The Blue Knight

My friend & me were discussing old TV shows & she remembered a great detective/police show starring William Holden that she viewed back in the 70's. She couldn't remember the name of it so I told her I would go online & find out the show's name & the information for her, which I did at this site. She loved the show & watched it even though the series didn't last as long as she would have liked. She also said the show included a dog which was his companion. I did discover that the dogs name was Leo & that it was a Bulldog/Terrier mix. I noticed this information was not on the other comments & thought maybe some of the readers would enjoy knowing this. Thanks so much for this great site!

Truly one of the best mini-series ever, with a monumental, Emmy-winning performance by William Holden. I sure wish I knew who to bug about getting this out on DVD, because if you weren't around in 1973, you missed a wonderful, gripping series. Holden is fantastic. Please, please put this on DVD!!!

William Holden makes a very credible character out of the aging policeman who after twenty years decides to retire, although he knows nothing else. Yes, he has a girl, Lee Remick, but the job gets between him and her. It's an interesting almost documentary study of regular policeman's work on the off beat streets of Los Angeles with hookers and drug dealers and bookies and what not, and he finds it his mission to keep the crap at bay. It is a rather bleak story and typically melancholy for a William Holden film, and he makes it one of his best films, although there are so many of them. It is in a way a study of life in the gutter, and someone appropriately tells him that he is married to the gutter. He wants to leave it and get away from it, but the film and the story never tells if and in that case how he really succeeds. It is actually two films that can be watched separately, but watching them in one stretch is fully rewarding. The music by Nelson Riddle is excellent and adds to the fascinating genuineness of the whole. It is not an edifying film, no entertainment, no great action, but the more interesting for actually being profoundly human providing an indispensable insight into the truth of a naked city.

I have read the book so many times I forgot how many, it was that good! I saw the TV movie when it first came out in the days before video staring William Holden and the TV show staring George Kennedy, Holden had the moxie that Wambaugh describe in his book but Kennedy had the build, Bumper Morgan weighing in at 275 pounds, the TV series was played down more than the movie was as far as attitude and Bumper way of thumping on people, but they were both excellent films and were way ahead of their time. You had to wait for Hill street Blues to come to TV before you got another true life cop show. Blue Knight was on TV in 1973 and 1975-76, Hill street did not come on tell late 80's I believe, that left a lot of years without good police shows on TV. now people are use to good shows with Law & Order and others but I remember a time when on a Saturday night at 7pm all you had to watch was Lawerance Welk, he-ha, and bugs bunny,! I choose the Bunny..

Some of William Holden's best work from the 70s is in this made for TV movie The Blue Knight. It came out at the time that Joseph Wambaugh was being celebrated for his work involving police. The Blue Knight was a best selling novel and one of Wambaugh's best.

Holden perfectly captures the aging Bumper Morgan on the last week of his job hoping to go out on top against the criminals. A prostitute he knew from his beat is found murdered.

That in itself is interesting because police as a rule don't give too much attention to crimes against hookers. But Holden is apparently thought of enough that they make an effort on this one.

Holden is keeping company with college professor Lee Remick who would like to marry and settle down with him. Holden is at loose ends though contemplating his retirement.

Some praise should go to Sam Elliott as the homicide detective who is assigned the hooker case. He and Holden don't get along, but by the end respect each other. Also to young Sergeant Joe Santos who the following year would be another sergeant, Dennis Becker on The Rockford Files who serves kind of as Bumper's alter ego and better self.

What I liked best about this film is that we really have no idea what Holden's future will be. You can speculate for a week about it.

A Golden Globe for Lee Remick and an Emmy for William Holden as Best Actor to go with his Best Actor Oscar for Stalag 17. The Blue Knight is one of the best made for TV films out there.