''Matt Houston'' was an American
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
television series starring
Lee Horsley
Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981), '' Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and ''Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in the ...
as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a
side job
A side job, also informally called a side hustle or side gig, is an additional job that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement their income. Side jobs may be done out of necessity, when one's income from their mai ...
as a
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
. Created by
Lawrence Gordon and produced by
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...
, it originally aired on
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 ...
for three seasons from 1982 to 1985.
Synopsis
''Matt Houston'' starred
Lee Horsley
Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981), '' Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and ''Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in the ...
as a wealthy mustachioed Texas oilman named Matlock "Matt" Houston who works as a
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
in Los Angeles in his abundant free time. The show also starred
Pamela Hensley
Pamela Gail Hensley (born October 3, 1950) is an American actress and author. Her notable acting roles include Princess Ardala on the 1979–1981 television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and C.J. Parsons on the 1982–1985 televisio ...
as his lawyer sidekick, C.J., and
George Wyner
George Wyner (born October 20, 1945) is an American film and television actor. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. Wyner has made guest appearances in over 1 ...
as his continuously frustrated business manager, Murray. During the show's third and final season (1984–85),
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...
played Houston's uncle, Roy Houston.
Most episodes typically involve one of Houston's close friends being murdered or involved in some criminal enterprise, requiring his assistance. C.J. had access to an
Apple III
The Apple III (styled as apple ///) is a business-oriented personal computer produced by Apple Computer and released in 1980. Running the Apple SOS operating system, it was intended as the successor to the Apple II series, but was largely consi ...
computer named "Baby" containing a database on virtually all living and deceased persons, allowing her to provide all necessary information. Murray frequently complained that Matt's private investigation business failed to make money, while Matt treated it more as an expensive hobby rather than a profit-making venture.
Cast
*
Lee Horsley
Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981), '' Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and ''Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in the ...
... Mattlock 'Matt' Houston
*
Pamela Hensley
Pamela Gail Hensley (born October 3, 1950) is an American actress and author. Her notable acting roles include Princess Ardala on the 1979–1981 television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and C.J. Parsons on the 1982–1985 televisio ...
... C.J. Parsons
*
John Aprea
Jonathan "John" Aprea (born March 4, 1941) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his role as the young Sal Tessio in '' The Godfather: Part II'' (1974) and on television as Lucas Castigliano in '' Another World'' from 1989 to 1992 ...
... Lt. Vince Novelli
*
Paul Brinegar
Paul Alden Brinegar Jr. (December 19, 1917 – March 27, 1995) was an American character actor best known for his roles in three Western series: ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', '' Rawhide'', and ''Lancer''.
Early years
Brinegar was b ...
... Lamar Pettybone
*
Dennis Fimple
Dennis Clarke Fimple (November 11, 1940 – August 23, 2002) was an American actor.
Biography
Fimple was born in Ventura, California, the son of Dolly and Elmer Fimple. He graduated from Taft Union High School in 1958 and received a teaching c ...
... Bo
*
Penny Santon
Pierina Burlando (September 2, 1916 – May 12, 1999) was an American film, stage and television actress. She was known for playing the role of Mama Rosa Novelli in the American crime drama television series ''Matt Houston''. Santon died in May ...
... Mama Rosa Novelli
*
Lincoln Kilpatrick
Lincoln Kilpatrick (February 12, 1932 – May 18, 2004) was an American film, television, and stage actor.
Biography Career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Kilpatrick attended Lincoln University and earned a degree in drama before he began acting. ...
... Lt. Michael Hoyt
*
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...
... Uncle Roy Houston
*
George Wyner
George Wyner (born October 20, 1945) is an American film and television actor. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. Wyner has made guest appearances in over 1 ...
... Murray Chase
Episodes
Season 1 (1982–83)
Season 2 (1983–84)
Season 3 (1984–85)
Home media
On March 9, 2010,
CBS DVD
CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is a home entertainment company owned by Paramoun ...
(Distributed by
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
) released season 1 of ''Matt Houston'' on DVD in
Region 1 for the first time. Season 2 was released June 16, 2017 and Season 3 was released on July 21, 2017.
On May 4, 2015, it was announced that all three seasons of Matt Houston would be released the summer of 2015 by
VEI, Inc. The release was pushed back and was later released on July 15, 2016.
'The Complete Collection' Pre-Order: Release Time, Package, More!
Award nominations
References
External links
*
DVD Review of Season One with production history
{{Aaron Spelling
1982 American television series debuts
1985 American television series endings
1980s American crime drama television series
American Broadcasting Company original programming
English-language television shows
Television series by CBS Studios
Television series by Spelling Television
Television shows set in Los Angeles
Houston, Matt