Petrocelli: An Episode Guide and Much More

by Sandra Grabman

Fictional attorney Anthony Petrocelli was first introduced by Barry Newman in The Lawyer (1970), loosely based on real-life Sam Shepperd, a neurosurgeon initially convicted for the 1954 brutal bludgeoning murder of his wife, Marilyn. The success of the pilot Night Games (1974) led to the television series Petrocelli (1974-1976), again starring Newman, and also including Susan Howard and Albert Salmi. It was created by E. Jack Neuman and Sidney J. Furie, produced by Edward K. Milkis and Thomas L. Miller. Each episode followed the search for clues to how and why a crime occurred.



Author Sandra Grabman explores the series' history, development, cast, and critical reception, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses, a trivia chapter, an episode guide, the stars' post-series lives.



Illustrated with 50 photos. Episode guide. Foreword by Barry Newman. Introduction by Max Allan Collins. Index.

About the author: Sandra Grabman's other works include Classic Images' 2004 Book of the Year, Spotlights & Shadows: The Albert Salmi Story, Plain Beautiful: The Life of Peggy Ann Garner, Pat Buttram, the Rocking-Chair Humorist, No Retakes! (with Wright King), and Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning (with Joel Blumberg).



"Now it's time to enjoy Sandy Grabman's fun, informative valentine to the best lawyer series of the 1970s, and one of the best of all time. That's my verdict." - Max Allan Collins.



"Sandy's book is magnificent! She took my memories, as well as Susan's and those of other people who were involved in the show, and is presenting them to you, the reader. I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I have." - Barry Newman.

140 pages, Hardcover

Published November 24, 2017

About the author

I formerly authored biographies of Albert Salmi, Peggy Ann Garner, and Pat Buttram, while also collaborating with retired actor Wright King on "No Retakes!" about the era of live television and with radio-man Joel Blumberg on "Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning." Once my publisher hired me as his secretary, I wrote one more book, Petrocelli: San Remo Justice (aka An Episode Guide and Much More), then retired from writing to concentrate on processing book orders and handling the company's phone calls.

Reviews

[Lee Goldberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is thin, a mere 129 pages, because it’s really not much more than a general episode guide, despite the subtitle “and so much more.” I really wish there was “so much more,” because I’m a huge fan of the series and was thrilled when it finally came out on DVD. There’s not much information here besides random quotes from articles about the show and broad synopses of the episodes. There’s very little about the development of the original theatrical movie, The Lawyer, or what prompted the studio, network or producers to adapt the only modestly successful film into a series four years after its release. Why did it take so long to happen? Did the idea to do a series originate with the studio? What network did they take it to first? Why did they shoot a pilot rather than use the movie as the pilot (given that they had the same star)? It’s also never explained why the writer & director of the movie seemingly weren’t involved in the pilot or series, nor why key cast members from film weren’t retained for the pilot (besides Barry Newman). There’s no discussion of how the pilot, entitled Night Games, was developed creatively, or how the showrunner was selected, or what elements they decided to keep and/or discard from the movie and why. Only perfunctory is attention is given to the writing and production of the TV series, which was shot on location in Tucson. Perhaps the lack of details is because many of the key production personnel have passed away…but that obstacle hasn’t stopped other authors from doing far more thorough and satisfying books about much older shows that this one. It would have been nice if the author sought out more of the writers, directors and actors for in-depth interviews and did a much more thorough job of exploring the nut-and-bolts of the series. There’s no mention, for instance, of Lalo Schifrin’s theme or his scoring of the series. Also, very little attention is given to the reasoning behind the show’s near cancellation after the first season, or the creative changes made in the second season, or what elements, besides ratings, factored into the show’s ultimate cancellation. Again, it would have been helpful if the author had talked to studio or network executives, assuming any of them are still with us, rather than just speculating. Overall, the book comes off as a very half-baked work…worthwhile only for the most ardent Petrocelli fan who merely wants a printed episode guide to refer to. This book was truly a missed opportunity.