''Code of Vengeance'' is the

umbrella title An umbrella title is a formal or informal name connecting a number of individual items with a common theme. It is most often used in lieu of listing the separate components or providing a convenient "label" for a collection of disciplines. Uses of ...

for a series of American television programs, produced by

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...

, that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

in 1985 and 1986. Charles Taylor stars as David Dalton, a

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and oth ...

who has become a

drifter A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment. Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to: Films and television Films * ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey * ''Th ...

, travelling across the United States in a

camper van A camper van, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motor caravan or RV (recreational vehicle) in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitt ...

with only his dog for company. Dalton gets involved in the personal lives of the people he meets and uses his fighting skills to help them win justice. The Dalton character was created for ''All That Glitters'', the

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

aired as a second-season episode of ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' in 1984. The character, originally a suave government agent, was retooled as a lone drifter for a new pilot, which aired as the

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

''Code of Vengeance'', to surprise ratings success in June 1985. A subsequent series, to be called ''Dalton'', was ordered by NBC for midseason, then production was cancelled after just four episodes were completed. These aired in the summer of 1986 as a television movie titled ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'' and as a part of a fill-in series called ''Dalton's Code of Vengeance''.

Origins

The David Dalton character was originally created by writer Robert Foster and executive producer Glen A. Larson for a proposed series titled ''All That Glitters''. The show's two-hour backdoor pilot aired on April 8, 1984. The production featured Charles Taylor as David Dalton, an action-oriented government agent, and

Joanna Pettet Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a retired English actress. Early life Pettet was born in Westminster, London, England. Her parents, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in the Secon ...

as Joanna St. John, the widow of a murdered lawyer, fighting crime and accepting secret missions from Archibald Hendley (played by

George Murdock George Peter ("Pete") Murdock (May 11, 1897 – March 29, 1985), also known as G. P. Murdock, was an American anthropologist who was professor at Yale University and University of Pittsburgh. He is remembered for his empirical approach to ethn ...

) on behalf of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

. This backdoor pilot was written by Robert Gilmer and Robert Foster, directed by

Winrich Kolbe Winrich Ernst Rudolf Kolbe (9 August 1940 – September 2012), Feeling the format was too similar to ''

Cover Up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...

'', a show Larson had created for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

that began airing in September 1984, NBC declined to pick up ''All That Glitters'' as a series.

Second pilot

NBC commissioned a second pilot starring Charles Taylor, ''Code of Vengeance'', for the 1985 pilot season. The new pilot reimagined David Dalton as a flashback-prone

who drifts across the country, encountering people in trouble, and helping them to find justice with his unique fighting skills. The physical agility, acrobatic skill, and martial arts expertise that Dalton displayed in "Mouth of the Snake" was toned down to a simpler, more violent fighting style. The reviewer for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

described Dalton as "a modern version of ''

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name) Shane is mainly a masculine g ...

''" that's also "like ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order t ...

''" but with Dalton using "his fists rather than good deeds" to solve problems. Dalton travels from place to place in a

with only his

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...

named "Wichita" for company. In this second pilot, Dalton is a "mysterious stranger" who arrives in a small town in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

where he meets Nadine Flowers, a young mother (played by

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situation ...

), her son A.J. ( Chad Allen), and her mother Ione (

Lenka Peterson Lenka Peterson (born Betty Ann Isacson; October 16, 1925 – September 24, 2021) was an American theater, film, and television actress. Early years Peterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of Lenke (née Leinweber), a lab technician, an ...

