Cobweb TV!: May 2012

(All images courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment unless noted otherwise.)

Of all the genres creators of new TV shows have pitched to cable or broadcast networks, the hardest sell must be the anthology series, which is why there weren't very many in the era of Cobweb TV. These shows typically have no (or few) regular cast members. The type of stories the creator(s) wishes to show from week to week had better be attention-grabbing to programming executives, or it won't get green-lighted to the pilot stage.

Vic Morrow

In the case of Police Story (NBC, 1973-1978), it was the brainchild of best-selling author Joseph Wambaugh (The New Centurions, The Blue Knight), who also happened to be a member of the LAPD at the time. He conceived PS as a crime drama that was a character study and a police procedural, depicting various flawed individuals working in law enforcement. To make the stories "gritty" and "authentic" (two words often used to describe the show) like his novels, the series' writers would have input from actual cops for script ideas and in the writing of same. A "who's who" of veteran actors (along with rising stars and promising newcomers) would be utilized as guest stars in each episode to further draw viewers in.

So it went NBC was sold on PS... nearly. Risky of a venture as it was (even if the grittiness was watered down for '70s television), they decided to air the pilot as a TV movie, more or less leaving it up to Nielsen families to determine if it should be a regular series. On 3/20/1973, "Stakeout" was broadcast, and TV critics and viewers paid attention, much to NBC's delight.

Chuck Connors

The primary action in "Stakeout" revolves around a particular police unit that goes after problematic felons, their latest quarry being the tall, imposing Slow Boy (Chuck Connors). In-between moments of investigation, surveillance, and pursuit, we get a glimpse of how working on the squad is taking a toll on the life of Sgt. Joe LaFreida (Vic Morrow). He's been divorced for a few years, and his superior, Lt. Dave Blodgett (Ed Asner), thinks lack of companionship may be affecting his work. He soon meets Jenny Dale (Diane Baker), though it's under the most awkward circumstances.

Chuck Connors and Diane Baker

Thanks to a lead from their regular tipster, Gonzales (Sandy Baron), the squad stops Slow Boy and his accomplices from robbing a grocery store, but it doesn't go smoothly as he briefly takes Jenny as a hostage. LaFreida, armed with a shotgun, makes him surrender through bluffing to shoot him. Of course, she had no idea LaFreida was bluffing, so she later expresses anger at his perfunctory apology, even calling him a "pig." A day later, a remorseful LaFreida tracks her down and gives a more thoughtful apology. Though their exchange gets heated again, Jenny comes around to understand why he handled the situation the way he did. Eventually, they have dinner together and become a couple.

Vic Morrow and Ed Asner

Meanwhile, Slow Boy's out of jail on bail with his trial pending. Based on his history, the felony detail figures it's only a matter of time before he tries to commit another crime. LaFreida's next move is to make Sgt. Solly Piccolini (Harry Guardino) disguise himself as a wealthy man in hopes Slow Boy may be attracted to the notion of robbing him or burglarizing his mansion (a "loaner" the unit has access to). Blodgett gets wind of this, and knowing the ruse would be seen as entrapment by any court, brings the sting to a halt and chews out LaFreida.

Sandy Baron

The monitoring of Slow Boy's movements continues on, and one night, after several days of behaving, he calls in a false alarm that gets the cops watching him out of his hair long enough so he can slip out of his residence unseen. In short order, he kills Gonzales for being a snitch and schemes to attempt the robbery of another grocery store. Coincidentally, a prostitute LaFreida has befriended winds up spending the night with Slow Boy, and when she hears about the upcoming heist, she tips him off. The night the caper's scheduled to go down, the squad quietly waits in the store for Slow Boy's arrival. He doesn't fail to disappoint them...

Vic Morrow and Ina Balin

Generally speaking, as realism hit motion pictures in the 1960s, it eventually did on TV, but it took longer to find a foothold. Attempts at showing edginess and the human side of the police on cop shows were tried before PS (ABC's NYPD is one example that comes to mind), but I think it took the success of The French Connection (1971) to spark network interest in trying out a newer breed of crime drama. With PS, the depictions of cops making mistakes and living lives beyond the police station every week were gradually incorporated into other crime series in the years ahead.

