Barbary Coast (TV Series) The Barbary Coast (1975) User Reviews

Contrived But Entertaining Nonsense

[zardoz-13 · 6/10 · 22 November 2014]

"Barbary Coast" survived for a single season in the cutthroat sweepstakes of prime time television. Veteran writer & producer Douglas Heyes, Jr, learned his trade from one of the very best of the best—Roy Huggins—and dabbled in most of the early TV shows, such as "Cheyenne," "77 Sunset Strip," "Maverick," "Checkmate," "Laramie," "Riverboat," "M Squad," and "Hawaiian Eye." He wrote several films, "Masterson of Kansas," "Kitten with a Whip," "Ice Station Zebra," the 1966 remake of "Beau Geste" with Telly Savalas, and the George Peppard thriller "The Groundstar Conspiracy," and produced his own short-lived series "Bearcats!" with Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole. The pilot episode of "Barbary Coast" cast William Shatner of "Star Trek" as an underground agent working for the governor who is determined to ferret out crime and corruption in the notorious Barbary Coast. He resorts to masquerades and sagacity as well as friendly blackmail. Casino owner Cash Conover (Dennis Cole) allows Jeff Cable (William Shatner) to use his saloon & casino as headquarters. Jeff knows that Cash is responsible for killing the no-account son of Louisiana's governor. The dastardly son Philippe Despard (Bill Bixby of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father") fought a duel to the death with Cash wielding swords. At the last minute, Despard tried to stab Cash in the back, and Cash was compelled to run him through with his sword. Now, Cash runs a casino in San Francisco and provides a haven to Jeff. Jeff orchestrates elaborate schemes using his ability to impersonate others so he can acquire information about the villains. Once a secret agent for President Grant, Cable is out to break up another Ku Klux Klan ring that is targeting prominent owners of some of the Barbary Coast's most wicked establishments. Of course, everything is terribly contrived but it is fun to watch Heyes recycle material that he drew from "The Wild Wild West," the difference being that William Shatner's hero is a combination of Artemis Gordon and James West. Several notable actors participated in the pilot, including John Vernon of "Dirty Harry," Richard Kiel of "Moonraker," Michael Ansara, Neville Brand, Leo V. Gordon of "Hondo," and Lynda Day George. As the beautiful but penny-less royalty, Clio (Lynda Day George) plans to inform the governor of Louisiana about the whereabouts of his son's killer. She arrives on the Barbary Coast with her ill-fated fiancé who is shot dead by Ansara in Cash's casino, but he is in turn lynched by Vernon's hooded henchmen and hanged. Kiel plays the Cash's gigantic bouncer, while Neville Brand plays another infamous saloon owner. Bill Bixby helmed the pilot that emphasized tongue-in-cheek shenanigans. Later, Doug McClure of "The Virginian" would replace Dennis Cole as Cash for the actual television series. Some of the camera work is imaginative. Our heroes unwittingly explosively dispose of the villains.

Faint memories

[wbbruce · 9/10 · 13 April 2006]

After the demise of Star Trek, which was the first TV show I remember waiting every week to watch, I think there were millions of people waiting to get more William Shatner. Then came the Barbary Coast. I remember when this show was on but I was very surprised when I saw it listed as 1975, I thought it was on a lot earlier than that. Shatner was some kind of primitive secret agent. I remember Shatner wearing disguises like dressing up as a Jeremiah Johnson type of frontiersman. Then on one episode I remember him announcing he was going away for a few weeks on special assignment or something like that. I don't think he ever came back. Either that or the show went off the air. I am still waiting for him to come back 30 years later. I still have that same thought after all this time: "When is he coming back?". I guess the answer is never.