Hec Ramsey

Hec Ramsey
Starring	Richard Boone
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jack Webb
Running time	90 min. 120 min.
Production company(s)	Mark VII Limited Universal Television
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 8, 1972 – April 7, 1974
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Hec Ramsey is a television Western starring Richard Boone, a creation of Jack Webb's production company, Mark VII Limited in association with Universal Studios, broadcast in the United States by NBC as part of the NBC Mystery Movie wheel show during the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons.

Overview

This series was groundbreaking in that it was the first television Western set in the days when the Old West was fading, the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Critics dubbed the series "Dragnet meets John Wayne," as the scripts balanced authentic investigative methods of 1900 with action and adventure.

The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie program worked on a rotating basis - one per month from each of its shows. Top left: Dennis Weaver in McCloud. Top right: Richard Boone in Hec Ramsey. Bottom left: Peter Falk in Columbo. Bottom right: Rock Hudson in McMillan & Wife.

Hec Ramsey stars Richard Boone as Hector "Hec" Ramsey, a gunfighter and lawman who developed a strong interest in the emerging field of forensics. He still carried a firearm, but had traded his low-slung "gunfighter" rig for a Single Action Army-type revolver with a short barrel, carried in a Cavalry draw holster. However, his most important "weapons" were now fingerprinting equipment, magnifying lenses, scales, and other equipment which allowed him to determine the real perpetrators of crimes with greater accuracy than had previously been possible.

Ramsey, having recently become expert with his new equipment, accepts the position of deputy police chief in the fictional town of New Prospect, Oklahoma. He learns that the chief of police, Oliver B. Stamp (Rick Lenz), is a very young, very inexperienced lawman who needs a lot of help. Stamp is aware of his inexperience, and after some initial friction, the two men develop a strong working relationship. They are frequently accompanied by a colorful local doctor, Amos Coogan (frequent Webb collaborator Harry Morgan).

Despite good ratings, Hec Ramsey was canceled after two seasons following unresolvable disagreements between Boone and Universal Studios. Douglas Benton and Harold Jack Bloom were the producers; Jack Webb was executive producer.

Guest stars in the series' 10 episodes included: Claude Akins, R.G. Armstrong, Rory Calhoun, Jackie Cooper (in "Dead Heat"), Angie Dickinson, Steve Forrest, Pat Hingle, Kim Hunter, Rita Moreno, Sheree North, Ruth Roman, Kurt Russell (in "Scar Tissue"), Stella Stevens, Stuart Whitman (in "A Hard Road to Vengence"), Chill Wills, Marie Windsor (in "Mystery of the Green Feather"), and Keenan Wynn.

Episodes

Season 1 (1972–1973)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Century Turns"	Daniel Petrie	Harold Jack Bloom	October 8, 1972 (1972-10-08)
Deputy sheriff Hec Ramsey uses the latest crime-solving techniques to solve the murder of a homesteading couple.
2	"Hangman's Wages"	George Marshall	Shimon Wincelberg	October 29, 1972 (1972-10-29)
Hec searches for a convicted outlaw's admirer who's threatening to kill a person a day unless the outlaw is set free.
3	"The Mystery of the Green Feather"	Herschel Daugherty	John Meston	December 17, 1972 (1972-12-17)
Indians are implicated in the murder of a family of settlers, but Hec is not one to jump to conclusions.
4	"The Mystery of the Yellow Rose"	Douglas Benton	Teleplay: John Meston Story: William R. Cox and Douglas Benton	January 28, 1973 (1973-01-28)
Hec tracks a check forger to Santa Rita, New Mexico where he encounters an old flame who's been framed for murder.
5	"The Mystery of Chalk Hill"	Harry Morgan	Harold Swanton	February 18, 1973 (1973-02-18)
Hec relocates to Enid, Oklahoma where he gets involved in a double-homicide case.

Season 2 (1973–1974)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
6	"A Hard Road to Vengeance"	Alex March	Teleplay: S. Bar-David and Harold Jack Bloom Story: S. Bar-David	November 25, 1973 (1973-11-25)
The citizens of New Prospect are about to honor a dead outlaw with a monument when the lawman who shot him shows up.
7	"The Detroit Connection"	Nicholas Colasanto	Joseph Calvelli	December 30, 1973 (1973-12-30)
When a crime syndicate from Detroit murders one of the oil drillers they've tricked into accepting loans, Hec sets out to take them down.
8	"Dead Heat"	Richard Quine	Brad Radnitz	February 3, 1974 (1974-02-03)
A young man dies of heart failure and Hec suspects foul play.
9	"Scar Tissue"	Andrew V. McLaglen	Mann Rubin	March 10, 1974 (1974-03-10)
Hec helps a hot-headed young man search for his father and uncovers dark secrets along the way.
10	"Only Birds and Fools"	Harry Morgan	Richard Fielder	April 7, 1974 (1974-04-07)
Hec investigates a murder committed at an exhibition celebrating the first flight.

References

• Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows

External links

• Hec Ramsey at IMDb
• Hec Ramsey at TV.com