Quelle: http://thrillingdetective.com/virtual/www.thrillingdetective.com/more_eyes/gavilan.htmlWomen in bikinis, studly Robert Urich in a wetsuit, tropical settings, a pro-ecology message for the kiddies -- this show seemingly had something for everyone. Or thought it did -- it only lasted seven episodes.
Hot on the heels of Urich's succesful three-year run as Dan Tanna in ABC's Vega$ (1978-81, ABC), NBC figured they'd give him another whack at it.
But by this point, straight up private eye drama was on the wane, and the idea of a private eye (Ã la Rockford, Cannon, Mannix et al) just solving cases simply wasn't enough. No, in this post-Charlie's Angels/Magnum P.I. world, you had to have a hook. And look pretty.
So ROBERT GAVILAN wasn't even really a "private eye". He was a former CIA operative who worked for the California-based Oceanographic Institute as an inventor, consultant and -- get this -- a special troubleshooter for problems "on the high seas." It's the last bit of his curriculum vitae that the show really focussed on, of course. It gave him an excuse to mess it up with pirates, smugglers, killers and the like on a regular basis, indulging in fistfights, shootouts and all the usual P.I. shenanigans, plus high speed boat chases, underwater knife fights and speargun attacks.
And just in case institude business didn't lead to enough action, there were always some old pals from his CIA days asking for help, which allowed him to hop around the world, including England, the Virgin Islands and Cuba.
Certainly more fun to watch than some scientist gawking at plankton through a miscroscope, doncha think?
Of course, there also had to be quirky characters, so the institute was run by an officious Higgins-type, Marion Jaworski, played by Kate Reid, and Gavilan's life was frequently made miserable by an old family friend, Milo Bentley, who came to visit Gavilan and apparently never planned on leaving. Orignally the part was to be played by Fernando Lamas was set to play Milo, but after his unexpected death, his scenes were reshot with The Avenger's Patrick McNee taking over the role.
Magnum was the most obvious influence, with perhaps a little Sea Hunt tossed in. Urich spent a lot of time running around inswimming trunks, and even the opening credits aped the Magnum formula, although the theme song itself was an incredibly cheesy bit of faux disco that dared anyone to ever take the show seriously.
It only lasted ten episodes, and three episodes were left in the can.
TRIVIA In Quentin Tarrantino's Death Proof (2007), Kurt Russell's character brags about being Robert Urich's stunt double on Vega$ and recalls that after that, Urich "did a show called Gavilan, and I doubled for him on that too."
Blame him! The person responsible for the painfully cheesy theme was Steve Dorff, father of the actor Stephen Dorff.
Robert Urich Biographie - An Extraordinary Life - ab 30.08.2019
