Ironside

From The TV IV

Ironside
Premiere	pilot March 28, 1967 series September 14, 1967
Finale	January 16, 1975
Airs
Creator	Collier Young
Network	NBC
Style	60-minute crime drama
Company	Harbour Productions Universal Television
Episodes	197 (3 unaired)
Seasons	8
Origin	USA

Ironside is a crime drama that aired on NBC.

The show revolved around former San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside, a veteran of more than twenty years of police service who was forced to retire from the department after a sniper's bullet paralyzed him from the waist down, confining him to a wheelchair. In the pilot episode, Ironside shows his strength of character and gets himself appointed a "special department consultant" by his good friend, Police Commissioner Dennis Randall. He does this by calling a press conference and then tricking Commissioner Randall into meeting his terms. Ironside uses an attic floor room (for living and office space) at the SFPD headquarters and made use of a specially modified and equipped Ford police truck. This is replaced in the episode titled "Poole's Paradise" after the truck is destroyed by Sergeant Brown as part of a way to frame a corrupt sheriff. At the end of the episode, the truck is replaced by a modified day van to accommodate Ironside's wheelchair. In the pilot he requests that Ed Brown and Eve Whitfield be assigned to him. He later recruits the angst-filled African-American ex-con Mark Sanger to be his personal assistant after Mark is brought in as a suspect who wanted to kill Ironside. The show became a success as Ironside depended on brains and initiative in handling cases.

Cast

Seasons

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

External Sites

• Ironside at the Internet Movie Database
• opening credits for season one