Hearing it was Donald Bellisario’s birthday today, offers a great opportunity to shine a light not only on someone whose work had a great influence on me as a viewer, but also as a writer.
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Donald P. Bellisario was the man behind shows such as "Magnum, P.I.", "Airwolf" and "Quantum Leap". Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0069074/ (May be subject to copyright) |
Donald Bellisario served in the Marine Corps in the 1950s and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. He moved into advertising as a copywriter then creative director, then directed TV commercials. He then capitalized on his business experience to go to work as an executive at Universal Studios.
He would soon get into television production. Bellisario wrote for shows such as “Kojak”, and “Delvecchio”, starring Judd Hirsch. On “Delvecchio”, Bellisario began his association with Glen A. Larson. Bellisario then wrote for “Switch”, a show produced by Larson that starred Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert as an ex-con and an ex-cop who start a detective agency. I loved that show, which aired on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial.
Bellisario would later collaborate with Larson on “Battlestar Galactica”, another one of my favourite shows. It was a science fiction drama about a group of humans, the survivors of a mass genocide at the hands of an android race, wandering space in search of a shining planet known as Earth.
Bellisario was also heavily influence by Stephen J. Cannell, one of my all-time favourite television writers and producers. I recall seeing Bellisario’s name on a writing credit with “The Rockford Files”, which was one of my favourite shows. He also collaborated with Cannell on “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, which became “Black “Sheep Squadron”. It starred Robert Conrad as pilot Greg “Pappy” Boyington during the Second World War. Bellisario and Cannell also collaborated on “Stone”, starring Dennis Weaver about a cop turned mystery writer.
Then it was time to strike out on his own.
Belisarius
He created his own production company called “Belisarius”, which was a play on his own name. It is named after the legendary Roman general Belisarius, and is an Italian language variant of Bellisario. Belisarius had a distinctive closing credit of the word being etched into stone as dust blows away.
He created his own production company called “Belisarius”, which was a play on his own name. It is named after the legendary Roman general Belisarius, and is an Italian language variant of Bellisario. Belisarius had a distinctive closing credit of the word being etched into stone as dust blows away.
Magnum P.I.
In 1980, Donald Belliasrio would change television forever when he collaborated with Glen A. Larson to launch “Magnum P.I.”. It was a drama with Tom Selleck, then relatively unknown, playing the title character Thomas Sullivan Magnum. He was a Vietnam veteran who was a private detective and director of security for a mansion owned by Robin Masters, a mysterious writer. He lived free on the estate, much to the chagrin of its major domo Jonathan Quayle Higgins, played by John Hillerman, who was also a military veteran of the British army. Magnum had two best friends, Theodore Calvin, or T.C., played by Roger E. Moseley, and Orville “Rick” Wright, played by Larry Manetti, who had served with him in Vietnam. Rick co-owned a bar with Robin Masters, while T.C. ran a helicopter charter. The three were like brothers, which meant they did not always get along, especially when Magnum liberally used both on cases he was working on.
In 1980, Donald Belliasrio would change television forever when he collaborated with Glen A. Larson to launch “Magnum P.I.”. It was a drama with Tom Selleck, then relatively unknown, playing the title character Thomas Sullivan Magnum. He was a Vietnam veteran who was a private detective and director of security for a mansion owned by Robin Masters, a mysterious writer. He lived free on the estate, much to the chagrin of its major domo Jonathan Quayle Higgins, played by John Hillerman, who was also a military veteran of the British army. Magnum had two best friends, Theodore Calvin, or T.C., played by Roger E. Moseley, and Orville “Rick” Wright, played by Larry Manetti, who had served with him in Vietnam. Rick co-owned a bar with Robin Masters, while T.C. ran a helicopter charter. The three were like brothers, which meant they did not always get along, especially when Magnum liberally used both on cases he was working on.
It was an amazing show that mixed humour with intense drama and intrigue. It ran from 1980 to 1988 for eight seasons and 162 episodes.
Tales of the Gold Monkey
In 1982, Bellisario launched a new series that critics said would be a sure hit. “Tales of the Gold Monkey” starred Stephen Collins, long before “Seventh Heaven”, as Jake Cutter, a pilot who ran an air cargo delivery service, in the South Pacific in 1938, with a plane called “Cutter’s Goose”.
In 1982, Bellisario launched a new series that critics said would be a sure hit. “Tales of the Gold Monkey” starred Stephen Collins, long before “Seventh Heaven”, as Jake Cutter, a pilot who ran an air cargo delivery service, in the South Pacific in 1938, with a plane called “Cutter’s Goose”.
It was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” which had come out the year before.
“Tales of the Gold Monkey” aired on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial. I watched the pilot, and the next couple episodes, but something else caught my interest after that.
That must have been the case for a lot of other people. “Tales of the Gold Monkey” ran one season from 1982 to 1983, for a total of 22 episodes.
When my Mom, sister and I went on a bus tour to the States during the Easter break of 1983, we toured Universal Studios. Our tour guide pointed out “Cutter’s Goose”, half under a tarp, moored to a dock not far from our bus.
Airwolf
Bellisario had more luck with his next venture, “Airwolf”, which debuted in 1984 with a captivating television movie. It tells the story of Stringfellow Hawke, played by Jan-Michael Vincent, a helicopter pilot who learned to fly in Vietnam. A high-tech helicopter called “Airwolf” has been developed by a shadowy organization called The Firm, but its creator goes rogue, takes the plane and massacres everyone in sight. He then hires himself out as a mercenary utilizing “Airwolf” to wreak havoc wherever he is called upon. Hawke is the only other man who can fly “Airwolf”, so The Firm forces him to recover the chopper. Hawke does, but he also holds on to it. His brother St. John, disappeared in Vietnam, and Hawke wants to find him. Consequently, he holds onto “Airwolf” until he gets information on his brother's whereabouts, and whether he is even still alive. His co-pilot is Dominic Santini, played by Ernest Borgnine, who owns a helicopter service and acts as Hawke’s co-pilot on “Airwolf”.
