The Quest (1976 TV series)

The Quest

Series title screen
Genre Western
Created by Tracy Keenan Wynn
Written by Anthony Lawrence
Michael Michaelian
Katharyn Powers
Tracy Keenan Wynn
Directed by Bernard McEveety
Starring Kurt Russell
Tim Matheson
Theme music composer Richard Shores
Composer(s) Richard Shores
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 15 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s) David Gerber
Producer(s) James H. Brown
Mark Rodgers
Cinematography Al Francis
Editor(s) Hugh Chaloupka
John Elias
Richard L. Van Enger
Ken Zemke
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 44 mins.
Production company(s) David Gerber Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Distributor Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network NBC
Audio format Monaural
Original release September 22 (1976-09-22) – December 29, 1976 (1976-12-29)
Chronology
Preceded by The Quest

The Quest is an American Western series which aired on NBC from September to December 1976. The series stars Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson. The pilot episode aired as a television movie on May 13, 1976.

Overview

Two brothers Morgan (Kurt Russell) and Quentin Bodine (Matheson) are seeking the whereabouts of their long-lost sister, Patricia, being held by the Cheyenne. Morgan, known as "Two Persons", was a captive of the Cheyenne for eight years until he was freed by the United States Army.

In the story, Quentin is a young physician from San Francisco. The pair crosses thousands of miles across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in search of Patricia; hence, the title The Quest.

Cast

Guest actors

Production

The series was created by Tracy Keenan Wynn, son of Keenan Wynn, who also made two appearances on the series. David Gerber served as the executive producer. Much of the filming was in Arizona.

Reception and cancellation

The Quest aired at the 10 p.m. Eastern Wednesday slot opposite ABC's Charlie's Angels.[1] Low ratings, coupled with the fact that Westerns had fallen out of favor with networks and audiences, contributed to the demise of the series. The Quest was canceled during its first season. The final episode aired on December 29, 1976. Four of the fifteen episodes produced never aired.

Episode list

Season 1

Episode # Episode Title Original Airdate
1 "The Captive" September 22, 1976
2 "The Buffalo Hunters" September 29, 1976
3 "Shanklin" October 13, 1976
4 "Day of Outrage" October 27, 1976
5 "Seventy-Two Hours" November 3, 1976
6 "Prairie Woman" November 10, 1976
7 "Welcome to America, Jade Snow" November 24, 1976
8 "The Longest Drive" (Part 1) December 1, 1976
9 "The Longest Drive" (Part 2) December 8, 1976
10 "Portrait of a Gunfighter" December 22, 1976
11 "The Freight Train Rescue" December 29, 1976
12 "The Last of the Mountain Men" Never aired
13 "Dynasty of Evil" Never aired
14 "The Seminole Negro Indian Scouts" Never aired
15 "Incident at Drucker's Tavern" Never aired

Awards and nominations

The Quest was nominated for a prime time Emmy Award for costume design. One episode, "Hatcher's Drive" won a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for script writers Katharyn Powers and Michael Michaelian. The writers tied with Jim Byrnes of ABC's How the West Was Won.[2]

DVD release

While the entire series has not been released on DVD, a two-part episode, "The Longest Drive", was released on Region 1 DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2005.[3] The television film which served as the series' pilot episode was also released on DVD by Sony in 2011.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1976-1977 American network television schedule
  2. ↑ IMDb, The Quest, Awards
  3. ↑ "The Quest - The Longest Drive". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Quest - TV Movie". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
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