# Banyon > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Banyon > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Banyon.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyon > Source revision: 1345923194 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American television series}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = Banyon Opening Screen.jpg | caption = ''Banyon'' title card | genre = [Detective fiction](/source/Detective_fiction) | creator = | starring = {{Plainlist| * [Robert Forster](/source/Robert_Forster) * [Joan Blondell](/source/Joan_Blondell) * [Richard Jaeckel](/source/Richard_Jaeckel) }} | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 15 (+ 1 TV movie) | executive_producer = | producer = [Quinn Martin](/source/Quinn_Martin) | runtime = 60 minutes | company = {{Plainlist| * QM Productions * [Warner Bros. Television](/source/Warner_Bros._Television) }} | network = [NBC](/source/NBC) | first_aired = {{Start date|1972|09|15}} | last_aired = {{End date|1973|01|12}} }} '''''Banyon''''' is a detective series broadcast in the United States by [NBC](/source/NBC) as part of its [1972–73 television schedule](/source/1972%E2%80%9373_United_States_network_television_schedule). The series was broadcast on Fridays from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. [EST](/source/Eastern_Time_Zone) beginning September 15, 1972, with the final episode shown on January 12, 1973.Hyatt, Wesley, ''Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978'', page 214, McFarland, Inc., 2003 A standalone two-hour television movie was broadcast in 1971.Maltin, Leonard (editor), ''Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide, 1991 Edition'', page 68, Plume, 1990 The series was a [Quinn Martin](/source/Quinn_Martin) Production (in association with [Warner Bros. Television](/source/Warner_Bros._Television)). thumb|left|180px|Forster as Banyon. ==Synopsis== ''Banyon'' was a period drama set in the late 1930s in Los Angeles. It concerned the life of [private investigator](/source/private_investigator) Miles C. Banyon ([Robert Forster](/source/Robert_Forster)), a tough-but-honest detective who would accept essentially any case for US$20/day. Banyon's police acquaintance with the [Los Angeles Police Department](/source/Los_Angeles_Police_Department) was the cynical Lieutenant Pete McNeil ([Richard Jaeckel](/source/Richard_Jaeckel)).Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present'' (First Edition), Ballantine Books, 1979, page 46 Located in the same complex (the famed [Bradbury Building](/source/Bradbury_Building))[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Quinn_Martin_Producer/DkXRUpXvKJ0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Banyon+Robert+Forster&pg=PA129&printsec=frontcover Etter, Jonathan, ''Quinn Martin, Producer: A Behind-the-Scenes History of QM Productions and its Founder'', McFarland, Inc., pages 129-133, 2015] as Banyon's office was the [secretarial](/source/secretary) school operated by Peggy Revere ([Joan Blondell](/source/Joan_Blondell)). By an agreement between Banyon and Revere, part of the training provided to these young women was a period serving as Banyon's secretary; this gave him the advantage of not having to provide a salary for a secretary. Besides Revere, the other ongoing female character was Banyon's girlfriend, Abby Graham ([Julie Gregg](/source/Julie_Gregg)), a [nightclub singer](/source/nightclub_singer) who was constantly trying to encourage him to "settle down" and marry her. ==Cancellation== ''Banyon'' was unable to find an adequate audience and lost in the [Nielsen ratings](/source/Nielsen_ratings) to [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company)'s ''[Love, American Style](/source/Love%2C_American_Style)'' and [movies](/source/film) on [CBS](/source/CBS) and was canceled midseason. Despite the show's short life, [Quentin Tarantino](/source/Quentin_Tarantino) liked Forster's performance as the title character so much that he hired him for the feature film ''[Jackie Brown](/source/Jackie_Brown_(film))'' many years later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/banyon/199895|title=Banyon | TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-forster-p90191|title = Robert Forster | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos}} ==Episodes== {{Episode table |total_width= |background=973B38 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 0 | Title = Pilot | DirectedBy =[Robert Day](/source/Robert_Day_(director)) | WrittenBy =Ed Adamson | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|03|15}} | ShortSummary = Two-hour [TV-movie](/source/Television_film); A young woman is found dead in Banyon's office, shot with Banyon's gun. Though he temporarily loses his private investigator's license Banyon tracks down the person responsible for the woman's murder.