Episode forty two of Sledgecast looks back on the series, its highs and lows, triumphs and disasters. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider how the show has aged, answer questions submitted by the listeners and cast their eyes forward to future endeavours.

If you have thoughts on Sledgecast please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

The post Episode 42 – Trust Us, We Know What We’re Doing! appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The forty-first episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Here’s To You, Mrs Hammer and was the nineteenth and final episode of the show’s second season. Sledge suffers an emotional blow as his best friend from High School prepares to marry the former Mrs Hammer. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at some soul searching for Hammer and a dramatic conclusion to the series.

During an interrogation, Hammer is surprised when a suspect’s lawyer turns out to be his old friend Scott Grable (Michael Kaufman) who turns out to be a formidable legal opponent. The pair become reacquainted and spend some time together looking back on the old days.

A dramatic twist follows when it transpires Grable is engaged to be married to Sledge’s ex-wife, Susan Hilton (Heather Lupton, married to David Rasche in real life!). This prompts some serious soul-searching for Hammer and, ultimately, a significant emotional development. Christopher Jackson also appears as Grable’s client.

The episode was directed by Bill Bixby in the last of his eight episodes, with writing credits going to long-time contributors Mert Rich and Brian Pollack.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Here’s To You, Mrs Hammer please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Here’s To You, Mrs Hammer was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Here’s To You, Mrs Hammer | Episode 41 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The fortieth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled It Happened What Night? and was the eighteenth episode of the show’s second season and the penultimate show of the run. Sledge and Dori are seconded to the Narcotics team to help bust a big drug deal. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a forgotten evening.

When an old friend of Trunk’s, Roy Talbot (Stanley Brock), arrives at the precinct to request the assistance of Sledge and Dori in completing one last operation ahead of his retirement the Captain is happy to help out.

Hammer and Doreau pose as newlyweds and occupy the bridal suite next door to the anticipated bust, cuddling through a hole in the wall. When a pushy bellboy starts them off on a bottle of champagne the duo’s composure starts to slip and they are discovered passed out in bed after the operation has gone badly wrong. A disciplinary hearing stats and looks bad for both officers, until Roy Talbot Jr (Mike Pniewski) shows up with some dramatic evidence.

Monte Landis as an eccentric hotel manager and Sandy Kenyon as the disciplinary hearing chairman, provide entertaining cameos.

The episode was directed by Bill Bixby in the seventh of his eight episodes, with a script by Mark Curtiss and Rod Ash, the last of their five collaborations for the show.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of It Happened What Night? please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

It Happened What Night? was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

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The thirty ninth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled The Secret of My Excess and was the seventeenth episode of the show’s second season. Sledge is assigned a top secret mission by Governor La Chatte. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a great backwards thinking man.

Sledge is assigned a covert mission by James Karen‘s Fritz La Chatte, the Californian Governor, whose little girl has left him. Assuming the Governor is referring to his daughter, Hammer works diligently to locate her without raising suspicions at work. Dori is a bit more alert than he thinks though and is soon on his case.

After interrogating Joey the Slug (Mark Blankfield) and making a nuisance of himself at Big Mabel’s (Marianne Muellerleile) bar, Sledge tracks down the girl he’s looking for – Angel (Mary Otis – we think this is the same Mary Otis. Please correct us if you know better!). Hammer and Doreau deliver the girl to La Chatte in the middle of a fundraiser, causing some consternation as his wife (Anna Marlowe) reveals he has no daughter. Ernie Sabella (Al Fresco, a sleazy motel manager) and Mark Holton, as the Governor’s resourceful aide, also appear.

The episode was directed by Dick Martin in the last of his three episodes, with Alicia Marie Schudt penning her only Sledge Hammer! script.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of The Secret of My Excess please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

The Secret of My Excess was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post The Secret of My Excess | Episode 39 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty eighth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came? and was the sixteenth episode of the show’s second season. After an executive is killed during a paintballing excursion, Sledge and Dori must figure out which of his colleagues pulled the trigger. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at Doreau’s growing frustration.

