Hill Street Blues
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.
The Last Great Ride
December 07, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Brandon Tartikoff saw the best of times and the worst of times during his reign as NBC’s uberprogrammer.
The best of times -- Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Night Court, Cheers, The Cosby Show, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, Miami Vice, Crime Story, Hunter, Late Night with David Letterman.
The worst of times -- Manimal, Misfits of Science, Supertrain, Lewis & Clark, Hull High, Pink Lady, Gavilan, Nightingales, The Nutt House, Partners in Crime.
Tartikoff was a rare television executive in that the general public knew his name. He was a guest host on Saturday Night Live. He appeared as himself in an episode of Night Court.
Tartikoff passed away in 1997. Fortunately, he recorded his life story in his 1992 autobiography, The Last Great Ride with Charles Leerhsen.
Tartikoff explains the television business as if he was talking to you informally at the kitchen table, the corner bar, or the airport terminal. And he’s fiercely honest about the realities of ratings, missed opportunities, and severe pressure in television’s executive suites.
The Last Great Ride unveils terrific television stories through the eyes of a baby boomer who possessed extraordinary passion, talent, and drive.
Tartikoff tells the details of how NBC cast Michael J. Fox instead of Matthew Broderick for the role of Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, how William Devane lost the role of Sam Malone during his audition for Cheers, and how The Cosby Show helped rebuild NBC.
We also learn the turning points in Tartikoff’s career and personal life, including his battle with Hodgkins Disease. Ultimately, he lost the battle. But his constant strive to win under pressure in his personal life matched the same desire in his professional life.
Consequently, NBC’s peacock rose like a phoenix with newfound success in the 1980’s.
Indeed, when Brandon Tartikoff was at the helm, NBC’s shows, stations, and viewers enjoyed a great ride.
david@davidkrell.com
Brandon Tartikoff saw the best of times and the worst of times during his reign as NBC’s uberprogrammer.
The best of times -- Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Night Court, Cheers, The Cosby Show, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, Miami Vice, Crime Story, Hunter, Late Night with David Letterman.
The worst of times -- Manimal, Misfits of Science, Supertrain, Lewis & Clark, Hull High, Pink Lady, Gavilan, Nightingales, The Nutt House, Partners in Crime.
Tartikoff was a rare television executive in that the general public knew his name. He was a guest host on Saturday Night Live. He appeared as himself in an episode of Night Court.
Tartikoff passed away in 1997. Fortunately, he recorded his life story in his 1992 autobiography, The Last Great Ride with Charles Leerhsen.
Tartikoff explains the television business as if he was talking to you informally at the kitchen table, the corner bar, or the airport terminal. And he’s fiercely honest about the realities of ratings, missed opportunities, and severe pressure in television’s executive suites.
The Last Great Ride unveils terrific television stories through the eyes of a baby boomer who possessed extraordinary passion, talent, and drive.
Tartikoff tells the details of how NBC cast Michael J. Fox instead of Matthew Broderick for the role of Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, how William Devane lost the role of Sam Malone during his audition for Cheers, and how The Cosby Show helped rebuild NBC.
We also learn the turning points in Tartikoff’s career and personal life, including his battle with Hodgkins Disease. Ultimately, he lost the battle. But his constant strive to win under pressure in his personal life matched the same desire in his professional life.
Consequently, NBC’s peacock rose like a phoenix with newfound success in the 1980’s.
Indeed, when Brandon Tartikoff was at the helm, NBC’s shows, stations, and viewers enjoyed a great ride.
Thursday Nights at 10pm
November 27, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Now that The Jay Leno Show is in the 10 pm time slot on NBC, a look back at Thursday nights at 10 on the Peacock Network reveals an amazing consistency of quality for nearly thirty years.
Hill Street Blues debuted in 1981 and changed the production of television drama.
Story lines became story arcs and lasted several episodes.
Moving cameras shifted seamlessly from one set of characters having a conversation to another set of characters. Gone were standard cuts.
And sometimes the good guys lost.
Hill Street Blues focused on the gritty, tough, and somewhat chaotic life in an unnamed metropolitan precinct, specifically, an area known as ‘The Hill.’ However, early visual evidence indicates Chicago and early dialogue indicates New York City.
Created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, Hill Street Blues ended its run in 1987.
Just a year prior, L.A. Law premiered in the Friday at 10 pm time slot following Miami Vice. Steven Bochco teamed with Terry Louise Fisher to create this show about yuppie lawyers in Los Angeles.
When Hill Street Blues ended, L.A. Law took its Thursday at 10 pm time slot and enjoyed a successful tenure until its end in 1994. Eight years of serious legal issues, comical legal issues, and everyday legal issues.
ER continued the tradition of quality drama. It captivated the audience immediately upon its debut in September 1994. And it secured the NBC Must See TV Thursday night programming block.
Revived from an old movie script by Michael Crichton, the ER pilot showed life in a Chicago emergency room on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Casts changed. Characters died. Quality continued.
For fifteen years.
An astounding record for a television show.
Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and ER won several Emmy awards, broke ground in the issues they covered and how they covered them, and captured our hearts.
For twenty-eight years, from 1981 to 2009
From Captain Frank Furillo’s leadership to Sergeant Phil Esterhaus’ avuncular delivery at Roll Call.
From Arnie Becker’s sleazy tactics as McKenzie Brackman’s family law attorney to Arnie Becker’s heart of gold in acting like a big brother at times to mentally retarded office worker Benny.