). Nadine hires Dalton to complete an addition to her house left undone after her brother disappeared while hunting. When the brother turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, Dalton investigates then sets out to avenge the brother's murder. This act of justice entangles him in a conflict between warring rival

drug smuggler The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

s and

gun runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ar ...

s along the border between Arizona and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Other prominent cast members included

Charles Haid Charles Maurice Haid III (born June 2, 1943) is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in ''Hill Street Blues''. Haid was born in San ...

as "Jim Blanton",

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

as "Willis",

Randall "Tex" Cobb Randall Craig "Tex" Cobb (born May 7, 1950) is an American actor, martial artist, and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Widely considered to possess one of the greatest chins of all time, Cobb was a brawler wh ...

as "Willard Singleton", and Joe Dorsey as "Chief Milford Carsworth". In a nod to the show's origins, Keenan Wynn's character is shown watching a ''Knight Rider'' episode, with KITT's voice clearly audible, as armed thugs surround his home. The

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an ...

was written by Robert Foster with Duke Callaghan and

Thomas Del Ruth Thomas Del Ruth (born May 1, 1942) is a retired American cinematographer. Biography Del Ruth was born in 1942 in Beverly Hills, California, as the son of film director Roy Del Ruth, and actress Winnie Lightner. He was educated at Van Nuys ...

splitting

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

duties under director

Rick Rosenthal Richard L. Rosenthal, Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American film instructor and director, known for directing '' Halloween II'' and '' Halloween: Resurrection''. Early life, family and education Rosenthal was born in New York City, the son o ...

. Robert Foster served as executive producer and the pilot was produced by

. NBC also declined to pick up this pilot as a series and shelved the film to be burned off during the summer of 1985. The pilot was eventually aired on June 30, 1985, as the NBC Sunday Night Movie, opposite a new two-hour special episode of ''

Call to Glory ''Call to Glory'' is an American drama which was aired for 22 episodes during the 1984–1985 TV season (specifically from August 1984 to February 1985) on the The show focuses on USAF pilot Colonel Raynor Sarnac (Craig T. Nelson) and his f ...

'' starring

Craig T. Nelson Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...

Series

Ordered for mid-season

Promoted as being "in the tradition of ''

Rambo Rambo is a surname with Norwegian (Vestfold) and Swedish origins. It possibly originated with '' ramn'' + '' bo'', meaning "raven's nest". It has variants in French (''Rambeau'', ''Rambaut'', and ''Rimbaud'') and German (''Rambow''). It is now best ...

''" and airing just weeks after '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' was released to theaters, the ''Code of Vengeance'' telemovie was a surprise ratings success. ''Code of Vengeance'' tied an episode of the popular sitcom ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...

'' as the second-highest rated show of the week. Swayed by these numbers, NBC ordered six one-hour episodes as a

midseason replacement In American network television scheduling, a mid-season replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between December and May. Mid-season replacements usually take place after a s ...

series. The October 1985 announcement noted that the new series was to be titled ''Dalton''. The series, described by its lead actor as having "two stars — the landscape and Dalton", began filming in several locations across the United States. While the plan was to film two episodes in each location, the production was troubled by weather as

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing delayed filming in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

hit while filming in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Shut down

Originally slated for a January 1986 debut, ''Dalton'' struggled with script and production issues that delayed its debut indefinitely. Unhappy with what they had seen so far, NBC ordered a suspension of production in December 1985 after just four episodes had been filmed. Scheduled to resume filming in Los Angeles in January 1986 after a holiday break, the network instead ended production on ''Dalton'' entirely and in early February ordered

to re-edit these four completed episodes into two feature-length movies. These "movie of the week" presentations were to be called ''Code of Vengeance II'' and ''Code of Vengeance III''.

Movie of the week

The first of these two-hour presentations, now titled ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'', aired as the NBC Sunday Night Movie on Sunday, May 11, 1986. Combining episodes written by Luther Murdock and Aiken Woodruff, ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'' found Dalton travelling first to

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, to help friend Jeanne Bennett (played by Karen Landry) locate her husband—his former commanding officer, Major Monty Bennett (

Donnelly Rhodes Henry Donnelly Rhodes (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018) was a Canadian actor, known professionally as Donnelly Rhodes. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convic ...

