MovieChat Forums > Adam-12 (1968) Discussion > The very first episode

The very first episode

posted 10 years ago by urgeking
19 replies | jump to latest

Just saw it tonight (on MeTV), probably for the first time ever-- most likely I hadn't tuned in for the original NBC airing, as I was only seven at the time. What a trip, man. Watching that first show was like hearing the early demo tapes of a rock band after spending years listening to five or six albums they've already released.

Anyway, one thing struck me as odd. In some scenes in the patrol car, Reed's and Malloy's voices were weirdly high-pitched. At first I thought it was just bad miking, but no, they actually sounded as if the audio was sped up. Anyone else notice that?

[–] badge7213 10 years ago

McCord commented on his site years ago that there was a problem with the sound recording when filming the pilot in September 1967. It resulted in the higher pitch. (Previously shows and movies usually shot vehicle scenes in studio sets w/ rear projection. 'Adam-12' broke new ground with Webb's insistence of on-location street scenes.)

Also noticeable in later seasons (the 'Matador' years) is the use of dubbing or 'looping' of in-car dialogue. They re-recorded their lines later in the studio, presumably because there was an issue with the audio.

[–] srklondie 10 years ago

Seemed like Malloy was doing his best ' Joe Friday ' imitation in this episode. Did you notice that? The show itself, was pretty hokey, but I still enjoy watching it.

[–] slackersmom 10 years ago

The episode was both written and directed by Webb, so the Webb-speak was very purposeful. (Luckily--in my opinion, at least--they moved away from that as the series went on.)

[–] srklondie 10 years ago

Yeah, I knew about that, but I still couldn't help but get a big kick out of it.

[–] lawson14 10 years ago

Yes, I agree. Malloy was doing his rat-a-tat Joe Friday imitation. He's much better when he switches to normal speech.

[–] crlnrgbrght5 10 years ago

I liked it, as well as "Dragnet". The police officers were portrayed as professional, and were the good guys (unlike today, which is unfortunate).

[–] charcas67 10 years ago

I get the sense the pilot went through several different shoots and what Webb/Cinadar and Mark VII thought were the best parts of each shoot were patched together to make the pilot. It's odd to see one shot on location then cut to an actor standing in front of a fake backdrop. And I think McCord's hair length changes from scene to scene. But all in all, it was a decent pilot and got the show off the starting gate and it established the initial premise that kept the show rolling for its first two seasons.

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[–] seldon913 10 years ago

It kind of reminds me of Elwood introducing the Bluesmobile. I know Dan Aykroyd is a big Jack Webb fan and wonder if Pete's speech had any influence.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] seldon913 10 years ago

You do know about

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092925/reference

right?



[–] 10 years ago

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[–] rockmail 10 years ago

Might be, Aykroyd has fully admitted his use of Joe Friday speech patterns in many projects, so maybe "Baby Joe" was directly related to the "cop motor" speech.

[–] shredder187 8 years ago

I really loved that speech he did about the car, its performance, etc and then asking Reed if he had any questions. "you want me to drive?" that just cracked me up

be wary of strong drink. it can make you shoot at tax collectors...and miss.

[–] shredder187 10 years ago

my understanding, something that I heard somewhere and don't remember where now, was that the episode "elegy for a pig" was actually supposed to be the pilot. while that was a very strong and moving episode (and unfortunately I've been to too many of those funerals) I think that if they had used that episode to premiere the series it wouldn't have lasted. if people got the idea that every episode was going to be that depressing I don't think they would have tuned in the following week.

be wary of strong drink. it can make you shoot at tax collectors...and miss.

[–] seldon913 10 years ago

'Elegy for a Pig' as a pilot would have been a terrible idea. In addition to what you said about it being depressing, a narrated episode with no dialog is something nobody in their right mind would try until a series had established itself.

[–] slackersmom 10 years ago

my understanding, something that I heard somewhere and don't remember where now, was that the episode "elegy for a pig" was actually supposed to be the pilot.

I'd never heard that before, but somehow I doubt that would be the case. As you and seldon note, it wouldn't have worked and would have turned viewers off. I wouldn't be surprised if the Powers That Be had the idea for the episode from the very beginning, but I doubt that they would have considered it for the pilot.

[–] seldon913 10 years ago

Perhaps it was originally conceived for Dragnet. Reed and Malloy had appearances there (Reed more than Malloy) and they might have thought of doing that one before they got their own series.

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