BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS J

"Do you play that thing, curly, or is that just your way of getting attention?" (Moonshine)

• 451. Jack Cunningham says his father smuggled him out of the convent in a suitcase and took him home. One problem with this story is Jack was fourteen when his father came to get him. Either he was a pretty little kid or his dad had a very large suitcase. Or Jack is lying about aspects of his story. (Collector)

• 452. Shockley tells Goring, “I ain’t never had a parking ticket in my life.” He was, however, busted by Hutch a few years ago. Perhaps Shockley is hoping the double negative will make his statement regarding crime true. Either that or he may have done something bad enough for Hutch to nab him, but can rest easy at night regarding parking violations. (Bait)

• 453. Describe a scenario where if Molly/Pete doesn’t revise her thieving ways and goes from Perkowitz to Berkowitz. (Little Girl Lost, Lady Blue)

• 454. How do Starsky and Hutch manage to save the Dobey and “shoot the moon” in more ways than one? (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)

• 455. Why don’t the thugs ask where Ted Banks is? And if they know he is dead, why are they still sticking with Billy? (Terror on the Docks)

• 456. Why do Starsky and Hutch think Skyler is involved at the point when they see him shot? Unless they know something the audience doesn’t, he is merely an injured victim. (Terror on the Docks)

• 457. Billy tells Rick, “The weddings at 1:00. I think by 2:00 she’ll get the idea I’m not coming.” Actually, since the wedding is at 2:00, she won’t suspect a thing until Billy’s estimation of an hour, at 3:00. (Terror on the Docks)

• 458. Marianne tells Hutch he is as interested in what happens to her as the “man on the moon.” Later, Hutch’s answer to her about who beat him up is, “the man on the moon.” Is Hutch slinging it back at her, remembering her earlier comment? (Ballad for a Blue Lady)

• 459. Walter Healey makes the point the devil dolls were given to the victims sometime before they died, yet Papa Theodore lays Healey’s doll on his dead body. Is this a direct comment that the voodoo portrayed in this episode is invalid? (Playboy Island)

• 460. Starsky tells Hutch, after the successful bomb disposal, that he is going to “give a fiver to the first holy man I see.” While it is possible Starsky sees other holy men the viewer doesn’t, going with on-screen religious figures, the first “holy” man he sees is Seeds/Slade, leader of the money-making cult of which Nadasy was a member. Assuming Starsky does not accept Father Seeds/Slade as legitimate, then the next holy man he sees is “Father Merle” when going to ferret out Hutch’s undercover car. “Father Merle” is legit as per Hutch’s comment about how Starsky makes “Earl’s Custom Car Cult sound like a religion.” Actually, the only legitimate holy man is Father Delacourt. The rest of Bay City’s religious leaders are all members of cults or dressed up as nuns and priests for duplicitous reasons. (Murder at Sea, Vampire, Jojo, Terror on the Docks)

• 461. Starsky displays his knowledge of the Vodun religion in his Green Voodoo Bird of Death charade. He incorporates “Papa Legba,” the Vodun loa, or spirit, that is the intermediary between the spirits and humans. Papa Legba is also the loa of communication and understanding; sly Starsky using the name to perhaps communicate to Hutch their next action. Starsky also cites the name “Damballa,” the loa of the snake. Perhaps he is thinking of Pine Lake and how, while there aren’t snakes there, “There will be when we get there!” (Playboy Island)

• 462. Starsky listens for Hutch’s heart with the stethoscope. He says he “can’t hear a thing.” Is it because he is expecting a heartbeat? Perhaps, as per Starsky’s later comment to Huggy that Hutch’s guitar is his heart, Starsky should be listening for the sound of Hutch’s fingers softly strumming a guitar? Either that, or Hutch really is a “man without a heart,” as Starsky comments on their way out of Uncle Elmos? I prefer to think of the former. (Fatal Charm, Nightmare, Crying Child)

• 463. Diana tells Hutch she has “some steaks in the refrigerator.” She didn’t have time to buy them, is dressed in a nightgown so isn’t planning to pick some up and they are not in the freezer where “some steaks” may reside for a single person. Without a microwave, thawing them would be difficult. Seems like she is ready to lure in a guy without too much preparation. (Fatal Charm)

• 464. Hutch’s watch, as he unties Starsky, reads 11:55. The lights-out is 11:00 yet it is not dark. (Murder Ward)

• 465. Note the shadow on the wall behind Matwick as Switek asks him for the drugs. It makes Matwick look very large, when in fact he is a regularly sized person. Compare this scene to the one of Starsky and Hutch talking in the doorway of Starsky’s room and all you see is their black silhouettes against the bright light of the hallway. (Murder Ward)

• 466. Describe these two characters: Louie the Nose Dicario and Carmen the Nose Pirelli. (Golden Angel, Murder Ward)

• 467. Switek dials three numbers when he calls his drug connection from the office. It must be an extension in the building. Who is his buyer? (Murder Ward)

