Starsky and Hutch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Starsky and Hutch | |
|---|---|
 Starsky and Hutch (later) Season One Opening Credits (note the "&" in place of the early "and"). |
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| Format | Police drama |
| Created by | William Blinn |
| Starring | David Soul Paul Michael Glaser Antonio Fargas Bernie Hamilton Richard Ward (pilot) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 93 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC (American Broadcasting Company) |
| Original run | April 30, 1975 – May 15, 1979 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Starsky and Hutch (usually written as Starsky & Hutch) is a 1970s US television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a Movie of the Week entry) and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC network; distributed by Columbia Pictures Television in North America and, originally, Metromedia Producers Corporation in some other parts of the world.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The protagonists were two Southern California policemen: the dark-haired Brooklyn transplant David Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) who was a streetwise detective with intense, sometimes childlike moods, and the blond Duluth, Minnesota native Kenneth 'Hutch' Hutchinson (David Soul), a more reserved and intellectual character; Under the radio call sign "Zebra Three", they were known for tearing around the streets of "Bay City" in Starsky's two-door Ford Torino, which was red with a large white vector stripe. It was nicknamed the "Striped Tomato" by Hutch in the episode Kill Huggy Bear; the nickname was subsequently adopted by the fans of the series. However, the term didn't come from the writers - it came from a real-life comment that Glaser made. In a segment titled "Starsky & Hutch: Behind The Badge" that was featured on the first season DVD collection, Glaser stated that when he was first shown the Torino by Aaron Spelling, he sarcastically said to Soul, "That thing looks like a striped tomato!" Hutch also had a car, a battered tan 1973 Ford Galaxie 500, which occasionally appeared when the duo needed separate vehicles, or for undercover work.
Their main underworld contact was the street-wise, jive-talking Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas), who often dressed extravagantly and (in some seasons) ran his own bar. The duo's boss was the gruff, no-nonsense but fair Captain Harold Dobey, played by Bernie Hamilton in the series (gravel-voiced actor Richard Ward in the pilot). Starsky and Hutch was one of the first prime-time dramatic shows to cast black characters in a positive light; with both Captain Dobey, and - despite his walking on the edge of the law - the honest and trustworthy Huggy seen to be positive black role models. Huggy's immense popularity caused Spelling and Goldberg to consider giving Fargas his own series. The second season episode Huggy Bear and the Turkey was the test pilot for a proposed spin off with Huggy and his friend, former Sheriff "Turkey" Turquet (Dale Robinette) becoming private investigators; however, it never led to a series. In the episode it was revealed that Huggy's last name is Brown (no clue as to his first name was given).
Two character names came from William Blinn's past: "Starsky" was the name of a high school friend, and "Huggy Bear" was a local disc jockey.
Fans loved the gritty, often violent, plotlines, comic banter, and particularly the close, devoted and enduring friendship between Starsky and Hutch. In stark contrast to police characters on TV up until this time, Starsky and Hutch were open with physical gestures of affection, often declaring that they trusted only each other against the world (leading to some claiming that there were manly overtones between the pair; in fact, some in the Hollywood press referred to the characters as "prime-time homos"). This parallels a similar claim that was leveled by psychologist Fredric Wertham in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent about the relationship between the comic book hero Batman and his sidekick Robin. But most observers see this simply as male bonding, which soon became commonplace, as "new men" could admit to having feelings of many shades, with no homosexual implication - certainly the case with Starsky & Hutch. However, during the 1980s some fans, mostly women, started writing and extralegally publishing "slash fiction" stories about the pair and continue to do so in print and on the Internet. [1]
Many fans were attracted not just by the characters, but the quality of writing during the first two seasons (despite the fact that the majority of first season stories were actually existing scripts that were merely adapted to fit the series). The second season episode Long Walk Down a Short Dirt Road, featured country star Lynn Anderson as a singer being stalked by a deranged person and was based upon a real-life incident involving Dolly Parton. The part was written with Parton in mind, but Anderson wound up playing the role.
In 1977, a rising concern about violence on TV forced the screenplay writers to cut down on violent action scenes and to employ more romantic and socially themed episodes, and play up the "buddy buddy" aspect of the show's leads even more. At the same time, the lead actors, in particular Glaser, became jaded with the general theme of the series. These factors, among others, contributed to the fading popularity of the series.