). When he discovers that Major Bennett is now aiding the New Patriots, a conservative paramilitary group of

s bent on overthrowing the United States government, he sets off for the

Florida Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

to stop them. The New Patriots' plan is to commit acts of domestic terrorism while framing an Arab group for the atrocities in the belief that this will allow them to seize control of the government they feel betrayed them in Vietnam. Ultimately, Dalton confronts his former commander in the swamp and, after a long and unexplained flashback sequence of combat in Vietnam, Dalton stops both his commander and the group's plans. This

movie was produced by

Herman Miller Herman Miller, officially MillerKnoll, Inc., is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings, including the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, and the Eames Lounge Chair. Herman Miller is also ...

, edited by Lawrence J. Vallario, scored by Don Peake, and Jack Priestley was the cinematographer. Gary A. Lee handled art direction and, with creator Robert Foster no longer involved,

Lou Shaw Lou Shaw (c. 1925 – February 11, 2015) was an American producer and screenwriter. He was known for co-creating the medical drama ''Quincy, M.E.'' with Glen A. Larson. Biography Shaw worked as a writer and producer on multiple television prog ...

was the only credited executive producer. Direction of the combined feature edit of these two episodes, filmed on location in

, and

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, is credited pseudonymously to

Alan Smithee Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined in 1968 and used until it was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild o ...

. Other prominent roles in the movie included

Ed Bruce William Edwin Bruce Jr. (December 29, 1939 – January 8, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, and actor. He was known for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 cou ...

as "Sheriff Johnson", Alex Harvey as "Sheriff Willoughby",

Mitch Pileggi Mitch Pileggi (born April 5, 1952) is an American actor. He played Horace Pinker in '' Shocker'', Walter Skinner on ''The X-Files'', Colonel Steven Caldwell on ''Stargate Atlantis'', Ernest Darby in ''Sons of Anarchy'', and Harris Ryland in th ...

as "Verbeck", Shannon Stein as "Tip Bennett", Belinda J. Montgomery as "Libby Holland", and

William Sanderson William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B. ...

as "Bobby Fuller". Critical reaction to this iteration of the Dalton saga was sharp. Drew Fetherston, reviewing the movie for ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'', called it "claptrap" and that "action ..is all that this NBC stinker has to offer". Faye Zuckerman of the ''

Gainesville Sun ''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the edi ...

'' called ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'' a "plodder", complaining that "this film insults its predecessor". ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' reviewer Daniel Ruth gave ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'' a half-star review calling it "revisionist", "distasteful", and "terrible television". Deriding the film as "poorly written, badly acted, sloppily directed and choppily edited", he called it "another slap in the face of the men and women who went to Southeast Asia to do a dirty job and came home to even dirtier exploitation". Ruth concluded, "The viewer's best "Code of Vengeance" would be to reject these films." ''Dalton: Code of Vengeance II'' also failed to deliver the high ratings of its predecessor. Against stiff competition from the final installment of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's top-rated '' North and South, Book II'' miniseries, the movie failed to crack the top 20 in that week's

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. Faced with critical and commercial failure, NBC scrapped plans to air ''Code of Vengeance III'' and the fate of the unseen episodes became uncertain.

Replacement series

In the summer of 1986, NBC was doing quite well in the ratings with its Thursday night lineup but was still experimenting on other nights. One such experiment was the anthology series ''

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', sometimes called ''The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1986 and on the USA Network from 1987 to 1989. The series is an updated version of the 1955 e ...

'' featuring new stories introduced by colorized vintage footage of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. After just one season on the network, the show was cancelled abruptly after the July 20, 1986 airing of two repeat episodes placed 55th for the week in the

against 5th-rated ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' on

. Needing an inexpensive replacement on short notice as a fill-in until the 1986-87 television season started in September, NBC began airing one-hour episodes of ''Dalton'', re-titled ''Dalton's Code of Vengeance'', in a four-episode limited run beginning on July 27, 1986. The first one-hour episode of ''Dalton's Code of Vengeance'' to air was "Rustler's Moon", one of the two previously-unaired hours. Dalton is on his way to Houston when he meets a "feisty rancher" named Rhonda Jo (played by

Susan Walden Susan Walden (August 20, 1956 – August 17, 2020) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Georgia, Walden was the daughter of Buddy and Bette Walden. She began acting while she was a student at Tate High School. Befor ...

