Sam McCloud was a deputy marshal from Taos, New Mexico, who toted a walnut-handled six-shooter, chewed matchsticks and said “there ya go” incessantly.
McCloud was not happy. He hankered for New Mexico, but he was stuck in New York City – seconded to the tough 27th Precinct for training in metropolitan police work.
And his supervisor, Chief of Detectives Peter B Clifford (JD Cannon) kept giving him dull jobs. Somehow, though, McCloud always managed to find action for himself and his six-shooter.
One of his partners in the 27th Precinct was Sgt Maggie Clinger (played by Sharon Gless – warming up for a starring role in Cagney and Lacey).
Sam McCloud – with his sheepskin coat, bolo tie, and cowboy hat – was a classic unflappable western hero transplanted to the modern mean streets.
He was a skilled shot, a self-effacing guy seemingly impervious to cynical insults, and (despite exhibiting a bit of sexism at times) he was also a gentleman.
After all those years with a limp and a bear, Dennis Weaver finally had a solid role to chew on along with his matchsticks.
Following a two-hour pilot film that aired on 17 February 1970 – loosely based on the Clint Eastwood film Coogan’s Bluff (1968) – the opening episode of McCloud was broadcast on 16 September 1970, as part of Four-in-One, a one-hour NBC series that comprised a quartet of unconnected dramas, all sharing the 10-11 p.m. slot on Wednesdays.
The three other rotating shows were Night Gallery (an anthology of horror stories hosted by Rod Serling), San Francisco International (starring ex-Sea Hunt hunk Lloyd Bridges as the manager of Northern California’s largest and busiest airport) and The Psychiatrist, with Roy Thinnes playing Dr James Whitman.
McCloud then became part of The NBC Mystery Movie franchise, where it remained alongsideColumboand McMillan & Wife throughout its six-year run, winning Dennis Weaver four Emmy Award nominations.
The show was sold as a stand-alone series overseas and was particularly popular in Australia (where an episode of McCloud was duly filmed).
According to the 1989 telemovie The Return Of Sam McCloud, the moustachioed cop eventually became a US senator.
“There you go” . . .
Marshal Sam McCloud
Dennis Weaver
Chief Peter B Clifford
J D Cannon
Sgt Joe Broadhurst
Terry Carter
Chris Coughlin
Diana Muldaur
Sgt Grover
Ken Lynch
Sgt Maggie Clinger
Sharon Gless
And his supervisor, Chief of Detectives Peter B Clifford (JD Cannon) kept giving him dull jobs. Somehow, though, McCloud always managed to find action for himself and his six-shooter.
The three other rotating shows were Night Gallery (an anthology of horror stories hosted by Rod Serling), San Francisco International (starring ex-Sea Hunt hunk Lloyd Bridges as the manager of Northern California’s largest and busiest airport) and The Psychiatrist, with Roy Thinnes playing Dr James Whitman.
