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Going into "First Blood," director Ted Kotcheff and star Sylvester Stallone surely weren't aware they were making one of the best action movies ever made and crafting an action icon in the process. But they might have had an inkling, considering they were working from David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name. The book contained the very mix of Hollywood-style bombast and social critique that would define the very first Rambo movie as the innovative outlier it is within the larger canon. Inspired by two harrowing true stories about war veterans, Morrell wrote John Rambo as a killing machine haunted by his experiences in Vietnam. While he could dispatch enemies with preternatural ease, Rambo was also a believably tortured man, with Morrell using his prose to interrogate the very real psychological effects of serving in 'Nam.

That combination of action and analysis made its way into the original script...

James B. Sikking, the Steven Bochco favorite who portrayed the no-nonsense Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues and the good-hearted doctor dad on Doogie Howser, M.D., has died. He was 90.

Sikking died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of complications from dementia, publicist Cynthia Snyder announced.

Although best known for his TV work, Sikking did have notable turns on the big screen as a mocking hitman in John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), as the stuffy Captain Styles in Leonard Nimoy‘s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and as the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993).

After spending the better part of two decades showing up on such shows as The Outer Limits, Honey West, The Fugitive, Hogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking was cast as the pipe-smoking Hunter, leader of the Swat-like Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues.

Two shady figures walk into a club, raising the suspicions of Detective Axel Foley. Foley needs help to deal with both men, but the pair of officers keeping an eye on him — Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton) and Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) — don’t trust him. Furthermore, he’s in a public place, which means that his actions could harm civilians.

After his pleading convinces Taggart and Rosewood to help out, Axel approaches one of the potential troublemakers.

“Phillip!” Foley shouts, adopting the stagger and slurred speech patterns of a drunk man as he approaches the confused suspect. Foley continues the act even after the suspect pulls a gun and threatens the patrons, which allows him to get close enough to yank the weapon away.

You probably recognize the above scene as one of the standout moments of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, in which Foley shows off his keen detective...

There's a confusing narrative surrounding 1982's "First Blood." Amid the mayhem of its bloody blockbuster sequels, the film either gets misremembered as a straightforward action flick, or is claimed to be a deep exploration of the psychological effects of war on returning soldiers. But the adaptation of David Morrell's 1972 novel is both.

As his franchise took off, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo would evolve (or devolve?) into a more stereotypical action hero, cutting down entire armies with belt-fed machine guns over the course of four sequels. Stallone even thinks "Rambo 4" is his best action film. But in "First Blood" the character is more multi-faceted. A Vietnam vet who finds himself at odds with the society he believed he was fighting for, John Rambo doesn't directly kill anyone once he runs afoul of a hard-hearted small-town Sheriff and his deputies. Instead, he flees into the Washington State wilderness and...

Barbara Bosson, who was nominated for five Emmys for her role as Fay Furrillo on Hill Street Blues, died February 18 at 83.

Her death was announced by her director son, Jesse Bochco, on social media.

She is best known as starring as Fay Furillo during the first six seasons of NBC’s Hill Street Blues, which was created by her then husband Steven Bochco.

Bosson was also Emmy nominated for her role as prosecutor Miriam Grasso on ABC’s Murder One.

Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

“More spirit and zest than you could shake a stick at. When she loved you, you felt it without a doubt. If she didn’t, you may well have also known that too. Forever in our hearts. I love you Mama,” wrote Jesse Bochco.

Bosson got her start in Steve McQueen film Bullitt and CBS detective series Mannix before becoming one...

Taurean Blacque, best known for his role on the hit 1980s NBC drama “Hill Street Blues,” died Thursday at the age of 82, his son Rodney Middleton announced on Facebook.

In his post, Middleton shared photos of his father in character as Washington, with his trademark newsboy cap and toothpick-bearing grin. He wrote in the caption, “Thank you all for your prayers, calls and texts to me and my family. My father pass[ed] away today At 2:52 pm est.”

Blacque was one of the few regulars who stayed with the Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll series for its entire run. In 1982, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. It was a landmark year for “Hill Street Blues,” which also saw nominations for Michael Conrad, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid in the supporting category, with Conrad taking homing the Emmy for his role as Sgt.

Taurean Blacque, beloved for his role of Detective Neal Washington on “Hill Street Blues,” has died. He was 82 years old.

Blacque died Thursday according to his son Rodney’s Facebook post. He died in Atlanta following a brief illness, according to reports.

For all seven seasons of the popular NBC cop show, Blacque starred alongside Michael Warren, Daniel J. Travanti, Charles Haid, Michael Conrad and Bruce Weitz in “Hill Street Blues.” The show ran from 1981-1987 and garnered Blacque an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series in 1982. In fact, the category that year was owned by “Hill Street Blues,” which saw all five nominees coming from the show created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll. The other four nominees were Warren, Haid, Conrad and Weitz.