From Mark Greene’s quiet determination to practice emergency medicine in the face of massive bureaucracy, office politics, and budget concerns to John Carter’s slow emergence from clueless intern to confident ER chief.
And hey, one more thing -- Let’s be careful out there.
david@davidkrell.com
Now that The Jay Leno Show is in the 10 pm time slot on NBC, a look back at Thursday nights at 10 on the Peacock Network reveals an amazing consistency of quality for nearly thirty years.
Hill Street Blues debuted in 1981 and changed the production of television drama.
Story lines became story arcs and lasted several episodes.
Moving cameras shifted seamlessly from one set of characters having a conversation to another set of characters. Gone were standard cuts.
And sometimes the good guys lost.
Hill Street Blues focused on the gritty, tough, and somewhat chaotic life in an unnamed metropolitan precinct, specifically, an area known as ‘The Hill.’ However, early visual evidence indicates Chicago and early dialogue indicates New York City.
Created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, Hill Street Blues ended its run in 1987.
Just a year prior, L.A. Law premiered in the Friday at 10 pm time slot following Miami Vice. Steven Bochco teamed with Terry Louise Fisher to create this show about yuppie lawyers in Los Angeles.
When Hill Street Blues ended, L.A. Law took its Thursday at 10 pm time slot and enjoyed a successful tenure until its end in 1994. Eight years of serious legal issues, comical legal issues, and everyday legal issues.
ER continued the tradition of quality drama. It captivated the audience immediately upon its debut in September 1994. And it secured the NBC Must See TV Thursday night programming block.
Revived from an old movie script by Michael Crichton, the ER pilot showed life in a Chicago emergency room on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Casts changed. Characters died. Quality continued.
For fifteen years.
An astounding record for a television show.
Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and ER won several Emmy awards, broke ground in the issues they covered and how they covered them, and captured our hearts.
For twenty-eight years, from 1981 to 2009
From Captain Frank Furillo’s leadership to Sergeant Phil Esterhaus’ avuncular delivery at Roll Call.
From Arnie Becker’s sleazy tactics as McKenzie Brackman’s family law attorney to Arnie Becker’s heart of gold in acting like a big brother at times to mentally retarded office worker Benny.
From Mark Greene’s quiet determination to practice emergency medicine in the face of massive bureaucracy, office politics, and budget concerns to John Carter’s slow emergence from clueless intern to confident ER chief.
And hey, one more thing -- Let’s be careful out there.
Hill Street Blues
November 20, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
To kick off its third season in 1982, Hill Street Blues used a story that could make a combat veteran cry.
The episode Trial By Fury featured the Hill Street precinct investigating the rape and assault of a nun that results in her death.
The episode still holds up today, nearly thirty years after its initial broadcast.
The story line is shocking, revolting, and riveting.
In its first two seasons, Hill Street Blues proved it was not just another cop show.
Car chases featured standard, boring cop cars instead of souped up roadsters.
Story lines overlapped and continued beyond a single episode.
Characters had depth, pain, and curiosity.
Meanwhile, urban blight, gang warfare, and office politics contributed to the chaos on the Hill. Like the USS Enterprise, Hill Street Blues went where no one had gone before. Trial By Fury cements the evidence.
When Officers Bobby Hill and Andy Renko catch the two suspects -- Celestine Gray and Gerald Chapman -- the case seems like a lock. But Captain Frank Furillo soon realizes that the case will not be successful because of a lack of hard evidence.
With a city calling for swift retribution, a virtual lynch mob threatening violence, and organized crime holding killing contracts on the suspects, Captain Furillo has a snowball of a problem that can easily become an avalanche of bloodshed.
Enter Lieutenant Howard Hunter -- Hill Street Station’s resident military historian, strategist, and tactician. As head of the Emergency Action Team (EAT), Lieutenant Hunter’s responsibilities include overseeing tactical operations in hostage negotiation and gang violence countermeasures.
What better place to share his view of the situation than the Hill Street Station’s Men’s Room?
Lieutenant Hunter says that he would just as soon let the outraged public decide the fate of Gray and Chapman. Hunter’s offhand comment inspires Furillo.
Furillo wants to turn the liability of a lack of hard evidence into an asset. He believes that he can use the lynch mob as leverage. He wants Assistant District Attorney Irwin Bernstein to drop the charges against Gray and Chapman because he gambles that the suspects would rather face the justice system than mob justice.
Better to be tried by twelve jurors than carried by six pallbearers.
Enter Joyce Davenport -- Public Defender, Furillo’s girlfriend, and attorney for one of the suspects.
After a verbal outburst targeting the judge in the courtroom and a consequent, quick, and severe admonishment, Davenport confronts Furillo and his manipulation of the system to get what he wants -- a confession.
She argues that the confessions were coerced -- dropping the charges without putting forth a legitimate attempt at prosecution is tantamount to beating a confession out of a suspect with a lynch mob ready, willing, and able to dispense its own form of justice in addition to the looming threat of organized crime contracts.
Furillo justifies his actions, or lack thereof, by pointing out that Gray and Chapman committed the crimes even though the evidence cannot prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A confession by one of the suspects is proof enough.
The ends justify the means.
Furillo confidently furthers his argument by saying that he did nothing different than what he’s seen Davenport do for her clients. He used the system.
When Davenport says that she can’t be with Furillo tonight, the police captain’s respect for the tenacious lady lawyer shows clearly when he responds that he understands.
In a twist ending, we see Furillo drive to a church and enter the confessional.
The episode ends with Captain Furillo saying, Bless me Father, for I have sinned.
