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