marno@ihuxm.UUCP (Marilyn Ashley) (10/09/84)
Does anyone have an update for the October 4th episode of Hill Street Blues? I know Joyce was trying to save that guy who was condemmed to die. Did she make it? I also read that Henry's ex-wife was going to be assaulted and that she wasn't going to press charges. Can anyone fill me in? M. Ashley AT&T-BL Naperville, IL
barb@pyuxa.UUCP (B E Nemeth) (10/09/84)
I seem to recall that the last show of the season showed one of the cops (don't know his name but he's the one that likes horses) with a gun, contemplating suicide. It ended with a gun shot, then the credits. The opening show of the season made no reference to this. What happended? Did this cop do himself in?
drp@ptsfb.UUCP (Dale Pederson) (10/09/84)
> Does anyone have an update for the October 4th episode > of Hill Street Blues? I know Joyce was trying to save > that guy who was condemned to die. Did she make it? I > also read that Henry's ex-wife was going to be assaulted > and that she wasn't going to press charges. Can anyone > fill me in? Joyce failed to save the killer when a Justice (not sure if it was a state or federal justice) was reached while on a backpacking trip and refused to stay the execution. Henry's ex was assaulted, in her own bedroom by a man with a knife. Henry talked a fingerprint man into dusting the bed on his day off, while the ex-wife was at work ant the apartment empty. They lifted a clean print and Henry tracked down the low-life and confronted him. Henry came close to violating his own feelings about capital punish- ment and almost shot the guy. His better sense prevailed and so an arrest was made on possession and carrying a concealed weapon. His ex-wife still refused to press charges, and said she wished he had killed him instead. The fellow had prior convictions and will probably be in jail for a few years. Ray took part in an undercover operation, unusual for him, because he thought that he was being forced to retire. It turns out he received a routine letter from the pension board notifying him that he was pension-eligible. When he found out that he wasn't being asked to leave the force, he told Captain Farillo (sp?) that he never wanted to go to the field again. A young member of Lt. Hunter's SWAT team shot a man during a hostage situation and was filmed by a TV crew. Unfortunately he shouted "Got the Son of a Bitch" while the camera was on him. Caused some problems for the officer and the precinct. The episode ended with Farillo and Joyce Carpenter attending the execution. The script included details, down to the guards strapping the man in the chair and showing a close up of his face as the first jolt went through him. Meanwhile, Henry was attending a midnite ceremony outside the church where the killing took place, praying for forgiveness.
black@unc.UUCP (Samuel Black) (10/10/84)
> The episode ended with Farillo and Joyce Carpenter attending > the execution.... First of all, it's Furillo. Secondly, who is Joyce Carpenter? Do you mean Joyce Davenport?
marno@ihuxm.UUCP (Marilyn Ashley) (10/12/84)
Please bear with me, I'm a little confused. I read your message much too fast and got it backwards. Why was Henry praying for forgiveness? What did he do? The killing took place just outside a church? Do you mean the killing by the SWAT team or did Henry finally kill his ex-wife for being such a nag? Why was he in a church anyway? I had thought that in one episode he mentioned he belonged to a synagogue. Is Henry confused? When his ex-wife said she wished she had killed him, did she mean the rapist or Henry? I knew she was mad at Henry, but really! Did you mean that Joyce Davenport attended the execution, or did she change her name to Carpenter to attain anonymity and get Frank off her back (not a bad idea...)? I like Frank, but he is a little possessive, you know what I mean?
jimc@haddock.UUCP (10/13/84)
Interesting you bring that up -- that execution haunted me for the next few days. I thought it a very distressing thing to be showing on television, and my only prayer is that no one under 14 years of age was watching at that moment. I'm not blaming anyone, though. It is in examples like this that the producers of Hill Street Blues prove they are not going to stoop to subject the realities of life to their craving for ratings. It is programs like this that make me cherish television for the educational potential it truly has.
jimc@haddock.UUCP (10/13/84)
Further, some more information about the show: Renko and wife had a daughter. The new roll call sarge admitted in passing that he had once sawed the leg off of his dog Blackie. The travellers from New York were robbed again, and their relative refused to send them money, so it's back to that lovely inn for them.
marno@ihuxm.UUCP (Marilyn Ashley) (01/21/85)
PLEASE, would someone fill in us unfortunates who have missed several of the last Hill Street Blues episodes? I'm afraid that I'll turn on the T.V. next Thursday night and will be totally lost. Please help me out by posting a synopsis of What's Going On (even just the last episode will do). Thanks so much!
