Joseph Wambaugh, Creator of ‘Police Story’ and ‘Onion Field’ Writer, Dies at 88

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As a movie critic, I mourn the loss of Joseph Wambaugh, a remarkable author whose authentic insights into the world of law enforcement were shaped by his own experiences as an LAPD officer. At 88 years old, he passed away peacefully in Rancho Mirage, California. His groundbreaking works such as “Police Story” continue to captivate audiences with their raw, unfiltered portrayal of the police force and the entertainment industry.

The cause was esophageal cancer, a family friend told the New York Times.

In my opinion as a movie critic, Wambaugh’s novels like “The New Centurions,” “The Blue Knight,” “The Choirboys,” and the acclaimed “The Onion Field” shattered the two-dimensional, glorified image of the Los Angeles Police Department presented in shows like “Dragnet” and “Adam-12.” Instead, his gritty portrayals resonated deeply with cops who recognized themselves in his work. Through the years of his career as a novelist, these men in uniform remained among his most devoted fans.

A significant aspect of Wambaugh’s association with Hollywood was the film “The Onion Field” (1979), directed by Harold Becker and scripted by Wambaugh himself, based on his true-crime novel. The book successfully and poignantly portrayed the intricate legal and emotional aspects of a chilling 1963 case where a psychopath, brilliantly portrayed by James Woods, kidnapped two LAPD officers. He forced them to drive over 100 miles to a remote location, murdered one (Ted Danson), while the other (John Savage) was left traumatized for years. Wambaugh is said to have overseen the film’s production, and his aim to represent all the case’s complexities stemmed from his commitment to realism, but without the straightforward narrative structure that a simplification of details would have provided. As the New York Times noted in its review of the movie, “The criminals’ backgrounds are just as intricate and captivating as those of the officers they captured. Even the courtroom scenes are unusually complex, introducing a new legal team with each trial. In writing his book about this, Mr. Wambaugh had the luxury of time to delve into each twist and turn. However, the nature of a movie requires something more succinct.

2008 saw Wambaugh expressing to NPR that “The Onion Field” was his purpose on Earth. It held a deeply emotional significance for him, leading him to take a half-year leave from the police department to pen the book. He delved into over 40,000 pages of court records and interviewed approximately 63 individuals, before completing the book in just three months.

1973 saw the birth of the groundbreaking NBC television series “Police Story,” airing for 96 episodes until 1979. What made it unique was its anthology format, allowing it to portray police characters critically – a feat that traditional series, with recurring characters requiring sustained audience empathy, often struggled to achieve.

2011 saw Victor Valdivia’s review for DVD Verdict on the first season of “Police Story.” He praised the series for its comprehensive portrayal of police work, covering everything from beat cops to undercover agents, homicide detectives to police chiefs. The common thread is that each episode delves into the life of a cop from their perspective. Unlike typical procedurals where viewers are invited to solve mysteries, most episodes in “Police Story” aren’t mysteries at all. Instead, they offer an insightful look into the daily experiences of cops – their stress, idiosyncrasies, frustrations, and rewards that come with their distinct roles. The series also humanizes them by allowing them to err, make poor decisions, and exhibit questionable judgment. In essence, it shows that sometimes they don’t emerge victorious in their struggles.

As a dedicated admirer, when crafting “Police Story” for NBC, Wambaugh made it clear he had two absolute must-haves: the series needed to be as authentic and grounded as possible, reflecting real-life police work; and he wanted an anthology format that allowed us to portray characters who aren’t always heroes, but rather flawed, dislikable, even doomed individuals. (Valdivia’s review)

The anthology format provided an opportunity for varying storylines, allowing for instances where villains escaped, main characters met their end, or law enforcement officers erred significantly, reflecting genuine police work as described by Wambaugh himself, according to Valdivia’s explanation on the DVD Verdict.