) and is forced to deal out his unique brand of justice against cattle rustlers trying to steal her

prize bull Cattle judging is the process of judging a series of cattle and pronouncing a first-, second- and third-place animal based on each animal's individual traits compared to that of the others. Most cattle judging occurs in show rings at agricultural sh ...

and do her harm. Other prominent roles included

Larry Drake Larry Richard Drake (February 21, 1950 – March 17, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as Benny Stulwicz in ''L.A. Law'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. He also appeared as Robert G. Durant in both ''Darkm ...

as "Jack Ferguson", Paul Carr as "Elliot",

Chris Douridas Chris Douridas (born September 20, 1962) is an American popular DJ and musical tastemaker at Santa Monica, California's radio station KCRW, where he hosts a two-hour program showcasing progressive new music. He is also a filmmaker, actor, televis ...

as "Willy", and a special appearance by

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

star

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...

as himself. As with the previous presentation, this episode's direction was credited to

. With little notice or promotion, advance critical reaction was scant. One reviewer noted that star Charles Taylor "has the bod for" an adventure hero while another opined that he thought "''Knight Rider'' or ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...

'' or Jonathan of ''

'' took care of these baddies on their series". The debut episode placed 51st for the week, just behind a rerun of ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving esp ...

'', with 7.3

ratings point Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites. Sometim ...

s in the

. The following week, the

timeslot Broadcast programming is the practice of organizing or ordering (scheduling) of broadcast media shows, typically radio and television, in a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters use broadcast automation ...

was filled by the special ''Motown Returns to the Apollo'' hosted by

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

. The original two-hour ''Code of Vengeance'' television movie was split into two one-hour segments and repeated in two parts as episodes of ''Dalton's Code of Vengeance''. Part one aired on August 10, 1986, and part two aired on August 17, 1986. The first part placed 48th for the week, rated just behind a rerun of ''

''. The second part also placed 48th for the week with 8.1 ratings points and was seen in an estimated 7 million homes, just one-fifth of the 35 million that tuned in for this film's 1985 debut. The final airing of ''Dalton's Code of Vengeance'' was the final previously-unaired hour, an episode titled "The Last Hold Out", which aired on August 24, 1986. Dalton arrives in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and finds himself the only hope for produce wholesaler Ray Bechet (played by Wandy Ward) and his wife Rose Bechet (Maureen Kedes) being pressured to sell their property by powerful

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

Johnson Lee (Jeff Jensen). Prominent guest roles included Barry Settels as "Fante". This final episode placed 43rd for the week with 10.0 ratings points and a 19

ratings share Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...

. This rating was good enough to tie pre-season

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

games on both CBS and ABC but not enough to make NBC consider reviving the Dalton character yet again.

Home media

The double-length second-season ''Knight Rider'' episode "Mouth of the Snake", the ''All That Glitters'' backdoor pilot, was released on DVD in April 2005 by Universal Home Video as part of the ''Knight Rider: Season Two'' set. This episode had been previously released on VHS by Columbia House Home Video.

In other media

The novel ''Knight Rider: The 24-Carat Assassin'', published in September 1984 by

Target Books Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well ...

and credited to Glen A. Larson & Roger Hill, was an adaptation of the "Mouth of the Snake" episode. The back cover of the book names the adapted episode as "All That Glitters", the working title for the episode and the name of the proposed series that would have featured the David Dalton character. As in the episode, Dalton and St. John are the principal characters with Michael Knight and KITT making only token appearances. Of the five official English language ''Knight Rider''

tie-in novel A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original pro ...

s, ''The 24-Carat Assassin'' was one of two released in the United Kingdom that was never released in the United States. The novel was translated into German by Carla Blesgen and published by

Bertelsmann Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, and is also active in the service sector and ...

in Germany in 1988 as ''Ein Hochkarätiger Killer''.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0338589, Code of Vengeance
''Code of Vengeance'' at TVGuide.com2012 "Code Of Vengeance" Movie
1980s American drama television series 1985 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings NBC original programming Television series by Universal Television