Created by:
Bud Ruskin
Executive Producers:
Aaron Spelling & Danny Thomas
Cast:
Michael Cole….Pete Cochran
Peggy Lipton….Julie Barnes
Clarence Williams III…Linc Hayes
Tige Andrews….Capt. Adam Greer
Paramount Home Video presents Mod Squad: Season 1, Volume 1. Thirteen episodes on 4 DVDs. Episodes aired from Sept. 24, 1968 to Jan. 7, 1969. DVD released Dec. 18, 2007.
The Show
The problem with cop shows is that it’s all about the man keeping the kids down. How could a network expect the youth culture in the late ‘60s to embrace law and order entertainment? Would cop shows forever patrol Squaresville with its elderly population of viewers? Aaron Spelling cracked the riddle by giving us a trio of undercover hipsters who weren’t quite cops. Instead of featuring fledgeling Johnny Laws, The Mod Squad consisted of three troubled “teens” enlisted as top secret cops as part of their probation. Think of this as Le Femme Nikita except they weren’t sent on suicide missions.
The publicity for the series declared, “One White, One Black, One Blonde.” That pretty much describes the casting. Rich kid Pete Cochran supplied the Beverly Hills connection. Linc Hayes provided soul as a revolutionary from Watts. A hippie gal from San Francisco named Julie Barnes brought the sex appeal. They were a trio that had every youth culture base covered. There would be no hip organization that they couldn’t infiltrate. And nobody would suspect they were really cops until it was too damn late.
“The Teeth of the Barracuda” gives the origin of the Mod Squad. We never get a true sense of their minor crimes that led them into this strange career. We just know they weren’t habitual. They were good kids at their core. Capt. Adam Greer sets up a private police academy at the Ace Warehouse. They have to learn how to investigate and apprehend without the use of firearms. For the longest time, the opening credits to the series has been a mystery to many people. Why are the Mod Squad being chased through what looks like a construction site? Why did Linc and Pete carry Julie to that frantic theme song? Why did Capt. Greer look so evil as he burst through the door? Turns out that they are running through the Ace Warehouse. This was merely a training exercise and not a life or death chase. The Mod Squad’s first case deals with a dead cop and a troubled politician’s daughter. The highlight of the episode is Julie going undercover at a club called the Panther Pit. She wears little tiger costume and takes pictures of the customers. Julie looks adorable with her striped ears.
“Bad Man on Campus” has Linc and Pete go undercover as teachers at a high school. They suspect students of murdering a teacher, stealing cars and other bad things. The prize pupil is extra groovy in his fab fashions. “When Smitty Comes Comes Marching Home” has Lou Gossett Jr.as a Vietnam Vet who blacks out and is accused of homicide. “You Can’t Tell The Players Without a Programmer” has a computer dating service being used for evil purposes. Mark Goddard (Major Don West on Lost In Space) is a cyber scoundrel. “A Time to Love – A Time to Cry” has a photographer coming down from an acid trip discover that his model is dead. Did he have the ultimate bad trip? “Love” has Pete uncover that a family member is about to become a hardcore criminal. Can he stop her downward spiral without exposing his true job? “Find Tara Chapman” has the trio hunting down a folk singer with meningitis. They need to find her without panicking the community. Della Reese gives a great number. The folk singer is Yvonne Craig, Batgirl from Batman.
“The Guru” features an underground newspaper being bombed. The trio has to sneak inside the editorial office to discover who wants to blow the scene. The publisher turns out to be a big time sex fiend. Even though he’s sleeping with a rich, mousey gal, he wants to boff Julie. The main writer for the paper is played by Max Julien, beloved around the globe as the title character in The Mack. The mousey gal’s brother is an incredibly young Dabney Coleman. “The Sunday Drivers” has Linc turn into a stunt show driver in order to find out what killed his buddy. There’s great footage of Las Vegas from 40 years ago.
Mod Squad is a perfect show for its time. It’s packed full of fab fashions and hipster lingo. There needs to be a drinking game for whenever Linc says, “Solid.” While they don’t look fresh out of high school, Pete, Linc and Julie represent the rebellious youth that was rising up against the man. They were cool without playing it too radical. The trio weren’t merely finking out and busting their fellow hipsters. They wanted to help them before tossing the kids into the county lockup. Or expose the evil adults ruining the kids. They weren’t out to blow everyone’s cool. The Mod Squad wanted to remind the kids that cops weren’t all evil. “If only kids would learn to run to a cop and not run away from them,” Capt. Greer laments. This is from the guy who didn’t mind chasing Julie around the warehouse. The Mod Squad is still a groovy redefining of the cop show genre.
The Episodes
“The Teeth of the Barracuda,” “Bad Man on Campus,” “My, What A Pretty Bus,” “When Smitty Comes Marching Home,” “You Can’t Tell the Players Without a Programmer,” “A Time to Love — A Time to Cry,” “Find Tara Chapman!,” “The Price of Terror,” “A Quiet Weekend in the Country,” “Love,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Starlet,” “The Guru” and “The Sunday Drivers.”
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The transfer is sharp and colorful. You’ll be dazzled by Julie’s outfits.
AUDIO:
The English soundtrack is Dolby Digital Mono. No subtitles, but the episodes are closed captioned.
EXTRAS:
Forming the Squad (15:00) points out that creator Buddy Ruskin was a former undercover cop who ran the youth angle. Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole discuss how Aaron Spelling developed the series. Peggy is still a charmer. She explains that Tige Andrews wasn’t as uptight as his cop character.
“Inside the Teeth of the Barracuda:” 1968 (9:34) deals with the hipster talk used by the Mod Squad. It has a great montage of Linc saying, “Solid.” Peggy Lipton talks about being at Monterey Pop.
Friends of Mod Squad (16:10) features various famous guest stars on the series. Lou Gossett Jr. has a great tale about his chase through the zoo. Lesley Ann Warren recalls her kissing scenes with Cole. Ed Asner talks about working with youth. Tyne Daly exposes how the Squad’s Woody wagon was a complete clunker.
The Inside Pulse
These were the grooviest cops on TV until Miami Vice. Forget the lame movie with Claire Danes. The actual series is much more entertaining. After a few episodes, you’ll catch yourself saying, “Solid.” For those who hate half season boxsets, Volume 2 is scheduled to be released on March 11, 2008.
