Banacek (1972–1974) User Reviews (24)

"It's Bana-CHECK"

[bwaynef · 8/10 · 9 September 2004]

After years of playing what he described to TV Guide as "tight-jawed men of action" in routine theatrical films, George Peppard made his small-screen bow as the star of "Banacek," one of three series ("Madigan" and "Cool Million" were the others) that rotated under the umbrella of The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie when it premiered in September 1972 (following in the successful footsteps of the original Mystery Movie trio of "Columbo," "McCloud," and "McMillan and Wife" which moved to Sundays for their second season).

Almost every TV cop had a gimmick in that era, be it a wheelchair ("Ironside"), a Stetson ("McCloud"), or a walking stick ("Longstreet"). Thomas Banacek's appeal had much to do with his being Polish, and the sleuth (actually an insurance investigator) had enough confidence and sex appeal to counter any ethnic joke that came his way. When he wasn't seducing the leading ladies, he was correcting those who mispronounce his name ("It's Bana-CHECK"), more often than not with a smart-a** response.

Like "Columbo," this show's mysteries weren't who-done-its so much as they were how'd-they-do-it? Each episode opened with a mysterious disappearance (a football player vanishes after being tackled in one show, a priceless artifact or an airplane disappears in another) that Banacek would spend the bulk of each 90-minute episode attempting to solve. Smoking fine cigars, and displaying an expertise on the more elegant things in life that would make James Bond envious, Banacek could be insufferably arrogant, and Peppard inhabited the character to perfection.

"Banacek" was introduced in a two-hour World Premiere movie which aired on NBC in the 1971-72 season, then went on to headline 16 episodes from 1972-74. Despite healthy ratings, Peppard, whose contract with Universal and NBC originally called for a weekly series, and was therefore easily broken, bowed out in the hope of producing and directing a film about Long John Silver. When that project failed to materialize, he returned to series TV in the lesser "Doctors Hospital" in 1975 but enjoyed his greatest success as the leader of "The A Team" in the 80s. But "Banacek" remains his finest work in the television medium.

George Peppard Was Smart, Smooth, and Tough.

[AaronCapenBanner · 8/10 · 17 August 2013]

George Peppard starred as Thomas Banacek, a private insurance investigator of Polish descent based in Boston who became involved in various insurance fraud cases involving art, books, coins, horses, etc. He demanded and received a big fee for his services, which made him a very wealthy man, and enabled him to live well indeed, and he was quite the natural ladies man, in just about every episode! He was helped by his sidekick/chauffeur Jay Drury, played by Ralph Manza, whose theories about the cases were always wrong, and also Murray Matheson as Felix Mulholland, a book seller who provided Banacek with vital information he needed to solve his cases, all of which were very entertaining.

This had a memorably breezy theme, and was great fun to watch. Sadly, this only lasted two years and 17 episodes, because Peppard quit for personal reasons, which was a great pity, since this show could have gone on as long as "Columbo" did.

No scrounging for his fees

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 August 2015]

George Peppard plays the title role in this series of Thomas Banacek, a street smart detective who works on retainer for insurance companies. He's the furthest thing from Jim Rockford who scrounges for work. No, Banacek is well paid for his cases.

He also has an old time petty crook played by Ralph Manza as a chauffeur and the tweedy and very British Murray Matheson to do his research. I'm sure they're well compensated also.

Peppard's character was interesting and intelligent and favored Agatha Christie like gathering of the suspects when all will be revealed when he solves a case. The show was more of a how it was done rather than a whodunit. With Banacek it was always the 'how'.

Ironically this limited series as it shared the NBC Mystery Movie time slot with three others only had a two season run and 17 episodes. I found it better than the A Team. But that show is what most remember George Peppard for.

Ironic, isn't it.

The adventures of the coolest Polish detective ever conceived

[raysond · 24 July 2003]

"Banacek" was one of the four rotating show that came on during NBC's Mystery Movie Series that was produced in the 1970's. The show lasted from 1972-1975(three years),and it was rotated among the other mystery shows that came on before this including "Columbo","McMillian and Wife", "McCloud". I got the chance to see this seldom seen series recently and to me it was throughly enjoyable watching the late George Peppard ten years before he would go into his most entertaining roles as Hannibal in "The A-Team". Peppard's character wasn't your average run of the mill P.I. or police detective by the way,but he was an insurance investigator for a huge Boston firm who tracks down stolen merchandise for a generous commission. But the interesting part of the show is how the items were stolen and towards the end it was how the items were recovered,giving all the clues and necessary to solve the case and Banacek always had a knack of figuring out step by step how the items were taken,how the culprits planned their heist and how the left the clues behind to where the stolen items were located which Banacek systematically broke it down the premise into solving the case,and Peppard's character was a master of this that really provided the bulk of the entertainment,and also the brilliant strategy to every episode,even though the show ran for 90 minutes which was the best part of the show. By the way,every episode had a "Old Polish Proverb' that Banacek would recite to give the show some great humor.