Somewhere, O. Henry is smiling.
david@davidkrell.com
To kick off its third season in 1982, Hill Street Blues used a story that could make a combat veteran cry.
The episode Trial By Fury featured the Hill Street precinct investigating the rape and assault of a nun that results in her death.
The episode still holds up today, nearly thirty years after its initial broadcast.
The story line is shocking, revolting, and riveting.
In its first two seasons, Hill Street Blues proved it was not just another cop show.
Car chases featured standard, boring cop cars instead of souped up roadsters.
Story lines overlapped and continued beyond a single episode.
Characters had depth, pain, and curiosity.
Meanwhile, urban blight, gang warfare, and office politics contributed to the chaos on the Hill. Like the USS Enterprise, Hill Street Blues went where no one had gone before. Trial By Fury cements the evidence.
When Officers Bobby Hill and Andy Renko catch the two suspects -- Celestine Gray and Gerald Chapman -- the case seems like a lock. But Captain Frank Furillo soon realizes that the case will not be successful because of a lack of hard evidence.
With a city calling for swift retribution, a virtual lynch mob threatening violence, and organized crime holding killing contracts on the suspects, Captain Furillo has a snowball of a problem that can easily become an avalanche of bloodshed.
Enter Lieutenant Howard Hunter -- Hill Street Station’s resident military historian, strategist, and tactician. As head of the Emergency Action Team (EAT), Lieutenant Hunter’s responsibilities include overseeing tactical operations in hostage negotiation and gang violence countermeasures.
What better place to share his view of the situation than the Hill Street Station’s Men’s Room?
Lieutenant Hunter says that he would just as soon let the outraged public decide the fate of Gray and Chapman. Hunter’s offhand comment inspires Furillo.
Furillo wants to turn the liability of a lack of hard evidence into an asset. He believes that he can use the lynch mob as leverage. He wants Assistant District Attorney Irwin Bernstein to drop the charges against Gray and Chapman because he gambles that the suspects would rather face the justice system than mob justice.
Better to be tried by twelve jurors than carried by six pallbearers.
Enter Joyce Davenport -- Public Defender, Furillo’s girlfriend, and attorney for one of the suspects.
After a verbal outburst targeting the judge in the courtroom and a consequent, quick, and severe admonishment, Davenport confronts Furillo and his manipulation of the system to get what he wants -- a confession.
She argues that the confessions were coerced -- dropping the charges without putting forth a legitimate attempt at prosecution is tantamount to beating a confession out of a suspect with a lynch mob ready, willing, and able to dispense its own form of justice in addition to the looming threat of organized crime contracts.
Furillo justifies his actions, or lack thereof, by pointing out that Gray and Chapman committed the crimes even though the evidence cannot prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A confession by one of the suspects is proof enough.
The ends justify the means.
Furillo confidently furthers his argument by saying that he did nothing different than what he’s seen Davenport do for her clients. He used the system.
When Davenport says that she can’t be with Furillo tonight, the police captain’s respect for the tenacious lady lawyer shows clearly when he responds that he understands.
In a twist ending, we see Furillo drive to a church and enter the confessional.
The episode ends with Captain Furillo saying, Bless me Father, for I have sinned.
Somewhere, O. Henry is smiling.
Three Blind Mice
October 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, America’s three television networks changed hands.
ABC to Capital Cities.
NBC to General Electric.
CBS to Loews.
Ken Auletta’s 1991 book Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way chronicles the takeovers, trials and travails of the players involved.
In a ratings game dominated by numbers, the 1980’s saw the rise of the Video Cassette Recorder and the increased attention paid to demographics.
Auletta goes through a tremendously detailed approach to bring the reader the thoughts, strategies, and fears of the media moguls in television’s executive suites.
In the chapter NBC: Tartikoff In His Sandbox, 1987, Auletta writes about a favorite son of the television industry -- NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff. Auletta zeroes in on the programming wunderkind’s observations of the obstacles for network television.
Nor was Tartikoff sure that with the explosion of buyers -- from cable, Fox, and first-run syndication, among others -- there was sufficient talent to stock a twenty-two hour prime-time schedule. Tartikoff knew that success in network television often came when a producer believed passionately in a project -- be it Norman Lear with All in the Family, James Brooks with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or Steven Bochco with Hill Street Blues. But Tartikoff also knew the network television production system was a sausage factory.
In addition, the Big Three also faced the VCR, an affordable device by the mid-1980’s that allowed viewers to tape shows off the air and watch them at their leisure. No longer viewers tied to air times.
If viewers could shift the viewing times of their favorite shows, they would probably fast forward through the commercials. Consequently, advertisers become unhappy. Networks become worrisome about the prospect of ad dollars decreasing or disappearing.
In a world where viewers are no longer captive, advertisements can lose their impact.
The Big Three faced another challenge in the upstart FOX network. In its nascent days in the mid-1980’s, FOX did not have seven nights of programming each week. It did not have a network news division. And it did not have recognizable stars, save for one.
Its first programming attempt was The Late Show starring Joan Rivers in November 1986 followed by Sunday night programming in Spring 1987.
But it did have sister companies in other areas of media. A movie studio. A publishing house. Newspapers.
This synergy was attractive. And great ideas have to start somewhere. With the edgy sitcom Married With Children, the innovative cartoon show The Simpsons, and the funny sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show, FOX began to make pinpricks in the armor of the Big Three. Their invulnerability proved to be a fallacy in the 1990’s when FOX attracted the highly valuable younger demographic of teenagers and twentysomethings with nighttime soap operas -- Beverly Hills 92010 and Melrose Place.
