Any Spenser: For Hire Fans?

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I'm still holding off on the Spenser movies and keeping them for a rainy day. I am currently ODing on Urich's fine array of good, bad and ugly TV movies, none of which have really ever materialised on UK screens. I think Spenser was a bit of an afterthought for ye old BBC too.

In the last week, I've managed to watch Killing At Hell's Gate (1981), Murder By Night (1989) and And Then She Was Gone/A Stranger's Hand (1991). To be honest it is VERY hard for me to watch anything post Spenser For Hire without thinking of Urich as Spenser and it's a crying shame there are only 3 seasons out there as for me season 3 is the best by a country mile. Imho, he was made for the role of Spenser For Hire.

Hi jno,
That's a good point about Urich being tied to Spenser forever in our minds. Probably because it was the best thing he ever did, and as a mainly TV star he wasn't offered the "A" parts that went to a Bruce Willis.
Willis, who couldn't carry Urich's water, who does an imitation tough guy in exactly the same way in every role, isn't even a one trick pony but is world famous while Urich fades from memory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you can't figure out who the mark is at the poker table, it's you"...Ancient Jersey wisdom

[jno]

Wholeheartedly concur LND, I wouldn't be bothered watching anything with Willis and would happily watch a decrepid old school made for TV movie with Urich instead.

I have a few more Urich 'classics' here to watch including 1984's 'Invitation To Hell' which also stars Joe Regalbuto, aka Norman Tuttle off Street Hawk and of course Don Eddie Rice in 'Magnum PI''. Plus, 'Killdozer' which I must confess, I've never seen.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Wholeheartedly concur LND, I wouldn't be bothered watching anything with Willis and would happily watch a decrepid old school made for TV movie with Urich instead.
I have a few more Urich 'classics' here to watch including 1984's 'Invitation To Hell' which also stars Joe Regalbuto, aka Norman Tuttle off Street Hawk and of course Don Eddie Rice in 'Magnum PI''. Plus, 'Killdozer' which I must confess, I've never seen.

"Killdozer!" from 1974, eh? I would say if you have a six pack of Old Dusseldorf to go with it, both the film and the beer will go down just fine. Maybe 9 beers.
It has become a Cult film since despite the critics.

[jno]

I've watched a few VEGA$ episodes but really struggled to get into it and soon turned off. Maybe I need to give it another try.

Urich will forever be associated with Dan Tanna but for me he 200% nails it at Spenser. Killdozer is next up on the playlist, which looks like quality tripe of the highest order.



I must confess all the Urich TV films I've seen have been great to watch - admittedly they are all in the 'thriller' genre but nevertheless, he's the king of the US made-for-tv movie (a genre I particularly like).

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I'm still holding off on the Spenser movies and keeping them for a rainy day. I am currently ODing on Urich's fine array of good, bad and ugly TV movies, none of which have really ever materialised on UK screens. I think Spenser was a bit of an afterthought for ye old BBC too.

In the last week, I've managed to watch Killing At Hell's Gate (1981), Murder By Night (1989) and And Then She Was Gone/A Stranger's Hand (1991). To be honest it is VERY hard for me to watch anything post Spenser For Hire without thinking of Urich as Spenser and it's a crying shame there are only 3 seasons out there as for me season 3 is the best by a country mile. Imho, he was made for the role of Spenser For Hire.

Hi jno,
That's a good point about Urich being tied to Spenser forever in our minds. Probably because it was the best thing he ever did, and as a mainly TV star he wasn't offered the "A" parts that went to a Bruce Willis.
Willis, who couldn't carry Urich's water, who does an imitation tough guy in exactly the same way in every role, isn't even a one trick pony but is world famous while Urich fades from memory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you can't figure out who the mark is at the poker table, it's you"...Ancient Jersey wisdom

Yeah but you gotta admit that Willis was born to play the John McClane role and I can't see ANYONE else in that role! Can you imagine Stallone or Burt Reynolds in that part? That's who they originally had in mind. They pretty much had every action star in mind. Everyone BUT Willis. Of course Willis was a light comedy actor at the time whose only claim to fame had been TV's MOONLIGHTING and maybe one or two light comedy movies. DIE HARD is hands down the greatest action film of all time and Willis plays a major part in that. The very fact that he was NOT an action star is what made it work so well. He played the "every man" so well. Of course Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber is probably the greatest movie villain of all time so that certainly helped too.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I'm still holding off on the Spenser movies and keeping them for a rainy day. I am currently ODing on Urich's fine array of good, bad and ugly TV movies, none of which have really ever materialised on UK screens. I think Spenser was a bit of an afterthought for ye old BBC too.

