Star Struck 

An obsessed fan is charged with the brutal beating of a soap opera actress. During the trial, he claims that a voice in his head told him to do it.

Director:

Edwin Sherin (as Ed Sherin)

Writers:

Dick Wolf (created by), Robert Nathan (teleplay by)

Stars:

Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Dann Florek

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Sorvino	...	Sergeant Phil Cerreta
Chris Noth	...	Detective Mike Logan
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen
Michael Moriarty	...	E.A.D.A. Ben Stone
Richard Brooks	...	A.D.A. Paul Robinette
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Blanche Baker	...	Lucy Neven
Stephen Joyce	...	Jack Gaffney
Bradley White	...	Jesse Unger
Jordan Charney	...	Dr. Mandell
Carolyn McCormick	...	Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
Lenka Peterson	...	Olivia
Werner Klemperer	...	William Unger
Cheryl Lynn Bruce	...	Dr. Raphael
David Drake	...	Voorman

Storyline

In broad daylight, a soap opera star is found beaten and robbed in Central Park and literally left for dead. Cerretta and Logan soon learn that it was much more than a robbery and soon led to an obsessed fan, who's been writing to her and buying up all memorabilia pertaining to her.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan) & David Drake (Voorman) also worked together on The Good Wife: Blue Ribbon Panel (2012) (episode 3.19), as Peter Florrick & Jacques respectively.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Mitchell Burkitt: I didn't do the lady. What do you think, I'm crazy?
Phil Cerreta: Actually, you're about the sanest person we've met all week.

User Reviews

"Juries are not psychiatrists"

This episode of Law And Order deals with a defendant pleading insanity in the brutal assault of soap opera star Blanche Baker. Bradley White is our guilty party he is as obsessed with Baker as that demented fool in California who shot and killed Rebecca Schaefer on which this episode is partly based.

Michael Moriarty puts it plainly enough at the end. The ordinary lay people who make up jury pools are most assuredly not psychiatrists. That defendant White is absolutely nuts everyone agrees. But the standard is insane enough that he cannot appreciate the consequences of his actions. It is also clear that White, his father Werner Klemperer, and his attorney Stephen Joyce are looking for a John Hinckley type of verdict where he's taken to a hospital and then maybe let out and presumably he'd stalk Baker again. Or another example would be assassin Dan White who killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco. Although no one alleges it was an overdose of Twinkies that set White off.

Joyce has tried and has made a specialty of insanity defenses. Moriarty is up against the best in that field.

See how this one comes out and what 12 ordinary citizens do.

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 1992 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1