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Riptide
1st season Title Card image
Title Card for the first season
GenreDetective fiction
Created byStephen J. Cannell
Frank Lupo
StarringPerry King
Joe Penny
Thom Bray
Jack Ging
June Chadwick
Anne Francis (1984 only)
ComposersPete Carpenter
Mike Post
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes58 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersStephen J. Cannell
Frank Lupo
Babs Greyhosky (Seasons 2 and 3)
ProducersBabs Greyhosky (Season 1)
J. Rickley Dumm
Tom Blomquist (Season 3)
Production locationsCabrillo Beach, San Pedro, Los Angeles
Redondo Beach, California
Santa Clarita, California
Running time48 minutes per episode
Production companyStephen J. Cannell Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJanuary 3, 1984 (1984-01-03) –
April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22)

Riptide is an American detective television series that ran on NBC between January 3, 1984 and April 22, 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray.

The series was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions for NBC. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. A midseason replacement, it debuted as a two-hour TV movie in early 1984. After its cancellation, reruns were aired on the USA Network during the late 1980s. The series currently appears occasionally on the schedules of getTV and Decades.

Premise

Cody Allen (Perry King) and Nick Ryder (Joe Penny) are two former Vietnam War Army buddies who decided to open the Pier 56 Detective Agency (later known as the Riptide Detective Agency) in Los Angeles, California. Realizing that computers and technology play a major role in many investigations, they recruit the help of Murray "Boz" Bozinsky (Thom Bray), a brilliant but nerdy scientist and computer hacker whom they met while serving in the Army.

The team operates out of Cody's boat, the Riptide, moored at Pier 56 at King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach.[1] The men have several other tools in their fight against crime and injustice, including Murray's robot, The Roboz (which, unlike most television robots, does not speak); Nick's aging Sikorsky S-58T helicopter, The Screaming Mimi,[2] which Nick occasionally used for his sideline business, aerial harbor tours; and Cody's speedboat, the Ebb Tide. Nick also owns a classic red Chevrolet Corvette, and in early episodes, Cody drives an orange "Woodie" station wagon which is later replaced by a four-wheel drive custom GMC Jimmy.

Lt. Quinlan (Jack Ging) is a local police officer who continually harasses the trio. Lt. Parisi (June Chadwick), the agency's police contact during the final episodes, is more cooperative. During the first few episodes, Mama Jo (Anne Francis) is the crusty skipper of the Barefoot Contessa, a tourist boat with an all-female crew. Introduced later in the first season is Max, a comedian at a local club. Second-season episodes also feature Dooley (Ken Olandt), a dock boy who occasionally assists the team in their escapades.

The show's penultimate episode, "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em", shows Cody and Nick acting as consultants to Rosalind Grant (Annette McCarthy) and Cary Russell (H. Richard Greene), the bickering stars of a television detective show pilot that closely resembles and parodies Moonlighting, Riptide's former primetime competition on Tuesday nights.[3]

Although local mobsters were depicted in most episodes, some reflected sensitive topics, such as corruption within the U.S. Army, high-level cover-ups, and black operations by corporate America. The third season's "Home for Christmas", with a performance by James Whitmore, has a strongly emotional tone.

Cast

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
114January 3, 1984 (1984-01-03)May 22, 1984 (1984-05-22)
222October 2, 1984 (1984-10-02)May 14, 1985 (1985-05-14)
322October 1, 1985 (1985-10-01)April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22)

