Remembering Oscar Goldman

Oscar Goldman was a character created by Martin Caidin and introduced in his 1972 novel Cyborg. In the 1970s, he was portrayed by Richard Anderson in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV series. which were based upon Cyborg. He served as the bionic heroes', Steve Austin and Jaime Somers, immediate superior.

When Cyborg was adapted for television in 1973, the character of Oscar Goldman was replaced by that of Oliver Spencer, played by Darren McGavin. When this television film, titled The Six Million Dollar Man, proved to be a hit, ABC commissioned a sequel, Wine, Women & War (an original story not based on a Caidin work) which aired on October 23, 1973. McGavin and Spencer were dropped and the agency was renamed the Office of Scientific Inteligence (OSI), a fictitious organization not to be confused with the real-life Office of Scientific Inteligence that operated under the Central Inteligence Agency. The character of Oscar Goldman was reinstated, with Richard Anderson cast in the role. (The opening credits to Wine, Women & War perform retconning, establishing that it was Goldman, not Spencer, who authorized the operation to turn Austin into a Cyborg.)

Anderson's portrayal of Goldman was that of a warm, fatherly figure—though he could also be a calculating bureaucrat when the need arose. (This differed from McGavin's portrayal of Oliver Spencer who was cold hearted and referred to as little more than a robot by Austin.) Following a third TV film, The Six Million Dollar Man became a weekly series in 1974 and Anderson remained with the show throughout its run. He also played the role in the subsequent Bionic Woman spin-off series. Richard Anderson is one of the few actors to portray the same character in two different television series running concurrently on two different networks, when Bionic Woman was moved to a rival network, NBC.

During the series, Goldman and Austin develop a close, if occasionally testy friendship, with Goldman frequently referring to Austin as "pal". Perhaps the ultimate illustration of the men's friendship occurred when Goldman agreed to his friend's request to have bionic surgery performed on Jaime Sommers in order to save her life, despite the cost involved (although this friendship was tested soon after when Austin resisted Goldman's orders that Sommers subsequently be recruited by the OSI). Despite sending Sommers on dangerous missions, Goldman was particularly protective of her, and bristled when a Senator repeatedly mispronounced her name. Goldman usually referred to Sommers as "babe". Goldman's position within the OSI was considered so important that Goldman arranged standing orders to be killed in the event he was captured to prevent him from being interrogated or converted into a double agent if he was released or rescued (these orders were revealed in the three-part Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman crossover arc, "Kill Oscar"). However when this situation arose, Steve Austin disobeyed the order and rescued Goldman, unaware that he actually extracted an android imposter. Eventually after the imposter was discovered and defeated, the real Goldman was rescued in defiance of his own orders.

Oscar Goldman was a snappy dresser, who had a propensity for loud patterns (which were in style at the time). His briefcase featured in many episodes, as he would often just open it to produce a solution to various problems. Goldman, who served as head of the OSI under six presidents, wielded considerable influence in the Federal government, and was able to get the Secretary of State on the telephone on short notice.

Although never explicitly stated during either series, it was implied that Oscar is Jewish. In one episode of The Bionic Woman, he used a pseudonym when travelling to a Middle Eastern country because he thought the “Goldman” name would not make him any friends. In another episode, the king of the fictional El Alamein told Sommers he would never deal with a man named “Goldman”.

Anderson reprised the role of Oscar Goldman in three highly rated two-hour TV movie sequels to the series that aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s: The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, Bionic Showdown, and Bionic Ever After, indicating that, in the Six Million Dollar Man universe, Goldman remained in a high-ranking position with the OSI well into the 1990s.

Kenner Toys (1962)

This classic ad dates back to 1962 and features Kenner Toys: Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinatti's Union Terminal.

Kenner introduced its popular Girder & Panel Beating sets construction toy in 1957, the Give-a-Show projector in 1959, the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963, the Spirograph drawing toy in 1966, and the Starting Lineup sports action figure collectible line in 1988. It was a pioneer in the use of television as a medium for advertising toys across the United States, beginning in 1958.

Peter Sellers: The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)

The Wrong Arm of the Law was made in1963 and was directed by Cliff Owen. The Wrong Arm of the Law starred the late, great, Peter Sellers. Joining Peter Sellers were, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. It was written in part by Steptoe & Son creators, Ray Galton & Alan Simpson and made by British Lion Films.

