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The Mississippi
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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.
Cast
Episodes by season
Season01
- S01E01Murder at Mt. ParnassusMarch 25, 1983—When Southern beauty Merilee Worthing is murdered, Ben comes to the defense of free-spirited Cal Woodley, a young activist whom the town wou
- S01E02Edge of the RiverApril 1, 1983—Ben 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 winds
- S01E03Beyond a Reasonable DoubtApril 8, 1983—Ben 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.
- S01E04We Remember, We RevereApril 15, 1983—When Ben comes to the aid of a young cadet at a military academy, he uncovers some disturbing facts which indicate the cadet, an accused mur
- S01E05Mardi GrasApril 29, 1983—Ben 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
- S01E06Old Hatreds Die HardMay 6, 1983—Ben and his black assistant Lafe face a bigoted deposed sheriff, and soon learn that almost two decades cannot heal the wounds suffered duri
Season02
- S02E01There is a Tiger in the TownSeptember 27, 1983—Ben 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 acc
- S02E02Cradle to GraveOctober 4, 1983—Ben seeks to unravel an incriminating web of circumstantial evidence that links a mystery writer and his lover to murder.
- S02E03The Trial of Ben WalkerOctober 11, 1983—Ben gets involved in the case of a teenager who claims that a doctor performed an unnecessary radical mastectomy on her mother.
- S02E04The Last Voice You HearOctober 18, 1983—Ben is caught in a legal and emotional crossfire of embattled former spouses over who knows what is best for their nine-year-old child.
- S02E05The ShootingOctober 25, 1983—Former resident Margaret Hammond writes a best-seller, ""River Town"", about the place where she grew up, and lawyer Ben has to dig deep for
- S02E06Peace with HonorNovember 1, 1983—Ben 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
- S02E07JoeyNovember 8, 1983—Ben 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
- S02E08Crisis of IdentityNovember 15, 1983—Ben defends a private nurse who is charged with murder when the wealthy man for whom she was caring dies of a drug overdose.
- S02E09Town Without PityNovember 22, 1983—A beautiful woman hires Ben to defend her young, retarded gardener Jerry against murder charges.
- S02E10G.I. BluesNovember 29, 1983—The mother of a man who has been murdered hires Ben to defend his wife, the primary suspect in the shooting death.
- S02E11Between Fathers and SonsDecember 13, 1983—A peaceful activist emerges from hiding to seek Ben's help in exonerating her of a 15-year-old murder charge.
- S02E12The Big LeaguesDecember 27, 1983—Ben becomes involved in the defense of a rebellious teenager who maintains his innocence of armed robbery, yet is terrified to reveal the gu
- S02E13Going Back to HannibalJanuary 10, 1984—Ben defends the embittered survivor of a German concentration camp who is suspected of murdering a Nazi war criminal hiding in a small Missi
- S02E14Wheels of JusticeJanuary 17, 1984—Ben 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 flee
- S02E15Informed ConsentJanuary 24, 1984—Ben is asked by the army to defend a sergeant accused of slugging a fellow officer who he claims was trying to rape his daughter.
- S02E16AbigailFebruary 7, 1984—An elderly farmer hires Ben to defend a young navy veteran who is accused of killing his father after an explosive argument.
- S02E17Home AgainMarch 6, 1984—Ben finds himself working with a flamboyant, publicity-seeking attorney when he agrees to represent a professional football player facing tr