Shamus: A Matter of Wife ... and Death (1976)Rod Taylor played private eye Shamus McCoy in this pilot for a series that never came to be. The show aired April 10, 1976, on NBC and was a follow-up to a 1973 film called "Shamus" that starred Burt Reynolds. Marvin Chomsky directed this TV movie, just a couple of years before his work on "Roots" and a couple of years after directing Taylor in "Family Flight." Lynda Carter has a small role as Shamus' girlfriend -- one of her first roles before becoming Wonder Woman. The "wife" in the title is played by Anita Gillette. The show also features Anne Archer in an early role, and Joe Santos as Lt. Vince Promuto -- a character similar to his Lt. Dennis Becker in "The Rockford Files." In fact, the whole show has a very "Rockford" feel to it. Shamus McCoy is a scuffling private investigator who gets help from his friend on the force -- Promuto -- and a collection of semi-shady characters.
In the course of the story, his romancing of (a) Zelda (Lynda Carter) and (b) Carol (Anne Archer) is continually cut short when duty calls. Shamus also shows of his prowess at playing pool and making scrambled eggs. He also changes his shirt a lot. |
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The show opens with
the apparent murder of a friend of Shamus'. Shamus has to deal with an assortment
of underworld types as he uncovers a gambling scheme.