In London, a gang of criminals from Australia led by Jack Coombes (Bill Kerr) impersonate policemen to carry out robberies. Local gang leader "Pearly" Gates (Sellers), who operates from the cover of a French Couturier, finds his takings cut severely, and blames rival crook "Nervous" O'Toole (Bernard Cribbins). When it emerges that they are both being scammed by the same gang, they join forces, along with Lionel Jeffries' Police Inspector "Nosey" Parker, to bring the so-called "I.P.O. mob" (I.P.O. - Impersonation of a Police Officer) to justice. Nanette Newman provides the love interest, the ubiquitous John Le Mesurier plays a senior policeman, and a young Michael Caine has a small and uncredited role as a young PC. Other uncredited roles include John Junkin (Maurice), Dennis Price (Educated Ernest), Cardew Robinson (Mailman), Dick Emery (Man in Flat 307), Mario Fabrizi (Van Driver), John Harvey (Police Station Sergeant), Harold Siddons (PC in Basement Garage), Jack Silk (Police Station PC), Derek Guyler (non-speaking PC at Scotland Yard), Gerald Sim (Airfield Official) and Marianne Stone (Woman in Front Row at Gangsters' Meeting).

An excellent comedy caper with Peter Sellers at his best. Sadly, they no longer make 'em like this any more!....

Countdown: UFO (1971) Part Two - The Picture Strip: Part Three

Too Old At 32:

Part I: Issue 7: 03 April 1971.

Captain Frank Harris is going through Interceptor Simulation tests but at 32 he is the most experienced and oldest of the pilots and only just passes. Alec Freeman thinks Straker maybe on the verge of dismissing him but the Commander simply wants him watched. Returning to Moonbase, a real UFO is sighted and the Interceptors launched, but Harris is concerned he may slip up - ending his career.

Part 2: Issue 8: 10 April 1971.

Interceptors 1 & 2 fire but the mechanism of Harris' craft jams, for which he is sure he will be blamed. Trying again, Harris manages to cripple the UFO but it still carries out its mission - to cripple SID. Contact with Moonbase is lost briefly until emergency links are established. Meanwhile, Harris has spotted a second UFO landing on the moon and followed it down in the hope of making amends, but in the shadows an Alien spots him and opens fire!.....

Part 3: Issue 9: 17 April 1971.

While repair crews tend to SID, Straker & Foster have taken a ferry to Moonbase to investigate and find Harris is missing, presumed dead. Foster leads a search in two Moon Mobiles to the area where a dazed Harris recovers consciousness. Seeing the abandoned UFO, Harris lifts off again but has to make a forced landing when the fuel runs out. Alone & injured, he struggles over the Lunar landscape to try and warn Moonbase. Elsewhere, on the surface, the Alien has placed homing beacons that will signal the position of Moonbase for an attack.....

Part 4: Issue 10: 24 April 1971.

Harris collapses but is found by Foster who returns him to Moonbase. The Pilot struggles to warn them of the Alien and taking no chances, Straker launches the Interceptors which destroy the departing UFO. But too late, an Alien missile is already in flight and strikes at Moonbase. With SID still out of action the Base is now a sitting duck!.....

Part 5: Issue 11: 01 May 1971.

Straker launches the Interceptors using manual radar in the hope of preventing further missiles getting through, but they fight a losing battle. At the last moment, SID is repaired and able to trace the Alien location devices, allowing Foster to destroy them. The last missiles veer off course and the danger is over. Recovering, Harris is told he will be returning to Earth. His reflexes may be slower but he kept his head. SHADO would be better served with his experience at HQ, where he will be promoted to Colonel.....

Happy 51st Birthday Corrie

It doesn't seem five minutes since the nation was celebrating Corrie's magnificent milestone of 50 years. Yet, here we are one year on celebrating its 51st!

I haven't followed Corrie for years, believing that the 1960s & 1970s were Corrie at its best and will never be bettered. I do however, still hold a special place inside for Corrie and today I salute this great & wonderful phenomena.

The High Chaparral (1967-1971)

The High Chaparral was a Western-orientated television series that starred Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell which aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971. The show was created by David Dortort, who had previously created the hit Bonanza for the network. The theme song was also written and conducted by Bonanza scorer David Rose.

