Hey, there! Log in / Register
When Boston had an 87th precinct
By adamg on Sat, 03/04/2017 - 8:50pm
Channel surfing, we just ran across a movie where Boston has an 87th precinct, across the street from the Orange Line el, Yul Brynner plays an evil-doer and Raquel Welch is a detective urged to get a bite to eat at a cafeteria on Tree-mont. She might've been paired with a detective played by Burt Reynolds, but somebody set him on fire. Plus, he's married to a deaf woman. Yes, of course, we're watching Fuzz, which was based on a New York book that for some reason the directors decided to base in Boston.
And thanks to Matt Robare, we know that somebody stitched together all the El scenes from the movie:
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Just a couple inaccuracies
"Cope-ly Square" and "Tree-mont Street," of course. Also, the mayor lives in a mansion off Boylston Street near Trinity Church.
Yeah, TREEmont
My dad, who grew up in the South End in the 20s and 30s, and drove for the T for decades, always told me the folks who lived around Tremont called it TreeMont.
Isola is actually Boston?
Isola is actually Boston?
Burt Reynolds?
No.
Christ, no!
I love the 87th Precinct books (especially the early ones. I've even seen one or two of the episodes of the old black & white tv series. I saw some far more recent tv movie. Without 87th Precinct, you probably wouldn't have Hill Street Blues.
But... Boston? Burt Reynolds?
Sick.
Not the only time Burt was in Boston
Starting Over
Watch Jill Clayburgh walk away from Burt Reynolds in Louisburg Square.
In fairness, though, I gotta
In fairness, though, I gotta say that Yul Brynner as The Deaf Man would probably be worth watching.
Loved the video clip, thank you, especially the opening credits:
"Based on the [something blurry] by Ed McBain."
.
"Screenplay by Evan Hunter."
Beautiful!
Did Matthew Hope turn up in the story, too?
Longfellow Bridge floated to Charlestown?
The opening shot of the 2 trains passing & one coming out of a tunnel has to be the Red Line. That's definitely the Longfellow Bridge. Also, the station entrance toward the end of the clip looks like it's a Green Line stop from the color, probably Auditorium, though the picture quality isn't sharp enough to make out the letters clearly..
It's like the scene in Good Will Hunting ...
Where they're in Robin Williams' office at Bunker Hill Community College and they go for a quick walk and then they're in the Public Garden.
Mystery Street
If you can find it, I highly recommend Mystery Street with Ricardo Montalban for old time Boston film noir. It was made in 1950 on location in Boston, has scenes from Cape Cod, Beacon Hill, and Harvard Yard. It was also one of the first films with a forensic science element to it. The climax takes place at Trinity Station, roughly where Copley Place and Back Bay Station are now. And it's removed enough from present day to be an interesting ride around Dirty Old Boston.
Based on the links in the Wikipedia article, it would appear the Fuzz has a bit more cultural relevance than I would have thought for a TV movie. Being a relatively privileged white person, I have a hard time remembering that Boston was a hot mess of racial tension at the time even though I was in the middle of it. I'd like to think that Boston was always relatively progressive with regard to race, but then I pull on the thread of connections to a movie or event like this and realize I'm just forgetting a bunch of ugly stuff that stays relevant today.
That...
...made my day. Yeah, sad lol smh
Best thing about "Fuzz", (besides Raquel Welch)....
....Is that there are no attempts at phony Boston accents!
Boston Wards and Precincts
Boston Wards and Precincts
http://bostonwardsprecincts.blogspot.com/