Wheeling

Wheeling
Episode #	314
Air Date	December 8, 1979
Briefing	?

Title screen

Brief Plot

A trio of wheelchair-bound drivers create problems for Jon and Ponch both in and out of their vehicles. The father of a hit-and-run victim is determined to catch the driver responsible, with or without the help of the CHP.

Plot

The beautiful Harbor Freeway without an accident during the morning.

Helen is left by Harry holding her son Kip after the drag racing accident.

While Ponch and Jon are patrolling the heavy traffic on the beautiful Harbor Freeway where there hasn‘t car accident this morning, and they keep making bets against each other about the week. Meanwhile a paralyzed Vietnam veteran named Artie while driving a beat up looking yellow and gray primer Chevrolet Chevy Van, and will soon decide to start playing his favorite game which is actually called freeway tag by tapping the bumper of his buddy Alan’s beautiful maroon Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Since Alan happens to be in a very bad mood after getting his bumper tapped by Artie during start of their favorite game, and decides to let buddy pass him by immediately in the left hand lane of the freeway. Alan will eventually join in by tapping the bumper of their buddy Don’s beautiful red Dodge Charger which happens to be a Special Edition. Don is now upset with the situation of the game, and will let Alan passed him by immediately in the right lane of the freeway. Once Artie’s favorite game has just begun, and he will be follow by Alan until Don decides to finally join in for some revenge. While the trio happens to be weaving around the traffic on the freeway, and will eventually themselves pursed for a few miles by Ponch and Jon. The Trio will eventually exited the freeway, and get themselves pulled over on a side street by Ponch and Jon. Ponch now finds out that both Alan and Don are handicapped when it comes to stepping out of their vehicles, and will end up giving them citations as result of Artie’s stupid freeway tag game. Jon is actually surprised to find out that Artie is also handicapped besides his friends, and will end up giving him a citation as a result for his stupid freeway tag game. After Ponch and Jon finished giving the trio a set of citations, and will going back to duty of patrolling the freeway. Meanwhile an elderly old man named Harry Saunders happens to be a game of football with his son Kip, and will eventually lead to a discussion with his wife Helen about getting some sleep from his night job. While Kip has just started his morning job of delivering newspapers on his green Schwinn Speedster, and Harry happens to notice that a blue Ford Mustang Grande and a red Chevrolet Camaro SS will be using their street as a drag strip. Since Kip accidentally gets himself run over by a blue mustang, and which leaves Harry and Helen upset about the whole situation. Kip now has a broken leg because of the drag racers, and Harry is always determine about taking the law into his own hands by getting into his beat up looking green Pontiac Firebird. Since Harry wants to track down the drag racers himself without any help from the police today, and will leave Kip and Helen at the accident scene.

Harry is actually speeding through traffic trying to catch the criminal himself by using his own Pontiac Firebird.

While Harry is actually weaving around traffic trying to catch the blue mustang that is now turning onto the entrance ramp of the Harbor Freeway, and is determine to track down the criminal who had accidentally ran over his son Kip by angrily cutting off some cars during incoming traffic in order turn onto the same entrance ramp. Harry is now entering the freeway by angrily cutting off a white Plymouth Belvedere, and happens to speeding while weaving through incoming traffic in which he will be followed by Ponch and Jon trying to get him to pull over on the side of the freeway. When Harry does finally decide to pull over on the side of the freeway, and he will get even angrier at Jon about the situation with blue mustang driver who the accidentally ran over Kip today. Jon now decides to call in a speeding blue mustang using his CB radio, and will get a response from Bonnie while driving around in her cruiser who happens to be requesting the license plate number. When Jon is actually unable to give Bonnie the license plate number on that blue mustang, and now decides to lecture Harry about calling the police rather than the take law into his own hands. While Baricza happens to be driving around in his cruiser looking at incoming traffic, and Ponch is actually unable to find that blue mustang. Harry now gets even more angrier at Jon, and wants to track down the driver by getting back into his own green firebird.

Guest Stars

• Taylor Lacher as Harry Saunders
• Ray Vitte as Don
• Paul Gale as Artie
• Ron Lombard as Alan
• David Gilliam as Brent
• Fil Formicola as Delgado
• Paul Linke as Grossman
• Brodie Greer as Baricza

Co-Starring

• Ned Wilson as Dr. McCleary
• Tim Maier as Kip Saunders
• Cissy Wellman as Helen Saunders
• Michael Mancini as Parker
• Gary Pagett as Man
• Milt Oberman as Attorney Stevens
• Ken Lesco as Sedan Driver
• Teri Landrum as Co-ed
• Randi Oakes as Bonnie Clark

Crew

• Produced by: Cy Chermak
• Written by: L. Ford Neale and John Huff
• Directed by: Barry Crane
• Executive Consultant: Rick Rosner
• Story Editors: William D. Gordon & James Doherty
• Associate Producer: Paul Rabwin
• Developed for television by: Paul Playdon
• Music by: Alan Silvestri
• Theme by: John Parker
• Music Supervisor: Harry V. Lojewski
• Director of Photography: Robert F. Sparks
• Art Director: Les Gobruegge
• Editor: Peter E. Berger
• Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
• Assistant Director: Lindsley Parsons III
• 2nd Assistant Director: John Peter Kousakis
• Script Supervisor: Jack Gannon
• Set Decorator: W. Joseph Kroesser
• Production Consultant: Dave McDannel
• Technical Advisor: Bill Kuethen
• Stunt Co-ordinator: Paul Nuckles
• Rerecorded at: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
• Sound: Harlan Riggs, M. Curtis Price, C.A.S.
• Wardrobe Supervisor: Shelly Levine
• Makeup: Richard Cobos, S.M.A, Walter Schenck
• Hairdresser: Don Lynch
• Casting: Michael O. Hanks
• Locations by: Cinemobile Systems
• With Appreciation to Glen B. Craig, Commissioner California Highway Patrol
• Motorcycles Furnished by: Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
• Automobiles furnished by: Ford Motor Company
• We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and assistance furnished by the California Paralyzed Veterans Association
• Filmed in METROCOLOR / Titles and Opticals MGM
• Rosner Television in association with MGM Television

Fun Facts

Plaza Fire Station (left)

• The mock bull fighting scene was filmed around on and around Olvera Street. Artie's wheelchair comes to rest on North Alameda Street. View in Google Maps
• As Jon and Ponch approach the runaway wheelchair they pass the Plaza Fire House. Built in 1884, it was the first building to be constructed by the City of Los Angeles for housing fire fighting equipment and personnel.
• Jon and Ponch catch the hit-and-run driver in Union Station. View in Google Maps
• The crash scene near the end was filmed just off of Hannum Street in Culver City. All the buildings in the background have now gone, and the large Volkswagen warehouse is now an estate of townhouses. View in Google Maps
• Ray Vitte was a close friend of Donna Summer. He died after an altercation with the LAPD in 1983. Summer was part of a news conference which questioned the circumstances of his death.

Mistakes

Preceded by: "Second Chance"

Wheeling 314

Followed by: "Christmas Watch"