Name that TV show

January 7th, 2009 5:13 am
  • There was this TV show I watched as a kid. It was about this Texas billionaire who went around with this young kid, solving crime. I remember he had this big car, like a Cadillac or something, and it had a pair of horns mounted at the front. What was the show, and where can I see it again?


  • pinkfreud-ga is correct. It is JJ Starbucks. Tan-ga


  • Yee-haw. While watching a TV news story about Starbucks coffee, it hit me. I am dang near certain that the show markabe-ga wants is "J.J. Starbuck." http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateMystery/tv.html#tvJ Quote: J.J. Starbuck 1987-1988 (NBC); 6 50-minute episodes; Jerome Jeremiah "J.J." Starbuck is a billionnaire from Texas who cruises America in a 1961 Lincoln convertible with steer horns mounted on the hood. Sometime assisted by ex-con-man E. L. "Tenspeed" Turner, he solves cases free of charge, sweet-talking local police to get them out of the way, jurisdictionally speaking. Creators: Executive Producer: Stephen J. Cannell; Production Manager: Brent-Karl Clackson (the new Outer Limits); Starring: DALE ROBERTSON as Jerome Jeremiah "J.J." Starbuck; BEN VEREEN as E. L. "Tenspeed" Turner (1988); JIMMY DEAN as Charlie Bullets; SHAWN WEATHERLY as Jill Starbuck.


  • Or was it "Judd For The Defense" -- late 60s where Carl Betz was a Houston defense attorney with a young assistant who traveled all over the US taking on cases? -- brotine-ga


  • Are you certain you're not remembering the last few seasons of Barnaby Jones? It didn't take place in Texas -- but in 1976 Barnaby's (Buddy Ebsen) young 20-ish cousin Jedediah (Mark Shera) joined the firm and the two of them did go around in Barnaby's big car which I think was a LIncoln. -- brotine-ga


  • markabe-ga, Glad to have been able to nail this one. It's funny how these things can keep a person up at night. Regarding the matter of where to obtain copies of old J.J. Starbuck shows, you may want to post an inquiry in the alt.video.tape-trading newsgroup (I suggest using a throwaway email address so that you won't attract spammage.) I found a couple of old posts in the alt.video.tape-trading group which offered VHS tapes of the program. Since these posts date back a while, it is possible that the email addresses may be defunct, but it's worth a shot. http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22jj+starbuck%22&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&scoring=d&selm=20001004131053.27011.00000356%40ng-cg1.aol.com&rnum=4 http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22jj+starbuck%22&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&selm=brevelleDsF0uI.GDI%40netcom.com&rnum=30


  • I don't think it is Matlock. He was an attorney in Atlanta, not Texas. I cannot recall him being a billionaire, but I imagine he was relatively rich. From what I can remember, he did not drive a big car with mounted horns. And I definitely do not recall any young kid who hung around with him. Matlock often solved his crimes with 30-somethings who either worked with him or were his friends. I'm not sure what the show could be, but I suspect it may be from the era of single-named crime-fighters like Columbo, Quincy, McMillan, Banacek, etc., but none of them fit the bill.


  • Here are the cars from Matt Houston (top right image in the article): http://toycars.whaticollect.com/index-articles-subtab_17-ArticleID_2208 The show was in reruns on TNN a couple of years ago, but the station changed and the 80's reruns are gone. The series is not on video, either. -- mother-ga


  • It's not Matlock, it's not Matt Houston -- it's an older show -- from the late 70s maybe. The guy has a massive library, I can picture the actor (one of a few actors who have always had a big moustache? possibly?) but damn, I can't bring it up. A&E showed reruns a few years ago as part of their detective afternoon series.


  • I'm hoping that some researcher with a better memory than mine will know this right away. In case that doesn't happen, in what year do you remember watching this show? Are you sure it was a series, and not a movie? Good luck! -- mother-ga


  • A typo correction in my comment above: make that "you may BE interested in a recent newsgroup posting..." It's odd how such things are embarrassingly obvious only after one has hit "enter" and exposed one's predilection for hasty proofreading to the world. ;-)


  • Matlock was the show. Lee Horsley was the star.


  • Are you certain you're not remembering the last few seasons of Barnaby Jones? It didn't take place in Texas -- but in 1976 Barnaby's (Buddy Ebsen) young 20-ish cousin Jedediah (Mark Shera) joined the firm and the two of them did go around in Barnaby's big car which I think was a LIncoln. -- brotine-ga


  • I'm assuming you are NOT talking about Boss Hawg's caddy (which sported a very large pair of longhorns) on the "Dukes of Hazard" show. I don't think he much of anything, especially not solve any crimes. Not even the sheriff did that! :) -- mother-ga


  • I went to the TV guide for Matt Houston at: http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-979/ and that show is not the one I'm after. The lead Texan was in his fifties, with a white moustache, kinda like Colonel Sanders. When I say he went around with a young kid, it's really relative to the Texan, because the kid is in his twenties. I remember in one episode the Texan buys a dog for his sidekick. The sidekick thinks they're going to a fancy place to buy a pedigree, but instead they go to an animal shelter. The sidekick is disappointed, but the Texan explains how abandoned dogs make the most loving pets. I remember the big car because it featured in the opening credits, and the Texan sometimes used it to ram the car of the bad guys at the end of a car chase. Also the Texan is not a professional investigator, but someone who solves crime in his spare time. Hope this clarification helps.


  • I suspect that the show you're looking for is indeed Matlock - but Lee Horsley was not Matlock. Andy Griffith was. Here's the cast: http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/benmatlock/images/cast.jpg If that's your guy, you can find a show schedule here: http://tbssuperstation.com/Shows/Listings/0,10391,1750,00.html


  • I believe the show was "Matt Houston," starring Lee Horsley. The title character's first name was "Matlock" (nicknamed "Matt,") hence lstein0-ga's comment.


  • I checked out pinkfreud-ga's answer, and J.J. Starbuck is the one. Well done! Any idea where I can get a copy of the show?


  • markabe-ga, If I was correct in identifying "Matt Houston" as your show, you may interested in a recent newsgroup posting in which an individual indicates that he has the series on VHS tape. He is specifically asking to trade for episodes of the "Young Indiana Jones" series, but perhaps you can negotiate a deal. http://groups.google.com/groups?q=matt+houston+tape&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&scoring=d&selm=20020705112326.27180.00002002%40mb-cr.news.cs.com&rnum=1 If that lengthy link is somehow truncated, I have placed an abbreviated version here that will redirect you to the same newsgroup post: http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q51552B31 Yee-haw from pinkfreud-ga :-)


  • Yep, Matt Houston was what I meant. At least I got us all started in the proper direction. :o)







    • #If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.#
    Your name:
    E-mail:
    Telphone:

    Your comments:


    If you have any other info about Name that TV show , Please add it free.

    Posted in gengming.com | Words:0 | edit


    StoreAge Unveils Enterprise Architecture
    Musicmatch Introduces Personal MP3 Radio