Season 1 (1984)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Riptide"Christian I. Nyby IIStephen J. Cannell & Frank LupoJanuary 3, 1984 (1984-01-03)
22
Mama Jo and the crew rescue Kimba Hall, a young woman stranded when an explosion damages the boat she was on, killing everyone else aboard. While searching for the real criminals, Cody Allen, Nick Ryder, and Murray "Boz" Bozinski work to prove that Kimba Hall had nothing to do with the Trade Wind's deadly explosion, or the smuggling operation the police believe is connected.
33"Conflict of Interest"Ron SatlofStephen J. CannellJanuary 10, 1984 (1984-01-10)
The wife of a well-known mobster, Tina Brazil, heads to Cody and Nick for help when she gets wind that her husband, Ricky Brazil, is plotting a murder.
44"Somebody's Killing the Great Geeks of America"Bruce KesslerBabs GreyhoskyJanuary 17, 1984 (1984-01-17)
When an attempt is made on the life of Murray's friend Natalie Kramer (Cindy Pickett) from the high IQ society, the agency investigates, uncovering a larger plot to assassinate a U.S. Senator.
55"Hatchet Job"Ron SatlofMark JonesJanuary 31, 1984 (1984-01-31)
Murray tries to get more involved in the physical elements of the investigations, and while employed by the Pier 56 merchant's association to locate a burglar plaguing the docks, the agency is also hired by an escaped mental patient (Maylo McCaslin) to solve her boyfriend Jack's murder.
66"The Mean Green Love Machine"Guy MagarStephen J. CannellFebruary 7, 1984 (1984-02-07)
The guys are hired by their old friend and dock neighbor Brandy to help her find her father Lane and his wife Dee-Dee Preston (Mary-Margaret Humes), who've gone missing in Cabo San Lucas.
77"Diamonds Are for Never"Gloryette ClarkBabs GreyhoskyFebruary 21, 1984 (1984-02-21)
After witnessing the murder of her friend Arthur Truman, Connie (Kathryn Witt), a flight attendant, encounters Murray in a movie theater and the agency helps her seek out Arthur's archaeologist brother Walter (John Anderson) in Peru, uncovering a diamond smuggling operation in the process.
88"The Hardcase"Victor HsuMark JonesFebruary 28, 1984 (1984-02-28)

When the agency investigates a suspicious boat that appears in a slip at King Harbor, they find that it's connected to the murder of a doctor, which the police suspect Sherry Meyers (Kelly Preston) of committing.

Marsha Warfield appears as a comedian working at Straightaways restaurant, and Paul Gleason as the detective.
99"Four-Eyes"Bruce KesslerBabs GreyhoskyMarch 6, 1984 (1984-03-06)
The crew reluctantly take a job from the shady Myron Bell (Danny Wells), a well-known local attorney, and end up mixed up first in the client's divorce from his wife Joan (Joan Freeman), and then in his murder.
1010"#1 with a Bullet"Arnold LavenStephen J. CannellMarch 20, 1984 (1984-03-20)
Two singers of a hit music group are involved in a devastating car crash that leaves one dead and one in serious condition at the hospital. The guys are hired by the singers' fanclub to deliver flowers to his bedside, only to find that it may not have been an accident after all.
1111"Long Distance Daddy"Bruce KesslerBabs GreyhoskyMarch 27, 1984 (1984-03-27)
A member a gun smuggling racket goes to drastic measures to get rid of the head of the racket and the witnesses to his crime--Nick's sponsor child from Cambodia and his critically ill sister.
1212"Double Your Pleasure"Michael O'HerlihyTom BlomquistApril 3, 1984 (1984-04-03)

Murray drags a reluctant Cody and Nick to a party where Cody meets an attractive young woman who asks for their help finding her missing sister. But there may be more to Sheila than meets the eye.

Dennis Franz guest stars as Earl Bertane.
1313"Raiders of the Lost Sub"Dennis DonnellyMark JonesMay 15, 1984 (1984-05-15)
As the agency are experiencing a slow business week, Murray's sister, Melba (Geena Davis), arrives in town for help in proving that Hitler had a port on the west coast of the U.S. during World War II.
1414"Something Fishy"Michael O'HerlihyFrank LupoMay 22, 1984 (1984-05-22)
Boz and Nick both fall for the same beautiful dolphin trainer, whose charges become implicated as accomplices in a drug-smuggling scheme.

