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Networks
The Mississippi
Overview
The Mississippi was a television series which ran for 2 seasons from 1982 to 1984. The series consisted of 27 episodes, 1 pilot, 6 first season episodes and 17 episodes in the second season. The series was written by Aubrey Solomon and starred Ralph Waite, Linda Miller and Stan Shaw. Ralph Waite played Ben Walker, a successful criminal attorney who after retiring his law practice, sought a more simple life on the mighty Mississippi river as a simple stern-wheel river boat captain. But at every port he would stop at he'd find someone who needed a good attorney and he would end up defending them. His "crew" consisted of Stella McMullen and Lafe Tate, both of whom was more interested in helping people, fighting crime and becoming attorneys than running the tug. Filming occurred in several cities along the Mississippi River including Natchez, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee.
Top Cast
Ralph Waite
Ben Walker
Stan Shaw
Lafayette 'Lafe' Tate
Linda G. Miller
Stella McMullen
Seasons
Season 1 (1983)
No overview available.
6 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: Murder at Mt. Parnassus
1983-03-25When Southern beauty Merilee Worthing is murdered, Ben comes to the defense of free-spirited Cal Woodley, a young activist whom the town would like to see disappear.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 2: Edge of the River
1983-04-01Ben learns that justice in the bayou country for a girl from the other side of the tracks who opposes the town boss, is a feather in a windstorm—but it can be caught.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 3: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
1983-04-08Ben is called upon to defend the accused killer of an old friend's wife and learns that things aren't always what they appear to be.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 4: We Remember, We Revere
1983-04-15When Ben comes to the aid of a young cadet at a military academy, he uncovers some disturbing facts which indicate the cadet, an accused murderer, may have been the intended victim.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 5: Mardi Gras
1983-04-29Ben is in for some surprises when he defends a longtime family retainer on jewelry theft charges and learns things are not what they seem to be.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 6: Old Hatreds Die Hard
1983-05-06Ben and his black assistant Lafe face a bigoted deposed sheriff, and soon learn that almost two decades cannot heal the wounds suffered during the civil rights movement in the South.
Runtime: 60 minSeason 2 (1983)
No overview available.
17 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: There is a Tiger in the Town
1983-09-27Ben comes to the aid of an elderly newspaper editor who, traumatized by his wife's death, took on the identity of Mark Twain, and is now accused of murdering the man suspected of killing his wife.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 2: Cradle to Grave
1983-10-04Ben seeks to unravel an incriminating web of circumstantial evidence that links a mystery writer and his lover to murder.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 3: The Trial of Ben Walker
1983-10-11Ben gets involved in the case of a teenager who claims that a doctor performed an unnecessary radical mastectomy on her mother.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 4: The Last Voice You Hear
1983-10-18Ben is caught in a legal and emotional crossfire of embattled former spouses over who knows what is best for their nine-year-old child.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 5: The Shooting
1983-10-25Former resident Margaret Hammond writes a best-seller, ""River Town"", about the place where she grew up, and lawyer Ben has to dig deep for a defense that will saver her from a libel charge by the town's most affluent family.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 6: Peace with Honor
1983-11-01Ben returns to his roots as a prosecutor to imprison a man he unsuccessfully attempted to prosecute for murder 25 years ago and who has now committed a similar crime.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 7: Joey
1983-11-08Ben takes on the medical profession in defense of a midwife who defies the law to practice the craft of child delivery with a skill rivaled by few obstetricians.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 8: Crisis of Identity
1983-11-15Ben defends a private nurse who is charged with murder when the wealthy man for whom she was caring dies of a drug overdose.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 9: Town Without Pity
1983-11-22A beautiful woman hires Ben to defend her young, retarded gardener Jerry against murder charges.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 10: G.I. Blues
1983-11-29The mother of a man who has been murdered hires Ben to defend his wife, the primary suspect in the shooting death.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 11: Between Fathers and Sons
1983-12-13A peaceful activist emerges from hiding to seek Ben's help in exonerating her of a 15-year-old murder charge.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 12: The Big Leagues
1983-12-27Ben becomes involved in the defense of a rebellious teenager who maintains his innocence of armed robbery, yet is terrified to reveal the guilty parties.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 13: Going Back to Hannibal
1984-01-10Ben defends the embittered survivor of a German concentration camp who is suspected of murdering a Nazi war criminal hiding in a small Mississippi river town.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 14: Wheels of Justice
1984-01-17Ben defends a hot-headed ex-convict suspected of murdering both a foreman who recently fired him and a man who claimed to have seen him fleeing from the crime.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 15: Informed Consent
1984-01-24Ben is asked by the army to defend a sergeant accused of slugging a fellow officer who he claims was trying to rape his daughter.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 16: Abigail
1984-02-07An elderly farmer hires Ben to defend a young navy veteran who is accused of killing his father after an explosive argument.
Runtime: 60 minEpisode 17: Home Again
1984-03-06Ben finds himself working with a flamboyant, publicity-seeking attorney when he agrees to represent a professional football player facing trial on drug charges.
Runtime: 60 min
