The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove

The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove
Created byWilliam Blinn
Jerry Thorpe
StarringClu Gulager
Lory Walsh
Shawn Stevens
Sean Marshall
Randi Kiger
Keith Mitchell
Theme music composerJohn Rubinstein
ComposersFred Werner
John Beal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 + 1 television film
Production
ProducersJerry Thorpe
William Blinn
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesBlinn/Thorpe Productions
Viacom Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 27 (1979-03-27) –
May 18, 1979 (1979-05-18)

The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove (also known as Wonderland Cove) is an American six-episode drama miniseries which aired on ABC during the 1978–79 season from March 27 to May 18, 1979, following a television film pilot titled Stickin' Together that aired earlier in 1978.[1]

Plot

The series, set in Honolulu, follows the adventures of Bridget, Kevin, Michael, Celia and Timothy MacKenzie, five orphaned children ranging in age from 7 to 17 who, in an attempt to remain a family after their parents' death in a sailing accident, adopt Cuda Weber – a reluctant seagoing fisherman – as their unofficial guardian so that authorities will not split them up.

Cast

  • Clu Gulager as Cuda Weber, a free-spirited fisherman who becomes a guardian to the MacKenzie kids
  • Lory Walsh as Bridget MacKenzie, the eldest daughter (17) and Kevin's twin sister
  • Shawn Stevens as Kevin MacKenzie, the eldest son (17) and Bridget's twin brother
  • Sean Marshall as Michael MacKenzie, the third oldest child (14)
  • Randi Kiger as Celia MacKenzie, the fourth child (12)
  • Keith Mitchell as Timothy MacKenzie, the youngest child at 7
  • Harry Chang as Barney, Cuda's friend
  • Moe Keale as "Big Ben" Kalikini, Cuda's friend
  • Sean Tyler Hall as “Little Ben Kalikini, the neighbor friend

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production code
Stickin' TogetherJerry ThorpeWilliam BlinnApril 14, 1978 (1978-04-14)
78-minute pilot film: After their parents are lost at sea in a sailing accident, the five MacKenzie children (Bridget, Kevin, Michael, Celia and Timothy) ranging in age from 7 to 17, attempt to foil the authorities and stay together as a family. After they persuade a commercial fisherman named Cuda Weber to represent them as their uncle and unofficial guardian, the Mackenzie kids take to the high seas for a new life of high spirited adventure in exotic and sometimes dangerous new places.
1"Bridget's Romance"UnknownSteven Hensley and J. Miyoko HensleyMarch 27, 1979 (1979-03-27)7801
Drastic action seems called for when Cuda is convinced that Bridget has fallen in love with a married man.
2"Last of the Red Hot Luaus"Harry HarrisLeah MarkusApril 4, 1979 (1979-04-04)7802
Bridget learns that having a "bossy-older-sister" routine has devastating results when the younger MacKenzies, who are helping her stage a big money-making luau for a reunion of former paratroopers, decide to mutiny at the last minute.
Guest stars: Howard McGillin, Robert Donner, Gregory Walcott
3"Crate Expectations"Jerry ThorpeSteven Hensley and J. Miyoko HensleyApril 11, 1979 (1979-04-11)7803
The MacKenzie kids desperately try to raise enough money so they can claim a large sealed crate (although they don't know what it contains) which may represent the last known link to their missing parents.
Guest Stars: William Cort, Michael McManus, Doug Mossman
4"The Little People"Jerry ThorpeRobert Van ScoykApril 27, 1979 (1979-04-27)7804
Timothy runs away to the mountains to find the Menehune, the little people of Hawaiian legend, in hopes that they can tell him where his parents are.
Guest stars: Melendy Britt, Herb Edelman
5"A Debt in the Family"Jerry ThorpeUnknownMay 4, 1979 (1979-05-04)7805
Cuda's romantic luck doesn't carry over when he needs money to save his home from tax foreclosure, so the MacKenzie kids enter him in a cutthroat poker game.
Guest stars: Julie Cobb, Seth Sakai
6"The Agony of Victory, the Joy of Defeat"Harry HarrisParke PerineMay 18, 1979 (1979-05-18)7806
The MacKenzie kids are upset when they discover Cuda making a foolish bet with his fishing-boat rival Big Jim on the outcome of a race between Michael and Big Jim's son.
Guest stars: Herb Edelman, Tony Becker

Home media release

In 1986, the series' 78-minute pilot film was released on videocassette under the title Wonderland Cove by Prism Entertainment.

References

  1. ^ Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. 8th ed. Random House Digital; October 14, 2003 [cited September 27, 2011]. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0. p. 830.