Post by Prime etc. on Feb 13, 2021 8:14:24 GMT
The tv-movie with William Holden is very grim and it is somewhat surprising it was aired. A former cop Vic Tayback has a very mean-spirited speech to Holden about being a cop. Yet, despite all the negatives, at the end Holden decides he'd rather keep being a cop that go off with Lee Remick. Is that a happy ending?
The pilot for the tv-series on the other hand, has George $#@^&! Kennedy and he's very different from Holden's version. He's more like his character from EARTHQUAKE--he's not happy but he does have a cat (so did Bronk!). He's meets a nurse in the emergency room and he says "I have a rule not to date women that I meet on my job" and she says "don't you make exceptions?" and he affirms: "that's the best part of the rule!"
Later on he is watching ballet dancers rehearsing and the guy in charge says they were terrible except one-and as they leave, Kennedy says, "he's doesn't know what he's talking about. You were all great."
I think it works better as a shorter pilot-especially if he's not about to retire like in the Holden movie. The pilot was directed by J Lee Thompson.