Glaser indicated several times that he wanted to get out of his contract and leave the series; he even sued to be released from his contract before the start of the third season. It seemed that he would not be returning for filming, so to fill the gap he would have left, the character of Officer Linda Baylor, played by Roz Kelly was created, and a number of alternative scripts featuring the character instead of Starsky were written (whether the show's name would have remained the same is unknown). After being given more control over scripts; opportunities to direct, and a per episode pay raise from $5,000 to $35,000, Glaser was persuaded to continue, and Baylor only ever appeared in one episode (alongside both Starsky and Hutch) in the Play Misty For Me-inspired episode Fatal Charm.
Glaser again voiced his desires to leave during the fourth season. This time, Starsky's younger brother Nick (John Herzfeld) was introduced in the fourth season episode Starsky's Brother, mixed up with some bad company. It was intended that if Glaser was to quit, that the reformed Nick would join the force and fill Glaser's place (this time at least being able to keep the show's title as Starsky & Hutch). Again, this idea never came to anything. Although a fifth season was at one stage planned, it was ultimately Glaser's desire to quit the series, as well as by this time falling ratings, which brought an end to the series. Ironically, as with many leading actors in hit shows over the years (such as Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek, Adam West in Batman, Tom Baker in Doctor Who, etc.), Glaser initially had little regard for his most famous role[2]and wanted to be distanced from it, but in more recent years has come to embrace it.
After its prime-time run, Starsky and Hutch was offered in syndication and has been shown on several local and cable networks, including The National Network and WWME-CA in Chicago.
Much of the show was shot on location in the Los Angeles beach community of San Pedro. The building that was used as the "Metro Division" headquarters is now San Pedro's City Hall.
[edit] List of episodes
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It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss) |
[edit] First Season (1975–76)
| Title | Episode # | Airdate | Director | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starsky and Hutch | 101/1 | April 30, 1975 | Barry Shear | William Blinn, Jeff Kanter |
| Savage Sunday | 102/2 | September 10, 1975 | Jack Starrett | Fred Freiberger |
| Texas Longhorn | 103/3 | September 17, 1975 | Jack Starrett | Michael Mann |
| Death Ride | 104/4 | September 24, 1975 | Gene Nelson | Edward J. Lasko |
| Snowstorm | 105/5 | October 1, 1975 | Robert Kelljan | Robert I. Holt |
| The Fix | 106/6 | October 8, 1975 | William Crain | Robert I. Holt |
| Death Notice | 107/7 | October 15, 1975 | William Crain | Robert C. Dennis |
| Pariah (a.k.a. What Do You Do When Justice Fails) | 108/8 | October 22, 1975 | Robert Kelljan | Michael Fisher |
| Kill Huggy Bear | 109/9 | October 29, 1975 | Michael Schultz | Fred Freiberger |
| The Bait | 110/10 | November 5, 1975 | Ivan Dixon | James Schmerer, Don Balluck, Edward J. Lakso |
| Lady Blue | 111/11 | November 12, 1975 | Don Weis | Michael Mann |
| Captain Dobey, You're Dead! | 112/12 | November 19, 1975 | Michael Schultz | Michael Fisher |
| Terror on the Docks | 113/13 | November 26, 1975 | Randal Kleiser | Fred Freiberger |
| The Deadly Impostor | 114/14 | December 10, 1975 | Dick Moder | Michael Fisher, Parke Perine, Mann Rubin |
| Shootout | 115/15 | December 17, 1975 | Fernando Lamas | David P. Harmon |
| The Hostages | 116/16 | January 7, 1976 | George McCowan | Edward J. Lakso |
| Losing Streak | 117/17 | January 14, 1976 | Don Weis | Michael Fisher |
| Silence | 118/18 | January 21, 1976 | George McCowan | Parke Perine |
| The Omaha Tiger | 119/19 | January 28, 1976 | Don Weis | Edward J. Lakso |
| Jojo | 120/20 | February 18, 1976 | George McCowan | Michael Mann |
| Running | 121/21 | February 25, 1976 | Don Weis | Michael Fisher |
| A Coffin for Starsky | 122/22 | March 3, 1976 | George McCowan | Arthur Rowe |
| The Bounty Hunter | 123/23 | April 21, 1976 | Don Weis | Steve Fisher |
- Submitted scripts that were not filmed: 'Knockover' and 'Dead Man Walking'.
