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In fact, don’t be surprised if, in a few months, someone gets the bright idea to update the show, either bringing it back to television or possibly even turning it into a movie franchise. “Banacek” is an underrated drama of the ‘70s that, while not necessarily the best of the decade, is certainly one worthy of rediscovery, if only to enjoy the fun of Peppard’s performance.
In addition to the consistently witty dialogue, there are also some great guest-star turns, including Broderick Crawford (“Highway Patrol”), Kevin McCarthy (from the original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”), and Margot Kidder, who plays one of Banacek’s romantic interest and, ironically, makes a joke about Superman almost half a decade before being cast as Lois Lane. (Example: “Read the whole library, my son, but the cheese will still smell after four days.”) He’s certainly the antithesis of the “Polacks” who were the focus of so many ethnic jokes during the ‘70s, solving crimes without breaking a sweat and providing ridiculously in-depth explanations as to how the guilty parties almost got away with it. Proud of his Polish heritage, Banacek gladly doles out proverbs that ostensibly hail from his homeland, but usually only result in a double-take from those on the receiving end. He’s also a master of snappy retorts and rapid-fire patter. He’s classy, has a way with the ladies, and isn’t too shabby with the hand-to-hand combat, either. While a top-notch detective in his own right, Banacek is regularly provided with crucial background data by bookseller Felix Mulholland (Murray Matheson), who deals in antique books as often as he deals in information.īanacek is the James Bond of insurance investigators. Banacek’s clearly a man of means, driving a customized 1969 American Motors AMX but, of course, that’s only when he’s not being driven around in a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine by his trusty chauffeur, Jay (Ralph Manza).
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Peppard played Thomas Banacek, and, while technically a freelance investigator, his specialty was working with insurance companies for a 10 percent “finder’s fee” in order to save them from having to pay out full payments for lost or destroyed property that had been insured for outrageously large sums. And he was chewing on cigars back then, too. Once upon a time, he was the coolest, most awesome insurance investigator in the business.
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John “Hannibal” Smith, it’s nice that TV Guide decided to kick off their series of TV-on-DVD releases by reminding folks that George Peppard wasn’t always just the leader of a renegade commando squad. Still, while there are worse roles to be remembered for than that of the A-Team’s cigar-chewing Col. Several other notable films would follow, including “How the West was Won,” “The Carpetbaggers” and “The Blue Max,” but his star began to droop a bit as the years passed, and, by the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Peppard’s big roles were limited to grade-B sci-fi dramas like “Damnation Alley” and “Battle Beyond the Stars.” It’s no surprise, then, that when NBC came a’calling in 1983 with a regular TV series gig, Peppard was more than happy to take the part. His first major gig came in 1959’s “Pork Chop Hill,” where he served alongside Gregory Peck, Rip Torn, Robert Blake and Norman Fell, but it was his turn as Paul Varjak, Holly Golightly’s eventual beau in 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” that proved to be the most memorable movie role of Peppard’s career. George Peppard had a brief but notable run as a movie star during the 1960s.
TV Home / Entertainment Channel / Bullz-Eye Home Buy your copy from Banacek: The First Season (1983) Starring: George Peppard, Ralph Manza, Murray Matheson
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