Adam-12 Square on Police Story with Officer Smokey Robinson at Henry's Tacos

 Adam-12 Square (let's make it happen! Moorpark and Tujunga!) was used as a location on the anthology series Police Story, season 1, episode 18. Even more entertaining, the "Reed" character was played by Smokey Robinson. Yes. Smokey Robinson. 

While Adam-12 was Jack Webb's show of admiration and support for the LAPD and done by Universal, Police Story was police officer turned writer Joseph Wambaugh's look at the tormented lives of officers and done by Warner Brothers. [Note for non-Angelenos: Universal and Warner Brothers are basically kitty corner across the LA River and Barham Blvd. There's some "terrain" in between, but they're neighbors.] Police Story overlapped in time with Adam-12 beginning in 1973. Both series were on NBC.

Police Story was an hour-format and much more "adult." Like Adam-12, they went outside and showed you the actual city. Thank you! Much of Police Story showed downtown Los Angeles, and of course the area near Warner Brothers too. This episode, "Wyatt Earp Syndrome," must have been a nod to Adam-12, as actors Cliff Gorman and Smokey Robinson (!) are 1-Adam-19 and eating at Adam-12 Square. Presumably they would have attended the same roll call as Malloy and Reed! [And like Malloy and Reed, being in "Central Division" led them to Henry's Tacos in Studio City for 7.]

The red barn-looking "delicious sandwiches" place seems to have changed names since it was "The Fire House" (sometimes one word, sometimes two!)  The Shell station on the southwest corner was 4399 Tujunga.  The simply named "Valley Stores" at 11418 Moorpark and its liquor sign have held out since the days of Adam-12 patrolling Adam-12 Square, and the market was usually listed as North Hollywood, despite this technically being Studio City. Businesses at the time were mostly considered North Hollywood. 

Actor Cliff Gorman had the lead role in this Police Story episode, "Wyatt Earp Syndrome," and with his rookie partner Smokey Robinson (!!!), visited some other Valley locations.

Elsewhere in Burbank/Toluca Lake

And the giant tree. Can't totally fault the giant glass box. The box and the tree are in on this together. But that Bob's Big Boy once served my dear friend real meat when she ordered a veggie burger, so go ahead, blot them out!

Police Story captured Lakeside Market right before its end. And yes, there is another "Six Degrees of Adam-12" connection. I'm guessing most people would say Lakeside Market was in Toluca Lake. Others might think Burbank (which is a separate city; Toluca Lake is part of Los Angeles). But it used to be listed as North Hollywood! And look whose wife had submitted a recipe! It's our pal Dick Whittinghill, who made an Adam-12 appearance ("Reason to Run") and loaned his Studio City home out for the lady-shot-her-husband call in "Log 56: Vice Versa." The Valley's "Finest Families" -- an elitist supermarket in the Valley. In North Hollywood. Indeed!

Bringing it back to Adam-12, I had made a label for "Pete's Love Life," as Officer Malloy doesn't always have his mind on the job. Although he checks the young (too young, Pete!) ladies out while on duty, he only ever asked one non-coworker out while wearing the uniform (his stalker, in "Log 172: The Things You Do for the Job" -- and he put up quite a fight first). Officer Nations here, married Officer Nations, just spots a random pretty woman, SCREEEEECH, turns the car around and pursues her. Dude, you can't do that. But it gives us a last look at the going-going-gone Lakeside Market (parking lot mostly) and neighboring businesses and cars, like the '58 Chevy with my name on it. 

After he uses taxpayer resources and the power of the uniform to hit on another lady when his wife (Kim Darby, She of Every Early 70s TV movie) isn't around, 1-Adam-19 move on.