In the chapter ABC: More Sancho Panza Than Machiavelli, September to December, 1986, Auletta summarizes the impact of FOX chieftain Rupert Murdoch’s initial foray into network television.
The future also belonged, some feared, to Rupert Murdoch’s scheme to make Fox a fourth network by acquiring stations in six of the top ten markets, lining up affiliated stations, and setting up a programming department, just as the three networks did.
Auletta delves deeply beneath the surface to get to the heart of the matter for television networks. Really, it is the heart of the matter for business. Money.
Auletta frequently writes about the costs of contracts and programming. He shows that programs may be part creativity, part talent, and part instinct. But it is part dollars and cents, too.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, America’s three television networks changed hands.
ABC to Capital Cities.
NBC to General Electric.
CBS to Loews.
Ken Auletta’s 1991 book Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way chronicles the takeovers, trials and travails of the players involved.
In a ratings game dominated by numbers, the 1980’s saw the rise of the Video Cassette Recorder and the increased attention paid to demographics.
Auletta goes through a tremendously detailed approach to bring the reader the thoughts, strategies, and fears of the media moguls in television’s executive suites.
In the chapter NBC: Tartikoff In His Sandbox, 1987, Auletta writes about a favorite son of the television industry -- NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff. Auletta zeroes in on the programming wunderkind’s observations of the obstacles for network television.
Nor was Tartikoff sure that with the explosion of buyers -- from cable, Fox, and first-run syndication, among others -- there was sufficient talent to stock a twenty-two hour prime-time schedule. Tartikoff knew that success in network television often came when a producer believed passionately in a project -- be it Norman Lear with All in the Family, James Brooks with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or Steven Bochco with Hill Street Blues. But Tartikoff also knew the network television production system was a sausage factory.
In addition, the Big Three also faced the VCR, an affordable device by the mid-1980’s that allowed viewers to tape shows off the air and watch them at their leisure. No longer viewers tied to air times.
If viewers could shift the viewing times of their favorite shows, they would probably fast forward through the commercials. Consequently, advertisers become unhappy. Networks become worrisome about the prospect of ad dollars decreasing or disappearing.
In a world where viewers are no longer captive, advertisements can lose their impact.
The Big Three faced another challenge in the upstart FOX network. In its nascent days in the mid-1980’s, FOX did not have seven nights of programming each week. It did not have a network news division. And it did not have recognizable stars, save for one.
Its first programming attempt was The Late Show starring Joan Rivers in November 1986 followed by Sunday night programming in Spring 1987.
But it did have sister companies in other areas of media. A movie studio. A publishing house. Newspapers.
This synergy was attractive. And great ideas have to start somewhere. With the edgy sitcom Married With Children, the innovative cartoon show The Simpsons, and the funny sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show, FOX began to make pinpricks in the armor of the Big Three. Their invulnerability proved to be a fallacy in the 1990’s when FOX attracted the highly valuable younger demographic of teenagers and twentysomethings with nighttime soap operas -- Beverly Hills 92010 and Melrose Place.
In the chapter ABC: More Sancho Panza Than Machiavelli, September to December, 1986, Auletta summarizes the impact of FOX chieftain Rupert Murdoch’s initial foray into network television.
The future also belonged, some feared, to Rupert Murdoch’s scheme to make Fox a fourth network by acquiring stations in six of the top ten markets, lining up affiliated stations, and setting up a programming department, just as the three networks did.
Auletta delves deeply beneath the surface to get to the heart of the matter for television networks. Really, it is the heart of the matter for business. Money.
Auletta frequently writes about the costs of contracts and programming. He shows that programs may be part creativity, part talent, and part instinct. But it is part dollars and cents, too.
Crime Story
October 01, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, an NBC show about cops had it all.
A new look.
Story arcs that existed over several episodes.
And the elevation of lesser known actors into household name status.
Hill Street Blues? No.
Miami Vice? No.
Crime Story.
Michael Mann’s production of a Chicago cop and his mobster prey only lasted two seasons from 1986-1988.
But it was a terrific two years.
Set in the early 1960’s, Crime Story followed the exploits of Chicago Police Department Lt. Mike Torello and his squad at MCU or Major Crimes Unit. Their mission is to take down mobster Ray Luca.
When Luca moves his base of operations to Las Vegas, Torello and team follows, only to trade in their Chicago police badges to work for the feds.
At the end of the first season, Ray Luca and his addlebrained sidekick, Paulie Taglia, escape to the desert where they find themselves in the middle of nuclear testing. Because they survive, the federal government gives them immunity from prosecution and increases the difficulty of Torello’s job.
The medical information learned from their survival is simply invaluable during the Cold War and immunity from prosecution is the government’s compensation.
Crime Story was created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. It starred Dennis Farina as Mike Torello. In a perfect example of art imitating life, Adamson and Farina worked for the Chicago Police Department before their show business careers. John Santucci played Paulie Taglia. Santucci was a thief in Chicago in his previous career. Adamson and Farina knew Santucci from their Chicago days. They arrested him!
Anthony Denison played Ray Luca. He went to the other side of law enforcement during a brief stint on Wiseguy when he replaced Ken Wahl. Denison played a former FBI agent drawn back into the fight against crime.
A reading of the list of guest stars on Crime Story is impressive.
Kevin Spacey. David Caruso. Julia Roberts. Ving Rhames. Gary Sinise. David Hyde-Pierce. Billy Zane. Laura San Giacomo. Dennis Haysbert.