[edit] Second Season (1976–77)
- Submitted scripts that were not filmed: 'Mojo' and 'Sixty Miles To Hell'
[edit] Third Season (1977–78)
- Starsky & Hutch on Playboy Island (a.k.a. Murder on Voodoo Island) - Part 1
- Starsky & Hutch on Playboy Island (a.k.a. Murder on Voodoo Island) - Part 2
- Fatal Charm
- I Love You, Rosey Malone
- Murder Ward
- Death in a Different Place
- The Crying Child
- The Heroes
- The Plague - Part 1
- The Plague - Part 2
- The Collector
- Manchild on the Streets
- The Action
- The Heavyweight
- A Body Worth Guarding
- The Trap
- Satan's Witches
- Class in Crime
- Hutchinson: Murder One (a.k.a. Hutchinson for Murder One)
- Foxy Lady
- Partners
- Quadromania
- Deckwatch
- Submitted scripts that were not filmed: 'Die Before They Wake'.
[edit] Fourth Season (1978–79)
- Discomania
- The Game
- Blindfold
- Photo Finish
- Moonshine
- Strange Justice
- The Avenger
- Dandruff
- Black and Blue
- The Groupie
- Cover Girl (a.k.a. No Deposit, No Return)
- Starsky's Brother (a.k.a. Starsky's Little Brother)
- The Golden Angel
- Ballad for a Blue Lady
- Birds of a Feather
- Ninety Pounds of Trouble
- Huggy Can't Go Home (a.k.a. Huggy Can't Go Back)
- Targets Without a Badge - Part 1 (a.k.a. The Snitch)
- Targets Without a Badge - Part 2
- Targets Without a Badge - Part 3
- Starsky vs. Hutch
- Sweet Revenge
- Submitted scripts that were not filmed: 'The Halls Of Terror'.
[edit] DVD Releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all 4 Seasons on DVD in Region 1 and 2 in the UK for the very first time.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete 1st Season | 23 | March 2, 2004 |
| The Complete 2nd Season | 25 | July 20, 2004 |
| The Complete 3rd Season | 23 | March 15 ,2005 |
| The Complete 4th Season | 22 | October 17, 2006 |
[edit] International
- In France, the show was shown on TF1. The French version replaces the original theme(s) with a French song, singing about "Starsky et Hutch".
- In the United Kingdom, the series was a huge hit when shown in the 1970s on BBC One, with occasional re-runs through to the early 1990s. It was re-run by Five in 2003 in a 10 a.m. slot (later 11 a.m.; moving later on to an afternoon 2:30 p.m. slot); During its prime-time run, however, the BBC heavily edited or skipped altogether certain episodes; in fact, the first season episode "The Fix" (in which mobsters inject Hutch with heroin in order to extract information from him) was deemed too graphic and was effectively "banned" from all the corporation's runs of the series (despite being shown after the 9 p.m. watershed). Several other controversial episodes did on occasion air, but were heavily edited and / or seldom aired due to their nature. "The Fix" was never shown on British terrestrial television until May 31, 1999, as part of Channel 4's "Starsky & Hutch Night". On January 10, 2003, Five actually broadcast "The Fix" in their regular 10 a.m. slot; however, the episode was notably edited, and the scene of Hutch being injected with heroin was almost completely absent. It is now shown on the UK satellite / cable station Bravo.
- The success of Starsky and Hutch caused British TV producer Brian Clemens to respond with a more hard edged, gritty show called The Professionals which aired on UK TV between 1977 and 1983.
- Although the two shows debuted within a few months of each other, so one was unlikely to have been directly influenced by the other, there are also some notable parallels with gritty 1970s UK Police series The Sweeney (1975-78), which was the predecessor to The Professionals.
- The first season is frequently aired on the Middle East Broadcasting Center with Arabic subtitles.
[edit] Cars
Stunt cars, camera cars, tow cars, dolly cars, and cars used for "beauty" shots varied in model year from 1974 to 1976 Ford Torinos, since the body style of the Gran Torino was unchanged.
