Toma (TV series)

Toma
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Edward Hume
Written by	Edward Hume Roy Huggins
Directed by	Alex Grasshoff Jeannot Szwarc
Starring	Tony Musante Susan Strasberg
Composer(s)	Pete Rugolo (pilot) Mike Post (series) Pete Carpenter (series)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	22 (plus 1 TV-movie)
Production
Producer(s)	Stephen J. Cannell
Location(s)	Universal Studios: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California RMS Queen Mary: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California
Cinematography	Vilis Lapenieks
Editor(s)	Gloryette Clark John J. Dumas
Running time	48 minutes
Production company(s)	Roy Huggins-Public Arts Productions Universal TV
Distributor	ABC Universal TV
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	March 21, 1973 – May 10, 1974
Chronology
Related shows	Baretta

Toma is an American crime drama series that ran on ABC in 1973 and 1974.

Overview

The series stars Tony Musante and Susan Strasberg and was based on the real-life story and published biography of Newark, New Jersey, police detective David Toma. Toma had compiled an amazing arrest record during his years on the force, particularly in arresting drug dealers.^[1] His boss, Inspector Spooner, was played by Simon Oakland.

The show ended production after one season, as Musante had only agreed to film one full season, citing a desire not to get trapped into only playing one character over a long period of time. The network and show runners had initially assumed this to be a negotiating ploy, but Musante held firm and decided not to return.

Although the role was recast with Robert Blake, it was soon felt that Blake would be better served with a reworked and rewritten concept; accordingly, Toma was overhauled into the 1975 series Baretta. Aside from the circumstances of its conception, Baretta has no on-screen connection with Toma, as the shows have no characters or settings in common.

Many of the people on the Toma writing staff would go on to write episodes of The Rockford Files, which debuted shortly after Toma's cancellation. These writers included Stephen J. Cannell, Roy Huggins (who signed most of his work on both shows as "John Thomas James"), Juanita Bartlett, Zekial Marko, Don Carlos Dunaway, and Gloryette Clark. Series stars Musante, Strasberg and Oakland would also guest star on various episodes of The Rockford Files.

Episodes

Pilot (1973)

Episode	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
"Toma"	Richard T. Heffron	Gerald Di Pego, Edward Hume	March 21, 1973
90-minute TV-movie: A cop in Newark, New Jersey, defies his superiors to try to bring down the head of a Mafia numbers racket.

Season 1 (1973–74)

No.	Episode	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Oberon Contract"	Jeannot Szwarc	Teleplay by Stephen J. Cannell, Story by John Thomas James	October 4, 1973
Toma helps out an ex-con who has been framed for murder.
2	"Ambush on 7th Avenue"	*	*	October 11, 1973
Toma teams up with a college student to investigate a gang killing gone bad.
3	"Crime Without Victim"	Daniel Haller	Teleplay by Stephen J. Cannell, Story by John Thomas James	October 18, 1973
A hostage escapes from her kidnappers, but that's not the end of the matter as Toma soon discovers.
4	"Stakeout"	Nicholas Colasanto	Roy Huggins	October 25, 1973
Toma and his new partner are assigned to track down a pusher by staking out his girlfriend.
5	"The Cain Connection"	*	Teleplay by Stephen J. Cannell, Story by John Thomas James	November 1, 1973
A desperate novelist decides to take a page from one of his own books when he accidentally acquires a shipment of heroin.
6	"Blockhouse Breakdown"	Richard C. Bennett	Teleplay by Lonne Elder III, Story by John Thomas James	November 8, 1973
Toma goes up against a sniper, Billy Haskell, who has decided to open fire on the crowds from the top of an office building.
7	"Frame-Up"	Marc Daniels	Stephen J. Cannell	November 15, 1973
When a numbers runner turns up beaten to within an inch of his life, Toma is accused of the crime.
8	"The Bambara Bust"	Alexander Grasshoff	Teleplay by Judy Burns, Story by John Thomas James	December 6, 1973
A heroin-smuggling ring that uses an ocean liner to move their product is Toma's next target.
9	"50% of Normal"	Jeannot Szwarc	Teleplay by Zekial Marko, Story by Peter Salerno & Jane Sparkes	January 18, 1974
A particularly violent rapist who wears a ski mask to conceal his identity is on the loose, and Toma is assigned to the case. NOTE: "Peter Salerno" is a pseudonym for series star Tony Musante; Jane Sparkes is Musante's wife.
10	"Rock-A-Bye"	Joseph Hardy	Jane Sparkes & Peter Salerno	January 25, 1974
Black marketeers are selling babies to desperate couples, forcing Toma to go undercover as a prospective client. NOTE: "Peter Salerno" is a pseudonym for series star Tony Musante; Jane Sparkes is Musante's wife.
11	"Time and Place Unknown: Part 1"	*	*	February 8, 1974
Toma poses as an ex-con stunt driver to infiltrate a burglary ring.
12	"Time and Place Unknown: Part 2"	*	*	February 15, 1974
Toma has infiltrated the burglary ring, but can't warn the police about a planned heist without endangering his own life.
13	"A Funeral for Max Fabian"	Alexander Grasshoff	Zekial Marko	February 22, 1974
Toma takes on the dockworkers' union by going undercover as a stevedore.
14	"The Big Dealers"	Russ Mayberry	Edward Hume	March 1, 1974
Toma goes after drug dealers who are importing large quantities of high quality heroin.
15	"The Contract on Alex Cordeen"	Alexander Grasshoff	Teleplay by Stephen J. Cannell, Story by John Thomas James	March 8, 1974
Mobster Alex Cordeen makes an unusual request of Toma: he wants the undercover cop to watch him be assassinated.
16	"Joey the Weep"	Charles S. Dubin	Teleplay by Don Carlos Dunaway, Story by John Thomas James	March 22, 1974
A small-time crook turns up dead, and Toma tries to work out why anyone want him murdered.
17	"Friends of Danny Beecher"	Alexander Grasshoff	Teleplay by Edward Hume Story by Gloryette Clark	March 29, 1974
Ex-con Danny Beecher kills the cop who put him away and goes on the run, and Toma has to find him.
18	"The Madam"	Michael Schultz	Teleplay by Juanita Bartlett, Story by John Thomas James	April 12, 1974
Toma's next target is a crook who gets women strung out on drugs and then sells them to the syndicate as prostitutes.
19	"Pound of Flesh"	*	*	April 19, 1974
A case strikes close to home for Toma when he helps out a restaurant owner who used to be close to Patty, and is now the target of loan sharks.
20	"Indictment"	Gary Nelson	Teleplay by Juanita Bartlett, Story by John Thomas James	April 26, 1974
Toma finds himself at odds with a prosecutor who will do anything to win his cases.
21	"The Street"	Jeannot Szwarc	Zekial Marko	May 3, 1974
Toma has a racial war on his hands when a crime threatens to set off riots in the ghettos.
22	"The Accused"	Russ Mayberry	Teleplay by Don Carlos Dunaway, Story by David Toma	May 10, 1974
Bernie Travlos has a reputation as a good cop, but Toma has his doubts when Bernie is connected to a murder.

