Friday, December 24, 2010

Steve Landesberg RIP


We're a bit behind the curve this week with the holiday upon us and other family things going on. We just heard about the death of Steve Landesberg on Monday:
  • Mr. Landesberg is probably best known for the role of Detective Sgt. Arthur P. Dietrich in the '70s sitcom "Barney Miller." The show, which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1982, featured Mr. Landesberg as an intellectual detective with a quiet manner who seemed to have an unrivaled knowledge of practically any topic that arose.

    The sitcom, set in a New York City police station, portrayed a group of wisecracking detectives who dealt with the oddball characters who would end up there. With most of the action in the squad room rather than on the street, some police officers have said that the show often better represented the real life of rank-and-file officers than many detective dramas on television.
Still probably the best police show in history.

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41 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Still probably the best police show in history..."

Absolutely - without question!!!!!

12/24/2010 12:18:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I forgot what a riot Barney Miller was. Once, years ago and before COPS and all the other reality cop shows got on TV, someone asked me what shows were the most realistic to the police. My answer always included Barney Miller from the humorous side. It's the insanity that you just can't make up and the quirky personalities we are constantly running into that keeps our lives interesting.

So here's a couple of Dietrich clips from Barney Miller. RIP Steve...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv_7VgFgeg&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwD3A28HmI&feature=fvsr

12/24/2010 12:34:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Barney Miller" was good, but "Hill Street Blues" was better and captured what we (blue shirt POs) do on a daily basis.

12/24/2010 12:45:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barney Miller

It was up there...I'm more a Hill Street guy but I still watch BM when it's on.

12/24/2010 01:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"12/24/2010 12:45:00 AM"




hey, frankie.......

12/24/2010 04:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And Rest in Peace to Alana Burke. What a pleasure it was to know you.

12/24/2010 04:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And it is amazing that Abe Vigoda, aka Det. Fish, is still alive and kicking at 89 years of age.

For years the continuing rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.

12/24/2010 05:42:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps the best portrayal of detectives, but the best police show was Adam-12.

12/24/2010 06:10:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Me thinks the best police comedy IS the Chicago Police Dept. since JFled.
While it may be a joke, many of us are not laughing.
Merry Christmas...Stay Safe

12/24/2010 07:22:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Real Police can relate to the funny shit that went on in that station.
WHAT A GREAT SHOW.
RIP STEVE.
I/F

12/24/2010 07:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I still remember these guys with the Colt Detective special snubbys in their holsters. Checkered walnut grips and strap over hammer holsters. Sometimes they would pull out the shotgun when things got rough. Great show, thanks for the memorys Steve.

12/24/2010 07:54:00 AM  
Anonymous C.E. Winchester III said...

I tell my Family that Police work is more like Barney Miller than C.S.I. And they act surprised! Someday I am going to take them in for a tour of Area 5.

12/24/2010 07:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was a funny show. But for my money, The WIRE gets the nod as the most realistic cop show ever. It's depiction of bosses ascending through the ranks mostly through kiss-assing and back-stabbing, and friendships was dead on. It exemplified how little the brass cares about the blue shirt, boots on the ground guys, when all is said and done. It was a great show.

12/24/2010 08:37:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seriously, take Barney Miller and Hill Street Blues, mix 'em together and toss in just a touch of Andy Griffith and I think you have ABSOLUTELY defined real police work... at least from back in those days.

Today, it's more like The Shield and Terminator!

12/24/2010 08:41:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

By far the best training show of all time " the Andy Griffith show " starring Andy as the wise "ol salt " and Barney as the " hair gel "

12/24/2010 09:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For those of you lamenting the passing of the "good old days," which most of you never experienced,I recommend the original "Car 54,Where Are You?" This job was always more Toody and Muldoon than Frank Furillo.

12/24/2010 09:12:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nothing on TV is realistic, nothing. Barney Miller came the closest with the humor, the bonding with people you'd never think would be your friends and the humanity shown by the actors portraying....people like us.

12/24/2010 09:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Retired Youth Officer said...

"Police Story" 1st Season is my choice for "...best police show in history...".

"Hill Street Blues" for the most realistic view of day-to-day police life.

12/24/2010 09:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barney Miller, and The Early Episodes Of Hill Street Blues.
It Captured The Real Police, Just About As Close As A TV Show Can.

12/24/2010 10:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

M-Squad!

Late 50's Chicago.

Available on Hulu.

12/24/2010 11:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with the posters that Hill
Street Blues was the real " nitty-
gritty " and portayed exactly what the Police Department has to contend with on a daily basis, even
to comparing their " Commissioner "
to a certain " Superintendent ".

