THE LAZARUS MAN
Something has happened to me which I
do not understand. All I know for certain is I am alive.
How I got here? Who I am? I do not know, but I must've seen or
done something, something terrible to be buried alive,
to be left for dead. I can remember nothing of my life, my
friends or my enemies, but the key to my identity lies
somewhere out there. I will search until I find the man I
was...and hope to be again.
Near the end of the series, Lazarus is revealed to be James Cathcart, a captain in the US Army and a member of President Abraham Lincoln's personal bodyguard detail. The memories plaguing are from the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Cathcart, realized the President was in danger and ran to stop the assassin. However, he was attacked from behind by his superior, the treasonous Major Talley, who wanted to see Lincoln dead.
Starring the eminently likeable Robert Urich, the first season of The Lazarus Man ranked high enough in the ratings for TNT to order a second season. Urich was a veteran of numerous movies and TV series, including starring in the private eye series Spenser based on the bestselling novels by Robert B. Parker. He was also a recipient of a Golden Boot Award for his work in Western television series and films.
In late 1996, before filming resumed for season two, Urich was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Despite having TNT’s order for the second season in hand, Castle Rock Entertainment (the show’s production company) decided to not to proceed and refused to pay Urich the $1.47 million he was due for the second season. Urich sued for breach of contract, stating he was indeed undergoing cancer treatments, but never informed Castle Rock he would be unable to fulfill his performance contract.
Urich persisted in receiving treatment for his illness while working to raise money for cancer research. In 1998, he was declared cancer and returned to TV in the UPN series, Love Boat: The Next Wave. In 2000, he made his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. His last role was in the NBC sitcom Emeril in 2001, as in the autumn of that year, his cancer returned. He died at age 55. The Lazarus Man had a lot of potential before it was given short shrift by Castle Rock. There was also the interesting parallel of Urich’s own resurrection from his first cancer diagnosis as he truly carried the story of a man raised from the dead on his own shoulders and charisma.
In February, 2018, The Lazarus Man: The Complete Series was released on DVD via the Warner Archive Collection.
Thanks for the excellent synopsis of The Lazarus Man, Paul. I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Ulrich in the lead role. And, I liked the story lines, as well. I had forgotten all about it until I read your blog.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your mentioning this long forgotten show. I have tried, unsuccessfully in finding the complete series anywhere around my location(CHICAGO). do you know how I could obtain it besides AMAZON.
ReplyDeleteAnother good, Robert Urich role. Pity there was not a second series. Once again, thanks for the insights!
ReplyDeletePlease tell me why i can't find the Lazarus man on TV at all.i love that show but can't find it on western channels either why?
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