Bearcats!

"Bearcats!" was Rod Taylor's second attempt at a weekly television series. It centered on a pair of soldiers of fortune in the American Southwest circa 1914. That time frame gave the series a different flavor, being something other than a traditional Western, or yet another detective series set in the present. The concept appealed to Taylor when it was presented by series creator, veteran Hollywood writer/producer Douglas Heyes (who also had worked with Taylor on a "Twilight Zone" episode).

Taylor's character, Hank Brackett, is a former Army captain, a veteran of the Spanish-American War campaign in the Philippines. Brackett had left the Army and settled in the Southwest, where he became known as a troubleshooter.At some point Brackett saved the young Johnny Reach (Dennis Cole) from unjustly being lynched as a cattle rustler. Together they cleaned up a couple of border towns in self-defense, and eventually people started coming to them for help.

They had to get a bit mercenary about the jobs they would take and set their fee as a signed blank check. They would fill in the amount only after successfully completing their job -- the amount being determined by the degree of difficulty encountered. Their rationale was simple: If you could put a dollar amount on your trouble, then you didn't need their help badly enough.

Typically they worked for railroads, landowners or the government. As private citizens they were able to cross the Mexican border where normal lawmen or the military could not go.

The period during which "Bearcats!" was set allowed for the use of unexpected props in what was essentially a Western -- including machine guns and airplanes. In the first episode, they fought a bandit who stole an Army tank to rob banks. Another episode saw them fighting a group of Germans who were attacking Mexican villages dressed as U.S. soldiers, in an attempt to get Mexico to attack the United States, thus preventing America from joining the war against Germany.

Brackett was responsible for the clever plans the pair had to come up with to defeat their well-organized foes. As the younger of the pair, Reach would often do the more athletic stunts.

The main source of conflict in their relationship was a good-natured competition for some of the inevitably beautiful (and available) women they would meet in their adventures.

Taylor played Brackett with his usual light touch and charm. However, he could be tough and deadly serious if the circumstances demanded. Here's a guide to the series, which was produced by Filmways and Taylor's own Rodlor Inc.

Episode list: 0.1 -- "Powderkeg" -- April 16, 1971 In the series pilot TV movie, Brackett and Reach are hired by a railroad to rescue 70 hostages on a moving train. 1.1 -- "The Devil Wears Armor" -- Sept.16, 1971 A stolen Army tank is knocking over banks along the border. John Vernon guest stars. 1.2 -- "Ground Loop at Spanish Wells" -- Sept. 23, 1971 German soldiers -- dressed as American troops -- are raiding border towns to start a war with Mexico. 1.3 -- "Dos Gringos" -- Sept. 30, 1971 A Mexican Army assassin is out to kill a revolutionary who's raising money in the United States. 1.4 -- "The Feathered Serpent " -- Oct. 7, 1971 A group of would-be revolutionaries hold a town hostage. 1.5 -- "Hostages" -- Oct. 14, 1971 As revenge for his father's hanging five years before, an ex-convict kidnaps a priest and demands a town to hang one of its citizens. 1.6 -- "Conqueror's Gold" -- Oct. 28, 1971 A newspaperwoman hires Brackett and Reach to rescue workers being held at an archaeological site by bad guys seeking treasure. 1.7 -- "Blood Knot" -- Nov. 4, 1971 Tensions erupt between Brackett and Reach when oil well sabotage -- and murder -- erupt in a town wanting to destroy an Indian village. 1.8 -- "Assault on San Saba" -- Nov. 11, 1971 A German military intelligence officer takes over a Texas prison for recruiting saboteurs. The puzzle for Brackett and Reach: How to break into a prison. 1.9 -- "Bitter Flats " -- Nov. 18, 1971 Brackett and Reach take on a ruthless rancher when the son of a friend disappears on a secret Army mission. 1.10 -- "Tiger! Tiger! " -- Nov. 25, 1971 Brackett uses himself as bait to stop a saboteur who's destroying supply shipments. 1.11 -- "The Big Gun" -- Dec. 2, 1971 A renegade Army colonel steals artillery to destroy a convoy of explosives bound for England. 1.12 -- "The Return of Estaban " -- Dec. 23, 1971 Pilot Estaban (see Ground Loop at Spanish Wells) returns to help surprise a gang that's out to rob and destroy a mining town. Henry Darrow reprises his role as Estaban. 1.13 -- "Man in a Cage " -- Dec. 30 1971 Johnny must rely on a convict to help him save Hank and a gubernatorial candidate.

