Actor who played Larry Tate in Bewitched makes an appearance.

Pre-Oscar winner Walter Matthau is Florida Man! Walter stars as Florida Sheriff's Bureau Special Agent Lex Rogers in this syndicated half-hour crime drama shot on location all over the state. With the success in syndication of such popular crime fighting half hours as HIGHWAY PATROL, STATE TROOPER, U.S. MARSHALL and SEA HUNT, a series featuring lawmen working the exotic locations in the state of Florida seemed a natural. Talented New York actor Walter Matthau, not yet the box office draw and film star he would soon become, joined the production team with a guaranteed 26 episodes for a new series to be called TALLAHASSEE 7000, if it sold. Unlike a network series that automatically gets a time slot, a syndicated series must be sold to individual television stations market by market, one station at a time. It's a tough business so having the proposed series star do a personal sales pitch on film to the buyers is something that Matthau does in this rare example with him speaking directly to the camera following the extra long pilot, that we now present to television historians and fans. Originally to be called MEN FROM TALLAHASSEE, the pilot for TALLAHASSEE 7000 (1961) was created and written by prolific writer Howard Rodman ("Coogan's Bluff," "Madigan" and "Charley Varrick" were three features for director Don Siegel, and TV's "Naked City," "Route 66," "Harry-O" and "Six Million Dollar Man," among others). It was directed by Oscar Rudolph (TV's "The Lone Ranger," "Richard Diamond," "Batman"). In addition to Walter Matthau as Lex Rogers, there's William Bryant as his partner, Ade Smith. Ralph Meeker guests as a trucker suspected of murdering his girlfriend. Taking advantage of some South Florida color, the exciting climax takes place on location during a Greyhound dog race, a Florida staple. The overlong pilot was recut to conform to the half hour running time and was placed in the package as the 26th, and last, episode