CHASE (1973) – This cop show from the 70s had an odd history and ultimately wasted an initially promising premise.
The pilot movie aired on March 24th, 1973 and, as often surprises even devoted fans of Chase – the guy with the German Shepherd K9 cop did NOT appear! He and his dog weren’t added until the first episode after Chase was greenlit as a series.
At any rate, that pilot movie brought together Jack Webb and Stephen J. Cannell, who, at that point in their careers, represented television’s past and future, respectively. The story centered on Mitchell Ryan as Captain Chase Reddick, a tough cop who – don’t be shocked – often played by his own set of rules.
Chase was heading up a new unit for the Los Angeles Police Department. That unit was part Major Cases division and part Violent Crime Task Force. Typical of Stephen J. Cannell, this show’s hook was going to be vehicles.
Officer Steve Baker (Michael Richardson) was a former race car driver who handled the car chases. Officer Norm Hamilton (Reid Smith) was a Vietnam War veteran and helicopter pilot who handled aerial activities. And Officer Fred Sing (Brian Fong) was a hotshot motorcycle cop long before CHiPS hit the airwaves.
Shaaron (her spelling) Claridge, the real-life police dispatcher who had added “One Adam-12, One Adam-12, see the man …” to the national lexicon of catch-phrases, was brought along by Jack Webb for more voice work. Continue reading
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