Episode
Hardcastle and McCormick: The Birthday Present
Overview
With the judge's birthday coming up, Mark decides to unofficially help him close a cold case related to a soon-to-be-paroled crimial that Hardcastle put in jail for another crime. Unfortunately, the new trial winds up with Hardcastle being shot and the criminal escaping.
Details
- Series
- Hardcastle and McCormick
- Season
- Season 2
- Episode
- Episode 18
- Air date
- 1985-02-25
- Runtime
- 60 min
Episode context
The Birthday Present is Episode 18 in Season 2 of Hardcastle and McCormick. It aired on 1985-02-25. The runtime is 60 min.
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Episode 17: You Don't Hear the One That Gets You
Mark is thrilled when he wins $20,000 racing in the Arizona Modified. His joy quickly dissipates when thieves hold him up and steal his winnings as well as the Coyote. Based on Hardcastle and McCormick's description of the thieves, Deputy Sheriff Dan Johnson realizes that they were robbed by locals Arvin Lee and Melissa Kantwell. Complicating matters is the fact that Melissa is the wife of Billy Blackstone, the city's sheriff. After recovering the Coyote from a used car salesman, Hardcastle and McCormick begin to track the crooks. To their surprise, they catch up with Arvin Lee only to discover that he has been murdered. Putting the pieces together, they realize that Blackstone probably killed Arvin Lee. Taking their theory one step further, Hardcastle and McCormick speculate that Melissa only pretended to fall in love with Arvin Lee in order to trick him into stealing for her. With Johnson's help, the judge and Mark locate Blackstone and Melissa. With Blackstone unwilling to surrender, the deputies are forced to shoot and kill him. To Mark's regret, the shoot-out starts a fire that destroys his racing winnings.
Episode 19: Surprise on Seagull Beach
After finding strange German bullets on the beach, Hardcastle gets involved in an underground treasure hunt for World War II gold at the beach. Meanwhile, McCormick also gets involved with the hunt by being kidnapped by WWII Germans attempting to recover the gold.
More episodes from this season
Episode 16: The Long Ago Girl
Hardcastle cuts his fishing trip short when he receives word of the death of his old girlfriend's current husband. After deciding to check up on her, he is shot as he interrupts a burglar at her house, who looks like the deceased husband.
Episode 20: Undercover McCormick
Seeking Hardcastle's help on a case of corrupt cops, a young patrolman is killed before he or Hardcastle can seek higher help in the department. With the case dealing with bad cops who could recognize the investigators, McCormick is asked to go undercover to flush out the corrupt cops and find the patrolman's killer.
Episode 15: Hardcastle, Hardcastle, Hardcastle and McCormick
Hardcase's two aunts help out during a nursing home jewelry heist.
Episode 21: The Game You Learn From Your Father
A critically-wounded criminal admits to being paid to frame a former baseball player, Duke McGuire, for murder. Feeling responsible for his false incarceration since he was the presiding judge, Hardcastle tries to help McGuire become a baseball player once again. But his attempt at a comeback is threatened when drugs are found in his locker.
Episode 14: What's So Funny?
Perplexed by the apparent suicide of ex-con Denny Frye, an up-and-coming comic, Hardcastle decides to investigate. Thanks to Mark, Hardcastle discovers that Denny was romantically involved with a woman named Pamela Bayer. The judge's earlier suspicions gain some validity when Hardcastle and McCormick see a group of men try to kidnap Pamela. After rescuing Pamela, Hardcastle and McCormick learn that the prospective kidnappers work for reputed mobster Sonny Austin, her ex-boyfriend. Realizing that Sonny, in an irrational attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend, has been assaulting all Pamela's dates, Hardcastle and McCormick try to find out who has been providing the mobster with her dating schedule. It turns out that Pamela has been primarily dating comedians employed at Boots Dikeman's club. Figuring that Leo Dikeman, Boots' main competitor, is probably encouraging Sonny, Hardcastle and McCormick decide to pay him a visit. Before they arrive, Sonny, realizing that he has been used, kills Leo. Facing a dead end in the case, the judge asks Mark to pose as one of Pamela's comedian boyfriends. Taking the bait, Sonny falls into the judge's trap.
Episode 22: Angie's Choice
After seeing reputed mobster Stevie Ray kill a man named Tommy Chen, former prostitute Angie Bloom goes into hiding. Before disappearing, she decides to leave Nicky and Lindsey, her young children, with Hardcastle for safekeeping. While the kids initially refuse to tell the judge their name, the judge eventually realizes that they are Angie's children. Meanwhile, Hardcastle and McCormick discover something is amiss when some men unsuccessfully try to kidnap the kids. Following a hunch, Hardcastle pays a visit on a former madam named Dolores. The hunch pays off and the judge locates Angie. Convinced that Hardcastle has her best interests in mind, Angie tells the judge the whole story. Recognizing that the best way to protect Angie is to put Stevie in prison, Hardcastle arranges for her to testify. To his regret, the officers that pick up Angie are actually Stevie's men. Upon learning the truth, Hardcastle and McCormick "convince" one of Stevie's men to tell them where to find Angie. Following up on their lead, the two men capture Stevie and rescue Angie.
Episode 13: Too Rich and Too Thin
After investigating the suicide of a comic, Hardcastle relizes that it wasn't really suicide after he and McCormick prevent the attempted kidnapping of the comic's wife.
Episode 12: There Goes the Neighborhood
Hardcastle's neighbors begin a Neighborhood Watch program after a series of local burglaries have them worried. After being overlooked by the organization for the selection of their Captain, the judge forgets about his displeasure when the thieves are caught only to be found dead later from a mysterious virus.
Episode 11: Pennies from a Dead Man's Eyes
Jesse Wingo, the former famous singer, is spotted by McCormick at a talent contest. But when approached about his past, the contestant reveals his name to be Sam Jones. Puzzled at the similarities, Mark investigates the man only to find that other people are looking for the man named Sam Jones, but want him dead.
Episode 10: Hate the Picture, Love the Frame
Hardcastle is arrested after a woman whom he had prevously had a chance encounter earlier is found dead in his home. Thinking the judge was framed due to his ruling on his latest case, McCormick tries to help his friend get out of jail.