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Classic US TV
'Police Woman'
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<blockquote data-quote="Snarky Oracle!" data-source="post: 83529" data-attributes="member: 57984"><p><strong>'Flowers of Evil'</strong></p><p></p><p>The most controversial episode of the entire series (and recipient of an excessive level of criticism by the "gay-libbers" of the era, freshly enraged by a MARCUS WELBY, M.D. installment airing only weeks earlier which equated homosexuality to child molestation, with one industry periodical headline literally reading: '<em>Lesbians Finger Police Woman'</em>) the moody, Poe-via-Baudelairian "Flowers of Evil" begins with a duo of unladylike ladies driving a dithery geriatric woman to a motel in the rain -- and, once there, a third one kills her. Just off-camera.</p><p></p><p><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers1_zps7rp47iok.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 785px" /></p><p></p><p>Nearly a week later, Pepper and the unit show up, and the motel manager seems overly emotional over the death of this old woman he didn't know, in keeping with TV's endearing pretensions of the early-1970s.</p><p></p><p>Turns out that the old folks' home, one being run by these three same women (Fay Spain, Lynn Loring and, the executive producer's wife, Laraine Stephens), has seen an unusual number of residents dying off inordinately quickly after moving in, even in consideration of their ages. Crowley observes they ought to call it The Golden Year (in the singular) instead of The Golden Year<strong>s</strong> because that's about as long as the residents last.</p><p></p><p><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers2_zpslppdvygx.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 793px" /></p><p></p><p>Pepper goes under as a nurse, on-the-run and badly in need of hiding and a job. Cooing at her lesbian coworkers -- almost off-the-charts subject matter for TV in 1974 -- Pepper determines that the <em>butch </em>women are the <em>evil </em>ones, and the <em>feminine </em>one is <em>not </em>and is therefore salvageable.</p><p></p><p>The scam is that they're stealing the patients' checks and murdering them, supposedly based on a real case.</p><p></p><p><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers3_zpspycqyzxo.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 791px" /></p><p></p><p>The most recent victim's false teeth having been located somewhere on the premises by Sergeant Anderson, the three ladies are busted. The two butch dykes spew filth during their respective interrogations, while the femme one is instead sorry for all the killings and confesses completely -- but not before lovely Pepper can convince her that she herself once had a college roommate who'd had the hots for her, and that "I know what a love like yours can do to a person."</p><p></p><p>Pepper's point is a dubious one (as was story editor Ed de Blasio's later rationalization that the line referred to unrequited or an imbalanced romance with someone who doesn't really love you) but Angie Dickinson delivers the interrogation dialogue and climactic speech so well, it still works.</p><p></p><p>Like Linda Evans in the first two seasons of DYNASTY, this early in POLICE WOMAN's history, Angie is at times shockingly good. Almost idealized women, both stars are later dismissed as talentless mere lookers who otherwise can't act their way out of paper bags. Even their respective shows betrayed them, neither actress having quite the confidence to navigate around the on-set or network politics and have their performances survive. And it's a shame.</p><p></p><p><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers4_zpsfu2msefh.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 789px" /></p><p></p><p>Anyway, outside in the hall, a nervous Crowley, unsure of just exactly how far that collegiate relationship may have gone, kisses Pepper on the forehead and offers to drive her home, perhaps intent on validating her womanhood.</p><p></p><p>Fatigued and aware of his agendum, she declines, strolling down the hallway to a long shot freeze frame.</p><p></p><p>Daring material at the time, handled bravely yet unprogressively.</p><p></p><p>Excellently directed by Alexander Singer with an ominously hovering musical score provided by Jerry Fielding, the episode was pulled from any future network showing, but (contrary to rumor) did reappear in syndication a dozen years later.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarky Oracle!, post: 83529, member: 57984"] [B]'Flowers of Evil'[/B] The most controversial episode of the entire series (and recipient of an excessive level of criticism by the "gay-libbers" of the era, freshly enraged by a MARCUS WELBY, M.D. installment airing only weeks earlier which equated homosexuality to child molestation, with one industry periodical headline literally reading: '[I]Lesbians Finger Police Woman'[/I]) the moody, Poe-via-Baudelairian "Flowers of Evil" begins with a duo of unladylike ladies driving a dithery geriatric woman to a motel in the rain -- and, once there, a third one kills her. Just off-camera. [IMG width="785px"]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers1_zps7rp47iok.jpg[/IMG] Nearly a week later, Pepper and the unit show up, and the motel manager seems overly emotional over the death of this old woman he didn't know, in keeping with TV's endearing pretensions of the early-1970s. Turns out that the old folks' home, one being run by these three same women (Fay Spain, Lynn Loring and, the executive producer's wife, Laraine Stephens), has seen an unusual number of residents dying off inordinately quickly after moving in, even in consideration of their ages. Crowley observes they ought to call it The Golden Year (in the singular) instead of The Golden Year[B]s[/B] because that's about as long as the residents last. [IMG width="793px"]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers2_zpslppdvygx.jpg[/IMG] Pepper goes under as a nurse, on-the-run and badly in need of hiding and a job. Cooing at her lesbian coworkers -- almost off-the-charts subject matter for TV in 1974 -- Pepper determines that the [I]butch [/I]women are the [I]evil [/I]ones, and the [I]feminine [/I]one is [I]not [/I]and is therefore salvageable. The scam is that they're stealing the patients' checks and murdering them, supposedly based on a real case. [IMG width="791px"]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers3_zpspycqyzxo.jpg[/IMG] The most recent victim's false teeth having been located somewhere on the premises by Sergeant Anderson, the three ladies are busted. The two butch dykes spew filth during their respective interrogations, while the femme one is instead sorry for all the killings and confesses completely -- but not before lovely Pepper can convince her that she herself once had a college roommate who'd had the hots for her, and that "I know what a love like yours can do to a person." Pepper's point is a dubious one (as was story editor Ed de Blasio's later rationalization that the line referred to unrequited or an imbalanced romance with someone who doesn't really love you) but Angie Dickinson delivers the interrogation dialogue and climactic speech so well, it still works. Like Linda Evans in the first two seasons of DYNASTY, this early in POLICE WOMAN's history, Angie is at times shockingly good. Almost idealized women, both stars are later dismissed as talentless mere lookers who otherwise can't act their way out of paper bags. Even their respective shows betrayed them, neither actress having quite the confidence to navigate around the on-set or network politics and have their performances survive. And it's a shame. [IMG width="789px"]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/Marky888/PWflowers4_zpsfu2msefh.jpg[/IMG] Anyway, outside in the hall, a nervous Crowley, unsure of just exactly how far that collegiate relationship may have gone, kisses Pepper on the forehead and offers to drive her home, perhaps intent on validating her womanhood. Fatigued and aware of his agendum, she declines, strolling down the hallway to a long shot freeze frame. Daring material at the time, handled bravely yet unprogressively. Excellently directed by Alexander Singer with an ominously hovering musical score provided by Jerry Fielding, the episode was pulled from any future network showing, but (contrary to rumor) did reappear in syndication a dozen years later. [/QUOTE]
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'Police Woman'
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