Regular and recurring actors on Crime Story will also be familiar.
Before he was Corky’s dad on Life Goes On, Bill Smitrovich was Detective Danny Krycheck.
Before he was a single dad looking for a chance at true love on Once and Again, Billy Campbell was Detective Joey Indelli.
And before he sold out sports arenas, comedian Andrew Dice Clay was Max Goldman, a savvy partner of Ray Luca.
Del Shannon’s Runaway was the show’s theme song. It set the tone perfectly for the series. An upbeat tune balanced by somber words.
Crime Story paid great attention to style, setting, and detail. It captured the viewer. In Chicago, Torello and his squad often regrouped at a bar called the Orbit Room, a nod to the fascination inspired by the Space Age of the 1960’s.
In one episode, Torello and the guys talk about the Chicago Bears. He says that Ditka is the best player on the team. It was essentially a wink to the viewer. Mike Ditka played for the Bears in the 1960’s and coached the team during the mid-1980’s, the period of the show’s broadcast history.
Cars with fins. Suits with thin ties. Men with hats. All details of another era. But Crime Story recaptured them in an old-fashioned good guy vs. bad guy story line.
Crime Story ended with a cliffhanger. The principal characters airborne in a pilotless plane. Maybe one day, a tv-movie will tie up loose ends. And we will find out the ultimate destiny of Torello and Luca. Until then, you can create your own Crime Story ending.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, an NBC show about cops had it all.
A new look.
Story arcs that existed over several episodes.
And the elevation of lesser known actors into household name status.
Hill Street Blues? No.
Miami Vice? No.
Crime Story.
Michael Mann’s production of a Chicago cop and his mobster prey only lasted two seasons from 1986-1988.
But it was a terrific two years.
Set in the early 1960’s, Crime Story followed the exploits of Chicago Police Department Lt. Mike Torello and his squad at MCU or Major Crimes Unit. Their mission is to take down mobster Ray Luca.
When Luca moves his base of operations to Las Vegas, Torello and team follows, only to trade in their Chicago police badges to work for the feds.
At the end of the first season, Ray Luca and his addlebrained sidekick, Paulie Taglia, escape to the desert where they find themselves in the middle of nuclear testing. Because they survive, the federal government gives them immunity from prosecution and increases the difficulty of Torello’s job.
The medical information learned from their survival is simply invaluable during the Cold War and immunity from prosecution is the government’s compensation.
Crime Story was created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. It starred Dennis Farina as Mike Torello. In a perfect example of art imitating life, Adamson and Farina worked for the Chicago Police Department before their show business careers. John Santucci played Paulie Taglia. Santucci was a thief in Chicago in his previous career. Adamson and Farina knew Santucci from their Chicago days. They arrested him!
Anthony Denison played Ray Luca. He went to the other side of law enforcement during a brief stint on Wiseguy when he replaced Ken Wahl. Denison played a former FBI agent drawn back into the fight against crime.
A reading of the list of guest stars on Crime Story is impressive.
Kevin Spacey. David Caruso. Julia Roberts. Ving Rhames. Gary Sinise. David Hyde-Pierce. Billy Zane. Laura San Giacomo. Dennis Haysbert.
Regular and recurring actors on Crime Story will also be familiar.
Before he was Corky’s dad on Life Goes On, Bill Smitrovich was Detective Danny Krycheck.
Before he was a single dad looking for a chance at true love on Once and Again, Billy Campbell was Detective Joey Indelli.
And before he sold out sports arenas, comedian Andrew Dice Clay was Max Goldman, a savvy partner of Ray Luca.
Del Shannon’s Runaway was the show’s theme song. It set the tone perfectly for the series. An upbeat tune balanced by somber words.
Crime Story paid great attention to style, setting, and detail. It captured the viewer. In Chicago, Torello and his squad often regrouped at a bar called the Orbit Room, a nod to the fascination inspired by the Space Age of the 1960’s.
In one episode, Torello and the guys talk about the Chicago Bears. He says that Ditka is the best player on the team. It was essentially a wink to the viewer. Mike Ditka played for the Bears in the 1960’s and coached the team during the mid-1980’s, the period of the show’s broadcast history.
Cars with fins. Suits with thin ties. Men with hats. All details of another era. But Crime Story recaptured them in an old-fashioned good guy vs. bad guy story line.
Crime Story ended with a cliffhanger. The principal characters airborne in a pilotless plane. Maybe one day, a tv-movie will tie up loose ends. And we will find out the ultimate destiny of Torello and Luca. Until then, you can create your own Crime Story ending.
The Ultimate TV Network
July 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
Dennis Franz
July 15, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Dennis Franz stayed with NYPD Blue for its entire 12-year run from 1993 to 2005.
But before his Emmy-winning turn as Detective Andy Sipowicz, Franz starred in some television series that are long gone and perhaps forgotten.
After the critically acclaimed debut of Hill Street Blues in 1981, NBC aired an even more ambitious ensemble program in 1982 -- Chicago Story.
Each episode was 90 minutes in length.
The stories centered on doctors, cops, and the justice system.
Naturally, Franz played a tough Chicago cop -- Officer Joe Gilland.
Chicago Story did not last, perhaps because of the length of each episode and despite an outstanding cast -- Craig T. Nelson, Maud Adams, Vincent Baggetta, Molly Cheek, Kristoffer Tabori, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Richard Lawson.
In 1983, Franz was part of Steven Bochco's attempt at a baseball-themed ensemble drama. Set in fictional Bay City, California, the short-lived Bay City Blues focused on a AA minor league team, the Bluebirds.
