Bret Maverick: The Lazy Ace
Bret Maverick: The Lazy Ace is a 1981 American Western television film released as the 2-hour pilot episode of the series Bret Maverick, trimmed to a quicker pace and repackaged as a TV-movie for rerunning on local television stations. The 1981 show was based on the 1957 series Maverick, catching up with professional poker-player Bret Maverick (James Garner). The film, written by Gordon T. Dawson and directed by Stuart Margolin, occasionally appears under the simpler title Bret Maverick.
| Bret Maverick: The Lazy Ace | |
|---|---|
 James Garner as Maverick | |
| Genre |
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| Written by | Gordon T. Dawson |
| Directed by | Stuart Margolin |
| Starring | James Garner |
| Music by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Meta Rosenberg |
| Producers |
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| Production locations |
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| Cinematography | Andrew Jackson |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | December 1, 1981 |
The real pilot, however, of both this series and the preceding CBS show Young Maverick, could be said to be the 1979 TV-movie The New Maverick, which featured both Garner as Bret and Jack Kelly as his brother Bart.
Cast
- James Garner as Bret Maverick
- Ed Bruce as Sheriff Tom Guthrie
- Ramon Bieri as Elijah Crow
- Richard Hamilton as Cy Whittaker
- John Shearin as Sheriff Mitchel Dowd
- David Knell as Rodney Catlow
- Darleen Carr as Mary Lou Springer
- Janis Paige as Mandy Packer
- Bill McKinney as Ramsey Bass
- John McLiam as Doc Holliday, Card Player
- Stuart Margolin as Philo Sandeen
- Billy Kerr as Blue-Eyed Kid, Gunfighter
- Jack Garner as Jack, Red Ox Bartender
- Luis Delgado as Shifty Delgado
- Ed Bakey as Lyman Nickerson, Card Player
- Bill Cross as Dembro
- Richard Moll as Sloate
- Chuck Mitchell as Joe Dakota, Card Player
- Duane R. Campbell as Lucas, town drunk
- Ivan J. Rado as Wolfgang Mieter, Miner who tunneled into Bank
- David H. Banks as Delta Fox, Card Player
- Tommy Bush as Deputy Sturgess
- Ruth Estler as Townswoman
- Norman Merrill Jr. as Bank Teller
- Al Berry as Townsman
- Kirk Cameron as Boy #1
- Max Martini as Boy #2 (billed as Max Martin)
Plot
Bret Maverick wins a saloon in a poker game and decides to end his roving ways and settle down in Sweetwater, Arizona. He takes on as a partner the former sheriff who comes with a shady background.
External links
- James Garner Interview, 3/26/2002 on the Charlie Rose Show
- James Garner interview at Archive of American Television - (c/o Google Video) - March 17, 1999
- Bret Maverick: The Lazy Ace at IMDb