In the last week, I've managed to watch Killing At Hell's Gate (1981), Murder By Night (1989) and And Then She Was Gone/A Stranger's Hand (1991). To be honest it is VERY hard for me to watch anything post Spenser For Hire without thinking of Urich as Spenser and it's a crying shame there are only 3 seasons out there as for me season 3 is the best by a country mile. Imho, he was made for the role of Spenser For Hire.

Hi jno,
That's a good point about Urich being tied to Spenser forever in our minds. Probably because it was the best thing he ever did, and as a mainly TV star he wasn't offered the "A" parts that went to a Bruce Willis.
Willis, who couldn't carry Urich's water, who does an imitation tough guy in exactly the same way in every role, isn't even a one trick pony but is world famous while Urich fades from memory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you can't figure out who the mark is at the poker table, it's you"...Ancient Jersey wisdom

Yeah but you gotta admit that Willis was born to play the John McClane role and I can't see ANYONE else in that role! Can you imagine Stallone or Burt Reynolds in that part? That's who they originally had in mind. They pretty much had every action star in mind. Everyone BUT Willis. Of course Willis was a light comedy actor at the time whose only claim to fame had been TV's MOONLIGHTING and maybe one or two light comedy movies. DIE HARD is hands down the greatest action film of all time and Willis plays a major part in that. The very fact that he was NOT an action star is what made it work so well. He played the "every man" so well. Of course Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber is probably the greatest movie villain of all time so that certainly helped too.

Ivan, I will admit I really liked Die Hard, it was well directed, produced and written. Alan Rickman(Selleck's nemesis in Quigley, one of the best bad guys ever) was awesome.
Bonnie Bedelia, I had a crush on her since the 1960's. And I agree, Willis did do well in it, but he has recycled McClane over and over thru his whole career.
Every acting trick/move he uses is the same as in Die Hard, he never grew from his start into an actor.
And I find the tough guy act he put on in many interviews over the years tedious. Why not just be yourself?
Hulking Charleton Heston, who played untold numbers of tough guys as well as other roles, was on a Dick Cavett rerun recently on DECADES and instead of creating the aura of a bad ass he
was one of the most charming guests Dick ever had on.
He was witty and funny and his knowledge about a wide range of topics was beyond impressive.
His insights into the Enlightenment and Michaelangelo were like listening to the best lecturer you ever had in school.
Willis? I am a bad man, I tended bar and threw out drunks in Greenwich Village long ago and I now believe all my bad ass publicity.
It's cringe worthy when a man over 40 talks smack like a 19 year old kid as Robert Blake also used to do on talk shows.
Chuck Norris was also on Cavett and was dignified and funny and human and took pains to explain martial arts was a path to discipline and confidence.
Not to intimidate. He is the polar opposite of Bruce Willis.
Sorry Ivan, I got on my soapbox, you are entitled to like Willis but he rubs me the wrong way.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I'm still holding off on the Spenser movies and keeping them for a rainy day. I am currently ODing on Urich's fine array of good, bad and ugly TV movies, none of which have really ever materialised on UK screens. I think Spenser was a bit of an afterthought for ye old BBC too.

In the last week, I've managed to watch Killing At Hell's Gate (1981), Murder By Night (1989) and And Then She Was Gone/A Stranger's Hand (1991). To be honest it is VERY hard for me to watch anything post Spenser For Hire without thinking of Urich as Spenser and it's a crying shame there are only 3 seasons out there as for me season 3 is the best by a country mile. Imho, he was made for the role of Spenser For Hire.

Hi jno,
That's a good point about Urich being tied to Spenser forever in our minds. Probably because it was the best thing he ever did, and as a mainly TV star he wasn't offered the "A" parts that went to a Bruce Willis.
Willis, who couldn't carry Urich's water, who does an imitation tough guy in exactly the same way in every role, isn't even a one trick pony but is world famous while Urich fades from memory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you can't figure out who the mark is at the poker table, it's you"...Ancient Jersey wisdom

Yeah but you gotta admit that Willis was born to play the John McClane role and I can't see ANYONE else in that role! Can you imagine Stallone or Burt Reynolds in that part? That's who they originally had in mind. They pretty much had every action star in mind. Everyone BUT Willis. Of course Willis was a light comedy actor at the time whose only claim to fame had been TV's MOONLIGHTING and maybe one or two light comedy movies. DIE HARD is hands down the greatest action film of all time and Willis plays a major part in that. The very fact that he was NOT an action star is what made it work so well. He played the "every man" so well. Of course Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber is probably the greatest movie villain of all time so that certainly helped too.