When Edmund Bryce (cook-actor-on-stage-dead-at-58.html">Roderick Cook), a major company executive, is shot dead by live bullets at a paintballing course suspicion falls on his former colleagues. The initial evidence points towards Arvin Swenson (Anthony De Longis), but additional information brings both Nakamichi (Glen Chin) and Durward Monroe (John Paragon) into the picture.

While Sledge manages to obtain an invitation to the next paintballing trip, Dori ponders whether all three might have been working together – an idea so abhorrent that Captain Trunk is taken aback. Out on the course Hammer comes face to face with the killer, office secretary Tina Clanton (earth.kml+xml&format=kml&wrap=no">Lisa Robins) – Bryce’s scorned ex-lover – and a showdown ensues.

The episode was directed by Dick Martin in the second of his three episodes, while Chris Ruppenthal penned his last of four stories for the show.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came? please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came? was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came? | Episode 38 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty seventh episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Sledge, Rattle and Roll and was the fifteenth episode of the show’s second season. When a rock star is killed, his bandmates die in a plane crash and their producer is knifed at his desk, Sledge must overcome his loathing of rock music to investigate the case. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at the consequences of treating people badly.

The murder of a punk rock star, Rak Vulture (Dana Williams), leads Dori and Sledge into an investigation mired in the murky world of the music industry. Rusty’s erstwhile bandmates Rocket, Buzzy and Zippy (Page Mosely, alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Lee_Arenberg">Lee Arenberg and B.J. Barie respectively) deny involvement and set off, while their put-upon roadie Rusty (Tommy Swerdlow) is left to bear the brunt of their ‘edgy’ behaviour.

Manager Jerry Vicuna (Davy Jones of the Monkees) offers Hammer and Doreau little of substance to progress the case, but when the band is killed in a plane crash further enquiries are required. Vicuna’s own death leads our dynamic duo to Rusty, who turns out to be Rak’s more talented and less remunerated brother, who has been working hard to gain a measure of revenge on those who have wronged him.

The episode was directed by Bill Bixby (the sixth of his eight episodes behind the camera), while regular contributors Mert Rich and Brian Pollack provided the writing in their penultimate episode of the show.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Sledge, Rattle and Roll please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Sledge, Rattle and Roll was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Sledge, Rattle and Roll | Episode 37 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty sixth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Model Dearest and was the fourteenth episode of the show’s second season. Dori goes undercover without authorisation to try and infiltrate a human trafficking operation. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at one of the worst attempts at tail covering in television history.

When Sledge hears noises in his hallway his enquiries reveal that his neighbour is missing following an assignment at a local modelling agency and her cousin, Sally (Jill Jacobson), has come to town looking for her. His clumsy efforts to gather additional information lead to a ruined photoshoot, drawing the ire of photographer Don Merrill (brion-james-1113971.html">Brion James) and the owner of the agency, Jessica Hayden (Deborah Wakeham).

Dori takes a unilateral decision to go undercover at the agency where she is almost exposed by an unwitting Sledge (who has stopped by to apologise to Jessica for his earlier indiscretions). The investigation is assisted, however, in an unlikely way when Hammer’s landlady Miss Davies (Nancy Parker) describes a plumber who was lurking around at the exact time Sally is badly hurt at her cousin’s apartment and Sledge identifies the man as Merrill. Both Hammer and Doreau discover that the agency is selling women to foreign dignitaries, but Dori isn’t about to let herself become the property of a mysterious Sheikh (Mort Sertner) and fights her way clear, just as Sledge reveals himself undercover as a member of the Sheikh’s security team.

The episode was directed by Dick Martin (the first of his three episodes behind the camera) working with a script by returning writers David Ketchum and Tony DiMarco (their last of four collaborations for the show).

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Model Dearest please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Model Dearest was released in 1988. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Model Dearest | Episode 36 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty fifth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled They Call Me Mr. Trunk and was the thirteenth episode of the show’s second season. When Sledge brings a suspect infected by a biological weapon in to the precinct it looks like the time has come to say goodbye. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at Captain Trunk’s moment in the spotlight.

