McCloud (TV series)
McCloud was an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970-1977. The title role was played by Dennis Weaver as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud, an out-of-place but street-smart western law officer from Taos, New Mexico on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.
History
The pilot of the show (Portrait of a Dead Girl) aired on February 17, 1970, and established the show's premise by having McCloud escort a prisoner from New Mexico to New York City, only to become embroiled in solving a complicated murder case.
The premise of the show as a "cowboy in the big city," was somewhat adapted from the 1968 Clint Eastwood vehicle Coogan's Bluff One episode even adapted the signature scene from the Eastwood movie by having a western-outfitted McCloud galloping on horseback down a New York City avenue in full traffic.
NBC renewed the show for six 60-minute episodes in the fall of 1970, placing into the rotation of its "wheel format" series Four in One, along with Night Gallery, San Francisco International Airport, and The Psychiatrist.
In the fall of 1971, NBC placed McCloud. along with two other new series, McMillan and Wife and Columbo, into the rotation of new drama NBC Mystery Movie which aired on Wednesday night from 8:30-10:00. The running time of each episode was increased to 90 minutes. The umbrella series was a success, finishing at number 14 for Nielsen ratings for the 1971-72 series. The following season, NBC moved McCloud and the other two shows of Mystery Movie to the competitive 8:30-10:00 Sunday night position and added a fourth series, Hec Ramsey to the rotation as the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie. The rotating series was an enormous success and finished at number 5 in the ratings for the season. [1].
Staring in the fifth season in the fall of 1974, the episodes were two hours long, but were dropped again to 90 minutes for the seventh and final season starting in the fall of 1976. The forty-sixth and last episode, McCloud Meets Dracula, was aired on April 17, 1977.
The character was brought back for made-for-television movie, The Return of Sam McCloud, which aired on November 12, 1989.
Dennis Weaver received Emmy nominations in 1974 and 1975.
The show was created by Herman Miller, who had previously written for the western series Daniel Boone and The Virginian. The executive producer was Glen A. Larson.
Recurring Themes and Characters
The Westerner in New York City
The most enduring theme of the show was the conflict between the good-nature buoyancy of McCloud and the cosmopolitan cyncism of the residents of New York City, including his fellow police officers. McCloud's attire, typically consisting of a western shirt, bollo tie, and cowboy hat, allowed for implied comic relief in many encounters with New Yorkers. That New Yorkers would mistake him for being naive based on his appearance was often turned to his advantage. He would often allay suspicions of his motives by an insistence that he was in New York "to observe and to learn."
The signature of McCloud's character was his western unflappability and seeming inability to recognize an insult, especially from Clifford, whose jibes he never seemed to take personally. Weaver's grin and use of a tight-cheeked country accent portrayed McCloud as the embodiment of the American law officer who always sees the good in people but who knows the real stakes and spares nothing to catch the bad guy. The character's signature catchphrase was his line of encouragement, "there ya go," often received with bemusement or puzzlement by the listener.
Antagonism with Chief Clifford
Another recurring theme in the show was the conflict between McCloud and his superior, Chief Peter B. Clifford, played by J. D. Cannon. In the first episodes, their relationship was portrayed as amiable, with Clifford showing respect to the unconventional westerner assigned to his command. The relationship quickly soured, however, based mostly on McCloud's casual disregard for authority combined with a seemingly charmed existence that let him escape the consequences of his insubordination. Clifford's attitude to McCloud became one of cynical antagonism, border at times on apopletic rage, but nevertheless sewn with grudging respect for McCloud's ability to solve tough cases.
Friendship with Sgt. Broadhurst
In later episodes, McCloud was often partnered with Sgt. Joe Broadhurst, played by Terry Carter. Broadhurst, an African-American New Yorker, was portrayed with an existential pessimism to counter McCloud's high spirts. Like Chief Clifford, Broadhurst was fully wise to McCloud's tendencies, but was without the anger, and usually wound up resigned to being drawn into McCloud's schemes to solve particular cases, sometimes against direct orders. As such, he would often play the voluntary role of lightning rod for Clifford's anger, and would sometimes absorb as much of the blame for McCloud's insubordination as McCloud himself.
Other Characters
Other recurring characters on the show included the gravel-voiced Sgt. Grover, played by Ken Lynch, who seemed to be forever at his desk in the squad room. The ever-smiling but somewhat batty Sgt. Phyllis Norton was played by Teri Garr.
Love Interests
McCloud was often portrayed as somewhat of a ladies' man in earlier seasons. In the later seasons, he was given a recurring love interest, the tough-spoken but soft-hearted Chris Coughlin, played by Diana Muldaur, whose duties as newspaper reporter sometimes came into conflict with McCloud's policework.
Portrayal of New York City in the 1970's
The show, which was essentially a "big city western, was set in New York City in what was arguably the nadir of the city's existence in the late Twentieth Century, during a the period following the troubled 1960's and leading up the fiscal crisis of 1975.
At the time, the city seemed to be on an inexorable download slide into chaos, a theme that was explored more in a brutal fashion in the movie The French Connection which was released the year after the pilot of McCloud. In many episodes, the city was portrayed as particularly crime-ridden, with the implied danger of muggings and bodily harm lurking at every turn. Such lurking evil was often more stated in dialog than shown, however, and the show retained a somewhat whimsical and sunny flavor despite the subject matter.
The show was filmed partially on location, but relied on back-lot exteriors for scenes set in the more downtrodden areas of the city that required the stereotypical block of graffiti-covered brownstone.
In fitting with McCloud's cowboy attire, the show made heavy use of a variety of vintage costumes. A recurring theme in many episodes was the incorporation of some particular well-worn but anchronistic plot device from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, typically at the climax of the episode. Examples included chases on horseback to lasso cattle rustlers, a 1930's-style gangster shoot-out, a Jesse James-style train hold-up on the Long Island Railroad, and a showdown with a vampire on the Manhattan Bridge
Since leaving the air in 1977, the show has enjoyed seemingly eternal life in returns, typically on small-budget television stations shown late at night or during daytime hours.