Tenspeed and Brown Shoe

I was but a young lad when this show premiered, but I must say I have never forgotten it. It was my first "favorite show" that I was not influenced by an outsider to like. Didn't I say I was young? I do wish someone would show reruns of this show or at least release it to DVD. It would bring back fond memories of an innocent time. If you've never seen this, your missing out. This was Jeff Goldblum and Ben Vereen at their best! It was funny, it had mystery, and it had originality! However, it didn't last long. Perhaps the people of that time didn't know how to appreciate a show about nothing that had everything, yet. I vote for reruns!

You'd think that a series with two accomplished actors would be available on DVD based upon the current offerings of 70's and 80's material. Conceptually, I think this could work as a current movie vehicle. I think the comedic chemistry between Goldblum and Vereen was great. I never knew of the Simon and Simon or the Moonlighting link. Upon hearing that knowledge, I can reflect that I liked those shows as well. Once again, writing in the category of "things which will never happen", those are two other shows which I'd like to see published on DVD. I suppose Moonlighting perhaps has enough of an appeal and following where it may be available.

A too short series that was pure Stephen J. Cannell at the height of his television career.

The hardboiled private eye excerpts from a series of mysteries that had Cannell's photograph on the back; the peculiar and wonderful relationship between the main characters; the longing for a different life; it all added up to a wonderful series that should have lasted for much longer.

Jeff Goldblum was wonderfully befuddled, yet earnest in a most endearing way. Ben Vereen was tolerant and amused, drawn to this most unlikely private investigator.

The humor was unusual and the scripts did not pander to the lower level. It was a most wonderful year that ended way too soon.

An email from SJC himself states that he hopes to release it on DVD...someday. I think someday has arrived, boss. If you can release Renegade, you can release this one. Please?

In my opinion this is Stephen J. Cannell's greatest creation. The series was kind of a -What if Jim Rockford split in two? The shy, dream-laden private-eye want-to-be and the accomplished con artist team up to solve various mysteries. Goldblum and Vereen are cast perfectly. This was television fun at it's best with the homage to the pulp detectives and the MacGyver of disguises. The villains were typical Cannell with mobsters to motorcycle gangs, but these two heroes made the endings, for me, much more satisfying because of the clever characters. Saddest is how this series was miss-scheduled by ABC and destroyed in the ratings by CBS.

This series was one of the BEST of its time. I was SHOCKED when it did not continue to run in 1981. It was witty. Jeff Goldblum was the 'perfect' actor for the character of a nerdy stock-broker-turned-Mickey-Spillane-wannabe detective, paired up with Ben Vereen who portrayed the role of con-man-extraordinaire that mimicked the roles of a vast array of characters... in order to close their cases. I especially enjoyed listening to Jeff Goldblum's voice (In the background) as he would sit and read the Mickey Spillane book as he sat at his desk. It was 'pure genius' for the producers to include the book-reading episodes into the script. The plots and 'action' were believable and fun-oriented. In other words, it was a CRIME for this series to end so quickly. Now that DVD's of old movies and TV series are available, I have waited... and waited... and WAITED for Ten Speed and Brown Shoe to be released on DVD. I'M STILL WAITING!

John Mangum JuSen4Me@EC.RR.Com