Banacek Opening

[0428733]

George Peppard was the most Badass guy ever

[w9gb]

Matt Damon needs to pick-up this franchise (movie, special, limited series)

Perfect fit -- Boston background and be a modern day Banacek.

gb

[w9gb]

Matt Damon needs to pick-up this franchise (movie, special, limited series)

Perfect fit -- Boston background and be a modern name Banacek.

gb

[LisaMCD00]

Does anyone remember when Broderick Crawford's character pronounced Banacek as "Bananachek?"

[supercreamysperm]

Ah, yes, between Peppard's nose and the Volkswagon Beetle.

[scottievand]

The theme has the "Wakka-Ja-Wakka" in it. Gotta be the 70's. ;)

[doctorw2]

i love this tv show and columbo, banacek+columbo=greatness

[shinkashank]

0:30 my dad is hanging off tht black u-haul truck in the background

[supercreamysperm]

@shinkashank where? i don't see it

[shinkashank]

@supercreamysperm pause at 0:30, and look neat his face

[Hawkeye752]

What my buds and I liked about the show was he always explained how the bad guys committed the crime.

[gahrzahk]

Just kidding about Camden. I got the first season for Mom on a discount site; it's a pretty good series, like all the other NBC mysteries back in the early 70's.

[gahrzahk]

What town is this with the smokin' babes? Camden?

[colong88]

@gahrzahk

Banacek was set in Boston.

[clever072004]

Very Hauting, I remember this very well....

[colong88]

Elegant theme for an elegant (if slightly smug) hero.

[jessemarkham]

I own both seasons on dvd :P

[mayorscruff]

GREAT SHOW

[pabobfin]

How funny, he rows without raising his oars on opening

[eci4r]

I would if they would show this again on retro tv I'm kind of bored w ith

Mcmillan and wife

[bigman1916]

@eci4r They are, seen 4 episodes so far

[donzast]

I always thought the opening sequence expressed the right feeling for this show. bravo henry.

[thebes56]

I used to like this show.

[17FOXIEROXIE]

I wonder if the new a-team will have any merit. I love george peppard.

[MarcusLeepapi]

@17FOXIEROXIE Yes, I love this show back then. It was great...

[Marcos2797]

Beautiful soundtrack

[zooeyhall]

As a fan of the series when it first came out, I recently bought the DVD set. I would urge anyone who enjoyed "Banacek" to get the dvds, because they are beautifully restored with great digital video and audio. Much better then when we saw it over the old analog broadcasts.

[newscaster13]

This was before Peppard returned to NBC in 1983, and he met the king of mean Mr. T on the A-Team.

Banacek was a mystery series where is was all smooth; A-Team was packed with action, adventure, explosions and Hannibal risking himself.

[suir52]

I loved that Packard Darren convertible he drove when not being driven by his chauffeur, Jay Drury, played by Ralph Manza. The writer must have been watching The Virginian when he came up with that name.

[w9gb]

Remember the George Peppard and this series (NBC Mystery Movie rotation) very well. Sadly, his divorce from Elizabeth Ashley reportedly ended the series -- so the third season was never produced.

Brian Grazer is the nephew of one of the original directors -- wish he would pick it up, refresh it as a mini-series OR a 2-3 hour movie.

David Rose and Quincy Jones did the series' music for Universal !!

gb

[neweast1]

you can be that smart,coolyhe rich part your on your own......s

[edybeast]

I never missed an episode; I wanted to be that smart, that cool, that rich, lol.

[neweast1]

he was great in the movie the blue max.....

[edybeast]

Yes he was.

[jlmww]

Ah, so this is what he did before being in command of the ATeam.

[DAngelo136]

Along with 'Breakfast At Tiffany's", "Tobruk", "The Blue Max", "P.J.", "Doctors Hospital", "How The West Was Won".

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in the Motion Pictures category. Graduated Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1955, also a former U.S. Marine.

[jlmww]

Yes, I know about a some of that. I was just being facetious.

And his impersonation of Jimmy Stewart in HOW THE WEST WAS WON still cracks me up every time.