Bay City Blues starred Michael Nouri, Ken Olin, Sharon Stone, and Bernie Casey. Franz played pitching coach Angelo Carbone.
In Bochco's more successful 1980's ensemble drama Hill Street Blues, Franz played two roles.
He first guest starred as dirty cop Sal Benedetto in a multi-episode story arc. After Benedetto's story line ended with his suicide, Bochco brought Franz back to Hill Street Station as Detective Norman Buntz.
Buntz' informant was Sid the Snitch, played by another Bay City Blues alumnus, Peter Jurasik.
The pair offered comic relief and gained enough confidence from NBC to star in a spinoff -- Beverly Hills Buntz.
The show lasted a few episodes in 1987 and featured Buntz opening a private investigation agency in the glamorous southern California locale of Beverly Hills.
In 1989, Franz starred in a 2-hour NBC tv-movie entitled Nasty Boys. The theme song was the popular eponymous song of the day.
Nasty Boys featured an elite undercover narcotics squad in Las Vegas led by Franz' Lieutenant Krieger.
In 1990, NBC expanded Nasty Boys into a television series. Benjamin Bratt of Law & Order also starred.
In addition to these starring roles, Franz' resume includes numerous guest spots -- Hunter, Matlock, The A-Team, Riptide, Simon & Simon, Street Hawk, T.J. Hooker.
Dennis Franz' work on NYPD Blue secured his place in the annals of television history.
But his earlier television work ought not be overlooked.
And the aforementioned shows starring Franz have a common thread with NYPD Blue -- the ensemble.
david@davidkrell.com
Dennis Franz stayed with NYPD Blue for its entire 12-year run from 1993 to 2005.
But before his Emmy-winning turn as Detective Andy Sipowicz, Franz starred in some television series that are long gone and perhaps forgotten.
After the critically acclaimed debut of Hill Street Blues in 1981, NBC aired an even more ambitious ensemble program in 1982 -- Chicago Story.
Each episode was 90 minutes in length.
The stories centered on doctors, cops, and the justice system.
Naturally, Franz played a tough Chicago cop -- Officer Joe Gilland.
Chicago Story did not last, perhaps because of the length of each episode and despite an outstanding cast -- Craig T. Nelson, Maud Adams, Vincent Baggetta, Molly Cheek, Kristoffer Tabori, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Richard Lawson.
In 1983, Franz was part of Steven Bochco's attempt at a baseball-themed ensemble drama. Set in fictional Bay City, California, the short-lived Bay City Blues focused on a AA minor league team, the Bluebirds.
Bay City Blues starred Michael Nouri, Ken Olin, Sharon Stone, and Bernie Casey. Franz played pitching coach Angelo Carbone.
In Bochco's more successful 1980's ensemble drama Hill Street Blues, Franz played two roles.
He first guest starred as dirty cop Sal Benedetto in a multi-episode story arc. After Benedetto's story line ended with his suicide, Bochco brought Franz back to Hill Street Station as Detective Norman Buntz.
Buntz' informant was Sid the Snitch, played by another Bay City Blues alumnus, Peter Jurasik.
The pair offered comic relief and gained enough confidence from NBC to star in a spinoff -- Beverly Hills Buntz.
The show lasted a few episodes in 1987 and featured Buntz opening a private investigation agency in the glamorous southern California locale of Beverly Hills.
In 1989, Franz starred in a 2-hour NBC tv-movie entitled Nasty Boys. The theme song was the popular eponymous song of the day.
Nasty Boys featured an elite undercover narcotics squad in Las Vegas led by Franz' Lieutenant Krieger.
In 1990, NBC expanded Nasty Boys into a television series. Benjamin Bratt of Law & Order also starred.
In addition to these starring roles, Franz' resume includes numerous guest spots -- Hunter, Matlock, The A-Team, Riptide, Simon & Simon, Street Hawk, T.J. Hooker.
Dennis Franz' work on NYPD Blue secured his place in the annals of television history.
But his earlier television work ought not be overlooked.
And the aforementioned shows starring Franz have a common thread with NYPD Blue -- the ensemble.
Michael Jackson
June 25, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980's, three revolutions took place in the entertainment industry.
Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll changed a major production techniques of television drama with their show Hill Street Blues. They favored story arcs instead of self-contained episodes. Producers continued that technique with Hall of Fame television dramas -- St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The Shield, The Sopranos, and Rescue Me.
Television networks went the conglomerate route. Loews, GE, and Capital Cities took over Network Row as they incorporated CBS, NBC, and ABC respectively into their massive corporate families. Gone were the days of network chiefs like William Paley, David Sarnoff, and Leonard Goldenson being synonymous with the networks they founded.
And Michael Jackson, for all intents and purposes, made the marriage of music and television complete with his numerous music video plays on MTV. Before he danced on a car and made a mockery of court proceedings concerning child molestation allegations, before he underwent massive plastic surgery that drastically altered his appearance, and before his deep money troubles, Michael Jackson had it all -- fame, money, adoration of fans.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller gave him terrific fodder for music videos. He defined the genre by creating visual stories to match the songs. He set the bar higher for bands and singers who wanted rotation on MTV. And he formed the center for USA For Africa's We Are the World in 1985 by singing the first chorus. Forty-five singers comprised an inspirational unit to sing this song that raised money for Ethiopian famine sufferers, but Michael Jackson was arguably a keystone to the song's success.