Originally, Blinn was to have Starsky drive a Chevrolet Camaro convertible because he fondly remembered a green and white one that he owned. However, when production started on the pilot episode, Ford Motor Company's Studio-TV Car Loan Program was the lease supplier for Spelling-Goldberg. They looked at lease stock and chose two (one main, one backup) 351 Windsor V8-powered "Bright Red" (code 2B) 2-door Gran Torinos for the characters which were equipped with chrome exterior rear-view mirrors and protective black body-side moldings along with a black interior with vinyl bench seats. The cars were also custom painted (on top of the factory red paint color) with the distinctive white "vector" stripe designed by 'Spelling-Goldbergs' transportation cooordinator George Grenier. The rear ends were lifted by air shocks, and had "U.S." brand 5-slot mag wheels added with larger rear tires. While the tires were mounted so that only the black-wall side would show, thus hiding any unauthorized brand-name display, in one first-season episode ("Kill Huggy Bear"), a close-up shot of the villian cutting the rear brake lines shows the letters on the tires to say 'Firestone'. It is reported that the original 2.75:1 ratio rear axle gearing (standard on non-police Torinos from 1975 onward) was replaced with numerically higher ratio gears for better acceleration during stunt driving scenes, but this is not verified, and the obviously sluggish performance of the cars on the show seem to suggest that the stock rear-gears were indeed left in place. At least one of the cars was known to have a 'Dymo' label prominently attached to the dashboard which read:"DO NOT EXCEED 30 MPH-THIS MEANS YOU!"
New engine sounds were dubbed over scenes during the show because California law forbade mechanically modifying the engines of new cars. When the pilot was successful, Spelling-Goldberg ordered two new red Torinos for the first season. These cars were powered by [[Ford 335-series]400 V8s because extra power was going to be needed for additional stunt driving scenes. These Torinos had no body-side moldings, but did have body-colored "sport" mirrors, and cloth split-bench seats. In addition, the signature stripe was thicker and ended further towards the front of the car.
In 1976, these were replaced by two (possibly three)new Gran Torinos that had vinyl split-bench seats, with the seat backs having a 'bucket seat' style that is completely different from the flat, plainer style of the previous cars. The new cars were ordered under Ford's fleet program, which is what was required to get them painted in the previous year's 'Bright Red', as Ford used a different shade of red for new standard-order Torinos by this point. These newer cars can be identified by their silver 'sight shields' (bumper filler panels) which Ford used on specially painted cars. They also had the luxury chrome mirrors offered on the Gran Torinos that year (as the red, bullet-shaped 'sport mirrors' of the '75 models were no longer a Torino option), and body-side moldings of the pilot cars - although the stripe was, this time, integrated with the moldings. They were powered by 460 Lima'Police Interceptor' V8s, and Spelling-Goldberg kept these Torinos until production ceased. While these were the biggest, most powerful engines available from Ford at the time, they were still woefully underpowered...only rated at 202 horsepower.
Over time, an unforeseen problem was discovered with the Torinos when they were used during stunt driving scenes. In sharp left-hand turns, David Soul would sometimes slide accidentally across the vinyl bench into Paul Michael Glaser. Although a potential safety hazard at the time, the problem was solved by replacing the front bench of the number two Torino with the cloth seats from the previous year's car.
Due to the success of S&H, in 1976 (the Torino's final year) Ford released a limited edition (only 1001 units total) Starsky and Hutch replica Gran Torino.[3] Manufactured at the Chicago plant, one of these code "PS 122" units was leased by Spelling-Goldberg from the middle of the 2nd season until the series' end as a backup for the main cars and was known simply as "Unit 129". It was originally equipped with a 351 Modified V8; however, during filming, one of the stunt-men damaged the engine beyond repair, and it was replaced overnight with a 429 Lima V8.
During the last season of Starsky and Hutch, The Dukes of Hazzard premiered on CBS, and one of the factory replicas was used in the first episode, "One Armed Bandits", seen to be driven by regular character Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones). This was the only ever appearance of the Torino in the series, and many fans have speculated over its strange one-off appearance. One theory is that it was merely an in-joke, with the Torino's former iconic car status now being taken over by the Dukes' car, The General Lee.
