Delvecchio (TV series)

*Delvecchio*
Delvecchio
Created by	Joseph Polizzi; Sam Rolfe
Starring	Judd Hirsch
Composer	Billy Goldenberg
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	21 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producer	William Sackheim
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Crescendo Productions; Universal Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 9, 1976 –; March 13, 1977

Delvecchio is an American drama television series that aired Sundays at 10:00 pm (EST) on CBS from September 9, 1976, to March 13, 1977. It starred Judd Hirsch as the title character, Dominick Delvecchio, an Italian-American detective who worked for the LAPD and also studied to become a lawyer.^[1]

Premise

The title character, a "tough, independent big-city police detective",^[2] had graduated from law school^[3] but failed the bar examination.^[4] His father, a barber, could not understand why Delvecchio chose a career that had him investigating crimes that included auto thefts, murders, and narcotics.^[2]

Cast

Judd Hirsch as Sgt. Dominick "Del Wop" Delvecchio^[5]
Charles Haid as Sgt. Paul "The Fat Polish Sausage" Shonski^[5]
Michael Conrad as Lt. Macavan^[5]
Mario Gallo as Tomaso Delvecchio^[5]

Recurring

Pervis Atkins as Robbie
Jay Varela as Sgt. Rivera
Lew Palter as Det. Clark
George Wyner as Asst. D.A. Dorfman
James B. Sikking as Ned Wangler
James Jeter as Smitty

Schedule

Delvecchio debuted on September 9, 1976, at 9 p.m. Its competition was The Streets of San Francisco on ABC and films on NBC. When it moved to 10 p.m. on September 26, 1976, films formed the competition on both networks.^[6] The change in time and date was planned by Bud Grant, vice president for programming at CBS to "whet people's appetites" by launching the show when the competing programming was weaker.^[7]

Production

Steven Bochco was a writer/producer on the show,^[8] and Michael Kozoll was also a series writer. Four years after Delvecchio was cancelled, Boccho and Kozoll created the police drama Hill Street Blues, which featured (amongst many others) Delvecchio regulars Charles Haid, Michael Conrad, and James B. Sikking.