Season 2 (1984–85)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
151"Where the Girls Are"Ron SatlofBabs GreyhoskyOctober 2, 1984 (1984-10-02)

The Riptide trio are hired to protect three high maintenance college students (Daphne Ashbrook, Juliana Donald, Claudia Christian) from kidnappers while they visit Los Angeles.

This episode marks George Clooney's first-ever speaking role.
162"The Orange Grove"Michael LangeStephen J. CannellOctober 16, 1984 (1984-10-16)
Brigadier General "Pitbull" Johnson (Gerald S. O'Loughlin), who the Riptide crew knew in Vietnam, is suspected of dealing cocaine, and an FBI agent (Kurtwood Smith) pressures Cody, Nick, and Boz into luring him out.
173"Catch of the Day"Michael LangeStory by : Ed Decter
Teleplay by : Frank Lupo		October 23, 1984 (1984-10-23)
A woman appears out of the water to warn Arnie, a mentally challenged fisherman and friend of the Riptide crew, that a ship is in danger. But the authorities refuse to believe him when he describes her as a mermaid, so Nick, Cody, Boz, and a reporter work to prove Arnie's telling the truth.
184"Mirage"Bruce KesslerTom BlomquistOctober 30, 1984 (1984-10-30)
While teaching science at the local college, Murray befriends a beautiful student who asks his help to get away from her abusive husband. He agrees to help her, but the trio soon find out that she is not as innocent as she appears to be.
195"Beat the Box"Arnold LavenStephen J. CannellNovember 13, 1984 (1984-11-13)
Murray's lie detector causes aggravation for Nick and Cody, but also proves quite helpful when a writer they are hired to protect jumps from a high building and the journalist who hired them (Ray Wise) seemingly suffers a mental break down on air.
206"Father's Day"Tony MordenteTom BlomquistNovember 20, 1984 (1984-11-20)
A troubled woman abandons her baby at a church and the priest (Robert Logan Jr.) asks the crew to look into what trouble the woman has gotten herself into. But things are more difficult than usual when the priest also leaves the baby with the boys.
217"Be True to Your School"Michael LangeStephen J. CannellNovember 27, 1984 (1984-11-27)
Nick, Cody, and Murray go to Nick's 15-year high school reunion, which turns into a job when someone shoots up the event.
228"It's a Vial Sort of Business"Bruce Seth GreenBabs GreyhoskyDecember 4, 1984 (1984-12-04)
Mr. and Mrs. Collins (Jason Bernard and Kim Hamilton) hire Nick & Cody to find their son (Clarence Gilyard), who dropped out of college to try to make it in Hollywood, and who is apparently tangled up in some criminal scheme.
239"Peter Pan Is Alive and Well"Tony MordenteBabs GreyhoskyDecember 11, 1984 (1984-12-11)
A manager of a beach club hires the trio to investigate the robbery of valuables on the beach, but the boys end up protecting Cody's ex-roommate, a playboy lifeguard, instead.
2410"Catch a Fallen Star"Mike VejarTom BlomquistDecember 18, 1984 (1984-12-18)
The trio save an elderly woman (Edith Fellows) from a pair of thugs and soon find out that she was once a famous movie star who disappeared over fifty years earlier.
2511"Gams People Play"Ron SatlofTom BlomquistJanuary 8, 1985 (1985-01-08)

The Riptide agency is hired to protect a beauty contestant whose life is being threatened. Just when they find out the identity of the stalker, the man is found dead and the woman is the prime suspect in his murder case.