Harry Guardino and Kim Hamilton

Smartly directed by William Graham (who helmed the 1980 Emmy-nominated TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones), "Stakeout" is only dated by the era it was filmed. Today, a lot of E. Jack Newman's script comes across as formulaic after the fact, compared to those of more recent crime dramas (in fact, some of it seems cliched by '70s standards). However, it still works because the screenplay has a reasonable structure, good characterizations, and a suitable (if predictable) ending. The one part I find fault with is the subplot with Piccolini, a man who claims he still hates black people after six months of lectures in community relations. He quickly changes his tune after talking with a black policewoman (Kim Hamilton) who's selected to pose as his date when he goes undercover as the rich man. The conclusion is implied, but the outcome still doesn't ring true. Aside from this misstep, the story held my attention, from the quiet moments to the action-packed ones.

After the script, "Stakeout" stays compelling through excellent acting, which you don't always get in a pilot. Still, considering the involvement of Wambaugh, the actors evidently brought their A-game to the production.

Vic Morrow and Diane Baker

I'm sure any actor could've played LaFreida, but if somebody else did, I think the pilot would never have sold. That's how important Vic Morrow is to the success of "Stakeout." His energy propels the narrative along, and in turn, the enthusiasm he has for the material seems to have rubbed off on his fellow thespians, to positive results. At times, you swear he's acting without acting, and you believe him, even if his dialogue is lacking in four-letter words. As one of the best character actors of his day who should've been a more significant star than he was, Morrow never fails to disappoint me, so my discovery of his work in "Stakeout" was a time (and money) well spent.

left to right: Vic Morrow, John Bennett
Perry, Chuck Connors, and Diane Baker

Unlike the cops on the felony squad, there are no nuances to the character of Slow Boy, so Chuck Connors doesn't have to do much except being a bad-ass, but he does it well without overplaying the part. He even gets to do some stunt work, showing he was in pretty good shape for a guy (then) in his early fifties. Best of all, having the six-foot-five Connors get taken down a peg by the five-foot-nine Morrow makes for a fun variation of David versus Goliath.

To be fair, Ed Asner's performance as Blodgett doesn't seem much different than his portrayal of Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (and Lou Grant), but by being off the screen for all the time he is, he's believable enough as a lawman when he is on. Then again, playing a boss and yelling at his subordinates is something Asner can do in his sleep.

Barbara Rhoades

Other standouts in the cast include Diane Baker, David Doyle, Ina Balin, Sandy Baron, Ralph Meeker, Harry Guardino, Mel Scott, and John Bennett Perry. The biggest surprise in casting is Barbara Rhoades (best known for playing Sheldon Leonard's girlfriend in the three-part Sanford & Son story "The Hawaiian Connection") as Gonzales' girlfriend. She displays a range in her acting I never knew she possessed.

(Shout! Factory)

"Stakeout" is included as a bonus feature on Shout! Factory's Police Story Season One DVD set. (For whatever reason, the movie is called "Slow Boy" in Shout's packaging but not on the actual film.) Audio quality is fine, while the video is erratic from show to show, but as a whole, they look and sound better than the reruns shown on A&E in the '90s. For the inaugural season, the majority of episodes are winners, including Morrow's second (and last) appearance in the two-part "Countdown" (where the Mob tries to kill LaFreida) and "The Gamble," starring Angie Dickinson in what became the spin-off pilot to Police Woman. The other bonus feature of note is a new interview with Joseph Wambaugh.

Kevin Dobson

One more point of trivia about "Stakeout": there's a cameo by Kevin Dobson as a patrolman. Twelve days before the airing of "Stakeout," the TV movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders premiered. Subsequently, it became the pilot for Kojak, which Dobson joined as a cast member months later.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM R.A.M.'67:

Cobweb TV! Rating for "Stakeout": three and a half stars (out of four).
Cobweb TV! Rating for Police Story Season One: three stars.

NEXT TIME ON... COBWEB TV!