Other writers on the show included Peter S. Fischer, Gy Waldron, and John D.F. Black. William Sackheim was the executive producer, and Steven Bochco and Michael Rhodes were the producers. Directors were Lou Antonio, Walter Doniger, and Ivan Nagy.^[6] The series was filmed on location in Los Angeles.^[2]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Avenger"	Jerry London	Joseph Polizzi	September 26, 1976 (1976-09-26) ^[9]
Delvecchio finds the tough narcotics cop investigating an informer's murder with him unethical.
2	"Contract for Harry"	Walter Doniger	Joseph Polizzi	October 3, 1976 (1976-10-03)
A police informant begs Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) to help him escape the underworld.
3	"Good Cop"	Richard Michaels	Peter S. Fischer	October 10, 1976 (1976-10-10)
Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) blames himself when his temporary partner is wounded while going after a murder suspect.
4	"Board of Rights"	Robert Markowitz	Gregory K. Scott	October 17, 1976 (1976-10-17)
A stakeout assignment hampers Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) in his defense of an officer charged with making obscene phone calls.
5	"Wax Job"	Richard Michaels	Story by : Bernard Rollins & Leroy Robinson Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	October 24, 1976 (1976-10-24)
A clever auto thief blunders when he kills an owner during a theft.
6	"The Silent Prey"	Lou Antonio	Story by : Nicholas E. Baehr Teleplay by : Nicholas E. Baehr & Steven Bochco	October 31, 1976 (1976-10-31)
A housewife traumatized by a rape attempt appears unable or unwilling to identify her attacker.
7	"Thicker Than Water"	John Peyser	Story by : William Sackheim & Michael Rhodes & Steven Bochco Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	November 7, 1976 (1976-11-07)
Delvecchio's search for a loan shark whose bodyguards killed a gambler is complicated by the victim's revenge-seeking brother.
8	"Hot Spell"	Arnold Laven	Michael Kozoll	November 14, 1976 (1976-11-14)
Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) investigates a suspicious death despite the authorities' belief that it was accidental.
9	"Numbers"	Richard Michaels	Leo Garen	December 5, 1976 (1976-12-05)
Suspected of being on the take after his raid on a numbers bank fails, Del (Judd Hirsch) is after the racketeer who can clear his name.
10	"Red is the Color of My True Love's Hair"	Walter Doniger	Story by : Gy Waldron Teleplay by : Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll & Gy Waldron	December 12, 1976 (1976-12-12)
Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) has conflicting evidence about a truck driver suspected of a series of murders.
11	"APB: Santa Claus"	Arnold Laven	Steven Pritzker	December 26, 1976 (1976-12-26)
Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) trails a bail-jumping Santa Claus, arrested for stealing presents to give to his fellow residents in a rest home.
12	"Dying Can Be a Pleasure"	Walter Doniger	Story by : William Sackheim Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	January 23, 1977 (1977-01-23)
Harassed by a paroled murderer, Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) takes action that may discredit him as a witness in an important case.
13	"One Little Indian"	Robert Markowitz	Steven Bochco	January 30, 1977 (1977-01-30)
In Arizona to pick up an Indian youth who escaped from prison, Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) and Shonski (Charles Haid) lock horns with a brutal, bigoted cop.
14	"Bad Shoot"	Ivan Dixon	Michael Kozoll	February 6, 1977 (1977-02-06)
A bigoted detective is a suspect in the cold-blooded shooting of a black student.
15	"Licensed to Kill"	Arnold Laven	Story by : William Sackheim & John D.F. Black Teleplay by : Lane Slate & Michael Kozoll	February 13, 1977 (1977-02-13)
Delvecchio attempts to prove that responsibility for his goddaughter's suicide lies with a medical charlatan who led her to believe that she had cancer.
16	"The Madness Within: Part 1"	Richard Michaels	Story by : William Sackheim & Steven Bochco & Michael Rhodes Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	February 20, 1977 (1977-02-20)
Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) is asked by an old flame (Tricia O'Neil) for protection the state prosecutor cannot guarantee for her testimony against a syndicate kingpin. First of two parts.
17	"The Madness Within: Part 2"	Richard Michaels	Story by : William Sackheim & Steven Bochco & Michael Rhodes Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	February 27, 1977 (1977-02-27)
Conclusion. The witness who Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) illegally removed from protective custody disappears, sparking a search by people on both sides of the law.
18	"Requiem for a Loser"	Ivan Nagy	Story by : Lou Comici & Burton Armus Teleplay by : Burton Armus & Michael Kozoll	March 6, 1977 (1977-03-06)
A church is burglarized and a priest murdered after a parishioner in debt to a hood reveals the location of fund-raising proceeds.
19	"Cancelled Contract"	Arnold Laven	Story by : Elliot West Teleplay by : Elliot West & Michael Kozoll	March 13, 1977 (1977-03-13)
A former leader of a street-gang reassembles his old crew to battle a syndicate lieutenant.
20	"My Brother's Keeper"	TBD	TBD	Unaired
TBD.
21	"The High Price of Justice"	Jerry London	Story by : Sam Rolfe and Joseph Polizzi Teleplay by : Sam Rolfe	Unaired
Using the threat of reimprisonment, Delvecchio persuades a parolee to inform on his old gang.

Home media

One episode of the Delvecchio series (the Feb. 13, 1977 installment, "Licensed to Kill") was made available on the 2006 DVD release Brilliant But Cancelled TV Dramas, along with an episode each of Gideon Oliver, Johnny Staccato, and Touching Evil.

References

^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 296. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
^ Terrace, Vincent (2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 211. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to the Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). Penguin. p. 211. ISBN 9780140249163.
^ ^a ^b Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
^ "(no title)" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 23, 1976. p. 80. Retrieved February 22, 2022. {{cite news}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
^ Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows, 1948-2004. McFarland. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4766-0874-7. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
^ "Delvecchio Season 1 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 21 September 2022.

External links

Delvecchio at IMDb

[1] The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 296. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.

[brooks-2] Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved February 22, 2022.

[ets-3] Terrace, Vincent (2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved February 22, 2022.

[tt-4] McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 211. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.

[McNeil_Total-5] McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to the Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). Penguin. p. 211. ISBN 9780140249163.

[slts-6] Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved February 22, 2022.

[7] "(no title)" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 23, 1976. p. 80. Retrieved February 22, 2022. {{cite news}}: Cite uses generic title (help)

[8] Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows, 1948-2004. McFarland. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4766-0874-7. Retrieved February 22, 2022.

[9] "Delvecchio Season 1 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved 21 September 2022.

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