Longstreet (1971-1972)

While James Franciscus didn't have a lot of luck with the longevity of any of his T.V. series, their quality made up for the lack of quantity. Naked City and Mr. Novak, his first and third series, were critically acclaimed and hold up even today for the quality of their writing, acting, and directing. Longstreet, in which Franciscus played an insurance investigator blinded in a bombing, was another of these short-lived quality programs.

Today, the program would likely have lasted many seasons. It did very well at first in its time slot, rising as high as number five in the then-all important Nielsen ratings. But Ironside with Raymond Burr, by then into its fourth season and with a well-established audience, was moved into its time slot, and it seems the viewing public could only handle so much in the way of handicapped detectives. If so, it's a shame, because Longstreet was an entirely different kind of show, and had a great deal to offer.

To start with, the show's creator, Stirling Siliphant, was even then a Hollywood legend: he produced many of the best scripts ever written for television (for Naked City, where he first worked with Franciscus), created the hit series Route 66, and won an Oscar for In the Heat of the Night.

The acting, too, was first rate, with Franciscus delivering one of the best portrayals of a blinded man, and of a person coping with a disability, ever filmed. Mike Longstreet, deprived all at once of his wife and his sight, has to struggle to pull together his shattered life, and Franciscus made Longstreet's transition from helpless victim to capable investigator believable and engaging. Marlyn Mason as his braille teacher Nikki and Peter Mark Richman as his friend and co-worker Duke were excellent supporting cast members.

But Franciscus' other two co-stars attracted more attention. First of these was Longstreet's seeing eye dog, Pax, a white German shepherd who was the detective's constant companion and occasional lifesaver. The second co-star would go on to become a legend - Bruce Lee, who played Longstreet's martial arts instructor, Li Tsung .

Lee was only in four episodes, but those episodes were key in helping define the Longstreet character. The most famous of these - and among martial arts fans, it's famous, as it contains the best exposition of Lee's fighting discipline, Jeet Kun Do, on film - was the first episode of the series after the pilot, "The Way of the Intercepting Fist." This episode featured Lee training Longstreet his martial arts discipline well enough that Longstreet could defend himself against the leader of a gang of thieves that had previously mugged him.

Longstreet has a final thing going for it - it was set in New Orleans, making for some great scenery and interesting characters. As is the way of the Crescent City, it adds its own unique spice to the show.

It's a shame that Longstreet only lasted for 23 episodes, but some of these episodes can be seen on YouTube and they confirm that while short-lived, it was a first rate show in its time, and it still holds up well over 40 years later.


Stills