A soap opera theme; the young married gent with a secret gal friend, however... watch how it all unfolds.
Barry Oringer wrote this episode, who later was behind the prime time soap opera series HOTEL. It makes sense.
Here, we get to see two great actors early in their careers. Handsome Nick Nolte plays Rainey, a star football player who is married but falls for another woman. She complains and he kills her, naturally making it look like an accident. But there's more. Enter Marc Singer (as Tanner), a close friend, who stumbles onto the crime and he's NEXT.
Nolte actually began his career as a model, before becoming a film superstar. Singer also had tremendous success in both movies and tv, particularly on DALLAS.
Excellent supporting cast with big and tall Simon Scott (playing Paul), best as judges and generals, and Sheila Larkin as Nolte's wife. Sheila, who retired a few years ago, is known for her many appearances on X FILES.
Leslie H. Martinson, behind cop shows like CHIPS and MANNIX, handles the cast well but there's one goof. Did you catch it? Rainey leaves his finger prints on the murder weapon, also mentioned in production notes. He wipes off blood stains, but the prints remain.
Hmmm?
The last reviewer wrote about Barnaby drinking lots of milk. No question, Barnaby was not your "ordinary" private eye, although he did have a shot of whiskey a few episodes back. Typically, he did not smoke or drink, like MANNIX and CANNON. Even COLUMBO was a chain cigar smoker, right? And he probably didn't swear! He also seemed to work more in the daytime, and not a night owl like his contemporaries. Early to bed and early to rise. It may have been stretching it, but what made Barnaby so unique and refreshing. We kids loved him.
Nolte doesn't stand a chance in this one. And that's ALL I will say... Keep the tea kettle going.
First episode of 1975. HAPPY NEW YEAR. SEASON 3 EPISODE 14. Remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. Released 2018. 6 dvd set. 20hrs. Same design as Cannon and Mannix CBS sets.