[waverly2468]

@DAngelo136 I'd like to see PJ again--but they don't even have an old VHS tape of it on Amazon. Tobruk deserves a DVD release but sadly it hasn't happened. Tobruk has a truly explosive ending that is great even by Michael Bay standards.

[DAngelo136]

@waverly2468 Unfortunately, these movies dont have the large demand and due to the fact that they're over 40 years old and deal with WWII they don't resonate with today's audiences. Especially with the current political climate.

[HoustonGD]

I'm watching this on DVD right now. 5/5 stars!

[doubleotwentyone]

Great theme tune and Peppard was spot on.

[nutherefurlong]

Looks like the gal at 0:36 is just starting to walk when the camera begins rolling, then conveniently walks in-frame for the whole shot :)

I wouldn't have thought her suspicious except she seems to start on the wrong foot for a second.

[frankd1965]

MArgot Kidder from the "Superman" movies. She was Lois Lane, Clark Kent's girlfriend.

[jackzupp]

It was the best "mystery" show in TV ! ie: a proto-type vehicle loaded onto a flat-bed rail car for shipment to another city w/armed guards, on both railcars on both sides,leaves station, never stopping yet entire railcar and prototype vanished upon arrival at destination. Where did it go AND how!!!

[ltdann86]

I remember this well even though I was a kid at the time....God I am getting old

[thephantomhoax2012]

Man, I was born in 1971. I grew up in Allston. It's cool to see the city back then. Banachek, millionare slueth. I see a few hotties walking around in some scenes. better by careful they might be related to me!

[Vf5rules]

Nice movie. I'm a huge fan of Ralph Manza.

[frankd1965]

he was the driver

[edybeast]

Do you remember him as the guy who owned the restaurant in the early days of "General Hospital"?

[mickynikky0]

@edybeast ghgtyfnvfurbcyrfbgrfrybfcyrgcf­frrycbrycr

[mickynikky0]

Respond to this video...  jmfurur54ryf7r

[serjanus]

What language are you speaking?

[galinneall]

I'd like to see Banacek now. I was a kid when it was on t.v., so I didn't really understand much but then I saw one episode years later and thought it was quite good. George was pompous as usual, but the storyline was interesting and it was a really good mystery. And no shoot-outs or car chases as I recall.

[kxx46]

It was agood show. It was a series of "movies" on NBC Mystery Movie (Mc Millan and Wife, Columbo, McCloud etc). i think there were less than 20 episodes.

Peppard played an insurance investigator.

[tonyw951]

looked kinda crap to me, especially that rowing bit at the start.

[serjanus]

That theme tune is a bit lame!

[gell7]

dude tha the 70s baby tune in tune out man share the joint man

[Lolicat]

I honestly watched it for the sexy '42 Packard Darrin convertible!!

[chookter1]

Hannibal without the gloves

[adebarde]

One of the most boring detective series on tv played by an incredibly smug individual.

[neweast1]

thanks appreciate the info i only smoke one or two in the summer but his you dont even have to lite..

[thegreatactor]

I want to watch this show on tv again! If there is every any remake I would like to play Banacek! The older i get the more I understand it!

[ChopstickBrando]

SEE Banacek.

BE, Banacek.

[neweast1]

you cant find writing like this anymore your right i dont think half the detectives today could figure out whats goingon.does anyone know what kind a cigar he smoked

[thegreatactor]

I don't know but i think it you get a snap shot and go to a store, they might be able to tell you! I kow is bad to smoke but he was a cool cat

[larmanius]

this show is really an awesome time capsule. such deliberate pacing and complex plots. the typical viewer these days wouldn't know what to make of them, i bet. the DVD's are adequate only...nothing special.

[dyinglikeflies]

Original opening had him walking into Durgin Park restaurant- and NO Boston native would be going there, it's a tourist joint.

[atwater8991]

good show to watch when you're home sick

[Idjitz]

What is that beautiful boat he's driving (the car, I mean)?

