McCloud

McCloud was an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1977. The title role was played by Dennis Weaver as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam McCloud, a law officer from Taos, New Mexico on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.

History

The pilot ("Portrait of a Dead Girl") aired on February 17, 1970, and established the premise by having McCloud escort a prisoner from New Mexico to New York City, only to become embroiled in solving a complicated murder case.

Related Topics:
February 17 - 1970 - New Mexico - New York City

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This premise of "a cowboy in the big city" was more or less adapted from the 1968 Don Siegel film Coogan's Bluff, starring Clint Eastwood. Herman Miller (writer) was responsible for the story of Coogan's Bluff and co-wrote the screenplay with Dean Riesner and Howard Rodman (indeed, Miller's work on Coogan's Bluff is credited with inspiring McCloud ). Coogan's Bluff reflects Richard Thorpe's great Tarzan's New York Adventure and the latter-day career of Bat Masterson (Siegel himself appears in "Return to the Alamo" as "2nd Desk Sergeant"). Like Coogan, McCloud galloped the length and breadth of Manhattan (he was joined by a mounted unit in "The 42nd Street Cavalry"), and the absurd sight of McCloud on horseback riding down the middle of a busy street (taken from an early episode) became one of the series' iconic images.

Related Topics:
1968 - Don Siegel - Coogan's Bluff - Clint Eastwood - Herman Miller (writer) - Dean Riesner - Howard Rodman - Richard Thorpe - Tarzan's New York Adventure - Bat Masterson

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NBC renewed the show for six 60-minute episodes in the fall of 1970, placing it in the rotation of its "wheel format" series Four in One, along with Night Gallery, San Francisco International Airport, and The Psychiatrist.

Related Topics:
NBC - 1970 - Night Gallery

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In the fall of 1971, NBC placed McCloud. along with two other new series, McMillan and Wife and Columbo, in the rotation of a new drama NBC Mystery Movie which aired on Wednesday night from 8:30-10:00. The running time of each episode was increased to 90 minutes. The umbrella series was a success, finishing at number 14 for Nielsen ratings for the 1971-72 series. The following season, NBC moved McCloud and the other two shows of Mystery Movie to the competitive 8:30-10:00 Sunday night position and added a fourth series, Hec Ramsey to the rotation as the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie. The rotating series was an enormous success and finished at number 5 in the ratings for the season. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nbcmysterym/nbcmysterym.htm.

Related Topics:
1971 - McMillan and Wife - Columbo - NBC Mystery Movie - Nielsen ratings - Hec Ramsey

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Starting in the fifth season in the fall of 1974, the episodes were two hours long, but were dropped again to 90 minutes for the seventh and final season starting in the fall of 1976. The forty-sixth and last episode, "McCloud Meets Dracula", was aired on April 17, 1977.

Related Topics:
1974 - 1976 - April 17 - 1977

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The character was brought back for a made-for-television movie, The Return of Sam McCloud, which aired on November 12, 1989.

Related Topics:
November 12 - 1989

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Dennis Weaver received Emmy nominations in 1974 and 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.

Related Topics:
Emmy - 1974 - 1975

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The executive producer was Glen A. Larson, who wrote brilliantly for the series (as did Peter Allan Fields, Lou Shaw, Jimmy Sangster and others). Larson won an Edgar for "The New Mexican Connection".

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