Blacque’s character of Detective Neal Washington was a respected yet stern veteran cop known from his trademark toothpick and cap.

Hill Street Blues actor Taurean Blacque has died. The performer was 82 years old. Blacque died July 21, 2022, in Atlanta following a brief illness according to his family who announced his death. The Emmy-nominated performer was best known for his arc as Detective Neal Washington on NBC‘s 1980s police drama. Early in his onscreen career, Blacque made an impression with guest performances on shows like Sanford and Son, Charlie’s Angels, The Bob Newhart Show, Good Times, Taxi, The Love Boat, and many more. These guest stints took place throughout the ’70s until he broke big with Hill Street Blues. Taurean Blacque in Hill Street Blues (Credit: © NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection) The show from creators Steven Bocho and Michael Kozoll saw Blacque feature in more than 100 episodes throughout its six-year run and seven-season run. In 1982, Blacque earned his Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the show. In NBC’s soap Generations,...

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Taurean Blacque, who portrayed the streetwise Det. Neal Washington on all seven seasons of the acclaimed NBC cop show Hill Street Blues, died Thursday in Atlanta following a brief illness, his family announced. He was 82.

From 1989-90, Blacque played Henry Marshall opposite Vivica A. Fox and others as an original castmember on the NBC daytime soap opera Generations, the first serial to include — from the start — a Black family as part of the main storyline. His character owned ice cream parlors in Chicago.

In 1982, Blacque received a supporting actor Emmy nomination for his work as the toothpick-dependent Washington on Hill Street but lost out to co-star Michael Conrad. Amazingly, the other three nominees — Charles Haid, Michael Warren and Bruce Weitz — also came from the 1981-87 series, created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll.

Bochco and producer-director Gregory Hoblit chose Blacque to say “Previously...

Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo series is one of the more durable franchises in American cinema, which is somewhat surprising given that it didn’t really find its voice until its fourth installment and began with a film that didn’t lend itself to sequels at all. First Blood, which Ted Kotcheff directed from a script by Stallone, Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim in 1982, is a stand-alone action classic, an elegant and austere survival film in which Vietnam vet John Rambo takes on the town that wronged him without killing a single person. Stallone made up for First Blood’s low body count with […]

The post Rambo: Last Blood and Play Misty for Me: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo series is one of the more durable franchises in American cinema, which is somewhat surprising given that it didn’t really find its voice until its fourth installment and began with a film that didn’t lend itself to sequels at all. First Blood, which Ted Kotcheff directed from a script by Stallone, Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim in 1982, is a stand-alone action classic, an elegant and austere survival film in which Vietnam vet John Rambo takes on the town that wronged him without killing a single person. Stallone made up for First Blood’s low body count with […]

The post Rambo: Last Blood and Play Misty for Me: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Boy howdy, people were sure digging vampires by the end of the ‘70s, weren’t they? Back in vogue, 1979 alone brought Frank Langella as a very sensuous Dracula, George Hamilton with a humorous take in Love at First Bite, Werner Herzog’s retelling of Nosferatu, and Tobe Hooper’s bone-chilling Stephen King miniseries adaptation, Salem’s Lot. There was another small screen vamp to appear that year no one talks about however and that’s ABC’s Vampire, a generically branded thriller that works due to some heavy Richard Lynch lifting as the titular doomed creature.

Originally broadcast on October 7th as The ABC Sunday Night Movie, Vampire had to contend with Alice/The Jeffersons and Trapper John, M.D. on CBS, and NBC’s The Big Event, their dumping ground for specials and TV flicks. And while it doesn’t hold a cross to any of the above entries,...

Steven Bochco, the man behind a number of television’s most successful dramas, died at the age of 74 over the weekend, leaving behind a legacy responsible for shaping what TV looks like today. The creator of groundbreaking shows like “Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue” and “L.A. Law,” Bochco is routinely cited as one of the most influential figures in TV history. From bare butts to “Cop Rock,” here are four ways Bochco left his mark on the business: 1. Serialized Drama One of Bochco’s most lasting impacts on television came from the 1981 NBC series “Hill Street Blues,” which Bochco co-created with Michael Kozoll....

Before there was Peak TV, there was Steven Bochco. The legendary writer/producer reinvented the network drama in 1981 when he and Michael Kozoll created “Hill Street Blues.” Bochco did it again in 1993, when he and David Milch unveiled “NYPD Blue.”

But that’s not all. His TV legacy was secure with hits such as “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser.” And even his misfires, such as “Cop Rock,” are remembered as unique experiments in a career that earned him 10 Primetime Emmys. Bochco died Sunday from leukemia; he was 74.