The show had great plots,wonderful locations,even though the show's setting is in Boston,but in provided Banacek to travel to distant locations to solve baffling mysteries. Several episodes are very good including one intitled "Ten Thousand Dollars A Page",directed by Richard T. Heffron,and had special guest stars David Doyle,and George Lindsey (yes,Goober)as a police detective,and Ted Cassidy. Another one is titled "To Steal A King",directed by Lou Antonio. There is also fast work from other directors who contributed to this series as well including Jack Smight,Andrew McLaglen,Virgil Vogel,and Oscar Rudolph.

Banacek had it all,sense of style,extremely wealthy,always around a array of females which some were equal,and had the ability to solve the most impossible crimes for the reward money....it other words Banacek was the coolest!!!!

The show didn't last very long,because George Peppard walked away from this successful series because of the grind of the show and also contract disputes. It would have been nice enough if Peppard came back to the role but Peppard made the role,and made the show as well. Great series from the golden age of the early 1970's. Catch the episodes on the Hallmark Channel.

The theme song was written by Quincy Jones.

One of the Best 1970's Series.

[collectorofsorts · 10/10 · 28 March 2021]

I was only a few years old when this series had its short 2 season run. But, I remembering watching the reruns throughout my childhood. Banacek was brilliant and logical investigator who had the ability to 'see around corners' for the full picture. He played a Polish 'bounty hunter' style investigator for the insurance companies and worked on a percentage of the insured value (he would get 10% of the insured value for items he recovered). He took great pride in his polish ancestry at a time when the world was full of polish jokes. It was kind of a ground breaking series. There were lots of strong women in the series also. Something uncommon in the early 1970's. The series had Christine Belford, Stephanie Powers, Margot Kidder, Brenda Vaccaro, Stella Stevens, Penny Marshall, Linda Evans, Victoria Principle and many others. It was a great series for that time period. These days, I watch it once or twice yearly (I have the DVD set as well as a digital download) and the episodes are just as good as they ever were. Highly recommended!

Banacek-A Man On A Mission

[buckikris · 10/10 · 9 January 2020]

Banacek is a series from the early 1970's, I was just a baby when it came out and didn't even know existed until 2019. I came across it while watching COSI TV, a channel that has old TV shows from the 60's, 70's 80's E.T.C.. I decided to record an episode to see what it would be like; and I loved it. It'd hard to believe it only lasted 2 seasons, because it was so interesting. Banacek is a freelance insurance investigator who works for Boston Insurance. Banacek is called on cases that involve stolen property some of those leading to murder. Banacek is good at his job and he thoroughly investigates each case. Once he finds out the person(s) responsible for the crime, he brings them all together. He reenacts the case step by step until he finds those responsible. I'm in my forties now and I love the show, so I make sure my DVR is set to record every episode. The big thing about Banacek is each episode is filled with suspense and there is never a dull moment. If you like shows like Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, Emergency and Simon and Simon to name a few; you'll love Banacek. They just don't make shows like this anymore and that's why I think T.V. SUX mainly. If you really like the show you can buy the complete seasons on Amazon and Ebay. A great show to watch in an era were T.V. is just plain DULL.

Great Historical Voyage of the Times

[vintagegeek · 10/10 · 3 November 2019]

A great look back at TV show history and the times. Classic list of actors in every episode.

Worth the time

[supergye · 8/10 · 3 April 2021]

I enjoyed watching this series. Of course, it is not without some idiosyncrasies. Such as, how is it a very beautiful woman falls head over heals in love with Banacek in just about every episode. Given that beautiful people make up a small percentage of the population, it would seem unlikely occurring at this rate, even in a modern-day Casanova's life. Also, how is it just one carrier Boston Insurance, has so many large multi-million-dollar insurance policies over a short period of time that end up being wrought with fraud? Fraud does happen, but being in the industry myself, it occurs rarely at this coverage amount, and is spread out over many carriers and distance. Later in the series a Boston Insurance internal investigator Carlie, never seems to be able to find anything of substance out. Yet she seems to always be invited back. We are supposed to believe off-screen is doing a good job.

