''Hawk'' is a

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 comb ...

series starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

, which aired on ABC from September 8,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

to December 29, 1966. The

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

series was Reynolds' first starring role in a television series since leaving ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' the previous year.

Synopsis

Reynolds stars as police

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

John Hawk, a full-blooded

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

working the streets of New York City as a special detective for the city's

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

's office. Hawk is assisted by his

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

eBay: "HAWK-1984-8 X 10 STILL-FN-TV-BURT REYNOLDS-WAYNE GRICE-CRIME"
/ref> partner, Dan Carter (played by Wayne Grice). Hawk and Carter deal with various common cases such as murder,

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

and

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

. While facing the brutal daily life of being a detective, Hawk's native heritage and ancestry also cause him to be subjected to

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

and

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

, both on the streets and in the office. Many of the scenes were filmed on location in New York City, with some interior scenes filmed at the Filmways Studios in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, ...

. The series co-stars

Bruce Glover Bruce Herbert Glover (born May 2, 1932) is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of the assassin Mr. Wint in the James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever''. He is the father of actor Crispin Glover. Life and career Glover was ...

as Assistant D.A. Murray Slaken, and

Leon Janney Leon Janney (April 1, 1917 – October 28, 1980) was an American actor and radio personality from 1920 to 1980. Career Leon Elbert Janney was born in Ogden, Utah, to Nathan Haines Janney and Bernice Rebecca Kohn. The names of his parents are co ...

as Assistant D.A. Ed Gorton. Notable guest stars who appeared in this series include

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

Diana Muldaur Diana Muldaur (born August 19, 1938) is an American film and television actress. Muldaur's television roles include Rosalind Shays on '' L.A. Law'' and Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. She als ...

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26) is an American actor. His roles have included Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in '' Urban Cowboy'' (1980), astronaut Alan Shepard in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), Emmett in '' Silverado ...

, Diane Baker,

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

Bert Convy Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting '' Tattletales'', ''Super Password'' and ''Win, Lose or Draw''. Early life Convy was born in St. Loui ...

Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole, known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley (born August 30, 1939) is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ashle ...

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

and

Lou Antonio Louis Antonio (born January 23, 1934) is an American actor and TV director best known for performing in the films ''Cool Hand Luke'' and ''America America''. He also starred in two short-lived TV series, '' Dog and Cat'', and '' Makin' It''. E ...

. His character is a full-blooded Native American, but Reynolds had some

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

blood from his father's side.; can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY3cuILM698

Production

The show was announced in June 1966. ABC made a commitment for 17 episodes. The lead role was given to Reynolds who had some Native American ancestry himself and played Native Americans in ''Gunsmoke'' and in ''

Navajo Joe ''Navajo Joe'' is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Burt Reynolds as the titular Navajo Indian who opposes a group of bandits responsible for killing his tribe. Plot Having massacred an Indian village with ...

''. "I wanted the Indian thing to come naturally", said Reynolds. "The emphasis will be on how cops function at night", said producer Paul Bogart. "The people who come out at night would astonish you. They're the weirdos of all time."Television: Honest Injun. By JOAN BARTHEL. ''The New York Times''. July 24, 1966: p. 77. A representative of ABC said "it won't be another ''Naked City'' where they want to know why the killer pulled the trigger. ''Hawk'' won't answer that question." "We're not going for the psychological approach", said Reynolds. "We're an action adventure show. It's fast paced the music is all brass there's a lot of cutting." "Hawk is quite a character", said Reynolds. "He's very hostile. I'm hostile too. I don't know why." Reynolds says his performance was inspired by Kirk Douglas in ''Detective Story'' and John Garfield. "Tough and hard... I play Hawk as a catalyst. And how things affect me." "We're placing no special emphasis on the fact that Hawk is an Indian", said Reynolds. "I'm not running around in moccasins or anything like that." Reynolds added,"Having been in two TV series... where I hold the horse for someone else this feels great. But I'm not going to fall into the trap of thinking this is my one big chance and if I blow it Im finished. I've had so many disappointments over the years that I've made up my mind: if it doesn't go it's the audience's fault, not mine." Reynolds says Hawk was originally meant to wear knives on his sleeves but he got that changed feeling it was too gimmicky. The show was shot on location in New York. "I do all the stunts because I can do them better than anyone else", said Reynolds.

Repeat broadcasts

Despite being a short-lived series, repeats of ''Hawk'' have resurfaced at least three times, as a way to present Reynolds' early work before he became a successful movie celebrity: * Repeats of ''Hawk'' aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

in the Spring of 1976, to capitalize on Reynolds' success in the same manner as

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 Entertainm ...

did with his later series, '' Dan August'', in 1973 and 1975. * ''Hawk'' would later be syndicated to local stations in 1984 through Colex Enterprises. * Episodes of the series have also appeared on the digital multicast network

GetTV getTV is an American digital multicast television network owned by the Sony Pictures Television Networks subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television. Originally formatted as a movie-oriented service, the network has since transitioned into a genera ...

Episodes

Reception

Critical

Reviewing the pilot the ''New York Times'' said it was "too shrill and intense to be entirely winning but it did have enough virtues to suggest the series may find a niche for itself."

Ratings

Ratings were poor and ABC announced the show's cancellation in October, when 12 episodes had been filmed. Reynolds later called it "a good show but it went off quickly."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0059992, title=Hawk
Hawk at Classic TV Archive

Thomas Film Classics: "Hawk"
1966 American television series debuts 1966 American television series endings 1960s American crime drama television series American detective television series American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in New York City Fictional police lieutenants English-language television shows Television series by Screen Gems Television shows about Native Americans