User Reviews

'Banacek' was one of several detectives from Universal's 'Mystery Movie' anthology series. The generic title sequence featured a man flashing a torch around dark countryside to the accompaniment of an eerie Henry Mancini theme that sounded like a whistling kettle. One week it would be Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James as crime-busting married couple 'McMillan & Wife', another time Dennis Weaver put on stetson to play cowboy cop 'McCloud', while yet another gave us ( my favourite ) Peter Falk as quick-thinking scruff 'Columbo'. Others from the same stable included Richard Widmark as 'Madigan' and Dan Dailey in 'Faraday & Company'. If nothing else, these glossy whodunit's provided useful employment for former big-name movie stars whose box office power had waned.

Created by Anthony Wilson, 'Banacek' starred the late George Peppard as the titular hero, a cigar-smoking Polish/American insurance investigator called in whenever an item of immense value - such as a gold cross or a new computer or prototype car - went missing. When not working, he is either to be found exercising ( the title sequence always began with him in a canoe ) or entertaining dolly birds at his palatial New York home. A portrait on the lounge wall slid aside at the touch of a button to reveal a television screen ( he owned one of the first V.C.R.'s ) . He typified the kind of playboy heroes popular at the time ( also to be found in other shows such as 'Jason King', 'Cool Million' and 'The Persuaders' ), men who were wealthy and good-looking and whose only problem with sex was having to constantly turn it down.

Following the pilot - 'Detour To Nowhere' - the series proper began with this instalment, penned by Del Reisman and directed by Jack Smight. A football player called Hank Ives ( Chuck Morrell ) has apparently vanished in the middle of a televised game. No-one can figure out how it was done so the team's owner ( Robert Webber ) sends for Banacek. A ransom demand for a million dollars ( a hefty sum in those days, as the first 'Austin Powers' film pointed out ) arrives and it must be paid or else Hank gets creamed. Along the way Banacek encounters ( and gets off with ) Ivers' ex-wife Angie ( Stefanie Powers ). Other regular characters included Murray Matheson as camp English bookshop owner 'Felix Mulholland', and Ralph Manza as chauffeur 'Jay Drury', who would try to preempt his boss' conclusions with his own cockeyed theories, which usually turned out hopelessly wrong.

'The Radio Times' recently described Jeremy Brett's 'Sherlock Holmes' as 'static' when compared to the B.B.C.'s dynamic 'reimagining' ( that bloody word again! ) starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It could say much the same about this show. There is no action to speak of. Thomas solves his cases the old fashioned way. The two-season 'Banacek' can now be seen as a forerunner to the B.B.C.'s 'Jonathan Creek'. Each episode had a complex mystery and culminated in Banacek exposing it in such a way as to make you think "now why didn't I see that?". He was a one-dimensional character, of course ( and had an unusual habit of quoting Polish proverbs ), but it did not really matter. The role was an altogether better use of Peppard's talents than say 'The A-Team'. No, I'm not going to tell you the denouement. Get the D.V.D. and find out for yourself.

On live TV, a football player is tackled by 4 guys. But when they up, the man they tackled is GONE. The police and the insurance company both believe it's a publicity stunt, but, the team owner tries to convince Banacek it isn't. He agrees to look into it because, as he says, "I'd like to know how they did it."

I'm not big on sports, especially football, but this is a mystery show, so, I did my best to pay attention. It wasn't easy, as somehow, the connections, how certain facts came together to steer the investigator in the right direction, weren't always obvious or clear. And I watched this twice back-to-back this week, something I never do! Still, my late best friend used to say, that COLUMBO and BANACEK share in common, that, to him, the crime at the beginning, and the solution at the end, are the ONLY parts worth watching. Everything in between is just scene after scene of people standing around talking. I never really agreed with that, and found his cynical attitude kind of sad. Of course, he was also a speed-reader, and often went through an entire novel in one sitting-- getting the plot, but NO human element out of any story in the process. Too bad. I'd rather take my time and enjoy the ride.

Robert Webber (12 ANGRY MEN, REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER) is "Jerry Brinkman", the team owner, who at one point, Banacek suspects is behind it all, since he's got the best motive.

Stefanie Powers (THE GIRL FROM UNCLE) is "Angie Ives", ex-wife of the vanished player. She says she just wants to know he's alright, while slowly becoming interested in the Polish guy trying to find him.

Madlyn Rhue (STAR TREK: "Space Seed") is "Holly Allencamp", a rather flaky barfly who may hold a key piece of info to solve the mystery.

Conrad Janis (one of those ubituitous character actors you've seen in everything without knowing his name) is the video technician who helps Banacek view the original films of the game where the mystery occured.

Jock Mahoney (TARZAN GOES TO INDIA) is "Albert Bates", an ex-military guy responsible for a KIDNAPPING pulled off in such a way that until a ransom note arrived days later, nobody even realized was a kidnapping.

A curious piece of trivia, never mentioned in the episode itself, is that the office of the team owner is in the SAME building that houses the Insurance Company that winds up paying Banacek for finding the missing player.

How did they do it? WATCH THE MOVIE! I'm not gonna tell you.