Overall the series is smartly written, intelligent snappy dialogue, and clever mysteries. Not everyone of them is 100 pct probable, but yes enjoyable. When watching anything on tv one must give them creative license as they are trying to harness good ratings.

Note that this series per my findings was going to be picked up for a third season but George Peppard was going through a divorce at the time with his then wife Elizabeth Ashley. He did not want her to have more of his earnings, so he bowed out after the second season.

Not polish proverbs

[Le5zek · 7/10 · 5 May 2011]

"Banacek" has also been aired in polish TV during seventies. Polish people were partly proud, partly disappointed watching these series. People were laughing watching it and started to make jokes about this TV series. Main reason of jokes were "typical polish" proverbs often cited by investigator.

I can assure you - none of his proverbs really exist in Polish. All of them were invented by script writers. Many years later, when someone tried to "invent old tradition" saying something which sounded archaic but in fact was invented by him people used to say "Do not be such Banaczek".

Btw. proper polish spelling of his name is "Banaczek" and should be pronounced as "Bana-check"

Very good

[wmdude1255 · 10/10 · 30 June 2010]

This was a very good show. It had a wonderful theme song, was funny and intelligent and never failed to disappoint. There were never any sex scenes in bed. It was like the "Monk" of its day in that at the end he would tell exactly how the crime ocurrred and the perpetrators would be arrested. It was exciting and entertaining all in one package and hardly any of the women were dressed as prostitutes. I would easily take this over the trash that they show today any day. Highly recommended. It managed to be entertaining without insulting your intelligence. The plots were very intriguing and well written and you didn't see any overweight people.

Too bad he quit

[teebear817 · 10/10 · 23 December 2020]

I have always liked the show, and I was curious as to why it was canceled, because it seemed like it was very well done. To my surprise I see that the network actually renewed it for season 3, but George Peppard quit so that he did not have to give his wife Elizabeth Ashley whom he was divorcing, anymore money.... we suffered because Elizabeth Ashley's greed. I like the show a lot the one thing that really bothered me.... the more you watched, the more irritating it became. Everywhere this man went, women of all ages, married, single, old, young , teenagers, black, white, hispanic, All Fawned all over him... all stated at him and make lewd comments about how they like to be with him... he couldn't walk through a restaurant with three women, even married women, ogling him and panting. Every woman he spoke to or passed. I'm sorry, he was a handsome man, but he was 45 years old and gray hair. I've seen women all my life and they don't do this no matter how good-looking a man is. his Ego must have really been fragile.got sooo tired of that.

Many or most solutions are totally implausible

[normbozo-780-516405 · 3/10 · 23 June 2015]

Have only seen five repeats on MeTV, since originals from the 70's. So many of the plots use the same gimmicks, like it wasn't really there, etc. The 3 ton statue was really a balloon mold, and nobody notices that it would have swung around from the crane if it had no weight? The missing medical computer Max was just a false front, nobody noticed that during it's construction there were no deliveries of heavy boxes with actual equipment? The jewel encrusted carriage missing from the cargo container, all those people on the dock wouldn't see that the real container was still sitting there when they lifted the false outer shell up from the dock and onto the ship?! Just because the big truck blocked the view from the ship, those guys on the dock could see it, and when the truck left, there's that container there on the dock where there should be an empty spot. And they wouldn't have noticed the walls of the container were much thicker, in fact it was double walled.

The only semi decent one was the 10 kings coin heist, they drugged the owner and moved him to a fake copy of the hotel room, so he'd enter the combination to the safe into the fake copy safe.

BANACEK WAS THE COOL-EST!!!

[renfield54 · 12 July 1999]

George Peppard WAS the show. Short hair when long hair was cool, wealthy and Bostonian, a ladies man with no equal, and the ability to solve impossible thefts for the insurance reward money. He was the man to see when all else failed. I still watch the re-runs when I get the chance. Sadly, too few shows were made. It was one of the four rotating Mystery Movies on NBC for a time. Supposedly, George Peppard walked away from a successful series because of the grind of the show. He was in nearly every scene and had to do voice overs too. Or else, one problem with the show that may have led to the decision to end the series was that, although entertaining and having great characters, the crimes were starting to get derivative and easier for the viewer to know the general solution to the problem in hand.

The inspiration for this show, for me, was the movie, THE THOMAS CROWNE AFFAIR. Take the important bits of the movie, a brilliant crime, Boston, wealth, the upper-crust life style, an insurance detective, and change the star from the thief to the recovery expert and you have the TV series, BANACEK. Of course, the added "hook" was making him Polish. This brand of Polish was the antithesis of every joke you've ever heard.

