814 - RIDING WITH DEATH
(1976; two unaired TV episodes compiled; NR; 97m)

a.k.a. GEMINI MAN
(NBC-TV series;
premiered 9/23/1976)

Plot: Able to become invisible briefly and at will (because of radiation exposure), a secret agent drives a semi and later a race car, both rigged to explode by bad guys.

Exec: Harve Bennett*
Created for TV: Leslie Stevens; Harve Bennett; and Steven Bochco*
Prod: Robert F. O'Neill
(TV's The Sixth Sense)
Prod/Scr: Frank Telford
(prod/Sergeant Ryker;
dir/scr/The Bamboo Saucer)
Prod: Leslie Stevens
(Sergeant Ryker)
Dir: Alan J. Levi (Dead Man's Revenge; TV's Columbo; McCloud)
Dir: Donald McDougall (Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes)
Scr: Leslie Stevens (scr/Sheena; Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Sto: H.G. Wells (523-Village of the Giants; The Invisible Man)
Cin: Enzo A. Martinelli (Tammy and the Millionaire)
Cin: Vincent A. Martinelli (TV's Captain America)
Ed: F. Earle Herdan (Oscar nom/The Secret of Santa Vittoria)
Ed: Robert F. Shugrue (Star Trek II; Two Mules for Sister Sara)
Ed: Gene Ranney
Cos: Charles Waldo (614-San Francisco International)
Cos: George H. Whittaker (TV's Ransom for Alice)
ADir: David Marshall (TV's High Noon; The London Embassy)
ADir: Frank Grieco Jr. (TV's Just Our Luck)
Set: Charles E. Tycer (TV's Hunter; Newhart)
Set: Richard Friedman (pdes/New Leaf)
Set: Lowell Chambers (TV's Battlestar Galactica)
Sco: Lee Holdridge (The Yearling; theme/TV's Moonlighting)
M/L: Jim Stafford*
Songs by Stafford: I'm on the Air; Slam on Through

Sam Casey a.k.a. Lazy Rider a.k.a. The Gemini Man / Ben Murphy (405-Being from Another Planet; TV's Alias Smith and Jones)
Dr. Abby Lawrence / Katherine Crawford (Doomsday Flight)
Leonard Driscoll (flashback) / Richard A. Dysart
(Back to the Future, Part 3; TV's L.A. Law)
Leonard Driscoll / William Sylvester (909-Gorgo; 2001)
Luther Stark / Andrew Prine (Miracle Worker; TV mini-series V)
Elliott? / John Milford (Zebra in the Kitchen; TV's The Lieutenant)
Dr. Hale / Alan Oppenheimer (TV's Six Million Dollar Man)
Tina? / Smith Evans
John Hiller / Don Galloway (The Rare Breed; TV's Ironside)
Robert Denby / Ed Nelson (K15-Superdome; 315-Teenage Caveman; 503-Swamp Diamonds; 701-Night of the Blood Beast;
cos/406-Attack of the Giant Leeches)
Buffalo Bill Joe Hickens / Jim Stafford*
dive officer / Austin Stoker (405; Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
first hood / Alan Oliney (stunts/The Abyss; Star Trek III)
second hood / Fred Waugh (Rocky III; stunts/Volcano)
worker / Lawrence Bame (The Jayne Mansfield Story)
mechanic / Gil Serna (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)

Classic Line: "Well, Nino, I'm right on your back door, buddy."
"You can keep the black marks off my mud flaps."

Classic Line: "Leonard, I've heard you've grown quite a moustache while I've been on vacation."

Classic Line: "You mean to tell me that this Casey was pumping Buffalo over what happened in Europe?"

Trivia: GEMINI MAN was the original title of the TV-movie and pilot, which aired 5/10/76. RIDING WITH DEATH was two later episodes (edited together poorly like 322-MASTER NINJA I) of the actual TV series which aired that Fall. This explains why there are two separate credits for "Leonard Driscoll" in the above cast listing: RICHARD A. DYSART portrayed Driscoll in the pilot (and was seen in RIDING WITH DEATH briefly in the flashback sequence, which was taken from the pilot), while WILLIAM SYLVESTER portrayed Driscoll in the series.

Prolific TV series producer HARVE BENNETT made the similarly-plotted and short-lived 1975 series The Invisible Man, helmed by actor David McCallum. Another stinker was Salvage 1, a sci-fi comedy headlined by Andy Griffith! His most successful franchises were the series The Six Million Dollar Man (starring Lee Majors) and The Bionic Woman (starring Lindsay Wagner). Bennett produced the successful miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, and won an Emmy for the TV-movie A Woman Called Golda, whose star (Ingrid Bergman) also won an Emmy.

Everybody has to start somewhere. After Gemini Man, prolific STEVEN BOCHCO went on to create and produce the following TV series (with debut year and leading actors): 1978-Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (Dennis Dugan); 1979-Paris (James Earl Jones); 1981-Hill Street Blues (Daniel J. Travanti); 1983-Bay City Blues (Perry Lang); 1986-L.A. Law (Alan Rachins); 1987-Hooperman (John Ritter); 1989-Doogie Howser M.D. (Neil Patrick Harris); 1990-Cop Rock (Ronny Cox); 1991-Byrds of Paradise (Timothy Busfield); Civil Wars (David Marciano); 1992-Capitol Critters (Neil Patrick Harris); 1993-N.Y.P.D. Blue (Dennis Franz); 1995-Murder One (Daniel Benzali, Kim Cattrall's hubbie); 1996-Public Morals (Joseph Latimore); 1997-Brooklyn South (Dylan Walsh); and Total Security (James Belushi). Bochco's series sometimes starred his wife, Barbara Bosson, whom he met at Carnegie Tech, where he also met actors Michael Tucker, Bruce Weitz and Charles Haig. Bochco's lone feature film credit was co-screenwriter for 1971's Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern.

Successful country-novelty songwriter/singer JIM STAFFORD achieved instant fame with his No. 3 hit from 1973, "Spiders and Snakes," and recorded a few other modestly popular tunes like "I Got Stoned" and "I Missed It." Besides Gemini Man, his other TV credits include: 1975-The Jim Stafford Show; 1980-Those Amazing Animals; 1981-Nashville on the Road; and 1988-The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. His few movie appearances were in: 1980-Every Which Way You Can; 1983-E.S.P.; 1985-Kid Colter; and 1986-Bloodsuckers from Outer Space.

Last Updated: 3/28/1999