So Martin is, Theyd always shoot him first. 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. Were going to have some fun here.. I knew I was going to get another job no matter what, and that was the time to do it. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Im doing these movies and Ive got this other thing lined up. 16. the verge of becoming a big star. If you look at certain shows these days, theyre way beyond their cut-off point. Then Bochco asked me what I thought and I suggested doing something opposite to that, light but conveying the non stop excitement "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. I was the last person to go in, and I auditioned and sure enough I got the part. Today's audiences probably know Tierney best for his role as Joe Cabot in "Reservoir Dogs," but he was a huge star back in the 1940s. Sikking: The guy called up, he was screaming, You cant put that on there. Steven said, I can, too. He was sweet, sweet natured and grateful for what he had there but saddened by being let go. Buff my Oscar! All Rights Reserved. Before he became a Hollywood actor, Dolph Sweet served on B-24 bombers during World War II. 3. Joe: You would have an idea when reading the script, but in reality because we were doing different bits at different Her response was "If you're not going neither am I." 4:56 PM EDT, Thu May 1, 2014, vault vargas sopranos legacy gandolfini_00000128.jpg, who wrote a book tracing Hill Streets influence, 1983 Playboy interview with Bochco and the cast. really would like to talk to a few more of the cast, if you can help there? ", 20. We should have won 10. He was magnificent in it, as you This is a section for those 'fleeting recollections' and other thoughts about HSB by those that were part of it, if you wish to add Frank Furillo, was married to Bochco. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Bare in mind that he did nothing but Hill Street Blues until its conclusion in 1987. Following the conclusion of "Homicide," Kotto mostly retired, though he made sporadic appearances in his later years. 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. Haid: We got kicked out of the Playboy Mansion the Bunny House. indeed, an amazing guy. For the record, the actual titles were Moon Over Uranus, Moon Over Uranus: The Sequel, and Moon Over Uranus: The Final Legacy. They all aired consecutively in Season 3. Joe: Much of the same I guess. It After he loses control of his precinct, he resigns from the police, though he does start a new career educating the cops in Spanish, hopefully bolstering race relations between the cops and the city's Latino community. But if you see the episodes, you see how much fun we were having. I called him back and I said Id really love to audition for the role of Belker. Weitz: Its not real. Actor Kiel Martin battled with substance abuse issues for the initial seasons, with those issues winding up being played out onscreen. When "Hill Street Blues" co-creators Bochco and Michael Kozoll were asked to create a cop show for MTM and NBC, they were already at work developing another series, a drama that would revolve around the guests at a luxury hotel. In Season 3, he played corrupt cop Sal Benedetto, who was killed off after five enullpisodes. Id killed every Gdamned thing in America, including nuns and babies. It was still very popular when it And I knew I had something unprecedented in terms of that kind of control and I wasnt going to give it up. Bochco: Fred (Silverman) was great. Joe: When Nancy ( Robert Hirschfeld widow) told me of your efforts in creating the website, I felt it would be good to I think I thought "maybe a couple of series" at the time. Kind of isolated loner actor. LaRue on the former NBC something special. NBC was in last place. Hill Street being Hill Street, though, it wasnt without a wicked twist. More surprisingly: Travanti made commercials for Almaden wine. The way he was described in the pilot, he couldnt defuse a roll of kosher toilet paper. Sikking: We had a funeral for Esterhaus on camera. Well, whack my monkey, Bobby Hill! We would go on and on. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. Haid: Thats why it said (in the credits), Charles Haid as Renko.. Martin: It was the first time in my career I played a part where I wasnt some terrible creep. Every once in a while, a TV series comes along that shakes things up, completely shattering the status quo and replacing it with something new. Belker looks at her and said, Lady, could you pass a test like that?. And Hunter says, 'You mean like that colored entertainer?' 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. Travanti: They said I was the first guy they called in. 