You couldn’t call him streetwise but Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud could certainly look after himself, arriving in New York (from his native Taos, New Mexico) on the trail of a refugee prisoner (seen in the pilot episode Portrait of a Dead Girl aka Who Killed Miss USA) and ending up staying and working for Manhattan’s 27th Precinct.
Part of the NBC Mystery Movie strand (which also gave us such fellow classics as McMillan and Wife, Columbo and Quincy) McCloud is also one of the most fondly remembered shows of the seventies, there was something so incongruous to see McCloud riding his horse through the New York traffic wearing his sheepskin jacket, cowboy boots and a Stetson but he was a real likeable character, each episode was feature length and of course much is made of McCloud’s fish out of water-ness but in reality its his new partner Sgt Joe Broadhurst (played by Terry Carter) who has most trouble getting used to the new routine.
Dennis Weaver is just perfect as Sam McCloud, stately and a real gentleman but willing to get into the thick of the action when needed.
The plots are good too, and range from the traditional who-dunnit to McCloud tangling with Smugglers and even getting caught up with the mob.
McCloud, despite being part of the NBC Mystery Movie series, actually started out in 1970 as one part of the similarly styled Four In One (the others in that being The Psychiatrist, Night Gallery and San Francisco International Airport) rotating series.
On 12 November 1989 there was a TV movie revival called The Return of Sam McCloud, Mccloud was now a U.S. senator.
production details
NBC/Universal / 6×60 minute episodes 19×90 minute episodes 21×120 minute episodes / Broadcast 16 September 1970 – 28 August 1977
Creator: Herman Miller, Glen A. Larson / Music: Richard Clements / Executive Producer: Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens, Richard Irving
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cast
DENNIS WEAVER as Dep Marshall Sam McCloud
J.D CANNON as Police Chief Peter B. Clifford
TERRY CARTER as Sgt Joe Broadhurst
DIANA MULDAUR as Chris Coughlin
SHARON GLESS as Sgt Maggie Clinger
