A standard ingredient of almost every ‘70s cop show was the boss of the hero cops who were the main stars of each show. The sole purpose for the higher ranking character appeared to be to yell and scream at the hero cops, threatening to pull their badges and throw them off the force.
This was a thankless job. Viewers loved the hero cops, cheering their take no prisoners tactics, while hissing at their impotent bosses. There was even perverse pleasure when the hero cops got their man despite their boss
es efforts to hinder them.
Think of Captain Adam Greer (Tige Andrews) trying to keep The Mod Squad under control by constantly threatening to send them back to jail; Chief Inspector Frank Hastings (Garfield Morgan) ripping The Sweeny’s Regan and Carter a new one; Chief Clifford (J. D. Cannon) chewing McCloud up one side and down the other for galloping a horse through Times Square; or – my favorite – Chief Superintendant Gordon Spikings (Ray Smith) trying to keep Dempsey & Makepeace from killing each other or shooting up half of London.
And there are so many more . . .
While a cliché, these characters served a necessary function by keeping the ‘70s cop shows tenuously tethered to reality. They helped to maintain the viewer’s suspension of disbelief by being a voice of angry sanity amidst the antics of the hero cops’ quest to rid the streets of filth and vermin. Their job was to be a parent protecting the cop heroes – recalcitrant children all –
from their own over the top actions.
However, imagine one of these characters, screaming epitaphs, banging fists on tables, veins bulging in their necks from scarcely suppressed fury, let loose in today’s arena. Can you say harassment lawsuit? I knew you could.
I do miss these characters from a less politically correct era. The more outrageous they were, the more outrageous the cop heroes could be. They gave us a satisfaction of wish fulfillment missing from today’s cop shows – and mores’ the pity.
In the real world, most of my bosses have given me a very long, loose, leash. The deal we strike is they leave me alone, and I make them look good. I’ve even had a few back me up when I’ve hung my tail out a little too far – and one or two have even chewed on that tender part of my anatomy.
However, without the loud, obnoxious, bureaucratic, controlling, but soft in the center bosses of the ‘70s cop shows, the badges of the cop heroes from those shows would not have shined as bright.
So, let’s have a toast to them – the cop bosses – long may they burn with frustration and unrequited anger issues.
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