The Last White Man on East Ferry Avenue (12 Nov. 1981)

Goldblume does his best to maintain order after angry old man Mr. Popovich shoots a local boy dead and barricades himself in his home. Belker demands that Furillo pull the gung-go Virgil ... See full summary »

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writers:

Michael Kozoll (story), Steven Bochco (story),

Stars:

Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel J. Travanti	...	Capt. Frank Furillo
Michael Conrad	...	Sgt. Phil Esterhaus
Michael Warren	...	Officer Robert 'Bobby' Hill
Bruce Weitz	...	Sgt. Mick Belker
James Sikking	...	Lt. Howard Hunter (as James B. Sikking)
Joe Spano	...	Det. Henry Goldblume
Barbara Bosson	...	Fay Furillo
Taurean Blacque	...	Det. Neal Washington
Kiel Martin	...	Officer John 'J.D.' LaRue
René Enríquez	...	Lt. Ray Calletano
Betty Thomas	...	Officer Lucy Bates
Ed Marinaro	...	Officer Joe Coffey
Charles Haid	...	Officer Andrew Renko
Veronica Hamel	...	Joyce Davenport
Danny Glover	...	Jesse John Hudson

Storyline

Goldblume does his best to maintain order after angry old man Mr. Popovich shoots a local boy dead and barricades himself in his home. Belker demands that Furillo pull the gung-go Virgil Brooks from his current assignment before Jesse John Hudson discovers that he's really an undercover cop.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1981 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTM Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Watching Fay Furillo leave, passing Joyce Davenport on her way into the station, Mac says: "So the women come and go/speaking of Michelangelo". This is a slight misquote of lines from 'T. S. Eliot''s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "In the room the women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo."

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Quotes

Sgt. Mick Belker: [Detective Brooks has been murdered while working undercover] I told you, but you wouldn't listen. I told you we shoulda pulled him out of there right after the warehouse bust. I begged you. And on the phone, when he didn't show up for his wire, he kept telling me to "wait"...
Lt. Ray Calletano: Mick, it wouldn't have changed anything.
Sgt. Mick Belker: How do we know that? He had it all ahead of him, and you threw his life away. His death is on your head.
Capt. Frank Furillo: They all are, Mick.

User Reviews

Solid episode

Goldblume (bang-up work by Joe Spano) does his best to maintain order after angry old man Mr. Popovich (fiercely played by with burning rage by Reuven Bar-Yotam) shoots a local kid dead and barricades himself in his home. Belker (an outstanding Bruce Weitz) demands that Furillo (a typically terrific Daniel J. Travanti) pull the gung-ho Virgil Brooks (a fine performance by Nathan Cook) from his current assignment before Jesse John Hudson (a mesmerizing Danny Glover) figures that he's really an undercover cop. This episode deserves praise for the way it shows Mr. Popovich as a pitiable guy rather than a sneering one-note brute; the sequence in which Goldblume goes into Popvich's house unarmed and calmly speaks to him is extremely touching and powerful. Moreover, there's a nice moment with Hunter (James B. Sikking, as droll as ever) admitting to Goldblume that he admires Goldblume for how he handled the situation. Belker also has a potent scene in which he blames Furillo for Brooks' death at the hands of Hudson and his gang. In addition, there are a few funny comic moments, with Hunter's candid conversations with Furillo and Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) about striking out with Grace Gardner providing the best and biggest laughs. And this episode not only clearly demonstrates the considerable perils of undercover police work, but also makes a relevant point about the necessity for lying in order to defuse a potentially explosive situation.