• 468. Just how much truth is in Starsky’s knowledge of the Huichol Indians? He tells Rosey, “I spent some time up in the mountains.” This would be the Sierra Madre Occidental range in western Mexico and very desolate. While some Wixarica (the name by which they refer to themselves) may speak Spanish, their native language is Wixa. Rosey should have said something to him in Wixa, trilling the “X” as an “R.” (Rosey Malone)

• 469. Hutch comments that it must be Babe Ruth’s one hundred forty-second birthday. Actually the Babe was born in 1895, making it his eighty-second birthday. The Babe died in 1948, not that long ago. Why is Hutch so far off? It’s not like him. (Murder Ward)

• 470. Frank Malone kisses Rosey on the mouth in front of Starsky. Starsky kisses Rosey on the mouth a few minutes later. A little too close for comfort…(Rosey Malone)

• 471. When Starsky blindly runs when Rosey leaves him, he looks like his brother Nick. In what other ways does he resemble Nick, physically and otherwise? (Rosey Malone)

• 472. In Starsky’s tangle with Goodson and Chambers, he twice attributes their worst attributes to their being “civilians.” This episode is the only time he uses this term disparagingly. Does he really feel this way, or is “civilians” a code word for lawyers or federal workers? (Rosey Malone)

• 473. Nick Dombarris tells Jojo he will be at Brooks in two minutes and Jojo is going to rape Molly in that time? Is Nick Dombarris aware of Jojo’s tendencies and fine with them, or is Jojo acting on his own? (Jojo)

• 474. Jojo tells his fellow thug to go watch the back, but the thug goes and sits in the car in the front. Is there more going on in this bust than we first see? (Jojo)

• 475. It isn’t like Starsky and Hutch have family commitments or religious services to go to, so what is the big deal about working on Sundays? (Blindfold, Savage Sunday, Jojo)

• 476. It is likely Molly would have been more receptive to pressing charges against Jojo if Starsky and Hutch had talked to her in a different room than “Interrogation.” It is a scary, cold room reserved for criminals, not the most conducive to making her feel at ease and comfortable. Starsky and Hutch offer Molly nothing in way of comfort. At least Andrea got a cup of coffee from Hutch and Paco. And even Linda Mascelli got a lit cigarette from Hutch. (Jojo, Velvet Jungle)

• 477. Hutch tells Dr. Franklin he assumed because Starsky was in the hospital, that he would be treated successfully. Later, he rails about doctors, “You get sick and they can’t even cure the common cold!” Hutch, while under a great deal of stress, expresses two opposite opinions in five minutes. Starsky displays his ambiguous feelings about the medical profession as well; when calling to find out Hutch’s condition after being shot, the nurse comments Starsky apparently doesn’t trust doctors. Are both men acting on stress, or do they have an actual distrust of the medical profession? (A Coffin for Starsky, Black and Blue)

• 478. Sharman Crane and Alice Adams probably knew each other. They were the same age, as Starsky had them both in his class two years apart. Imagine the interaction between the beautiful Sharman and the lumpy, large Alice. And for extra credit, speculate on Alice Adam’s life. She may not have had Sharman’s looks and style, but perhaps her life was less tumultuous? (Running, Specialist)

• 479. Starsky admits to Sharman, “Everyday of my life, at some time or another, I say that (I’m not ready) to myself, “ telling her sometimes “ya just gotta do.” What is he not ready for? Does he really mean this or is he trying to talk Rosey into making the phone call to her parents? And how does this relate to his comment to Carol Wade, “Guess sometimes you just have to jump in.” (Running, Crying Child)

• 480. Put in order the three “Number One Rules” cited and explain your decision. Rule Number One, “Cops aren’t supposed to be happily married,” referring to “Police Story.” Rule Numero Uno, “The one about emotional involvement,” Starsky reminds Hutch of and “Rule Number One in this precinct is no, absolutely flat-out no, private parties,” Dobey says. (Bounty Hunter, Crying Child, Vendetta)

• 481. Bo Rile tells Lola, “I get the feeling you kinda enjoy this whole thing.” Lola doesn’t answer. Does she enjoy what she is doing? (Bounty Hunter)

• 482. The Gay Decorating Theme seems to start with beading curtains in the doorway. The Green Parrot has them at the bar doorway and upstairs. Orrin Lawford has them in his place as well. Speculate on the conversation Maggie and John have when she, unknowingly (or not), suggests putting up some beaded curtains in the living room doorway. (Death in a Different Place)

• 483. Just how many drinks did Blaine drink? He is drinking a martini when Hunter propositions him. Hunter buys him another drink when he spills his scotch and water on Blaine. Blaine refers to “all those drinks” having “really hit me tonight.” Does he drink more than usual that night? Was it Hunter who dropped barbiturates in his drink and this made Blaine careless with his intake? Or was his drunkenness attributed more to the drug than the amount of alcohol? Or perhaps Dobey is right, and “everybody takes pills.” are the barbiturates Blaine’s own? (Death in a Different Place)

• 484. Starsky sees the marks on Guy’s back and has a little breakdown. “I thought I’d seen everything.” In all his years as being a cop, this is the worst he has seen happen to children??? (Crying Child)

