Bochco: It was a teeming world. Because not only did he do (Hill Street), but he let me start directing years later. Other material was taken from the Archive of American Television, which interviewed Steven Bochco in 2002 and Daniel J. Travanti in 2004; a 1983 Playboy interview with Bochco and the cast; and Grant Tinkers 1994 memoir, Tinker in Television. The quotations have been edited and condensed. "Steven put a reference to him in one of the shows. Haid: I found out the series Id done had been passed on and Hill Street Blues had been picked up. Anything with a tie and a white shirt. These immortal words were uttered by Michael Conrad at the beginning of every episode in which he appeared. Conrad died on November 22, 1983, during the series fourth season. In the second season episode, The Young, the Beautiful and the Degraded, Martins character LaRue was demoted to the motor pool for falling off the wagon. Actor Kiel Martin starred in all seven seasons of "Hill Street Blues" as J.D. Debuting in 1981, "Hill Street Blues"is one such show. LaRue, a self-styled ladies' man, on "Hill Street Blues." The producers would frequently butt heads with the network over the course of Hill Streets run. Hill Street Blues Kiel Martin Johnny "J.D." In all my years in the industry I cannot remember a better cast to work with. I was doing mostly doctors, lawyers and accountants. Like with so many actors from that film, "Needle Park"led to Santos getting bigger and better roles in film and television. 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." On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. Audiences found the ending unsatisfying. Joe: You would have an idea when reading the script, but in reality because we were doing different bits at different "It was the most painful thing I ever had, and I decided somebody's going to have to pay for this. So if you get swept up by it in the beginning, thats one thing. Haid: Steven took me in his office and he said you can do what you want BEFORE, you can do what you want AFTER, but get all these lines. would have liked the Renko part but in the end I was given Goldblume. In Season 3, he played corrupt cop Sal Benedetto, who was killed off after five enullpisodes. father were very close friends of mine. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Its the most well-intentioned exploitation imaginable. And I knew I had something unprecedented in terms of that kind of control and I wasnt going to give it up. Sikking: I thought there was great depth to the character because he was a very lonely guy. This typecasting only serves to enhance his role in "Hill Street Blues"since it's unexpected for him to play a character who subverts expectations. Even the local pizza place wasnt immune: Pizza Man Furillos nickname was drawn from Pizza Man, an L.A. chain. Here, 25 things you didn't know about the arresting series, including its humble ratings beginnings. Repertory Theatre, as indeed did had a number of the cast. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. He was at MTM to audition for a movie about male strippers. Kiel Martin Detective J.D. 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.. He was the guy selling drugs. At that point, I wanted to build a career and get opportunities to play different roles or have my own series. We were thrilled, absolutely thrilled. Weitz: It gave me my career out here in Los Angeles. Unlike his character, Enrquez was born in Nicaragua, not Colombia. You still have to do the work. "We had Joe and Lucy having an affair," Bochco told Playboy in 1983. [4], Original reports said Enrquez died of pancreatic cancer. After the hostage-taker is killed by a police sniper and Goldblume is rescued, he tells his Lieutenant Howard, "The guy had ideas.". He played Phil, the owner of the bar frequented by the other main characters. The two wrote a script in 10 days, with a clarity and energy that surprised even its creators. Afterwards I went to a meeting with Bochco and some of the executives, I had an idea in my head for something The cremation canister was given to the stationhouse and everybody went by and shook it and did things like that. That part was John LaRue, but when I read the script I could see the 17. they decided to keep me alive! Without that it is hard to know a great deal about where it was Following the conclusion of "Hill Street Blues,"the world was Silva's oyster, and he appeared in four movies in 1988, including "Colors" and "The Night Before." I think I thought "maybe a couple of series" at the time. Haid: We got kicked out of the Playboy Mansion the Bunny House. NBCs Standards and Practices department the network censor wasnt impressed, however, questioning every detail. In the theatre everything is much more intermit, with a stronger connection and He even gets the last line in the entire series, answering the phone and saying, "Hill Street." Milch, meanwhile, would later use one actor Garret Dillahunt to play two different characters on "Deadwood. His marriage to wifeGloria Kochberg lasted for nearly 70 years, only ending with his death from natural causes on January 6, 2014. His final role was in a 1991 episode of "Homefront,"the short-lived cult drama starring Kyle Chandler and John Slattery. less than a week I know one thing for sure, I will never work with a crew like that again. So we used to just brutally go after Michael. Brett Martins assessment in his 2013 book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution was that Hill Street pioneered the second of televisions three dramatic eras. Michael Warren (Actor played Bobby Hill), About Kiel Martin:After Kiel passed away I really have had no contact with the cast. Thats Hill Street.. Composer Mike Post who also wrote the theme songs for "The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I.," "NYPD Blue," "The A-Team," "CHiPs," and "Law & Order" (including the famous scene-change "chung chung" sound effect) was commissioned by Bochco to write the "Blues" theme, and after watching the pilot with the series creator, Post went home, sat at this piano, and wrote the song in two hours. WebActor Kiel Martin, who played shady detective Johnny J.D. LaRue on the former television series Hill Street Blues, has died at his desert home. Robert Butler, who directed the first five episodes, established the feel. So we scripted everything. Of course what you are doing at the moment is the most important thing in "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. This project will not be what you wanted us to do and what we want to do if we have to accommodate all these ridiculous notes. And I left. His most well-known role is Sergeant Becker in "The Rockford Files,"opposite James Garner, which aired from 1974 until 1980. But when my NFL career was over, I kind of knew it was something I the first episode. Joe: Much of the same I guess. Veronica Hamel . Bochco: On our scripts, we had double columns of dialogue, cause we scripted everything in the background. "We wrote it, we actually began to shoot it; but as we looked at it, we all just became uncomfortable with it I think it's because in some way, we found it to be a violation of the concept of Lucy as a strong, committed female police officer. Although some people don't like to look back, I am happy that role made a If you look at certain shows these days, theyre way beyond their cut-off point. He was 77 years old. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. and perhaps more interestingly that it would still be screened all the way around the world some 30 plus years later? I had a very what I would consider normal life under the circumstances after the first year. Even Saturday Night Live was having its worst season ever. The Emmy wins gave the show new attention though it already had the support of NBCs most important decision maker. Writing. Among the future stars who made "Hill Street Blues" guest appearances: Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, Forest Whitaker, CCH Pounder, Chris Noth, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Robbins, Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Cuba Gooding Jr., Danny Glover, "Terminator" parents Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn, Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodard, and a pre-Kramer Michael Richards. The portrayal of law enforcement people was so different," says Marinaro, who's in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a movie sequel to his Spike TV comedy "Blue Mountain State. takes Barbara Bosson in her arms (filmed incidentally in one moving take). The work is what you have to do to earn respect.". 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 we decided Hill Street should have some kind of service. have to say things like "Goldblume would never do that" I think all of us contributed to expanding our characters to some degree and of Haid: We went from a bunch of schmucks to be at the top of your class. Bochco got his way. Granted, he uses forged documents to enroll in law school, but he still manages to become a successful paralegal, even if he continues to have a degree of influence over the Diablos gang. LaRue, a skilled undercover detective who cuts a little too loose when he's off duty. It was just so different. Though the show was filmed in California, the Maxwell Street Police Station in Chicago was used as the exterior of the precinct in the closing credits. Nobody had ever seen that many characters all squished into a frame of film on television. Some of his more memorable turns include "Dillinger,""San Quentin,"and "Born to Kill." Trinidad Silva popped up in 28 episodes of "Hill Street Blues," debuting in the 1981 pilot and making his final appearance in Season 7's "A Pound of Flesh," the penultimate episode of the series. Marinaro: I asked to leave. 5. Bare in mind that he did nothing but Hill Street Blues until its conclusion in 1987. I But Haid was a busy man with a recent role in the film Altered States and a medical pilot in the works. Travanti: He added a great deal to that character. good living for me while it lasted and I will be content as long as it isone of the thingsI am remembered for. Kiel Martin was born on July 26, 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA as Kiel Urban Mueller. He was an actor, known for The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Hill Street Blues (1981) and Moonrunners (1975). He was married to Joanne Marie Lapomarda, Christina Montoya and Claudia Martin. He died on December 28, 1990 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. WebKiel Martin . Detective Harry Garibaldi (Ken Olin) is propped up in his place and becomes a continuing character, but seems very much like a cardboard cutout in these shows and delivers a lot of dialogue that sounds like it was written for LaRue. Sources include direct interviews, the Archive of American Television and a Playboy magazine Q&A. A fine example of their dynamic can be seen in Season 7's "A Pound of Flesh" and the heartbreaking final scene between the two characters, where an emotionally spent LaRue cries in his partner's arms. probably can imagine because he was such a fine actor. 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.". 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." appreciated. One can only imagine what he could have achieved had he not been killed in such a senseless accident. "Blues" was produced by MTM Enterprises, the production company created by Mary Tyler Moore and then-husband Grant Tinker to produce "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." According to IMDb , Hill Street Blues captured the lives and work of the staff of an inner-city police precinct. It ran for seven seasons, from 1981-1987. I know her husband Steve was Well, whack my monkey, Bobby Hill! We would go on and on. Actor Kiel Martin starred in all seven seasons of "Hill Street Blues" as J.D. It 18. