<Archive Obituary> Michael Conrad (November 22nd 1983)
Bill Schenley
Photo:
http://www.perdidosnoespaco.com/portal/atores/5811802_1023927465.jpg
FROM: The New York Times (November 23rd 1983) ~
By Peter Kerr
Michael Conrad, the actor who won two Emmys for his portrayal of the
tough, paternal Sgt. Phillip Esterhaus on the television police drama
''Hill Street Blues,'' died of cancer yesterday in Los Angeles. He was
58 years old.
Over the years, Mr. Conrad gained a wide variety of movie and
television credits, but he may be best remembered for his role as the
Hill Street police sergeant who ended his morning briefing by warning
fellow officers, ''Let's be careful out there.''
According to NBC, Mr. Conrad was born in New York City and, after
serving in the United States Army field artillery, attended City
College. He later studied drama in a number of workshops and toured
with productions of ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' and ''Mr. Roberts.''
He also made one-time appearances on several television series and
played a regular part on the soap opera ''The Edge of Night.''
Mr. Conrad moved to Hollywood in 1963 and appeared in a number of
motion pictures, including ''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' ''Castle
Keep,'' and ''The Longest Yard,'' in which he played the coach of a
football team of prison inmates.
But he did not secure a regular major role in a television series
until 1976, when he co-starred with Judd Hirsch in a police drama
entitled ''Delvecchio.'' The show lasted one season.
Mr. Conrad played the role as the aging Sgt. Esterhaus for four
seasons, and this year taped 10 of the show's 22 segments. Of the
character, Mr. Conrad once remarked, ''He's a cop who has been out on
the street too many years and was burned out.''
He is survived by his fourth wife, Sima.
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Photo: http://www.perrymasontvseries.com/images/Conrad_e188.jpg
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Real And Fictional Death Weaves In And Out Of 'Hill Street Blues'
FROM: The Associated Press (December 8th 1983) ~
By Fred Rothenberg, Television Writer
Lt. Howard Hunter, whose suicide attempt will be foiled in tonight's
episode of "Hill Street Blues," is not the first major character from
NBC's Emmy award-winning series to be saved by the almighty pencil.
In the first script of the very first episode of "Hill Street Blues,"
the pepper-and-salt team of Bobby Hill (Michael Warren) and Andy Renko
(Charles Haid) both died in the line of duty. Executive producer
Steven Bochco's wife, Barbara, who plays Fay Furillo on the show,
pleaded for Hill to survive.
"Being a total pushover, I changed that," said Bochco. "We also wanted
Charlie to live, but Charlie made it clear that he was going to do
another pilot. So there was no way we could have him live. But I told
him if his pilot didn't sell, please feel free to come back."
The pilot was shot with Capt. Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) being
told over the phone: "One DOA, one critical." But before that program
was broadcast in January 1981, Haid's other commitment fell through,
and through the magic of post-production audio dubbing, an updated
phone message to Furillo had Hill and Renko clinging to life.
In last week's episode of "Hill Street," Hunter (James Sikking) put a
gun to his head, the screen went to black and a shot was heard. Hunter
was despondent because he had been revealed as a go-between in a
police corruption case 15 years earlier.
But have no fear: the scriptwriters, who control the fates of all our
fictional TV heroes, don't let Hunter kill himself.
Tonight's story summary, which NBC inadvertently sent to last Sunday's
TV supplements, says: "(Fellow officer) J.D. LaRue becomes something
of a hero as he saves Lt. Hunter's life."
"The word didn't get to the guy who prepared the summary that this was
supposed to be a cliffhanger," said Curt Block, an NBC vice president
for communications.
Bochco and his fellow writers will have to deal with a real death in
future stories. Michael Conrad, who played the genial, literate Sgt.
Phil Esterhaus, died of cancer Nov. 22.
Esterhaus handed out assignments and philosophy while conducting the
dawn roll call, the scene which opens each "Hill Street Blues"
episode. He always ended those sessions with the caveat, "Let's be
careful out there."
The first program without Conrad will be broadcast Jan. 12. Lt. Henry
Goldblume (Joe Spano) will handle that roll call.
A brief text paying tribute to Conrad was carried at the beginning of
the Nov. 24 "Hill Street" episode. Last year, a similar dedication was
made to actress Dominique Dunne, who was murdered after playing a bit
part on "Hill Street."
While MTM Enterprises, which produces "Hill Street Blues," was able to
pay tribute to these actors, the production company was prevented from
paying on-air respects to a dead actress from one of its programs from
the 1970s, "Phyllis."
Barbara Colby had played in one episode when she was brutally
murdered. Liz Torres replaced her, but CBS did not allow any on-air
explanation why a different actress was playing the same character.
"Maybe because 'Hill Street' deals with death, we can do these
messages without rendering an audience incapable of watching the
show," said Larry Blaustein, a vice president for public relations at
MTM.
As a realistic police drama, "Hill Street Blues" weaves violence and
death into many of its story lines.
Already this season, a cop, checking out a possible prowler,
accidentally killed a young boy who had a toy gun in his hand. On
another show, a massage parlor owner, who had just explained how his
business is a service to life's loneliest people, was caught in a
crossfire and died in the arms of Detective Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz).
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Photos:
http://chpwebsites.com/images/SAMPLE_LE_SUPPORT_SRV_SUPERVISER.gif
http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/images_tv/hillstreet002.jpg
(w/cast of 'Hill Street Blues')
http://www.williamsmith.org/imageFP8.JPG (w/Neville Brand)