[José Ferrer](/source/Jos%C3%A9_Ferrer), [Leslie Parrish](/source/Leslie_Parrish), [Herb Edelman](/source/Herb_Edelman), [Hermione Gingold](/source/Hermione_Gingold) and [Anjanette Comer](/source/Anjanette_Comer) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 1 | Title = The Decent Thing to Do | DirectedBy =[Ralph Senensky](/source/Ralph_Senensky) | WrittenBy =[William P. McGivern](/source/William_P._McGivern) | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|09|15}} | ShortSummary =When a man who hires Banyon as his bodyguard is murdered, Banyon does his best to solve the crime. [Collin Wilcox](/source/Collin_Wilcox_(actress)), [Frank Aletter](/source/Frank_Aletter) and [Marlyn Mason](/source/Marlyn_Mason) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 2 | Title = The Old College Try | DirectedBy =[Richard Donner](/source/Richard_Donner) | WrittenBy =Ed Adamson
[Theodore J. Flicker](/source/Theodore_J._Flicker)
Norman Katkov | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|09|22}} | ShortSummary =Banyon solves a campus killing and saves a bereaved father from the clutches of a greedy woman. [Jessica Walter](/source/Jessica_Walter), [Shelly Novack](/source/Shelly_Novack), [Darrell Larson](/source/Darrell_Larson) and [Tim O'Connor](/source/Tim_O'Connor_(actor)) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 3 | Title = The Graveyard Vote | DirectedBy =[Ralph Senensky](/source/Ralph_Senensky) | WrittenBy =Milton S. Gelman
[Carey Wilber](/source/Carey_Wilber) | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|09|29}} | ShortSummary = Political intrigue develops when Banyon investigates the murder of a candidate for state attorney general. [Diana Hyland](/source/Diana_Hyland), [Tom Bosley](/source/Tom_Bosley), [Larry Gates](/source/Larry_Gates) and [Pat O'Brien](/source/Pat_O'Brien_(actor)) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 4 | Title = Completely Out of Print | DirectedBy =[Daniel Petrie](/source/Daniel_Petrie) | WrittenBy =Norman Katkov | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|06}} | ShortSummary = A pulp magazine publisher hires Banyon to find his missing star writer. [Fritz Weaver](/source/Fritz_Weaver), [Rosemary Murphy](/source/Rosemary_Murphy), [Phillip Pine](/source/Phillip_Pine) and [John Sylvester White](/source/John_Sylvester_White) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 5 | Title = Meal Ticket | DirectedBy =[Lawrence Dobkin](/source/Lawrence_Dobkin) | WrittenBy =James D. Buchanan
Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|13}} | ShortSummary = Immediately after a boxer scores an upset victory, he disappears and Banyon is hired to find him. [Gabriel Dell](/source/Gabriel_Dell), James McCallion, [Bo Svenson](/source/Bo_Svenson) and [Sharon Farrell](/source/Sharon_Farrell) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 6 | Title = The Clay Clarinet | DirectedBy =[Charles S. Dubin](/source/Charles_S._Dubin) | WrittenBy =[Jack Sher](/source/Jack_Sher) | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|27}} | ShortSummary = A famous but obnoxious bandleader hires Banyon to find out who is trying to kill him. [Jack Sheldon](/source/Jack_Sheldon), [Fred Sadoff](/source/Fred_Sadoff), [E. J. Peaker](/source/E._J._Peaker) and [John Saxon](/source/John_Saxon) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 7 | Title = Dead End | DirectedBy =[Ralph Senensky](/source/Ralph_Senensky) | WrittenBy =Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|03}} | ShortSummary = After being officially ordered off a case, a policeman ([Jack Cassidy](/source/Jack_Cassidy)) hires Banyon to solve a suspected murder that has nagged him for almost seven years. [Billy "Green" Bush](/source/Billy_%22Green%22_Bush), Morgan Sterne and [Diana Muldaur](/source/Diana_Muldaur) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 8 | Title = Time to Kill | DirectedBy =Arthur H. Nadel | WrittenBy =Ed Adamson | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|10}} | ShortSummary =Behind the scenes of a [dance marathon](/source/dance_marathon) of the 1930s, Banyon exposes a death hoax and the "second lift" of an ex-[Busby Berkeley](/source/Busby_Berkeley) chorus girl ([Jo Ann Pflug](/source/Jo_Ann_Pflug)). [Dick Van Patten](/source/Dick_Van_Patten) and [Barbara Babcock](/source/Barbara_Babcock) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 9 | Title = Think of Me Kindly | DirectedBy =[Marvin J. Chomsky](/source/Marvin_J._Chomsky) | WrittenBy =George F. Slavin
Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|17}} | ShortSummary = Another private detective is hired by Banyon to handle a routine case, but the detective ends up getting murdered. [Dabney Coleman](/source/Dabney_Coleman), [Ahna Capri](/source/Ahna_Capri), [Gerald Hiken](/source/Gerald_Hiken) and [Norma Crane](/source/Norma_Crane) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 10 | Title = A Date with Death | DirectedBy =[Charles S. Dubin](/source/Charles_S._Dubin) | WrittenBy =[Morton Fine](/source/Morton_Fine)
Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|24}} | ShortSummary = In the midst of investigating the murder of a dime-a-dance hostess, Banyon clashes with an aggressive stage mother. [Allen Garfield](/source/Allen_Garfield), [Meredith MacRae](/source/Meredith_MacRae), [Eileen Heckart](/source/Eileen_Heckart), [Lane Bradbury](/source/Lane_Bradbury), [Teri Garr](/source/Teri_Garr) and [Vincent Beck](/source/Vincent_Beck) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 11 | Title = Sally Overman Is Missing | DirectedBy =[Lawrence Dobkin](/source/Lawrence_Dobkin) | WrittenBy =Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|12|01}} | ShortSummary =Stolen information smuggled in the brain of Banyon's beautiful secretary, Sally Overman ([Jo Ann Harris](/source/Jo_Ann_Harris)), makes her a target for murder. [Robert Webber](/source/Robert_Webber), [Karen Carlson](/source/Karen_Carlson) and [Curt Conway](/source/Curt_Conway) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 12 | Title = The Lady Killer | DirectedBy =[Valentin de Vargas](/source/Valentin_de_Vargas) | WrittenBy =[Nelson Gidding](/source/Nelson_Gidding)
Robert C. Dennis | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|12|08}} | ShortSummary = A young waitress hires Banyon to find a driver who ran her down in an attempt to kill her. [Jack Klugman](/source/Jack_Klugman), [Elaine Giftos](/source/Elaine_Giftos), [Kristina Holland](/source/Kristina_Holland), [Don Chastain](/source/Don_Chastain), [Marian McCargo](/source/Marian_McCargo), [Arch Johnson](/source/Arch_Johnson) and [Paul Sorensen](/source/Paul_Sorensen) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 13 | Title = The Murder Game | DirectedBy =[Reza Badiyi](/source/Reza_Badiyi) | WrittenBy =[William P. McGivern](/source/William_P._McGivern) | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|12|15}} | ShortSummary = An old girlfriend of Banyon's, now a tennis pro, seeks his assistance after being frightened by two men. [Kaz Garas](/source/Kaz_Garas), Skye Aubrey, [Leigh Hamilton](/source/Leigh_Hamilton) and [Gregory Sierra](/source/Gregory_Sierra) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 14 | Title = Just Once | DirectedBy =[Marvin J. Chomsky](/source/Marvin_J._Chomsky) | WrittenBy =[Mann Rubin](/source/Mann_Rubin) | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|12|22}} | ShortSummary = Banyon tries to find out why an ex-convict was gunned down just one day after being released from prison. [Murray Matheson](/source/Murray_Matheson), Dennis Redfield, [Ed Flanders](/source/Ed_Flanders) and [Janice Rule](/source/Janice_Rule) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 15 | Title = Time Lapse | DirectedBy =[Daniel Petrie](/source/Daniel_Petrie) | WrittenBy =Ed Adamson
Milton S. Gelman | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1973|01|12}} | ShortSummary = While tracking down an ex-husband behind on his alimony payments, Banyon ends up being held captive by a major gangster. [Estelle Winwood](/source/Estelle_Winwood), [John Fiedler](/source/John_Fiedler), [Donna Mills](/source/Donna_Mills), [Anne Seymour](/source/Anne_Seymour_(actress)), [Ken Lynch](/source/Ken_Lynch) and [Charles McGraw](/source/Charles_McGraw) guest star. | LineColor =973B38 }} }} ==References== ;Notes ;Bibliography Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''[The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows](/source/The_Complete_Directory_to_Prime_Time_Network_and_Cable_TV_Shows)'' ==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0068045|title=Banyon}} *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjNQ50Ch8wE Pilot movie on YouTube] Category:NBC television dramas Category:Neo-noir television series Category:1972 American television series debuts Category:1973 American television series endings Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Category:American detective television series Category:Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Category:Television series set in the 1930s Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles Category:English-language American television shows Category:Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Banyon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.