# Hell Town (TV series)

Hell Town is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 11 until December 25, 1985. The series features Robert Blake.

## Synopsis

Blake stars as Noah "Hardstep" Rivers, a hard-living Catholic priest at a church in a crime-ridden neighborhood on the east side of Los Angeles. Rivers was rather unusual for a priest, as he was a former criminal, played billiards, and didn't have the greatest of speaking skills. Despite all of this, Rivers was the perfect man to lead his church, as he grew up in the neighborhood, so he knew about the gangs and drug dealers who lived there and attacked his parishioners.

## Cast

* Robert Blake as Father Noah "Hardstep" Rivers
* Whitman Mayo as One Ball
* Jeff Corey as Lawyer Sam
* Natalie Core as Mother Maggie
* Vonetta McGee as Sister Indigo
* Isabel Grandin as Sister Angel Cakes
* Tony Longo as Stump
* Rhonda Dotson as Sister Daisy
* Zitto Kazann as Crazy Horse

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| TBA | "Pilot" | Don Medford | Story by : Robert Blake Teleplay by : Robert Blake & E. Nick Alexander & Brian Cassidy | March 6, 1985 (1985-03-06) |
| 1 | "Let My Jenny Go" | Peter Levin | E. Nick Alexander | September 11, 1985 (1985-09-11) |
| 2 | "The People vs. Willy the Goat" | Robert Gist | George F. McGough | September 18, 1985 (1985-09-18) |
| 3 | "Fast Louie" | Richard Irving | John D.F. Black | September 25, 1985 (1985-09-25) |
| 4 | "Hell Town Goes Bananas" | Don Medford | George F. McGough | October 2, 1985 (1985-10-02) |
| 5 | "Hell Town Goes Bananas" | Don Medford | George F. McGough | October 2, 1985 (1985-10-02) |
| 6 | "I Will Abide" | Bill Duke | B.W. Sandefur | October 23, 1985 (1985-10-23) |
| 7 | "Stumpy Boy" | Ernest Pintoff | Story by : Robert Earll Teleplay by : Paul Magistretti | October 30, 1985 (1985-10-30) |
| 8 | "Lords of War" | John Florea | Story by : Harry A. Lewis & Jack Laird Teleplay by : Doc Barnett | November 6, 1985 (1985-11-06) |
| 9 | "The One Called Daisy" | Ernest Pintoff | Gerry Day | November 13, 1985 (1985-11-13) |
| 10 | "Love and Four Corners" | Joseph Manduke | Patt Shea & Harriett Weiss | November 20, 1985 (1985-11-20) |
| 11 | "My Girl Friend, Annie" | Sam Freedle | William T. Zacha | November 27, 1985 (1985-11-27) |
| 12 | "A Wedding in Hell Town" | Ernest Pintoff | Story by : Doc Barnett & Don Balluck Teleplay by : Doc Barnett | December 4, 1985 (1985-12-04) |
| 13 | "The Rat Man Cometh" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Rift Fournier | December 11, 1985 (1985-12-11) |
| 14 | "Straight to Hell" | Cliff Bole | Paul Magistretti | December 18, 1985 (1985-12-18) |
| 15 | "One Ball" | Joseph Manduke | John D.F. Black | December 25, 1985 (1985-12-25) |

## Production notes

The series' theme song was performed by Sammy Davis Jr., who also sang the theme for Blake's previous series, Baretta. The Hell Town pilot film aired on NBC on March 6, 1985.

## Ratings

Following Highway to Heaven on NBC Wednesday nights the series got off to a flying start. The numbers for the premiere (17.5 or 15 million viewers) actually surpassed those of it's lead-in. It finished 13th for the week. More good news followed in week two when the show cracked the top 10. Finishing at No. 7 (just behind it's lead-in). Remarkably, the numbers grew from week one to week two by over a million viewers. Then ABC's megs hit Dynasty returned on September 25th and knocked the show from the 10 into the low 30's and shaved off about 25% of it's audience in one night. Week 4 was more of the same as the series sunk to No. 46 and dropped nearly 40% of it's lead-in audience. A two week hiatus (for coverage of the baseball playoffs) followed. Upon it's return the numbers did improve slightly but the writing seemed to be on the wall. The November sweeps episodes featured it in a heated battle for viewers with it's CBS competition Charlie & Co. and barely winning most weeks despite the much stronger lead-in. Ultimately, NBC decided the numbers were not good enough (though it was a top 50 show) and officially pulled the plug. The last original episode aired Christmas night 1985.