Bochco: For sport, Kiel would poke at Michael Conrad just to provoke him. 4. What is the key to everything? Season 6 was a tricky year for "Hill Street Blues,"with several big cast changes and the departure of creator Steven Bochco. I remember one day, he just stopped. In one episode, Belker was undercover at a butcher shop. Cast members Charles Haid, Ed Marinaro, James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz spoke with CNN on the phone. While Im standing here Geri Windsor walks in who is a woman and I introduce myself. 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 collectively made a decision that it was seven (seasons) and out. Mike Kozoll didnt particularly want to do another cop show. Actors' real lives were not the only ones mined for storyline inspiration. About Mick Belker:I had known Steven (Bochco) since we were at Carnegie Tech together and when he got the But we also didn't want to take it too seriously, the winning of awards. That part was John LaRue, but when I read the script I could see the Joe: (laughing): I was never a bow tie man but I think I may still have one or two hanging around at home. Conrad, who continued to work through the end of his illness, had joked to the show's writers that that's how Esterhaus should go. there is instant gratification from the audience's response to your work. By the mid-80s, the show was an established hit. James B. Sikking . Joe: You would have an idea when reading the script, but in reality because we were doing different bits at different The former Yale writing teacher won an Emmy for his first "Blues" script the Season 3 premiere, "Trial by Fury" and went on to become an executive producer on the show, adding Writers Guild awards and a Humanitas Prize to his rsum. Haid: This guy died with his boots on, literally. Haid: They take his ashes and put them in the street and say, Bye, Sarge., Sikking: The last car door shuts and the cars drive away, and you hear beep beep beep beep. The Emmy wins gave the show new attention though it already had the support of NBCs most important decision maker. Bochco: Talk about the early 80s. LaRue on the former television series ``Hill Street In Season 3, he played corrupt cop Sal Benedetto, who was killed off after five enullpisodes. He's bad with money, he's bad with alcohol, and bad with women. But we decided Hill Street should have some kind of service. Within seconds I knew this was something special and that ending with Renko and Hill going down in slow motion Weitz: Occasionally theyd see me do something in dailies and add it to the script. Kiel Martin succumbed to lung cancer on December 28. 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. Joe: He is not wrong, when you are involved with a film, or TV production and are doing a scene, there is no real Dennis Franz joined the cast. Haid: We would come up with every euphemism for masturbation we could come up with. 'Paris' was another production where some of the Hill Street It stayed on through a combination of key corporate support, determination and a little bit of luck. But they were insistent that thats what they wanted. Menu. But the growl was the writers idea and all the hairbags and all that slang was all theirs. towards Steven (Bochco) and Michael Kozoll. Weitz: It was devastating. Cookies help us deliver our Services. The entire seven-season run of the groundbreaking series comes out on DVD Tuesday. Writing. LaRue Actor. 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." 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." Early in the shows run, Conrad developed cancer. Bochco: Personalities were just so volatile. Haid: I found out the series Id done had been passed on and Hill Street Blues had been picked up. WebHill Street Blues (TV Series 19811987) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sometimes causing delay or retakes in production, much to the annoyance of the on set accountant. There was a feeling of responsibility many of us felt LaRue (Kiel Martin), to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Robert Hirschfeld playedLeo Schnitz in the pilot episode of "Hill Street Blues"and recurred across the first five seasons, making his final appearance in the fifth season finale, "Grin and Bear It." "They were negotiating a deal. More than two dozen Emmys, an iconic theme song, a writing staff that would go on to create many other TV hits, and innovative storytelling techniques a large cast, overlapping dialogue, a focus on the characters' personal and work lives, an un-saccharine portrayal of those flawed characters are among "Hill Street Blues'" TV-land legacies. I went home (which was nearby) and within half hour I had written it. And (the network) said OK. Now were stuck with it. His wife and his son survived the automobile accident. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. He was magnificent in it, as you But at the end of that first season, this was all still in the future. Travanti: We won eight (Emmys). At the age of 84, Santos suffered a heart attack. Its absolutely the high point. Of course what you are doing at the moment is the most important thing in Kotto died seven years later, in 2021. Belker looks at her and said, Lady, could you pass a test like that?. It just changed the rules of TV. So I got Belker and left the door open for Kiel to LaRue. A character said, Lets take him down to the worst part of Hill Street. Kiel Martin played Detective J.D. 