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Sledge Hammer! Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
22 Episodes 1986 - 1987
Episode 1
Under the Gun
Tue, Sep 23, 198629 mins
Mayor Flambeau demands immediate results when his daughter is abducted by the Allied Violent Offense Network. He orders the police chief to take violence-prone Sledge Hammer off suspension and assign him to direct the investigation. Sledge is pleased to be back on duty, but he objects to working with female detective Dori Doreau, who is given the assignment because of her background in terrorist psychology and defense tactics. Sledge correctly deduces that a member of the mayor's family is involved in the abduction, but he damages his credibility when he impetuously brings in the mayor's wife bound and gagged. He is taken off the case and Dori is assigned to deliver the ransom, but Sledge has developed considerable respect for Dori's courage and abilities. He surreptitiously follows Dori into the dangerous situation and greatly assists her in apprehending the real culprits. Dori subsequently demonstrates her own admiration for Sledge by declining a publicly-awarded promotion that would minimize Sledge's contribution. It is apparent that their partnership will become permanent.
Episode 2
Hammer Gets Nailed
Fri, Sep 26, 198624 mins
Local television reporter Phil Gumm is a biased and frequent critic of the police department on his "Gumm In the Streets" segment, but he is reluctantly given permission to spend a day riding with Sledge and Dori. Gumm is appalled by Sledge's predilection toward the use of violence and he is injured during a car chase in which Sledge directs a student driver to engage in a high-speed pursuit. Gumm's highly critical report and editorial result in bitter public feeling toward the police department and half of the force (including Sledge) is laid off. The public's feelings change, however, after both men's true colors are put on display. When would-be extortionists plant a powerful bomb in the downtown business district, Sledge courageously attempts to disarm the bomb while the disdainful Gumm makes every effort to suppress a live broadcast of the incident.
Episode 3
Witless
Fri, Oct 3, 198624 mins
Crime boss Don Phillip Souza is incensed that Sledge's relentless efforts have greatly reduced possibilities for criminal activity and offers $1 million to anyone who can kill him. Luck, instinct, and circumstance combine to help Sledge narrowly avoid assassination attempts by various hit men and thugs. After one especially harrowing near-miss, a "Maninote" farmer and his daughter find Sledge unconscious in a field and take him back to their home. For a time, Sledge finds peace in the simple lifestyle and potential romance with the young woman. However, when Souza's men learn his whereabouts from a tap on Dori's phone, they launch an all-out assault on the farm. Sledge's hopes for survival depend on his ability to convince the peace-loving "Maninotes" to help him subdue the assassins and return to the city for a face-to-face confrontation with Souza.
Episode 4
They Shoot Hammers, Don't They?
Fri, Oct 17, 198624 mins
Convicted felon John Kogan escapes from prison, commandeers a bus, and launches a one-man wave of crime and violence. He publicly announces that the mayhem will not stop until Sledge agrees to meet him in a one-on-one gunfight. When Dori asks Sledge why, he tells her that Kogan was his childhood friend and a former police officer, but Sledge was forced to track him down and arrest him for "disgracing the badge" by taking a bribe. Captain Trunk further tells Dori that Sledge would have little chance in a gunfight with the fast-drawing Kogan. Dori accompanies Sledge to an isolated location for the inevitable showdown, where Sledge's last best hope for survival is his father's old carnival trick, which was recently and reluctantly passed along to him by a sideshow sharpshooter known as Dead Eye Dan.
Episode 5
Dori Day Afternoon
Fri, Oct 24, 198624 mins
While in the bank to straighten an error involving Sledge's account, he and Dori suddenly find themselves in a hostage situation when Sledge foils an attempted robbery by setting off an alarm that he thought was silent. Sledge's options for using force are limited inasmuch as he has only one bullet left after "coaxing" a possible jumper off of a building ledge. Captain Trunk eventually grants the two robbers' demand for a plane and passage to the airport with their hostages. He does not provide a pilot, but he is unpleasantly surprised when one of the robbers is able to fly the plane. Sledge finally sees the opportunity to subdue the robbers forcefully, but this impetuous course of action puts he and Dori in the position of attempting a forced landing in the middle of the city.
Episode 6
To Sledge, with Love
Fri, Oct 31, 198624 mins
Despite personal misgivings, Captain Trunk acquiesces to the school board's request and assigns Sledge to try to bring order to the notoriously dangerous and chaotic Lloyd H. Langrem Memorial High School. Sledge arrives to find that four young toughs dominate the school and terrorize its students, teachers, and administrators. While Sledge sets about re-establishing order, Dori does some investigating of her own and learns that the four miscreants supply stolen cars to a crime boss named Ralph Roscoe. Sledge is surprisingly dedicated to rehabilitating the four and manages to convince them that Roscoe is actually cheating them. The four break off dealings with Roscoe, but when he and his thugs make a surprise visit to the school to "make an example" of them, it is ironically up to Sledge to save their lives.