Ivan, I will admit I really liked Die Hard, it was well directed, produced and written. Alan Rickman(Selleck's nemesis in Quigley, one of the best bad guys ever) was awesome. Bonnie Bedelia, I had a crush
on her since the 1960's. And I agree, Willis did do well in it, but he has recycled McClane over and over thru his whole career. Every acting trick/move he uses is the same as in Die Hard, he never grew
from his start into an actor. And I find the tough guy act he put on in many interviews over the years tedious. Why not just be yourself.
Hulking Charleton Heston, who played untold numbers of tough guys as well as other roles, was on a Dick Cavett rerun recently on DECADES and instead of creating the aura of a bad ass he was one of
the most charming guests Dick ever had on. He was witty and funny and his knowledge about a wide range of topics was beyond impressive. His insights into the Enlightenment and Michaelangelo
were like listening to the best lecturer you ever had in school.
Willis? I am a bad man, I tended bar and threw out drunks in Greenwich Village long ago and I now believe all my bad ass publicity. It's cringe worthy when a man over 40 talks smack like a
19 year old kid as Robert Blake also used to do all the time on talk shows.
Chuck Norris was also on Cavett and was dignified and funny and human and took pains to explain martial arts was a path to discipline and confidence. Not to intimidate. He is the polar
opposite of Bruce Willis.
Sorry Ivan, I got on my soapbox, you are entitled to like Willis but he rubs me the wrong way.

No, I'll agree with you that ever since DIE HARD he pretty much plays that same tough guy routine with his patented smirk. I'm not the biggest fan of his non-DIE HARD stuff. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what movie of his outside of the DIE HARD series I liked. Maybe TEARS OF THE SUN? Shot at Kualoa Ranch by the way, as were many war pictures. Never saw any of Chuck Heston's interviews but I am a big fan of his. BEN-HUR and TEN COMMANDMENTS are among my all-time favorite films! Big fan of EL CID as well. Chuck Norris is also great. In real life he's such a cool and down to earth presence! I've seen his Dick Cavett interviews but also saw videos of him being interviewed at his Texas ranch. He talks about his upbringing, the huge role his mother played in their upbringing, his faith, his service in Korea, his workout routines, his karate program to help disadvantaged youths, etc. Really great guy! Loves to laugh, easy going.

You know who's insufferable???? Steven Seagal! The biggest prick that ever walked the earth! Really does think he's the baddest thing on the planet even though he's like 70 now and shaped like a donut, with that ugly grease in his hair. Apparently he had a big feud with Van Damme - once at Stallone's house it almost came to blows. I hear that Van Damme asked him to step outside and Seagal chickened out. Of course there's also that time when stuntman/judo expert Gene LeBell (who was MUCH older than Seagal) made him pass out and crap in his pants. But the dude just doesn't learn. Still talks crap. Can't understand people like that. I think he's in Russia now. Or spends a lot of time there. May he stay there.

[jno]

Seagull and hair? Is that the hair he didn't use to have or the thing plonked on his bonce these days?



I can't watch a single thing with Seagull in it.

Apologies, this seems to have drifted off topic.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

IVAN wrote:
You know who's insufferable???? Steven Seagal! The biggest prick that ever walked the earth! Really does think he's the baddest thing on the planet even though he's like 70 now and shaped like a donut, with that ugly grease in his hair. Apparently he had a big feud with Van Damme - once at Stallone's house it almost came to blows. I hear that Van Damme asked him to step outside and Seagal chickened out. Of course there's also that time when stuntman/judo expert Gene LeBell (who was MUCH older than Seagal) made him pass out and crap in his pants. But the dude just doesn't learn. Still talks crap. Can't understand people like that. I think he's in Russia now. Or spends a lot of time there. May he stay there."