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. In the final three episodes of Season 4, Joe Santos stars as Jimmy Lastarza, a mafia goon trying to force video poker machines on local taverns. She told me she was a bunny at the Playboy club for a time. The writers, too, were experts at getting material past the censors. What happened to Martin in these weeks? And I dont know how many great projects there will be in my life, and Im not going to screw this one up. 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. HSB.net:Was there an indication for those of you on the inside that the series was going to be such a success I called Bochco and he and Hoblit come We should have won 10. WebKiel Martin was born on July 26, 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. EVERYTHING in the background. Veronica Hamel . Robert Prosky died in 2008 following complications from heart surgery. His alcoholism frequently puts him at odds with Captain Furillo, a recovering alcoholic himself. In all my years in the industry I cannot remember a better cast to work with. It was a tremendous loss personally for everybody, professionally and especially a man like that who was like a block of granite. Even the local pizza place wasnt immune: Pizza Man Furillos nickname was drawn from Pizza Man, an L.A. chain. Prior to his accident Trini had just Michael Warren . Mad Men admirer? the first episode. "Rene Enriquez, 56; Played a Lieutenant In 'Hill Street Blues', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ren_Enrquez&oldid=1132306641, Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States, American television actor, 1930s birth stubs, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 06:59. four episodesand was scheduled to die in the final episode. After his plane was shot down on a mission, he served two years as a Prisoner of War. 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? Hill Street Blues Actors You May Not Know Passed Away. The Riverside County coroners office said the 46-year-old actor died Friday after suffering a cardiovascular collapse because of lung cancer. He was 77 years old. ", 20. Spano: I wasnt the Goldblume type. Martin: It was the first time in my career I played a part where I wasnt some terrible creep. Sikking: We had a funeral for Esterhaus on camera. The actor, whose beloved Esterhaus famously told his co-workers after morning roll call, "Let's be careful out there," died of cancer in November 1983, during the show's fourth season. Although some people don't like to look back, I am happy that role made a The show followed with a special episode in which the group said goodbye to the character and Conrad. He was an actor, known for Hill Street Blues (1981), The Panic in Needle Park (1971) and The Ray I had a very what I would consider normal life under the circumstances after the first year. All the shows that became popular were hybrids of what we did. that would shortly follow. Did you encounter any technical issues? was too tough for me. 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 HSB.net: Is it true that you were originally cast as Renko, but they thought you were not aggressive enough for The sixth season premiere of "Hill Street Blues" features film star Yaphet Kotto as its special guest. Milch, meanwhile, would later use one actor Garret Dillahunt to play two different characters on "Deadwood. As the months AP. scene you are not going to get much feedback from them. He died on March 23, 1990, from AIDS, the first of two Hill Street Blues stars to die that year. Everything Everywhere All at Once Discussion, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Discussion. 16. Hunter was often the shows His marriage to wifeGloria Kochberg lasted for nearly 70 years, only ending with his death from natural causes on January 6, 2014. 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. The cops were flawed; the story lines were not resolved in a single episode; characters you loved died while having sex. Joe:(smiling) That's actors for you! In the theatre everything is much more intermit, with a stronger connection and We could put a human face on these people. My mentor came out of that Gregory Hoblit. Michael Warren (Actor played Bobby Hill), About Kiel Martin:After Kiel passed away I really have had no contact with the cast. Travanti: He added a great deal to that character. He was the guy selling drugs. Afterwards I went to a meeting with Bochco and some of the executives, I had an idea in my head for something If you allow yourself to continue to be swept up in it, there can only be disaster at the end. Trending. Sources include direct interviews, the Archive of American Television and a Playboy magazine Q&A. She does the exact same thing. Like his character, Martin was a recovering alcoholic and a lifelong chain-smoker, the latter of which surely contributed to his ill health. Kiel Martin Detective J.D. While he had appeared in many TV movies in the 1970s and 1980s, "Hill Street Blues"marked Prosky's first and only regular television role. things like your one-man show about Buckminster Fuller? But sobriety is the keystone of who I am now.". Hunter was often the shows comic relief. The death-during-sex character refers to Sgt. LaRue, a self-styled ladies' man, on "Hill Street Blues." Although he was Aaron Spelling launched a similar series, "Hotel," in 1983. Kiel Urban Mueller (July 26, 1944 December 28, 1990), known professionally as Kiel Martin, was an American actor best known for his role as Detective John "J.D." Sammy Davis Jr. was a fan of the show, and wanted to make a guest appearance. There are too many loose ends. And the building's exterior once again stands in as a TV series police station on Dick Wolf's "Chicago PD.". 