After a late-night break-in at a secure military facility Colonel Poltz (alpha.wikia.com/wiki/William_Smithers">William Smithers) contacts Captain Trunk to warn him about the intruder, Richard Sirod (alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Christopher_Doyle">Christopher Doyle). Trunk in turn brings Hammer and Doreau on to the case with strict instructions not to touch the suspect if they see him.

When Sledge decides he knows better and brings the soon-to-be-deceased Sirod into the precinct, the military initiates a lock-down that will result in the inevitable deaths of all those left inside. Besides Trunk, Hammer, Doreau, Daly and Majoy the group includes a fake Doctor and Nurse (Norman Fell and Dallas Cole), while there are also appearances for Greg Travis (as Roger, an attorney), Edy Williams (as a girl in a hallucination) and op.org/wp3/about-us/about-us-members/diane-sainte-marie/">Diane Sainte-Marie as a TV newsreader.

The episode was directed by Seymour Robbie (his only Sledge contribution) from a script by Mark Curtiss and Rod Ash, familiar names both.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of They Call Me Mr. Trunk please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

They Call Me Mr. Trunk was released in 1987. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post They Call Me Mr. Trunk | Episode 35 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty fourth episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Ice Breaker and was the twelfth episode of the show’s second season. An Interpol agent requests help securing a venue for the visit of a prominent archbishop. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at Sledge’s ability to stand and deliver.

During a meeting with Captain Trunk Interpol agent Lionel Dasham (ant.com/">Adam Ant) is assigned Sledge and Dori to assist in the security preparations being undertaken at a local venue ahead of a visit from the Archbishop (Gene LeBell). Sledge is quickly dropped from the team and begins looking at a new case involving a dead body. When coroner Norman Blates (Kurt Paul) confirms the body is the real Lionel Dasham he realises Dori, who has started to fall for Dasham, and the Archbishop are in danger.

Teaming with Trunk to find and eliminate the threat posed by Dasham, Sledge finds Dori, who had been momentarily incapacitated by the villain after discovering his true identity. The case has become personal for her, so she pursues the fake agent while Hammer looks to protect the Archbishop (joined on stage by a local clergyman played by Fritz Feld). That proves a more physically challenging task than Sledge might have anticipated.

The episode was directed by Bill Bixby, his fifth of eight Sledge Hammer! episodes and was written by Mark Curtiss and Rod Ash (their third of five Sledge scripts), from a story by Chris Ruppenthal – his third of four contributions to the show – who would go on to write ten Quantum Leap episodes and two for The X-Files.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Ice Breaker, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Ice Breaker was released in 1987. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Ice Breaker | Episode 34 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.

The thirty third episode of Sledge Hammer was titled Sledge in Toyland and was the eleventh episode of the show’s second season. When two people are killed by kids’ toys armed with real ammunition Sledge and Dori track the perpetrator down to a local toy factory. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a painstaking investigation featuring multiple suspects and a group of giant humanoid rabbits.

When first Ronan O’Casey‘s Milo Tieup, a wealthy toy factory owner, and next his mistress Felicia Gilmore (Eli Marder) are killed by specially adapted Tieup toys, Sledge and Dori try to narrow down the potential suspects. Tieup’s widow Inez (Michele Marsh) and her lover Harold Bell (David Clennon), a designer in the Tieup toy empire, fall under early suspicion, but their alibis seem to absolve them.

Ultimately it is rival toymaker Claude Goldfunger (Michael Ensign) who bears responsibility for the murders, but after confessing he opts to try and take down Hammer and Doreau rather than come quietly, with predictable results.

The episode was directed by Gary Walkow, his last of three Sledge Hammer! episodes and was written by a familiar duo, Brian Pollack and Mert Rich, the eighth of their ten shows for the series.

If you have thoughts on any aspect of Sledge in Toyland, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @sledgecast.

Sledgecast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.

Sledge in Toyland was released in 1987. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is available on the Sledge Hammer DVD box set from Laser Paradise (German/English language) in Region 2 and from Image Entertainment in Region 1 (USA).

The post Sledge in Toyland | Episode 33 appeared first on Sledge Hammer! Podcast.