| Genre | School drama |
|---|---|
| Creator | Jerry McNeely |
| Starring | |
| Composer | David Shire |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Num seasons | 1 |
| Num episodes | 22 |
| Executive producer | David Victor |
| Producer |
|
| Editor |
|
| Cinematography | Harry L. Wolf |
| Runtime | 60 min |
| Network | NBC |
| Company |
|
| First aired | September 11, 1974 |
| Last aired | April 9, 1975 |
Lucas Tanner is an American drama series aired on NBC during the 1974–75 season. The title character, played by David Hartman, is a former baseball player and sportswriter who becomes an English teacher at the fictional Harry S Truman Memorial High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He changed professions following the death of his wife and child.[1] Episodes often deal with the resistance of traditional teachers to Tanner's unorthodox teaching style.
Regular co-stars included Rosemary Murphy, Kimberly Beck, John Randolph, and ten-year-old Robbie Rist.
Unusually, the show was actually filmed on location in Webster Groves to a significant degree, though John Marshall High School in Los Angeles served as the setting for the fictional Truman Memorial High School.[2][3] However, the location filming gave Lucas Tanner a somewhat unusual "look" for a prime-time TV series.
A 90-minute pilot film of the series aired on NBC the week of May 4, 1974; the pilot also starred Kathleen Quinlan and Joe Garagiola.[4]
This series was Hartman's last work as an actor. In November 1975, he began as co-host of ABC's Good Morning America. To date, he has not returned to acting.
References
- ^ Morrison, Bill. "Bland Television Menu Could Give You Ulcers," The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), Sunday, September 22, 1974. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "One 1974 article about "Lucas Tanner" TV series". September 1, 1974. p. 102. Retrieved July 26, 2025. – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Another 1974 article about "Lucas Tanner" TV series". September 6, 1974. p. 31. Retrieved July 26, 2025. – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vintage Toledo TV - NBC Print ads - "Lucas Tanner" (pilot) & "In Tandem" (pilot for Movin' On) 5/8/74". vintagetoledotv.squarespace.com. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (7th ed. 1999), p. 601.
External links
- Lucas Tanner at IMDb