ughenry@sunybcs.UUCP (Henry Neeman) (11/21/85)
I have read several postings recently about the true location of the city
portrayed in "Hill Street Blues." I would like to add my knowledge to the
discussion.
First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no
argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among
others -- I read it regularly).
Now, as to its ostensible settings:
Its opening was filmed in San Francisco.
Its exteriors are shot in and around Los Angeles.
It is supposed to be Chicago (or, at least, a Chicago-like city, whatever
that is).
Its street names, more often than not, are from Buffalo. If you noticed
my "byline" on the header, you'll see I'm from the Buffalo area. In
a recent issue of "Buffalo Magazine", a part of the Sunday Buffalo
News, there was an article on Buffalonians in Hollywood. They include
Anthony Yerkovich, one of the original creators/producers of HSB,
and David Milch, the show's primary writer and (I believe) now a
producer. It was Milch who decided to make the streets be from
Buffalo. Thus, for those of us in the know, references to Utica,
Delaware Park (where, in the show, location shooting for some
dopey cop movie was to take place, using gang members as extras --
this was in the 2nd or 3rd season), Elmwood Avenue and so on are
amusing perks for watching the show.
So, let's have no more arguments about it, okay?
"Well, I was at home, threat'nin' deh kids, when I looks out t'rough deh hole
in deh wall, an' up pulls dis tank, an' out gets one o' Dinsdale's boys. So
'e chains me to deh back o' deh tank, an' takes me for a scrape, 'round to
Dinsdale's place. And Dinsdale's dere, in deh conversation pit, wit' Doug,
an' Charles Paisley, de Baby Crusher, an' two film producers, an' a man dey
called Kierkegaard, who jus' sat dere, bitin' de 'eads off whippets. An'
Dinsdale jus' says to me, 'I hear you been a naughty boy, Clement.' An'
'e splits me nostrils open, an' saws me leg off, an' pulls me liver out.
Well, I say my name's not Clement, an' den, 'e loses 'is temper, an' nails
me 'ead to deh floor."jdb@mordor.UUCP (John Bruner) (11/22/85)
> First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no >argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among >others -- I read it regularly). > Now, as to its ostensible settings: > Its opening was filmed in San Francisco. Gee, I don't recall an El train in San Francisco. Also, they must have been very fortunate to film the opening after that much snow had fallen. :-) However, your principal point is well taken: the city is fictional. I think the producers like to toy with the show's fans by putting obvious and contradictory clues to the city's location in different episodes. -- John Bruner (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) MILNET: jdb@mordor [jdb@s1-c.ARPA] (415) 422-0758 UUCP: ...!ucbvax!dual!mordor!jdb ...!seismo!mordor!jdb
imd@ihlpl.UUCP (Ira M. Dworkin ) (11/23/85)
> > I have read several postings recently about the true location of the city > portrayed in "Hill Street Blues." I would like to add my knowledge to the > discussion. > First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no > argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among > others -- I read it regularly). > . > . > . > Its street names, more often than not, are from Buffalo. If you noticed > . > . > . I'm not sure if I agree that most of the street names are from Buffalo. References have been made to Michigan Ave (Chicago), People's Drive (SF, I think) , and streets from some other cities. My theory is that they se street names from numerous cities so that people watching around the country recognize a street as being from their town. A lot of the streets are also "generic" type names (Elmwood Ave, Main St) that can come from any city. Ira Dworkin AT&T Bell Labs ihnp4!ihchk!imd
bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) (11/25/85)
> > I have read several postings recently about the true location of the city > portrayed in "Hill Street Blues." I would like to add my knowledge to the > discussion. > First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no > argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among > others -- I read it regularly). > Now, as to its ostensible settings: > Its opening was filmed in San Francisco. Sorry, but in the opening scenes the cop car drives past a bar which advertises ' Old Style' beer. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, sell that Midwest beer in Frisco. sdcsvax!bmcg!bobn
pdg@ihdev.UUCP (P. D. Guthrie) (12/04/85)
In article <2006@bmcg.UUCP> bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) writes: >> >> I have read several postings recently about the true location of the city >> portrayed in "Hill Street Blues." I would like to add my knowledge to the >> discussion. >> First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no >> argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among >> others -- I read it regularly). >> Now, as to its ostensible settings: >> Its opening was filmed in San Francisco. > >Sorry, but in the opening scenes the cop car drives past a bar which >advertises ' Old Style' beer. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, >sell that Midwest beer in Frisco. > >sdcsvax!bmcg!bobn I read in a Pittsburgh paper that it was 'modeled' after Pittsburgh. -- It's ten o'clock. Do *you* know where your C compiler is? Paul Guthrie ihnp4!ihdev!pdg
mdf@osu-eddie.UUCP (Mark D. Freeman) (12/05/85)
In article <2006@bmcg.UUCP> bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) writes: >> >> I have read several postings recently about the true location of the city >> portrayed in "Hill Street Blues." I would like to add my knowledge to the >> discussion. >> First and foremost, HSB is set in A FICTIONAL CITY. There can be no >> argument on this; the creators of the show have said so (to TV Guide, among >> others -- I read it regularly). >> Now, as to its ostensible settings: >> Its opening was filmed in San Francisco. > >Sorry, but in the opening scenes the cop car drives past a bar which >advertises ' Old Style' beer. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, >sell that Midwest beer in Frisco. In a TV interview I saw about two years ago, the creators of the show said that Hill Street was set in a fictional city which they based mainly on Pittsburgh, PA. Apparently, about a third of the cast and crew went to college in Pittsburgh.
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (12/09/85)
> Sorry, but in the opening scenes the cop car drives past a bar which > advertises ' Old Style' beer. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, > sell that Midwest beer in Frisco. ^^^^^^ Aaarrrggghhh!!! Unless you're referring to a fictional city, it's San Francisco to you, you pin head southern hic.
bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) (12/17/85)
> > Sorry, but in the opening scenes the cop car drives past a bar which > > advertises ' Old Style' beer. They don't, to the best of my knowledge, > > sell that Midwest beer in Frisco. > ^^^^^^ > > Aaarrrggghhh!!! Unless you're referring to a fictional city, it's > San Francisco to you, you pin head southern hic. Sorry, I forgot how much people in SAN FRANCISCO hate the word Frisco. Again I'm sorry. From the SECOND largest city in California, San Diego.
silber@lasspvax.UUCP (Jeffrey Silber) (12/19/85)
Hill Street goes to extremes to remain non-identifiable as to a city. Howver they will acknowledge that the exterior scenes were shot in CHicago. (I always liked to think that it was Pittsburgh, since Pgh has a not-to-dissimilar Hill District).