"Police Story" (1973) TV series 1973-1977

Creator:

Joseph Wambaugh
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | unknown

Release Date:

25 September 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

Classic anthology series, which details the personal lives of the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department...

Plot Keywords:

Anthology | Police

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Scott Brady	...	Vinnie (14 episodes, 1973-1976)
Joe Santos	...	Sally Pickles / ... (8 episodes, 1974-1978)
Dane Clark	...	Detective Lieutenant David Harman / ... (7 episodes, 1974-1978)
Shelly Novack	...	Cop / ... (7 episodes, 1974-1977)
Howard Duff	...	DeHart / ... (6 episodes, 1973-1977)
Laraine Stephens	...	Jenny LaFrieda / ... (6 episodes, 1973-1977)
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Tony Calabrese / ... (6 episodes, 1973-1976)
Don Meredith	...	Bert Jameson / ... (6 episodes, 1973-1975)
Phillip Pine	...	Deputy Chief / ... (6 episodes, 1974-1976)
Ron Masak	...	Dimaggio / ... (6 episodes, 1975-1978)
Eddie Egan	...	Captain Mead / ... (6 episodes, 1975-1977)

Series Directed by
Virgil W. Vogel		(6 episodes, 1973-1978)
Barry Crane		(6 episodes, 1973-1976)
Michael O'Herlihy		(6 episodes, 1975-1977)
Alexander Singer		(5 episodes, 1975-1977)
Robert E. Collins		(4 episodes, 1974-1975)
Don Medford		(4 episodes, 1975-1976)
Barry Shear		(3 episodes, 1974-1977)
Corey Allen		(3 episodes, 1976-1978)
E. Arthur Kean		(3 episodes, 1976-1978)
Marvin J. Chomsky		(2 episodes, 1973)
Alex March		(2 episodes, 1975)
Alf Kjellin		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Seymour Robbie		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Bob Kelljan		(2 episodes, 1977-1979)
Lee H. Katzin		(2 episodes, 1978)

Series Writing credits
E. Jack Neuman		(95 episodes, 1973-1978)
Joseph Wambaugh		(93 episodes, 1973-1978)
E. Arthur Kean		(8 episodes, 1973-1978)
Mark Rodgers		(8 episodes, 1973-1978)
Robert E. Collins		(7 episodes, 1973-1975)
Sean Baine		(5 episodes, 1975-1977)
Michael Mann		(4 episodes, 1976-1978)
Shel Willens		(4 episodes, 1976-1977)
Sy Salkowitz		(3 episodes, 1973-1974)
John Sacret Young		(3 episodes, 1976-1977)
Ed Waters		(3 episodes, 1977)
Don Ingalls		(2 episodes, 1973-1975)
Larry Brody		(2 episodes, 1975-1978)
Rick Kelbaugh		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
David Korn		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Harold Medford		(2 episodes, 1976)
Stephen Downing		(unknown episodes)
Jack Hanrahan		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
David Gerber	....	executive producer (3 episodes, 1974-1978)
Hugh Benson	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Philip D. Fehrle	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Liam O'Brien	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Carl Pingitore	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Richard Markowitz		(3 episodes, 1975-1978)

Series Cinematography by
Emmett Bergholtz		(5 episodes, 1974-1978)
Robert L. Morrison		(unknown episodes)
Ric Waite		(unknown episodes)
Jack Woolf		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
David Wages		(2 episodes, 1975-1978)
Donald Douglas		(unknown episodes)
John Farrell		(unknown episodes)
Jimmy B. Frazier		(unknown episodes)
Patrick Kennedy		(unknown episodes)
Richard C. Meyer		(unknown episodes)
Rita Roland		(unknown episodes)
Melvin Shapiro		(unknown episodes)
Dick Van Enger Jr.		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Al Onorato		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Art Direction by
Ross Bellah		(3 episodes, 1974-1978)
Robert Peterson		(3 episodes, 1974-1978)