It would have been nice had George Peppard made some BANACEK REVISITED shows before he died. Like the NEW PERRY MASON, they would have been welcomed by his many fans. Peppard owned the role. Someone may play a similar role again, but they will not re-create the BANACEK mystique. George Peppard put his mark on that character for all time.......

Very similar to another mystery tv series

[mysteryafan-30404 · 10/10 · 25 November 2021]

I liked the impossible puzzle mystery in Banacek. It's very similar to Jonathan Creek. Working from his home in a converted windmill, Jonathan Creek is a magician with a natural ability for solving puzzles. He soon puts this ability to the use of solving impossible crimes and mysterious murders..

Needed a little fixing.

[wkozak221 · 8/10 · 3 September 2020]

I really like this series. It was very good overall. This is all my opinion. The mysteries were above average except for one or two. The house was great. I love the Packard. The cast was very good. I wish Jay would have gotten a percentage on at least one case. I really didn't like Carlie. Never found her attractive. She was cute but that is all. The one thing I couldn't stand was the Polish proverbs. I am part Polish. They really didn't make sense. Also, my relatives never said anything like them.

Banacek Had Potential BUT....

[ratssaidskinner · 8/10 · 16 January 2015]

Most people love mysteries. The more obscure or difficult the mystery, the more allure. Combine that with a handsome actor in Peppard, and the groundwork is set for a good series. I recall reading or hearing that Banacek (the show) was often written backwards meaning the writers came up with the "answer" and then wrote most of the script around it. While there were some good episodes, I find the majority to be rather poorly acted and somewhat difficult to follow. Perhaps the "difficulty" in following & understanding the ending, is due to too many gaps in the story lines and too many red herrings thrown in that rarely are explained to the viewer. The only episode I really liked was episode 2 (season 1), "Project Phoenix." I recall watching that when it originally aired in 1972 and still remember it fairly well. I thought THAT was a clever one; I'll never look at a freight train the same way after viewing that episode's conclusion! But more often than not, I end up feeling somewhat confused. SPOILER ALERT-->In the episode I just watched, "Now You See Me...," I figured out the "bad guy" way too quickly. But how the magician's daughter did not recognize the cosmetic surgery, is unbelievable. I can tolerate (and even enjoy) Banacek every now and then just to see how the mysteries are solved. Thanks for your time!

Misogyny for the masses

[Davidpm-751-837149 · 2/10 · 6 January 2021]

I enjoy rediscovering many of the old detective series now being offered on television as I originally watched them in my childhood.

I enjoy a good mystery but I prefer almost any show over Banacek.

He comes across as arrogant, self-righteous and extremely misogynistic, I keep in mind the time frame in which the show was produced but other shows from the same era are much better in the way the main character treats women.

Banacek treats women much the same way he treats cars or furniture, he considers them all things for him to enjoy then discard when he tires of them.

In one episode when speaking with a female car designer / engineer he implies that she is too pretty to be that smart

I would much rather spend time with McCloud, Columbo and McMillan & Wife, The shows were just as good without treating the women like props.

Interesting And Enjoyable P.I. Drama

[Big Movie Fan · 12 December 2002]

Okay, Banacek wasn't exactly a P.I.-he was an investigator for the Boston Insurance Company who tracked down stolen goods for a generous commission. This show starred the late George Peppard ten years before he entertained us all as Hannibal in the A-Team.

Before I first saw this series, I thought to myself, "An insurance investigator-how boring." This series proved me wrong. Yes, Banacek was an insurance investigator but it was the items he tracked down that provided the entertainment. They were never small relatively cheap items, always something costing millions of dollars. In one of my favourite episodes, Banacek tried to track down a missing football player (yes, really).

Fans of Columbo will like this show as Banacek solved his cases whilst the rest of us scratched our heads wondering what was going on. There was a fair bit of action at times but it was the way in which Banacek would systematically solve the case that provided the bulk of the entertainment.

All in all, a fantastic show.

Everyone Loves A Football Jock?

[strong-122-478885 · 4/10 · 21 October 2016]

In 1972's Banacek - Zero-charisma actor, George Peppard, plays zero-charisma, "freelance" insurance investigator, Thomas Banacek (who likes to boast to everyone that he's Polish).

Always playing for high-stakes (natch) - And always solving (at the snap of a finger) mega-complicated insurance frauds, and the likes (natch) - I found that the Banacek character was (far too often) way too sure of the fact that he'd get to the bottom of things in no time flat.