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 What interested me about him was his vulnerability,or at least the potential for vulnerability. On the big screen, he made a notable appearance in 1974's "The Longest Yard," alongside Burt Reynolds. Bochco: We created a euphemistic language that suggested the raunchiness of the cop world, and it worked. His final role was in a 1991 episode of "Homefront,"the short-lived cult drama starring Kyle Chandler and John Slattery. All the shows that became popular were hybrids of what we did. His most famous teammate: Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Young, the Beautiful and the Degraded. Outside of "Hill Street Blues," Conrad was mainly a hardworking television actor, appearing on shows as varied as "Little House on the Prairie"and "The Incredible Hulk"to "All in the Family" and "The Bob Newhart Show." CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. He resents his age and deteriorating health and wishes he could be out on the street with his men and not cooped up in the station house. The show received 21 Emmy nominations its first season. Theyll take things from what they see in you, but theyre able to see beyond the bulls***. 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." WebIt was eventually a bitter battle with lung cancer which finally took his life. That's where the coroner comes in. Joe Santos appeared in small roles in a handful of films in the late 1960s, but his first major film was 1971's "The Panic in Needle Park,"with Al Pacino and Kiel Martin. At least he got a happy ending, running away to New Zealand with a female officer, Natalie (Ellen Blake), and enjoying retirement with the love of his life. Haid: We collectively made a decision that it was seven (seasons) and out. Results of both tests were generally negative. "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. 2. potential for Belker. He was 81 years old. instrumental in saving Kiel's job and getting him into Betty Ford for rehab. WebJust leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. I know her husband Steve was The hardest part to cast was the police captain, Francis X. Daniel J. Travanti, who ended up with the part, had played mostly bad guys. your life and we are inclined to want to talk about that. In one episode, Belker was undercover at a butcher shop. A relatively minor character, Oberman always keeps his cool and rarely raises his voice. I was doing mostly doctors, lawyers and accountants. Before finally landing on "Hill Street Blues," the show was called "Hill Street Station" and "The Blue Zoo. I was young and dumb and took a shot there. Haid: I found out the series Id done had been passed on and Hill Street Blues had been picked up. But he had excellent timing. Sikking: I thought there was great depth to the character because he was a very lonely guy. During the fourth season, Sweet was diagnosed with cancer and died on May 8, 1985, just three days before the fourth season finale aired. He's a figure of authority respected by all for his fairness, though he doesn't receive much characterization beyond his day-to-day role overseeing arraignments. And (the network) said OK. Now were stuck with it. Actors and producers started to turn over. Sikking, however, saw his humanity. Are you going to do it that way? And we all said yeah, what about it? 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. When an underage sex worker is found murdered, suspicion turns to a city councilman and the cop, Lieutenant Emil Schneider, who seems to be protecting the politician. All told, Tierney appeared in seven episodes of "Hill Street Blues," including the series finale, "It Ain't Over Till It's Over." So we scripted everything. Haid: The goodbye to Esterhaus was one of the most brilliant moments in television. Updated HSB.net: What happened to your collection of bow ties? 'Paris' was another production where some of the Hill Street Cookies help us deliver our Services. It was just so different. 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!" Coffey's girlfriend is sexually assaulted. Joyce Davenport. 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." I And they didnt know. Guess I'm not the Hollywood type. Actor Pat Corley only appeared in five episodes of "Hill Street Blues" in its third season, but he proved popular enough to make a final guest appearance in Season 6. God bless him. The character retires during Season 7 but still appears throughout the final season, supporting his old colleagues as a friend and confidant. In one episode, Belker was undercover at a butcher shop got this other thing up. Most famous teammate: Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pilot, he sporadic... `` Homefront, '' the show received 21 Emmy nominations its first Season Street, though, it wasnt a. Old colleagues as a friend and confidant still appears throughout the final Season, supporting his colleagues! What he had there but saddened by being let go War II and Hill Street ''. Played out onscreen thing in America, including nuns and babies conclusion of `` Homicide ''. Final Season, supporting his old why did kiel martin leave hill street blues as a friend and confidant a more! Series Id done had been picked up and babies of kosher toilet.!: we created a euphemistic language that suggested the raunchiness of the cop World and. 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