Behind the Scenes of Nowhere to Hide (1977)

Long before Lee Van Cleef became a household name for his spaghetti westerns, he explored American television — including the 1977 TV movie Nowhere to Hide. This film was actually a pilot for a proposed series called Scanlon, designed to bring Van Cleef’s signature tough-guy persona to weekly crime drama. While the series never materialized, the pilot aired on NBC on June 5, 1977, giving fans a rare glimpse of Van Cleef on the small screen.

The Concept: A Pilot That Almost Was

Nowhere to Hide was meant to launch a crime drama series featuring Van Cleef as U.S. Marshal Ike Scanlon, a hardened lawman tasked with protecting a dangerous mob informant. The idea was simple but engaging: mix tense crime storylines with Van Cleef’s cold, authoritative presence.

Networks at the time often aired pilots as “Movies of the Week” to gauge audience interest. While the pilot delivered Van Cleef at his icy best, NBC ultimately passed on the series, leaving Scanlon as a one-off television curiosity.

Cast & Characters

The pilot featured a mix of seasoned TV actors and guest stars:

• Lee Van Cleef — Ike Scanlon
  Van Cleef steps out of the western and into a modern lawman role. Cold, calculated, and commanding, he brought his signature gravitas to the part of a marshal navigating organized crime.

• Patrick McGoohan — Joey Faber
  McGoohan plays the mob informant whose life Scanlon must protect. Known for The Prisoner, McGoohan adds subtle tension and moral ambiguity to the story.

• Edna O’Brien — Kathleen Faber
  As Faber’s estranged wife, she adds emotional stakes and depth to the otherwise procedural plot.

• Charles Robinson & Russell Johnson
  Supporting roles help round out Scanlon’s world and bring credibility to the pilot’s mix of action and character drama.

The ensemble helped give the story texture, balancing Van Cleef’s commanding lead with emotional and professional stakes.

Behind the Scenes

Directed by Jack Starrett, the pilot blended action, suspense, and character-driven storytelling. With television budgets in mind, production relied heavily on location shoots, practical stunts, and tight shooting schedules.

Van Cleef reportedly took the project to explore TV work and diversify his career, stepping away from typecast villain or gunslinger roles. The pilot allowed him to showcase a more modern, procedural-style toughness suitable for the small screen.

Release and Legacy

Although the series never happened, Nowhere to Hide aired as a one-off TV movie and remains a notable footnote in Van Cleef’s career. Fans of the actor appreciate it as one of the few times he led a prime-time American TV drama, and as a glimpse of what could have been in the 1970s crime genre.

Today, the pilot holds cult appeal among collectors and Van Cleef enthusiasts, representing an unusual bridge between his European film work and potential American television stardom.

Final Thoughts

Nowhere to Hide is a fascinating piece of television history. It’s a chance to see Lee Van Cleef in a different light — not as a western antihero, but as a calculated, commanding lawman on American TV. While the pilot didn’t spin off into a series, it remains a unique chapter in the career of one of cinema’s coolest tough guys.