Game show hosts Gene Rayburn and Bob Eubanks appear as themselves.
2612"Prisoner of War"Michael O'HerlihyBabs GreyhoskyJanuary 15, 1985 (1985-01-15)
After witnessing a fatal hit and run, Nick's new girlfriend disappears into the red-light district. While searching for her, they inadvertently become involved in a turf war between two local pimps.
2713"Baxter and Boz"Michael LangeBill NussJanuary 22, 1985 (1985-01-22)
Murray meets a famous inventor (John Astin) who's down on his luck, leading him to hire the boys to expose a dangerous design flaw in helicopters that are being sold to the US military.
2814"Curse of the Mary Aberdeen"Ron SatlofSteven L. Sears & Burt PearlJanuary 29, 1985 (1985-01-29)
A man who was supposed to have died 18 years before (Richard Lynch) suddenly appears to hire the agency to find the Mary Aberdeen, a cursed boat he wants to find "before it kills again."
2915"Boz Busters"Bob BralverBabs Greyhosky & Tom BlomquistFebruary 5, 1985 (1985-02-05)
After leaving the agency for his dream job at a robotics company, Murray goes missing, and Nick & Cody have to find him before he disappears forever.
3016"Oil Bets Are Off"Michael LangePaul BernbaumFebruary 12, 1985 (1985-02-12)
When she believes the police aren't properly investigating her father's murder, oil heiress Juliet Hafner hires the trio to look into the case.
3117"Girls Night Out"Bob BralverSteve Beers & Alan CassidyFebruary 19, 1985 (1985-02-19)
Two suburban women (Belinda Montgomery, Lenore Kasdorf) are forced by a loan shark (James Cromwell) to become burglars to pay him back. After they are caught hitting the Riptide, the boys decide to help them to get out of their predicament.
3218"Polly Want an Explanation"Michael SwitzerJim Carlson & Terrence McDonnellMarch 5, 1985 (1985-03-05)
The Riptide agency, a wannabe-FBI agent, trouble prone con man Mack McPherson (William Russ) and his parrot all get in trouble with organized crime after McPherson writes an incriminating article about a mobster.
3319"The Twisted Cross"Robert SallinStory by : James Andronica
Teleplay by : Tom Blomquist		March 12, 1985 (1985-03-12)

The trio are hired by a woman whose ex-husband won't let her see her son. They soon learn that the father is part of a neo-Nazi group led by a man named Kefler (Jere Burns).

Due to its content, this episode was never broadcast in Germany until it was aired in 2013 on PayTV
3420"Fuzzy Vision"Bruce KesslerPaul BernbaumMarch 19, 1985 (1985-03-19)
The trio head out to sea for a vacation of relaxing and fishing, but their plans are stopped when the armature blows on the boat and they're trapped in a weird little town where a woman who can see into the future (Jan Sterling) is suspected of murder and everybody thinks Cody is the infamous and very unpopular Jake Tyler.
3521"Arrivederci, Baby"Michael LangeBabs GreyhoskyMay 7, 1985 (1985-05-07)

Oceanographer Angelo Guirilini (Cesar Romero) hires the trio to investigate when his son is badly wounded under mysterious circumstances during a diving expedition.

Dana Elcar stars as Harry "The Oilman" Silverman.
3622"Harmony and Grits"Bob BralverTom Blomquist & Babs GreyhoskyMay 14, 1985 (1985-05-14)
Murray drags a reluctant Nick and Cody to a "harmonising" seminar. But the topic of the seminar takes a back seat to a large brawl and a concerned wife who's afraid her husband is having an affair.

