Review Starsky and Hutch (1975)

Doctor Omega

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Starsky & Hutch is an American cop thriller television series, which consisted of a 70-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a Movie of the Week entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each.

The show was created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast from April 1975 to May 1979 on the ABC network.

It was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television in the United States and, originally, Metromedia Producers Corporation in Canada and some other parts of the world. Sony Pictures Televisionis now the worldwide distributor for the series.

The series also inspired a theatrical film and a video game


The series' protagonists were two Southern California police detectives: David Michael Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser), the dark-haired, Brooklyn transplant and U.S. Armyveteran, with a street-wise manner and intense, sometimes childlike moodiness; and Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson (David Soul), the divorced, blond, Duluth, Minnesota native with a more reserved and intellectual approach.

Under the radio call sign "Zebra Three", they were known for usually tearing around the streets of fictional Bay City, California.

The vehicle of choice was Starsky's two-door Ford Gran Torino, which was bright red, with a large white vector stripe on both sides.

They used around four different cars for filming.

Earlier shots had red wing mirrors usually for long shots or footage used in later episodes, close ups and later episodes had silver wing mirrors.

The Torino was nicknamed the "Striped Tomato" by Hutch in the episode "Snowstorm", and fans subsequently referred to the car by that nickname, too.

However, this moniker didn't come from the writers, it came from a real-life comment that Glaser made.

In a segment titled Starsky & Hutch: Behind The Badge that was featured on the first season DVD collection, Glaser stated that when he was first shown the Torino by series producer Aaron Spelling, he sarcastically said to Soul, "That thing looks like a striped tomato!"

In characteristic contrast, Hutch's vehicle was a battered, tan, 1973 Ford Galaxie 500.

It occasionally appeared when the duo needed separate vehicles, or for undercover work.

However, the duo's cover was often blown because Hutch's vehicle had a bad habit; when its driver's side door was opened, the horn would go off, instantly drawing attention.

It was also noticeable due to the severely cluttered back seat, so cluttered that there was no room to transport both prisoners and the two detectives simultaneously.


Supporting characters

The detectives' main confidential informant was the street-wise, ethically ambiguous, "jive-talking" Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas), who often dressed in a flashy manner and operated his own bar (first named "Huggy Bear's", and later, "The Pits").

The duo's boss was the gruff, no-nonsense-but-fair Captain Harold C. Dobey (Bernie Hamilton in the series, and gravel-voiced Richard Ward in the pilot, only).

Starsky and Hutch
continued the 1960s trend in some prime-time, U.S. TV dramas of portraying African-Americans (e.g., Huggy Bear, Capt. Dobey) in a positive light.

Huggy's immense popularity with viewers caused producers Spelling and Goldberg to consider giving actor Fargas his own TV series.

The second-season episode "Huggy Bear and the Turkey" was the test pilot for a proposed spin off with Huggy and his friend, former Sheriff "Turkey" Turquet (Dale Robinette) becoming private investigators; however, this premise proved unpopular with viewers, and a spinoff never materialized.

In the episode it was revealed that Huggy's last name is Brown (no clue as to his first name was given, though).

Two series characters were named for people from William Blinn's past: Starsky was the name of a high school friend, and Huggy Bear was a local disc jockey.

Series creator William Blinn first used the name Huggy Bear on-screen for a character, also a confidential informant, in an episode penned by Blinn for the TV series "The Rookies", during the 1973 second season, "Prayers Unanswered Prayers Unheard", there played by actor Johnny Brown.






Film

A theatrical film produced by Weed Road Pictures and Red Hour Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. and Dimension Films was released in theatres on March 5, 2004.

The film stars Ben Stiller as Starsky, Owen Wilson as Hutch and Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear, as they attempt to stop a drug kingpin played by Vince Vaughn.

The film grossed $170,268,750 worldwide.



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Gunn Plans “Starsky & Hutch” TV Reboot


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“Guardians of the Galaxy” writer/director James Gunn will pen the script for a reboot of iconic 1970s cop series “Starsky and Hutch”.

Described as a character-driven hourlong procedural, Sony Pictures Television Studios is producing the project which Gunn may potentially direct some episodes of depending upon scheduling.

Neal Moritz and Pavun Shetty will executive produce. The property was previously remade into a 2004 comedy feature with Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Gunn’s “Starsky & Hutch” A Go At Amazon


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Amazon has handed out a script-to-series commitment to a drama series reboot of iconic 1970s buddy cop show “Starsky and Hutch” from “Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker James Gunn.

Gunn, his brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn are all involved in the potential series slated to be a continuation of the original 1970s show.

Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios will produce the character-driven drama is said to deconstruct the buddy-cop genre.

Should the script be approved, Amazon would order the drama straight to series and James Gunn may direct the premiere. Neal Moritz and Pavun Shetty also executive produce.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Gunn Talks The New “Starsky & Hutch” Tone


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Last week came word that Amazon was getting behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn’s small screen reboot of 1970s TV series “Starsky and Hutch”.

Amazon has given the project a script-to-series commitment with Gunn’s brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn co-writing the script and James Gunn reportedly directing.

Now, in a recent Facebook post discussing the deal with Amazon, Gunn confirmed that the project isn’t either a reboot or remake, in fact it’s a “continuation of the original series that would deconstruct the buddy cop show in a fun way.”

Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul starred in the original ABC series as David Michael Starsky and Kenneth ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, a pair of cops keeping order in the streets of Bay City.

Gunn is very adamant that he doesn’t want to do a spoof like the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson 2004 film, rather the tone will be “gritty and driven by both characters and high stakes”.

This marks the first TV project of Gunn’s production company Troll Court Entertainment with Neal Moritz and Sony Pictures Television producing.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Your thoughts on this show.....

Two streetwise cops bust criminals in their red-and-white Ford Torino, with the help of police snitch, Huggy Bear.



 
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