BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS M
""For money, baby, I'd
work on Ben Hur's chariot and charge him for a ring
job." (Game)
• 601.
Hutch points out to Basil Monk, and Starsky, that Monk has
purchased a lot of Braddock’s. Shortly afterward, Monk
comments about how an artist’s death increases the value of
his work. Is this the motive behind Braddock’s murder? Or
was Braddock killed out of Monk’s jealousy regarding
Braddock’s attentions to his wife? (Photo Finish)
• 602. When Starsky tells Dobey and Hutch, “Any clown could
have put on a black jacket and gotten into that party,” is
he unaware of how easily he is setting himself for Hutch’s
joking rejoinder, “Well, it worked for you, didn’t it?” Or
is he aware of his self-set-up, and providing Hutch with a
little fun? If the latter is the case, does Hutch provide
Starsky with as many opportunities to do the same for him?
On purpose? (Photo Finish)
• 603. Everyone’s full of little digs. Basil Monk comments
Starsky and Hutch are gamier than they were at his party.
Greta Wren/Dora Pruitt comments on Starsky and Hutch’s
regular clothes, saying she thought at the party that they
were a couple of “society swells.” Starsky arrests Greta
Wren/Dora Pruitt and comments to her, “Lost a little
weight, Dora?” (Photo Finish)
• 604. Taking the corners: Starsky tells Hutch Catlin the
Weirdness’ expensive car “can’t take the corners like the
Torino can.” Phil tells Monique his souped-up car “takes
the corners like a dream.” In a contest, whose car can take
the corners better? And are either of them a contest for
Hutch’s car, Belle? Or is Belle more suited to Starsky’s
idea of a pier with no corners at all? (Class in Crime,
Avenger, Targets 2, Tap Dancing)
• 605. Investigate the 1975 Warren Beatty movie, “Shampoo”
as a counterpoint to “Dandruff,” only flakier. (Dandruff)
• 606. Nick mentions to Starsky at airport after flirting
with Marlene, “Two years and you’re still trying.” Starsky
responds, “Trying what?” Trying what indeed? Starsky hasn’t
seen Nick for four years. What happened two years ago that
Nick and Starsky remember? (Starsky’s Brother)
• 607. Nick and Starsky haven’t seen each other in four
years. A season earlier, Hutch mentions Starsky being on
the East Coast a “few years” ago. This must be the same
trip, as the times match (Starsky’s Brother, Velvet Jungle)
• 608. Starsky puts his hand in Molly / Pete’s glove. She
doesn’t seem very alarmed. Are the diamonds in there at
that point? Did she put the diamonds there? Did Nick ask
her to keep them? How aware of their origin is she? (Little
Girl Lost)
• 609. Nick admits to selling weed to Hutch, and then to
Starsky, separately. Starsky is angry, it seems, not
because Nick is pushing “a couple of kilos of weed,” but
because the “harm is you lied to me…and I don’t know what
else you might be turning.” What could be some similarities
and some differences in Hutch’s knowledge regarding Nick’s
dealing? (Starsky’s Brother)
• 610. What a dope? And a dope-selling one at that. Nick,
when confronted by Starsky about his pushing dope asks him,
“Are you working for the Abolitionists or what?”
Abolitionism was all about slavery. Thank goodness, Starsky
didn’t correct him with what Nick was probably thinking:
Prohibition, as that was about alcohol, not pot. Compare
Nick’s faulty knowledge to Fat Rolly and Zane’s
conversation, “Thy hand, great Anarch, lets the curtain
fall and universal darkness buries all.” Voltaire 1744,
says Zane. Fat Rolly says nervously, “I knew that.”