It all happened back in the day described eloquently by Bowling For Soup in its song 1985: Way before Nirvana, there was U2 and Blondie and music still on MTV.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980's, three revolutions took place in the entertainment industry.
Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll changed a major production techniques of television drama with their show Hill Street Blues. They favored story arcs instead of self-contained episodes. Producers continued that technique with Hall of Fame television dramas -- St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The Shield, The Sopranos, and Rescue Me.
Television networks went the conglomerate route. Loews, GE, and Capital Cities took over Network Row as they incorporated CBS, NBC, and ABC respectively into their massive corporate families. Gone were the days of network chiefs like William Paley, David Sarnoff, and Leonard Goldenson being synonymous with the networks they founded.
And Michael Jackson, for all intents and purposes, made the marriage of music and television complete with his numerous music video plays on MTV. Before he danced on a car and made a mockery of court proceedings concerning child molestation allegations, before he underwent massive plastic surgery that drastically altered his appearance, and before his deep money troubles, Michael Jackson had it all -- fame, money, adoration of fans.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller gave him terrific fodder for music videos. He defined the genre by creating visual stories to match the songs. He set the bar higher for bands and singers who wanted rotation on MTV. And he formed the center for USA For Africa's We Are the World in 1985 by singing the first chorus. Forty-five singers comprised an inspirational unit to sing this song that raised money for Ethiopian famine sufferers, but Michael Jackson was arguably a keystone to the song's success.
It all happened back in the day described eloquently by Bowling For Soup in its song 1985: Way before Nirvana, there was U2 and Blondie and music still on MTV.
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.
Private Parts
June 15, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The 1997 movie Private Parts, based on Howard Stern's autobiography of the same title, has fairly rich television connections.
The shock jock plays himself in Private Parts. His gang of Robin Quivers, Gary Dell'Abate, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling also play themselves.
But Private Parts does more than merely take Howard Stern's storybook rise to fame from the page to the silver screen.
The movie features future stars of the small screen.
Mary McCormack plays Alison Stern, the wife of the self-proclaimed King of All Media. She steadfastly supports her husband as he finds his unique broadcasting voice.
In the final years of The West Wing, McCormack played Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper.
Currently, she stars in the USA drama In Plain Sight where she plays Deputy US Marshal Mary Shannon. Shannon is responsible for shepherding federal witnesses through the Witness Protection Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Allison Janney also shares a West Wing - Private Parts connection.
In Private Parts, she plays Dee Dee, a radio executive.
In The West Wing, she plays Press Secretary extraordinaire C.J. Cregg who later gets promoted to President Bartlet's Chief of Staff.
Kelly Bishop plays Howard Stern's mother in Private Parts.
We also know her as the matriarch on the poignant, successful, and thoughtful mother-daughter drama Gilmore Girls. Bishop played Emily Gilmore -- mother of Lorelai, grandmother of Rory, and wife of Richard.
Film is a director's medium. Private Parts benefits from a television veteran who draws on her experience to create a definite realism in her productions.
Betty Thomas got her big break as Officer (later Sergeant) Lucy Bates on Hill Street Blues, the highly acclaimed 1980's television drama. Thomas directed the HBO tv-movie The Late Shift based on the book of the same title by Bill Carter. The Late Shift recounts the controversy concerning who would ultimately succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Thomas has also directed other movies with roots in television -- I Spy, The Brady Bunch Movie.
And lastly, Paul Giamatti.
This fine character actor has starred in American Splendor, Sideways, and Cinderella Man.
In March - April 2008, Giamatti starred in the title role of the HBO miniseries John Adams based on the book of the same title by David McCullough. Giamatti won an Emmy for his portrayal of the unsung founding father.
In Private Parts, Giamatti plays Pig Vomit, Howard Stern's corporate nemesis during his days at WNBC-AM radio in New York City. Stern supplied the moniker.
david@davidkrell.com
The 1997 movie Private Parts, based on Howard Stern's autobiography of the same title, has fairly rich television connections.
The shock jock plays himself in Private Parts. His gang of Robin Quivers, Gary Dell'Abate, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling also play themselves.
But Private Parts does more than merely take Howard Stern's storybook rise to fame from the page to the silver screen.
The movie features future stars of the small screen.
Mary McCormack plays Alison Stern, the wife of the self-proclaimed King of All Media. She steadfastly supports her husband as he finds his unique broadcasting voice.
In the final years of The West Wing, McCormack played Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper.
Currently, she stars in the USA drama In Plain Sight where she plays Deputy US Marshal Mary Shannon. Shannon is responsible for shepherding federal witnesses through the Witness Protection Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Allison Janney also shares a West Wing - Private Parts connection.
In Private Parts, she plays Dee Dee, a radio executive.
In The West Wing, she plays Press Secretary extraordinaire C.J. Cregg who later gets promoted to President Bartlet's Chief of Staff.
Kelly Bishop plays Howard Stern's mother in Private Parts.
We also know her as the matriarch on the poignant, successful, and thoughtful mother-daughter drama Gilmore Girls. Bishop played Emily Gilmore -- mother of Lorelai, grandmother of Rory, and wife of Richard.
Film is a director's medium. Private Parts benefits from a television veteran who draws on her experience to create a definite realism in her productions.
Betty Thomas got her big break as Officer (later Sergeant) Lucy Bates on Hill Street Blues, the highly acclaimed 1980's television drama. Thomas directed the HBO tv-movie The Late Shift based on the book of the same title by Bill Carter. The Late Shift recounts the controversy concerning who would ultimately succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Thomas has also directed other movies with roots in television -- I Spy, The Brady Bunch Movie.
