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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1980s 4 Mins Read

    Hill Street Blues

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    1 9 8 1 – 1 9 8 7 (USA)
    146 x 60 minute episodes

    Hill Street Blues was a combination of drama and comedy about imperfect heroes who tried (and often failed) to uphold the law and hold their messy lives together. With gritty realism and an open-ended narrative style that wove storylines together, Hill Street paved the way for dramas like NYPD Blue and ER.

    Brought out by a fine troupe of actors, the continuing storylines of the show blended the drama and humour of life at Hill Street Police Station (located in the ghetto area of a large, unnamed East Coast US city) from 7:00 am roll call until the late night news.

    Captain Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) was the cool-headed commanding officer of the precinct who eventually married his girlfriend, Public Defender Joyce Davenport (Veronica Hamel), in March 1983. Frank had to cope with police bureaucracy and a chaotic personal life. Fay (Barbara Bosson), his ex-wife, was also constantly hounding him for more alimony.

    Among others in this popular cast were Officers Bobby Hill (Michael Warren) and Arnold Renko (Charles Haid) – originally meant to be killed off after the first episode – and officer Lucy Bates (Betty Thomas from the Second City improvisational theatre troupe).

    hillstreetblues63

    Belker (Bruce Weitz) was a scruffy undercover detective who sometimes bit offenders and barked at startled dogs. To criminals, he was a terror (“Would you like to sit down, hairball or would you prefer internal bleeding?”).

    Henry Goldblume (Joe Spano) was the dedicated and idealistic community affairs officer who sometimes took the brutality he saw around him too serious. Howard Hunter (James Sikking) was the trigger-happy leader of the precinct’s S.W.A.T. team, ready to blast away at a moments notice.

    Tall, fatherly Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad), the head sergeant, provided a haven of calm in the storm. He ended each roll call with the same words, “And, hey – let’s be careful out there.”

    Esterhaus was killed off in 1983 (following the real-life death of actor Michael Conrad). He had been having a passionate affair with Grace Gardner (Barbara Babcock), the middle-aged widow of a fellow officer, and according to the story, he suffered a heart attack while making love to her.

    His replacement, Sgt Jablonski (Robert Prosky) ended his roll calls with “let’s do it to them before they do it to us”.

    In its second season, Hill Street Blues won a record eight Emmy’s, and the theme tune, written by Mike Post, went to #10 on the US charts.

    Hill Street Blues was a most unusual mixture of drama and comedy, fast-paced and deliberately choppy, as was life at the station house. Although the city in which the series took place was never mentioned, the real-life station house seen in exterior shots was the Maxwell Street Precinct in Chicago.

    Dennis Franz, whose character of Norman Buntz quit the police force in the final episode of Hill Street Blues, moved to a spin-off sitcom called Beverly Hill Buntz, with the abrasive Norman becoming a Private Detective in LA.

    Sgt Phil Esterhaus 
    Michael Conrad
    Capt Frank Furillo 

    Daniel J. Travanti
    Officer Bobby Hill 

    Michael Warren
    Officer Andy Renko 

    Charles Haid
    Joyce Davenport 

    Veronica Hamel
    Det. Mick Belker 

    Bruce Weitz
    Lt Ray Calletano 

    Rene Enriquez
    Det. Johnny ‘JD’ LaRue 

    Kiel Martin
    Det. Neal Washington

    Taurean Blacque
    Lt Howard Hunter 

    James Sikking
    Lt Henry Goldblume 

    Joe Spano
    Sgt Lucille Bates 

    Betty Thomas
    Grace Gardner 

    Barbara Babcock
    Fay Furillo 

    Barbara Bosson
    Capt Jerry Fuchs 

    Vincent Lucchesi
    Det Lt Alf Chesley 

    Gerry Black
    Officer Leo Schnitz 

    Robert Hirschfield
    Officer Joe Coffey 

    Ed Marinaro
    Officer Robin Tataglia

    Lisa Sutton
    Jesus Martinez 

    Trinidad Silva
    Det Harry Garibaldi 

    Ken Olin
    Det Patricia Mayo 

    Mimi Kuzyk
    Mayor Ozzie Cleveland 

    J.A. Preston
    Sgt Stanislaus Jablonski 

    Robert Prosky
    Lt Norman Buntz 

    Dennis Franz
    Officer Patrick Flaherty 

    Robert Clohessy
    Officer Tina Russo 

    Megan Gallagher
    Officer Raymond 

    David Selburg

    Video

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