Actually, they are both wrong. It is from Alexander Pope’s
“Dunciad.” (Starsky’s Brother, Pilot)
• 611. Lots of characters mention Nick is Starsky’s little
brother. Speculate the dynamics of Nick and Starsky’s
relationship if it were Starsky who was the younger
brother. (Starsky’s Brother)
• 612. Agent Weldon says pointedly to Starsky, “Maybe there
ought to be a law about people like us having families.” Is
he referring to Agent Bronson’s lack of children? Starsky’s
pesky brother? Or is he possibly thinking of his own
children? (Starsky’s Brother)
• 613. Hutch tells Starsky, after they leave the Velvet
Slide the first time, Nick is doing stuff back on the East
Coast “he probably wouldn’t want you to know.” But Hutch
says right afterwards, “What is he trying so hard to make
you find out?” Are these contradictory
statements/questions? Or not? (Starsky’s Brother)
• 614. Going with the idea that Stella, of the Women’s
Guild Thrift Shop, looks like she could be Cheryl / Helen /
K.C. McBride’s mother, speculate on three scenarios of how
each of these three women left her dear old mom on Main
Street to make their way in the world. (Bait, Murder At
Sea, Quadromania, Golden Angel)
• 615. Hutch has paid an “arm and a leg” for his Buddy
Holly album. He then pays an “arm and a leg” for his
greenhouse home improvement loan. Imagine Hutch in a
wheelchair, poking and fiddling with his plants using a
stick in his mouth. Imagine his quiet hours at home
puttering about, waiting for Starsky to come visit and tell
him about the latest from the station. What Buddy Holly
song would best accompany this tableau? (Game, Ballad For a
Blue Lady)
• 616. The phrase “family man” is used to describe a
married man with children. What is Marianne telling Harry,
her brother, when she calls him a real “family man”?
(Ballad For a Blue Lady)
• 617. Monk says Mickey would sell Mickey’s own mother for
ten bucks. Huggy knows some people that will sell their
mothers for fifty dollars a piece. What makes for the
difference in price for these different mothers? Extra
credit points: If Edith’s second cousin can sell a bushel
sack of guinea pigs for ten bucks, how much would a sack of
mother’s bring on the street? (Fix, Ballad For a Blue Lady)
• 618. Gertrude and Mrs. Krupp, two middle-aged, heavy
women arrested on the charges of voyeurism and assault,
respectively. Both plead innocent by way of accident;
Gertrude says she wasn’t watching the man undressing in his
house on purpose, “He was in my line of vision.” Mrs. Krupp
claims Mr. Krupp wouldn’t have gotten hurt if not for the
fact he head got in the way of her baseball bat. Both cases
are played for laughs. What are some other instances of
cases taken lighter than they would be today? And, are
there any examples of crimes taken more seriously then than
they are today? (Birds of a Feather, Starsky’s Brother)
•619. Luke Huntley tells Starsky and Hutch, “Cops are on
the street more than he’s in the bedroom…I didn’t even give
her (Doris) a kid… I love her like my right hand.” Hope
Luke’s partner is a heavy sleeper, as it sounds like Luke
is describing a love affair with his right hand. (Birds of
a Feather)
• 620. It seems odd that Doris, a cop’s wife for
twenty-five years, would address Starsky as “Mr. Starsky,”
after he is introduced as Hutch’s partner. Rank appears to
be pretty important to cops, and she would know it. Is
Doris making a faux pas when she addresses Starsky as a
civilian? Examples of title corrections: Dobey corrects the
nurse in when he is visiting Starsky and Hutch at the
hospital, telling her to address him by his rank. Hutch
corrects Mary at Allied when she calls him “Mister,”
telling her it’s “Officer.” Are Starsky and Hutch as
sensitive to their title as Dobey is to his? (Birds of a
Feather, Partners)
• 621. Juxtapose Doris and her gambling activities with
Dobey, Huggy, Starsky and Hutch gambling over pool at
Huggy’s. (Birds of a Feather)
• 622. Doris tells Hutch, “I’ve been a cop’s wife long
enough to have learned not to ask any questions.”
Apparently Luke is of the same school, though asking more
questions of Doris over the past ten years might have
averted the situation. Luke should start with, “Doris
honey, where are your wedding rings?” (Birds of a Feather)
• 623. Hutch, along with Starsky, promises Mike Ferguson
the black book will remain a secret from Dobey. Hutch also
promises Luke Huntley he will meet him alone with Reuben.