In the world of action-packed police dramas, I found myself eagerly awaiting the continuation of “Police Story.” This anticipation led me to the 1980 TV movie titled “Confessions of a Lady Cop,” a spin-off that continued the gripping narrative. The film, starring the talented Karen Black, was a captivating chapter in the Police Story saga.

In contrast to or maybe because of his passion for realism, Wambaugh infused humor into certain parts of his work. His humorous novel “The Choirboys” was transformed into a movie by Robert Aldrich in 1977. Although Wambaugh contributed unacknowledged to the screenplay adaptation, he later distanced himself from the completed film, which featured Charles Durning, Perry King, Tim McIntire, Randy Quaid, and Burt Young.

Following the movie adaptation of “The Onion Field,” came the 1980 feature film “The Black Marble,” directed once more by Harold Becker and adapted from his own novel by Joseph Wambaugh. Starring were Robert Foxworth and Paula Prentiss in a unique blend of romance and police drama. In this story, Foxworth portrayed a potentially mentally ill Russian LAPD officer who finds himself in a romantic relationship with his partner, played by Prentiss. Critic Roger Ebert described “The Black Marble” as an “unusual and distinctive comedy.

A TV film adaptation of Joseph Wambaugh’s “The Glitter Dome” was broadcast in 1984, with James Garner, Margot Kidder, and John Lithgow as the main stars.

In 1987, Wambaugh transformed his own novel into the CBS miniseries titled “Echoes in the Darkness.” This gripping production featured Peter Coyote, Stockard Channing, Robert Loggia, and Peter Boyle, who portrayed real-life characters from a tragic story. The story centered around the murder of a Pennsylvania teacher and her two children that took place in 1979.

The author held the position of supervising producer for the 1992 television film “From the Files of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury of One,” which featured John Spencer, and he transformed his own novel while also serving as executive producer for the 1993 television movie “Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert,” starring Sam Elliott and Teri Garr.

Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh, Jr., hailing from East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the son of a policeman. After serving in the Marines, he pursued and completed both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Cal State Los Angeles. In 1960, he became a part of the LAPD. Over the span of 14 years, he climbed the ranks from patrolman to detective sergeant at the Hollenbeck station within the department.

The New Centurions,” initially penned by Joseph Wambaugh in 1971, served as his debut work and the first to be adapted into other mediums. The adaptation was brought to life in a 1972 film, which was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, and Jane Alexander in prominent roles.

In the following year, his 1972 book “The Blue Knight” was transformed into an NBC miniseries titled the same, featuring William Holden and Lee Remick. This was then succeeded by a TV series from 1975-76, also called “The Blue Knight,” starring George Kennedy.

As his fame increased, he occasionally encountered situations where people who he had previously handcuffed would persistently ask for autographs, as mentioned in a 2008 NPR profile. Contrastingly, the chief of police in Los Angeles was displeased with the depictions of less-than-perfect L.A. cops in Wambaugh’s early books.

In the mid-70s, he parted ways with the LAPD following his sabbatical to pen “The Onion Field.” Wambaugh shared with Palm Springs Life in August 2007 that the excessive respect from his colleagues was almost intolerable. He explained, “If they had shown more resentment or jealousy, it would have been easier to handle, but they didn’t. They were kind. They opened doors for me. And that made things even harder.

2008 saw no significant transformation, as NPR reported: “Upon visiting the Hollywood police station he had immortalized, Joe Wambaugh is greeted like a celebrity. Posters of his films adorn the walls, and when he arrives, he’s asked to speak to the young officers during their morning briefing.

Apart from writing non-fiction pieces, Wambaugh also delved back into creating fictional narratives about the LAPD, starting with the “Hollywood Station” series from 2006 onwards.

In the 2000s, I had the privilege of learning the art of screenwriting from none other than Wambaugh, who graciously shared his wisdom with us as a guest speaker at UC San Diego’s esteemed theater department.

He is survived by his wife Dee, a daughter, a son, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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2025-02-28 21:19