One-Adam-12, One-Adam 12, see the man...

[Doug.38PR]

This thread needs more photos.



Right side checkered; left side smooth.


In other shots, the holsters on the bench are clearly Lewis pattern cross draws.

Nice photo catches.

I remember one scene where the know-it-all of the precinct, Officer Wells, (I think) accidentally fires his shotgun in the parkinglot trying to unload it. Apparently there was some kind of flaw in the gun that caused it togo off simply by working the pump. Reed, Malloy and other policemen rush outside, guns drawn, expecting to see somebody shot. Wells demonstrates to them what happen again, BAM, whereas Malloy, with his usual dry wit, politely asks Wells if he would mind not showing them that again.

 

[GaryS]

You realize of course, that many of us are old enough to have seen the show in it's first run. Some of this crowd are probably old enough to be your grand parents. Not me, I'm just a kid!

Adam-12 is a great show. I first came across it on TV Land about 12 years ago while visiting my grandmother. Came back and mentioned having seen a show with said title to mom and dad and dad's eyes lit up "that's a great show!".

I now have all 7 seasons.

Even in that show, you can see a transition in police thinking as it moves from season to season. Initially the police in the show are laid back, work with citizens, trust citizens (but are prudently cautious). In later seasons, there is one episode that has a training scene that reenacts the Newhall Shootout (to a T and very accurately) to demonstrate to trainees the errors that can occur in a shootout. They also preach in that episode about the need to be suspicious of everybody.

 

[jakenov3]

I remember the shotgun discharge in the lot , that was Brinkman. After Malloy gave him the name boom-boom.

 

[OIF2]

I remember the shotgun discharge in the lot , that was Brinkman. After Malloy gave him the name boom-boom.

That happened in real life when I was a young policeman in 77th Div. We were in the parking lot preparing to change shifts from PM's to AM watch when one of the AM coppers had an AD (now ND) with an Ithaca. Watch Sgt walks over to the patrolman and asks "what the hell did you do?" Policeman shucks the action and responds with "all I did was..." and had ANOTHER ND. Copper got two 5-day suspensions for 2 separate NDs. Just another night in 77th Div.
Bob

 

[kbm6893]

That happened in real life when I was a young policeman in 77th Div. We were in the parking lot preparing to change shifts from PM's to AM watch when one of the AM coppers had an AD (now ND) with an Ithaca. Watch Sgt walks over to the patrolman and asks "what the hell did you do?" Policeman shucks the action and responds with "all I did was..." and had ANOTHER ND. Copper got two 5-day suspensions for 2 separate NDs. Just another night in 77th Div.
Bob

Happened in front of me twice, as well. We found a sawed off pump shotgun under the bed, and my partner went to unload it, he did ther whole "shuck the handle and let the shells fly out thing", rather than properly press the button inside the chamber. Gun had been modifed to fire as the pump went forward. he never touched the trigger. BOOM! I was deaf for HOURS.

Another time, I was talking to an old time cop who had his old Model 10 hanging in his locker. The NYPD had gone to spurless hammer DAO revolvers in 1988, so I was interested in the old Model 10. I unloaded the gun and the cop told me to put the bullets back when I was done. I did and went back to getting dressed as we chatted. I hear a hammer cock back and look around my door, and just as I'm about to say "Hey, I loaded that, remember?", he pulled the trigger. BANG. Bullet hit the edge of another cop's locker, so it just made a huge dent. Good thing or he's have to buy the cop a new jacket. The cop looks at me and yells "you loaded it again?!". I yelled back, "you told me too!". he looked at me and mutters " ****, I did". This was at about 2 AM, so nobody around. 30 year grizzled Sgt. pokes his head in and gruffly says "Anybody hit?". We say nope. He closes the door and walks away.

I know I shouldn't have laughed, but I had to pull over like 3 times on the way home I was laughing so hard.

 

[Doug.38PR]

And I wondered if I'd want an Ithaca. Glad I got an 870 instead

 

[SG-688]

And I wondered if I'd want an Ithaca. Glad I got an 870 instead

Not to be toooo pedantic: There are three models of the Ithaca 37 trigger.

The first is like Winchester 97 and 12 that has a full-auto style sear lever that will hold and then drop the hammer when the slide goes forward with the trigger held. The kids now call this 'slam fire' but I don't think that's a good description.

Then Ithaca produced a trigger with a disconnector, like the 870, but also a simpler (cheaper) trigger for sporting guns that also found it's way into some police guns. No separate sear lever. No disconnector. Just a hammer and sear. Holding the trigger on that one allows the hammer to follow the slide down without firing, leaving a round in the chamber but no way to shoot it. Start all over.

 

[SG-688]

Back stop?

The 50 yard line on the LAPD Olympic range.



Bob, is that the Hogan's Alley visible behind the berm? Plus another building. Am I missing something or is the back stop a little low? I thought perhaps there was construction during filming, but the other pictures I have of the 50 yard line - but at a different angle - look about the same.

