"Gideon Oliver" (1989) TV series

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Creator:

Dick Wolf
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

Gideon Oliver is an anthropology professor at Columbia University who uses his knowledge of other cultures to solve crimes, aided by his daughter/assistant Zina.

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Gideon Oliver / ... (5 episodes, 1989)
Shari Headley	...	Zina Oliver (3 episodes, 1989)
Mary Fogarty	...	Catharine / ... (2 episodes, 1989)

(more)

Series Directed by
Bill Duke		(1 episode, 1989)
Larry Gross		(1 episode, 1989)
George Mendeluk		(1 episode, 1989)
Alan Metzger		(1 episode, 1989)
John Patterson		(1 episode, 1989)
Randy Roberts		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Writing credits
Aaron J. Elkins		(5 episodes, 1989)
Dick Wolf		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Produced by
David Black	....	co-producer (1 episode, 1989)
Cheryl Bloch	....	associate producer (1 episode, 1989)
Kevin Donnelly	....	producer (1 episode, 1989)
William Link	....	supervising executive producer (1 episode, 1989)
Daniel Sackheim	....	co-producer (1 episode, 1989)
William Sackheim	....	executive producer (1 episode, 1989)
Don Sipes	....	consulting producer (1 episode, 1989)
Dick Wolf	....	executive producer (1 episode, 1989)
Brad H. Aronson	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Arthur B. Rubinstein		(1 episode, 1989)
Nicholas Pike		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Frank Prinzi		(1 episode, 1989)
Álex Phillips Jr.		(unknown episodes)
Bernard Salzmann		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Arthur W. Forney		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Casting by
Lynn Kressel		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Production Design by
Gary Weist		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Art Direction by
Linda Conaway-Parsloe		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Set Decoration by
Sonja Roth		(5 episodes, 1989)

Series Costume Design by
Rita Ryack		(1 episode, 1989)

Series Makeup Department
Ron Abrams	....	key hair stylist (1 episode, 1989)
Gigi Coker	....	key makeup artist (1 episode, 1989)

Series Production Management
Mary Kane	....	unit production manager (1 episode, 1989)
Angelica De Leon	....	production manager (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lewis Gould	....	first assistant director (1 episode, 1989)
Gina Randazzo	....	second assistant director (1 episode, 1989)
Ellen H. Schwartz	....	second assistant director (1 episode, 1989)
Sebastián Silva	....	first assistant director: Mexico (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Eric Matheson	....	carpenter (4 episodes, 1989)

Series Sound Department
Danny Michael	....	sound mixer (1 episode, 1989)
Anthony Starbuck	....	boom operator (1 episode, 1989)
Dave Weathers	....	sound editor (1 episode, 1989)

Series Special Effects by
Randy E. Moore	....	special effects coordinator (1 episode, 1989)
Matt Vogel	....	special effects (1 episode, 1989)

Series Stunts
Bob Crain	....	stunt driver (1 episode, 1989)
Eric Mansker	....	stunt coordinator / stunts (unknown episodes)
Sherry Peterson	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Quinlivan	....	grip (5 episodes, 1989)
Scott Williams	....	electrician / best boy (3 episodes, 1989)
Gregory Paul Collier	....	second assistant camera (2 episodes, 1989)
Layton Blaylock	....	director of photography: second unit (unknown episodes)
Jeff Graham	....	second assistant camera (unknown episodes)
Henner Hofmann	....	director of photography: second unit (unknown episodes)
John Sheeren	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Miriam Wong Tsao	....	assistant wardrobe (1 episode, 1989)

Series Music Department
Dino A. Moriana	....	music editor (1 episode, 1989)
Mike Post	....	composer: title theme (1 episode, 1989)
Stephen James Taylor	....	composer: main title theme (1 episode, 1989)
Greg Townley	....	scoring mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Karen Blythe	....	assistant to executive producer (1 episode, 1989)
Regina McLeod	....	production assistant (1 episode, 1989)
Robin Squibb	....	script supervisor (1 episode, 1989)
Emilia Arau	....	production coordinator (unknown episodes)
Anne Carr	....	set medic (unknown episodes)
Ricardo Del Río	....	coordinator: V. Escriva & Associates (unknown episodes)
Peter Pastorelli	....	location manager (unknown episodes)
M. Ross-Michaels	....	assistant accountant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Universal TV
• Wolf Films

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1989) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Also Known As:

"By the Rivers of Babylon" (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Only five episodes aired, between February and September 1989.

Proof positive of what the entertainment industry wants...

...and what they want is the same thing this country's politicians want - people who aren't interested in the world around them and will just accept what's shoved at them. Gideon Oliver was not just smart, it was intelligent. I'd been somewhat familiar with Aaron Elkins' work when this series debuted, and the biggest surprise I had was seeing Professor Oliver played by Louis Gossett, Jr. It's not that this was a problem, it's just that his ethnic background had never been a part of the books (at least the couple I had read), so I had never thought of picturing him as Black. Mr. Gossett played his part admirably and with flair, but the best part of this series was the fact that it engaged the viewer intellectually, not just as a piece of mindless entertainment. That's why it failed: it encouraged viewers to think and there was even the shocking possibility that something interesting and worthwhile could actually be learned from it - Egad, what a horrifying notion! Fortunately, at least one episode, the two-part "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver", shows up on cable as a movie from time to time.