George Barris made two 1914 Bearcat replicas for the series...and a third that he kept for car shows. All three cars are now in private hands. One, the first car made and the primary car used in the series, is fully restored in its TV colors and is in my car collection. The other TV car is Unrestored and has been repainted from its original TV colors. The display car (never used in the series, but retained for many years by George Barris for car shows) is being rebuilt by a new owner.

For more information on the series and Rod Taylor, please go to an excellent fan site... at www.rodtaylorsite.com . In rely to rfrenzel2002's comment below that accuses me of Plagiarizing the material...I wrote the Bearcats! section for that site. It would be nice if he/she had checked before accusing me of "stealing" something I wrote.

Very enjoyable series that unfortunately only had 13 episodes. I am a big Rod Taylor fan & also like Dennis Cole a lot. Taylor is a professional & I don't think he's ever done anything I didn't enjoy,

The plots R a bit repetitive, action sequences are sometimes a little dicey & most episodes wrap up with a fairly perfunctory ending. Budgets are not huge either. Additionally almost every episode has some patently goofy elements be it plot resolution or action sequences in general.

Having said this, it is still immensely enjoyable to me & probably to most everyone that remembers this series with fondness. The Stutz is a great car for the series & is always displayed & utilized to best effect.

I always enjoy austere visuals, western vistas & the big open desert. All on great display here. If you enjoy early Russ Meyer and his use of existing structures as well as desert vistas it's a joy to watch this series for some of that familiar Southwest beauty. Mostly though it's a nostalgia thing for me, to see a series that's not driven by current trends be it film or entertainment in general.

I knocked off 2 stars due to the series shortcomings as stated above...they in no way however take away from its' great enjoyment factor for me nor should it for other fans. Recommended.

I remember this show quite well. It lost its thursday 8:00 pm time slot to the most awful show ever produced (Me and the Chimp), and I was forever stunned. The pilot movie for this show was called "PowderKeg", and starred Taylor and Cole (and guest star Fernando Lamas) and gave the back ground of how they traveled around the south west in 1915 cleaning up trouble for a blank check. The movie was available for a while on video (thankfully I bought it) and is just like the show. The show ran only 13 episodes (I wonder if more were produced) and dissappeared in Jan '73. The show was filmed in Old Tuscon studio's and showed off the old west scenery well, and it was an intelligently produced period show. The producers paid quite a lot of attention to detail; for example the other cars shown in the series were actual cars of the time. Like all great shows of that early 70's era (SEARCH was another one) I doubt anything like it will ever be attempted again. The reproduction Stutz Bearcat resides to this day in Geroge Barris's Hollywood car museum. I was surprised to read in another comment column that TVLand ran a few episodes on one of their Sunday showcases--I wish I had known so I could have taped them!!!

Like others on this forum, I could not believe they canceled it.

Rod Taylor was great as a soldier of fortune around the turn of the century. Even though there was a lot of hunky beefcake for the ladies, this really was a man's show. The pairing of Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole was well-played. Rugged guy and pretty boy who both knew their stuff.

The pilot, "Powderkeg," was one of the best episodes of t.v. I have ever seen.

The series was my introduction to the Stutz-Bearcat and I've wanted one ever since. What a piece of machinery!

I'd love to see them bring the series back for another run - maybe the Hallmark channel on Saturday afternoons would be a fitting place and time.

In April, 1971, after ten years away from the small screen, Rod Taylor made another attempt to gain a permanent spot on television with the nostalgic CBS series " Bearcats !". With the story unfolding in America's dusty Southwest in 1914, it featured Taylor and Dennis Cole as characters Hank Brackett and Johnny Reach respectively, a pair of trouble shooters for hire. Loaded with period charm, the show took its name from the majestic and sporty roadster in which Reach and Brackett went about their business - a yellow Stutz Bearcat.

As with Taylor's previous series, "Hong Kong", the venture faced stiff competition when it was programmed up against NBC's well established "Flip Wilson Show" and it lasted only thirteen weeks.

"Bearcats" ! was a breezy, action - packed and entertaining production based around a novel idea which featured two excellent stars who had an engaging and believable on screen rapport. Sadly, however, the show is now remembered as being yet another of those noble efforts that fell between the cracks and ended up in the "Brilliant but Cancelled" category of television history.