The Lazarus Man

The Lazarus Man is an American Western television series produced by Castle Rock Entertainment which first aired on January 20, 1996, and ended on November 9, 1996. Starring Robert Urich as the title character, The Lazarus Man debuted on Turner Network Television and ran for 20 episodes.

The Lazarus Man
GenreWestern
Created byDick Beebe
StarringRobert Urich
Theme music composerJohn Debney
ComposerCharles Sydnor
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producersMichael Ogiens
Norman S. Powell
ProducersJohn Binder
Harvey Frand
Marc Scott Zicree
CinematographyRoss A. Maehl
EditorScott Powell
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time43 mins.
Production companiesThe Ogiens/Kane Company
Castle Rock Entertainment
DistributorTurner Program Services
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Turner Home Entertainment
Release
Original networkTNT
Picture format4:3
Original releaseJanuary 20 (1996-01-20) –
November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)

Opening narration

Something has happened to me which I do not understand.

All I know for certain is I am alive. How I got here? Who I am?
I do not know, but I must've seen or done something,
something terrible to be buried alive, to be left for dead.

I can remember nothing of my life, my friends or my enemies
but the key to my identity lies somewhere out there.

I will search until I find the man I was...and hope to be again.

Plot

The setting for the series is Texas following the American Civil War. An amnesiac claws his way out of a shallow grave wearing a Confederate uniform and carrying a U.S. Army revolver. He is haunted by the memory of being attacked by a man wearing a derby. Calling himself Lazarus after the man resurrected by Jesus (John 11:41-44), he sets out to discover his true identity and the reason why he was buried alive.

Near the end of the series, Lazarus is revealed to be James Cathcart, a captain in the US Army and a member of President Abraham Lincoln's personal bodyguard detail. The memory that plagues him is from the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Cathcart, realizing that the President was in danger, ran to stop the assassin, but was attacked by his superior, the treasonous Major Talley, who wanted to see Lincoln dead.

Cancellation

The series first season did well enough to warrant TNT to order a second season. However, the series' production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, cancelled the series after Urich was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in July 1996.[1] Urich later sued Castle Rock for breach of contract. In the suit, Urich maintained that although he was undergoing cancer treatments, he never informed Castle Rock that he would be unable to perform in the series. Castle Rock decided to cancel the series anyway and failed to pay Urich the $1.47 million he was to be paid for a second season.[2]

Episodes
Episode TitleAiredPlot
1. "Awakening" (Part 1)January 20, 1996After awaking in a grave with no memory, Lazarus tries to piece his life together.
2. "Awakening" (Part 2)January 27, 1996After awaking in a grave with no memory, Lazarus tries to piece his life together.
3. "The Palace of Dreams"February 3, 1996Lazarus meets an eccentric card shark (Carl Lumbly) with a mysterious grudge.
4. "Purgatory"February 10, 1996Lazarus recognizes a Confederate veteran (Stephen McHattie) once under his command.
5. "The Conspirator"February 17, 1996A Federal agent (Tom Mason) with a vendetta against Lazarus has him arrested and sentenced to death.
6. "The Boy General"February 24, 1996Custer (Maxwell Caulfield) hires Lazarus to sniff out threats against him from his troops.
7. "The Cattle Drive"March 2, 1996Lazarus must fend off enemies who emerge from the hazy past.
8. "Panorama"March 9, 1996Gunslingers line up to challenge "the man who can't be killed".
9. "The Wallpaper Prison"March 16, 1996Lazarus finds a kindred spirit in a forlorn prostitute (Kate Hodge).
10. "The Catamount"March 30, 1996A malicious cavalry officer (Nicolas Surovy) plans to mete out "justice".
11. "Among The Dead"April 20, 1996Lazarus takes refuge in an eerily quiet town with a troubled woman (Jennifer Nash).
12. "The Journal"April 27, 1996A prospector is murdered after striking it rich, and Lazarus runs into a coverup.
13. "Jehovah and Son, Inc."May 4, 1996An unbalanced man (Armin Shimerman) shoots a senator with Lazarus's gun.
14. "The Rescue"May 11, 1996A Comanche battles the militia over a white woman (Kellie Overbey), raised by his tribe.
15. "Killer"May 18, 1996Lazarus takes a liking to a fellow Civil War vet-turned-bounty hunter, and becomes his partner.
16. "The Hold-Up"October 12, 1996When the mining-company payroll is taken during a stagecoach robbery, Lazarus is blamed.
17. "The Penance"October 19, 1996Lazarus tries to protect a pacifist sect of farmers from the wrath of cattlemen.
18. "The Sheriff"October 26, 1996A young gunslinger returns to punish his hometown.
19. "Shadow"November 2, 1996Lazarus reunites with his long-lost wife.
20. "Quality of the Enemy"November 9, 1996A cynical bounty hunter, contemptuous of the human race befriends Lazarus.
21. "The Tartarus Wheel"UnairedAfter undergoing hypnosis, Lazarus remembers that he used to be Army Intelligence officer.
22. "Dance With Shadows"UnairedThe Major sets a trap using Lazarus' wife as bait.

[3]

DVD release

On February 13, 2018, The Lazarus Man: The Complete Series was released on DVD in Region 1 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release available via WBShop.com & Amazon.com.[4]

References
  1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 776. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
  2. "Urich suing over 'Lazarus Man'". The Spokesman-Review. April 14, 2000. p. D2. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  3. TV Guide Episode Listing
  4. "'The Complete Series' of the 1996 Series Starring Robert Urich". Retrieved January 29, 2018.

See also
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.