You know, I'm really trying to understand why this painfully predictable TV series seems to appeal to a fairly large audience.

And, what I figure is behind this is that with Banacek being a total football jock this, in turn, is the one aspect of his drab, self-satisfied character that strikes an approving chord with those who choose to praise this show.... I mean, what else could it be?

There's an old Polish proverb ...

[didi-5 · 2 April 2005]

Polish-American Thomas Banacek, antiques collector, insurance agent, and amateur sleuth, appeared in this enjoyable series in the early 1970s. Played by the lovely George Peppard, pre-A Team. Each week he tries to solve a mystery, on commission of course, with the help of his rare bookseller friend, Felix (the peerless Murray Matheson), and his driver, Jay (the excellent Ralph Manza). Sometimes we got girl power too in the shape of feisty Carlie Kirkland (Christine Belford). Banacek slides his way through each case with ease - whether tackling disappearances, drug running, gold bullion disappearances, and the like. He usually ends up with a pretty girl as well who he's met while he's been investigating. Absolute rubbish but I loved it. And his catchphrase 'There's an old Polish proverb' must have suited Peppard as he wheeled it out again in his Chinatown TV movies some years later (as 'There's an old Chinese proverb', of course).

Even With Zero-Charisma Banacek Won Everyone Over

[StrictlyConfidential · 3/10 · 25 April 2020]

As I gather it - Back in the early 1970s - TV's "Banacek" was a fairly popular "Freelance Insurance-Investigator" show whose title character, Thomas Banacek (an outspoken, cigar-chomping, football jock) really appealed to the macho-man mentality of the guys in the audience.

What really killed me the most about Thomas Banacek was that (since he was so wealthy) he was doing his insurance investigating simply as a hobby (out of sheer boredom) in order to fill up all those empty hours in his life. (Oh!? Really!!??)

But, regardless of his motives for taking on such complicated investigations (that always involved high stakes) - You could be dead-certain that good, old Banacek would be getting right down to the very bottom of things long before the closing credits began to roll by.

Great show, but the one flaw was not sexism

[cewilsonjr · 24 January 2008]

Banacek sexist? More a case of the show seeing men and women as they are before political-correctness forced us to publicly pretend otherwise. Very liberating to go back and watch it. The only real flaw with the show was too much outdoor shooting in obvious Southern California locations (mountains in the background, LA smog, semi-arid landscapes that would be at home on Columbo, industrial and small business areas with Emergency and Adam-12 written all over them, and signs with names like "Pacific Metal Company") and not enough in the Boston area. You get a heavy dose of real Boston footage in the opening credits (and it looks like they did some filming in the city) but a lack of studio money no doubt kept them from going east more than they did, but a great show otherwise! I still enjoy watching Banacek solve those cases while verbally dueling with Jay, Felix, and his competition from the insurance companies.

A wonderful but flawed show.

[mskarpelos · 17 September 2002]

This was my favorite show growing up as a teenager in the 1970s. It doesn't hold up that well due to the embarrassingly sexist dialog in literally every episode, but if you can overlook that unfortunate aspect of the show, it's a lot of fun even now. It had great plots, a wonderful theme song, dry humor and wonderful stock characters.

Ralph Manza, who played Banacek's Chauffer, never failed to crack me up with his "theories" about how the thieves pulled off the job.

Murray Matheson played Felix Mulholland, the owner of Mulholland's Rare Books, who possessed a compendium of arcane knowledge that Banacek would draw upon to obtain important technical information needed for solving the crime.

Christine Belford played Carlie Kirkland, Banacek's competitor and sometimes love interest. She deserved better than those sexist scripts, but I think she did a fine job considering the two-dimensionality of her character.

Every episode had an "Old Polish Proverb" that Banacek would recite with great humor.

Banacek

[mclark234 · 11 October 2005]

I just wanted to clarify something. Banacek was indeed an insurance investigator. From reading a lot of the posts on the board i get the impression that people thought he worked for Boston Insurance such as an employee would. If I'm not mistaken i believe he was an independent contractor whom Boston Insurance hired/used when they needed something found. Not quite the same as actually working for them. He worked for himself and contracted to or with them on an as needed basis. Wouldn't it be totally awesome to be able to earn anywhere from $200,000 up to close to a million for like 48 hours work> Wow if anyone knows where a person can sign up for such a job please pass it along LOL Only in the annuls of television. Isn't it great :-) Mike