Episode 7
All Shook Up
Fri, Nov 7, 198624 mins
Sledge and Dori are assigned to investigate when 15 Elvis impersonators are murdered within a three-week period. They find that all 15 had two common characteristics: all were recent graduates of "The Famous School of Elvis Impersonators" and all were killed with a gold microphone immediately after winning a local Elvis impersonators' contest. Sledge goes undercover at the school, but his investigation is hindered by the building janitor. He nevertheless enters the next installment of the Elvis impersonators' contest in the hope of emerging victorious and becoming bait for the killer. No attempt is made on Sledge's life after he wins the contest, but an unlikely suspect is spotted in the bar holding a gold microphone when Sledge and Dori decide to go inside for a drink after their brief stake-out.
Episode 8
Over My Dead Bodyguard
Fri, Nov 14, 198624 mins
Captain Trunk's life is threatened just before he is to give critical grand jury testimony against a crime syndicate. The commissioner responds by personally assigning Sledge to act as Trunk's 24-hour bodyguard. Sledge's impetuous vigilance saves Trunk from several murder attempts, although it spoils his long-sought effort to reconcile with his ex-wife Renee. When one assassin manages to inflict a non-fatal gunshot wound, Sledge disseminates an erroneous story that the Captain is dead in order to mislead the syndicate. However, he unwisely tells Renee about the ruse and the assassins trail her to the hospital where Trunk is to undergo surgery for his wound. The criminals attempt to administer a fatal dose of radiation to Sledge, but with Dori's help he is able to narrowly escape. Woozy and unsteady, he doggedly and violently invades the operating room for a last-ditch attempt to interrupt the criminals' effort to kill Trunk with an overdose of anesthetic.
Episode 9
Magnum Farce
Sat, Nov 22, 198624 mins
Investigation of a series of summary executions of recently acquitted criminal defendants reveals that the assassins are rogue police officers. With Captain Trunk's assistance, Sledge is able to infiltrate the group by acting even more violent and nihilistic than usual. When Sledge goes on his "initiation" assignment for the vigilantes, he learns that they are led by District Attorney Evelyn Collins, an outwardly law-abiding young feminist who actually gets her thrills from violence and from violent men. She shows a romantic interest in Sledge, but when he attempts to arrest her he finds that she has many handy weapons hidden in her home. Dori's attempt to save Sledge is interrupted by the vigilante officers and the two will be doomed to summary execution themselves unless Captain Trunk and his other officers are able to arrive in time.
Episode 10
If I Had a Little Hammer
Sat, Nov 29, 198624 mins
When every newborn baby in the nursery at City General Hospital disappears at once, Captain Trunk deduces that a baby-stealing ring is at work and he assigns Sledge and Dori to the case. City General Head Nurse Livina Robbins provides no information, but Sledge's informant Shy Eddie steers them to the Bayside Adoption Agency and they pose as a childless couple with ready cash. Sledge's impetuous attempt to oversell the availability of ready cash embarrassingly demonstrates that the Agency itself is legitimate. However, a receptionist named Margaret subsequently gives them a name and number to call if they want to adopt very quickly and are willing to pay. When they go to deliver the money and pick up the newborn, they learn that the mean-spirited Nurse Robbins is involved in the operation. Their attempt to arrest Nurse Robbins and her partner leads to a violent and protracted armed confrontation inside the warehouse of a baby products supplier.
Episode 11
To Live and Die on TV
Sat, Dec 13, 198624 mins
Bookish Mel Jordan is the biggest winner to date on a game show known as "The Million Dollar Question", but he dies in an automobile accident one day before he gets a chance to answer one question to win the $1,000,000. Sledge and Dori's investigation reveals that Jordan was actually dead before the accident occurred and that program host/producer Bob Kenny had previously filed for bankruptcy protection. Sledge is convinced that Kenny cannot afford to pay the $1,000,000 to a successful contestant on the show and that he is responsible for Jordan's murder. To test his theory, Sledge persuades Kenny to let him become a contestant on the show. With Dori's help, he is able to get to the $1,000,000 question and into a position to expose Kenny or affirm his innocence.
Episode 12
Miss of the Spider Woman
Sat, Dec 20, 198623 mins
Exotic ship-dwelling Juanita assigns her henchman Gomez to find an assassin and kill her ex-lover by slipping him a dose of rare and potent cobra venom. Gomez chooses a near-sighted female mud wrestler named Cindy who sneaks into the wrong apartment and ends up poisoning Sledge instead. Sledge has only a few hours to live unless the nearly-nonexistent antidote can be located, but he is determined to crack the case. He and Dori locate the myopic Cindy and learn of the mistake. They get their first real lead when Sledge's flirtatious landlady identifies Gomez as the man who stole her pass-key. Under duress, Gomez tells Sledge and Dori where to find the treacherous Juanita. A shipboard confrontation with her finds Sledge wrestling with a large boa constrictor in a desperation attempt to obtain the antidote in the last few minutes before the poison takes its final, fatal effect.