• 485. For all their worldly ways and the world Starsky and Hutch patrol, there is an amazing lack of children. In actuality, they’d be underfoot everywhere, complicating cases and adding a lot more depth to Bay City. (various)

• 486. Do Starsky and Hutch have a moment of contemplation as they remember Hutch’s play backhanding of Starsky in front of Guy before they knew of his abuse? (Crying Child)

• 487. Starsky kvetches about stopping a robbery while dressed in their disguises as cowboy and “Arab with funny shoes.” Hutch is the one that crabs about stopping a robbery dressed as Laurel and Hardy. Comment. (Tap Dancing, Crying Child)

• 488. Dobey seems amazed at Starsky and Hutch’s access to Corday’s file. “You got Corday’s file out of Narco?” Getting an officer’s file didn’t seem to be too much of a problem for Starsky and Hutch when they got Mike Ferguson’s file from R & I. How much access do other officers have regarding peers’ records and cases? (Death in a Different Place, Iron Mike)

• 489. Envision the conversation between Maxine and LaVerne about what they observed, sensed and guessed about the murder of Orrin Lawford. (Death in a Different Place)

• 490. What is Corday’s history with Starsky and Hutch? Hutch is immediately seemingly suspicious and hostile, while Starsky glares in the background. Yet when Hutch asks Starsky later what he knows about Corday, Starsky says not as much as he should. What tips Starsky and Hutch off about a fellow cop they appear to have heard nothing negative about? (Death in a Different)

• 491. What is Starsky and Hutch’s knowledge of “Juvenile Hall” based on? Hutch can’t stand the thought of Molly being there, though it could be the Christmas thing. And they can’t stand the thought of Guy and Vikki there, to the extent they put Carol in an illegal situation by having her take the children to her house. (Little Girl, Crying Child)

• 492. Assuming Starsky and Hutch are not that naïve, Guy Mayer’s case is more about society’s attitudes changing regarding child abuse. Starsky and Hutch are surprised Eddie Mayer, brute they assume he is, makes pottery. Starsky and Hutch, when finding out Eddie was on his way to Phoenix when the first beating occurred, immediately rule him out as a suspect, never giving thought to both Guy’s parents being abusers. (Crying Child)

• 493. From the sound of it, Starsky may not have seen a lot of action in his stint in the Army. He tells Hutch, “Wait, wait, wait. I thought I finished that routine in the Army.” (Plague)

• 494. Doing the math, there have been three outbreaks of the plague in thirty-five years, according to Dr. Jonas Tishaun. This isn’t alarming to health officials? Wouldn’t Drs. Meredith and Kaufman be taking a VERY detailed and careful look at those past cases, instead of reading about them in an old, blue, dusty book? (Plague)

• 495. Is Callendar a basically good man? Or not? He doesn’t harm, at least intentionally, the Yeagers. He gives Ritchie money for shoes and tells him to buy a flower for Mrs. Yeager. And he eventually comes in to save Ritchie. At the same time, he is a vicious killer with a nasty history, he not only kills his contact on the roof, but viciously and needlessly kicks the man’s corpse, and one could see his trip to the hospital as a way to get out of the country rather than helping anyone one else, Hutch included. (Plague)

• 496. Compare and contrast Thomas Callendar and his “firing pin contact” on the roof. Both men have the same goal in mind, Set-Up or do a kill and make money. Callendar suggests the man count the money he just handed over, but the man expresses his trust that it is all there. Both men pull something long and sharp out of his hat or back of collar and “give” it to the other. Callendar’s contact says they need to trust each other but in actuality squeezes more money out of Callendar. Callander gives a nod at the trust comment, but kills the man in the end. And knowing all this, did Callendar put money in the envelope he gives the man or not? He doesn’t pick it up, either not caring about the money or knowing there wasn’t $5000 in it in the first place. Comment. (Plague)

• 497. While Starsky had limited time and a clear dislike of Roper, would Starsky’s request have been taken more seriously if he had been more polite about the offer of the game of chess or refreshments? Roper was clearly unhappy with Starsky’s brusqueness and right to the point, all business attitude. “No social amenities, get right to the point. You cops got no grace.” Or did Starsky know it didn’t really matter what went down there in terms of social niceties and Roper would have found something to bitch about? (Plague)

• 498. Watch Starsky’s request to Roper become more and more unlikely as Roper uses more and more casual, and finally derisive forms of address for Starsky. “Officer Starsky…Mr. Cop…Cop.” (Plague)

• 499. Speculate as to why Helen Yeager doesn’t get Thomas Callendar to a hospital, when he is clearly very ill. He asks her not to one time, and she could have figured it was the fever talking. She doesn’t even seem to consider it a possibility when Ritchie asks her if Steele is going to die and her response is “I don’t know.” (Plague)

• 500. Hutch says, "If Nancy picked him, he can't be all bad." Mrs. Blake replies, "What do you know?" What are the implications of this interchange? (Terror on the Docks)