Homicide: Life on the Street: classic or the best show ever created?

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also i'm sure this is a 'no duh' but anyone who liked homicide really needs to check out the wire. i haven't been able to watch it this season, i've missed too many episodes and that's a show where if you don't watch every episode (preferably twice) you're fucked.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 19 November 2004 08:04 (nineteen years ago) link

i'm in the same boat, I missed two in a row, coudln't find them on bittorrent, so I'll have to wait until it gets rerun. maybe I should go back and watch the first season on dvd though anyway.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 19 November 2004 08:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Has The Wire reached the UK yet, does anyone know?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 19 November 2004 13:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Do I need to know anything more than "really good cop drama" about The Wire, or should I just go buy the flipping DVD box?

― Huk-L, Friday, 19 November 2004 17:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Biography for
Richard Belzer
Nickname
The Belz
Height
6' 1" (1.85 m)
Mini biography

A social misfit, was kicked out of every school he ever attended, due to his uncontrollable wit. His mother (Frances) died of breast cancer when Richard was 18. His father (Charles) committed suicide when he was 22. A dedication is written to him in Richard Belzer's "UFO's, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Believe" (Ballantine Books, 1999).

IMDb mini-biography by
Tom Myers
Spouse
Harlee McBride
(1985 - present)
Dalia Danoch
(1976 - 1978) (divorced)
Gail Susan Ross
(1966 - 1972) (divorced)
Trivia

Wrestler Hulk Hogan hurt him while demonstrating a wrestling move on a 1986 TV show called 'Hot Properties'. He was knocked unconscious and required stitches on his head. He sued Hulk for $5 million, but later settled out of court.
Is a frequent guest on the Howard Stern Radio Show.
Has played the same character, Detective John Munch, on 5 different TV shows: "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993) (originating series), "Law & Order" (1990) (crossovers), _"The X-Files" (1993)_ (crossover), _"The Beat" (2000)_ (guest-appearance in the short-lived UPN series), and _"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1998)_ , where he currently stars.
Appeared on the 25 March 1978 episode of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) with Christopher Lee as the host and musical guest, Meatloaf.
Appeared on the 2 October 1976 episode of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) with Eric Idle as the host and musical guests George Harrison, Joe Cocker, and Stuff.
Played himself in the movie Fame (1980).
Robert De Niro studied Belzer for his role in King of Comedy, The (1983).
Auditioned for the role of Groucho Marx in the Tommy Tune production "A Day in Hollywood, a Night in the Ukraine." Belzer taught himself two songs from the 1930s ("Satin Doll" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"), but did not get the part.
Was going to appear in Chevy Chase's movie, Modern Problems (1981), but scheduling conflicts could not be worked out. The date for the shooting of his scene was postponed twice and the day his scene was supposed to be shot, Belzer had a lucrative club date in New York, which was postponed at the last minute.
Testified on behalf of a low-level criminal who ran onto the set of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993) while fleeing actual Baltimore police and surrendered to the actors; Belzer said the look on the guy's face was sufficient punishment

Cousin of Henry Winkler.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Saturday, 20 November 2004 07:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Last year I picked up a tabloid that had 'SVU star in gay sex scandal!" and it was RICHARD BELZER.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Saturday, 20 November 2004 12:48 (nineteen years ago) link

one month passes...

Last night we watched an episode from Season 4 called The Hat. It had Lily Tomlin as am opera-loving femme fatale. Then we re-watched it with commentary from Clark Johnson and the writer of that episode. It was very illuminating. Clark Johnson sounds just like Lewis only with a bit less of an accent. He was funny and put down NYPD Blue and said that he had been drunk for the whole series. I also didn't realize that he directed some episodes of The Shield (now it all comes full circle) andthat he sometimes goes by the name "Clark Slappy Jackson".

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:52 (nineteen years ago) link

He also said that Richard Belzer has a house in the South of France which he visits every summer. That was sweet!

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm sure I've said that Clark Johnson (a Cdn citizen, I should add) has directed The Shield (I think he even did the pilot!).
I need to get me some of these DVDs.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:56 (nineteen years ago) link

I have never seen Homicide. I would really like to, since I'm sure I would love it, but I'm not about to pay $80 for a box set of a show I've never seen, and they don't have it at my video store. Hmm.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:59 (nineteen years ago) link

NETFLIX

Huck, maybe you did say that. But he's originally from Philly.

Biography for
Clark Johnson (I)

Date of birth (location)
September 1954
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Height
6' 2" (1.88 m)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trade mark
Often casts one of his wives or ex-wives.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trivia
Brother of jazz singer Molly Johnson.

Played Canadian collage football while attending Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

He has 2 daughters

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:03 (nineteen years ago) link

I also like it that he (presumably) cast himself as "Deke's Handsome Partner" in SWAT!

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:04 (nineteen years ago) link

When are the final seasons going to come out on DVD?

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:04 (nineteen years ago) link

I know he wasn't born in Canada. But he was actually living in Toronto during Homicide. His sister (who still lives there) told me that he coached his daughter's basketball team and would jet back and forth between Balto and T.O.

