''The Blue Knight'' is a 1973 made-for-TV film adapted from Joseph Wambaugh's 1973 novel '' The Blue Knight''. It inspired the 1975 TV series also named '' The Blue Knight''. The film was broadcast on NBC TV in November 1973, was directed by Robert Butler, and featured an all star cast headed by

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

as Police Officer Bumper Morgan. The additional cast includes

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...

, Anne Archer,

Sam Elliott Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...

Joe Santos Joe Santos (born Joseph John Minieri Jr.; June 9, 1931 – March 18, 2016) was an American film and television actor, best known as Sgt. Dennis Becker (later Lieutenant), the friend of James Garner's character on the NBC crime drama ''The R ...

, and

Vic Tayback Victor E. Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He is known for his role as Mel Sharples in the film ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974) and the television series ''Alice'' (1976–1985). The latter earned him t ...

. The original miniseries consisted of four one-hour episodes (including commercials).

Premise

Bumper Morgan is a 20-year veteran of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

who is scheduled to retire in a week. Before he leaves, he must work on the murder of a prostitute in one of LA's far corners. Along the way, he must grapple with vicious thugs, his fellow officers who have mixed feelings about his retirement, and his woman who wants him to leave the streets.

Cast

as Bumper Morgan *

as Cassie Walters * Anne Archer as Laila *

as Detective Charlie Bronski *

as Sergeant Cruz Segovia *

as Neil Grogan *

Lucille Benson Lucille Benson (July 17, 1914 – February 17, 1984) was an American character actress. Biography Personal life Born in Scottsboro, Alabama, on July 17, 1914, Benson was adopted by her aunt, Mrs. John Benson, after her mother died of tuber ...

as Elmira Gooch *

Ja'net DuBois Jeannette Theresa Dubois (August 5 – February 17, 2020), known professionally as Ja'Net DuBois, Ja'net DuBois, and Ja'Net Du Bois (), was an American actress and singer. She was best known for her portrayal of Willona Woods, the neighborhood g ...

as Celia Louise * Mario Roccuzzo as Harold Wagner *

Jamie Farr Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing Corporal turned Sergeant Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom ''M*A*S*H''. He was inducted to ...

as Yasser Hafiz

Production

Holden said he was surprised to be cast as Morgan, as he thought

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

or Rod Steiger would have been preferred. Shooting took seven weeks. ''The Blue Knight'' was filmed as a four-episode miniseries of 60 minutes each for the US market and a 100-minute theatrical film for European markets. It was one of the first miniseries on American television.

Reception

The film was broadcast on four consecutive evenings, beginning on November 11, 1973, and received positive reviews. Jay Sharbutt of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

praised the miniseries' realism and wrote that readers "ought to catch this show". Rick Du Brow of

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

wrote that the miniseries' length allows it to unfold slowly and create a "cohesive dramatic atmosphere", unlike typical TV films. ''

Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'', in a retrospective review of the theatrical cut, called it "seminal stuff" and wrote that it is more interesting for its influence on following police dramas than its story.

Awards

Emmys went to William Holden (in his first TV film role), director Robert Butler, and editors Marjorie and Gene Fowler Jr. Lee Remick received an Emmy nomination. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Limited Series.

References

External links

* {{Robert Butler 1973 television films 1973 films 1973 crime drama films 1970s American films 1970s English-language films 1970s police films American crime drama films American drama television films American police detective films Crime television films Films about the Los Angeles Police Department Films based on American crime novels Films directed by Robert Butler Films scored by Nelson Riddle Films set in Los Angeles NBC network original films Television films based on books