Michael Mann- Police Story

[pahonu]

I just watched a 1976 episode of Police Story called “Thanksgiving” written by Michael Mann.  It was really well done but ultimately very tragic.  A young James Woods plays a creepy perp who shoots at a car on the freeway hitting a young girl in the head and putting her into a coma.  France Nguyen, the girls mother, has a breakdown as a result and it destroys their family.  Manu Tupou plays the father.  Fred Williamson, of blaxploitation fame, and veteran actor Frank Converse play the two detectives trying to get enough evidence to pin it on the shooter.  It’s well cast and very well acted.

Police Story is playing on the same cable channel as Nash Bridges, H&I.  It’s on very early Sunday mornings in my area so I’ve been DVRing them.  Created by ex-LAPD officer Joseph Wambaugh, it ran for five seasons in the 70’s with different stories and characters each week.  It’s a gritty, realistic show with lots of talented writers and actors showing up.  Well worth a look.

[pahonu]

I just watched another well done Police Story episode written by Michael Mann.  It’s called “Trial Board” from 1977 and it’s about racism in the vice squad!  Apparently it’s based on a real-life event that happened to the series creator Joseph Wambaugh in 1969.  Lots of good actors like Joe Santos, Dana Elcar, Hal Williams, Scott Hylands, and Casey Kasem in a non-cameo role.

[pahonu]

This is not actually about Michael Mann and Police Story, but I just watched a two-part episode of the series called Trigger Point, starring one of my favorite actors, David Janssen.  He plays a veteran officer dealing with the myriad of problems of all the younger officers under his wing.  It’s a great cast, including Robert Forster and Diana Muldaur, and is a superb episode.  Anyway, look who appear as two of his young officers.

Edited June 7, 2020 by pahonu