"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's first television series, "The Lieutenant," is now available on DVD for the first time. The series stars Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey) as Second Lieutenant William T. Rice (the "T" stands for Tiberius), of the United States Marine Corps, and Robert Vaughn, as his superior officer, Captain Raymond Rambridge. The complete first and only season of the series consists of 29 episodes that originally aired during the 1963 and 1964 television season. While most series take time to establish themselves, "The Lieutenant" starts off very strong, with four outstanding episodes, including "A Million Miles From Clary," guest starring Bill Bixby ("The Incredible Hulk"), and "The Proud and the Angry," guest starring Rip Torn. Both episodes test the mettle of Lieutenant Rice, who is torn between doing a favor for an old friend, while possibly hurting his platoon, in the former, and then goes undercover as a Private to establish whether or not a Sergeant is using brutality to keep his troops in check, in the latter.
Gary Lockwood delivers realistic and often passionate performances as Lieutenant Rice, as he is constantly challenged by Captain Rambridge, who understands that Rice is a great officer and expects him to rise to any challenge. For instance, in the episode "Fall From A White Horse," Rice is tasked with defending a fellow officer who has been accused of hit and run, even though Rice has never tried a case before. Rice believes that his client deserves better representation, but Captain Rambridge refuses his request to step down. In another episode, "O'Rourke," guest starring Eddie Albert ("Green Acres"), Rice must entertain a former Marine, who is now a writer and is determined to prove that the Marine Corps is not as effective or as strong as it used to be. Their personalities clash, which prompts Rice to ask Rambridge to assign O'Rourke to another officer, but Rambridge refuses, showing once again that he has faith in Rice to work it out.
While most episodes portray Rambridge as tough as nails, Robert Vaughn has an opportunity to show the Captain's softer side in "The Alien," which centers around a Korean orphan who Rambridge and his ex-wife planned on adopting. When the child finally arrives, Rambridge is taken aback and is not sure he can act as a single parent. Likewise, Lieutenant Rice is faced with a personal dilemma when he has to assist the family of a fallen soldier who died as a result of a careless accident while under his authority. Gary Lockwood delivers great work in the episode, entitled "Gone the Sun."
Fans of classic television will likely enjoy "The Lieutenant." The series has the distinctive look of a classic television show, complete with a catchy theme song, and each episode is filmed in black and white. In addition, many familiar guest stars populate the landscape of any given episode, including Katherine Ross ("The Colbys"), Frank Maxwell ("General Hospital"), Ed Asner ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Kathryn Hays ("As the World Turns"), Harold Gould ("The Golden Girls"), Richard Anderson ("The Six Million Dollar Man"), Linda Evans ("Dynasty"), and "Star Trek" alumni Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig. Viewers familiar with Gene Roddenberry will be pleased to learn that he incorporates social issues into several episodes, including race, the role of women in the military, and the growing concerns of a war in Vietnam. "The Lieutenant" features solid performances and consistently good writing which make it a must see retro treat.
"The Lieutenant: The Complete Series," parts 1 and 2, is now available from the Warner Archive. For additional information, go here.
Watch a clip here.
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