How many of you remember the TV show “Barney Miller”? After years of looking, I have found the original pilot for the show, which was rejected by ABC in 1974 and “burned off” as a “special presentation” on August 22, 1974, exactly two weeks after President Nixon resigned. COINCIDENCE?!?! I have never seen Nixon and Barney Miller in the same place together… seems suspicious.
Anyhow, back then, networks would run their rejected pilots (aka “Failure Theater”) in the summer so they would have something new in place of reruns.
This pilot is WEIRD if you’re familiar with the series. For starters, Jack Soo’s role is played by character actor Val Bisoglio (who would go on to have a nice run in recurring roles on “Quincy” and “MASH”). Rod Perry (later of “S.W.A.T.”) replaces Ron Glass as Harris. And CHARLES HAID?!?!?! is playing the role that would eventually become Wojciehowicz (Max Gail). Here, Haid’s native southern accent is being shoehorned into sounding like a New Yorker – it’s very odd. When the series finally got picked up, Haid would actually pass on this role. Four years later, he would pass on “Hill Street Blues” after appearing in the pilot – then reconsider when his agent reminded him how dumb it was to pass on “Barney Miller.” (The original HSB pilot had to have its ending re-shot so Haid could stay in the cast).
Back to “The Life and Times of Barney Miller,” Chano (Gregory Sierra) is absent, as are later characters Inspector Luger (James Gregory), Levitt (Ron Carey) and Dietrich (Steve Landesberg).
So what’s the same? Hal Linden as Barney and Abe Vigoda as Fish. And the series concentrates half on Barney’s work life, half on his home life. That angle would be dropped after the first season.
The squad room also looks brighter. Why? Because this pilot is shot on FILM. Very cool! It has a really nice look to it, unlike the gritty, grainy, green videotape they used for the regular series. I always felt videotape captured the feel of the series better, but modern viewers seem to dislike that. Everything has to look like the Kardashians, I guess.
So how is the pilot? The opening sequence is very nostalgic; does not fit with the funky opening we all know. Guest star Chu Chu Malave mumbles a lot and is almost incomprehensible. Some of the jokes don’t land properly; it all seems a bit stilted. Director Theodore J. Flicker had worked mostly on single-camera shows shot without an audience; maybe that’s the problem. Also, Barney’s wife is played by the much-younger seeming Abby Dalton, and his brother is played by the much older Buddy Lester (brother of Jerry Lester, the first host of “Broadway Open House,” which would eventually give way to “The Tonight Show”).
In early 1974, ABC passed on the show. Later that year, they wooed director John Rich away from the top-rated “All In the Family” to come work his magic at ABC. His first order of business was to revive a pilot by his friend, Danny Arnold, and “Barney Miller” got a new lease on life. (Trivia: Rich directed the live Disneyland opening day telecast, and would later produce “MacGyver,” bringing him full-circle with ABC).
Since Rich had spent the past four seasons shooting on videotape, and since tape is cheaper, he and ABC pushed for the show to stop using film. They re-cast most of the roles (as listed above), and the script got tighter. Rich would help get the show off the ground and edit the first few episodes. In Vince Waldron’s “Classic Sitcoms,” Rich remembers editing the tapes in someone’s apartment in (I believe) New York City! “Barney Miller” premiered officially on January 23, 1975, and would run until May 20, 1982, racking up several Emmys (including one for “Outstanding Comedy Series” in its final year).
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