In both instances, Hutch breaks his promise. Comment.
(Birds of a Feather, Iron Mike)
• 624. Dobey gets pressure to “hire more minorities,” to
“hire more women,” to “allow gays on the force,” and to
build up a better public relations message. How are all of
these things connected? Or not? And which one will be the
easiest to accomplish? (Black and Blue, Death in a
Different Place, Heroes)
• 625. Two people comment they are glad their spouse is
dead so that he or she wouldn’t have to suffer
embarrassment or pain regarding his or her daughter. Mrs.
Blake tells Nancy when Billy is late to the church, “I’m
glad your dad didn’t live to see this day.” Dan Slate tells
Leslie, “I wish you mother were here…What the hell would I
want her here for? She suffered enough, huh?” Are there any
characters that might be having this harsh thought? (Terror
on the Docks, Strange Justice)
• 626. Bad guys and jackets. Carlyle takes a fashion jab at
Hutch, telling him “Never did like that jacket. Now I know
why.” Frank Stryker admires Nick’s jacket and wants to give
it to his nephew after Nick is killed. Do the bad guys have
a better or worse sense of fashion than the good guys?
(Ninety Pounds of Trouble, Starsky’s Brother)
• 627. Two riddles: Starsky asks Kira one, “What has two
eyes, two arms and is crazy about you?” Kira answers, “I
give up.” Starsky replies, “I wish you would.” Later Minnie
asks a riddle, “Hey Starsk, this thing for real with Kira
or are you just playing? Starsky doesn’t answer and Minnie
comments after he leaves, “Guess that answers that
question.” Extrapolate both answers. (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 628. Minnie asks Starsky if he is “taking care of that
gorgeous blond sergeant,” and Starsky answers, “Ya.”
Actually, he isn’t. (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 629. What does Minnie really mean when she tells Starsky,
“Mother Minnie must have struck the missing chord”?
(Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 630. Seems Mother Minnie can explain it all for you. She
asks about Kira, “You carrying a torch, Starsk?” Carrying a
torch is to feel painful, unreciprocated love. (Starsky vs.
Hutch)
• 631. Man, that’s cold. Starsky approaches Hutch at Venice
Place, telling him they need to talk about Kira and the
assignment. Starsky is plainly uncomfortable and does a
very abrupt head jerk, displaying how off he feels. “It’s
about your actions,” he tells Hutch. Hutch answers, “What
about my actions,” and does the same head move, ridiculing
Starsky. Has there ever been another time either one has,
without joking, been that pointed about one of the other’s
personal characteristic? (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 632. Starsky tells Kira, “I got over the possessive stage
years ago.” Is he telling the truth? (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 633. Minnie Kaplan asks, “Hey Starsk, this thing for real
with Kira, or are you just playing?” Starsky walks out the
door without answering. What is his answer? (Starsky vs.
Hutch)
• 634. Hutch tells Kira, “I’m a one-man, one-woman kind of
guy.” Is this true? What would Kathy Marshall say? Officer
Hagen? How about the more than one woman he admits to
making love to in a single week? Where does Hutch draw the
line in terms of seriousness? (Fatal Charm, Specialist,
Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 635. Hutch says, “When I get down to the nitty-gritty,
down to what love is, I’m really old-fashioned about that.”
Hutch tells Vanessa “I’m a little old-fashioned,” when he
turns down her offer of sex. Is Hutch more “old-fashioned”
than Starsky? (Starsky vs. Hutch, Hutchinson for Murder
One)
• 636. Hutch watches Starsky drive off to guard Kira. He
says to himself in the car, “Keep your mitts off, Starsky.”
Is he saying he wants Starsky to keep his mitts off Kira?
Or is he saying, “Keep your mitts off Starsky” wanting Kira
to leave Starsky alone? And knowing they are dating, what
is he talking about anyway? (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 637. Hutch tells Kira, “We’re tired of being treated like
objects, having our lives determined for us by women.”
