This date in MAVERICK TV History: Jack Kelly stars as Bart Maverick in “The Hidalgo Thing,” the final episode of BRET MAVERICK, airing May 4, 1982. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. THE HIDALGO THING
    Original Airdate: May 4, 1982

Synopsis. An unscrupulous accountant withholds a grant naming a Spanish noblewoman as owner of the Arizona territory so that he can purchase the land himself. Maverick decides to trip up the crook by passing off Kate Hanrahan as the noblewoman and “selling” the land for $2 million.  

The third of three attempts to resurrect Maverick in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bret Maverick (NBC, 1981-1982) saw James Garner reprise the role that originally made him a star. This episode reunited Garner and Jack Kelly as part of an effort to retool Bret Maverick in the event that NBC renewed the series for a second season.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. dies on May 2, 2014 at age ninety-five. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available through Black Pawn Press

LEARN MORE about the life and career of Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

 

 

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This Date in THE FBI History: Andrew Duggan, Robert Drivas, and Charlotte Stewart star in “The Bomb That Went Off Like a Man,” airing May 1, 1966. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

  1. THE BOMB THAT WENT OFF LIKE A MAN
    Original Airdate: May 1, 1966

Synopsis. In Wilmington, Delaware, Erskine investigates the kidnapping and brutal murder of Cheryl Stanford (played by Charlotte Stewart), the daughter of police chief John Stanford (played by Andrew Duggan). Forensic evidence reveals handcuff marks around the victim’s wrists—a clue that suggests that the murderer may have once been a police officer. As it happens, the culprit, Dale Hillman (Robert Drivas), was rejected by the police (and, later, the navy) because of a defective eye. When Erskine learns that Hillman has joined a radical neo-Nazi paramilitary organization, he poses as a recruit to find evidence that will link Hillman to the crime. When Stanford conducts his own surveillance, however, the inspector must make the arrest before Stanford kills Hillman.

LEARN MORE about “The Bomb That Went Off Like a Man” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Jon Cypher and Dabney Coleman star in “Survival,” the final broadcast episode of THE FBI, airing Apr. 28, 1974. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

  1. SURVIVAL
    Original Airdate: Apr. 28, 1974

Synopsis. In Arizona, Erskine apprehends Sam Belson (played by Jon Cypher), a fugitive from a federal prison, but faces three challenges in returning him to the authorities. First, after falling from a high perch in pursuit of Benson, Daniels becomes critically injured and may die without medical attention. Second, because a bullet from Belson’s rifle disabled his truck radio, the inspector has no way to call in for a medevac chopper or help from nearby authorities. Finally, the gunfire from the shootout with Belson damaged the engine of the truck, causing it to overheat. With the nearest town thirty miles away—and a violent rainstorm imminent—Erskine must somehow keep Daniels alive without allowing Belson to escape.

LEARN MORE about “Survival” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Suzanne Pleshette, Fritz Weaver, Richard Anderson, and Norman Fell star in “The Mercenary,” airing Apr. 28, 1968. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

  1. THE MERCENARY
    Original Airdate: Apr. 28, 1968

Synopsis. A 1928 photograph found in a San Francisco hotel room puts Erskine on the trail of John Thomas Whiting (played by Fritz Weaver), an aristocratic spy who sells plans for top-secret U.S missiles to a Communist bloc to finance his expensive lifestyle. (Whiting obtains the information by blackmailing executives with the help of an accomplice named Julie.) The Bureau suspects that Whiting’s next target will be The Norris Company, the Los Angeles-based contractor that won the bidding for Project Hunter, a major nuclear warhead. Meanwhile, when Marie Zimmerman (played by Suzanne Pleshette) suspects that Whiting was involved in the death of her husband, Hugh, Whiting tries to have her killed.

LEARN MORE about “The Mercenary” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 734.4 with guest Kathleen Bradley is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts


Kathleen Bradley takes us backstage at The Price is Right
Original Airdates: Apr. 24-27, 2026
TVC 734.4: Ed welcomes back Kathleen Bradley, the first African-American model to join ranks with Barker’s Beauties on The Price is Right, and the actress known around the world as the voluptuous Mrs. Parker in the 1995 cult comedy Friday. Kathleen can currently be seen in the highly anticipated two-part episode of E!’s Dirty Rotten Scandals that not only explores the good, the bad, and the ugly behind the scenes of The Price Is Right, but is partly inspired by Kathleen’s memoir, Backstage at The Price is Right: Memoirs of a Barker Beauty.  Topics this segment include how, both in her memoir and in the docu series, Kathleen presents both sides of the Bob Barker that she knew and worked with for more than ten years; how she joined the show at a time when culture in the workplace was beginning to change; and why The Price is Right still represents the happiest years of Kathleen’s professional life.

