Firehouse is a half-hour American drama/adventure series that aired on ABC. A mid-season replacement, it started airing on January 17, 1974, and was cancelled after its 13-episode run.[1] The series ran on Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m., with the last rerun episode aired on August 1, 1974.[2] The series starred James Drury as Captain Spike Ryerson.[2]
Pilot movie
The series pilot was broadcast in 1973 on the ABC Movie of the Week and starred Richard Roundtree and Richard Jaeckel. The pilot concerned a formerly all-white firehouse learning to accept a black rookie firefighter.[3] All racial difficulties were dropped from the series.[4]
Richard Jaeckel was the only actor to appear in both the pilot movie and the series.[3][2]
Cast
- James Drury as Capt. Spike Ryerson
- Richard Jaeckel as Hank Myers
- Michael Delano as Sonny Caputo
- Billy Dalzell as Brad David
- Cal Dakin as Bill Overton
Synopsis
Capt. Spike Ryerson acted as a father-figure to the young firefighters[2] of Engine Company Number 23, of the Los Angeles Fire Department.[4] Each episode had two stories, a fire to fight, and a rescue. Because of the 30 minute length there was not time to give depth to the characters, develop friendships, or discus family life.[5]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Burst of Flame" | January 17, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson and his men race against time to save six people caught in an elevator in a blazing office building. | |||
| 2 | "Sentenced to Burn" | January 24, 1974 | |
| After rescuing a man from a mudslide, Capt. Ryerson and his men fight a fire at a prison and several are taken hostage by the convicts. | |||
| 3 | "The Hottest Place in Town" | January 31, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson's men fight a devastating fire in a crowded new nightclub as well as the threat of rip-off artists in their own station house. | |||
| 4 | "Trapped" | February 7, 1974 | |
| After saving a man's new dump truck from fire, Capt. Ryerson and his men rush to a tunnel project. | |||
| 5 | "Implosion" | February 14, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson and his men rescue a boy stuck in a heating duct, and then battle a spectacular oil refinery blaze. | |||
| 6 | "The Treasure" | February 21, 1974 | |
| After saving a pregnant woman trapped by downed high tension wires, Capt. Ryerson and his men rush to an old decaying mansion which is ablaze. | |||
| 7 | "Strike, Spare and Burn" | February 28, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson and his men respond to a fire at an old theater building where a vault filled with potentially explosive nitrate film threatens the entire neighborhood. | |||
| 8 | "Tide of Terror" | March 7, 1974 | |
| After an ill-fated date with his girlfriend, Caputo joins his colleagues to help rescue a young woman trapped in swirling water under an ocean pier. | |||
| 9 | "No Way Out" | March 14, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson and his men save a boy from being buried alive, and also fight a potentially devastating fire in a laundry. | |||
| 10 | "A Gift for Grumper" | March 21, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson and his men struggle to save priceless art from a museum fire, not realizing that their friend, arson inspector "Grumper" Barkham is trapped in the blaze. | |||
| 11 | "Randall's Pride" | March 28, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson's men save a girl who has driven over a cliff after an argument with her boyfriend, then respond to a fire which is destroying a horse stable. | |||
| 12 | "The Watches of the Night" | April 4, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson's men battle a blaze in a slum apartment, then rescue partygoers at a top dress designer's first night celebration. | |||
| 13 | "False Alarm" | April 11, 1974 | |
| Capt. Ryerson is hospitalized for a possible heart ailment, and his worried men are called upon to save a young man suffering from a drug overdose, as well as battle a blaze in a junk-filled garage. | |||
References
- ^ Aaker, Everett, Television Westerns Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary, McFarland, page 1911, 2017
- ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present (9 ed.). p. 474. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ a b Maltin, Leonard, Leonard Maltin's TV Movies Video Guide, 1991 Edition, page 372, Plume, 1990
- ^ a b Terrace, Vincent, Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed., page 343, McFarland, 2014
- ^ Lewis, Dan, The Virginian's Back, Pottsville Republican, January 26, 1974, page 21
External links