Hi Ivan,
Steven Seagal tossed his US citizenship into the trash and is now an America slandering proud citizen of Russia and a dear friend of Rootin Tootin Putin.
Steven Seagal, who was not my "6 Degrees of Separation" but "Zero Degrees of Separation" buddy.
I posted my encounter with him somewhere on these boards awhile ago but kept the post in my Magnum Mania files, for what it's worth:

In 1990 I went outside Angelo's restaurant in NYC's Little Italy, across from SPQR, to fire up a Cuban cigar while my friends lingered inside over coffee.
My buddy Dave worked for the State Department and those boys always had Cubans.
Anyway I was leaning against the building, when a strikingly beautiful woman who seemed rather agitated approached me.
I recall thinking, this night just gets better and better.
She asked me for a light, edged close as a wind had come up, and I lit her cig. She thanked me when suddenly at her shoulder appeared a pony tailed man,
with a limo slowly keeping pace with him in the street.
In that neighborhood when a car lingers like that you look for somewhere to dive in case the bent nose boys were up to shenanigans.
On the other hand the girl was there. Suddenly Pony Tail grabbed her and snarled "get in the car" while glaring at me.
I'm 6'1 and not small yet slow to anger but was also full of McSorleys finest ale from the afternoon.
I figured him for 5'10 and about 30 pounds lighter so I glared right back into his eyes, as he DEMANDED to know what she said to me.
I started watching his hands just in case, and was going to tell him to go pound salt when she patted my arm and TOLD him to get in the limo, he was embarrassing her.
They left and 5 or 6 people ran up to me pleading to know what I had been saying to film star Kelly LeBrock and her husband Steven Seagal.
I had been thisclose to telling him to F off, little knowing that was how close I might have come to getting slaughtered. Actually I didn't know till later as I had never
heard of Seagal. Still, that's a good object lesson in not needlessly crossing swords with a stranger.
I won't judge him, everyone has bad nights with their better half and he was half in the bag, but he didn't make a good impression either.
As for Kelly, wow, the camera doesn't do her justice, if a ten is a nine that owns a bar, she must own a brewery and rates an eleven.

[jno]

Great story LND, love it.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

IVAN wrote:
You know who's insufferable???? Steven Seagal! The biggest prick that ever walked the earth! Really does think he's the baddest thing on the planet even though he's like 70 now and shaped like a donut, with that ugly grease in his hair. Apparently he had a big feud with Van Damme - once at Stallone's house it almost came to blows. I hear that Van Damme asked him to step outside and Seagal chickened out. Of course there's also that time when stuntman/judo expert Gene LeBell (who was MUCH older than Seagal) made him pass out and crap in his pants. But the dude just doesn't learn. Still talks crap. Can't understand people like that. I think he's in Russia now. Or spends a lot of time there. May he stay there."

Hi Ivan,
Steven Seagal tossed his US citizenship into the trash and is now an America slandering proud citizen of Russia and a dear friend of Rootin Tootin Putin.
Steven Seagal, who was not my "6 Degrees of Separation" but "Zero Degrees of Separation" buddy.
I posted my encounter with him somewhere on these boards awhile ago but kept the post in my Magnum Mania files, for what it's worth:

In 1990 I went outside Angelo's restaurant in NYC's Little Italy, across from SPQR, to fire up a Cuban cigar while my friends lingered inside over coffee.
My buddy Dave worked for the State Department and those boys always had Cubans.
Anyway I was leaning against the building, when a strikingly beautiful woman who seemed rather agitated approached me.
I recall thinking, this night just gets better and better.
She asked me for a light, edged close as a wind had come up, and I lit her cig. She thanked me when suddenly at her shoulder appeared a pony tailed man,
with a limo slowly keeping pace with him in the street.
In that neighborhood when a car lingers like that you look for somewhere to dive in case the bent nose boys were up to shenanigans.
On the other hand the girl was there. Suddenly Pony Tail grabbed her and snarled "get in the car" while glaring at me.
I'm 6'1 and not small yet slow to anger but was also full of McSorleys finest ale from the afternoon.
I figured him for 5'10 and about 30 pounds lighter so I glared right back into his eyes, as he DEMANDED to know what she said to me.
I started watching his hands just in case, and was going to tell him to go pound salt when she patted my arm and TOLD him to get in the limo, he was embarrassing her.
They left and 5 or 6 people ran up to me pleading to know what I had been saying to film star Kelly LeBrock and her husband Steven Seagal.
I had been thisclose to telling him to F off, little knowing that was how close I might have come to getting slaughtered. Actually I didn't know till later as I had never
heard of Seagal. Still, that's a good object lesson in not needlessly crossing swords with a stranger.
I won't judge him, everyone has bad nights with their better half and he was half in the bag, but he didn't make a good impression either.
As for Kelly, wow, the camera doesn't do her justice, if a ten is a nine that owns a bar, she must own a brewery and rates an eleven.