Series Set Decoration by
Audrey A. Blasdel		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)
David Horowitz		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Makeup Department
Sharleen Rassi	....	key hair stylist (73 episodes, 1974-1978)
Ben Lane	....	makeup supervisor (3 episodes, 1974-1978)
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Robert J. Anderson	....	unit production manager (66 episodes, 1973-1976)
Richard Learman	....	production manager (29 episodes, 1976-1978)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jay Daniel	....	assistant director (1 episode, 1974)
Richard Learman	....	assistant director (1 episode, 1975)
John Anderson	....	assistant director (1 episode, 1978)
Robert J. Koster	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Carl Olsen	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Lindsley Parsons III	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)
Kalai Strode	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)
Skip Surguine	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)
Lou Watt	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Sandy Dvore	....	graphic art / graphic artist (3 episodes, 1974-1978)

Series Sound Department
Mark Dennis	....	sound editor (2 episodes, 1978)
Martin Raymond Bolger	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes, 1973)
Jerry Clemans	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Michael T. Gannon	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Thomas J. Huth	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Phillip Seretti	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Harold Harrison	....	special effects (1 episode, 1978)
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Craig R. Baxley	....	stunt driver (6 episodes, 1973-1974)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (3 episodes, 1973-1974)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Larry Holt	....	stunt performer (unknown episodes)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Don Pike	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Rick Sawaya	....	stunt performer (unknown episodes)
Dick Warlock	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
James Winburn	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Don Marshall	....	electrical gaffer (2 episodes, 1975-1978)

Series Casting Department
Renée Valente	....	casting executive (2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Grady Hunt	....	wardrobe selector (1 episode, 1978)
Jerry Herrin	....	set costumer (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Jerry Goldsmith	....	composer: theme music (2 episodes, 1975-1978)

Series Transportation Department
Jack Carpenter	....	driver: camera car (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Joseph Wambaugh	....	production consultant (95 episodes, 1973-1978)
Larry K. Johnson	....	script supervisor (2 episodes, 1975-1978)
Louis H. Goldstein	....	production coordinator (unknown episodes)
Norman Marck	....	director trainee (unknown episodes)
Liam O'Brien	....	executive story consultant (unknown episodes)
Mark Rodgers	....	executive story consultant (unknown episodes)
Ed Waters	....	executive story consultant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Television (1974-1977)
• David Gerber Productions
• Screen Gems Television (1973-1974)

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973-1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Pictures Television
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001)
• Columbia TriStar Television
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)

Other Companies

• Burbank Studios, The  filming location

Runtime:

USA:60 min (94 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Trivia:

The episodes that served as the pilots for "Police Woman" (1974) and "Joe Forrester" (1975) and "David Cassidy - Man Undercover" (1978) all aired on this show.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Emergency!: Loose Ends (#6.12)" (1977)

One of the finest police shows of all time

I remember this series well. I tried to make sure that I watched it every week. Of course, my social life came first. What I liked most about this show, in contrast to its daughter Police Woman and so many others, it did not have a recurring main cast that you knew would always return the next week, thus there was really no cause for alarm when the main cast came in jeopardy. Most of the regulars were background players such as Profaci on Law and Order is now.

Instead, Police Story was an ensemble series more akin to later shows such as St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues that deliberately sometimes knocked off likeable leads and there were so many recurring leads that one did not get sick of them every week. The show was unpredictable, not Mission Impossible or other gimmick shows such as McGyver where you always knew the good guys would win.

The most similar current shows are Deep Space Nine and Law and Order, which are not afraid to knock off a major character for the sake of the story.

There were so many Police Stories, and I have forgotten most of them; if they ever were rerun, I did not see them again. Two of the most memorable ones were, one where the hero was undercover and went to Tijuana to track down a drug shipment but the buy went wrong.

The other memorable one starred Claude Akins, a well-known character player, as a detective, who with his partner, was tracking down violent felons and bail jumpers.

Of all the thousands of movies and TV shows I've seen since the late 1940s, it takes a real powerful one to stick in my mind as those episodes did. The whole series was full of powerful episodes of equal impact. I just don't have room here for all them.