Those Foxy Ladies
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Those Foxy Ladies |
| Creator: | Joan Hollingworth |
| Date(s): | November 1983 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Starsky & Hutch |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Those Foxy Ladies is a 1983 essay by Joan Hollingworth.
It was printed in Shootout #2.
The topic was female characters in Starsky & Hutch.
Introduction
Male chauvinism was sometimes on display in S&H, However, the way a lady was treated often depended on the character of the lady herself. There was a fascinating variety of femininity in the series, divided roughly into the headings: colleagues, girl friends, career-ladies, potential wives, one ex-wife, prostitutes and criminals.
Excerpts
Generally, the women S&H worked with were treated as their equals, ho distinctions, or concessions because they were women. Minnie is the best example, and as a regular character, we were able to appreciate the mutual respect that existed between them. In particular, Starsky's relationship with Minnie was affectionate and in no way condescending. As far as he was concerned they were professionally on the same level.
Outsiders, too, were respected, if they were doing a good job, in whatever sphere. Judith Kaufman, the doctor in THE PLAGUE, K.C.McBride, the lady taxi-driver in QUADROMANIA, Carol, the teacher in CRYING CHILD. C.D.Phelps in THE HEROES gave them a hard time, but they made the mistake of not taking her seriously, at first. Their rival attempts to impress, and make a play for her, were clumsy and obvious, and they fell on stony ground. It was only after she called them Mutt and Jeff in her article that their attitude changed, and she felt the full force of their combined wrath. She was, for a news reporter, remarkably naive and somewhat silly, but S&H got it wrong by underestimating the power of the press.
Two ladies from Starsky's past, Sharman in RUNNING and Alison/Laura in TARGETS caused him considerable trouble, but at the same time allowed us to appreciate an attractive aspect of Starsky's character - his sentimental attachment and loyalty to people who have crossed his path, be it ever so long ago.
Emily in BLINDFOLD was the kind of helpless, waif like female who would appeal to Starsky's protective instincts, even if he hadn't felt responsible for her blindness. However, she appeared to be slightly unstable and it's doubtful that Starsky would have taken up with her on a long-term basis - or any other basis - but for the guilt he felt.
Laura in THE VELVET JUNGLE meant no more than a casual date to Starsky, but he had to work hard to achieve that much. Especially in the face of Laura's rather unkind put-downs. Their first meeting was hardly romantic, she made fun of his clothes after knocking him (accidentally) into a trash-bin. Then left him flat, after using him as a clothes-horse in the fashion salon where she worked. But he triumphed in the end, and having taken her out to dinner, found himself again the butt of one of her little jokes. Perhaps not one of Starsky's better conquests - but she certainly had a good time.
It must be said that Hutch's choice of ladies was generally unfortunate, to put it mildly. Normally a pretty good judge of character, his reasoning powers somehow deserted him when confronted by an attractive and plausible female. Disasters abounded.
Was Sweet Alice the only lady who saw the uncertainty and vulnerability in Hutch, and would have welcomed the chance to take care of him, with no strings attached? Considering some of the others, maybe he could have done worse.
These, then, are some of the more interesting ladies who appeared in the series. There were others, and it won't have escaped your notice that I have omitted mention of Vanessa, Gillian, Terry and Rosie. Likewise, Kira. Not because they weren't important to the series and in the lives of S&H, but thousands of words have already been written about them, and I'm not sure I can add anything new.
There was, however, one lady who was a step ahead of S&H all the way, up to and including the last frame of the episode in which she appeared. She was Lisa in FOXY LADY, a girl of great stamina and resourcefulness. She fooled them (and their Captain) with ease, even though she didn't know Starsky from Hutch, and left them at the airport literally holding the bag (and worse - its contents).
Fan Comments
I have to come clean here and say, with a very few exceptions, the ladies in the series were never of much interest to me I'm afraid. [1]
A brief note prompted by your recent 'foxy' article in SHOOTOUT 2...My Oxford dictionary (the 'Concise' edition) defines 'foxy' as 'Crafty-looking, reddish-brown, damaged by mildew'. Well, they say you learn something every time you open a dictionary.. .and this can't be SH-foxy.
My other dictionary says 'clever, on the ball mentally, physically, financially'. Doesn't say 'beautiful' - at least not in the sense of the adman's pattern of glamorous look-alikes. It could be interesting to consider, too, those un-foxy ladies in the series, who appear in some of the most thoughtful sequences. There's the un-named lady in 'Black and Blue' — remember that one? Her fleeting conversation with DMS puts a great deal into a few minutes. There's an interesting parallel to that scene in KH's conversation with Kate Larrabee in 'No Deposit, No Return'. Or there's Mrs. Jackson in 'Manchild on the Streets'. And how about Eunice Craig?
A worthwhile line to follow? Any other nominations? [3]