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (01/24/85)
By the way, I never began watching HSB because I didn't start at the time it began, not normally liking "cop shows"; of course, its reputation has since then shown that it is not just another "cop show", but quite a bit better, and probably worth watching. However, since I never saw those earlier episodes, and didn't want to "come in at the middle", I have never watched it at all. (Except, of course, for a minute now and then while tuning around.) Therefore, I would be interested in watching it if I could see all the episodes, from the beginning. This would be when it is syndicated, of course. When will that be? (Or has it begun already?) Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
stevenh@tekig3.UUCP (Steven C. Herring) (03/26/85)
Some VERY disturbing news: The following article is buy Monica Collins and appeared in the March 21st issue of USA Today: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's trouble on the Hill. The man who created and controlled Hill Street Blues, TV's highly praised drama, was asked to leave the force Wednesday. And several of Hill Street's major characters have been given a death sentence. Steven Bochco, the ground-breaking drama's guiding hand, admitted he was "invited to leave" MTM Enterprises, which produces Hill Street for NBC. Bochco's abrupt departure from prestigious MTM (he will stay only to finish out the remaining two episodes of this season) raises many questions. Why was such a talent being let loose by MTM? What about the fate of the show which, since its premiere five years ago, has consistently been praised as of the best on television? And what about the fate of Bochco, the talented producer and father figure to the Hill Street family. "I love this show, always," says Bochco, who is expecting to join another studio and produce shows for NBC. "I would never leave it out of boredom or a feeling that I had nothing to offer." Yet, he refused to say why. Late Wednesday, MTM issued a carefully worded statement - OK'd by attorneys for all parties - severing its ties with Bochco and naming two of his proteges, Jeffrey Lewis and David Milch, as executive producers. Insiders at NBC say that the differences that separated Bochco and MTM had nothing to do with creative control. It was his inability to keep down costs for producing Hill Street. Cost for each episode tops $1 million. Milch says Hill Street, whose ratings peaked last season, will take drastic steps in the fall - strongly implying that a few of the familiar characters will die early on. "We'll be telling stories that involve important changes and crises," says Milch. Will Bochco continue to watch? "It's sad. But of course I'll watch it. ... God knows, this show still has an enormous amount of life in it." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That last line may be the most ironic line in a long time. I am taking this article to mean that they're going to kill somebody(s) off. And at the very least, it probably means that they're only going to concentrate on a select few characters and the rest of the characters will be given nothing to do. In other words, a lot of character development that we've seen over the years is going to be wasted. I particularly don't like the phrases "drastic steps" and "important changes and crises." What happens once they take all these drastic steps? They'll shock us with all these changes and then what? More drastic steps? There comes a point when you have to quit killing people off. Or maybe they'll have everyone get a divorce or turn out to be gay. I was depressed for a week when Frank and Joyce separated. That kind of drastic change I can take maybe once a season, maybe. Why can't they just go back to basic stories about cops? I don't watch the show because I want to be shocked or because I want to be depressed. I watch it for entertainment. I quit watching MASH when it became too serious all the time. A lot of people will quit watching Hill Street if it becomes too serious and depressing. If Renko discovers a new sexual orientation or if they kill off Joyce Davenport, I'll throw my TV out the window. Or better yet, I'll drop it from a helicopter onto MTM Enterprises. :-) I can't believe they've asked Bochco to leave. That's like asking Gene Roddenberry to resign from Star Trek. I hope that this decision doesn't jeopardize the character of Fay Furillo. The actress that plays her is Barbara Bosson (Bochco's wife). I'm sure they wouldn't do that for that reason but this situation can't help the home life of the Bochco's. Do they really think that killing people off will improve the ratings? Remember when M*A*S*H killed off Henry Blake? A lot of people were very upset and quit watching for awhile. Hill Street is already too depressing for some people. I just can't imagine them killing off any of the original characters. They might be able to get away with killing Detective's Harry Garibaldi and Patsy