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Banacek
Genre	Detective show
Starring	George Peppard Ralph Manza Murray Matheson
Country of origin	US
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	16
Production
Producer(s)	Howie Horwitz
Executive producer(s)	George Eckstein
Running time	90 min
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 13, 1972 – September 3, 1974
Links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Banacek (one of the rotating NBC Mystery Movie series) was a short-lived, light-hearted detective TV series on NBC from 1972 to 1974. George Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a Boston-based freelance investigator who worked mostly for finder's fees offered by insurance companies by solving seemingly impossible theft cases. The show had a mixture of humor combined with rather intricate plots that never generated the ratings needed to keep it on the air. Despite the mediocre ratings, however, the show was well received by critics, and had been picked up for a third season. Alas, before the third season could start production, Peppard quit the show in order to prevent his ex-wife Elizabeth Ashley from receiving a larger percentage of his earnings as part of their divorce settlement.

Banacek's signature was quoting strangely worded but curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs: "There's an old Polish proverb that says, if you're not sure if it's borscht or not, there may be children working in the mines", and "There's an old Polish proverb that says, just because the cat has her kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits" are two examples. Another recurring gag was telling people his name was spelled like it sounds (it is actually pronounced "Banachek").

Also featured were Ralph Manza as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury, Murray Matheson as rare-bookstore owner Felix Mulholland, and Christine Belford as Carlie Kirkland.

A customized 1969 American Motors AMX was built for the second regular season episode. The car became known as the AMX-400 and it is now owned by an automobile collector. Other continuing cars in the series were a 1941 Packard 180 with a Victoria body by Howard "Dutch" Darrin (license plate number 178344) and a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine (mobile telephone number KL 17811).

Banacek alternated in its timeslot with several other shows, but it was the only one to last beyond its first season. It was later rebroadcast on A&E Network.

On March 7, 2007 TV Guide announced they will be releasing several TV shows on DVD for the first time ever. It will be under their own brand TV Guide Presents and Banacek will be one of the series. Banacek - The First Season is scheduled for release May 15, 2007.[1]

Pilot
1. Banacek: Detour to Nowhere

Season One
2. Let's Hear It For A Living Legend
3. Project Phoenix
4. No Sign of the Cross
5. A Million the Hard Way
6. To Steal A King
7. Ten Thousand Dollars A Page
8. The Greatest Collection of Them All
9. The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack

Season Two
10. No Stone Unturned
11. If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?
12. The Three Million Dollar Piracy
13. The Vanishing Chalice
14. Horse of A Slightly Different Color
15. Rocket to Oblivion
16. Fly Me- If You Can Find Me
17. Now You See Me, Now You Don't

The episode titled "If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?" was shot on location at the California Institute of the Arts around the time the school first opened. Worth noting is that the Ahmanson Hall dormitory had not been built yet, allowing for some amazing views of the Santa Clarita Valley prior to the huge growth in the following decades. The episode begins in the main lobby of the school, which is supposedly a hospital, crosses in front of the Walt Disney Modular Theater, and continues through the L-Shape Gallery and down the stairs. Many scenes take place outside, in the former Graduation Courtyard, where a building was placed especially for the episode. Other scenes were shot on the first floor in the A-block, just down the hall from the famous A-113 classroom that is referred to in so many Pixar and other animated films. It is entirely possible that Banacek's use of CalArts as the hospital set may have given rise to the popular rumor that CalArts' creators had considered using the facility as a hospital, should the art school fail to survive.

The episode titled "Ten Thousand Dollars A Page " was filmed at the Pasadena Art Museum, later known as the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art and now the Norton Simon Museum of Art.

• Banacek episode guide