Have you seen the episode where Meldrick has a fight with his wife?

Also, did you know that Ami Brabson (or something close to that) who played Pembleton's wife is actually Andre Braugher's real wife (or was at the time)?

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I didn't know that. I haven't seen the episode where Pembleton fights with his wife...yet.

So do they EVER explain why Bo and Bolander get suspended for drunken behaviour and then NEVER come back??

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:09 (nineteen years ago) link

And on Pembleton...I enjoyed the scenes where he was suspended and you saw him at home in an apron desperately trying to cook for his wife. Domesticated!

I am also about 85% certain that I will be getting the Homicide book for christmas and maybe...just maybe...one of The Shield box sets, finally.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:13 (nineteen years ago) link

Only in passing. Bolander opts for early retirement and Beau...you do know what happens to Felton, don't you?

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:14 (nineteen years ago) link

Errrr, no probably not. Don't say! It's "Beau" not "Bo"? Well, I guess I'd never seen it written down.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link

No, it's when Meldrick fights with his wife, when Brody comes over for dinner...Teddy Pendergrass plays a role. In the fight, not in the episode.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:16 (nineteen years ago) link

Do we like Brody?

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Bo is on Days of our Lives, Beau is on Homicide.

I guess they deal with the final fate of Beau Felton in one of the later seasons, with the "younger, sexier" cast.

I like Brody.
Have you seen the one where they watch Brody's documentary? A lot of that is lifted straight from the book. A lot of the first season is too. It's pretty cool the way the characters started out as pretty straight takes on the people in the book and then by the end they were all really different. Good writing or something, I guess.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Have you seen the one where they watch Brody's documentary?

No!

One of my favorite episodes is still that one in the first season where they spend the whole night in the station and it's hot and there's wall-to-wall music.

Some of the music is a bit weird, though. Belly playing while Pembleton and Bayliss go smashing down doors and looking for suspects?

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:21 (nineteen years ago) link

I love that one! Where Frank won't even loosen his tie and he's drinking coffee and Gee wants to kill him. And the kid who had Adina Watson library book. Oh yeah. Fuck Christmas, I'm staying home and watching all my tapes. Which are unlabeled.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Adina Watson, do they ever solve it in like, the last episode or something?

And WHAT is an "Araber"? Is it a Baltimore thing?

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:30 (nineteen years ago) link

I think it might be a Baltimore thing. It's someone who sells produce--usually apples--from a horse & cart. (the produce is stored in the cart, not that horse, that would be gross)

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:32 (nineteen years ago) link

Is Brody == David Simon?

― alex in montreal, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Max Perlich

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:37 (nineteen years ago) link

sort of. loosely. Same way that Giardello is really the Gary D'Addario (the real-life Balto PD Lt. who frequently cameoed as the commander of the QRT (SWAT) unit.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:40 (nineteen years ago) link

You know who never fails to crack me up?

http://members.aol.com/hlots98/barnfather.jpg

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:43 (nineteen years ago) link

What is Ned Beatty best known for? Deliverance?

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:49 (nineteen years ago) link

The actor's name: Clayton LaBoeuf
How cool is that?

xpost

And Superman I & II

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:49 (nineteen years ago) link

I think I'd like to go to Baltimore. A distant cousin of me owns a coffee shop there, I think.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:51 (nineteen years ago) link

of mine

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, despite the fact that it comes across as full of stupid killers, drug dealers, crooked and/or lazy cops, and pretty-boy jerks who live on boats, Homicide paints a pretty sweet picture of Baltimore.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:55 (nineteen years ago) link

John Waters and Barry Levinson's other work add to that impression.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:58 (nineteen years ago) link

Which Homicide book, Adam? The David Simon one, the sweet, presumably OOP episode guide or is there a new one?

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm a total sucker for "city as a character" narratives (see also: Mordecai Richler, and, uh, Batman)

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:00 (nineteen years ago) link

The David Simon book.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:01 (nineteen years ago) link

God, Clayton LaBeouf's character was a dick.

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:01 (nineteen years ago) link

He wasn't as bad as, oh crap, the guy from the other shift who later became captain. What's his name?

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:03 (nineteen years ago) link

The fat, white guy? Roger something or other...

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

GAFFNEY

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:06 (nineteen years ago) link

That's right!

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I am only a few episodes into his tenure as captain.

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I wish it was still on CourtTV, I can't afford all these goddamn DVDs.

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:09 (nineteen years ago) link

NETFLIX

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:10 (nineteen years ago) link

I cna't afford that either!

― C0L1N B, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:11 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, did you know that Ami Brabson (or something close to that) who played Pembleton's wife is actually Andre Braugher's real wife (or was at the time)?

Yup. And I've met her, she came to a knitting meetup in L1v1ngst0n, NJ.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:12 (nineteen years ago) link

My god, rosemary

― Dial Rat For Terror (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:13 (nineteen years ago) link

I actually ran into him in the photography section of the Chapters on Bloor street, near Avenue Rd! I looked over and said, "holy crap, that looks like Meldrick!", and then realized it was. He nodded and went back to whatever book he was looking at.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 17:27 (nineteen years ago) link

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