An Evening With Cagney & Lacey in Person
Wed 10/7 • 7:30PM PDT
Billy Wilder Theater
Part of: Archive Television Treasures
In person: Q&A with actors Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless, executive producer Barney Rosenzweig.
Made possible by the John H. Mitchell Television Programming Endowment
Cagney & Lacey aired on CBS from 1982–1988, immediately elevating the episodic police genre with its remarkable style and substance. Starring Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey and Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney, the show, throughout its tenure, received numerous Emmy nominations and several awards honoring its lead performers, writers, directors and the series itself. Accompanied by an outstanding supporting cast, Daly and Gless triumph as detective partners and best friends who navigate the ethics and perils of law enforcement and confront the complexities of 1980s feminist politics through the microcosm of the New York City police force.
Writing partners Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday, and executive producer Barney Rosenzweig, were moved to action by Molly Haskell’s book, From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies, and Haskell’s critique of the film industry’s refusal to take seriously women “buddy” pictures. Cagney & Lacey was first conceived of as a feature film script in 1974. CBS initially produced the material in 1981 as a television movie; after many fits and starts, in 1982 the series was launched. From its inception, the show generated debate and controversy around the representation of women on television and the series’ commitment to grounding storylines in topical subjects including abortion, alcoholism, rape, sexual harassment and criminal justice. While CBS executives were threatened by the concept of a dramatic series centered on two women detectives, a strong and dedicated female viewership was vocal in its appreciation for long overdue complex women characters.
Join us for a celebration of Cagney & Lacey with series stars Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless and executive producer Barney Rosenzweig in person. Following the screening, there will be a conversation moderated by Archive Research and Study Center Officer Maya Montañez Smukler.
Program notes by Archive Research and Study Center Officer Maya Montañez Smukler.