Bellisario had more luck with his next venture, “Airwolf”, which debuted in 1984 with a captivating television movie. It tells the story of Stringfellow Hawke, played by Jan-Michael Vincent, a helicopter pilot who learned to fly in Vietnam. A high-tech helicopter called “Airwolf” has been developed by a shadowy organization called The Firm, but its creator goes rogue, takes the plane and massacres everyone in sight. He then hires himself out as a mercenary utilizing “Airwolf” to wreak havoc wherever he is called upon. Hawke is the only other man who can fly “Airwolf”, so The Firm forces him to recover the chopper. Hawke does, but he also holds on to it. His brother St. John, disappeared in Vietnam, and Hawke wants to find him. Consequently, he holds onto “Airwolf” until he gets information on his brother's whereabouts, and whether he is even still alive. His co-pilot is Dominic Santini, played by Ernest Borgnine, who owns a helicopter service and acts as Hawke’s co-pilot on “Airwolf”.
It was a great show that aired on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial. It was also another show I really liked, until something else caught my interest.
“Airwolf” ran from January of 1984 to March of 1986, for three seasons and a total of 56 episodes.
Quantum Leap
A year after “Magnum P.I.” ended, Donald Bellisario was back in 1989 with “Quantum Leap”, a time travelling drama starring Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett, and Dean Stockwell as his sidekick Al. Sam is a scientist who develops the Quantum Leap accelerator then steps into it, hurtling through time. He has lost much of his memory about his life before, so he is guided by Al, who is a hologram. Sam “leaps” into the bodies of existing people and must right something that has gone wrong in history. Incidentally, the leaps only cover the span of Sam’s life.
A year after “Magnum P.I.” ended, Donald Bellisario was back in 1989 with “Quantum Leap”, a time travelling drama starring Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett, and Dean Stockwell as his sidekick Al. Sam is a scientist who develops the Quantum Leap accelerator then steps into it, hurtling through time. He has lost much of his memory about his life before, so he is guided by Al, who is a hologram. Sam “leaps” into the bodies of existing people and must right something that has gone wrong in history. Incidentally, the leaps only cover the span of Sam’s life.
“Quantum Leap”, which aired on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial, was a show I really got into and, like “Magnum P.I.” and “Airwolf”, I own all the seasons on DVD.
It ran for five seasons, from 1989 to 1993, for a total of 97 episodes.
The years after
Bellisario also produced his only film “Last Rites” in 1988, and kept on working. In 1992 he created “Tequila and Binetti”, starring Jack Scalia, about a cop and his dog. It lasted 12 episodes, with only 10 airing.
Bellisario also produced his only film “Last Rites” in 1988, and kept on working. In 1992 he created “Tequila and Binetti”, starring Jack Scalia, about a cop and his dog. It lasted 12 episodes, with only 10 airing.
He also did “JAG” starring Canadian David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb and Catherine Bell as Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie, lawyers in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General. “JAG” ran from 1995 to 2005 for 10 seasons and 227 episodes. Bellisario also launched a spinoff called “NCIS”, starring Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, leader of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It debuted in 2003 and runs to this day at 21 seasons and 467 episodes and counting. Bellisario retired in 2007, and Harmon left the show after the 19th season.
Bellisario launched one other show, “First Monday”, in 2002 about the Supreme Court, but it lasted just 13 episodes, starring James Garner and Joe Montegna.
His most recent work was producing the “Quantum Leap” reboot from 2022 to 2024.
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.
Familiar faces
One of the really cool things I noticed about Bellisario’s productions was he used the same actors in show after show. Some of those were Marta DuBois and Jeff MacKay in “Magnum P.I.” and “Tales of the Gold Monkey”; Roddy McDowall in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Quantum Leap”; John Calvin in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Airwolf”; and Jean Bruce Scott in “Magnum P.I.” and “Airwolf”.
One of the really cool things I noticed about Bellisario’s productions was he used the same actors in show after show. Some of those were Marta DuBois and Jeff MacKay in “Magnum P.I.” and “Tales of the Gold Monkey”; Roddy McDowall in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Quantum Leap”; John Calvin in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Airwolf”; and Jean Bruce Scott in “Magnum P.I.” and “Airwolf”.
Parting thoughts
What always impressed me about Donald Bellisario was the way he brought light to the military, and especially the Vietnam War. So many of his characters such as Thomas Magnum and Stringfellow Hawke served in Vietnam, or like Jake Cutter and Al Calavicci who served in the military. Rabb and Gibbs are self-explanatory.
What always impressed me about Donald Bellisario was the way he brought light to the military, and especially the Vietnam War. So many of his characters such as Thomas Magnum and Stringfellow Hawke served in Vietnam, or like Jake Cutter and Al Calavicci who served in the military. Rabb and Gibbs are self-explanatory.
What I always liked was that he had this stable of actors, and he was not afraid to branch out. I admired the fact he built his own company and had so many projects on the go at once, although critics said that divided attention lowered the quality of his shows.
I remember “TV Guide” did a series on TV moguls. They highlighted all these creative minds who putout all these great shows.
They looked at Aaron Spelling, Glen A. Larson, Stephen J. Cannell and – Donald P. Bellisario.
What else can you say?
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