Why I love Barnaby Jones

[BestTVever]

I was too young to watch Barnaby Jones during the 1970s. The show would have been over my head. I re-discovered the show when MeTv started to air the show early mornings. Here are the reasons I fell in love with the show.

1. The scripts were so good and with complex with plot turns. These were the days of professional writers that could write up a great juicy plot for Barnaby to unravel in the hour episode. Like Cannon, if you leave the room and miss an important part the episode may not make sense.

2. The acting was so good. The weekly actors on the show were from a stable of fine actors that worked for the networks. Everyone and everybody on TV or in the movies later on seems to have been on the show. Nick Nolte and Sean Pean. Erik Estrada, Cindy Williams, and countless others that would go on to have huge TV or movie careers. There was a crop of "bad guys" that had that bad guy look and would appear in multiple episodes.

3. Those land yachts bring back so many memories as a child. I was a kid in the 1970s and when the show started Americans drove the biggest cars ever. Barnaby's big Ford LTD was incredible. It reminds me of riding in the back seat looking at the extra wide speedometer. The cars alone makes watching enjoyable.

4. It was all shot on location like a movie. Many of the scenes like the office were from a studio. But it was like a movie where it was shot in various areas around Los Angeles.

5. All the classic 1970s TV themes: car chases, cars going off cliffs, jewelry robberies, heroin smuggling. It also had public awareness episodes like the wife beater episode drawing attention to domestic violence.

6. Buddy Epsen successfully transforms from a goofy Beverely Hillbilly character to a serious TV detective. Broke his stereotype and it worked brilliantly.

7. Has one of the best theme songs ever. The original conductor refused to write the music because he hated the pilot so bad. It was given to a popular TV theme creator who was reluctant but it became the longest show he ever wrote for.

8. Show covers all eras of the 1970s. It starts with the Nixon administration and would last for 2 more presidents. It starts off in the Brady Bunch era and then moves to the disco era.

9. Barnaby's team was wonderful. Betty and JR get panned for some of the episodes that they were the focus in. But I loved the diversity of the later years. Betty was beautiful and she could drive that Ford Pinto in some of the best car chases of the 1970s.

10. Barnaby was old so he could not kick ass like Cannon. However it was his smarts that made him a feared detective by the bad guys. He never yelled or got confrontational like other detectives. He played mind games with them and would just talk to them about things that would make them sweat. His smarts were what made him a great detective.

11. Barnaby was a great shot. He always shot his bad guy before they could shoot him and with only one shot. All TV detectives get shot from time to time but never Barnaby.

12. Barnaby was the FIRST TV detective to have his own crime lab. Talk about a show that was ahead of its time

13. While the fashion trends of the 1970s changed, Barnaby did not. JR gets longer hair, Betty dresses more relaxed but Barnaby always wore a suit unless he was fishing.

14. Barnaby, Betty, and JR always take care of family. Any friends or relatives of theirs always knew Barnaby had their back and many episodes their friends or family drew them into drama.

15. Barnaby never yields from truth or pressure. Many times Lt Biddle would threaten Barnaby to have his detective license revoked over Barnaby's over-involvement in a case yet it would never deter Barnaby from finding the truth.

16. All the bad guys wore suits and surrendered or confessed in the end.



Now what are your reasons?

[1960'sTVfan]

I have DVD's of six Quinn Martin TV series. I have The FBI, Dan August, Cannon, Streets Of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, and Most Wanted.

Unfortunately, Barnaby Jones is the only one of the six that has mostly edited for syndication versions of the episodes. Season 1 is fine, season 2 is about half complete and half edited, then seasons 3 to 8 episodes are mostly edited. Several season 3 episodes have the endings cut off, the episode comes to an abrupt end and you just know that there's more to the story, but the moron who was in charge of the editing decided to cut the endings off. Fortunately, this becomes a little less of a problem with seasons 4 to 8, episodes still have edits but at least for the most part the endings are intact.

A DVD reissue of Barnaby Jones with all complete episodes would be most needed, but at this point I don't expect it to happen. Would be a pleasant surprise if it did.

Having said that, a really good Barnaby Jones episode is titled Final Ransom, from season 5. Well written episode and it has an emotional ending. Top notch episode. Two other good episodes I like that come to mind are Dead Heat from season 4, and Dance With Death from season 7.

Some Barnaby Jones episodes follow a similar pattern. A murder occurs early in the episode, then another murder occurs at the mid point of the episode that's connected to the previous murder, then at episodes end Barnaby has the mystery all figured out.

Buddy Ebsen was a talented and versatile actor. He could do a comedy role as in The Beverly Hillbillies and do a drama role as in Barnaby Jones equally well.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

I have DVD's of six Quinn Martin TV series. I have The FBI, Dan August, Cannon, Streets Of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, and Most Wanted.