* Unknown

Reviews

The series received favorable reviews^[2][3] and blistering criticism for its depictions of criminal and police violence.^[4][5] Although Toma was achieving relatively good ratings,^[6] the show was cancelled after one season. A second season was planned, but Tony Musante refused to continue with the show.^[7][8] Musante had told the producers at the outset that he only wanted to do one season, but they mistakenly believed he would return if the series was renewed.^[7][9]

Legacy

Baretta

Rather than recast the starring role of Toma, the show was retooled as Baretta starring Robert Blake, with violent scenes toned down. Baretta debuted as a mid-season replacement on ABC in early 1975.^[10]

The Rockford Files

According to interviews on The Greatest American Hero DVD set, a writers strike during the shooting of Toma is what indirectly led to The Rockford Files. Writer Stephen J. Cannell and his mentor Roy Huggins created the character of Jim Rockford as a way to get around an impossible schedule created by the strike.

Reruns

Despite having contributed to the development of the popular Baretta, reruns of Toma were never syndicated to local stations, and repeats of the show on national television post-cancellation have been rare. Repeats of Toma aired in the late-1970s during ABC Late Night, and later on USA Network's Crimebusters in 1984-1985. One episode aired on TV Land in 2001.

References

1. "Newark Detective of Many Disguises Gets a Bit Part in TV Film of His Life; Still Wears Disguises". The New York Times. 1973-03-21.
2. Smith, Cecil (1973-10-03). "Wambaugh Series a Genuine Article". Los Angeles Times.
3. Adler, Dick (1974-01-25). "Toma - 'Rockabye' - Reality Enriches 'Gimmick' Series". Los Angeles Times.
4. O'Connor, John J. (1973-10-05). "TV: For Chronic Dial Flipper, Mixed-Bag Season". The New York Times.
5. Deeb, Gary (1973-10-04). "Police Story debut unmasks real cops". Chicago Tribune.
6. Brown, Les (1974-02-14). "Midseason Correction Lifts A.B.C. to Second Place". The New York Times.
7. O'Connor, John (1974-07-24). "TV: Star of Dropped 'Toma' Tells What Happened". The New York Times.
8. Deeb, Gary (1974-05-23). "Gun-downed Toma is ready for a showdown with ABC". Chicago Tribune.
9. Finnigan, Joseph (1974-06-29). "TV Teletype: Hollywood". TV Guide.
10. Haber, Joyce (1974-11-04). "Networks Running Out of Seasons". Los Angeles Times.

External links

• Toma at the Internet Movie Database
• Roy Huggins' American Archive of Television Interview
• Toma at epguides.com