"McMillan & Wife" (1971) TV series 1971-1977

Creator:

Leonard Stern
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

29 September 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

He's a police commissioner; she wants to help!

Plot:

San Francisco attorney Stewart MacMillan is named commissioner of the San Francisco police department...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Sergeant | San Francisco California | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Rock Hudson	...	Police Commissioner Stewart 'Mac' McMillan / ... (40 episodes, 1971-1977)
John Schuck	...	Sgt. Charles Enright / ... (29 episodes, 1971-1977)
Susan Saint James	...	Sally McMillan (26 episodes, 1971-1976)
Nancy Walker	...	Mildred (21 episodes, 1971-1976)

Series Directed by
Robert Michael Lewis		(4 episodes, 1972)
Lou Antonio		(3 episodes, 1974-1976)
Daniel Petrie		(2 episodes, 1971-1973)
John Astin		(2 episodes, 1971)
Alex March		(2 episodes, 1973-1974)
James Sheldon		(2 episodes, 1974-1976)
Bob Finkel		(2 episodes, 1975-1976)

Series Writing credits
Leonard Stern		(40 episodes, 1971-1977)
Oliver Hailey		(5 episodes, 1971-1974)
Paul Mason		(3 episodes, 1972-1974)
Robert Lewin		(2 episodes, 1971)
Howard Berk		(2 episodes, 1974-1976)
Peter S. Fischer		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Richard Danus		(2 episodes, 1975-1976)

Series Produced by
Leonard Stern	....	executive producer (13 episodes, 1971-1975)
Paul Mason	....	producer / executive producer (12 episodes, 1971-1974)
Ted Rich	....	associate producer / producer (9 episodes, 1971-1972)
Jon Epstein	....	producer (6 episodes, 1974-1976)
William F. Phillips	....	associate producer (2 episodes, 1973-1974)
Tony Kiser	....	associate producer (2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Original Music by
Jerry Fielding		(13 episodes, 1971-1976)

Series Cinematography by
Robert B. Hauser		(7 episodes, 1971-1972)
Milton R. Krasner		(7 episodes, 1972-1976)

Series Film Editing by
Lovel S. Ellis		(2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Ted Rich		(2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Robert F. Shugrue		(2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Edward W. Williams		(2 episodes, 1974)
Tony Martinelli		(2 episodes, 1975-1976)

Series Art Direction by
Kenneth A. Reid		(4 episodes, 1971-1972)
Alexander A. Mayer		(3 episodes, 1971)
John W. Corso		(2 episodes, 1974)
Seymour Klate		(2 episodes, 1975-1976)

Series Set Decoration by
Donald J. Sullivan		(5 episodes, 1971-1972)
John P. Austin		(2 episodes, 1971)
Bert F. Allen		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Costume Design by
Burton Miller		(7 episodes, 1971-1972)

Series Production Management
Donald L. Gold	....	unit manager (7 episodes, 1971-1972)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hap Weyman	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1971-1972)
George Bisk	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1971)

Series Sound Department
Tommy Thompson	....	sound (4 episodes, 1971-1972)
Earl Schwarz	....	sound (2 episodes, 1971)

Series Special Effects by
Kevin Pike	....	special effects assistant (1 episode, 1977)

Series Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects (2 episodes, 1971)

Series Stunts
Julie Ann Johnson	....	stunts (40 episodes, 1971-1977)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Earl C. Williman	....	lamp operator (7 episodes, 1971-1972)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peter V. Saldutti	....	costumer (7 episodes, 1971-1972)
Burton Miller	....	costumes (2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Joanne Haas	....	costumes (2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Editorial Department
Steve Johnson	....	colorist (12 episodes, 1973-1975)
Richard Belding	....	editorial supervisor / editorial supervision (11 episodes, 1971-1975)

Series Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	composer: "Mystery Movie" theme (12 episodes, 1971-1976)
Jerry Fielding	....	composer: theme music (3 episodes, 1971-1976)
Hal Mooney	....	music supervision / music supervisor (3 episodes, 1972-1975)

Series Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer / main title design (11 episodes, 1971-1975)
Robert Lewin	....	executive story consultant (7 episodes, 1971-1972)
Steven Bochco	....	executive story consultant (2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Production Companies

• Talent Associates (in association with)
• Norton Simon Inc. (in association with)
• Universal TV

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV)
• MCA Television (1971) (USA) (TV)
• Studios USA Television

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

Also Known As:

McMillan (USA) (sixth season title)

Runtime:

120 min (15 episodes) | 90 min (24 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Talent Associates

Trivia:

Martha Raye made several earlier appearances as Agatha before becoming a regular on the show.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Little Mosque on the Prairie: Recipe for Disaster (#3.16)" (2009)

Not as interesting as its NBC Mystery Movie cohorts

This, along with "Columbo" and "McCloud" plus several lesser-known and short lived also-rans made up the NBC Mystery Movie franchise during most of the Seventies. Three or four rotating characters took turns headlining a 90-minute telefilm each week. Of the three most famous elements of the series, "McMillan" was the least unusual. "Mac" McMillan was the Police Chief of San Francisco whose wife Sally "helped" him solve various murders. Sally and the McMillan's housekeeper Mildred (Nancy Walker) were responsible for most of the unique elements of the show. The films were well-made and adequately complex to sustain interest over the longer-than-average running time of the series. Like everything Rock Hudson did during his career, this has new layers of interest since the revelations about his sexuality shortly before his death; the relationship between Mac and Sally seems sexless in hindsight, though that may be a product of the differences between the 1970s and today as much as Rock Hudson's homosexuality. One unusual episode in which Mac is called to Naval Reserve duty as defense counsel in a murder trial plays like a 20-years too early pilot for "JAG," but most of this series was solid if unexceptional police procedural with the wife thrown in for color.