug McClure, Joan Blondell, Tom Bosley, Macdonald Carey, Robert Vaughan, William Daniels and Nehemiah Persoff; William Conrad does off-screen duty as narrator. The Rebels was syndicated to local TV stations beginning the week of May 14, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 1978 TV movie was the first of two pilots for a cop series titled--yes--Two-Five The title refers to a woebegone Big City precinct where all the malcontents and misfits on the force are transferred. The latest arrivals at Two-Five are undercover cops Don Johnson ("introduced" in the ad copy as a "bright new comedy star") and Joe Bennett, who have recently capped their many mistakes by arresting the mayor's mother during a gambling raid. The boys try to toe the line, but those pesky criminals just won't go away, most notably a drug kingpin whom Johnson and Bennett have been trying to nail for years. The Two-Five was followed in 1979 by another 90-minute pilot with the same title and the same cast, but with a different director (Jules Irving). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, set in Southern California, a widowed firefighter and his kids build a fire-rescue station. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The seventh and final season of Adam-12 spends a bit more time on the private lives of LAPD officers Malloy (Martin Milner) and Reed (Kent McCord) than in previous years. Reed was seen commiserating with his wife Jean, played by Kristin Harmon (replacing season two's Mikki Jamison). As for the unmarried Malloy, he devoted much of his down time to talking about his new girlfriend Judy, who was seen from time to time in the person of actress Aneta Corsaut, better known as Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith Show. The season opens with one of the series' rare two-part episodes, "Camp," and closes with another two-parter, "Something Worth Dying For." In between, the viewer is treated to one of Adam-12's best-ever episodes, "X-Force," in which Malloy loses his cool with a child abuser and smacks his handcuffed prisoner against a wall -- leading to an excessive-force charge, with Reed reluctantly corroborating the evidence. Although Adam-12's ratings suffered mightily as a result of being scheduled opposite Happy Days and Good Times, the series still enjoyed a loyal following during its final season -- and, as a bonus, it had entered the Valhalla of media history as prime time's last-ever half-hour dramatic network series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Adam-12 slipped a bit in the ratings during its sixth season, ranking 23rd as opposed to the previous season's Number 11 slot, the series remained America's most popular half-hour dramatic series. In fact, by 1973 it was America's only half-hour dramatic series. In hopes of enlivening the series' format, the producers took LAPD officers Malloy (Martin Milner) and Reed (Kent McCord) away from their usual beat, and allowed them to tool their familiar squad car to a variety of different districts and divisions. This season, the partners did duty at LAX, the Los Angeles Harbor, the Foothill District, the West Valley area, Venice, Van Nuys, and both Hollywood and North Hollywood. The best of these location jaunts occurred in the two-parter "Skywatch," in which Malloy and Reed worked with the department's helicopter division, an assignment distinguished by some truly breathtaking aerial footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First telecast January 15, 1972, Emergency is of course the 2-hour pilot episode for the weekly series of the same name. Robert Fuller heads the cast as Dr. Kelly Brackett, head of the staff of LA's Ramparts General Hospital. Brackett oversees the activities of Paramedics Squad 51 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, peopled by such experts in their field as John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe). Also on hand are Dr. Joe Early and nurse Dixie McCall, played by real-life husband and wife Bobby Troup and Julie London (London was previously married to Emergency executive producer Jack Webb). The series proper debuted January 22, 1972, as a mid-season replacement for two failed NBC sitcoms; it survived several cancellation attempts, running until September 3, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Adam-12 begins its third season, former rookie cop Jim Reed (Kent McCord) is promoted to full officer. No one is happier about this promotion than Jim's crusty veteran partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), who has regarded Reed as an equal all along. The supporting cast this season includes such series stalwarts as William Boyett as Sgt. McDonald and Gary Crosby as Officer Ed Wells. The one "new" cast member, Claude Johnson as Officer Norm Green, isn't new at all: during the past season, actor Johnson was seen from time to time in a similar role, as Officer Brinkman. Also, there are a number of noteworthy guest stars, including film noir regular Marie Windsor, legendary comedian Morey Amsterdam, and former singing star Dorothy Shay (aka "The Park Avenue Hillbilly"). The season's best episode is "Log 105 - Elegy for a Pig." Narrated by Pete Malloy, the episode recounts the last hours in the life of Pete's former partner, who had been killed in the line of duty. In other episodes, the partners must deal with street gangs, arsonists, a car-theft ring using beautiful girls as come-ons, game poachers, a misguided band of militants, and at least one naked motorist! Although it was fashionable amongst certain "hip" circles to deride Adam-12 as corny and reactionary, the public at large certainly didn't feel that way: the series ended its third season as America's 12th highest-rated program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season one of Adam-12 gets underway with admirable rapidity, with the episode "Log 1: The Impossible Mission," directed by series creator Jack Webb. The opener details the first day on the job for rookie LAPD cop Jim Reed (Kent McCord), who has been teamed with crusty veteran Pete Malloy (Marvin Miller). Although Malloy is still bitter over the fact that his previous partner had been killed a few weeks earlier, he takes Reed under his wing and helps the youngster survive his shakedown cruise with flying colors. Later episodes find Reed and Malloy piloting their squad car to a variety of assignments, coming in close contact with drug pushers, burglars, abusive spouses, and stalkers. Many of the first-season installments deal with Reed's adjustment to his new job. In "Log 91 -- You're Not the First Guy's Had the Problem," Jim learns the hard way how to keep his emotions separate from his work when one of his best friends is seriously wounded. And in "Log 33 -- It All Happened So Fast," Reed is forced to kill a man in the line of duty for the first time. In the interests of fairness, however, Malloy also has his bad days. In "Log 112 -- You Blew It," Pete gives a speeding motorist a break and lets him go without a citation -- only to find out that the man had several warrants for robbery and weapons charges against him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide