# Father Murphy

Father Murphy is an American Western drama television series that aired on the NBC network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon created the series, was the executive producer, and directed the show in partnership with William F. Claxton, Maury Dexter, Victor French, and Leo Penn.

## Synopsis

The series stars former NFL Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle football player and Little House on the Prairie actor Merlin Olsen as an 1870s frontiersman named John Michael Murphy who teams up with prospector Moses Gage (Moses Gunn) to shelter a group of orphans who are being threatened with internment in a workhouse. Murphy disguises himself as a priest and befriends a schoolmarm to help the children find a home.
At the end of the first season, John's true identity is revealed to the head of the workhouse, and the orphans seem destined for a life of labor. Instead, Murphy marries the schoolmarm and they get custody of the children.

## Production

Many of the episodes were filmed at the Old Tucson Studios and theme park just outside Tucson, Arizona. The main village featured in the show was located at Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, California; this was also the filming location for the television series Little House on the Prairie. The village was located approximately 200 yards (180 m) uphill from the Ingalls' farm set.
Father Murphy is an NBC production and is syndicated outside of the U.S. by MGM Worldwide Television, but MGM does not own the video rights.

## Cast

* Merlin Olsen as John Michael Murphy
* Moses Gunn as Moses Gage
* Katherine Cannon as Mae Woodward/Murphy
* Timothy Gibbs as Will Adams
* Scott Mellini as Ephram Winkler
* Lisa Trusel as Lizette Winkler
* Kirk Brennan as David Sims
* Byron Thames as Matt Sims
* Chez Lister as Eli Matthews
* Richard Bergman as Father Joe Parker
* Charles Tyner as Howard Rodman
* Ivy Bethune as Evelyn Tuttle
* Burr DeBenning as Paul/Richard Garrett
* Ted Markland as Frank
* Charles Cooper as Sheriff Caleb
* Warren Munson as Dr R.G. Thompson
Notable guest appearances on the series include: Shannen Doherty, Mykelti Williamson, Kellie Martin, John M. Pickard, Eddie Quillan, Christina Applegate, Amanda Peterson, Donna Wilkes, Tina Yothers, Mary Beth Evans, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Jerry Hardin, James Cromwell, and Christopher Stone.

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Average viewership (in millions) |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Average viewership (in millions) |
| 1 | 21 | 21 | November 3, 1981 (1981-11-03) | April 11, 1982 (1982-04-11) | 52 | TBA | TBA |
| 2 | 13 | 13 | September 28, 1982 (1982-09-28) | September 18, 1983 (1983-09-18) | 66 | TBA | TBA |