[Soujurn]

In 1940 Packard started including "Darrins", cars designed by Howard Dutch Darrin in their promotional literature. The 1941 One-Eighty Series, Packard's most expensive, used in Banacek, featured this restored Darrin Convertible Victoria. Only 25 of these were ever made, starting in 1941 at the then expensive price of $4595. The cars were owned by such celebrities as Clark Gable and Errol flynn.

[Chewy2284]

notice how much cleaner the air is, alot less smog

[DelMinor]

I miss George Peppard. Great show... I loved the theme songs from 70's TV shows, always seem to be able to take me right back there so effeortlessly.

[paladin520]

Polish power, baby!  (The millions ain't bad either!) LOL

LOL

[RoverDaddy]

Absolutely! My dad always made a big deal about the fact that Banacek was Polish.

[thegreatactor]

Really I herd that it was seen as a + by the Polish. But the poverbs still can figuer them out!

[CHANNELOMD]

great prog thanks for the vid

[sarnow76]

Is it just me or does George Peppard the ageless wonder? He looked the same in the A-Team as he does here. RIP Georege.

[jamessmedley82]

That's exactly what I was thinking,even though Banacek and A-Team were 11 years apart.

[thegreatactor]

He made them rememberable.

[KidAJonni]

The John Hancock building in Boston was still under construction at the time this series was on t.v. from 1972-74. So i assume the Hancock building opened sometime after 1974.

[creolelady182]

George Peppard picked up a lot of weight since 'Breakfast at Tiffanys

[ellias50]

haven't we all

[jamessmedley82]

"Picked up" a lot of weight?? I love your English !

[strongpedigree]

I was a kid during these years, but somehow was able to appreciate the sophisticated, charismatic character of BANECEK.

[swansafc1912]

Another super intro to a excellent show from

the 70's

[katylied47]

great times

[murasakiotto]

What a clean and graceful opening title!

[recordman64]

For any Banacek fans who may also be Batman fans...this episode was written by one of Batman's main writers, Stanley Ralph Ross, and produced by Batman's line producer, Howie Horwitz. Small world, isn't it? :)

[bregman1155]

Man! Boston skyline with the new Hancock Building still under construction! Used to walk past there everyday in college back in the late 70s!!

[jsteeber]

We remember this in degraded sound - per network feed (before network HiFi entered in the late 70's) heard over mid-range cabinet speakers. In such the same way that I remember most 60's and 70's pop songs as heard over AM radios.

[TheRebel2007]

Oh, where is Banacek when we really need him! He would have long since solved the JonBennet Ramsey case, the O.J. Simson case, and probably even the controversy surrounding the 9/11 attacks!

[ellias50]

banacek recovered missing things. What was missing in these cases was either a little honesty or the brains of the jury. And as far as what you call the alleged 9/11 "controversy", what was missing was the integrity of the terrorist killers.

[TheRebel2007]

Touche!

[DAngelo136]

At the time, the NBC Mystery Movie series featured detective stories where the hero did not or rarely used a gun. The most successful of these (Banacek, McCloud, Tenafly, and Columbo) was the Columbo series. The prevailing opinion at the time was that there was excessive violence on TV; this was NBC's answer to that complaint.

[Soujurn]

The pilot episode has the announcer mispronouncing his name as "BanaSek", and Peppard corrects him. "Banacek" (pronounced Banacheck).

They dropped it for the regular season.

[jsteeber]

Wasn't there a version of the opening where the announcer mispronounces Banacek's name and Peppard corrects him?

[us71]

I think it was an advertisement for the show that did that.

BTW: this theme sounds slightly different from what I remember... I don't remember that funny "electronic squiggle" on the background.

[dandiacal]

Yes that guitar effect sound was a staple in 1970s arranging. It was used a lot in RB, fusion and in chase scenes in commercial movies and t.v.

[braingun64]

George Peppard, R.I.P.

[sarnow76]

Banacek, Columbo and many more!! They truly don't make good TV shows like this anymore.

[swansafc1912]

yet another great show & music excellent.

swansafc1912

[thegreatactor]

thanks. now colud i have the check