IIRC I've read it's gone now to make room for something else, leaving only 25 yards as the maximum distance, but I may be misremembering that.

 

[GaryS]

And I wondered if I'd want an Ithaca. Glad I got an 870 instead

I have one of each, and both are fine guns. I have an Ithaca 87 which is a later variation of the 37. I never tried to hold the trigger down while cycling the action, so I never had any slam fire problems.

It looks identical to the ones on Adam-12 except it has an extended magazine and a Hi Viz front sight. Utterly reliable, as is the 870 which is a retired police gun. It's old enough that it only handles 2 3/4" shells.

I'd depend on either one to save my life.

 

[steamloco76]

That's two of us, Seven3. Crime Story was the best show on TV nobody watched, except us. I've got both seasons on DVD.

Make that three of us. Dennis Farina and Steven Lang made it great.

 

[GaryS]

Make that three of us. Dennis Farina and Steven Lang made it great.

I was very disappointed when it was canceled, although I thought it was better when set in Chicago.

 

[SG-688]

Ithaca 37

That happened in real life when I was a young policeman in 77th Div. We were in the parking lot preparing to change shifts from PM's to AM watch when one of the AM coppers had an AD (now ND) with an Ithaca. Watch Sgt walks over to the patrolman and asks "what the hell did you do?" Policeman shucks the action and responds with "all I did was..." and had ANOTHER ND. Copper got two 5-day suspensions for 2 separate NDs. Just another night in 77th Div.
Bob

Brinkman, do you mind if we don't ask you to show us that again.

 

[Doug.38PR]

We had the same restriction, although once you got to a troop you could carry/use speedloaders. Never did have that satisfactorily explained to me.

I hired on in 1978, and was issued Don Hume leather: a "regular" Sam Browne duty belt, Jordan "River" holster, double drop box, and a handcuff case. None of that sissy Velcro; all the items had by-God brass snaps! Including the belt keepers…

I was also issued this (the Hurst stocks came several years later; the gun came with your basic Goncalo Alves "target" stocks that would jam up a speedloader):

And you live in Zachary...where the ghetto starts literally just down the road in Baker and Scotlandville and goes all the way down into Baton Rouge to Florida St....and you handled business with "just a revolver" and are still here to tell about it

(I stayed at the Best Western right there on hwy 19 in Zachary for 3 years up until the past few months and spent a year driving down through there every day to work in Baton Rouge)

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I was very disappointed when it was canceled, although I thought it was better when set in Chicago.

And the opening theme - Del Shannon's "Runaway" was absolutely killer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoHaJmpU3WU


Regards,

Dave

 

[fideau]

Very nice. Nothing as beautiful as a blued S&W.
I worked at a local TV station in 1970-73, we ran a lot of film shows then. Adam 12, Dragnet, Perry Mason, etc., and my job was to screen each one for flaws, and cut in breaks. So I saw every one several times and still loved it.
I think it was early on that they wore the clam shell holsters for the 6" S&W, which I suppose LAPD used at the time. The whole thing opened up and flopped around, looked like it would be problematic.
I tried the break front later when an LEO, didn't like it.
My first issue weapon was a S&W Model 37, one of the few airweights we had, most got the 36. Then a 4in. Model 10, followed by a 686. Before we switched to Beretta 92s, (yuck), I beat my Supervisor on the dueling plates with that 686, he was using the Beretta. The 9mm just wouldn't knock the steel plates over with one hit most of the time.

 

[steamloco76]

One of my favorite things about Adam-12 is seeing the S&W Model 14 and 15's real Peace Officers carried up through the 1980's. Those Officers practiced and were proud of their marksmanship. Unlike some today.

 

[Doug.38PR]

Has anyone noticed the m15s from Adam 12 are of an earlier design? Look at the hammers

 

[Checkman]

The show has aged, but I still watch it now and then. Childhood memories.

 

[loknload]

Dave, loved the intro to Crime Story, don't remember that being set back in the 50's , 60's ? I'm going to have to check that out.

 

[Doug.38PR]

HA! I just watched a 6th season episode ("Routine Patrol") where a man is robbed and beat up by four cowboys from New Mexico. They run his car off the road, the man gets out, rushes to the trunk and tries to unlock it to get to one of his guns as he has just left a gun range. The men beat him up, take his gun and car.

The man, in typical fashion, is mad and even blaming the police for not being there to help him. "if I had just gotten to my trunk it would have turned out different." He then blames the police for "not keeping hoods like that locked up." Malloy then semi-blames the victim as the crooks now "have his guns" and he should count himself lucky because their next victim might not be. The victim then looks ashamed as the scene fades to the next scene.

What should have been said and what was obvious: If victim had not been forbidden by Kalifornia law to carry a loaded gun on his person and/or inside his car with him IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT STORY.