The show revolved around "Big" John Cannon (Leif Erickson), a rancher who lived in the Arizona Territory in the 1870s. He ran the ranch with his brother Buck (Cameron Mitchell) and son Billy (Blue Boy) (Mark Slade). Blue Boy's mother Annalee (Joan Caulfield) was killed in the first episode by an Indian arrow through the window, and to ensure his future, John Cannon courted and later married Victoria (Linda Cristal), the daughter of the powerful Don Sebastián Montoya. His marriage to Victoria Montoya brought her brother Manolito (Henry Darrow) into the picture, and he also came to live with the family. Cameron Mitchell was offered the part of Buck following an airline flight to Tucson where he had sat next to the series originator and his wife.

The High Chaparral was Dortort's brainchild, and he left the day-to-day running of Bonanza in the spring of 1967 so he could focus all of his energies on The High Chaparral. After the show's cancellation in 1971, Dortort did not return to Bonanza, but retired instead. All exterior and most interior filming was done at Old Tucson Studios.

Yoffi lifts a finger, and a Mouse is there. Puts his hands together and a Seagull takes the air! Remembering Fingerbobs

Yoffy lifts a finger
And a mouse is there,
Puts his hands together
And a seagull takes the air;
Yoffi lifts a finger
And a scampi darts about;
Yoffi bends another
And a tortoise head peeps out;
These hands were made for making,
And making they must do!

Fingerbobs was a charming kids television programme made by the BBC in 1972. The first episode was broadcast on 14 February 1972 on BBC1 as part of Watch with Mother. The show was created by Joanne and Michael Cole, who also created Bod. Only thirteen episodes were ever made.

Presented by Mime Artist "Yoffy" (played by Canadian actor Rick Jones), each ten-minute episode told a story centred around a paper finger puppet animal, and usually involved collecting various items (such as pebbles or feathers) to make up another object at the end. The finger puppets, each of whom had their own song, included:

Fingermouse gained his own series in 1985. In this series, the focus was more on musical instruments. One series was made of thirteen programmes.

The memorable theme tune went "Yoffy lifts a finger, and a mouse is there/Puts his hands together, and a seagull takes the air/Yoffy lifts a finger, and a scampi darts about/Yoffy bends another, and a tortoise head peeps out/These hands were made for making, and making they must do."

At the end of the series Jones was so sick of making the show that he destroyed the finger puppets while the camera was still rolling.

Fingermouse, Fingermouse
The never stop to think a mouse
The always on the brink a mouse
Fingernouse, that's me
I am the mouse called Fingermouse
The mouse with guts and verve
I get past cats so easily with my favourite body swerve
Fingermouse, Fingermouse
I'm a sort of wonder mouse
A hit, a miss, a blunder mouse
Fingermouse, that's me.

Money talks, but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk! When Neil was Forever in Blue Jeans

"Forever in Blue Jeans" was a song by Neil Diamond which was co-written with his guitarist Richard Bennett. This up-tempo track, released as a single by Columbia in February 1979, was taken from the previous year's Neil Diamond album, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."

The song officially peaked at No20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No2 on the Easy Listening chart in March, 1979.

According to Cotton Incorporated "Neil Diamond might have been right when he named his 1979 No1 hit “Forever in Blue Jeans”: 81% of women are planning their next jeans purchase to be some shade of blue." The song has been used to promote the sale of blue jeans, most notably Will Ferrell, impersonating Neil Diamond singing, for The Gap. Ironically, Diamond himself did radio ads for H.I.S. brand jeans in the 1960s, more than a decade before he sang this song.

The song was referenced on an episode of The King of Queens, Doug Heffernan incorrectly refers to it as "Reverend Blue Jeans" thinking it was a song about a hip reverend that wore jeans.

The Streets of San Fransisco - A Quinn Martin Production: 1972-1977

The Streets of San Francisco was a terrific 1970s television Police Drama filmed on location in, yes, you've guessed it, San Fransisco, California and was produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Brothers television (QM produced the show on its own for the remainder of its run), where it starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas who were both detectives in the San Fransisco Bay Area. The show ran for five seasons, between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, on ABC, amassing a total of 120 60-minute episodes. The series started with a pilot movie of the same title (based on the detective novel Poor, Poor Ophelia by Carolyn Weston) earlier in 1972.

