The Lazarus Man

The Lazarus Man
Genre Western
Created by Dick Beebe
Starring Robert Urich
Theme music composer John Debney
Composer(s) Charles Sydnor
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 22 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s) Michael Ogiens
Norman S. Powell
Producer(s) John Binder
Harvey Frand
Marc Scott Zicree
Cinematography Ross A. Maehl
Editor(s) Scott Powell
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 43 mins.
Production company(s) Castle Rock Entertainment
Release
Original network TNT
Picture format 4:3
Original release January 20 (1996-01-20) – November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)

The Lazarus Man is an American Western television series produced by Castle Rock Entertainment which first aired on January 20, 1996, and ended on November 9, 1996. Starring Robert Urich as the title character, The Lazarus Man debuted on Turner Network Television and ran for 20 episodes.

Opening narration

“

Something has happened to me which I do not understand.
All I know for certain is I am alive. How I got here? Who I am?
I do not know, but I must've seen or done something,
something terrible to be buried alive, to be left for dead.

I can remember nothing of my life, my friends or my enemies
but the key to my identity lies somewhere out there.

I will search until I find the man I was...and hope to be again.

 ”

Plot

The setting for the series is Texas following the American Civil War. An amnesiac claws his way out of a shallow grave wearing a Confederate uniform and carrying a U.S. Army revolver. He is haunted by the memory of being attacked by a man wearing a derby. Calling himself Lazarus after the man resurrected by Jesus (John 11:41-44), he sets out to discover his true identity and the reason why he was buried alive.

Near the end of the series, Lazarus is revealed to be James Cathcart, a captain in the US Army and a member of President Abraham Lincoln's personal bodyguard detail. The memory that plagues him is from the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Cathcart, realizing that the President was in danger, ran to stop the assassin, but was attacked by his superior, the treasonous Major Talley, who wanted to see Lincoln dead.

Cancellation

The series first season did well enough to warrant TNT to order a second season. However, the series' production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, cancelled the series after Urich was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in July 1996.[1] Urich later sued Castle Rock for breach of contract. In the suit, Urich maintained that although he was undergoing cancer treatments, he never informed Castle Rock that he would be unable to perform in the series. Castle Rock decided to cancel the series anyway and failed to pay Urich the $1.47 million he was to be paid for a second season.[2]

Episodes

Episode Title Aired Plot
1. "Awakening" (Part 1) January 20, 1996 After awaking in a grave with no memory, Lazarus tries to piece his life together.
2. "Awakening" (Part 2) January 27, 1996 After awaking in a grave with no memory, Lazarus tries to piece his life together.
3. "The Palace of Dreams" February 3, 1996 Lazarus meets an eccentric card shark (Carl Lumbly) with a mysterious grudge.
4. "Purgatory" February 10, 1996 Lazarus recognizes a Confederate veteran (Stephen McHattie) once under his command.
5. "The Conspirator" February 17, 1996 A Federal agent (Tom Mason) with a vendetta against Lazarus has him arrested and sentenced to death.
6. "The Boy General" February 24, 1996 Custer (Maxwell Caulfield) hires Lazarus to sniff out threats against him from his troops.
7. "The Cattle Drive" March 2, 1996 Lazarus must fend off enemies who emerge from the hazy past.
8. "Panorama" March 9, 1996 Gunslingers line up to challenge "the man who can't be killed".
9. "The Wallpaper Prison" March 16, 1996 Lazarus finds a kindred spirit in a forlorn prostitute (Kate Hodge).
10. "The Catamount" March 30, 1996 A malicious cavalry officer (Nicolas Surovy) plans to mete out "justice".
11. "Among The Dead" April 20, 1996 Lazarus takes refuge in an eerily quiet town with a troubled woman (Jennifer Nash).
12. "The Journal" April 27, 1996 A prospector is murdered after striking it rich, and Lazarus runs into a coverup.
13. "Jehovah and Son, Inc." May 4, 1996 An unbalanced man (Armin Shimerman) shoots a senator with Lazarus's gun.
14. "The Rescue" May 11, 1996 A Comanche battles the militia over a white woman (Kellie Overbey), raised by his tribe.
15. "Killer" May 18, 1996 Lazarus takes a liking to a fellow Civil War vet-turned-bounty hunter, and becomes his partner.
16. "The Hold-Up" October 12, 1996 When the mining-company payroll is taken during a stagecoach robbery, Lazarus is blamed.
17. "The Penance" October 19, 1996 Lazarus tries to protect a pacifist sect of farmers from the wrath of cattlemen.
18. "The Sheriff" October 26, 1996 A young gunslinger returns to punish his hometown.
19. "Shadow" November 2, 1996 Lazarus reunites with his long-lost wife.
20. "Quality of the Enemy" November 9, 1996 A cynical bounty hunter, contemptuous of the human race befriends Lazarus.
21. "The Tartarus Wheel" Unaired After undergoing hypnosis, Lazarus remembers that he used to be Army Intelligence officer.
22. "Dance With Shadows" Unaired The Major sets a trap using Lazarus' wife as bait.

[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 776. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
  2. ↑ "Urich suing over 'Lazarus Man'". The Spokesman-Review. April 14, 2000. p. D2. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ TV Guide Episode Listing
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