The Silent Force (TV series)

The Silent Force is a 1970–1971 United States police drama television series about three United States Government undercover agents who fight organized crime starring Ed Nelson, Percy Rodriguez, and Lynda Day. It aired from September 21, 1970, to January 11, 1971.[1][2]

The Silent Force
The cast of The Silent Force. Clockwise from top left: Ed Nelson as Ward Fuller, Lynda Day as Amelia Cole, and Percy Rodriguez as Jason Hart.
GenrePolice drama
Created byLuther Davis
StarringEd Nelson
Percy Rodriguez
Lynda Day
ComposerDominic Frontiere
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes15
Production
Executive producerWalter Grauman[note 1]
Running time30 minutes
Production companyAaron Spelling Productions
DistributorCBS Television Distribution (current)
Release
Original networkABC
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 21, 1970 (1970-09-21) 
January 11, 1971 (1971-01-11)

Cast

Synopsis

Ward Fuller, Jason Hart, and Amelia Cole make up the Silent Force, a team of U.S. government agents assigned to work undercover to infiltrate organized crime in Southern California. Their various operations involve them with companies and individuals victimized by or taking part in organized crime.[1][2][3]

Each episode of The Silent Force opens with this narrative: "'If you do not, on a national scale, attack organized criminals with weapons and techniques as effective as their own, they will destroy us'...Robert F. Kennedy. An attack has been mounted from Washington; an undercover team of federal agents is the spearhead of that attack: The Silent Force."[3]

Production

Luther Davis created The Silent Force, and Walter Grauman[note 1] was its executive producer.[3] Grauman and Philip Barry, Jr. produced the show.[4] Episode directors included Arnold Laven, George McCowan, and Gene Nelson.[3][4] Writers included Davis, John Meredyth Lucas, Mark Rodgers, Donald S. Sanford, Jack Turley and the team of James D. Buchanan and Ronald Austin.[4] Aaron Spelling Productions produced the show[3] and Dominic Frontiere composed its music.[3]

The Silent Force bore similarities to the hit CBS series Mission: Impossible.[3] Coincidentally, Lynda Day (billed as Lynda Day George after her 1970 marriage to actor Christopher George)[3] joined the cast of Mission: Impossible in 1971 after the cancellation of The Silent Force, and both Percy Rodriguez and Ed Nelson made guest appearances on the series (Rodriguez in season four's "Chico" and Nelson in season seven's "The Western").

A "novelization" of the series, also entitled The Silent Force and written by Harry Goddard, was published in 1971.[5]

Broadcast history

The Silent Force premiered on ABC on September 21, 1970.[2] It was cancelled after the broadcast of its fifteenth episode on January 11, 1971.[1][2][3] It aired on Monday at 8:30 p.m. throughout its run.[2]

Episodes

Sources[2][3][6][7][8]

Season #Episode #TitlePlot/NotesOriginal air date
11"Prosecutor"The agents expose a candidate for governor of California as a member of organized crime. Lloyd Bochner, Mark Tapscott, and Eddie Firestone guest-star.September 21, 1970
12"The Hero"James A. Watson, Jr., Martin E. Brooks, Murray Matheson, and Diane Summerfield guest-star.September 28, 1970
13"A Deadly Game of Love"Mark Richman and Joan Van Ark guest-star.October 5, 1970
14"The Shopping List"Dane Clark and Kevin Hagen guest-star.October 12, 1970
15"The Judge"The sole prosecution witness in a police bribery case is shot, and the judge in the case is being paid off by a corrupt political machine. John Dehner, DeForest Kelley, Paul Carr, Loretta Leversee, Edward Ansara, and Dean Rhoads guest-star.October 19, 1970
16"The Wax Jungle"The agents target the head of a record company who has connections with organized crime and will kill to control the lives of his stars. Linda Marsh, Robert Yuro, Jared Martin, Regis Philbin, Dick Patterson, John Armond, and Billy Shannon guest-star.October 26, 1970
17"Horse in a White Collar"Bert Convy, Mala Powers, Anthony Eisley, and Natalie Trundy guest-star.November 9, 1970
18"Cry in Concrete"The agents target loan sharks who victimize – and even murder – construction workers. Jeanne Cooper, Michael Conrad, Art Lewis, and Duncan McLeod guest-star.November 16, 1970
19"In By Nine, Out By Five"After gangsters threaten the owner of a dry cleaning firm, he becomes the key to agents' efforts to smash a crime organization. Tom Bosley, Paul Lambert, Paul Harris, Aspa Nakapoulou, Del Monroe, and Carmen Zapata guest-star. This episode was originally scheduled for broadcast on November 2, 1970, but was postponed for three weeks.November 23, 1970
110"Take As Directed For Death"After the murder of a doctor, the agents investigate the theft of U.S. government medical care funds by organized crime. Steve Ihnat, Arthur Batanides, and Michael Bell guest-star.November 30, 1970
111"The Courier"Edward G. Robinson[note 2] guest-stars.December 7, 1970
112"A Family Tradition"Stewart Moss, Anthony Caruso, and Roy Jenson guest-star.December 14, 1970
113"The Octopus"Amelia poses as a gangster's wife as the agents combat the takeover of trucking companies by organized crime. Norman Alden, Richard Van Fleet, Albert Paulsen, Austin Willis, and Daniel J. Travanti guest-star.December 21, 1970
114"The Banker, Part 1"John Vernon, Paul Stewart, Robert Pine, and Carla Borelli guest-star.January 4, 1971
115"The Banker, Part 2"John Vernon, Paul Stewart, Robert Pine, and Carla Borelli guest-star.January 11, 1971

Notes

  1. According to The Classic TV Archive, Bruce Geller may have been an executive producer for The Silent Force in addition to or instead of Walter Grauman.
  2. According to The Classic TV Archive, it is nor clear whether the actor who guest-starred in the episode "The Courier" was Edward G. Robinson or his son, Edward G. Robinson Jr..

References

  1. McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 754.
  2. Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Sixth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN 0-345-39736-3, p. 932.
  3. Classic Television Archive The Silent Force
  4. IMDb The Silent Force Cast and Crew
  5. The Trash Collector: PAPERBACKS • FICTION • TELEVISION NOVELIZATIONS • M — Z
  6. IMDb Episode List The Silent Force
  7. tv.com The Silent Force Episode Guide
  8. epiguides.com The Silent Force
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