The Streets of San Francisco debuted on ABC on Saturday, September 16, 1972, at 9 p.m. Eastern, competing against two popular CBS sitcoms, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. Another critically acclaimed crime drama, The Rookies, debuted just five days before Streets; it was also seen on ABC. After Streets gained attention on Friday nights during the first season, the show was moved to Thursday, where it stayed for the remainder of the run, beginning with the second season, competing against other successful 1970s crime dramas, in different time slots.

By all accounts Malden and Douglas developed a strong professional and personal relationship from their time on the series. Twenty years after last working together on an episode they were both onstage at the 1996 Peoples Choice Awards. Malden referred to Douglas as "the son I never had" and mentioned that he had wanted producer Quinn Martin to cast Douglas on the series. Douglas responded to the compliment by calling Malden "my mentor," and both also expressed that they enjoyed working together on the show.

The show revolved around two police officers who investigated homicides in San Francisco. The centre of the series was a veteran cop and widower, Lt Mike Stone (Karl Malden), who had more than twenty years of police experience and was now assigned to the Homicide Detail of SFPD's Bureau of Inspectors (ex: Detective Division). He was partnered with a young, plain clothes Detective and energetic partner, Assistant Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas), a college graduate, age twenty-eight, who had no experience in the police force. Stone would become a second father to Keller as he learned the rigors and procedures of detective work. Eventually, Keller was promoted to full Inspector. As the series went on, Douglas became a star in his own right. Mike's daughter, Jeannie Stone (Darleen Carr), made occasional appearances.

After the second episode of the fifth and final season, Douglas left the show after successfully producing the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which won the Academy Award for Best Film for 1975. He in turn would also establish a film career. His character's absence was explained by having him take a teaching position at a local college, while Lt. Stone was partnered with another Detective, Insp. Dan Robbins, played by Richard Hatch, who had started his career on the ABC soap All My Children and would later go on to Battlestar Gallactica. The change was not popular with audiences, and the show ended in 1977, due to low ratings. Also in 1977, writer James J. Sweeney won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for the season four episode "Requiem for Murder".

Both Malden and Douglas spent time with SFPD detectives in order to lend an air of authenticity to the show. SFPD Detectives took a liking to both Malden and Douglas who they characterized as "very fine fellows". Unlike subsequent generations of television production the show made an effort to insinuate itself as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of the city.

An NBC TV movie, Back to the Streets of San Fransisco, aired in early 1992. Karl Malden returned as Mike Stone, now promoted to Captain of Inspectors. The plot involved Stone investigating the murder of his former long-time partner Keller while also investigating a different brutal murder. He also must decide which of two inspectors should be recommended for the position of Lieutenant. Actress Debrah Farentino and Actor Conor O'Farrell played the two inspectors.

Countdown: UFO (1971) Part Two - The Picture Strip: Part Two

Part 1: Issue 2 - 27th February 1971

SHADO Control Clerk Warren Spencer has leaked information about the organisation to a Reporter called Mason for the Clarion Newspaper. While Alec Freeman runs a security check, Straker tries to persuade the paper not to pursue the story. A UFO manages to evade interception by Moonbase to be shot down by Sky 1 over the sea. Fisherman Robin Johns, out in his one man launch in the mist, sees the crash and tying it to the reported story in The Clarion, is startled to see a red space suited body floating nearby!

Part 2: Issue 3 - 6th March 1971

Johns brings the Alien aboard and believes Mason will pay a fortune for the information. Sky 1 sees the launch in the mist and orders Johns to report to the harbour for questioning. En route though, Johns detours past past Robbicombe Cave and leaves the unconscious Alien there. Back at the harbour, Johns is questioned by Paul Foster and states he only saw the distant crash but once alone the Fisherman contacts Mason. Together, the two men return to the cave - but the Alien has gone!

Part 3: Issue 4 - 13th March 1971

Mason and Johns search but to little avail. Meanwhile, Skydiver has found the UFO on the sea-bed and a salvage vessel finds it to be empty. But the UFO starts to glow and the vessel barely manages to dump it back in to the sea before the crafty self-destructs. Mason has tracked Spencer home and blackmails the operative into getting him into SHADO HQ through automatic checkpoints. However, unknown to both, the Alien has followed them both and also got into the base.