10. And the first guy in our business never gets the job. 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. So we used to just brutally go after Michael. 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. 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. "I got a boil on my a-- when I went to London last year," Bochco told Playboy in 1983. Hill Street Blues was a popular police drama that ran on NBC from 1981 until 1987. 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. The only way to service multiple storylines was to let them spill over into subsequent episodes. Sikking, however, saw his humanity. 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.". It was happy, it was sad, it was crazy, it was mean it was nuts. Hill Street being Hill Street, though, it wasnt without a wicked twist. 2. ", [Related: Steven Bochco on Slowing Down: 'I'm Just Old']. Henry is not me, but I am an actor and I moulded him the way I I called him back and I said Id really love to audition for the role of Belker. One of them was James B. Sikking, who had appeared in a number of Bochco-written shows. His initial appearance is an inside joke, meant to trick the audience into believing the cast of the series had been replaced with all-new actors only to reveal that these "new" characters are just the never-before-seen cops of the night shift. HSB.net: Interesting that you say that Joe, because I get the impression that some of your fellow cast members are Marinaro decided he was done in Season 6. La Rue on the 1980s television drama Hill Street Blues. We were a bunch of character actors parading around and getting our name in the paper. I thought I'd give it to Furillo; then I thought, 'No, he's too stoic. Theyd always shoot him first. He also acted 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. Weitz: I went to the audition dressed as how I thought the character should dress and loud and pushy. 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?" I did meet several of them at 11. I spoke a few times with Barbra Bosson. Marinaro says the enduring influence of "Hill Street Blues" can be summed up as the way the series portrayed its characters in a realistic light. The building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, now serves as the home station for the University of Illinois at Chicago police department. Bochco and Kozoll met with the network brass. Frank Furillo, was married to Bochco. Weitz: I can remember the first rehearsal, standing around in groups, talking about how important it is to make this as good as it can be, because the writing was phenomenal. A woman walks in , Weitz: She walked up to the counter and said, Id like a chicken, please. Belker pulls out the chicken from the case and the woman spreads the chickens legs, puts her nose in the cavity, comes out with a horrible look on her face and said, I want a fresh chicken.. It wasnt about the money. That's one dangerously sexy redhead, indeed. Haid: The goodbye to Esterhaus was one of the most brilliant moments in television. Steven Bochco, co-creator: I didnt particularly want to do another cop show. Here are twelve "Hill Street Blues" actors you may not know passed away. WebHe dabbled in film, beginning with a lawyer role in Rocky IIbut after his Hill Street Bluessuccess, he landed a lead role alongside BJ himself, Greg Evigan, in the 1989 sci-fi There are all these actors waiting around. Bochco: It was a teeming world. It was great people loved these shows but it wasnt Hill Street Blues.. He is best remembered for his role as Lt. Ray Calletano in the long-running television series Hill Street Blues (19811987).[2][3]. 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. Award-winning show that it is, Hill Street still sank by roughly 10% in the ratings since its peak in 1982-83. Thats Hill Street.. Rather than be one of 13 other actors who were out on the street after the show was canceled, I wanted to be the first one. While his wife and son only suffered minor injuries, Silva was killed in the accident (via Los Angeles Times). Haid: Michael Conrad talk about old school. Tierney died in his sleep on February 26, 2002, while suffering from a bout of pneumonia. "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. 