Now they're on Ventura Blvd in Studio City. They are honest on the radio, saying they're heading toward Vineland. It's true. None of that "Sherman Way and Wilshire" baloney. I believe in the center here is the German Car Service that was at 4021 Radford (listed as NoHo). This might be where Ventura Blvd and Ventura Place meet, where Adam-12 were at "Danny's" Tacos and you could see Du-Par's across the street. If I could ID this long-gone motel, I'd have more answers. Alas! Italian cypress rising up behind the German Car Service.

Adam-12 drove by here in the other direction on a sunnier day in "Ladies Night" Season 7, episode 16.

Warning! Gruesome details in this next article. 

This is what was really happening in Studio City at the time, just behind the motel the Police Story actors were headed to.

An earlier homicide case: victim was living at the El Dorado motel on Ventura:

The business which now has the (demolished) El Dorado's address is Sushi Dan.

Meanwhile, back on Police Story:

The large white brick building with only the green L visible must be the El Dorado. Odd that they gave free publicity to the Hi-Ho (no jokes about "because that's what men brought back to their rooms!") and the Trocadero, when really they were making use of the El Dorado. Not sure when the episode was shot, but presumably around January 1974, before the poor woman's dismembered body was found there.  Notice the tall Italian cypress in the middle.

Residential motels -- another way to say "high crime area."

Just east of here you reach Vineland, the 101, Lankershim, and Universal Studios, where Adam-12 was in production at this same time, well into season six as Police Story was in its debut season. The episode Adam-12 fans must see is the two-hour "Stigma" (1977) featuring "Mannix" Mike Connors and yes, Martin Milner! Kent McCord had already appeared with Mannix in the 1973 TV film "Beg, Borrow, or...Steal."  Mannix aired on CBS the entire time (plus the previous year) that Adam-12 was (originally) on the air. 

[Note: Police Story seasons 4 & 5 are online on Canadian TV -- use a VPN! -- but are not yet on DVD. Shout!Factory told me those seasons are on their "wish list."]

What to remember: Smokey Robinson played a rookie officer who ate at Henry's Tacos of Adam-12 Square fame. (Adam-12 Square, Moorpark and Tujunga, make it happen!)

The Firehouse on Tujunga and Moorpark in Adam-12

Whenever Reed and Malloy head east on Moorpark at Tujunga, there is usually a glimpse of a red barn-like building in the background. That was the Firehouse eatery at 4389 Tujunga.

Two episodes offer a much better look: "Log 88-Reason to Run" (S3, Ep25) and "Anniversary" (S4, Ep9).

"Log 88-Reason to Run" shows the Pickwick complex (ice rink, bowling, and apparently horses at one time) on Riverside in Burbank. And yes, it has just been sold to developers. I had a bad experience at that ice rink anyway... Why do they call those things for children to hang onto "Bobby Seal(e)" like the Black Panther? I tell a lie! The ice rink gets to stay, but the bowling alley will be Monster Boxes.

The episode features Randy Mantooth and Dick Whittinghill. It also has these views of the Firehouse as it was in 1971. Since that time other things have occupied the location. Most recently, it became the new location of Henry's Tacos. You can read about the Henry's Tacos situation here and here.

In Adam-12 wormhole fashion, Malloy spins the car around on Ventura and Radford and somehow ends up at Adam-12 Square, Tujunga and Moorpark. Then he reunites with Reed and catches the bad guy just *like that* because EDITING. 

After the waitress at fake "Danny's" is safe again, she contemplates working at the very real Du-Par's across the street. Not really. She's an actress. The waitress thing is just her part-time gig. It must be torturous to be one of those hopeful aspiring actors who has to work with food while trying to make it, and then to get a part on TV, only for it to be playing a food worker. But hey, it's on TV! [Cut to Janet Gaynor telling the Central Casting woman, "But maybe I'm that one."]

From "Anniversary" in the next season, we get these views of the Firehouse.

Both episodes named in this post contain some other interesting things, but this post was all about that unusual red barn-looking food place, The Firehouse on Tujunga.  [Non-Angelenos note: "Tuh-HUNG-ga"]