Unfortunately, Barnaby Jones is the only one of the six that has mostly edited for syndication versions of the episodes. Season 1 is fine, season 2 is about half complete and half edited, then seasons 3 to 8 episodes are mostly edited. Several season 3 episodes have the endings cut off, the episode comes to an abrupt end and you just know that there's more to the story, but the moron who was in charge of the editing decided to cut the endings off. Fortunately, this becomes a little less of a problem with seasons 4 to 8, episodes still have edits but at least for the most part the endings are intact.

A DVD reissue of Barnaby Jones with all complete episodes would be most needed, but at this point I don't expect it to happen. Would be a pleasant surprise if it did.

Having said that, a really good Barnaby Jones episode is titled Final Ransom, from season 5. Well written episode and it has an emotional ending. Top notch episode. Two other good episodes I like that come to mind are Dead Heat from season 4, and Dance With Death from season 7.

Some Barnaby Jones episodes follow a similar pattern. A murder occurs early in the episode, then another murder occurs at the mid point of the episode that's connected to the previous murder, then at episodes end Barnaby has the mystery all figured out.

Buddy Ebsen was a talented and versatile actor. He could do a comedy role as in The Beverly Hillbillies and do a drama role as in Barnaby Jones equally well.

Yes. I love early episodes like The Bounty Hunter that has such a wild script. Then mid life like The Captives where Barnaby is held hostage and JR has to rescue them. Then the later stuff. Academy of Evil is so good with Betty going undercover. Its very Charlies Angels but it works so good. I am sorry to hear about the DVD edits. I notice that on MeTv too. The ending just happens and there is no tag scene. But I will take what I can get. I love Cannon too but I think Barnaby is a tad better.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Yes. I love early episodes like The Bounty Hunter that has such a wild script. Then mid life like The Captives where Barnaby is held hostage and JR has to rescue them. Then the later stuff. Academy of Evil is so good with Betty going undercover. Its very Charlies Angels but it works so good. I am sorry to hear about the DVD edits. I notice that on MeTv too. The ending just happens and there is no tag scene. But I will take what I can get. I love Cannon too but I think Barnaby is a tad better.

While I enjoy both shows, I have to agree that Barnaby Jones is a little better overall in the script writing department.

The Barnaby Jones episode that starts off season 3, it's titled A Gathering Of Thieves, is another really good one. Some surprising things happen in the episode that I didn't expect. Certain parts of the episode have an Alfred Hitchcock style to it. On the DVD, the ending is intact, it's not cut off.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

While I enjoy both shows, I have to agree that Barnaby Jones is a little better overall in the script writing department.

The Barnaby Jones episode that starts off season 3, it's titled A Gathering Of Thieves, is another really good one. Some surprising things happen in the episode that I didn't expect. Certain parts of the episode have an Alfred Hitchcock style to it. On the DVD, the ending is intact, it's not cut off.

Cannon was like a lone wolf. I don't believe he had an office and we saw him at his condo frequently. I like the business set up Barnaby had with an office and secretary. I seem to be in the minority but in the late seasons I enjoyed if JR or Betty had the lead role.
I saw an old interview with Lee where she talked one day during shooting it was 97 degrees outside and they took a break. Lee told Buddy that the producers would not care if he took off his jacket. But Buddy refused because he thought the character of Barnaby would never do that. Its a small detail but showed how serious Buddy took the role.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Cannon was like a lone wolf. I don't believe he had an office and we saw him at his condo frequently. I like the business set up Barnaby had with an office and secretary. I seem to be in the minority but in the late seasons I enjoyed if JR or Betty had the lead role.
I saw an old interview with Lee where she talked one day during shooting it was 97 degrees outside and they took a break. Lee told Buddy that the producers would not care if he took off his jacket. But Buddy refused because he thought the character of Barnaby would never do that. Its a small detail but showed how serious Buddy took the role.

Agreed, Cannon was basically a lone wolf. He didn't have an office and worked out of his apartment or condo.

I like the earlier and later seasons of Barnaby Jones equally well. When Mark Shera joined the cast in season 5, he brought some new energy to the series.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

Agreed, Cannon was basically a lone wolf. He didn't have an office and worked out of his apartment or condo.

I like the earlier and later seasons of Barnaby Jones equally well. When Mark Shera joined the cast in season 5, he brought some new energy to the series.