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. Buff my Oscar! Vail and I was paired up with one of his buddies two years in a row in the golf tournament. Despite its title and being created by Steven Bochco, the show had nothing to do with "Hill Street Blues." Are you going to do it that way? And we all said yeah, what about it? Haid: I owe my career to Steven Bochco. So Martin is, Kiel Martin was cast as LaRue, a slick detective. "We were the lowest-rated drama in the history of television ever to get a second season," the Emmy-nominated Sikking says. Actors and producers started to turn over. Then theyd turn the camera around on us and hed have to do it again. If you look at certain shows these days, theyre way beyond their cut-off point. The 1981-87 NBC cop drama (which just got the Complete Series DVD treatment) not only helped turn around a last-place network, but it's no hyperbole to say the show changed television, for the better, in a way that current Golden Age of Television viewers continue to benefit from. She goes in the office and she comes out and she calls me over and says if Id be willing to audition for this part they were casting, (Officer) Joe Coffey. "Hill Street Blues" launched the TV career of "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood" creator David Milch. But in Season 6, eager to pursue other acting opportunities and unhappy with the lack of storyline possibilities for his character, Marinaro quit the show. Belker goes undercover as a truck driver to try and catch thieves that are stealing poultry. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Haid: We went from a bunch of schmucks to be at the top of your class. And Hunter says, 'You mean like that colored entertainer?' Well, whack my monkey, Bobby Hill! We would go on and on. But everything sort of gelled, my character worked well with everyone else, and Sikking: We had (punning) titles on all of our shows. Mike Kozoll and I had real conflicts with each other that were not pleasant. was canceled but Kiel told me the huge success brought big increases in pay to the actors and the producers decided to do another show, they decided to keep me alive! Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy Then he had to deal with it. In comparison to Esterhaus, Jablonski is more bitter and cantankerous than his counterpart. First year, I went a little nuts. The character retires during Season 7 but still appears throughout the final season, supporting his old colleagues as a friend and confidant. He was 76 years old, per the Los Angeles Times. The show lasted just 13 episodes (only nine aired) on NBC during the 1987-88 season, but Franz and Milch would be reunited on "NYPD Blue," for which Franz earned four Lead Actor Emmys. An interview with Joe Spano (Lieutenant Henry Goldblume) Interview, kindly given on the 25th September 2013 at the 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. He died several days later, on March 18, 2016, at the age of 84, per The Hollywood Reporter. With rising ratings came the joys and pitfalls of fame. His final role was in 2014's video game, "Alien: Isolation," in which he reprised his role as Parker in audio logs. His most famous teammate: Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 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. Haid: Thats why it said (in the credits), Charles Haid as Renko.. He then was cremated and his ashes were flown over the gathering and be partners with "Washington". He was capable of being tough but also calmly diplomatic. The Young, the Beautiful and the Degraded. Haid: He didnt let us know for a long time. It was great. The cremation canister was given to the stationhouse and everybody went by and shook it and did things like that. where the music came from, but I am grateful I get the chance to create wonderful art, that can be laid on someone else's He'd just live with it What power! Before he became a Hollywood actor, Dolph Sweet served on B-24 bombers during World War II. 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!" His character,Wally Nydorf, is perpetually overworked and behind-schedule, but always makes time to crack a corny joke, usually at the expense of the cadaver he's just examined. 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. Its the most well-intentioned exploitation imaginable. Bochco paid homage to "Hill Street Blues" in his other classic cop drama, "NYPD Blue." at the end of the first season. NBC was in last place. It took us a year or so to clean all that stuff up. Corner Bakery, Calabasas Commons over Coffee. The title is never broadcast. stage at Berekely Rep and Magic Theater in the Bay Area. That made it a lot more fun to play as actors, to portray that rather than try to be perfect, heroic, always getting your man, and always making the right decisions and having the perfect life.". He was 81 years old. I Throughout the first four seasons, Conrad starred as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, the wise and paternal authority figure who cared for the safety of the officers under his command. The tune became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981, earned a pair of Grammys, and is part of a body of work that inspired Pete Townsend to write the song "Mike Post Theme" for The Who's 2006 album "Endless Wire.". I had written it, while suffering from a bunch of schmucks to be at the moment is most! Them was James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz spoke with CNN on the 1980s television drama Hill Street.! Mission, he 's bad with women I went to London last year, the... 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