Father Murphy

[JT]

I was doing some random net-surfing a few weeks ago and started reading about "Father Murphy," which was a show on NBC from 1981-1983. I had always heard of it, but never really knew exactly what it was about or anything. Well, I was a bit delighted to find out that the title character was played by Merlin Olson, LHOTP's very own Jonathan Garvey, and that the show was actually produced, written, and directed by Michael Landon, which, I guess, makes it somewhat of a sister series to LHOTP.

For those who don't know, the show is about Father Murphy, a frontiersman who masquerades as a priest in order to open a small orphanage. Moses Gunn (LHOTP's Joe Kagan) also stars, as a prospector/friend of Father Murphy. Katherine Cannon plays a schoolteacher that Murphy marries in the second season.

Anybody ever seen it? Is it any good? I mean, it pretty much as the LHOTP stamp all over it, but it was also on around the time LHOTP really started to expire, so...

[catlover79]

I've never seen Father Murphy, but here's an interesting fact: Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder, LHOP) is now married to Katherine Cannon. Both attended the LHOP Reunion at the Tombstone, AZ Film Festival in July 2005. Both of them were so nice and down-to-earth with the fans. They're not Hollywood at all.