7. LaRue could have been a one-note sitcom character who happened to star in a gritty cop show, but Martin imbued him with so much soul that he came across as a fully realized, three-dimensional hero. God bless him. Kotto appears as Calvin Matthias, a would-be revolutionary who takes Goldblume (Joe Spano) hostage. Marinaro: I asked to leave. The show received 21 Emmy nominations its first season. I would say, Well, stroke my bishop. It was just so different. And I dont know how many great projects there will be in my life, and Im not going to screw this one up. time, although of course that by no means guaranties success. HSB.net: She is an incredible lady who has a great enthusiasm for helping the website, but of course you must have The work is what you have to do to earn respect.". Jan 2, 1991. Marinaro: My agent said he wanted to set up a meeting for me to say hello to the casting director on Hill Street Blues, Geri Windsor. His mother Eileen called me in Miami to see if I was coming to Palm Springs for the celebration and I told her it Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy would call it a conventional route to a career in acting. In one episode, Belker was undercover at a butcher shop. When Steven ran into Sammy, he told him about it, and there was a moment when we both thought he wasn't going to think it was funny. Instead of the paternal, "Be careful out there,"Jablonski ended his daily roll call with the more combative phrase,"Do it to them before they do it to us." 6. Not that the actors didnt contribute in certain ways. appreciated. Silva's character,Jesus Martinez, starts out as a gang member before "officially" reforming and embarking on a new career in the legal field. He also acted He was 81 years old. The supermarket tabloids have had a field day with Kiel Martin, the actor best known as hard-living Detective J.D. LaRue of Hill Street Blues. So Martin is, understandably, a bit reticent when it comes to doing interviews. He is not, however, reluctant to beat the drum for Second Chance, the Fox Broadcasting Co. sitcom in which he stars. She said, Ed, well have to reschedule because I have this meeting. I said OK. He just couldnt stand it. Hill Street being Hill Street, though, it wasnt without a wicked twist. WebIt was eventually a bitter battle with lung cancer which finally took his life. He's bad with money, he's bad with alcohol, and bad with women. So they said, Why dont you try this character here, this guy Renko. He gets killed in the first episode. wanted to pursue, so I moved out to Hollywood, got an agent, and once I had one, you know, I tried to get parts. Mick Belker, was a college friend of Bochco's. Writing., Travanti: When Barbara Bosson read the pilot, she said (to Bochco, her husband), This is the best thing youve ever written., Sikking: When you got the first script you went, Oh, yippee. After 'Hill Street Blues' ended, Spano appeared in series like 'Murder One,' 'The X-Files,' and 'NYPD Blue.' What happened was (Bochco) couldnt come up with a title, and theyd just done something at Cape Canaveral, and he said, Well call this Moon Over Uranus. And he sent it in and Standards and Practices called up, No, no, no., Steven said, Why do I have to change the title? One can only imagine what he could have achieved had he not been killed in such a senseless accident. Joe:(smiling) That's actors for you! It was well-written, boldly directed and creatively revolutionary. The performances spoke for how talented the "HSB" cast was, but it didn't hurt that some of them had friends in high places. But if you see the episodes, you see how much fun we were having. HSB.net: Hi Joe and thanks for taking the time out from your busy schedule to chat to us. 9. The lanky actor was a veteran of dozens of shows and movies but largely unknown until he landed the role of Esterhaus, the stations duty sergeant, who ended each episodes introductory roll call with the phrase, Lets be careful out there.. Bochco: It was a teeming world. (For complete sourcing, see the contributor line at the bottom of this story.). In the episode "Grace Under Pressure," included on TV Guide's 1997 list of the 100 Greatest TV Episodes of All Time, Esterhaus had a heart attack and died while having sex with his girlfriend, Grace Gardner (Emmy winner Barbara Babcock). You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. In comparison to Esterhaus, Jablonski is more bitter and cantankerous than his counterpart. LaRue, a self-styled ladies' man, on "Hill Street Blues." About The Cast::I worked as a lighting technician at CBS Studio City during the filming of most of the episodes times, I would often have no idea what others actors were doing. Kiel's return. probably can imagine because he was such a fine actor. Occasionally, dead bodies need to be examined by an experienced professional. Following the conclusion of "Hill Street Blues" in 1987, Prosky returned to film and theater, appearing in movies like "Last Action Hero"and the 1994 version of "Miracle on 34th Street." pulled off by one of the number and on the odd occasion been moved to tears by story line, particularly the scene where Veronica Hamel And I knew I had something unprecedented in terms of that kind of control and I wasnt going to give it up. Haid: Thats why it said (in the credits), Charles Haid as Renko.. less than a week I know one thing for sure, I will never work with a crew like that again. Marinaro: When I went on to do shows like Dynasty and Falcon Crest, it was kind of lightweight stuff. His wife and his son survived the automobile accident. I had a very what I would consider normal life under the circumstances after the first year. A character said, Lets take him down to the worst part of Hill Street. Its absolutely the high point. About The Theme Music:When I was asked to come up with the music for the series I went to the Studio and watched 13. 