Judas Priest. Not Lieutenant Hunter as well?
The rash of former TV stars who have passed away in the last few days is alarming, especially considering another former reality show star came within a half inch or so of joining them.
Passing away Friday, July 13 was James B. Sikking, part of the large and talented ensemble of a true game changer of a TV drama, Hill Street Blues. The Los Angeles native, plagued with dementia in latter years, was 90.
Sikking played loose canon Lieutenant Howard Hunter on the groundbreaking NBC police drama. His character was apparently loosely based on a drill instructor who put Sikking through training at Ft. Bragg.
The series made stars out of, in actor Charles Haid’s words, “a collection of mutts,” including Haid, Sikking, Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Bruce Weitz, Betty Thomas, Michael Warren, Joe Spano, Ed Marinaro, Barbara Bosson, Taurean Blacque and Michael Conrad. Dennis Franz, and in later years, Ken Olin and Mimi Kuzyk.
In some ways Sikking’s broadly-played militant was the comedy relief on the series — especially opposite Travanti, who played police squad Captain Frank Furillo.
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Example: some typical dialogue from a scene of crisis on the series
Lt. Hunter: “Judas Priest, Frank. That’s an eight inch steel door. If those deviants think we don’t mean business then our ace in the hole isn’t worth a brown cue-tip.”
Cpt. Furillo: (getting upset) “What ace in the hole ?”
Lt. Hunter: (lights pipe) “Our plastic charges on the outer wall.”
Cpt. Furillo: “Howard… There are innocent people in that meat-locker so take a command : no Soviets, no plastics. Just secure the scene… period !”
Lt. Hunter: (looks in disdain) “The only secure scene is a neutralized scene, Frank. Of course, if that makes your palms damp, there is another way to go.”
Cpt. Furillo: (sighs) “And what might that be ?”
Lt. Hunter: “Hypothermia. It’s a well-known medical fact that you Latin types can’t take the cold.”
Clearly Sikking was given a green light by executive producer Steven Bochco and others to take Hunter as far as he could go. The actor already boasted solid performances prior to Hill Street in everything from Rawhide and Bonanza to The Outer Limits, Mission: Impossible and The Rockford Files.
Sikking had comedy chops as well. He perfectly underplayed a small part in a restaurant on The Bob Newhart Show and also appeared on M*A*S*H. After Hill Street, Bochco kept rehiring him on L.A. Law and Cop Rock before casting him as a regular as Neil Patrick Harris’ dad on Doogie Howser, M.D.
Harris was quick to react on social media after the death of his former castmate, calling Sikking, “one of the kindest, wisest, funniest, and most generous people I’ve ever known.”
Sikking also made the most of a handfull of feature film credits, including “Ordinary People” and “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.”
I never had the opportunity to interview Sikking, but writer Ray Bennett caught up with him in 1983. This was for a TV Guide Canada cover story, during the run of Hill Street. Bennett found Sikking to be, “as disarming as Howard Hunter was armed.”
You can read more insights from Bennett on Sikking here at Ray’s excellent blog, The Cliff Edge.
Over and out Lt. Hunter, and condolences to Sikking’s family, friends and many fans.
