"Police Woman" (1974) TV series 1974-1978

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Creator:

Robert E. Collins
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

13 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Police | Sergeant | Policewoman | Beautiful Woman | Female Cop

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 14 nominations

Cast

Earl Holliman	...	Lt. Bill Crowley / ... (91 episodes, 1974-1978)
Angie Dickinson	...	Sgt. Suzanne 'Pepper' Anderson / ... (91 episodes, 1974-1978)
Charles Dierkop	...	Det. Pete Royster / ... (91 episodes, 1974-1978)
Ed Bernard	...	Det. Joe Styles / ... (91 episodes, 1974-1978)

(more)

Series Directed by
Alvin Ganzer		(13 episodes, 1974-1978)
John Newland		(13 episodes, 1974-1978)
Barry Shear		(8 episodes, 1974-1977)
David Moessinger		(6 episodes, 1975-1978)
Alexander Singer		(5 episodes, 1974-1977)
Richard Benedict		(4 episodes, 1974-1978)
Douglas Benton		(4 episodes, 1975-1978)
Corey Allen		(4 episodes, 1976-1978)
Leonard Horn		(3 episodes, 1974-1975)
Virgil W. Vogel		(3 episodes, 1977-1978)
Arnold Laven		(2 episodes, 1974-1977)
Bernard McEveety		(2 episodes, 1974)
Herschel Daugherty		(2 episodes, 1975)

Series Writing credits
Edward DeBlasio		(13 episodes, 1974-1978)
Gregory K. Scott		(8 episodes, 1974-1977)
Frank Telford		(5 episodes, 1974-1977)
Sean Baine		(5 episodes, 1975-1978)
Douglas Benton		(5 episodes, 1975-1978)
David Moessinger		(5 episodes, 1975-1978)
Daniel B. Ullman		(4 episodes, 1974-1978)
Robert E. Collins		(3 episodes, 1974-1977)
Richard M. Bluel		(3 episodes, 1974-1975)
Joshua Hanke		(3 episodes, 1974-1975)
Gabe Essoe		(3 episodes, 1975-1977)
Shimon Wincelberg		(3 episodes, 1975-1976)
Max Hodge		(3 episodes, 1976-1978)
Irv Pearlberg		(3 episodes, 1976-1978)
Jack M. Casey		(3 episodes, 1978)
John W. Bloch		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Irving Gaynor Neiman		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Pat Fielder		(2 episodes, 1974)
Burton Armus		(2 episodes, 1975-1977)
E. Arthur Kean		(2 episodes, 1975-1977)
S.S. Schweitzer		(2 episodes, 1975-1976)
Don Balluck		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Jerry de Bono		(unknown episodes)
Jack Hanrahan		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
David Gerber	....	executive producer (91 episodes, 1974-1978)
Douglas Benton	....	producer (4 episodes, 1974-1977)
George Lehr	....	associate producer (4 episodes, 1974-1977)
Edward DeBlasio	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Abram S. Ginnes	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Jerrold Immel		(3 episodes, 1975-1976)
Morton Stevens		(2 episodes, 1975-1977)
Richard Shores		(2 episodes, 1975)
Bruce Broughton		(unknown episodes)
Gerald Fried		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Robert C. Moreno		(4 episodes, 1974-1977)

Series Film Editing by
Dann Cahn		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Casting by
Sally Powers		(4 episodes, 1974-1977)

Series Art Direction by
Ross Bellah		(4 episodes, 1974-1977)
Robert Purcell		(3 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Set Decoration by
Audrey A. Blasdel		(4 episodes, 1974-1977)
Sal Blydenburgh		(3 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Makeup Department
Alan Fama	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1974-1977)

Series Production Management
Jack Cunningham	....	unit production manager (3 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jon C. Andersen	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Lindsley Parsons III	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)
Lou Watt	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Douglas Forsmith	....	property master (68 episodes, 1974-1978)

Series Sound Department
Glenn E. Anderson	....	production sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Jeremy Hoenack	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Bill Clove	....	special effects (1 episode, 1977)

