SYNOPSIS

“I reckon a diamond is just a hunk of coal that stuck to the job… If you want something done, find the busiest person to do it… You look happier than a termite in a sawmill…” Mumbling a constant stream of such homey aphorisms, eccentric Texas billionaire, J.J. Starbuck set out to solve crimes using his natural charm, down-home manner, and, when necessary, his vast wealth and connections.

J.J. was one of TV’s outrageous characters. Apparently Marklee Industries, the San Antonio-based corporation that was the source of his wealth, ran itself, freeing J.J. to drive around the country alone in his 1961 Lincoln convertible, complete with steer horns on the hood and a horn that blared "The Eyes of Texas." Old J.J. never charged a fee, and usually helped those who had been framed or abandoned by the system. Local law officials were not sure what to make of this super-rich meddler, but J.J. just charmed their badges off. After all, if they told him to move on, he’d just chew a bit and observe, “Well sir, the Lord never closes one door without openin’ another.”

Early in 1988, J.J. picked up a sidekick in the person of “Tenspeed" Turner, a con man whose tricks and disguises came in handy at times (Ben Vereen had played the same character in the failed 1980 series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, making one of TV’s more unusual character revivals). Jill was J.J.'s infrequently seen niece.