And lastly, Paul Giamatti.
This fine character actor has starred in American Splendor, Sideways, and Cinderella Man.
In March - April 2008, Giamatti starred in the title role of the HBO miniseries John Adams based on the book of the same title by David McCullough. Giamatti won an Emmy for his portrayal of the unsung founding father.
In Private Parts, Giamatti plays Pig Vomit, Howard Stern's corporate nemesis during his days at WNBC-AM radio in New York City. Stern supplied the moniker.
New York City Cops
April 17, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The New York City cop is a staple of television programming.
Naked City.
NYPD.
NYPD Blue.
Just three examples of the Big Apple’s representation on the television landscape.
While early visual evidence shows Hill Street Blues with a setting in Chicago, later dialogue used phrases to indicate a New York City locale. For example, upstate is a phrase frequently used by New Yorkers. An early episode uses the geographic phrase, East River.
Generally, though, the producers did not state a particular setting for Hill Street Blues.
Third Watch used cops and fireman as the major characters.
CSI: New York is the third version of CSI.
New York Undercover was a FOX offering in the 1990’s, geared to a younger audience with younger detectives answering to Patti D’Arbanville as the seasoned boss.
Law & Order debuted in 1990 and it’s still on the air with two other shows in the family: Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Lennie Briscoe, Mike Logan, Elliot Stabler, Olivia Benson, Don Cragen, Ed Green, Anita Van Buren, Rey Curtis, and John Munch are some of the detectives in the Law & Order universe.
Richard Belzer originally played John Munch on Homicide and moved to SVU when Homicide ended.
NYPD Blue is another cop show with a long history. A breakthrough show in 1993, NYPD Blue launched David Caruso into the celebrity stratosphere. He landed with a thud when he left the show less than two years later. His comeback on CSI: Miami seems to make up for the prior lost opportunity.
Caruso’s departure opened the door for Jimmy Smits, Rick Schroeder, and Mark-Paul Gosselear to work alongside Dennis Franz, the actor who embodied perhaps the most dysfunctional cop in television history, Andy Sipowicz.
Frequently, the source of Andy’s strength was his relationship with his partners, allowing him to put self-destructive actions to rest: excessive drinking, sex with hookers, overtly acting defiant to his Lieutenant, Arthur Fancy because of racial attitudes.
Dennis Farina, the Chicago cop turned actor who made his big debut on Crime Story in the 1980’s, said that the most realistic depiction of police work was on Barney Miller.
Set in a Greenwich Village precinct, Barney Miller was a mixture of racial diversity, wry humor, and depth of characters -- detectives and perpetrators.
Barney Miller rarely went beyond the squad room during its run from 1974-1982.
In the last episode, Barney got his long-awaited and well-deserved promotion to Deputy Inspector.
The representation of New York’s Finest on television will surely continue in the 21st century.
But one thing remains the same, whether they use high-technology on CSI: NY or old-fashioned detective work on Law & Order, New York’s Finest have the tremendous task of catching the bad guys and making the streets safe.
david@davidkrell.com
The New York City cop is a staple of television programming.
Naked City.
NYPD.
NYPD Blue.
Just three examples of the Big Apple’s representation on the television landscape.
While early visual evidence shows Hill Street Blues with a setting in Chicago, later dialogue used phrases to indicate a New York City locale. For example, upstate is a phrase frequently used by New Yorkers. An early episode uses the geographic phrase, East River.
Generally, though, the producers did not state a particular setting for Hill Street Blues.
Third Watch used cops and fireman as the major characters.
CSI: New York is the third version of CSI.
New York Undercover was a FOX offering in the 1990’s, geared to a younger audience with younger detectives answering to Patti D’Arbanville as the seasoned boss.
Law & Order debuted in 1990 and it’s still on the air with two other shows in the family: Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Lennie Briscoe, Mike Logan, Elliot Stabler, Olivia Benson, Don Cragen, Ed Green, Anita Van Buren, Rey Curtis, and John Munch are some of the detectives in the Law & Order universe.
Richard Belzer originally played John Munch on Homicide and moved to SVU when Homicide ended.
NYPD Blue is another cop show with a long history. A breakthrough show in 1993, NYPD Blue launched David Caruso into the celebrity stratosphere. He landed with a thud when he left the show less than two years later. His comeback on CSI: Miami seems to make up for the prior lost opportunity.
Caruso’s departure opened the door for Jimmy Smits, Rick Schroeder, and Mark-Paul Gosselear to work alongside Dennis Franz, the actor who embodied perhaps the most dysfunctional cop in television history, Andy Sipowicz.
Frequently, the source of Andy’s strength was his relationship with his partners, allowing him to put self-destructive actions to rest: excessive drinking, sex with hookers, overtly acting defiant to his Lieutenant, Arthur Fancy because of racial attitudes.
Dennis Farina, the Chicago cop turned actor who made his big debut on Crime Story in the 1980’s, said that the most realistic depiction of police work was on Barney Miller.
Set in a Greenwich Village precinct, Barney Miller was a mixture of racial diversity, wry humor, and depth of characters -- detectives and perpetrators.
Barney Miller rarely went beyond the squad room during its run from 1974-1982.
In the last episode, Barney got his long-awaited and well-deserved promotion to Deputy Inspector.
The representation of New York’s Finest on television will surely continue in the 21st century.
But one thing remains the same, whether they use high-technology on CSI: NY or old-fashioned detective work on Law & Order, New York’s Finest have the tremendous task of catching the bad guys and making the streets safe.