Mayo since this is their first season but I like these new characters and I'm sure a lot of other people do too. This article really makes me worry about the future of Hill Street. When the show first came out it had low ratings but NBC stuck with it, mostly because of the critical acclaim the show received. Well what's the problem now? So what if the ratings aren't maintaining their peak? The critical acclaim is still there. Of course there is the money problem but if the quality of the show goes down then they are going to lose what dedicated viewers they have. And then there'll be no show at all. There are some things in life that are simply worth it and Hill Street is one of those things. I remember reading somewhere that NBC liked being known as the network that had the "quality" shows. If that's really true then they won't let anything happen to the quality of Hill Street. I guess we'll just have to wait until next season to see if that's true. OR... we can write to NBC at "30 Rockefeller Plaza; New York, NY 10020" and let them know how concerned we are that Hill Street remains at the same level in quality. And we could ask them what show is the most popular syndicated show today and remind them that Star Trek was cancelled by NBC because of low ratings. And part of the reason for Star Trek's low ratings was because of budget cuts and therefore a lesser quality third season. I hope NBC doesn't repeat this mistake. If you read this entire ramblin' article, congratulations. You're a real Hill Street Blues fan. Steve Herring USENET: .. !tektronix!tekig1!stevenh
chris@leadsv.UUCP (Chris Salander) (11/02/85)
I have been told that Pittsburgh is the model for the city that the Hill Street Precinct is located in. Up until recently, most of the facts that have come out have been consistent. 1) It is a big Northeastern or North Central city. 2) It is small enough to call its precincts by a name, not a number. 3) It has a large minority population and urban decay. The names of the precincts seem to most closely identify with Pittsburgh - Hill Street, The Heights, Midtown, and one other name I forget but it implies a waterfront. Unfortunately, in the last couple of episodes, they have started referring to street names in the 100's. That, I believe, is true of only a very few places.
mer@prism.UUCP (11/07/85)
I remember reading that they intentionally make references to several
different eastern urban cities, and in fact shoot exteriors in various
cities, just so that it cannot be identifier as any given city.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose..."
Meredith Lesly
{mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca, datacube} !mirror!mersbs@valid.UUCP (Steven Brian McKechnie Sargent) (02/16/86)
In this episode an important character (oh, all right, you made me say it, Cap'n Furillo) is shot. The rest of the episode contains the reactions of other characters, and lengthy flashbacks for Counselor Davenport. This episode was really a let-down for me. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations, but when the show's emotional anchor is put in a life- threatening situation, I expect heart-wrenching stuff. This episode blew some good capital by trivializing the crisis. - I thought the backformed flashbacks were pretty hokey. Maybe the gimmick has been used too many times in bad TV shows. Also, the "7 years youthful" makeup didn't quite work for Chief Daniels and Faye. - Howard should not have latched up. He's a combat veteran; he of all people should know what to do when his CO is shot. - Sgt. Bunz was quite good when attempting to console Joyce: a very intriguing brew of sympathy, mysticism, and lechery. And Joyce's reaction of being comforted and revulsed was also good. An excellent step in Sgt. Bunz's character development. However, they blew the credibility with his "Dead-eye Dick" shooting at the end of the episode. - And the fact that they "got their man" was very disappointing. It continues the recent trend of wrapping up stories in a single episode, usually with the bad guy squarely behind bars. I can watch "Dragnet" reruns if I need a dose of that old schlock. Some other random notes: - The "lone nut" is the same guy who played a recurring character on Barney Miller. Basically the guy would be arrested for making a public disturbance, brought down to the station house, and reveal some horrible secret about himself. One time he believed he was a werewolf; another time he was possessed by Satan. Anyway, the character's name was Mr. Laszlo; in the HSB episode, he impersonated a harness bull named Officer Laszlo. Cute stuff. - Some of the "old" characters are much too stylized: I think Belker, LaRue, Washington, and Howard could phone in their parts. Sgt. Bates is getting good stories with her kid, and Bobby Hill has had some very good ones recently. Yo, MTM! Let's spread the wealth a little! Well, flame away at me; my shields are up. Hope this episode is just a let-down & not a trend. S.
