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''Banacek'' (pronounced "BAN-a-check") is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating ''NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'' anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season. ==Premise== Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a suave, Polish-American freelance investigator based in Boston, who solved seemingly impossible thefts (see locked room mystery). He then collected from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. One of Banacek's verbal signatures was the quotation of strangely worded yet curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs such as: * "If you're not sure that it's potato borscht, there could be orphans working in the mines." * "Though the hippopotamus has no sting, the wise man would prefer to be sat upon by the bee." * "A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn." * "When a wolf is chasing your sleigh, throw him a raisin cookie, but don't stop to bake a cake." * "Just because the cat has her kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits." * "You can read all the books in the library my son, but the cheese will still stink after four days." * "No matter how warm the smile on the face of the Sun, the cat still has her kittens under the porch." Part of the joke was that Ralph Manza as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury, would often ask "What does it mean, Boss?" Banacek also had a running agreement with his chauffeur for a 10% share of Banacek's 10% if he solved the crime. Mr. Drury was never at a loss for a potential solution which Banacek would always manage to shoot down with his very next line. Another recurring gag was for other characters to mispronounce his name, often, particularly in the case of rivals, deliberately. The name "Banaczek" (as pronounced in the show) is actually quite rare in Poland. Also featured were Murray Matheson as rare-bookstore owner and information source Felix Mulholland and Christine Belford as Carlie Kirkland, Banacek's sometime-lover and always-rival. Felix was the series' only character to ever call Banacek by his first name. Banacek's success as an investigator allowed him to live well. He had a mansion at 85 Mt. Vernon Street, (the same house used in ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' starring Steve McQueen) on Beacon Hill in Boston. He had a limousine and driver. He owned and drove an antique 1941 Packard convertible. He had a mobile radio telephone in each of his cars at a time when these devices were uncommon and expensive. Banacek was intelligent, well-educated, cultured and suave. He was an unapologetic ladies man who enjoyed the company of beautiful women, but he was street-smart and could engage in violent hand-to-hand fighting if the moment called for it. ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' premise had been that a bored, wealthy Boston businessman (McQueen) masterminds a crime, leading to a match of wits with an insurance investigator (Faye Dunaway) who collects a 10 percent fee from the insurance company if she solves the case. ''Banacek'' borrowed elements of both characters and plot points. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Banacek」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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