Episode 13
The Old Man and the Sledge
Sat, Jan 3, 198724 mins
Sledge and Dori investigate a shooting and find that the perpetrator was Gil Yates, a retired trigger-happy police officer whom Sledge idolized as a boy. The shooting resulted from Yates' vehement resistance to being placed in a retirement home despite his declining physical powers. Sledge helps Yates get a job as a security guard at Smith Jewelers, but he is discharged after failing to prevent a violent robbery. Despite his limitations, Yates is certain that he can identify the two mask-wearing thieves from their voices. Sledge and Dori are dubious until the store is robbed again by the same two perpetrators and both are shot and killed by the seemingly mild-mannered Mr. Smith. Sledge deduces that insurance fraud may be involved. He confronts Smith at the jeweler's surprisingly luxurious home, but the determined Yates recklessly jeopardizes the outcome by interrupting the proceedings in a speeding wheelchair.
Episode 14
State of Sledge
Sat, Jan 10, 198724 mins
Sledge leaves work early under orders from Captain Trunk, but cannot resist becoming involved in a police standoff with a deranged Satanic cult leader named Slag. When he takes Slag to the station for booking, persnickety Inspector Perkins from Internal Affairs is appalled by Sledge's history of violent behavior and his rough treatment of Slag. The inevitable dispute between the two becomes secondary when several hundred of Slag's bloodthirsty followers stage a violent attack on the police station to demand his release. The station is critically short of personnel as a result of a State visit, so only Sledge, Dori, Perkins, Captain Trunk, and a very few officers are available to defend the facility. Eventually the defenders find themselves in a desperate situation with no electricity, no phones, and no ammunition. When Dori's attempt to confront the mob on the roof of the building is unsuccessful, Sledge straps a case of dynamite sticks to himself for a high-stakes standoff with Slag and his mob to see who will be the first to crack under the strain.
Episode 15
Haven't Gun, Will Travel
Sat, Jan 17, 198724 mins
Tired of Sledge's constant interference with their planned crimes, a gang of thieves plots to get him out of the way prior to attempting a major silver theft. With inside help from an unscrupulous police psychiatrist, they manage to steal his cherished .44 Magnum service revolver. Sledge is emasculated without the gun and suffers a complete loss of confidence. He is inconsolable when he learns that his gun was used in the silver theft, until a slip of the tongue by the psychiatrist reveals that the doctor may actually be in league with the thieves. Sledge and Dori trail the psychiatrist to a metalworking facility and learn that their assumption was correct, but Sledge must make a painful decision when the gang leader tosses the cherished weapon into a blast furnace in an attempt to destroy it permanently.
Episode 16
The Color of Hammer
Sat, Jan 24, 198724 mins
Sledge is a firm admirer of hard-line Superior Court Judge Liam Jackson, but he is appalled when the judge inexplicably dismisses all charges against a ruthless and obviously guilty mob figure. Sledge insists on going to Jackson's home to confront him about the outrage, but he and Dori find that the jurist has already been murdered with a knife to the back. When blue chalk is found under the judge's fingernails and a matchbook from "Cues 'R' Us" is found in his pocket, Sledge deduces that the judge was an inveterate pool player and that he may have been hustled and blackmailed. Sledge, Dori, and Captain Trunk visit "Cues 'R' Us" to give the hustler a chance to appear. True to form, an unusually attractive woman named Lana hustles Sledge and they realize from her demeanor that she is fully capable of blackmail and murder. However, the three realize that subduing the treacherous Lana and her accomplices will require that they prevail in that most hazardous of pursuits - a fight in the other man's pool hall.
Episode 17
Brother, Can You Spare a Crime?
Sat, Jan 31, 198724 mins
A man shows up claiming to be Hammer's brother but Hammer claims he doesn't have a brother. Everyone's taken with him including Doreau who goes out with him. But while on their date she catches him in a lie proving that he isn't Hammer's brother.
Episode 18
Desperately Seeking Dori
Sat, Feb 7, 198724 mins
Bad news for the city's scum suckers: a blow to the head results in Dori Doreau adopting the ultra-violent personality and mannerisms of her partner, Sledge Hammer.
Episode 19
Sledgepoo
Sat, Feb 14, 198724 mins
The Earl of Curl beauty parlor is a front for a cat burglar ring targeting wealthy women. Sledge infiltrates the ring by going undercover as a second-story man.
Episode 20
Comrade Hammer
Sat, Feb 21, 198724 mins
Sledge and Dori must safely escort a defecting Soviet scientist on a passenger train filled with communist agents determined to take him back.
Episode 21
Jagged Sledge
Tue, Apr 21, 198723 mins
Sledge is on trial for the cold-blooded murder of racketeer Hugo Victor. Serving as his own attorney, Sledge sets out to prove his innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence of his guilt.
Episode 22
The Spa Who Loved Me
Tue, Apr 28, 198724 mins
A bevy of bikini-clad 'terrorettes' steal a nuclear warhead and threaten to blow up the city unless their billion dollar demand is met. Sledge and Dori trace the suspects to a health spa operated by aerobics video magnate Jill Taylor.
