[net.tv] What city is HSB?

jack@hp-dcde.UUCP (02/17/84)

re: Hill St. Blues city

In the recent episode where the prisoners of an overcrowded jail
were about to be released by a judge, it was mentioned that the jail
was on Michigan Avenue.  Is there a Michigan Avenue jail in Chicago?


						-Jack Applin
						Born in Detroit City
						(hplabs!hp-dcd!jack)

waltt@shark.UUCP (Walt Tucker) (02/20/84)

------------------

Although HSB has never said what city they are in, I say it looks an 
awful lot like Philadelphia.  What do you think?

                         -- Walt

ecs@inuxd.UUCP (Eileen Schwab) (02/21/84)

In what city does Hill Street Blues take place? 

I always thought it was a conglomerate of cities.  The police
cars (coloring and motto) suggest Chicago.  Some of the street
names are from Buffalo.

     /\
   /V  V\      Eileen Schwab
  / ^  ^ \
  \______/    "Some like it HOT!"

jbr@iheds.UUCP (John B. Rottersman) (02/21/84)

HSB is in Chicago.  There are occasionally a few streets I know, but the
real give-away are the commuter trains which are Chicago's "EL" (short
for elevated).  I believe the Hill Street Precinct is modeled after
Maxwell District (Remember Maxwell Street?).

                          John Rottersman

ewf@ihuxr.UUCP (Gene Foster) (02/21/84)

It was revealed on PM Magazine that Hill Street Blues takes place
in Pittsburg, PA.  This should not be surprising since the producer
and a couple members of the cast attended CMU.  The "Hill" is
a supposedly famous area in Pitt. where violent crime occurs.
Also the opening scenes of HSB were supposed to have been
filmed at the Hill.  However, many of the outdoor scenes
in the episodes show cars with CA plates.
gene foster
ihuxr!ewf

wtm@ihuxb.UUCP (wtm) (02/22/84)

During a previous season of HSB, I noticed signs for
Interstate 90 and 94 on the same sign post.
The only place they come close together
is in the chicago area.

				Bill Matern
				...ihnp4!ihuxb!wtm

eric@aplvax.UUCP (02/22/84)

	Various articles in magazines have stated that the opening shots,
and some backgrounds, were shot in Chicago. (It also fits the bill for
the weather and the beach). But the writer's maintain that it is not
modeled on any one city, and they will change the city's characteristics
to suit whatever plot device they need at the time. Don't expect palm
trees or glorious tans, the mythical city is in the east, but otherwise
it has no definite roots.


-- 
					eric
					...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!eric

pigrp@ihuxq.UUCP (Peter Fales) (02/23/84)

The October 1983 issue of Playboy had an interview with the cast of
HSB that answers some of the questions.

James B. Sikking (Howard Hunter): "I've talked with chiefs of
police all over and they love the show, but they always ask, 'What
city is it in?' And I say, 'It's a nondesignated city.' And they
say, 'Come on, tell us.'  So I say, 'What if we had it in your city?
Would you let us tell a story about an alcoholic officer? Would you
let us tell a story about brutality in the police department?
Extramarital affairs?'"

"Maintaining 'Hill Street's' any-city look, we learned, principally
involves finding sites devoid of palm trees--no easy task in L.A."

Bruce Weitz (Belker), Barbara Bosson (Fay Furillo), Charles Haid
(Renko), and Steven Bochco (executive producer) all attended
Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie-Mellon, giving credence to the theories
that the city is based somewhat on either Pittsburgh or
Philadelphia. 

-- 
Peter Fales

Net:  ...ihnp4!ihuxq!iwlc7!psfales
Work: Bell Labs IW-1Z243
W: (312) 979-7784
H: (312) 355-4254

barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) (02/23/84)

This question has come up at work.  The concensus is that no particular
city is depicted.  Rather, it is an amalgam of many cities.  When we try
to place it in a particular city we run into problems because the city
doesn't have all the qualities that we see in the show, such as an
elevated subway, a cold winter, a hot summer, hills, the right kinds of
slums, etc.
-- 
			Barry Margolin
			ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics
			UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmar

rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (03/05/84)

I was told by a friend who used to live in Pittsburgh (now an "Angeleno")
that Hill Street Blues is supposed to take place on "the hill" in
Pittsburgh.  This could be borne out by the fact that Bochco and many
of the stars of the series are graduates of Carnegie-Mellon University.
I assumed by the "el" train that it was the loop in Chicago, but I've
been told that Pittsburgh has a similar "el" line.
-- 
Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway oh, god, I'm so depressed...
	Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr