Captain Dobey
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Captain Harold Dobey |
| Occupation: | cop |
| Relationships: | married to Edith Dobey, father to Rosie and Cal |
| Fandom: | Starsky and Hutch |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Captain Dobey is Starsky and Hutch's boss. Yes, he is tough and grouchy, but he is supportive of his two finest detectives.
Dobey is also a family man. He is married to Edith Dobey. His daughter, Rosie, though only appearing once in canon, has inspired a fair amount of fan fiction. Much of the kidfic in the Starsky and Hutch fandom centers around Rosie, and occasionally her brother, Cal.
Some Brief Canon Facts About Captain Dobey
- He is often on a diet.
- He is a church-going man.
- He was very close to his murdered partner, Elmo Jackson.
- His wife, Edith, wants him to take her dancing more often.
- He is a fan of country music.
Captain Dobey in Fanon
Pairings
Always, always with his wife, Edith and always, always vague and non-explicit.
Some Dobey Meta
Dobey vs. Cowley
The Professionals and Starsky & Hutch shared many fans and were peers of a sort. In 1986, a number of fans debated the differences between Dobey and Cowley (Bodie and Doyle's boss in The Professionals) in the letterzine Mixed Doubles #9.
- "As far as comparing Captain Dobey and George Cowley, I really think that the concept is like apples end oranges. Dobey was never that important to the series, but Cowley created CI5. He is C15. I think that Bodie and Doyle are more inclined to strive to meet Cowley's ideals then Starsky and Hutch, who always listened to a lot of Dobey's yelling, and then never seemed to let it deter them. I think that Bodie and Doyle have it a little easier than Starsky end Hutch because C15 seems to be able to break the rules that inhibit police forces. Cowley, like CI5, seems more ruthless all the while, holding firmly to certain ideals end standards, Dobey was just background for the most part, only there to hand out cases or show the establishment's pov."
- "Not only is Cowley 'irreplaceable' (C15 is his organization, after all) while, sad as it might seem, Dobey easily could have been replaced by another Captain - but Dobey just never seemed to be the 'authority' figure that he probably should've been! For all the respect Bodie & Doyle obviously have for 'the Cow', I always got the impression they were at least half-afraid of the old man, too (even though Cowley does take a lot more from them than he would from any of his other 'subordinates'). Contrast that with S&H's attitude towards Dobey - did you ever get the impression that they were 'in awe' of him?! What with all the pranks they'd play on him (stealing his food - rigging an alarm to go off on the candy machine - that 'phone number' thing with Dobey's office in RUNNING - etc, etc) - how about the little 'dance' they did with him at the tag of DISCOMANIA? Can you see Bodie & Doyle trying that with Cowley! It seemed as if S&H thought more of Dobey as a personal friend of theirs, rather than their 'Boss' - they had the exact opposite attitude that B&D seemed to have in fact. With them, Cowley was always 'irreplaceable'; with S&H, they always acted as if they were the 'indispensible' ones (despite their much lower rank - it was as if they were always giving Dobey orders!). Cowley could've given Dobey some much-needed lessons."
- "Why was Dobey created? I think because, until S&H, the ultimate partnership show seemed to be THE MAN FROM UNCLE. Illya and Napoleon had their boss in Mr Waverley, script writers and story editors probably felt that any subsequent partnerships also had to have a boss. As for Cowley, well, The Professionals was supposed to be a British Starsky & Hutch, wasn't it?"
Notable Dobey Fanfic
Gallery of Dobey Fannish Art
Kathi Lynn Higley, from Me and Thee #1 (1979)
Susan Wyllie, from Me and Thee #2 (1981)
by Sheiler Nichols from Don't Give Up On Us #1 (1985)
interior art from S and H #23 by Betty de Gabriele
cover of S and H #9
interior art from Long Road Home
interior art from Zebra Three #3, Connie Faddis
interior art for Pushin' the Odds by T.J. Burnside
interior art from Zebra Three #4, art by Laurie Huff
art from Distant Shores showing both Captain Dobey and Huggy. J. Jones was one of the few fanartists to draw Huggy and Captain Dobey at all, and having them both together in one drawing is rare.
