Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
The Rookies
S1.E12
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

A Bloody Shade of Blue

  • Episode aired Dec 11, 1972
  • TV-PG
  • 51m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
29
YOUR RATING
A Bloody Shade of Blue (1972)
CrimeDrama

Investigating a shooting, the Rookies learn the victim Miller wore a police uniform as a costume. In the next attack, Webster loses his sight temporarily; despite this disability, he helps b... Read allInvestigating a shooting, the Rookies learn the victim Miller wore a police uniform as a costume. In the next attack, Webster loses his sight temporarily; despite this disability, he helps break the case.Investigating a shooting, the Rookies learn the victim Miller wore a police uniform as a costume. In the next attack, Webster loses his sight temporarily; despite this disability, he helps break the case.

  • Director
    • E.W. Swackhamer
  • Writers
    • Rita Lakin
    • William Blinn
  • Stars
    • Georg Stanford Brown
    • Sam Melville
    • Michael Ontkean
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.6/10
    29
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • E.W. Swackhamer
    • Writers
      • Rita Lakin
      • William Blinn
    • Stars
      • Georg Stanford Brown
      • Sam Melville
      • Michael Ontkean
    • 2User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Top cast13

    Edit
    Georg Stanford Brown
    Georg Stanford Brown
    • Officer Terry Webster
    Sam Melville
    Sam Melville
    • Officer Mike Danko
    Michael Ontkean
    Michael Ontkean
    • Officer Willie Gillis
    Kate Jackson
    Kate Jackson
    • Jill Danko
    Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    • Lt. Ryker
    Brooke Bundy
    Brooke Bundy
    • Lynn
    Jared Martin
    Jared Martin
    • Buzz
    Stanley Kamel
    Stanley Kamel
    • Lou
    Patricia Stich
    • Shirley
    • (as Pat Stitch)
    Zack Taylor
    • Karl Miller
    Hank Brandt
    • Reporter
    Russell Thorson
    Russell Thorson
    • Old Man
    John A. Zee
    John A. Zee
    • Dr. Cooper
    • Director
      • E.W. Swackhamer
    • Writers
      • Rita Lakin
      • William Blinn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews2

    8.629
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    Jimmy_the_Gent4

    Cop Haters Shoot At Terry

    Terry is temporarily blinded after being ambushed by a pair of masked snipers.

    A great episode, it begins with a startling shoot out of a man being shot in his apartment. It turns out the guy was in a police uniform as a masquerade costume the night before, this turns into the story of the ambushes on cops. After Terry is wounded he is helped by a nurse Lynn, a Southerner new to the area. Brooke Bundy is adorable as Lynn, who is sweet and naive, but has never been friends with a black person. They have good scenes together and provide entertaining moments in addition to the suspense of capturing the killers.
    10tweezey

    A Great Storyline, why not a 2-Parter?

    This storyline was quite good, but, considering all the plots and subplots going on, it would have been even better if it was a 2 part episode. The acting was really believable, especially that of Georg Stanford Brown. He really made his (temporary) blindness very realistic. Had this been for 2 hours, maybe there could've been additional scenes with Terry interacting with Mike, Willie and Jill, where he reflects on his fears of his future with permanently impaired vision. I felt that, given the type of injury he sustained, he should have been shown as portraying more, and stronger emotions, i.e., anger, hopelessness, despair, etc, as he fights to come to terms with the possibility of sustaining permanent blindness. Terry never once expressed anger toward the snipers for blinding him, which would have been a normal reaction on his part. This would have really added to the storyline, with his friends/colleagues being with him in additional scenes, offering their comfort and support to help him accept whatever fate was in store for him.

    I really loved the interactions between Terry and Lynn and laughed about how she told him his music would brutalize him. I could see their relationship going further if the storyline had been longer. They really were great together! Another part I liked was when Willie was visiting Terry in his hospital room and he told Terry how he sorry he felt because he was to blame for Terry getting ambushed. Terry did get a little melancholy, but he never showed any anger or frustration. This part would've been better if it could've been expanded to show more emotional overtures, like maybe opening up to Willie about how scared he was, or maybe unleashing his temper in a fit of anger over his helplessness.

    One part was a bit lame, and that's the part where Jill just openly gave Buzz Terry's address, without knowing who he really was. I felt it "rushed" the ending a bit, with the killers knowing just how to find him. Freely giving out info to a perfect stranger just doesn't happen.

    All in all, this was one of the best episodes of the series. Great acting by everyone, this should not be missed!

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This episode about the connection between a (temporarily) blind black man and a caring white woman, takes inspiration from similarly titled "A Patch of Blue" (1965). That movie focuses on the connection between a blind white woman and a caring black man.
    • Goofs
      This is when Terry and Lynn are in Terry's car going on their picnic. Lynn noticed the suspects' green van following them by looking in the rear-view mirror...only, there is no mirror in the car. It should be noted that she didn't look in either the left or right side-view mirrors, she specifically looked up where the rear-view mirror would normally be.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Cooper: [Officer Terry Webster has been taken to Memorial Hospital after two snipers shot at him while he was in his police car. When the bullets struck the car windshield, numerous fragments of glass were shattered and blown into his eyes. He is now in the hospital operating room and is lying faceup on the OR table, awaiting surgery to remove the glass fragments. He's been given a sedative to help calm him, but he is fully awake and conversing with the eye surgeon, Dr Cooper. Terry's vision is very blurry, which the viewers are seeing from his perspective] Officer Webster, can you hear me?

      Officer Terry Webster: [Terry's frightened eyes are open and his soft voice is somewhat muffled by the sheet that has been placed over his nose and mouth. He nods slightly as he answers Dr Cooper] I hear you.

      Dr. Cooper: [the doctor and nurse are looking down at Terry. Their faces and the overhead lights are blurry as he peers up at them] There are a great many slivers of glass in both your eyes, Officer Webster. I'm going to try to remove them, but I need your help. Do you understand what I am saying?

      Officer Terry Webster: [Terry, peering up at the doctor, answers in a low, shuddering voice] I understand.

      Dr. Cooper: [Dr Cooper continues his dialogue with Terry, looking down at him] I can't put you to sleep, Officer Webster, because in trauma cases, there's too much of a possibility of... nausea. You've been sedated, but a certain amount of discomfort... will be unavoidable... until the anaesthetic takes effect. Do you understand what I've just said to you?

      Officer Terry Webster: [Terry's eyes, which have swelled up, are beginning to leak tears, which start to drip onto the surgical hat that is covering his hair. He sighs, then answers the doctor softly] Sounds like... . you're reading me my rights.

      Dr. Cooper: [Dr Cooper confirms his question to make sure Terry fully understands what is going on] I just want to make sure you understand what's going to happen.

      Officer Terry Webster: [Terry's soft voice is very calm and quiet, even though he's scared to death] I get it... let's do it.

      Dr. Cooper: [the doctor pulls the overhead magnifier over closer to Terry's face and positions it directly over his wide-open, apprehensive eyes; its light shines brightly into them. Dr Cooper, reaching over for an instrument on the tray, replies to Terry in a calm, assured voice] All right... here we go...

      [Dr Cooper begins the tedious surgery of removing the many tiny glass fragments from Terry's eyes. He looks thru the lenses on the magnifyer and uses tweezers to begin removing the glass fragments from Terry's eyes. It is very blurry as he begins the procedure, as the viewers are seeing it from Terry's perspective]

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 11, 1972 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • 743 S Carondelet St, Los Angeles, California, USA(exterior: gunmen on rooftop shooting at Terry & Willie after shooting Karl Miller)
    • Production company
      • Spelling-Goldberg Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 4:3

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.