Lucas Tanner is an American drama series aired on NBC during the 1974–75 season. The title character, played by David Hartman, is a former baseball player and sportswriter who becomes an English teacher at the fictional Harry S Truman Memorial High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He changed professions following the death of his wife and child.[1] Episodes often deal with the resistance of traditional teachers to Tanner's unorthodox teaching style.
| Lucas Tanner | |
|---|---|
 David Hartman as Lucas Tanner with a gifted student, Scott Glaser (Alfred Lutter III), in the episode "Thirteen Going on Twenty." | |
| Genre | School drama |
| Created by | Jerry McNeely |
| Starring | |
| Composer | David Shire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | David Victor |
| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Harry L. Wolf |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 60 min |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 11, 1974 – April 9, 1975 |
Regular co-stars included Rosemary Murphy, Kimberly Beck, John Randolph, and ten-year-old Robbie Rist. Unusually, the show was actually filmed in Webster Groves, rather than on a Hollywood backlot. That gave it a somewhat unusual "look" for a prime-time TV series.
A 90-minute pilot film of the series aired on NBC the week of May 4, 1974; the pilot also starred Kathleen Quinlan and Joe Garagiola.[2]
This series was Hartman's last work as an actor. In November 1975, he began as co-host of ABC's Good Morning America. To date, he has not returned to acting.
Episodes
edit| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Lucas Tanner" | Richard Donner | Jerry McNeely | May 8, 1974 | |
|
90-minute pilot. | |||||
| 1 | "A Matter of Love" | Gordon Hessler | John McGreevey | September 11, 1974 | |
| 2 | "Instant Replay" | Gordon Hessler | Robert Van Scoyk | September 18, 1974 | |
| 3 | "Thirteen Going on Twenty" | Walter Doniger | Jerry McNeely | October 2, 1974 | |
| 4 | "Winners and Losers" | Leo Penn | Eugene Price | October 9, 1974 | |
| 5 | "A Question of Privacy" | Jerry McNeely | Jerry McNeely | October 16, 1974 | |
| 6 | "Three Letter Word" | Walter Doniger | Leonard & Arlene Stadd | October 23, 1974 | |
| 7 | "By the Numbers" | William Asher | Sue Milburn | November 6, 1974 | |
| 8 | "Echoes" | Walter Doniger | Arthur Heinemann | November 13, 1974 | |
| 9 | "Look the Other Way" | Jerry London | Story by : Arthur Heinemann & Gene Thompson Teleplay by : Arthur Heinemann | November 20, 1974 | |
| 10 | "Cheers" | Paul Kransky | William Froug | December 4, 1974 | |
| 11 | "Merry Gentlemen" | Walter Doniger | Robert Van Scoyk | December 25, 1974 | |
| 12 | "Bonus Baby" | Randal Kleiser | Bruce Shelly & David Ketchum | January 8, 1975 | |
| 13 | "Pay the Two Dollars" | Allen Baron | Robert Van Scoyk | January 15, 1975 | |
| 14 | "Those Who Cannot, Teach" | Robert Scheerer | Story by : Lila Garrett Teleplay by : Judy Burns & Robert Van Scoyk | January 22, 1975 | |
| 15 | "What's Wrong with Bobbie?" | Walter Doniger | Booker T. Bradshaw & David P. Lewis | January 29, 1975 | |
| 16 | "Collision" | Alexander Singer | Story by : Max Hodge Teleplay by : Robert Van Scoyk & Max Hodge | February 5, 1975 | |
| 17 | "Why Not a Happy Ending?" | Charles S. Dubin | Story by : Claire Whitaker Teleplay by : Claire Whitaker & Judy Burns | February 12, 1975 | |
| 18 | "Shattered" | Richard Bennett | Story by : Ann Beckett Teleplay by : Ann Beckett & Robert Van Scoyk | February 19, 1975 | |
| 19 | "The Noise of a Quiet Weekend" | Leo Penn | Story by : Joel Clark Teleplay by : Robert Van Scoyk | February 26, 1975 | |
| 20 | "Requiem for a Son" | Robert Scheerer | David P. Lewis & Booker T. Bradshaw | March 12, 1975 | |
| 21 | "A Touch of Bribery" | Paul Kransky | Eugene Price | April 2, 1975 | |
| 22 | "One to One" | Charles S. Dubin | Story by : Norman Hudis Teleplay by : Norman Hudis & Robert Van Scoyk | April 9, 1975 | |
References
edit- Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (7th ed. 1999), p. 601.
External links
edit- Lucas Tanner at IMDb