Captain Frank Furillo
Hill Street Blues
May 14, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Hill Street Blues began NBC’s tradition of quality drama in the Thursday night 10:00pm time slot. That tradition ended in 2009 when The Jay Leno Show took over 10:00pm time slot. Now The Marriage Ref owns the time slot.
Airing from 1981 to 1987, Hill Street Blues changed television.
The bad guys didn’t always get caught by the end of the hour.
The good guys weren’t always angels.
And story lines could last for multiple episodes, maybe even a season.
At the heart of Hill Street Blues was Captain Frank Furillo, a recovering alcoholic who guided the Hill Street precinct with compassion, toughness, and experience. He was trusted by his officers, detectives, and the gangs. Jesus Martinez, leader of the Diablos, often called him ‘Frankie’ out of affection, respect, and teasing. In later years, Jesus became a paralegal.
If Frank Furillo was the Hill Street precinct’s heart, Sergeant Phil Esterhaus was its soul. Played by Michael Conrad with a textbook definition of being avuncular, Esterhaus led off each episode in the middle of the morning Roll Call with the phrase Let’s be careful out there. Conrad died in 1983. Robert Prosky replaced him at the Roll Call as Sergeant Stan Jablonski with the less watchful and more bombastic Let’s do it to them before they do it to us.
Veronica Hamel played the sensitive, skilled, and sexy Joyce Davenport of the Public Defender’s office. The advocate shared a bed with Captain Furillo and later married him.
Despite the urban chaos surrounding them, the officers and detectives never stopped in their mission to clean up the streets.
And creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll set a standard for television producing. Multiple story arcs, scenes involving walking and talking, and three dimensional characters are hallmarks seen in St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The West Wing, and Friday Night Lights, to name a few.
david@davidkrell.com
Hill Street Blues began NBC’s tradition of quality drama in the Thursday night 10:00pm time slot. That tradition ended in 2009 when The Jay Leno Show took over 10:00pm time slot. Now The Marriage Ref owns the time slot.
Airing from 1981 to 1987, Hill Street Blues changed television.
The bad guys didn’t always get caught by the end of the hour.
The good guys weren’t always angels.
And story lines could last for multiple episodes, maybe even a season.
At the heart of Hill Street Blues was Captain Frank Furillo, a recovering alcoholic who guided the Hill Street precinct with compassion, toughness, and experience. He was trusted by his officers, detectives, and the gangs. Jesus Martinez, leader of the Diablos, often called him ‘Frankie’ out of affection, respect, and teasing. In later years, Jesus became a paralegal.
If Frank Furillo was the Hill Street precinct’s heart, Sergeant Phil Esterhaus was its soul. Played by Michael Conrad with a textbook definition of being avuncular, Esterhaus led off each episode in the middle of the morning Roll Call with the phrase Let’s be careful out there. Conrad died in 1983. Robert Prosky replaced him at the Roll Call as Sergeant Stan Jablonski with the less watchful and more bombastic Let’s do it to them before they do it to us.
Veronica Hamel played the sensitive, skilled, and sexy Joyce Davenport of the Public Defender’s office. The advocate shared a bed with Captain Furillo and later married him.
Despite the urban chaos surrounding them, the officers and detectives never stopped in their mission to clean up the streets.
And creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll set a standard for television producing. Multiple story arcs, scenes involving walking and talking, and three dimensional characters are hallmarks seen in St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The West Wing, and Friday Night Lights, to name a few.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
June 19, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Some television spinoffs do very well.
Frasier.
Laverne & Shirley.
The Jeffersons.
And not so well.
Joey.
Models Inc.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye.
This show was a spinoff of the popular 1970's show The Rockford Files. Richie Brockelman, Private Eye starred Dennis Dugan in the title role, an eager private investigator in his early 20's.
Well, maybe it wasn't technically a spinoff.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye aired in 1978 with a half-dozen episodes. The character first appeared, however, in a 1976 tv-movie pilot entitled Richie Brockelman: Missing 24 Hours.
