Hec Ramsey

Hec Ramsey was one of those revolving fourth TV series that comprised the Sunday Mystery Movie on NBC in the 70s. The three permanent franchises that found audience favor were Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan&Wife. During the 70s NBC made several attempts at other series for a fourth.

Hec Ramsey actually lasted two seasons and starred Richard Boone as a former lawman who kept up with the times. If necessary he could still outdraw someone in a gunfight, but he carried with him a portable crime lab and was now versed in ballistics and forensics.

Boone now works for Richard Lenz a police chief in New Providence, Oklahoma who also believes in these things though the two grate on each other. That's how it went in the few episodes of Hec Ramsey.

Boone's character worked in his youth for the famous hanging Judge Parker and so did one Rooster J. Cogburn. If Rooster made it to the turn of the last century, I wonder how he would have adapted.

Hec Ramsey a western that played like a mystery.

In the fall of 1972, NBC moved its successful Wednesday night Mystery Movie series consisting of "Columbo," "McCloud," and "McMillan and Wife" to Sunday nights and added a fourth show, "Hec Ramsey," while turning the original slot over to three new mysteries ("Banacek," "Madigan," and "Cool Million"). "Hec Ramsey" was a product of Jack Webb's then prolific production company. The series, which ran for two seasons (a total of ten 90 minute to 2 hour episodes) was superficially a western, but it was set in the waning days of the wild west when science was beginning to play a more significant role in crime solving than gunplay.

Richard Boone was more Sherlock Holmes than Matt Dillon, and the magnificent actor's always fascinating personality, presence, and uncouth manner kept the show interesting and watchable. No doubt Boone's influence also ensured that this would be the one Jack Webb series that could not be immediately identified as having originated with the creator of "Dragnet." The moralizing speeches and the staccato dialogue found in "Adam-12" and other Mark VII productions was kept on a short leash here. The only reminder that Webb was behind the scenes came from Harry Morgan who was not only Webb's partner on the revived "Dragnet" of the late 60's, but also turned up briefly alongside Robert Conrad in Webb's short-lived "The D.A." in the 1971-72 season.

Boone's clashes with Universal ultimately killed the show, but it was the only addition to the original "Columbo-McCloud-McMillan" trio to live more than one season (unless one counts "Quincy" which was spun off into a weekly hour after briefly joining the Mystery Movie in its last season).

Hec Ramsey was a retired gunfighter (See "Have Gun - Will Travel") in the early 20th century. As gunfighting was going out of fashion, he took a job as Deputy Sheriff in Oklahoma. Being somewhat politically incorrect, he was frequently at loggerheads with the Sheriff, a dude who was grooming himself to run for Mayor.

Unlike most western TV lawmen of the 70's, Hec would often demonstrate considerable sexual appetite and prowess. This was sometimes extended to female villains, but he always busted them after collecting the evidence.

Hec was only able to retain his job as a result of his successful record due to his intelligence and use of new-fangled methods of criminology such as fingerprinting and ballistics.

Unfortunately, the series only lasted for 10 episodes and will probably never be released on DVD.