Dirty Rotten Scandals is available for viewing on demand on YouTube TV, the E! app, and other online platforms. Backstage at The Price is Right is available both at Amazon and at KathleenBradley.tv


Kathleen Bradley and The Love Machine
Original Airdates: Apr. 24-27, 2026
TVC 734.5: Kathleen Bradley shares a few memories with Ed about performing all over the world with The Love Machine, the popular female soul group of the 1970s (including the night when she experienced a wardrobe malfunction on live TV while performing the song “Rock Steady”). She also talks about how difficult it really is to sing and dance at the same time, plus she shares a few of her personal health tips.

Kathleen can currently be seen in the two-part episode of E!’s Dirty Rotten Scandals that not only explores the good, the bad, and the ugly behind the scenes of The Price Is Right, but is partly inspired by Kathleen’s memoir, Backstage at The Price is Right. Dirty Rotten Scandals is available for viewing on demand on YouTube TV, the E! app, and other online platforms. Backstage at The Price is Right is available both at Amazon and at KathleenBradley.tv

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 734.2: 50 Years of Wonder Woman on TV with guest Mike Pingel is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

Lyle Waggoner and Lynda Carter photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

 

50 Years of Wonder Woman on TV
Original Airdates: Apr. 17-20, 2026
TVC 734.2: From May 2012: An encore presentation of our conversation with Mike Pingel, author of Channel Surfing: Wonder Woman, everything you wanted to know about the classic TV series starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner.

April 2026 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of Wonder Woman (ABC/CBS, 1976-1979).

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 733 and 734: The “Sound Hooks” of Quincy Jones with guest A. Scott Galloway is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Quincy Jones photo courtesy the Los Angeles Times by way of Wikipedia

The “sound hooks” of Quincy Jones
Original Airdates: Apr. 17-20, 2026
TVC 733.4: Music journalist A. Scott Galloway joins Ed for a special appreciation of the life and legacy of Grammy Award-winning, Emmy Award-winning, and Tony Award-winning producer, composer, arranger, musician, and Renaissance man Quincy Jones. Scott interviewed Jones at least once (at the time of the release of Q’s album Q’s Jook Joint). He also wrote the liner notes for three other Jones music releases (including The Reel Quincy Jones, a compilation of scores from Q’s early years as a composer for film and television), plus he crossed paths with Q on many other occasions during the last thirty years of Jones’ life. Quincy Jones passed away on Nov. 3, 2024. Topics this segment include how much the music of Quincy Jones has always meant to Scott on a personal level; Q’s facility for bringing people together; why Jones was the “Zelig” of music, in that he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time; and why Jones always looked for a “sound hook,” especially when he composed music for movies and television.

Image via Wikipedia

Quincy Jones, Oliver Nelson, and Michael Jackson
Original Airdates: Apr. 17-20, 2026
https://televisionconfidential.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/a-scott-galloway-FB.jpgTVC 733.5: Music journalist A. Scott Galloway (pictured, right) talks to Ed about the collaboration between Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson on the film score for The Pawnbroker, the first film for which Q composed music (the conversation between Scott and Ed particularly focuses on the piece “Rack ’em Up”);  the circumstances that led Jones to produce Off the Wall and Thriller for Michael Jackson; and how Jones developed his eclectic tastes in music.

Music journalist A. Scott Galloway on why Quincy Jones was “the people groover”
Original Airdates: Apr. 24-27, 2026
TVC 734.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with music journalist A. Scott Galloway about the life and legacy of producer, composer, arranger, and musician Quincy Jones. Scott not only interviewed Jones at the time of the release of Jones’ album Q’s Jook Joint, but also wrote the liner notes for three other Jones music releases (including The Reel Quincy Jones, a compilation of scores from Jones’ early years as a composer for film and television), plus he crossed paths with Q on many other occasions during the last thirty years of Jones’ life. Quincy Jones passed away on Nov. 3, 2024. Topics this segment include how Jones, Burt Bacharach, and Charles Fox were among the many composers who studied music in France under legendary teacher and conductor Nadia Boulanger; what made Jones a “people groover”; and the full-circle moment when Scott was able to introduce his father to Q, many years after Scott’s dad had introduced the music of Jones to him.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: “The Rattlesnake Brigade,” an episode of BRET MAVERICK, airs on Apr. 27, 1982. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. THE RATTLESNAKE BRIGADE
    Original Airdate: April 27, 1982

Synopsis. A band of desperados tricks Bret and Tom into protecting a gold shipment.  

The third of three attempts to resurrect Maverick in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bret Maverick (NBC, 1981-1982) saw James Garner reprise the role that originally made him a star.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: James Garner files a cross-complaint against Warner Bros. on Apr. 26, 1960, reiterating his claim that the studio had breached his contract by suspending payment of his salary. The ensuing legal battle set in motion a chain of events that not only changed the course of Garner’s career, but led to the demise of MAVERICK. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press


 

 

LEARN MORE about the lawsuit between James Garner and Warner Bros. in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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