McMillan & Wife, however, was new, and something of a Big Deal as far as NBC and Universal were concerned: for it they had lured Rock Hudson, one of the biggest movie stars of the 1950s and early-1960s to the small screen, and his presold appeal no doubt contributed to The NBC Mystery Movie's great success. The series itself is watchable but not much more than that, though it has a few interesting ideas, good guest stars, and Hudson's co-star, Susan Saint James, creates an immensely likable character that has decent chemistry with her leading man.

The series is routine, faintly echoing MGM's Thin Man series, with seasoned San Francisco Police Commissioner Stewart "Mac" McMillan (Hudson) frequently partnered with mystery buff wife - and daughter of an acclaimed criminologist - Sally (Saint James). The pilot film introduced another series regular, Sgt./Lt. Enright (John Schuck), who inconsistently is bumbling in the pilot, perfectly competent in some episodes, rather dense in others. (Schuck is good in all of these variations, however.) Also on board is the McMillan's maid, wisecracking maid Mildred (Nancy Walker). Veteran actress Walker made a terrific comeback that year; concurrently she was a recurring guest star on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The six-foot-four-inch Hudson positively towers over the four-foot-eleven-inch Walker. In one episode featuring other short actresses (Marjorie Bennett and Selma Diamond), Hudson almost looks like a giant among Hobbits.

A problem with the series is the odd decision to make Hudson's character the Police Commissioner of a major American city, making it hard to swallow that a man in his position would be allowed to conduct criminal investigations and make inquiries on his own, or that in so many cases either he or his wife is intrinsically linked to the crime and/or its suspects. The pilot, for instance, has McMillan investigating the theft of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus that had been in his wife's care, while another show has McMillan investigating a murder whose chief suspect is an old girlfriend. Not believable, even by TV's loose standards of storytelling logic.

Where Colombo's stories settled in to an ingenious and consistently entertaining formula revolving around the slovenly, self-deprecating detective matching wits with rich and powerful suspects arrogantly pulling off "the perfect crime," McMillan's cases are standard TV fare, and not very interesting. The series makes little use of its San Francisco setting which, after the pilot, is mostly doubled anyway by stock shots, Los Angeles locations, and extensive use of the Universal backlot.

What appeal the show has can be attributed mainly to the basic appeal of the stars. Though Hudson, at 46, was nearly twice Saint James's age (she was just 24 when shooting began), onscreen they're entirely believable as a happily married (and sexually active) couple. The Thin Man comparison the show receives is mainly due to their excellent chemistry. He's low-key and, Hudson's personal life aside, straight as an arrow, while she's kooky in a '60s free-spirit sort of way and full of energy. For those not familiar with the series, her character might favorably by likened to Margot Kidder's Lois Lane in Superman (1978). Indeed, Saint James would've made a great Lois Lane herself.

So good is Saint James that episodes focusing away from her character (Sally becomes pregnant during the first season) are generally less interesting, though the season finale, "An Elementary Case of Murder," deserves points for making an old lover of Mac's black (and played by Barbara McNair). That the script treats this so casually is quite interesting, and may be a television first. Generally, though, Hudson has little to do, and viewers were probably surprised by his appearance, which in the pilot especially trades in his clean-cut '50s image for a bushy, Wyatt Earp-style mustache, shaggy hippy hair, and loud, typically '70s wardrobe. As the series progressed, Hudson would return to his more characteristic appearance.

Guest stars to look for in Season 1 include Jack Albertson, Jonathan Harris, Wally Cox, Ed Flanders, Oscar Beregi, Lorraine Gary, John Anderson, Jackie Coogan, Claude Akins, Edward Andrews, Richard Deacon, and Hazel Court.

Video & Audio

McMillan & Wife is presented in its original full frame format in a solid transfer with a good image for its age. The episodes are uncut and not time-compressed, running about 74 minutes apiece except for the pilot, which was filmed for a two-hour time slot. Like the other NBC Mystery shows it's regrettably missing that great Henry Mancini theme, but the mono sound does justice to Jerry Fielding's underscoring. Audio is English only with optional Spanish and hard-of-hearing English subtitles. There are no Extra Features, but Universal deserves points for providing clear and descriptive menu screens to help viewers find the episodes they're looking for.

Parting Thoughts

McMillan & Wife isn't bad. It's unlikely to top anyone's wish list TV shows to buy on DVD, but it's breezy, innocuous fun that's perfect for lazy, rainy afternoons.

Stuart Galbraith IV is a Kyoto-based film historian whose work includes The Emperor and the Wolf - The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune and Taschen's forthcoming Cinema Nippon. Visit Stuart's Cine Blogarama here.