Richie appeared in a guest spot in the 2-hour Rockford Files episode The House on Willis Avenue in 1978 that led to the series.
Although Richie Brockelman, Private Eye only lasted five episodes with the pilot being a sixth, the guest star roster is impressive because of the guest stars' contributions to long-running television shows.
Norman Fell -- Three's Company.
Sharon Gless -- Cagney & Lacey.
Suzanne Pleshette -- The Bob Newhart Show.
Charles Siebert -- Trapper John, M.D.
Caroline McWilliams -- Benson.
Barbara Bosson played Sharon, Richie's secretary. She also played Fay Furillo, ex-wife of Captain Frank Furillo, on Hill Street Blues.
Paired back-to-back with The Rockford Files on Friday nights, Richie Brockelman, Private Eye was a fun show to watch.
Where Jim Rockford had a hard-boiled, weathered, and experienced air about him, Richie Brockelman relied on book smarts, enthusiasm, and persistence to solve cases.
But they did share one highly significant factor in their respective quivers of private eye arrows -- the police contact.
Where Rockford had Becker, Brockelman had Coopersmith. Robert Hogan, one of television's ubiquitous character actors, played Coopersmith.
After the shows cancellation, Richie Brockelman returned to The Rockford Files in the 1979 episode Never Send A Boy King To Do A Man's Job.
Dennis Dugan did terrific work on the short-lived show as the eager, youthful, and optimistic private investigator. He may not be the most remembered actor who played a private eye on television, but his resume is outstanding, particularly as a director of comedy films.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
Happy Gilmore.
Saving Silverman.
National Security.
Big Daddy.
You Don't Mess With the Zohan.
As for Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, it's long since gone but not forgotten.
david@davidkrell.com
Some television spinoffs do very well.
Frasier.
Laverne & Shirley.
The Jeffersons.
And not so well.
Joey.
Models Inc.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye.
This show was a spinoff of the popular 1970's show The Rockford Files. Richie Brockelman, Private Eye starred Dennis Dugan in the title role, an eager private investigator in his early 20's.
Well, maybe it wasn't technically a spinoff.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye aired in 1978 with a half-dozen episodes. The character first appeared, however, in a 1976 tv-movie pilot entitled Richie Brockelman: Missing 24 Hours.
Richie appeared in a guest spot in the 2-hour Rockford Files episode The House on Willis Avenue in 1978 that led to the series.
Although Richie Brockelman, Private Eye only lasted five episodes with the pilot being a sixth, the guest star roster is impressive because of the guest stars' contributions to long-running television shows.
Norman Fell -- Three's Company.
Sharon Gless -- Cagney & Lacey.
Suzanne Pleshette -- The Bob Newhart Show.
Charles Siebert -- Trapper John, M.D.
Caroline McWilliams -- Benson.
Barbara Bosson played Sharon, Richie's secretary. She also played Fay Furillo, ex-wife of Captain Frank Furillo, on Hill Street Blues.
Paired back-to-back with The Rockford Files on Friday nights, Richie Brockelman, Private Eye was a fun show to watch.
Where Jim Rockford had a hard-boiled, weathered, and experienced air about him, Richie Brockelman relied on book smarts, enthusiasm, and persistence to solve cases.
But they did share one highly significant factor in their respective quivers of private eye arrows -- the police contact.
Where Rockford had Becker, Brockelman had Coopersmith. Robert Hogan, one of television's ubiquitous character actors, played Coopersmith.
After the shows cancellation, Richie Brockelman returned to The Rockford Files in the 1979 episode Never Send A Boy King To Do A Man's Job.
Dennis Dugan did terrific work on the short-lived show as the eager, youthful, and optimistic private investigator. He may not be the most remembered actor who played a private eye on television, but his resume is outstanding, particularly as a director of comedy films.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
Happy Gilmore.
Saving Silverman.
National Security.
Big Daddy.
You Don't Mess With the Zohan.
As for Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, it's long since gone but not forgotten.