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From: moose@ames.UUCP (Mary Kaiser)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Re: Cliff Notes on Hill Street Blues
Message-ID: <1239@ames.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 18:39:43 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.1239
Posted: Mon Nov  4 18:39:43 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Nov-85 00:16:39 EST
References: <2854@vax4.fluke.UUCP> <1572@cbosgd.UUCP>
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Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
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> In article <2854@vax4.fluke.UUCP>, moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) writes:
> > And remember all those arguments we had last year pertaining to
> > where Hill Street actually takes place?  Solved last week....  
> > Chicago.
> 
> I believe, they said "Springfield", not "Springfield, Ill.",
> My copy of Webster's lists:
> 
> 	Springfield, Ill.
> 	Springfield, Mass.
> 	Springfield, Mo.
> 	Springfield, Oh.
> 	Springfield, Ore.

Yes, my first response was "how clever to use Springfield, since practically
every state has one", but then some of the packages on the bus were clearly
marked Springfield, ILL !!!!  The problem with placing HSB in Chicago, is that
this doesn't jive with some previous information, e.g.:

In the first or second season, Davenport was upset about a case and so drove
to "the coast" to think things over (she was back in a few hours).  Now, I
don't know anyone from Chicago who calls their lakefront "the coast".  (The
North Coast?)

The precinct and street names don't jive with Chicago's layout, not to mention
problems with city government figures (yes, Chicago has a Black mayor, but
Harold Washington is nothing like Ozzie Cleveland, except they both share
names with presidents and cities...something that Renko once noted about
as I recall).

It's interesting that HSB has tried so hard to keep their locale anonymous
while other series are rife with location information (Cagney & Lacey go
so far as to show "Welcome to Queens" signs, etc.).  I've heard hypotheses
that HSB is in Pittsburgh (since Bochco and many HSB actors are Carnegie-
Mellon grads), and of course New York and Chicago.  Anyway, my only 
certainty is that it's not L.A., Tacoma, or Omaha.