Starsky & Hutch (Pilot Episode 1975)
The TV show started out as an ABC Movie of the Week. Remember, back in the day, we used to have a few channels and each one of those channels had a ‘Movie Of The Week” as well as other programming including “The Late Show” and more.
The show was produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The pilot ran on ABC on April 30 1975. The show would last 93 episodes over 4 seasons and come to and end in 1979.
The show starred Paul Michael Glaser (David Starsky) who’d go on to enjoy a massive career as a director of many shows including Miami Vice. In fact, he directed some of the show’s most epic episodes including “Calderone’s Return: Calderone’s Demise”, “Smuggler’s Blues” and “The Prodigal Son”) as well as episodes of Judging Amy, Las Vegas, Criminal Minds and more.
David Soul (Richard “Hutch” Hutchinson) was actually born here in Chicago back in 1943. While he sang in a mask on on Merv Griffin’s show in ’66 and ’67, his real TV debut on an episode of Flipper in 1967, went on to who was also part of the “Magnum Force” (Office John Davis) with Tim Matheson and others. Magnum Force was part of Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” franchise. Supporting actors who are still etched in our memories included Bernie Hamilton, Antonio Fargas as “Huggy Bear” and more. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that David Soul also had a massive hit song in 1977 with “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby.” He’d also go on to star in other movies and TV shows along with directing episodes of
THE PREMISE OF THE SHOW
Despite their differences, the streetwise Brooklyn transplant Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and his soft-spoken, intellectual partner Ken Hutchinson (David Soul) are the perfect undercover team for Bay City’s toughest beats. With help from their jive-talking informant Huggy Bear, their boss Captain Harold Dobey and a souped-up red Ford, they race against the clock to find a stolen car that’s been turned into a powerful bomb by an elderly couple looking to deliver a message about the deplorable living conditions for seniors. Relying on their very different perspectives in their pursuit to clean up Bay City’s crime-infested streets, Starsky & Hutch take on powerful racketeers, big time drug dealers and low life addicts, prostitutes and pimps, cold blooded assassins and cop killers, powerful racists and even down-on-their-luck average Joes forced into crime just to make ends meet.
Learn more about the show, the car, the episodes, the guest stars and even more when you click the links below the episode.