When I worked at New York State Crime Victims Board and of necessity I had to contact a lot of police. And cops like any other profession run the gamut in quality. I met time serving slugs, I met a group who were competent at their jobs, and I also met some folks who would really go the extra mile for the victims.
I saw that in Telly Savalas as Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. He was passionate about his job, cared about the people he was sworn to protect and serve, and honest almost to a fault. And he had a precinct captain in Dan Frazer who backed him to the hilt although I think Frazer might have gotten a few gray hairs in the process.
Of Greek ancestry in the show and in real life, Telly Savalas never missed an opportunity to show a personal life steeped in Greek-American culture. Jack Webb's Sgt Friday was as honest and dedicated as Kojak, but we never saw a personal side for that guy. And comic relief in this intensely dramatic series was always provided by George Savalas as Kojak's fellow Greek detective Stavros. Poor Stavros just sat amiably by as Kojak bounced a few zingers off him. But his expressions were priceless. The brothers played well off each other.
Kevin Dobson was a young idealistic Detective Bobby Crocker who practically worshiped the tough Kojak. There was also Mark Russell and Vince Conti in the squad who got about as much dialog as those extra Bowery Boys with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. Every time something was afoot, Telly Savalas would always bellow out their names, "Saperstein and Rizzo" and these two would follow like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I do wish the show had developed them as real people as they did for both Savalas brothers and Dobson.
Watching the show on the METV network sure takes me back to New York of the Seventies. And I wish all the cops I dealt with were on the Kojak model.
I saw that in Telly Savalas as Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. He was passionate about his job, cared about the people he was sworn to protect and serve, and honest almost to a fault. And he had a precinct captain in Dan Frazer who backed him to the hilt although I think Frazer might have gotten a few gray hairs in the process.
Of Greek ancestry in the show and in real life, Telly Savalas never missed an opportunity to show a personal life steeped in Greek-American culture. Jack Webb's Sgt Friday was as honest and dedicated as Kojak, but we never saw a personal side for that guy. And comic relief in this intensely dramatic series was always provided by George Savalas as Kojak's fellow Greek detective Stavros. Poor Stavros just sat amiably by as Kojak bounced a few zingers off him. But his expressions were priceless. The brothers played well off each other.
Kevin Dobson was a young idealistic Detective Bobby Crocker who practically worshiped the tough Kojak. There was also Mark Russell and Vince Conti in the squad who got about as much dialog as those extra Bowery Boys with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. Every time something was afoot, Telly Savalas would always bellow out their names, "Saperstein and Rizzo" and these two would follow like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I do wish the show had developed them as real people as they did for both Savalas brothers and Dobson.
Watching the show on the METV network sure takes me back to New York of the Seventies. And I wish all the cops I dealt with were on the Kojak model.