### Season 1 (1981–82)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Michael Landon | Michael Landon | November 3, 1981 (1981-11-03) | 101-102 |
| 2 | 2 | "Pilot" | Michael Landon | Michael Landon | November 3, 1981 (1981-11-03) | 101-102 |
| Two-hour (with commercials) movie. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Eggs, Milk and a Dry Bed" | Michael Landon | Michael Landon | November 10, 1981 (1981-11-10) | 103 |
| 4 | 4 | "Establish Thou the Works of Our Hands" | Leo Penn | Paul W. Cooper | November 17, 1981 (1981-11-17) | 104 |
| 5 | 5 | "A Horse from Heaven" | William F. Claxton | Frank K. Telford | November 24, 1981 (1981-11-24) | 105 |
| 6 | 6 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 1" | William F. Claxton | Ron Bishop & Steve Hayes & Michael Landon | December 1, 1981 (1981-12-01) | 106 |
| 7 | 7 | "By the Bear That Bit Me: Part 2" | William F. Claxton | Ron Bishop & Steve Hayes & Michael Landon | December 8, 1981 (1981-12-08) | 107 |
| 8 | 8 | "False Blessings" | Leo Penn | Vince R. Gutierrez | December 15, 1981 (1981-12-15) | 108 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Ghost of Gold Hill" | William F. Claxton | John T. Dugan | December 22, 1981 (1981-12-22) | 109 |
| 10 | 10 | "Graduation" | William F. Claxton | Peter Dixon | January 5, 1982 (1982-01-05) | 110 |
| 11 | 11 | "Will's Surprise" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | January 12, 1982 (1982-01-12) | 111 |
| 12 | 12 | "Eighty-Eight Keys to Happiness" | Victor French | George Atkins | January 19, 1982 (1982-01-19) | TBA |
| 13 | 13 | "Knights of the White Camelia" | William F. Claxton | Don Balluck | February 2, 1982 (1982-02-02) | TBA |
| 14 | 14 | "The Parable of Amanda" | William F. Claxton | Paul W. Cooper | February 9, 1982 (1982-02-09) | TBA |
| 15 | 15 | "The Spy" | William F. Claxton | Michael Landon | February 16, 1982 (1982-02-16) | TBA |
| 16 | 16 | "The Heir Apparent" | William F. Claxton | Michael Landon | February 23, 1982 (1982-02-23) | TBA |
| 17 | 17 | "In God's Arms" | William F. Claxton | Paul W. Cooper | March 2, 1982 (1982-03-02) | TBA |
| 18 | 18 | "The Dream Day" | Maury Dexter | Michael Landon | March 14, 1982 (1982-03-14) | TBA |
| 19 | 19 | "Laddie" | William F. Claxton | Larry Bischof | March 21, 1982 (1982-03-21) | TBA |
| 20 | 20 | "Matthew and Elizabeth" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | March 28, 1982 (1982-03-28) | TBA |
| 21 | 21 | "The First Miracle: Part 1" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | April 4, 1982 (1982-04-04) | TBA |
| 22 | 22 | "The First Miracle: Part 2" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | April 11, 1982 (1982-04-11) | TBA |

### Season 2 (1982–83)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 23 | 1 | "Happiness Is..." | William F. Claxton | Renee and Harry Longstreet | September 28, 1982 (1982-09-28) |
| 24 | 2 | "The Father Figure" | Joseph Pevney | Michael McGreevey | October 5, 1982 (1982-10-05) |
| 25 | 3 | "Stopover in a One-Horse Town" | William F. Claxton | Lee Sheldon | October 26, 1982 (1982-10-26) |
| 26 | 4 | "Outrageous Fortune" | Joseph Pevney | Lee Sheldon | November 9, 1982 (1982-11-09) |
| 27 | 5 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 1" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | November 16, 1982 (1982-11-16) |
| 28 | 6 | "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 2" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | November 23, 1982 (1982-11-23) |
| 29 | 7 | "Buttons and Beaux" | William F. Claxton | Gerry Day | November 30, 1982 (1982-11-30) |
| 30 | 8 | "John Michael Murphy, R.I.P." | Joseph Pevney | Michael Landon | December 7, 1982 (1982-12-07) |
| 31 | 9 | "The Witness" | Maury Dexter | Paul W. Cooper | December 14, 1982 (1982-12-14) |
| 32 | 10 | "Blood Right" | William F. Claxton | Don Buday | December 21, 1982 (1982-12-21) |
| 33 | 11 | "Sweet Sixteen" | William F. Claxton | Chris Abbott | December 28, 1982 (1982-12-28) |
| 34 | 12 | "The Rockets' Red Glare" | Joseph Pevney | Paul W. Cooper | June 1, 1983 (1983-06-01) |
| 35 | 13 | "The Matchmakers" | Joseph Pevney | Vince R. Gutierrez | September 18, 1983 (1983-09-18) |

## Home media

Image Entertainment (under license from NBC Studios) released both seasons of Father Murphy on DVD in Region 1 in 2004/2005.
| DVD Name | DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
| | Season 1 | 22 | October 26, 2004 |
| | Season 2 | 13 | January 25, 2005 |