Written by Musgo Del Jefe
"A Quinn Martin" production meant one thing to me in the Seventies - adult crime drama. "A Quinn Martin" was a show like The Untouchables, Barnaby Jones, or Cannon that my grandfather watched on the old Magnavox console. My memories of The Streets Of San Francisco are of late Thursday nights in the summer of 1976, staying up past my bedtime to choose between Barnaby or Streets at 10:00 p.m. Those young days helped make me a fan of the TV detective drama to this day. CBS-DVD's release of The Streets Of San Francisco Season 1, Volume 2 is my first revisit to those magical days from over 30 years ago.
What made a Quinn Martin production so special was the consistent format. Like his other shows, Streets begins with a perfect theme and opening credit sequence. The theme by Patrick Williams (best known probably for the Columbo and The Bob Newhart Show themes) sets us firmly in the funky Seventies. The credits hit every major icon of San Francisco (Golden Gate Bridge, Market Street, cable cars, etc.) without actually having to spell out that this is San Francisco in the mid-Seventies.
After the credits, the narrator tells us the Guest Stars and the Special Guest Appearances for the episode. This is something truly missing from today's shows. It's hard to place a name to a face without a trip to IMDB.com after watching a show now. But here's a preview of names and faces before the show even starts. A great teaser. The narration ends with the title of the episode. Today, I'm usually keenly aware of the title of an episode thanks to Tivo and TV on DVD, but this was groundbreaking for the time period. And it works perfect for a crime drama by adding a literary feel to the production.
The title sequence leads into the first title card - "Act I." The established Quinn Martin format was Introduction, Acts I through IV, and Epilog. You know you're watching a Quinn Martin production when you see those elements and it helps make the viewer instantly comfortable across different series. The format had some basic rules. Act I is the crime; Act II is the detective work, gathering of suspects; Act III is when the case really starts to come together; Act IV is the capturing of the criminals; and the Epilog leaves you with a feel good laugh to make you want to return the next week.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
I know of it, but have never seen this show. I love QM, The Fugitive is his best. I'll have to check this out.
2 - Mat Brewster
Is it me or does anyone else find it hilarious that this post is written by "el bicho" and then the very first comment is from el bicho saying he's never seen the reviewed show.
Yes I know it wasn't actually written by you bicho, but I still found it funny.