Starsky responds, “Loved for our bodies and not for our
minds.” Is this just posturing for Kira, or do they truly
feel this way? (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• 638. ESP, Me and Thee or Familiarity? Hutch has Starsky
pick a number when he tricks him out of meeting Alison at
the Pits. Starsky picks “seven.” Starsky has Hutch pick a
number in his ESP test. Hutch picks “seven.” (Black and
Blue)
• 639. Hutch tells the doorman / guard at Washington Square
Towers, “Hey Pal, I remember the day I could park anywhere
I wanted to.” Combined with Hutch's parking tickets problem
with Officer O'Rielly, does this illustrate a pattern?
(Targets 2, Strange Justice)
• 640. Dobey tells Starsky
and Hutch, "What do you think this is? A circus? You guys
couldn't conduct a straight investigation if you lives
depended on it." Is he right? (Death Ride)
• 641 Is the hand-painted, Mexican pottery collection
Starsky tells the Commadore he is thinking of starting the
same one he talks to Rosey Malone about? (Murder at Sea,
Rosey Malone)
• 642 Leo Moon tells Lola, "The Captain's never late for
Sunday service, right." Dobey later tells Edith, "We're
gonna arrive at church five minutes late, but we get better
protection that way... " What other ways does Moon misread his
adversaries? (Captain Dobey, You're Dead)
• 643 "How did we end up like this?" Vic Rankin asks
Belinda. "Dan Slate asks Marsellus, "You were an officer in
the army. What happended?" Marsellus asks Slate, "What
happened to you?" Contrast and compare these characters.
(Losing Streak, Strange Justice)
• 644 "Did anyone ever tell you you're as cute as a teddy
bear?" Olivia asks Starsky. As cute as Ollie? (Losing
Streak, Starsky's Lady)
• 645. Compare these two characters. In the barn, Joey
tells Starsky and Hutch, "There's a shovel over there. I
figure if we take turns, we could dig a tunnel into the
woods and escape. It worked on 'The Great Escape.'" In the
restaurant, Starsky tells Hutch, "I thought I'd tunnel out
and go for help." Is it a coincidence that both episodes
have characters named Joey? (Trap, Shootout)
• 646. Hutch mentions at least four cases where he knows
folk s that Starsky doesn't. They are Shockley, Miguelito,
Bagely and John John the Apple. Why does Hutch have this
much of a "past" and Starsky doesn't? (Bait, Velvet Jungle,
Trap, Collector)
• 647. Compare and contrast the two characters of Tommy, an
honor student, and Billy, youngest Eagle Scout in Illinois.
They were both high school star students who go terrible
bad. (Vendetta, Terror on the Docks)
• 648. Hutch purposefully fasts forty hours. Starsky ends
up fasting the same amount of time. Starsky says, "I hate
to be crass, but you know I haven't eaten since this whole
thing began." Starsky doesn't get the candy bar, the
hamburger order a the drive-in, the tea or cookies at the
Dismas Center, says he missed breakfast, said he wouldn't
eat the so-called meal at Hutch's the night before, doesn't
get to eat his meal from the cafeteria, doesn't get to eat
his meal from the Chinese restaurant next to the Glitter
Club, doesn't get to eat the hamburger meal at the stand
with R.C. His fast is finally broken by a mouthful of
popcorn before he throws it at the priest. How symbolic is
his lack of food? How symbolic is the popcorn as perhaps a
sign of an "anti-communion" thrown at a fake priest?
(Silence)
• 649. Compare and contrast these two statements regarding
Callendar and Colby. "This man doesn't need a war to kill
anybody. He's a pro" and "I don't paid extra to kill
anybody." (Plauge, Deadly Imposter)
• 650. Hutch tells Starsky, "Never underestimate the basic
stupidity of the criminal mind," regarding Ted Banks.
Starsky says, "Well, you never can tell
about these criminal types. Damn clever, some of them," as
they investigate White. Are they both right? Wrong? Or is
Starsky just trying to mess with White? (Terror on the
Docks, Losing Streak)