Kojak
Birthday Party
TV Flash files “Birthday Party” as the first listed hour of season 4 — Kojak (1973–1978) on CBS, season 4, episode 1, aired 1976-09-26, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E01: listed hour 72 of 125 in the Kojak guide, first listed hour of season 4. It aired 1976-09-26 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Both Sides of the Law” (S03E24). Next is “A Summer Madness” (S04E02).
Viewer FAQ
Where does Birthday Party sit in the Kojak guide?
S04E01 is listed hour 72 of 125 — first listed hour of season 4, season 4 episode 1.
When did Kojak S04E01 air?
Birthday Party aired 1976-09-26 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I need The Marcus-Nelson Murders first?
Optional. The series grew from that TV movie, but Kojak plays as a weekly star procedural once Savalas is in the squad.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Telly Savalas's bald lieutenant growls through Manhattan with a lollipop instead of a cigarette and a catchphrase that became a national wink. Abby Mann's star procedural grew from The Marcus-Nelson Murders into urban grit with sex-symbol nerve. Who loves ya, baby — presence as the whole weather system.
Who loves ya, baby? — a bald lieutenant with a lollipop instead of a cigarette growls through Manhattan, and CBS discovers that a nontraditional-looking leading man can be a primetime sex symbol. Kojak (1973–1978), from Abby Mann, grew from the TV movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders into six seasons, 125 hours, of urban grit with Telly Savalas as the entire weather system. Dan Frazer, Kevin Dobson, and George Savalas filled the squad. Location bite and charisma outshone formula. On the palate: hard candy, a shaved…
Filed against
- Telly Savalas as Lt. Theo Kojak
Telly Savalas growled Kojak as Lt. Theo Kojak — bald lieutenant, lollipop instead of a cigarette, a catchphrase that became a national wink. Abby Mann's star procedural, urban grit with sex-symbol nerve. TV Flash files him as 1970s…
- Dan Frazer as Capt. Frank McNeil
Dan Frazer’s Capt. Frank McNeil rode herd on Kojak — Telly Savalas’s bald lieutenant growling through Manhattan with a lollipop, Abby Mann grit, a captain as the precinct’s municipal ceiling. Who loves ya, baby, still needed a boss. TV…
- Kevin Dobson as Det. Bobby Crocker
Kevin Dobson’s Det. Bobby Crocker rode shotgun through Kojak’s lollipop Manhattan, then took the suburban-knife work of Knots Landing. Telly Savalas’s growl needed a partner; Dallas’s cul-de-sac cousin needed a man who could do soap…
- George Savalas as Det. Stavros
George Savalas played Det. Stavros on Kojak — lollipop-era Manhattan grit, Telly's bald lieutenant in the lead, a supporting detective who kept the squad from becoming a one-man wink. Abby Mann urban procedural with sex-symbol nerve. TV…