Vega$By Wikipedia
Vega$ was a detective drama that aired on ABC between
1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series was filmed in
its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada (with the exception of special episodes
in Hawaii & San Francisco). The show starred Robert Urich as detective
Dan Tanna, who drove around the streets of Las Vegas in a red 1957 Ford
Thunderbird solving crimes and making Las Vegas a better place for
residents and tourists alike.
Dan Tanna was a detective that was available for private hire. One of
his chief clients was Phil Roth (Tony Curtis) who was the owner of the
Desert Inn Hotel/Casino/Country Club in Las Vegas. Tanna was always called
in, when something was awry at the hotel. Many times this involved the
criminal element, although he was sometimes brought in to investigate the
absurd. One example included a nun who claimed to own the land on which
the Desert Inn stood, when she was bequeathed an old deed from a
prospector who passed away. (To further complicate matters, she initially
wanted to turn the hotel into a convent)
Tanna lived on the Las Vegas Strip next to Circus Circus Hotel/Casino,
in a warehouse owned by the Desert Inn, in which he converted into his
living place. Tanna's pad (long before the popularity of loftspace) had
the unique ability for him to be able to park his T-bird in his living
room. Tanna also used gadgets that were very high-tech for the time (but
are pretty common place today) such as a car-phone and an answering
machine (that physically picked the phone up off the hook and the receiver
spoke directly into the microphone of a tape recorder).
Tanna's choice of weapon was a .357 magnum that he didn't like to use,
but would if the situation deemed necessary. Most often Tanna would use
more non-lethal means, such as his fists.
Tanna often did battle with many of the various criminal element that
would threaten the desert oasis. Some villains he faced included a
psychopath who thought he was Wayne Newton (and subsequently Newton was
impersonating him), as well as a mafia boss named Martin Gleaver (Tom
Simcox) who blackmailed a magic sisters act with photographs of "all
the sick/weird things they used to do" referring to when they used to
host risque Hollywood parties.
|
.jpg) |
|
The Cast of the TV show Vega$. (from
left to right) Tony Curtis as Phillip Roth, Judy Landers as
Angie, Phyllis Davis as Beatrice, Robert Urich as Dan Tanna |
Tanna was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. This was illustrated
through flashbacks in various episodes. It is curious however that during
these flashbacks, he was participating in ground combat. In a later
episode, where he gets mixed-in with a case involving a defector from the
Soviet Union, he shows up to Nellis Air Force Base, in his old United
States Air Force uniform. (The Air Force was rarely, if ever, involved in
direct ground combat during Vietnam) He is also referred to as
"Captain Tanna" indicating that he was an officer. He served
with his best friends Harlon Twoleaf (Will Sampson), the chief of a local
Native American tribe, and Mitch Costegian (Chick Venerra), a Vegas lounge
singer. Both Twoleaf and Costegian would occasionaly join Tanna in
investigating various mysteries.
Tanna of course would not be effective without a good supporting cast.
Phyllis Davis played Beatrice, his assistant who is a single mom and a
former showgirl. There is evidence that she was married before, but her
husband had passed away. Although she and Tanna made a dashing couple,
their relationship seemed to be purely platonic. Greg Morris played Las
Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. David Nelson. Nelson was a
no-nonsense cop that often had Tanna's back (and he, his). While Nelson
was never one to breach protocol, he often secretly assisted Tanna in
cases the police couldn't officially touch. Bart Braverman played Binzer,
who did Dan Tanna's leg work and usually provided comic relief. In the
beginning of the series, Binzer was a petty thief. Tanna seemed to have
taken him under his wing and used his knowledge and connections of the
street. Audrey Landers played Dan Tanna's other assistant, Angie, who was
also a showgirl, but unlike the savvy Beatrice, was usually an airhead and
would get things screwed up. She appeared only during the first season.
The series featured numerous performances & cameos by notable guest
stars including, Dean Martin, Kim Basinger, Melanie Griffith, Kim Cattrall,
Abe Vigoda, Morey Amsterdam, Shelley Fabares, Shelly Berman, Alex Trebek,
Sid Caesar, Slim Pickens, Isabel Sanford, Maureen McCormick, Cesar Romero,
Doc Severinsen, Mamie Van Doren, Muhammad Ali, Robert Loggia, Leslie
Nielsen, Lola Falana, Minnesota Fats, Eve Arden, Barbi Benton, Lisa
Hartman, Shelley Winters, Wayne Newton, Captain & Tennille, Wolfman
Jack, Tanya Roberts, Lorne Greene, Erin Gray, Gary Lockwood, June
Lockhart, & Dick Butkus.
|
.gif){kind=small}
.gif){kind=small}
.gif){kind=small}
.gif)
.jpg)
