There's a moment in this film where Suzanne Pleshette, as the new arrival at Pittsburgh's roughest precinct where she really shows how she is going to take over. Whether playing Emily Hartley or real life hotel maven Leona Helmsley, she is completely mesmerizing, and when she tells the desk sergeant to straighten up and put on a tie, it's as if she's screaming at a waiter that the palace does not serve wet lettuce. The only difference is that her Captain Hamilton is commanding while the cruel Leona was demanding, and the fairness she shows among the toughness makes her the perfect boss. But she means business in how she intends to turn this precinct around, and she's not going to succeed by babying anybody or offering motherly, lady like advice.
Without Pleshette in the lead, this would be of little interest to me, and even with some great credits, it seems that this would be your stereotypical slum cop drama. Pleshette is content being captain in an upscale area (she has a great condo overlooking Three Rivers Stadium), but takes her transfer by chief Danny Aiello seriously. It's obvious though that she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty, getting directly involved whether mentoring a new arrival Jon Tenney, getting the inside info with honest black officers played by Joe Morton (a plain clothes lieutenant) and Georg Stanford Brown, and buying a round of drinks for officers hanging out in a bar, indicating that it will be their last drink in that dive.
Yes indeed, this was obviously a pilot, and as good as Pleshette is, she's too good for this. Veteran actor Frank Converse plays her very supportive husband. One good element about the script, maybe not entirely accurate, is the fact that there are as many men supporting her in her new position as there are being misogynistic. Charlotte D'Amboise and Priscilla Lopez of "A Chorus Line" on Broadway appear as hookers, and future star character actor Tony Shalhoub is seen in a small role as a bar owner involved in the vice racket. Stage actor Raymond Serra stands out as her top sergeant who gives her the lowdown on many of the men, 40 of whom want immediate transfers. "I have an affinity for sinking ships", he tells her when indicating that he has no attention of abandoning her yet warning her that the tough times are just beginning. So these moments give an indication that some thought was put into the personal elements of the story, and that gives it extra points from me.
Without Pleshette in the lead, this would be of little interest to me, and even with some great credits, it seems that this would be your stereotypical slum cop drama. Pleshette is content being captain in an upscale area (she has a great condo overlooking Three Rivers Stadium), but takes her transfer by chief Danny Aiello seriously. It's obvious though that she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty, getting directly involved whether mentoring a new arrival Jon Tenney, getting the inside info with honest black officers played by Joe Morton (a plain clothes lieutenant) and Georg Stanford Brown, and buying a round of drinks for officers hanging out in a bar, indicating that it will be their last drink in that dive.
Yes indeed, this was obviously a pilot, and as good as Pleshette is, she's too good for this. Veteran actor Frank Converse plays her very supportive husband. One good element about the script, maybe not entirely accurate, is the fact that there are as many men supporting her in her new position as there are being misogynistic. Charlotte D'Amboise and Priscilla Lopez of "A Chorus Line" on Broadway appear as hookers, and future star character actor Tony Shalhoub is seen in a small role as a bar owner involved in the vice racket. Stage actor Raymond Serra stands out as her top sergeant who gives her the lowdown on many of the men, 40 of whom want immediate transfers. "I have an affinity for sinking ships", he tells her when indicating that he has no attention of abandoning her yet warning her that the tough times are just beginning. So these moments give an indication that some thought was put into the personal elements of the story, and that gives it extra points from me.