cal@pyramid.UUCP (Craig Alan Levin) (08/14/85)
The following is an excerpt from Marilyn Beck's _The_Grapvine_ column in the San Jose Mercury, 13 Aug 1985: A WHOLE bunch of trouble is going on on "Hill Street Blues." Now, to fully comprehend the situation, you must understand that some time back the cast was divided into three different salary categories. Veronica Hamel and Daniel Travanti (who reportedly gets $50,000 per week) are A's; B's include Charles Haid and Bruce Weitz; and on the lowest rung of the financial scale is the C group, which includes Betty Thomas, Barbara Bosson and James Sikking. The agreement had been that everyone in a category would be given raises at the same time. But according to three different key sources, that's not what happened last week. They report word spread among the cast that MTM granted Thomas' request for a pay hike -- and that Bosson and Sikking marched in and asked the same and were invited to walk. Weitz decided the B's deserved more money, too, and also walked and ... the situation grew so hairy by Friday that production had to be suspended. It was scheduled to resume Monday, but it sounds as if it will be a while before everything is sorted out and peace restored on the "Hill."