On our latest episode, I mention 3 books related to
The Streets of San Francisco. I write about
Quinn Martin: Television Producer in our Dan August episode and recommend it.
James Rosin's The Streets of San Francisco: A Quinn Martin TV Series is a great read for fans of the show. I talked about some of the features on the podcast. While the heart of the book is the episode guide, which is less relevant in a digital world, it's still nice to have the summaries in one place. I can't speak to the accuracy of all those entries, and some critical analysis or trivia would have been nice, but they are there for reference.
There is a small section of trivia at the end of the volume, but not episode-specific fun facts). Also, I admit I missed it in my first look, but Rosin compiles a list of favorite episodes "compiled by the author and series fans" and a list of notable performances from guest stars in the back. There isn't any explanation or note on methodology, but it's a nice starting point for newcomers.
More interesting to me than the episode guide is the opening section, where Rosin combines numerous phone interviews he conducted, including one with Michael Douglas, with a few from other sources to create a production history of the show. Douglas' participation is a welcome surprise, but Rosin gets interesting comments from many involved behind the scenes who can talk about Streets' origin, what it was going for, and various production elements.
Speaking of production elements, there are some unique elements to the book that give it more value. There is a sample production schedule, a teleplay, and even a report from Standards and Practices to the show. It's all cool stuff to see even if you don't read each bit of it. I only wish the history of the series were longer and that there were a bit more analysis of individual episodes, but if you are into The Streets, you need this book.
I just finished Poor, Poor Ophelia, the novel by Carolyn Weston that inspired The Streets of San Francisco. It's an effective procedural story that introduces the characters who would return in two future books: Casey Kellog (later Steve Keller) and Al Krug (later Mike Stone).
Let me focus on the differences between the book and the series. For one, the story is set in Santa Monica, not San Francisco! For another, much of the story is told from the point of view of David Farr, the suspect/attorney played by Robert Wagner in the debut movie. However, the primary character by far (no pun intended) is the younger detective, Casey.
The whole relationship between Casey and Al is much more antagonistic in the original version, with each suspicious of the other, but the less experienced partner in particular feeling he can't catch a break with the veteran. We see this play out through Casey, so it sure seems like he's right. Maybe Keller and Stone had this kind of rocky beginning "off camera" on Streets, but what we see is a warmer connection. Their differences, like the age gap, complement each other rather than providing barriers they must overcome.
I like the way they interact in the series much better, and I think it's refreshing they don't have as contentious a partnership. So in that respect, the show improves on the characters of the book. Also, of course, reading the novel doesn't give you the experience of the great location shooting and the San Francisco setting. So there's another way in which the QM Production is better than the source material.
I did enjoy reading the book, and I plan to check out the two sequels. However, I think fans of the Quinn Martin ABC series will see it as a separate entity, despite the plot being used for the first episode, and will appreciate the changes the TV production made in adapting it.
