On the Rocks (partially found ABC sitcom; 1975-1976)
The cast on the set of On the Rocks.
Status: Partially Found
On the Rocks was an American sitcom that was centred around the inmates of Alomesa Minimum Security prison. The show was broadcast on ABC from September 11th, 1975, to May 17th, 1976, and was a remake of the popular British sitcom Porridge.
Plot
The show takes place in the Alomesa Minimum Security Prison and focuses on the various inmates of the prison, and the numerous antics that take place while they are there. The show's main setting was usually the cellblock containing prisoners Hector Fuentes, Lester DeMott, and Nicky Palik, with each of the three usually having some involvement in the plot of the episode.
Cast
- Rick Hurst as Cleaver
- Jose Perez as Hector Fuentes
- Bobby Sandler as Nicky Palik
- Hal Williams as Lester DeMott
- Tom Poston as Mr. Sullivan
- Mel Stewart as Mr. Gibson
- Pat Cranshaw as Gabby
- Jack Grimes as Baxter
- Logan Ramsey as Warden Wilbur Poindexter
- Sorrell Booke as Judge
- Richard Stahl as Doctor
- Geno Silva as Joey
- Joseph Stern as Bernard
- Dee Timberlake as Angie
- Wayne Dvorak as Chuck
- Janie Brandon as Marion
- Ann Noland as Belinda
- Sharon Ullrick as Rose
- Vic Tayback as Big Max
- Ray Sharkey as Opie
- Buddy Arett as Inmate
- Anne Morgan Guilbert as Mrs. Palik
- Maria Grimm as Maria
- Dee Timberlake as Angie
- Ron Feinberg as Moose
- James Gleason as Skinner
- Karen Ciral as Nurse
- Richard Stahl as Doctor
- Rita Moreno
- Yvonne Wilder
- Hamilton Camp
- Jane Dulo
- Britt Leach
- Roy Stuart
- Paul Smith
- Louis Quinn
- Joe Medalis[1]
Availability
Twenty-four episodes of On the Rocks would be produced and aired between 1975 and 1976, four of which have currently been uploaded online. Alongside these, various promos from the series have also surfaced that contain footage from the episodes "To Catch a Thief" and "Peace and Quiet" among others. Copies of various other episodes are known to exist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the Paley Center for Media, but these copies have not yet been made publicly viewable.
An unofficial DVD of the series would later be made available for purchase on the website Rewatch Classic TV, which contained recordings of the episodes "Old Fish, New Fish", "The Wagers of Sin", "Dear John", and "The High and the Mighty: Part 1".[2] This DVD would later be purchased by Lost Media Wiki user GrigioGuy, who has since uploaded its contents to Google Drive for anyone to view.
Episode List
| # | Episode | Synopsis | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Fish, New Fish | Streetwise and wisecracking, Hector Fuentes returns just a little less than triumphant to his minimum-security prison. He begins his latest term by showing the ropes to naive first-time inmates. | Sep 11th, 1975 | Found |
| 2 | To Catch a Thief | Fuentes announces that pineapple chunks are missing. | Sep 18th, 1975 | Partially Found |
| 3 | The Wagers of Sin | Warden Poindexter is intent on cracking down on gambling in the prison and takes extreme measures. But the ban has the opposite effect on Fuentes making him want to gamble even more. | Sep 25th, 1975 | Found |
| 4 | The Legacy | Fuentes is sent to the prison hospital where he makes friends with an older inmate Gabby. | Oct 2nd, 1975 | Lost |
| 5 | Mr. Lonelyhearts | The men are worried that their mates might be cheating on them, so Fuentes writes a threatening form letter for everyone to send to their loved ones. | Oct 9th, 1975 | Lost |
| 6 | Champion | A thug gives novice boxer Palik his first lesson in behind-bars bouts: he must pull his punches and lose whenever he is told to do so. | Oct 16th, 1975 | Lost |
| 7 | Peace and Quiet | Fuentes wants some time alone, away from his fellow inmates. | Oct 23rd, 1975 | Partially Found |
| 8 | Dear John | Palik's girlfriend breaks off their engagement. | Oct 30th, 1975 | Found |
| 9 | Sullivan's Finest Hour | Sullivan's carelessness gets him a reprimand after a con steals his bike and peddles off to Jamaica. | Nov 13th, 1975 | Lost |
| 10 | Homesick Blues | Cleaver becomes homesick. | Nov 20th, 1975 | Lost |
| 11 | The Great Escape | Fuentes tries to escape with a trick knee. | Nov 27th, 1975 | Lost |
| 12 | The High and the Mighty: Part 1 | Fuentes' new cellmate turns out to be one of the warden's wartime buddies. | Dec 4th, 1975 | Found |
| 13 | The High and the Mighty: Part 2 | Fuentes' cellmate, a dishonorable judge, develops a rapport with his fellow inmates. | Dec 11th, 1975 | Lost |
| 14 | Friendly Persuasion | Fuentes and another cellmate devise a plan to improve working conditions. | Dec 18th, 1975 | Lost |
| 15 | The Underground Movement: Part 1 | Fuentes and his cellmates foil the escape of a racketeer. | Jan 8th, 1976 | Lost |
| 16 | The Underground Movement: Part 2 | Unknown. | Jan 12th, 1976 | Lost |
| 17 | A Test of Character | Palik takes his high school equivalency test. | Jan 19th, 1976 | Lost |
| 18 | Testing, Testing | Fuentes and Palik fail a psychiatric test. | Jan 26th, 1976 | Lost |
| 19 | Free and Clear | An elderly inmate refuses parole unless it's on his terms. | Feb 9th, 1976 | Lost |
| 20 | High Noon | Fuentes tries to keep the peace when a fight breaks out between Tommy "Mad Dog" Hollister and Lester DeMott. | Feb 16th, 1976 | Lost |
| 21 | The Desperate Hours | Cleaver and Demot are held hostage. | Feb 23rd, 1976 | Lost |
| 22 | I'll Never Forget What's Her Name | When a brash acquaintance of Fuentes' shows up at the prison, the men go crazy. | Mar 29th, 1976 | Lost |
| 23 | Retrospective: Part 1 | This one-hour episode recalls the antics of the prison inmates.[3] | May 17th, 1976 | Lost |
| 24 | Retrospective: Part 2 | Unknown. | May 17th, 1976 | Lost |
Gallery
External Links
Reference
- ↑ Page for the show on The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved 14 Sept '19
- ↑ Page for the DVD on Rewatch Classic TV. Retrieved 18 Jan '23
- ↑ tv.com article containing plot synopsis for Retrospective: Part 1. Retrieved 17 Mar '19