“NYPD Blue” was perhaps his most audacious series, a show that looked to push the boundaries of sex, language and content in order to tell a realistic story about cops in New York. ABC affiliates, advertisers and religious groups balked — but then the ratings came in, and it was the kind of smash hit that the network couldn’t ignore. Eventually, stations and advertisers were back on board.

Steven Bochco, the prolific producer who co-created such seminal television programs as Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law, died on Sunday following a long battle with leukemia. He was 74.

A 1966 graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Bochco’s early TV credits include the co-creation of the 1969 medical drama The New Doctors, the development for television of 1975’s The Invisible Man and writing episodes of Delvecchio and McMillan & Wife.

In 1981, he and Michael Kozoll co-created Hill Street Blues, which would go on to amass four Emmy wins for Outstanding Drama. L.A. Law, which he co-created with Terry Louise Fisher,...

Steven Bochco, a producer whose boundary-pushing series such as “Hill Street Blues” and “NYPD Blue” helped define the modern TV drama, has died. He was 74.

Bochco had been battling a rare form of leukemia for several years. He had a transplant in late 2014 that was credited with prolonging his life. A family spokesman told the Associated Press that he died in his sleep on Sunday after a battle with cancer, but did not release details of a memorial service.

Working with different collaborators, Bochco co-created some of TV’s most popular series for more than 20 years while helping to create the template for modern hourlongs featuring large ensemble casts, serialized storylines and edgy content.

The recipient of numerous industry awards, including the Humanitas Prize and Peabody honors, Bochco was nominated for an Emmy 30 times in his capacities as producer and writer, winning 10.

On “NYPD Blue,” he consciously set out to...

Rapid fire is the publishing world's new normal, but inspiring long-form content is not a thing of the past. Enter #LongReads: a weekly post containing what we believe to be 5 of the most compelling pieces of long-form, entertainment-related content circulating around the web. For your post-Sunday Mother's Day Brunch pleasure, here are our 5 picks. We hope they will help you exercise your brain and prepare you for the week ahead. "'I Just Got My Ass Broke All the Time: An Oral History of 'Hill Street Blues'" by Will Harris We take cop dramas on television for granted. But if it weren't for "Hill Street Blues" some thirty years ago, we wouldn't have had "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order" or even "The Wire" for that matter. With "Hill Street Blues," co-creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll completely re-imagined the television cop drama by fearlessly tackling controversial subjects that had never...

The cop drama has been a staple of the small-screen landscape ever since "Dragnet" made the jump from radio to television in 1951, but after 30 years of police stories (including an actual series called "Police Story"), the genre got its single greatest kick in the pants, creatively speaking, when NBC – the same network that served as home to Sgt. Joe Friday, as it happens – introduced "Hill Street Blues" to an unsuspecting viewing public. Created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, "Hill Street Blues" earned eight Emmy Awards in its initial season alone, ultimately pulling a total of 98 nominations over the course of its seven-season, 146-episode run, but more important than the awards and acclaim is that the series helped to create a new template for the cop drama, eschewing walking clichés in favor of characters with depth and substance and delving into content theretofore unseen on prime-time television.With Shout Factory...

Late in the DVD commentary for the pilot episode of "Hill Street Blues," actor Joe Spano marvels at the show's impact on the medium. "It's extraordinary," he says, "the repercussions of this 48 minutes of television." The cop drama's co-creator Steven Bochco follows by suggesting, "It's sort of a family tree, and if you look at the branches of the tree, you'll see 25 years of television." Bochco is, if anything, underselling the importance of "Hill Street," which is on the short list of the most influential TV shows ever made. Whether through shared actors, writers, directors or through stylistic and thematic complexity, its DNA can be found in nearly every great drama produced in the 30-plus years since it debuted. The show was only occasionally interested in the legal trials of the criminals in its unnamed fictional city, but the complete series DVD set (it arrives in stores on Tuesday, for...

The Sopranos was named the best-written show in television history by the Writers Guild of America, edging out an eclectic collection of some of the most beloved and admired series. Members of the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) voted online for the 101 Best Written TV Series, with David Chase’s iconic “family” drama topping Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H*.

“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers...

First Blood

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone

USA, 1982

For time immemorial, Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood carried the notorious, if apocryphal, reputation for being overly violent. A closer autopsy of the film would reveal this to be untrue. In fact, there’s only one death – about the same as in Pixar’s Up.

Kidding aside, this misinterpretation of First Blood is symptomatic of its deceptive storytelling acumen. Along with its nominal death count, the film’s ability to conceal a lucid polemic of the Vietnam War under an avalanche of ample entertainment and bloody good fun is a testament to its legacy as a formative pillar in action film lore.

Sleek, economical, and unquestionably gripping, First Blood is also a film with surprising substance and smarts, which are all but undone by the film’s final few minutes.

First Blood introduces us...