Father Murphy
| Father Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Format |
Western Drama |
| Starring |
Merlin Olsen Moses Gunn Katherine Cannon Timothy Gibbs Byron Thames Lisa Trusel Richard Bergman Ivy Bethune |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Landon |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original run | November 3, 1981 – September 18, 1983 |
Father Murphy is an American western drama series that aired on the NBC network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon created the series, was the executive producer, and also directed the show in partnership with William F. Claxton, Maury Dexter, Victor French and Leo Penn.
Synopsis
The series stars former NFL Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle football player and Little House on the Prairie actor Merlin Olsen as an 1870s frontiersman named John Michael Murphy who teams up with prospector Moses Gage (Moses Gunn) to shelter a group of orphans who are being threatened with a workhouse. Murphy disguises himself as a priest and befriends a schoolmarm to help the children find a home. At the end of the first season, his true identity is revealed to the head of the workhouse, and the orphans seem destined to a life of labor. Instead, Murphy marries the schoolmarm and they get custody of the children.
Production
Many of the episodes were filmed at the Old Tucson Studios and theme park just outside of Tucson, Arizona. The main village from the show, however, was located at the Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, California (the filming location for the famed television series Little House on the Prairie). The village was located approximately 200 yards up the hill from the Ingalls' farm.
The show is an NBC production and syndicated worldwide by Sony Pictures Television. However, Sony does not own the video rights, as indicated below.
Cast
- Merlin Olsen as John Michael Murphy
- Katherine Cannon as Mae Woodward
- Timothy Gibbs as Will Adams
- Moses Gunn as Moses Gage
- Scott Mellini as Ephram Winkler
- Lisa Trusel as Lizette Winkler
- Kirk Brennan as David Sims
- Byron Thames as Matt Sims
Notable guest appearances on the series included: Shannen Doherty, Kellie Martin, John M. Pickard, Eddie Quillan, Christina Applegate, Amanda Peterson, Donna Wilkes, Tina Yothers, Wilfred Hyde-White, and James Cromwell.
List of episodes
Season 1 (1981-1982)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 101 | "Father Murphy" | November 3, 1981 |
| 2 | 102 | "Eggs, Milk and a Dry Bed" | November 10, 1981 |
| 3 | 103 | "Establish Thou the Works of Our Hands" | November 17, 1981 |
| 4 | 104 | "A Horse from Heaven" | November 24, 1981 |
| 5 | 105 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 1" | December 1, 1981 |
| 6 | 106 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 2" | December 8, 1981 |
| 7 | 107 | "False Blessings" | December 15, 1981 |
| 8 | 108 | "The Ghost of Gold Hill" | December 22, 1981 |
| 9 | 109 | "Graduation" | January 5, 1982 |
| 10 | 110 | "Will's Surprise" | January 12, 1982 |
| 11 | 111 | "Eighty-Eight Keys to Happiness" | January 19, 1982 |
| 12 | 112 | "Knights of the White Camelia" | February 2, 1982 |
| 13 | 113 | "The Parable of Amanda" | February 9, 1982 |
| 14 | 114 | "The Spy" | February 16, 1982 |
| 15 | 115 | "The Heir Apparent" | February 23, 1982 |
| 16 | 116 | "In God's Arms" | March 2, 1982 |
| 17 | 117 | "The Dream Day" | March 14, 1982 |
| 18 | 118 | "Laddie" | March 21, 1982 |
| 19 | 119 | "Matthew and Elizabeth" | March 28, 1982 |
| 20 | 120 | "The First Miracle: Part 1" | April 4, 1982 |
| 21 | 121 | "The First Miracle: Part 2" | April 11, 1982 |
Season 2 (1982-1983)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 201 | "Happiness Is..." | September 28, 1982 |
| 23 | 202 | "The Father Figure" | October 5, 1982 |
| 24 | 203 | "Stopover in a One-Horse Town" | October 26, 1982 |
| 25 | 204 | "Outrageous Fortune" | November 9, 1982 |
| 26 | 205 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 1" | November 16, 1982 |
| 27 | 206 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 2" | November 23, 1982 |
| 28 | 207 | "Buttons and Beaux" | November 30, 1982 |
| 29 | 208 | "John Michael Murphy, R.I.P." | December 7, 1982 |
| In a departure from the standard episode format, Murphy and Moses travel to a western town where they are mistaken for bank robbers. When the real bad guys show up, Murphy and Moses need to devise a plan to get out of town alive - even if that means dying in the process. This episode is unique in that none of it takes place at Gold Hill, and no children are shown. | |||
| 30 | 209 | "The Witness" | December 14, 1982 |
| 31 | 210 | "Blood Right" | December 21, 1982 |
| 32 | 211 | "Sweet Sixteen" | December 28, 1982 |
| 33 | 212 | "The Rockets' Red Glare" | June 1, 1983 |
| 34 | 213 | "The Matchmakers" | September 18, 1983 |
DVD releases
Image Entertainment (under license from NBC Studios) released both seasons of Father Murphy on DVD in Region 1 in 2004/2005. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | October 26, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 25, 2005 |