He did and the ratings went up when he joined. But we are in the minority. Many review sites of the show hate JR and think Betty is too dumb. Betty may make some crazy decisions but she always comes through at the end.
It was crazy for Betty to allow that couple to spend the night at her condo while looking for their deranged son. They even got up and cooked breakfast at her condo before holding her hostage later. I love it when we see the character in their home surroundings. Betty's condo was frequently featured especially in the later seasons. I know we see JR's apt once. But I don't think we ever see Barnaby's house. I loved JR's Mustang and Betty's Pinto and Barnaby's LTD.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Yes. I love early episodes like The Bounty Hunter that has such a wild script. Then mid life like The Captives where Barnaby is held hostage and JR has to rescue them. Then the later stuff. Academy of Evil is so good with Betty going undercover. Its very Charlies Angels but it works so good. I am sorry to hear about the DVD edits. I notice that on MeTv too. The ending just happens and there is no tag scene. But I will take what I can get. I love Cannon too but I think Barnaby is a tad better.

Last night from the DVD set I watched The Captives episode from season 6. Interesting episode, I liked the location/setting. It's mostly a Barnaby and JR episode, Betty has less involvement in the episode.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

Last night from the DVD set I watched The Captives episode from season 6. Interesting episode, I liked the location/setting. It's mostly a Barnaby and JR episode, Betty has less involvement in the episode.

Yes but its a great episode. The acting is so good especially the bad guys. They just have that bad guy look. Such a wild script. I love Barnaby's apple pie trick he pulls on him.

[BestTVever]

The Eyes of Terror is another good one. Its a rare scary one. The masked rapist and killer comes after Betty and her fight scene is really good. But that mask was so scary black bag with eyes cut out. I think it came out in spring 1976 right before the next season when JR joined the cast.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

The Eyes of Terror is another good one. Its a rare scary one. The masked rapist and killer comes after Betty and her fight scene is really good. But that mask was so scary black bag with eyes cut out. I think it came out in spring 1976 right before the next season when JR joined the cast.

Yes it's the next to last episode from the 4th season. Maybe I'll watch it tonight from the DVD set and see what I think.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

Yes it's the next to last episode from the 4th season. Maybe I'll watch it tonight from the DVD set and see what I think.

Good then I am glad I did not say too much because it has some plot turns. There is at least one actor from the Captives in it too. The guy that sold Barnaby that piece of pie. Forget his name but he is always so good on the show. One review said it was very Cannon like for its violence.

I also like Wipeout which is the episode before this one. Its unusually written in that we know who the killer is all along. It also has unspoken themes. Jeff Conoway before his Grease fame is the star. He accidently kills women that come on to him. The word gay is never used but it reminds me of the play Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. I think its sort if implied.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Good then I am glad I did not say too much because it has some plot turns. There is at least one actor from the Captives in it too. The guy that sold Barnaby that piece of pie. Forget his name but he is always so good on the show. One review said it was very Cannon like for its violence.

I also like Wipeout which is the episode before this one. Its unusually written in that we know who the killer is all along. It also has unspoken themes. Jeff Conoway before his Grease fame is the star. He accidently kills women that come on to him. The word gay is never used but it reminds me of the play Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. I think its sort if implied.

I watched The Eyes Of Terror episode and it was pretty good, at first I thought the killed woman's husband might have something to do with the crime, but as the episode progressed, the deputy character started acting weird and I figured that he's the guilty one, and sure enough it was the deputy. It turned out that the hairs from a rabbit's foot was the key to solving the mystery.

I was going to watch the Wipeout episode but decided to wait until later, I'll probably watch it tonight.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by 1960'sTVfan

I watched The Eyes Of Terror episode and it was pretty good, at first I thought the killed woman's husband might have something to do with the crime, but as the episode progressed, the deputy character started acting weird and I figured that he's the guilty one, and sure enough it was the deputy. It turned out that the hairs from a rabbit's foot was the key to solving the mystery.

I was going to watch the Wipeout episode but decided to wait until later, I'll probably watch it tonight.

Yeah that's another wild one. Love that its shot on Malibu beach (I believe). Love seeing Jeff about 1 year before he became a huge movie Grease star and then Taxi. It's not a huge fan favorite but I love the scenery and the plot is fairly good. We see the killer right away and its him hiding from the investigation the rest of the episode. Jeff was a great actor and he did a great job. The first murder victim also played in Duet For Murder and played Betty's cousin and other episodes too.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Yeah that's another wild one. Love that its shot on Malibu beach (I believe). Love seeing Jeff about 1 year before he became a huge movie Grease star and then Taxi. It's not a huge fan favorite but I love the scenery and the plot is fairly good. We see the killer right away and its him hiding from the investigation the rest of the episode. Jeff was a great actor and he did a great job. The first murder victim also played in Duet For Murder and played Betty's cousin and other episodes too.

I watched the Wipeout episode, it was good but I felt sad for the Taylor character. It seems Taylor was raised by his sister, she babied him too much and he turned out all messed up. The ending of the episode is well done, the showdown with Barnaby and Taylor, Barnaby talks to Taylor until Taylor breaks down and surrenders.