After Starsky and Hutch was cancelled, the cars were returned to Ford and sold at auction. Currently, Torino #1 is owned by a man in Ohio.[4] Unrestored, it still has its original 460, interior, and paint. Torino #2[5] is owned by a New Jersey man who supplied the main close-up Torino (featured on the movie posters)[6] for 2004's big-screen Starsky & Hutch movie. During its life after Starsky and Hutch, #2 was wrecked and sold as salvage. It was repaired; although it was repainted the wrong shade of red and the iconic stripe was improperly painted. Although still equipped with bucket seats, #2 no longer has its original 460 engine, which was replaced at some point with a 2.8 liter Ford V-6. The car is currently undergoing new restoration in Pennsylvania. Finally, Torino #3 reportedly resides in the South, while "Unit 129" is owned by a collector in New Hampshire.[7] In addition, the Torino has many fans and collectors in the United Kingdom, as evidenced by the large number of UK-owned replicas (both factory and aftermarket).[8]
As stated previously, Glaser wasn't fond of the Torino as he found the car to be garish. Due to his contempt for the Torino, he deliberately mistreated the cars during close-up stunt scenes when he drove (this was admitted to in a 1997 letter he wrote to the owner of the #1 Torino; and in a first season DVD interview he said that tried to "destroy" the cars) and would often stop the car by hitting the front wheels against curbs, as well as coming into driveways at high speed and bumping into garbage dumpsters.
The 'Starsky & Hutch' 2nd-unit production team had a number of non-descript 'filler' cars that were used by the 2nd unit whenever filming of the Torino was to take place. They were either parked along the side of roads or were used as 'traffic' through which the torino would navigate. Some of these 'filler' cars that show up randomly in many episodes are listed below. 1973 American Motors 'AMX' (orange) late 60s-era American Motors 'Rambler' 4-door (Medium blue-gray)
The two cars mentioned above show up several times in nearly every single episode.
1963 Chevrolet Impala (black) Also used as the villian's car in "Savage Sunday" late 60s-era Volkswagen 'Beetle'(red with white front fenders) 1975 Ford 'LTD' 4-door. (Light Blue with Dk blue roof) 1974 Mercury Comet GT (green) also used as villian's car in "Kill Huggy Bear"
[edit] Firearms
In the pilot episode, Starsky carries a M1911 pistol in .45 ACP, but once the series started, Starsky now carries a Smith and Wesson Model 59 in 9mm Luger. There is proof of Starsky mentioning a Beretta 92 in 9mm Luger, and a Colt Diamondback in .38 Special.
In the pilot episode and through the series entire run, Hutch carries a Colt Python in .357 Magnum. Hutch's Magnum was of the medium-barrel length at the start of the series. The character of Zak carried a long-barreled version in the third episode of the series: "Texas Longhorn", and David Soul subsequently asked to carry that gun from that point forward...which he did. In one episode, Hutch carried a Walther PPK in .32 ACP, and in one part of an episode Hutch carried a Remington 1100 in 10 gauge.
The murder gun used in the one episode, which killed Martin "Marty" Crandell and Phillip "Phil" Corman, that belong to Edward "Ed" Crown was a Smith and Wesson Model 10 in .38 Special.
The criminals carry a variety of guns, ranging from rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers, in a variety of makes and models ranging from Beretta to Walther, and in a variety of calibers ranging from 22 LR to .357 Magnum.
[edit] Theme music
The first season of the show had a theme written by Lalo Schifrin, used heavily during the US pilot episode. This was replaced for the second season by a Tom Scott-written theme entitled "Gotcha". The iconic "Gotcha" is the best known of the show's themes, and has been covered by several musicians, including the James Taylor Quartet and the Ventures. A version of "Gotcha" was featured on Scott's 1977 album Blow It Out. For the third season, a more dramatic theme was used that highlighted more socially-conscious and light-hearted stories. It was written by Mark Snow and released on an LP around 1979.
A revamped "Gotcha", similar to the version on Blow It Out, returned for the fourth and last season. The revamped version was the most easy-going of the different themes for the series, reflecting the last season's "buddy buddy" feel.
[edit] External links
- Starsky and Hutch at the Internet Movie Database
- Starsky and Hutch at TV.com
- Category at ODP
- Starsky and Hutch Style Varsity Jackets
- Encyclopedia of Television