Part 4: Issue 5 - 20th March 1971

Disguised as a SHADO operative, Mason explores the base. Meanwhile, Alec Freeman suspects Johns knew more than he was telling and questions him further. The Fisherman cracks and explains about the Alien and Mason's contact within SHADO. Freeman returns to HQ and warns Straker that Spencer is the traitor. However, Spencer has reasoned that Mason can keep blackmailing him and goes to confront him. What he finds instead is an armed Alien!

Part 5: Issue 6 - 27th March 1971

The Alien Kills Spencer and Straker and Foster find his body and the tell-tale burns of a ray weapon. The Commander issues an alert and all personnel respond to an assembly point for checking, except Mason who does bot recognise the call sign. Cornered by Straker, Mason responds he has a duty to the public. The Alien is nearby and sights Straker with his weapon, Mason sees it and impulsively leaps forward in warning. Mason is shot and the Alien killed. Later, both Johns and a recovering Mason are administered the amnesia drug which means Straker can not even thank him for saving his life.

Joe 90 Top Secret (No 10)

Joe 90 Top Secret magazine no 10 was published on 22nd March 1969 and comprised of the following articles. Agents' Profile (readers' photographs) A competition to win 50 Corgi The Beatles Yellow Submarines. Joe's Hobbies (The Story of Space Travel as told in Stamps no. 10) Champions Of Sport - Graham Hill. World Intelligence Network (Information and jokes) The B.I.G. R.A.T. Tells the story of Bridge-Tunnel and Top Ten no 10 - Matra MS11 - V12.

Norman Wisdom: Trouble in Store (1953)

Trouble in Store was an excellent 1953 British comedy film that starred the late, great Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his screen debut. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. The Daily Mirror reviewer wrote of the film: "If you don't laugh at Norman's antics as the downtrodden worker in a big store, trying to get promotion as a window dresser, there is something wrong with your sense of fun."

Norman (Norman Wisdom), a lowly stock clerk at Burridge's department store, is in love with another employee, Sally Wilson (Lana Morris), though he has been unable to muster the courage to let her know how he feels. However, he antagonizes the new head of the store, Augustus Freeman (Jerry Desmonde) and is promptly fired. On his way out, Norman helps Miss Bacon (Margaret Rutherford) carry her bulging suitcases, unaware that she is an audacious shoplifter. Freeman sees Norman assisting a "customer" and rehires him.

Meanwhile, Peggy Drew (Moira Lister), the store's personnel manager, flirts with Mr. Freeman, while plotting with her boyfriend Gerald (Derek Bond) to rob the place. Norman is discharged and undischarged again and again, as his escapades somehow manage to benefit the store. He also finally becomes acquainted with Sally, chasing her down through the city streets to return her purse. His antics make her laugh.

After his latest firing, Norman is alarmed to find the handsome, suave Gerald trying to get to know Sally better. When he goes to the man's apartment to warn him to stay away from her, Norman inadvertently uncovers the robbery plot, scheduled to coincide with a big sale the next day. However, he is unable to get Sally or anyone else to take him seriously.

Sally eventually decides to bring Norman's story to the attention of the management, but tells the wrong person, Miss Drew, and is tied up for her efforts. Norman finds her and together, they foil the thieves. Freeman takes Norman back into his employ...but not for long.

THE

MONTHLY FILM BULLETIN

Published by

THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE

Volume 21, No.240, January 1954, page 13

TROUBLE IN STORE (1953)

In the great West End department store Norman holds a humble position in the stock room. His ambition is to become a window dresser, but all his attempts to advance himself end in chaos, as do his efforts to win Sally, who works in another department. When he helps a lady burdened with suitcases to leave the store, she proves to be a professional shop-lifter; at the Staff Social he sets himself on fire, and ruins his boss's speech; his zealous gallantry wrecks Sally's bicycle. Finally, however, he discovers a plot to rob the store, and, in the nick of time, forestalls the thieves and wins Sally.

This is the first film to star Norman Wisdom; and it is regrettable that so little attention has been given to the plot, which is no more than a series of incidents with the store as their setting. Norman Wisdom brings to the screen his well-known stage personality, "the little man against the world," and with it its basic weakness - its dependence on a first-rate script, which he lacks in this film. There are laughs, but the film is still not as funny as it should be. Margaret Rutherford's shoplifter and Jerry Desmonde's store manager are polished performances.