Season 3 (1985–86)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
371"Wipe Out"Bob BralverTom BlomquistOctober 1, 1985 (1985-10-01)
Hard up for work, the Riptide crew reluctantly take on the case sent to them anonymously, asking them to investigate the death of a surfer that took place in 1964.
382"Thirty-Six Hours Till Dawn"Bob BralverBabs GreyhoskyOctober 22, 1985 (1985-10-22)
The Riptide Agency are hired to escort Renee Sinclair, the estranged wife of underworld crime-lord Sonny Sinclair, to his trial where she is to be the star prosecution witness. During the extraction, Nick and Renee are trapped in a canyon together, and Cody and Murray have to find them before Sinclair's people do.
393"Does Not Compute"Michael LangeTom BlomquistOctober 29, 1985 (1985-10-29)
After a liberal city councilman (Larry Linville) accuses the police department of framing him for corruption, Lt. Quinlan hires the crew to prove the police department innocent. Murray's investigation angers the hacker behind the attacks, and he turns his eyes to the Riptide.
404"The Bargain Department"Kim MannersStephen J. CannellNovember 5, 1985 (1985-11-05)
After their insurance is mysteriously cancelled, Cody and Murray opt to sell the agency to a corporate investigation firm led by Oscar Davenport (Robert Walker, Jr.), whose offer also includes jobs for the three of them, over Nick's strenuous objections. Their new jobs turn out to be anything but ideal, and Cody, Nick, and Murray team up to find out what was really behind the failure of the Riptide Detective Agency.
415"Who Really Watches the Sunset?"Michael LangeBurt Pearl & Steven L. SearsNovember 12, 1985 (1985-11-12)
A reporter with only six months to live (Darleen Carr) hires the trio to find out who infected her with the disease that will kill her.
426"Still Goin' Steady"Michael SwitzerTerry D. NelsonNovember 19, 1985 (1985-11-19)
Murray's lucrative winning streak on a popular quiz show is in jeopardy when his high-school crush arrives asking for his help, and Nick and Cody soon find out she's not all she appears to be.
437"Robin and Marian"Robert SallinPaul BernbaumDecember 3, 1985 (1985-12-03)
When the Riptide is burgled and the Roboz stolen, the guys track the goods down to a man who considers himself a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor--and the "rich" unfortunately includes a dangerous counterfeiting gang who are desperate to get their property back.
448"Requiem for Icarus"Chuck BowmanBurt Pearl & Steven L. SearsDecember 10, 1985 (1985-12-10)

Nick meets up with an old friend who he hasn't seen or heard from in five years, after his daughter becomes concerned about her father's erratic behavior. Saving him becomes all more important for the team once they find out he is both suicidal and deeply involved in a smuggling operation.

Last appearance of Jack Ging as Lt. Quinlan.
459"Home for Christmas"James Whitmore, Jr.Tom BlomquistDecember 17, 1985 (1985-12-17)
Rather than celebrate a holiday he hates, Nick spends his Christmas escorting the remains of a young soldier home to his father (James Whitmore), only to find out upon arrival that the body doesn't belong to the man's deceased son.
4610"Lady Killer"Michael LangeTom Blomquist & Babs GreyhoskyJanuary 7, 1986 (1986-01-07)
A serial killer is targeting engaged women in King Harbor, and the crew meet their new police contact: a gorgeous blonde named Lt. Joanne Parisi.
4711"A Matter of Policy"Michael PreeceSteven L. Sears & Burt PearlJanuary 14, 1986 (1986-01-14)
While Murray is off at a computer conference, Nick learns he's inherited a large sum of money from the recently deceased father of a soldier he tried to save in Vietnam, but according to the dead man's niece (Kim Darby), his death was no accident.
4812"The Wedding Bell Blues"Michael SwitzerTom Blomquist & Babs GreyhoskyJanuary 21, 1986 (1986-01-21)
Cody, Nick and Murray are hired by an eccentric millionaire (Richard Lewis) to find a model that he wants to marry--only to be caught up in a heated mob war between the model's family and the family of her jilted fiancé.
4913"The Frankie Kahana Show"Bruce KesslerFrank LupoFebruary 11, 1986 (1986-02-11)
When their night out is interrupted by someone attempting to kill their host, a Hawaiian lounge singer, the crew end up embroiled in the case.
5014"Smiles We Left Behind"Tony MordenteBabs GreyhoskyFebruary 25, 1986 (1986-02-25)
5115
When Danny Lee doesn't arrive from San Francisco for his cousin's wedding, the crew offer to go to San Francisco to pick him up. Soon they realize that more than Lucy's wedding is at stake--the case involves attempted murder, espionage, nuclear secrets, and more dangerously, Cody's ex-fiancée, Janet (Jane Badler).
5216"The Pirate and the Princess"Kim MannersTerry D. NelsonMarch 7, 1986 (1986-03-07)
The Riptide crew reunites with Angelo and Giovanna Guirilini (Cesar Romero and Ava Lazar from Season 2's Arrivederci, Baby) as they try to find the lost treasure of pirate captain William Tyson.
5317"Playing Hardball"Bob BralverPaul BernbaumMarch 14, 1986 (1986-03-14)
Cody and Nick go undercover as baseball players at the behest of the minor league team's owner to investigate a drug problem in the locker room.
5418"The Play's the Thing"Richard ForrestTom BlomquistMarch 21, 1986 (1986-03-21)
A string of murders is connected to the search for an undiscovered Shakespeare manuscript and the Riptide agency unhappily teams up with Gloria Burghoff (last seen in Season 2's Polly Want An Explanation) to find it.
5519"Dead Men Don't Floss"Chuck BowmanStory by : Steven L. Sears & Burt Pearl
Teleplay by : Tom Blomquist & Babs Greyhosky & Frank Lupo		April 4, 1986 (1986-04-04)
When an article in a magazine praises Nick for "his" agency, the guys each take a separate case to see which of the three is really the best detective. Meanwhile, the author's jealous boyfriend (Christopher McDonald) is on the hunt for Nick.
5620"Chapel of Glass"Bob BralverSteven L. Sears & Burt PearlApril 11, 1986 (1986-04-11)
As Lt. Parisi's wedding nears, a case the guys are working on strikes close to home, and may call into question everything she knows, as her fiancé is implicated in a deadly scheme.
5721"If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em"Tony MordenteTom Blomquist & Babs GreyhoskyApril 18, 1986 (1986-04-18)
The Riptide Detective Agency is hired to consult for a new detective television show. The lead actors (H. Richard Greene, Annette McCarthy) follow the guys around over a week while investigating an actual case.
5822"Echoes"Perry KingBabs GreyhoskyApril 22, 1986 (1986-04-22)