12/24/2010 12:33:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This definitely would be a case that Detective Dietrich would want to pursue.

chicagotribune.com

Arrest warrant issued for woman accused of sex-toy attack

By Megan Craig, Tribune reporter

5:53 PM CST, December 23, 2010


A Lake County judge on Thursday issued a warrant for the arrest of a woman charged with attacking a Gurnee police officer with a sex toy.

Judge Brian Hughes put out the $75,000 bench warrant for Carolee Bildsten, 56, who did not appear for a hearing Thursday on an aggravated assault charge. Bildsten is accused of confronting an officer in November with a "clear, rigid feminine pleasure device," according to a police report....

12/24/2010 12:40:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hill Street Blues sucked!! Barney Miller was the BEST!

12/24/2010 02:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry SCC, the best cop show that ever was and will be will be T.J. Hooker. LOL. Enjoy the below link:

12/24/2010 02:28:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I actually have found The Wire, to be spot on when it comes to bosses, idiot P.O.s, etc....

12/24/2010 02:36:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dietrich was the best. He always pretended he was gay to spook the old inspector on Barney Miller. Very sharp wit. Excellent performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall as a pediatrician.

12/24/2010 02:47:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barney Miller hands down the best.
Hill St Blues good, but can't compare with the old ABC "Police Story" from the 70's. Some classic shows with humor, gunfights, in house bickering and getting the job down. Different stars each week with believable people like Vic Morrow, Don Meredith and Chuck Connors to name a few playing the cops.....
Any one know if this series is show on a cable channel or sold in DVD's. Thanks -- Merry Christmas and stay safe

12/24/2010 02:51:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barney Miller had to be the truest depiction of copps on the job. The one liners, the attitude and the politics. Then you had the no nothing boss of Barney Miller. That was the most true to life cop show ever. All the rest are fiction.

12/24/2010 04:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Personally, I don't care which cop show is the most realistic. I get realistic for 9 hours a day, 4 on 2 off.

Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford or Dragnet with Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, both are good for me.

Webb's star number of 714 was actually retired by the LAPD upon his death and he was accorded an honors funeral by the LAPD and was buried with a replica LAPD badge #714.

All Los Angeles city flags were lowered to half staff at the time. They take their police shows seriously in LA. Darryl Gates was police chief.

12/24/2010 05:11:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How can you guys talk about the best cop shows, and no on even mentions NYPD Blue? Great cast, great characters, great stories. Great criminals too.

12/24/2010 06:24:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Liked, Barney Miller.

Loved, Turks (199? CPD based, one season, William Devane RIP).

12/24/2010 06:58:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you put Veronica Hamel on Barney Miller with a weekly guest star like Don Meredith or Chuck Connors in Baltimore co-starring Dennis Franz it'd be like butta !

12/24/2010 07:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Steve may have been a pretty good actor, but he was an even better stand-up comedian. Also, I quit buying my suits at Jos. A. Bank when he quit being their spokesman. I'm glad you thought enough of him to include a thread on his passing. Sad to see him go.

12/24/2010 07:10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No comments about "Crime Story" with Dennis Farina?

12/25/2010 10:22:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blast from the past,

Highway Patrol theme:

http://www.highwaypatroltv.com/theme.mp3

12/25/2010 01:19:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The Rumours of my death is gratly ecagerated" saib William Devane...., and by the way, without quation Polie Stort hands down..start with the theme song plus,James Farentino,
Don Meredith,
Tony Lo Bianco
Jan-Michael Vincent,Loyd Bridges Darren McGaven, Kurt Russel spinoffs police woman angie dickenson David cassidy Man Undercover, Joe Forester
TURKS ARE YOU KIDDING ME IT LASTED 3 Weeks

12/25/2010 01:27:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Sorry SCC, the best cop show that ever was and will be will be T.J. Hooker. LOL. Enjoy the below link:

12/24/2010 02:28:00 PM"



damn, these youngsters sure are retarded.

12/25/2010 07:42:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

no one remembers 'The Naked City'?

12/25/2010 07:43:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barney miller is an awesome show! I still watch the re-runs!

R.I.P. Detective Dietrich

Da Pelon

12/26/2010 09:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CHiPs

12/26/2010 12:18:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To: "Anonymous said...
no one remembers 'The Naked City'?

12/25/2010 07:43:00 PM"

"There are 8 million stories in the Naked City, this has been one on them."

A TV series and a movie.

Then there was "The 87th Precient"

I think it was Martin Fell who played Detective Meyer Meyer. "A patient man, his fater said he would have to be with a name like Meyer Meyer."

"The Detectives" with Robert Taylor. I could go on...

Yes, I am old...the thyme songs will be playing in my head all night now. Damnit.

12/26/2010 05:34:00 PM  

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