‘Police Woman’ Creator Robert Collins Dies at 81 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 10-24-2011, 05:30 PM

His episode for NBC’s “Police Story” served as the spinoff for Angie Dickinson’s groundbreaking series.

Link

Robert Collins, the creator of the groundbreaking 1970s NBC series Police Woman that starred Angie Dickinson, died Oct. 21 of cardiopulmonary arrest in Van Nuys, Calif. He was 81.

Collins also wrote and or directed for such series as Marcus Welby, M.D., Serpico, Cannon, The Mod Squad and the anthology series Police Story, which spawned Police Woman. His episode “The Gamble,” which closed Police Story’s highly rated first season, introduced Dickinson’s character.

Police Woman, which ran 1974-78, became one of the first successful hourlong drama series in the U.S. to feature a woman in a starring role, paving the way for other action shows starring females. Inspired by Dickinson’s character, Sgt. Pepper Anderson, who often went undercover to solve crimes in Los Angeles, women across the country signed up for police jobs.

Collins received his lone Emmy nomination in 1975 for another episode of Police Story, and his “Wyatt Earp Syndrome” episode in 1974 has been preserved as a training film for police academies in Los Angeles and New York.

The Los Angeles native also penned or helmed a number of telefilms, including Hallmark Hall of Fame installment Gideon’s Trumpet (1980), which starred Henry Fonda and Jose Ferrer (and for which Collins received a DGA nomination); Act of Violence (1979) with Elizabeth Montgomery; and The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1989) starring Karl Malden.

Collins also directed for the stage, guiding a version of Death of a Salesman at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Mark; sons Clay (Robin), Curtis (Sharon) and Casey; daughter-in-law Cindy; brother Frank (Trisha); grandchildren Ryan, Leslie, Rachel, Kyle, Sarah and Caleb; and nieces Kate and Anne.

A service will take place at 1 p.m. Oct. 27 at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The family asks that donations be made to Doctors Without Borders based in New York.

Marvo301 · 10-24-2011, 07:05 PM

Robert Collins

10-24-2011, 05:30 PM	#1
Zoneboy Moderator Forum Veteran R.I.P. STEVE FORREST 1925-2013 Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: Carthage, NC Posts: 22,570	‘Police Woman’ Creator Robert Collins Dies at 81 His episode for NBC’s “Police Story” served as the spinoff for Angie Dickinson’s groundbreaking series. Link Robert Collins, the creator of the groundbreaking 1970s NBC series Police Woman that starred Angie Dickinson, died Oct. 21 of cardiopulmonary arrest in Van Nuys, Calif. He was 81. Collins also wrote and or directed for such series as Marcus Welby, M.D., Serpico, Cannon, The Mod Squad and the anthology series Police Story, which spawned Police Woman. His episode “The Gamble,” which closed Police Story’s highly rated first season, introduced Dickinson’s character. Police Woman, which ran 1974-78, became one of the first successful hourlong drama series in the U.S. to feature a woman in a starring role, paving the way for other action shows starring females. Inspired by Dickinson’s character, Sgt. Pepper Anderson, who often went undercover to solve crimes in Los Angeles, women across the country signed up for police jobs. Collins received his lone Emmy nomination in 1975 for another episode of Police Story, and his “Wyatt Earp Syndrome” episode in 1974 has been preserved as a training film for police academies in Los Angeles and New York. The Los Angeles native also penned or helmed a number of telefilms, including Hallmark Hall of Fame installment Gideon’s Trumpet (1980), which starred Henry Fonda and Jose Ferrer (and for which Collins received a DGA nomination); Act of Violence (1979) with Elizabeth Montgomery; and The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1989) starring Karl Malden. Collins also directed for the stage, guiding a version of Death of a Salesman at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Mark; sons Clay (Robin), Curtis (Sharon) and Casey; daughter-in-law Cindy; brother Frank (Trisha); grandchildren Ryan, Leslie, Rachel, Kyle, Sarah and Caleb; and nieces Kate and Anne. A service will take place at 1 p.m. Oct. 27 at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The family asks that donations be made to Doctors Without Borders based in New York. __________________ *"It's the way things are. A big tree falls and a new one grows right out of the same ground. Old animals die and young ones take their places. Even people step aside when it's time."* (R.G. Armstrong as the Contractor in The Twilight Zone episode "Nothing in the Dark")

10-24-2011, 07:05 PM	#2
Marvo301 Forum Veteran I got a rock. Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 16,489	Robert Collins __________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Alfred Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

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