10. Sam McCloud, played by actor Dennis Weaver. McCloud was a cowboy, police detective from New Mexico on assignment to the New York City Police Department. McCloud’s small town hick way of doing things was in constant contrast with the big city cops of New York. McClouds personality was so irritating that I often found myself rooting for the bad guys.
9. Harry Orwell. David Janssen stars in Harry O as a former police detective that had to retire from the force after being shot in the back. He lives in a California beach house where he sets up a Private Eye Business. His neighbor is none other than the very attractive Farrah Fawcett Majors. Harry is one of those rough old guys that is always suffering from some kind of pain or another but manages to out smart the bad guys.
8. Barnaby Jones. I had a hard time thinking of Buddy Ebsen as anyone but Jedd Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies but Ebsen pulled it off, within a few episodes Uncle Jedd transformed into Grandpa like Detective Barnaby Jones. This show had some substance, it ran from 1973 to 1980 and was a spin off of the detective show Cannon. Lee Merriwether Co- Stars. In my opinion Lee was one of the most sexy women on television in those days.
7. Joe Mannix. No one cooler than Mike Conner’s at the time. Mannix ran from 1967 to 1975. This show was action packed from beginning to end with lots of explosions, fist fights, and more than it’s share of gun battles
of course like all television of that day there was no real gore so my Mom used to let me stay up late on nights that Mannix was on T.V. It was my favorite show.
6. Sargent Pepper Anderson. Police Woman aired from 1974 to 1978 staring thee most sexy woman on T.V. Angie Dickinson as Pepper Anderson. Pepper was always going under cover to get close to suspects, often requiring her to dress like a prostitute. Once Pepper had the dirt on a criminal her partners Pete Royster and Joe Styles usually had to come to the rescue but Pepper was well capable of handling a gun if she had to.
5. Tony Baretta. Played by Robert Blake was second generation cop who often makes decisions on what his Pop would have done. Baretta usually gets his tips from his friend Rooster, a colorful pimp in the neighborhood that knows something about every crime that happens within the city. Baretta is a blue collar type of guy that is barely able to make ends meet on his meager salary. He lives in a run down motel with his white cockatoo Fred.
4. Robert T. Ironside. Ironside was a wheel chair bound Ex Chief of Detectives who was forced to retiree from the force after a snipers bullet left him paralyzed. Ironside was the original criminal profiler, solving crimes through his instinct and superior knowlege of the criminal mind. The show ran from 1967 to 1975.
3. Lt. Frank Columbo. Played by Peter Falk Columbo is one of my favorite characters of all time. Columbo is a cross between a modern day Sherlock Holmes and Jacques Clouseau. His clothes, his hair, the way he walks and talks make you think he had just been stuffed in a dryer for an hour. Columbo comes off as this harmless, bumbling, mild mannered man that doesn’t really know what he’s doing. He usually befriends his suspects, asking a lot of seemingly meaningless questions that are irritating and exasperating to the suspect but very comical to the viewing audience. Rarely does Columbo have to resort to physical violence of any kind, his suspects usually give up peacefully; in the end often asking, how did you know Lieutenant? Columbo then quickly goes over what he has learned from his investigation and the criminal confesses, is handcuffed and led to a police car.
2. Theo Kojak. One of the most popular television characters of all time. Telly Savalas is the bald headed, lollipop sucking Detective Kojak. Kojak is a tough New York City Cop of Greek heritage that believes that the end justifies the means when it comes to police work, he’s not afraid to bend the rules when it comes to getting a conviction. Kevin Dobson and George Savalas Co-Star as Kojak’s main gofers, they often complain about things they are asked to do at which time Kojak lays out his catch phrase line, “Who loves ya baby.”
1. Jim Rockford. The Rockford Files is my all time favorite detective show. I still watch the reruns if I happen to catch an episode while flipping the channels. James Garner plays the part of Jim Rockford who is an ex con that got sent up on a bad wrap. Rockford lives in a trailer in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California. He’s a laid back guy who is reluctant to take most case’s but is always talked into it. His fee is $200 a day plus expenses which he states in every episode and gives the impression that he doubts his clients ability or williness to pay. Jim has a gun but doesn’t carry it unless the situation is extreme, being a felon it is illegal for him to carry a gun. Despite his best efforts to stay out of the way it comes to on going police investagations Jim is in constant trouble with his friend and unwilling aide Police Lieutenant Dennis Becker. Most of Rockford’s relationships are rocky ones (No pun intended) his friend and ex cellmate Angel Martin is a con man who never fails to get Jim into trouble, Jim’s father Rocky is a retired truck driver with to much time on his hand, he worries about Jim and is always bumbling into the way and Beth Davenport, Jims attorney and romantic intrest, the romance part never really gets off the ground. Jim has several ex romantic flames but never a current one, a fact that keeps him footloose and fancy free.