Father Murphy
Encyclopedia
Father Murphy is an American
television drama series that aired on the NBC
network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon
created the series, was the executive producer, and also directed the show in partnership with William F. Claxton, Maury Dexter, Victor French
and Leo Penn
.
It starred former NFL Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle football player and Little House on the Prairie
actor Merlin Olsen
as an 1870s frontiersman named John Michael Murphy who teams up with prospector Moses Gage (Moses Gunn) to shelter a group of orphans who are being threatened with a workhouse
. Murphy disguises himself as a priest and befriends a schoolmarm to help the children find a home. At the end of the first season, his true identity is revealed to the head of the workhouse, and the orphans seem destined to a life of labor. Instead, Murphy marries the schoolmarm and they get custody of the children.
Many of the episodes were filmed at the Old Tucson Studios
and theme park just outside of Tucson, Arizona
. The main village from the show, however, was located at the Big Sky Movie Ranch
in Simi Valley
, California (the filming location for the famed television series Little House on the Prairie). The village was located approximately 200 yards up the hill from the Ingall's farm.
The show is an NBC production and syndicated worldwide by Sony Pictures Television
. However, Sony does not own the video rights, as indicated below.
Notable guest appearances on the series included: Shannen Doherty
, Kellie Martin
, John M. Pickard
, Eddie Quillan
, Christina Applegate
, Amanda Peterson
, Donna Wilkes
, and James Cromwell
.
(under license from NBC Studios) released both seasons of Father Murphy on DVD in Region 1 in 2004/2005. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television drama series that aired on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon
Michael Landon
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
created the series, was the executive producer, and also directed the show in partnership with William F. Claxton, Maury Dexter, Victor French
Victor French
Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,...
and Leo Penn
Leo Penn
Leo Z. Penn was an American actor and director, and father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn.-Early life:...
.
It starred former NFL Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle football player and Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
actor Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
as an 1870s frontiersman named John Michael Murphy who teams up with prospector Moses Gage (Moses Gunn) to shelter a group of orphans who are being threatened with a workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
. Murphy disguises himself as a priest and befriends a schoolmarm to help the children find a home. At the end of the first season, his true identity is revealed to the head of the workhouse, and the orphans seem destined to a life of labor. Instead, Murphy marries the schoolmarm and they get custody of the children.
Old Tucson Studios
Old Tucson Studios is a movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, it has been used for the filming of several movies and television westerns since then,...
and theme park just outside of Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. The main village from the show, however, was located at the Big Sky Movie Ranch
Big Sky Ranch
Big Sky Ranch is a movie ranch located in Simi Valley, California. It has been widely used for the filming of Western television and film productions....
in Simi Valley
Simi Valley
Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...
, California (the filming location for the famed television series Little House on the Prairie). The village was located approximately 200 yards up the hill from the Ingall's farm.
The show is an NBC production and syndicated worldwide by Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
. However, Sony does not own the video rights, as indicated below.
Cast
- Merlin OlsenMerlin OlsenMerlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
as John Michael Murphy - Katherine CannonKatherine CannonKatherine Cannon is an American actress.She is best known for playing Donna Martin's stuck-up, racist, and cheating mother, Felice Martin, on the long-running teen series, Beverly Hills, 90210....
as Mae Woodward - Timothy GibbsTimothy GibbsTimothy Gibbs is an American actor who has starred in films, such as 11-11-11 as Joseph Crone, The Kings of Brooklyn as Maximilian Sentor and television programs, such as Sex and the City as Detective Stevens....
as Will Adams - Moses Gunn as Moses Gage
- Scott Mellini as Ephram Winkler
- Lisa TruselLisa TruselLisa Trusel is an American actress. She is known for her role as Melissa Horton on Days of Our Lives .-Personal life:She married a Days co-star David Wallace in 1987...
as Lizette Winkler - Kirk Brennan as David Sims
- Byron ThamesByron ThamesByron Thames is an American television and film actor and musician.-Career:Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he relocated shortly after his birth to New Orleans, Louisiana, he moved to Hollywood, California with his mother at age eight to pursue a career as an actor.After meeting actor/director...
as Matt Sims
Notable guest appearances on the series included: Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
, Kellie Martin
Kellie Martin
Kellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
, John M. Pickard
John Pickard (American actor)
John M. Pickard was an American actor who appeared primarily in television Westerns.-Early life and career:...
, Eddie Quillan
Eddie Quillan
Edward "Eddie" Quillan was an American film actor whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s.-Vaudeville and silent films:...
, Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
, Amanda Peterson
Amanda Peterson
Amanda Peterson is an American actress. Peterson gained fame during the late 1980s when she portrayed Cindy Mancini, a Tucson, Arizona high-school student, in the movie Can't Buy Me Love.-Career:...
, Donna Wilkes
Donna Wilkes
Donna Wilkes is an American film actress known for her roles in several films, most notably the starring role in 1984's Angel, which became a cult classic. She has also appeared in several television programs such as Father Murphy and the soap opera Days of our Lives...
, and James Cromwell
James Cromwell
James Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
.
DVD releases
Image EntertainmentImage Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
(under license from NBC Studios) released both seasons of Father Murphy on DVD in Region 1 in 2004/2005. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | October 26, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 25, 2005 |
Season 1 (1981-1982)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
Season 2 (1982-1983)
| # | # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|