The Devlin Connection
| The Devlin Connection | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
Detective fiction Procedural drama |
| Created by | John Wilder |
| Starring |
Rock Hudson Jack Scalia |
| Theme music composer | Patrick Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jerry Thorpe |
| Producer(s) |
Cliff Gould Harvey Frand |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Mammoth Films Viacom Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 2 – December 25, 1982 |
The Devlin Connection is a short-lived American television crime drama[1] starring Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia. The show aired on NBC for 13 episodes in 1982, premiering on October 2.[2]
Premise
Hudson stars as Brian Devlin, a former military intelligence officer and ex-owner of a detective agency who is now the director of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles.[3] Devlin meets racquetball pro and private investigator Nick Corsello (Scalia), who is revealed to be Devlin's son from a brief affair 28 years earlier.[4][5] The duo proceed to solve a mystery-of-the-week.
Cast
- Rock Hudson as Brian Devlin, director of Performing Arts Center
- Jack Scalia as Nick Corsello, racquetball pro and private detective
- Leigh Taylor-Young as Lauren Dane, Brian's assistant1
- Louis Giambalvo as Lt. Earl Borden, Nick's friend and former colleague from New York1
- Takayo as Mrs. Watanabe, Brian's housekeeper1
- Melanie Vincz as Alice Arms, Nick's health club co-worker1
- Jack Kruschen as Max Salkall, orchestra conductor at Performing Arts Center1
- Irene Tedrow as Margaret Hollister, Brian's assistant2
- Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Otis Barnes, Nick's friend and night club owner2
1^ Character only in second version filmed in 1982 but aired first.
2^ Character only in first version filmed in 1981 but aired second.
Production changes
Production started in 1981 but after several episodes were filmed it was delayed a year due to Hudson's heart problems.[6] When the filming resumed there were many changes. In the first version Brian has an older assistant (Irene Tedrow), and his office and apartment are modest. Nick is a Vietnam veteran and now just a small-time private detective who works out of a night club. The stories are grittier. In the second version Brian's assistant is glamorous (Leigh Taylor-Young), and his office and apartment are much larger and more sumptuous. Nick is a former NYPD officer and now a racquetball pro who works at a health club and investigates on the side. The stories are much more upscale. At Hudson's insistence, the nine flashier episodes aired first which was a little confusing because the episode where they actually meet, "Claudine", became the tenth episode.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Brian and Nick" | October 2, 1982 |
| 2 | "The Lady on the Billboard" | October 9, 1982 |
| 3 | "Love, Sin and Death at Point Dume" | October 16, 1982 |
| 4 | "The Corpse in the Corniche" | October 23, 1982 |
| 5 | "The Absolute Monarch of Ward C" | October 30, 1982 |
| 6 | "The French Detective" | November 6, 1982 |
| 7 | "Of Nuns and Other Black Birds" | November 13, 1982 |
| 8 | "Ring of Kings, Ring of Thieves" | November 27, 1982 |
| 9 | "Arsenic and Old Caviar" | December 4, 1982 |
| 10 | "Claudine" | December 11, 1982 |
| 11 | "Allison" | December 18, 1982 |
| 12 | "Erica" | December 25, 1982 |
| 13 | "Jennifer" | 19831 |
1^ NBC burned off the final episode in 1983. All 13 episodes aired on TV Land in the late 1990s.
Video releases
In the mid-1980s Trans World Entertainment officially released the first three episodes on VHS videotape cassettes.[7] There are also bootleg DVDs of all the TV Land aired episodes.
References
- ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
- ↑ "Devlin Connection". TV Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Unger, Arthur (October 1, 1982). "Rock Hudson looks back on his films and ahead to his TV series". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ↑ Pierce, Kingston J. (September 10, 2010). "Killed in the Ratings: The Devlin Connection". The Rap Sheet. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ "The Devlin Connection – 1982". Hollywood.com. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Staff (November 15, 1982). "One Year After Heart Surgery, Rock Hudson Is Rolling Again, but His Devlin Connection Is Ailing". People. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Devlin Connection Vol. 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.