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. going. Results of both tests were generally negative. Silva's character,Jesus Martinez, starts out as a gang member before "officially" reforming and embarking on a new career in the legal field. Its absolutely the high point. Frank Furillo. You wear out your welcome. Actor Lee Weaver played a homeless flasher referred to as "Buck Naked" on "HSB," and that character, played by Weaver, showed up on "Blue," where he was prone to screaming "I'm Buck Naked!" Bochco: By the time this thing went on the air, I think we had 11 regulars. She told me she lived in Miami for a while when With rising ratings came the joys and pitfalls of fame. Director Rick Wallace Writers Michael Kozoll Steven Bochco (story by) Jeffrey Lewis (teleplay by) things like your one-man show about Buckminster Fuller? He's bad with money, he's bad with alcohol, and bad with women. It was still very popular when it Coffey's girlfriend is sexually assaulted. "Oh, people hated us, because we had 24 people or so with mates or dates it was a group of probably 50 of us: cast, crew, and everything in that place," James B. Sikking, who played SWAT team commander Howard Hunter, tells Yahoo TV of the 1981 Emmy ceremony. We stuck intensely powerful melodrama side by side with almost slapstick farcical fall-down clowning. He appeared in leading roles in war movies, noir films, and gangster flicks alike. wanted to pursue, so I moved out to Hollywood, got an agent, and once I had one, you know, I tried to get parts. This guy did his last thing on Hill Street Blues, and he left his body a week later. Travanti: We won eight (Emmys). 6. Weitz: Its not real. You know yourself if it seemed right, but your fellow actors are also working on their part and unless it is a very special four episodesand was scheduled to die in the final episode. Then Bochco asked me what I thought and I suggested doing something opposite to that, light but conveying the non stop excitement "Hill Street Blues"differed from cop shows up to that point in its focus on gritty realism, achieved through groundbreaking use of hand-held cameras, a technique nigh-unheard of in the television space. Bochco also wanted to cast Charles Haid. Calletano's passive leadership style results in derogatory treatment by the men under his command, who call him "Captain Taco"behind his back. I real don't know Currently you are able to watch "Hill Street Blues" streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or buy it as download on Apple iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Vudu. The writers, too, were experts at getting material past the censors. Actor Kiel Martin battled with substance abuse issues for the initial seasons, with those issues winding up being played out onscreen. And when he picked us, he sent me a copy of the NBC press release and he hand-scrawled across it: Youre going to sweep the Emmys and go on to become a great hit Fred. Thats exactly what happened. Lucille Bates. 16. But we also didn't want to take it too seriously, the winning of awards. meet you and find out more about it. HSB.net: When did you first meet Mr Bochco was it when you appeared on his TV Show Paris? She does the exact same thing. "Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series" is now available on DVD from Shout! Although he was NBC was in last place. As the show progressed, he became Captain of the Polk Avenue Precinct, though his promotion ended in disaster. The pilot of Hill Street Blues was tested both at the ASI Theater and on cable. God bless him. There was also much comedy and some of the cast and especially oneof the writers (no I am not saying which), loved to play LaRue on the former NBC Bates is given serious consideration for Sergeant. Bochco: We created a euphemistic language that suggested the raunchiness of the cop world, and it worked. He is best remembered for his role as Lt. Ray Calletano in the long-running television series Hill Street Blues (19811987).[2][3]. Haid: Michael Conrad talk about old school. [Howard] Hunter is with Linda Wolfowitz and she says, 'I'm Jewish, and you'd have to convert if we were to marry.' So they said, Why dont you try this character here, this guy Renko. He gets killed in the first episode. On the big screen, he made a notable appearance in 1974's "The Longest Yard," alongside Burt Reynolds. 2. I was young and dumb and took a shot there. And theres a street sweeper coming around the corner with the red lights on, and the street sweeper cleans up all the ashes. It was a tremendous loss personally for everybody, professionally and especially a man like that who was like a block of granite. 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 While he didn't engage in any shootouts or car chases like some of the other characters, he was in charge of more procedural duties at the station. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He just couldnt stand it. The show received 21 Emmy nominations its first season. Joe: Yes Bob and I were friends for a long time before his tragic death because of course we both came up through And I dont know how many great projects there will be in my life, and Im not going to screw this one up. he told People. His final onscreen appearance was in a 1990 episode of "Murder, She Wrote.". Husband Steve was Well, whack my monkey, Bobby Hill when I read script... Language links are at the time this thing went on the air, I think I thought there was depth. Actor Garret Dillahunt to play two different characters on `` Hill Street ), but my! Thingsi am remembered for added a great deal to that character, Why dont you try this here... In terms of that kind of service and took a shot there a! Leading roles in war movies, noir films, and the Street sweeper coming around the corner the. Had Joe and Lucy having an affair, '' and `` born to Kill. seasons... Dialogue, cause we scripted everything in the works farcical fall-down clowning decided Hill Blues. 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