While investigating a case, Cody is shot and Murray is forced to kill the shooter. While Cody recovers in the hospital, Nick and Murray hunt for the truth.

Series star Perry King (Cody) directed this series finale.

Home media

United States

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a three-disc DVD set of Riptide: The Complete First Season on February 14, 2006, available in the United States only. Although the Sony release includes all of the episodes from the season, many of the opening teasers are missing.

Canada

Visual Entertainment has released all three seasons of Riptide, available in Canada only. Unlike the U.S. release, all of the opening teasers are intact. However, several episodes have music replaced and sequences edited out due to copyright issues. On October 14, 2008, VEI released Riptide: The Complete Series, a 13-disc box set featuring all 58 episodes of the show.[4] The release was initially scheduled to be released on September 9, 2008, but was delayed for unknown reasons. As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.

DVD name Ep. # Release date
Riptide: The Complete First Season 14 November 7, 2006
Riptide: The Complete Second Season 22 October 30, 2007
Riptide: The Complete Third and Final Season 22 February 12, 2008
Riptide: The Complete Series 58 October 14, 2008

Germany

In Germany the show is known under the title Trio mit vier Fäusten (Trio with Four Fists).

Universum Films has released all three seasons of Riptide for Germany on May 29, 2009 (Season 1),[5] July 31, 2009 (Season 2)[6] and September 25, 2009 (Season 3).[7]

The DVD sets feature 4:3 Pal, DD 2.0 mono German and English, no teasers, but with a bonus episode of 21 Jump Street (Season 1). The Season 2 boxes will contain an episode not broadcast in Germany, "The Twisted Cross", in English with German subtitles. The German box sets have the original music of the U.S. series, unlike the Canadian box sets 2 and 3.

References

  1. ^ King Harbor is located in Redondo Beach, California
  2. ^ Pigasus Press (2005). "Riptide - helicopter TV show review for Rotary Action". rotaryaction.com. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  3. ^ "Spoofing Around on Riptide", Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1986.
  4. ^ "Riptide DVD news: Delay for Riptide - the Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  5. ^ German release of Season 1
  6. ^ German release of Season 2
  7. ^ German release of Season 3 Archived 2015-12-29 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Television series produced or created by Stephen J. Cannell
Categories