andrew@hammer.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) (02/17/86)
[]
"The "lone nut" is the same guy who played a recurring
character on Barney Miller. Basically the guy would be
arrested for making a public disturbance, brought down to the
station house, and reveal some horrible secret about himself.
One time he believed he was a werewolf; another time he was
possessed by Satan. Anyway, the character's name was Mr.
Laszlo; in the HSB episode, he impersonated a harness bull
named Officer Laszlo. Cute stuff."
Furillo's assassin is also a continuing HSB character. In the mayoral
election that Ozzie won, this fellow started campaigning on election
day. He got into trouble for campaigning too vigorously, and later in
the day did something really bad (like murder), but I don't remember what.
So, when Frank starts looking like a mayoral candidate, this guy
surfaces again.
-=- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew) [UUCP]
(tekecs!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay) [ARPA]kayuucee@cvl.UUCP (Kenneth W. Crist Jr.) (02/19/86)
> Some other random notes: > - The "lone nut" is the same guy who played a recurring character > on Barney Miller. Basically the guy would be arrested for > making a public disturbance, brought down to the station house, > and reveal some horrible secret about himself. One time he > believed he was a werewolf; another time he was possessed by Satan. > Anyway, the character's name was Mr. Laszlo; in the HSB episode, > he impersonated a harness bull named Officer Laszlo. Cute stuff. > > S. No, the character's name on Barney Miller is Kopeckne (sp ?). He is Rumanian and the first time he showed up he thought he was a werewolf. I just saw this episode Monday, the same day I read the above article. Star-Lord They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes.
moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (02/20/86)
>This episode was really a let-down for me. Maybe I have unrealistic >expectations, but when the show's emotional anchor is put in a life- >threatening situation, I expect heart-wrenching stuff. This episode >blew some good capital by trivializing the crisis. Hmm... I have to think this is one of the better episodes I've seen this year. The suspense of Frank living or dying is really not there (Travanti is the main character of the show), so instead of suspense, we're given a look at characters reactions and the flashback. As for the reactions, I particularly liked Mick (and the pinch he gives the guy he planning to "pop" with the words "I like MY job, too!"); and thought Joyce's final emotional release VERY good -- this is a character who keeps under control when it can be of help, but this ending (and the music that accompanied it) was trying to go against a trivial "gosh, happy ending 'cause everyone's OK" finale. I also enjoyed the flashbacks, as this was a period where we've never even been given a hint of how they met. Frank's quiet attitude was particularly noticable from his present demeanor. > - Sgt. Bunz was quite good when attempting to console Joyce: a > very intriguing brew of sympathy, mysticism, and lechery. > And Joyce's reaction of being comforted and revulsed was also > good. An excellent step in Sgt. Bunz's character development. > However, they blew the credibility with his "Dead-eye Dick" > shooting at the end of the episode. Totally agreed on the character; Buntz is so really coming off as a rich charcter. His humor and some of his mannerisms are pretty slimy, but with the episode where he tells his old partner to bugger off, I've gotten the impression that he transferred to the Hill for the "better environment", i.e. a chance to become more like the cop he wants to be. Of course, he also believes that he should be able to bend rules however he feels, which is a dangerous attitude in anyone; but Buntz has (as he tells Joyce) amazing instinct, and even when he crosses the line of the law, he seems to stick to his own code (legally and morally, the hunting of the street punk in a previous episode was wrong; however, the character was not particularly pleasant in his own right, so no one loses much sleep over his demise). However, I did like the way Buntz reacted with the "Deadeye Dick" routine -- laughing at the shot. This seems to be how he release tension. > - And the fact that they "got their man" was very disappointing. > It continues the