25. scene you are not going to get much feedback from them. Director Rick Wallace Writers Michael Kozoll Steven Bochco (story by) Jeffrey Lewis (teleplay by) of Hill Street Blues. on to a desolate inner city street, with a police car speeding out of it! 16. During the fourth season, Sweet was diagnosed with cancer and died on May 8, 1985, just three days before the fourth season finale aired. Sadly, he passed away in 2006 due to congestive heart failure. Mike Kozoll didnt particularly want to do another cop show. Frank Furillo, was married to Bochco. Bochco: I had this whole group of actors squirreled away in my brain I wanted to work with. ", "Cops responded so well to the show because we didn't portray them as superheroes. The Cast Of NBC-TV's Hill Street Blues. Because not only did he do (Hill Street), but he let me start directing years later. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. Discovery Company. Marinaro: We were described once as the most unattractive cast on television, which was I guess a compliment. Buntz was fired from the PD and moved to Beverly Hills to become a private eye in the short-lived "Blues" spinoff "Beverly Hills Buntz," a comedy created by David Milch and Jeffrey Lewis. Joe: Yes I think as the series went on our input was listened to, but because it was so well written you did not often Can you imagine having the power to give a boil to anybody in this cast? Charles Haid . I said, thats perfect. 32The sixth season of "Hill Street Blues" introduced Lawrence Tierney asSergeant Jenkins of the night shift. In the Season 1 finale, "Jungle Madness," Capt. He even gets the last line in the entire series, answering the phone and saying, "Hill Street." It was a serialized mixture of drama and comedy featuring diverse, colorful and three-dimensional characters the policemen and policewomen of the rundown Hill Street Station. And I think what happened was that, as we began to develop the affair story and it certainly was a terrific story we just began to realize that it was a mistake. "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter, "Game of Thrones" co-creator David Benioff, and former "Walking Dead" showrunner Glen Mazzara are among the TV creatives who cite "Hill Street Blues" as hugely influential on their careers, with Benioff telling The Atlantic that "'Hill Street Blues' changed everything. Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy because they were not thrilled with him, they kept saying that it was difficult to understand him. To help alleviate the pressure, the producers got a big guest star to appear in the episode, "Blues in the Night." the first episode. HSB.net: What of the future. how far ahead did you know where a story that featured you heavily was going? While Im standing here Geri Windsor walks in who is a woman and I introduce myself. WebA ground-breaking police drama that was an immediate critical success because of its realistic and gritty portrayal of life in an urban judicial system. The Emmy wins gave the show new attention though it already had the support of NBCs most important decision maker. He got his start in a 1968 episode of "N.Y.P.D.," and went on to star in dozens of films and TV shows, including "Bay City Blues." Among the series' other writers: Pulitzer Prize winners Bob Woodward (Season 7's "Der Roachenkavalier") and David Mamet (Season 7's "A Wasted Weekend" was his first TV script), "L.A. Law" actor Alan Rachins (Season 1's "Fecund Hand Rose"), and "Law & Order" universe creator Dick Wolf, who began his TV career as a "Hill Street Blues" writer, including the Season 6 episode "What Are Friends For?" Steven Bochco on Slowing Down: 'I'm Just Old', the famous scene-change "chung chung" sound effect, 'Hill Street Blues' Made the Writers Guild's List of the Best-Written TV Shows Ever, famously told his co-workers after morning roll call, The 'Deadwood' Cast Chats for a 10th Anniversary Oral History of the HBO Drama, Amy Grant explains that she's struggling with memory loss 6 months after accident, Jeremy Renner's 'Mayor of Kingstown' poster altered after snowplow accident, Jinger Duggar Vuolo describes the awakening that changed her faith: 'Fear was a huge part of my childhood', Lisa Marie Presley's cause of death deferred amid ongoing investigation, Pamela Anderson says Tommy Lee divorce was 'most difficult' time in her life: 'I was crushed'. 3. Stanislaus Jablonski, a rougher, more hard-edged foil to his predecessor. James B. Sikking . "Every time they named somebody from the show, we'd scream 'Yay!' WebLate in Season 4, LaRue (Kiel Martin) simply disappears for about four episodes, with one reference to him being sick and then it being "mono, so expect him to be out for a few None won Emmys. 12. He was capable of being tough but also calmly diplomatic. He also played minor roles in hit films like "In the Heat of the Night,""The Sting,"and the forgotten Disney classic "Charley and the Angel.". Lung cancer which finally took his life to his predecessor Kozoll Steven Bochco ( story )... Saying, `` Hill Street Blues. are not going to screw this one up have a... ' ended, Spano appeared in series like 'Murder one, ' 'The X-Files, ' 'The X-Files, 'The! Great projects there will be in my life, and bad with alcohol, and bad with alcohol and! Hard-Living Detective J.D course that by no means guaranties success more hard-edged foil to his predecessor scene you are going. 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