Series Stunts
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (1 episode, 1976)
Richard E. Butler	....	stunt coordinator (1 episode, 1977)
May Boss	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Jack Carpenter	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Pepper Curtis	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Donna Garrett	....	stunt double: Angie Dickinson (unknown episodes)
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
James Winburn	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Bergdahl	....	camera operator (1 episode, 1977)
Don Obarr	....	grip (unknown episodes)
Serge Poupis	....	first assistant camera (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Renée Valente	....	casting executive (3 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Grady Hunt	....	wardrobe selector / wardrobe (3 episodes, 1975-1977)

Series Music Department
Morton Stevens	....	composer: theme music (2 episodes, 1974-1975)

Series Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (2 episodes, 1978)
Jack Carpenter	....	driver: camera car (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Edward DeBlasio	....	executive story consultant (4 episodes, 1974-1977)
Burke Mattsson	....	main title designer / title designer (4 episodes, 1974-1977)
Louis H. Goldstein	....	production coordinator (2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Michael Looney	....	location coordinator / production coordinator (2 episodes, 1975-1977)
Barry Wexler	....	crab dolly operator (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Television
• David Gerber Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974-1978) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Television
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)

Runtime:

60 min (91 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Trivia:

The pilot for this show aired on an episode of "Police Story" (1973) entitled "The Gamble". However, Angie Dickinson's character's name in that episode was Lisa Beaumont and Bert Convy played the role of her commanding officer. Convy was later replaced by Earl Holliman.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' (2004) (TV)

Would-be classic tossed into the dustbin of political correctness

In the Summer of 1975, not so long ago, this was the NUMBER ONE show on television, and was the TOP SHOW in many of the countries around the world in which it aired.

How many people know this?

Today, almost nobody... Younger audiences haven't even seen it, or, in many cases, haven't even heard of it, or know it's success essentially inspired the advent of "Charlies Angels". (It was also TV's first successful drama series to feature a woman in the title role).

When "Police Woman" premiered in fall 1974 it was, admittedly, a quite different show than it would end up four seasons later. Angie Dickinson was the slinky undercover cop, sexy but tough-- convincing on both fronts-- and the show was produced (in the beginning) with the very obvious idea in mind of doing something "good" and distinctive, while tossing in a dash of T&A in their for "kick".

Like with any show, in the very early episodes the series is trying to find it's identity, but by the last half of the first season, the show had taken on almost a cinematic sense of bigness that was REALLY working-- the show (at least for the standards of the day) had begun to feel like a movie, full of gravity and portend, decidedly not just another cop show and not just an undercover-hooker formula thing (although they didn't shy away from that). No wonder the show was, briefly, at the top of ratings at this time-- or in the summer reruns immediately following.

But the feminists, Goddess bless 'em, put a lot of pressure on the network about "Police Woman", unhappy with the go-go dancer assignments and the "oooo-ain't-she-sexy!" dialogue that sometimes permeated the program. They wanted the character de-sexualized... Perhaps one can understand their point about that, but all they seemed to see was Angie in spandex and fishnets, and some of their demands were rather odd (prior to the second season, they even demanded that "Pepper" only be shot by female assailants in the future.... Huh?!?!?... Since 99% of most gun violence is perpetrated by guys, this seemed a tad strange).

In any event, as sophisticated and intelligent as "Police Woman" was becoming by the end of it's first year, it didn't really need the "sex-crutch" anymore anyway, yet excess caution was taken with the second year to "reign in" Angie's natural effervescent demeanor. Curiously, what turned-out happening was that the energy was sucked out of the star and the show very quickly, her character weakened considerably... and yet, the hooker assignments continued.

What?!? Now we had the reverse of what should have happened.

Within 6 months "Police Woman" went from Number One in the Nielsen Ratings to, maybe, Number 30 (an unwise timeslot change didn't help). In fact, NBC kept moving the show so much one wondered if it was one of those 'let's-try-and-lose-it' type of corporate decisions.

Suffice it to say, the show never really recovered. Angie's confidence seemed surgically removed after the first year, and the scripts and direction followed suit; only about half the episodes from seasons 2 and 3 had enough energy and focus to really work, and even then there's a constant feeling of the program "holding back" --- or holding-back Angie. And season 4, the series' final, was largely a misfire... And in SUCH contrast to the dynamic, volatile first season--- well, it's like a completely different program.

And ever since a brief rerun period after it's initial network run, the show has been utterly buried--- like it never even existed!!