Don't worry, Dobie. I'm sure you could have taken him. Some people just never grow out of that school yard bragging stage. They're sooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad so you better watch out.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

IVAN wrote:
You know who's insufferable???? Steven Seagal! The biggest prick that ever walked the earth! Really does think he's the baddest thing on the planet even though he's like 70 now and shaped like a donut, with that ugly grease in his hair. Apparently he had a big feud with Van Damme - once at Stallone's house it almost came to blows. I hear that Van Damme asked him to step outside and Seagal chickened out. Of course there's also that time when stuntman/judo expert Gene LeBell (who was MUCH older than Seagal) made him pass out and crap in his pants. But the dude just doesn't learn. Still talks crap. Can't understand people like that. I think he's in Russia now. Or spends a lot of time there. May he stay there."

Hi Ivan,
Steven Seagal tossed his US citizenship into the trash and is now an America slandering proud citizen of Russia and a dear friend of Rootin Tootin Putin.
Steven Seagal, who was not my "6 Degrees of Separation" but "Zero Degrees of Separation" buddy.
I posted my encounter with him somewhere on these boards awhile ago but kept the post in my Magnum Mania files, for what it's worth:
In 1990 I went outside Angelo's restaurant in NYC's Little Ita

Don't worry, Dobie. I'm sure you could have taken him. Some people just never grow out of that school yard bragging stage. They're sooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad so you better watch out.

Ivan,
Had I known he was a martial arts master I would have run like a bunny - "feets don't fail me now" - back to the Port Authority and caught the last train out of Dodge. I don't like violence, it hurts.
I would gladly have paid Hawk and Spenser to save me. But I didn't know and as a result of blind luck and Kelly ordering him to stand down I have a bar story I have milked for 30 years.
My claim to fame back when, I met two beautiful female film stars in NYC, Kelly LeBrock and Marilyn Chambers.
I am trying to come up with something regarding Spenser For Hire but it's been so long since I have seen it that I have nothing, sorry, I know we are way off on a tangent here. Mea culpa.

[jno]

I watched the 1989 TV movie 'Night Walk' with Robert Urich and Lovely, sorry Lesley-Anne Down. If you're after Robert Urich playing Spenser in a non-Spenser role, this is the closest I've seen him.

It's always so disappointing to see an actor in some lame two-bob TV movie just after their hit series has ended but to be fair this was a good'un. That said, Robert Urich is the KING of the made-for-TV movie and there's plenty of good and bad stuff out there if you miss Spenser For Hire.

'Night Walk' was the CBS Sunday Night Movie on 1st October 1989 - plenty of shooting, a good car chase and a decent kill count, on a certain well known video site at time of writing.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I watched the 1989 TV movie 'Night Walk' with Robert Urich and Lovely, sorry Lesley-Anne Down. If you're after Robert Urich playing Spenser in a non-Spenser role, this is the closest I've seen him.
It's always so disappointing to see an actor in some lame two-bob TV movie just after their hit series has ended but to be fair this was a good'un. That said, Robert Urich is the KING of the made-for-TV movie and there's plenty of good and bad stuff out there if you miss Spenser For Hire.
'Night Walk' was the CBS Sunday Night Movie on 1st October 1989 - plenty of shooting, a good car chase and a decent kill count, on a certain well known video site at time of writing.

Robert Urich's son Matt also was in it.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

If you're after Robert Urich playing Spenser in a non-Spenser role, this is the closest I've seen him.

I'm just curious but was there something unique about the Spenser character or how Urich played him? It's my understanding that Urich typically just plays himself. Was this not the case with Spenser? Kind of like Tom Selleck usually just plays Tom Selleck. I guess I have a hard time picturing Urich playing something out of character for him. When I'm thinking of a unique character I'm immediately reminded of Columbo. The way Peter Falk played that character nobody else could have and it's just a very unique TV character, period. I guess I'm imagining Spenser to be just a typical 80s crime fighter. Correct me if I'm wrong. Did he have any special quirks or mannerisms or was he some dark and brooding character that was ahead of its time perhaps? Something atypical of Urich's other characters?