Binge Watching old TV shows

[Cow Poke]

Yeah. Adam-12 also appears on Emergency. Crossovers.

Just like JAG and NCIS.

Adam-12's patrol car seemed a bit backwards for the mid 70's and in a large city. I remember the KY State police cars of the mid-70's and they had revolving lights in light bars on top instead of just two red spotlights like Adam-12.

Yeah, I commented on that earlier - the two lights on top of the ADAM 12 cars didn't even FLASH -- steady red facing forward, and flashing amber facing rearward. Like BRAKE LIGHTS facing forward!?!?!?!

When did the wearable police radios come into play? I saw them starting to use those huge walkie-talkies on Adam-12 in the last couple of seasons, but they didn't seem very practical. Also, do the wearable radios transmit all the way to the station, or do they transmit to the car and the car radio acts like a repeater?

Yeah, I saw those HUGE hand-helds. I was a cop in the mid to late 70's, and I remember our radios were bulky and heavy, but nothing near like they were using on ADAM-12 in the later seasons.

The old timers in my department remembered when we didn't have police radios at ALL! There was a red light bulb hanging next to the only traffic light in town, and if that red bulb was on, it meant "find a phone and call the station". Or the dispatcher would call several of the local businesses and say, "If you see my patrolman, have him call the station".

As for the "repeaters" - I think most modern handhelds use the patrol car as a repeater. Naturally, this allows the radios to be 1 watt or less, so much less battery power needed.

Remember Andy Griffith's patrol car with that LONG "whip antenna"? You probably know this, but the lower the frequency, the longer the antenna needed to receive/transmit. A lot of those smaller departments used the low frequency long range radios. If you look on most newer police cars, they just have a small "spike" antenna, indicating a very high frequency.

We've come a long way.

andy.jpg

[Cow Poke]

I think the wearable radios became common during late 80s or early 90s. I recall seeing them on early COPS episodes which were around that time.

Maybe Mid 80's, but, yeah... and my son-in-law has a police radio that's about the size of a pager, with an "ear bud" for speaker/transmit. You barely know he's wearing a radio, and I often don't know if he's talking to me, or answering a call!

[Sparko]

Just like JAG and NCIS.



Yeah, I commented on that earlier - the two lights on top of the ADAM 12 cars didn't even FLASH -- steady red facing forward, and flashing amber facing rearward. Like BRAKE LIGHTS facing forward!?!?!?!



Yeah, I saw those HUGE hand-helds. I was a cop in the mid to late 70's, and I remember our radios were bulky and heavy, but nothing near like they were using on ADAM-12 in the later seasons.

The old timers in my department remembered when we didn't have police radios at ALL! There was a red light bulb hanging next to the only traffic light in town, and if that red bulb was on, it meant "find a phone and call the station". Or the dispatcher would call several of the local businesses and say, "If you see my patrolman, have him call the station".

As for the "repeaters" - I think most modern handhelds use the patrol car as a repeater. Naturally, this allows the radios to be 1 watt or less, so much less battery power needed.

Remember Andy Griffith's patrol car with that LONG "whip antenna"? You probably know this, but the lower the frequency, the longer the antenna needed to receive/transmit. A lot of those smaller departments used the low frequency long range radios. If you look on most newer police cars, they just have a small "spike" antenna, indicating a very high frequency.

We've come a long way.

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Yep. Now we have body cams and helmet cams, and the police can use their cell phones too! And they have computers in the car to do searches on (or watch Adam-12 on Netflix when they are bored)

Wonder what's next?

They need to invent those portable DNA readers and fingerprint scanners they seem to show a lot on shows like CSI. Oh, and EMP cannons on the car to fry the electronics on the perps car when they are chasing them. That would be cool. Or just to shut them down by hacking the car like they also show on TV all the time.

[DesertBerean]

Maybe Mid 80's, but, yeah... and my son-in-law has a police radio that's about the size of a pager, with an "ear bud" for speaker/transmit. You barely know he's wearing a radio, and I often don't know if he's talking to me, or answering a call!

Yeah...a friend has an ear piece that's barely noticeable and she gives little warning about getting a call. We say she's talking to the mother ship.

[Sparko]

[Cow Poke]

Yep. Now we have body cams and helmet cams, and the police can use their cell phones too! And they have computers in the car to do searches on (or watch Adam-12 on Netflix when they are bored)

Wonder what's next?

They need to invent those portable DNA readers and fingerprint scanners they seem to show a lot on shows like CSI. Oh, and EMP cannons on the car to fry the electronics on the perps car when they are chasing them. That would be cool. Or just to shut them down by hacking the car like they also show on TV all the time.

And a bacon dispenser. If they're gonna call me a pig, I wanna eat bacon!

[Sparko]

And a bacon dispenser. If they're gonna call me a pig, I wanna eat bacon!

What about coffee and donuts?

[Cow Poke]

What about coffee and donuts?

Ya gotta get out of the car and "hang out" some time! Besides, it's much more dramatic when you're standing there with your donut and coffee, and get a "211 in progress" call, and get to throw your coffee and donut in the big trash container and run for the car!

[Sparko]

Ya gotta get out of the car and "hang out" some time! Besides, it's much more dramatic when you're standing there with your donut and coffee, and get a "211 in progress" call, and get to throw your coffee and donut in the big trash container and run for the car!

I guess so.

My brother pulled over a Dunkin' Donuts truck once.

[Cow Poke]

I guess so.

My brother pulled over a Dunkin' Donuts truck once.

To HIJACK it?

[Sparko]

To HIJACK it?

I am sure he had "probable cause" to pull them over.

[Cow Poke]

One of my favorite things about those old shows is that you could watch them with ANYBODY -- you didn't have to worry about a flame-fest or F-bombs or even hell or damns.... Some how they managed to get through the day - even crisis situations - without cussing or gettin nekked.

[Cow Poke]

So, in the last episodes, did you get the feeling they were beginning to "reach"... they had our cop buddies working the air port, then working the helicopter gig, then working....

It looked like Jack Webb was looking to try to expose the public to various aspects of the Los Angeles PD - and that's not bad - but it kinda felt to me like.. "ok, what else can we have these guys do"?

[Sparko]

So, in the last episodes, did you get the feeling they were beginning to "reach"... they had our cop buddies working the air port, then working the helicopter gig, then working....

It looked like Jack Webb was looking to try to expose the public to various aspects of the Los Angeles PD - and that's not bad - but it kinda felt to me like.. "ok, what else can we have these guys do"?

yeah, they were assigned to every district in LA and just about every job. From detective in Narcotics, to motorcycle airport cops, to helicopter patrol, working the docks, hollywood, etc.

[Cow Poke]

What's fun about binge watching is that you get to see "repeated scenes", and they stick in your mind. Like when they pull out of the driveway from the PD - there is the same cop car parked in the driveway, the same white truck in front, the same green mustang driving down the street.... six months later, they pull out of the driveway, same green mustang....

It's totally understandable not to "reshoot" every scene, but you don't notice it as much if you're watching once a week as opposed to 5 or 6 episodes at a time.

Oh... and the "goofs".... not sure I already mentioned this, but you would have Reed getting ready to write down an address on the "hot sheet table", and he's sitting there in short sleeve uniform, but when they zoom in on his hand where he's writing stuff down, he's obviously wearing long sleeves.