---

The Monthly Film Bulletin was published by the British Film Institute between 1934 and 1991. Initially aimed at distributors and exhibitors as well as filmgoers, it carried reviews and details of all UK film releases. In 1991, the Bulletin was absorbed by Sight and Sound magazine.

McCloud: 1970-1977

Yes folks, it's another blast from 1970s past! McCloud was an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1977. The title role was played by the late Dennis Weaver as Marshal Sam McCloud, a law officer from Taos, New Mexico on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.

The first choice for the role of McCloud was Fess Parker who turned it down. Universal hired the highly experienced Dennis Weaver. 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.

This premise of "a cowboy in the big city" was more or less adapted from the 1968 Don Siegel film, Coogan's Bluff that starred Clint Eastwood. Herman Miller was responsible for the story of Coogan's Bluff and co-wrote the screenplay with (Dean Riesner and Howard Rodman (indeed, Miller is credited as the creator of McCloud). Coogan's Bluff reflects Richard Thorpe's 1942 film Tarzan's New York Adventure and the latter-day career of Bat Masterson. (Siegel himself appears in the "Return to the Alamo" episode 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 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.

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.

In the fall of 1971, NBC placed McCloud, along with two other new series, McMillan & 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.

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 46th and last episode, "McCloud Meets Dracula", was aired on April 17, 1977.

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

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

Since leaving the air in 1977, the show has played regularly and often in syndication. In 1989, Weaver reprised the role in a made-for-television movie, The Return of Sam McCloud, in which his character was now a United States Senator. It first aired on November 12, 1989. Diana Muldaur, fresh from Season Two of, Star Trek: The Next Generation, returned to reprise her role as McCloud's love interest, Chris Coughlin.

The most enduring theme of the show was the conflict between the good-natured, clear-eyed buoyancy of McCloud and the metropolitan cynicism of the residents of New York City, including his fellow officers. McCloud's attire, typically consisting of a sheepskin coat or Western jacket, bolo tie and cowboy hat, allowed for implied comic relief in many encounters with New Yorkers. That New Yorkers might mistake him for a naïf because of his appearance occasionally worked to his advantage. He would often allay suspicion of his motives by insisting he was in New York "to observe and learn".

The signature of McCloud's character was his Western unflappability and seeming inability to recognize an insult, especially from Clifford, whose jibes ("send in the sagebrush Sherlock Holmes") he never would take personally. Weaver's grin and drawling twang represented McCloud as the embodiment of the American law officer who always sees the good in people but knows the real stakes and spares no pain to catch the bad guy. The character's signature catchphrase was "There ya go!", often received with bemusement or puzzlement by the listener. (One exception was a character played by John Denver; at the end of the show they traded catchphrases, Denver responding "There ya go!" to McCloud's "Far out!")

McCloud was filmed partially on location (the unit was in New York for "A Little Plot at Tranquil Valley" notably, and traveled to Hawaii for "A Cowboy in Paradise", to Mexico City for "Lady on the Run", and to Sydney for "Night of the Shark" — second-unit footage came from London, Paris, Monaco, Rome, and Moscow at various times), but utilized the Universal back lot for many scenes.

A recurring theme in many episodes was the incorporation of a plot device from Hollywood Cinema particularly at the climax of an episode. Examples included chases on horseback to lasso cattle rustlers ("The Colorado Cattle Caper"), a 1930s-style gangster shoot-out (the film-within-a-film shot on location in "The Gang That Stole Manhattan,"), a Jesse James - style train hold-up on the Long Island Rail Road ("Butch Cassidy Rides Again"), and a showdown with a vampire on the Third Street Bridge ("McCloud Meets Dracula").

McCloud became the basis for a recurring joke on the movie-mocking TV series Mystery Science Theatre 3000: whenever one character in the featured movie would call out to someone else, host characters Joel Robinson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot would chime in by calling out to other unrelated fictional characters such as Mr Drysdale and "Mr. Eddie's Father". Invariably, these exchanges ended with Servo calling "Chief?" and Crow responding with "McCloud!" The gag was most prominently featured in episode 303, "Pod People".

On an episode of The Simpsons, "The Lastest Gun in the West", Weaver guest-stars as an old-time cowboy star named Buck McCoy, who in the '70s had starred on a detective show called "McTrigger", about which McCoy admits, "Seems all I did was shoot hippies." A clip showed McTrigger driving through New York in a convertible shooting at random members of the hippie crowd that covered the sidewalks.