The Streets of San Francisco
Clown of Death
TV Flash files “Clown of Death” as hour 93 of 120 in the TV Flash guide — The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977) on ABC, season 4, episode 20, aired 1976-02-26, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E20: listed hour 93 of 120 in the The Streets of San Francisco guide, hour 20 of 23 in season 4. It aired 1976-02-26 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Judgment Day” (S04E19). Next is “Superstar” (S04E21).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
A terminally ill circus rigger is killed in his hospital bed by someone made up as a clown. At first, the detectives suspect the victim's brother may have done it as a mercy killing, but when the brother is murdered as well, suspicion shifts to the nephew of the two men.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Clown of Death sit in the The Streets of San Francisco guide?
S04E20 is listed hour 93 of 120 — hour 20 of 23 in season 4, season 4 episode 20.
When did The Streets of San Francisco S04E20 air?
Clown of Death aired 1976-02-26 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Malden and Douglas, or the later partner?
Start with Malden and Douglas — the mentor pairing that launched a movie star. Hatch arrives after Douglas leaves; the city remains.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Karl Malden's veteran cop drags a young Michael Douglas up those hills, and the city itself does half the blocking. Location-heavy Quinn Martin crime, cable-car glamour, mentor grit. Partnership chemistry that actually launched a movie star, filmed on streets that never look like a backlot.
ABC put Quinn Martin on actual pavement and let San Francisco do half the blocking. The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977), from Edward Hume, ran five seasons, 120 episodes: Karl Malden's veteran Mike Stone dragging a young Michael Douglas's Steve Keller up those hills. Heavy on-location shooting made the city a character; the theme and photography refused the backlot. Richard Hatch later arrived as Insp. Dan Robbins after Douglas left toward a producing and film career. Mentor/protégé casting that actually…
Open the The Streets of San Francisco package · Season 4 hub
Filed against
- Karl Malden as Det. Lt. Mike Stone
Karl Malden’s Det. Lt. Mike Stone dragged a young Michael Douglas up The Streets of San Francisco — location-heavy Quinn Martin crime, cable-car glamour, mentor grit. Partnership chemistry that actually launched a movie star, filmed on…
- Michael Douglas as Insp. Steve Keller
Michael Douglas’s Insp. Steve Keller climbed The Streets of San Francisco’s hills behind Karl Malden — 1970s Quinn Martin crime, location-heavy blocking, cable-car glamour, mentor grit. Partnership chemistry the city itself helped stage.…
- Richard Hatch as Insp. Dan Robbins
Richard Hatch’s Captain Apollo gave Battlestar Galactica its earnest Viper-jock spine — the good son in a ragtag fleet, square enough to make the space opera feel like a duty. Streets of San Francisco and Survivor keep the file from being…