recent trend of wrapping up stories in a single > episode, usually with the bad guy squarely behind bars. I can > watch "Dragnet" reruns if I need a dose of that old schlock. I agree that I would have also liked to see this extended (hope the captain isn't up and around by next episode). > - The "lone nut" is the same guy who played a recurring character > on Barney Miller. Basically the guy would be arrested for > making a public disturbance, brought down to the station house, > and reveal some horrible secret about himself. One time he > believed he was a werewolf; another time he was possessed by Satan. > Anyway, the character's name was Mr. Laszlo; in the HSB episode, > he impersonated a harness bull named Officer Laszlo. Cute stuff. Nice connection with the Laszlos; but the character he played in this episode came from a previous episode where he attempted to assasinate Ozzie Clevelend. My big objection to this episode is that Henry didn't spot this guy right off -- he certainly remembers him, as Henry lets the guy go, and almost gets the new mayor shot because of it. He also describes (in this episode) the assasin as previously trying to kill a "minor local official". Ozzie is a minor local official? What's a major one? Still, as you point out, Laszlo is obviously another MTM in-joke (I thought St. Elsewhere had a patent on them...) ONE FINAL NOTE: Expect to see a rather major event on the next (2/27) episode. I wish the person who told me hadn't told me, as it has spoiled it for me; but I want to preserve the surprise for you. "Queensboro president Donald Mannis, charged with receiving bribes in exchange for city contracts, resigned on Tuesday. Mannis feels he must devote more time to impending litigation, some of which might eminate from a recent statement he made comparing New York Mayor Ed Koch to Nazi Martin Bormann. A spokesman from the Bormann estate said they are weighing the odds of a slander suit. Mayor Koch could naturally be reached for comment, but we chose not to listen." -- Dennis Miller Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty <*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>
stuart@bcsaic.UUCP (stuart gove) (02/21/86)
In article <1817@hammer.UUCP> andrew@hammer.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) writes: > >Furillo's assassin is also a continuing HSB character. In the mayoral >election that Ozzie won, this fellow started campaigning on election >day. He got into trouble for campaigning too vigorously, and later in >the day did something really bad (like murder), but I don't remember what. >So, when Frank starts looking like a mayoral candidate, this guy >surfaces again. > > -=- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew) [UUCP] > (tekecs!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay) [ARPA] Nice going, Andrew. I only watched the first few minutes of this episode, but saw Furillo get shot and did not make the connection about the assassin. As you stated, he was involved in Ozzie's mayoral election; he took a shot at Ozzie during the victory speech at the end of that episode. Stuart Gove Boeing Computer Services
sauder@nbs-amrf.UUCP (02/25/86)
> >This episode was really a let-down for me. Maybe I have unrealistic > >expectations, but when the show's emotional anchor is put in a life- > >threatening situation, I expect heart-wrenching stuff. This episode > >blew some good capital by trivializing the crisis. > > Hmm... I have to think this is one of the better episodes I've seen this > year. The suspense of Frank living or dying is really not there (Travanti > is the main character of the show), so instead of suspense, we're given a > look at characters reactions and the flashback. As for the reactions, I > > I also enjoyed the flashbacks, as this was a period where we've never even > been given a hint of how they met. Frank's quiet attitude was particularly > noticable from his present demeanor. I agree totally with the second writer. The first guy may have temporarily had rocks in his head. This episode was very similar to the St. Elsewhere episodes which would air one week later. I now understand the characters of Frank and Joyce MUCH better. A better method for character sketching has never been invented. I expect to see this episode from HSB and the double episode from St. Elsewhere win Emmys the next time around. -- Jeff Sauder {seismo,umcp-cs}!nbs-amrf!sauder