Mein Dank für diesen Fund geht an Sam Chen aus meinem Nostalgie Crime Board:Tom Selleck's commitment to Jesse Stone character is solid as a rock30.6.2009
Jesse Stone is a guy with a lot of baggage. He drinks too much and his personal life has had its share of wrecks. But Tom Selleck likes him.
"He's a pretty darn good policeman and dedicated to his job," Selleck said during a recent telephone interview. "We also like to show his humanity."
Selleck has played Stone in five made-for-TV movies, the latest being "Thin Ice," which is now available on DVD. A sixth one, "No Remorse," has been completed.
The Stone films, each pulling in stellar ratings, are more examples of the drawing power of Selleck, who became a full-fledged star in the 1980s with his "Magnum, P.I." series. Still, he wasn't really looking for another character to develop until CBS approached him five years ago.
"They asked me about doing a movie with them," Selleck said. "I wasn't crazy about the idea because I didn't want to be involved in another one of those movies of the week. They look like TV movies. I told them I would do it if we could do something that looked like a feature film that had been sold to television."
CBS agreed and production began on the first film, "Stone Cold." Robert Parker, who is the author of the Stone books, was brought in on the project and Selleck had nothing but praise for Parker's efforts.
"The book was 350 pages and Robert Parker trimmed it down to 90 pages," Selleck said. "He changed so many things to make it a screenplay. He seemed pleased with the results. We did so well with the first one that we decided to do another and then another."
How many Jesse Stone movies will there be?
"I don't see an end to it as long as we stay true to the character," Selleck said. "Parker asked us for only two things: to continue Jesse's struggles with his ex-wife and his drinking problem. These are a series of films where the characters are more important than the crime or mystery that is being investigated."
That character-driven approach is never more evident than in the new DVD release, "Thin Ice."
In this one, Stone, the sheriff of Paradise, Mass., finds himself at odds with the town council over several things. He misses time on the job after his friend, State Homicide Commander Healey (Stephen McHattie), is wounded during a shootout in Boston. The police there want to question Stone about the incident. Meanwhile, Stone fires a member of the Paradise Police Department for writing too many tickets. The council sees that as a loss of revenue.
Stone also helps a woman who shows up in town searching for her missing child. At first, Stone discourages the woman, but he can't get the case out of his mind and gradually becomes involved in it. That doesn't sit well with the council, either, but Stone presses on.
And just when you think you know where the film is going with all of this, it takes an unexpected turn.
"Yeah, we kind of threw a little twist in there," Selleck said, with the sound of satisfaction in his voice. "Audiences are pretty sophisticated but most people are very surprised by it. I really feel good about it."
There's another twist — a small one to be sure — in the movie. Whenever he goes home for the evening, Stone's routine is to immediately pour himself a drink. In one sequence during the second half of the film, Stone does just that. Then he looks at the full glass. A moment later, he pours it back into the bottle.
"When you're doing a series with continuing characters, there are going to be some changes as they evolve," Selleck said. "Over time, people slowly change." That doesn't mean Stone is giving up the bottle but it's an example of the inner conflicts he wrestles with each day.
Reprising their roles from previous Jesse Stone movies are William Devane as Jesse's psychiatrist, Dr. Dix; Kathy Baker as Rose Gammon; and Kohl Sudduth as "Suitcase" Simpson.
No matter how many Jesse Stone films Selleck makes, he knows he'll always be closely associated with the character of Thomas Magnum. He doesn't mind.
"I've always been proud of that series and I still am," Selleck said.
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Robert Urich Biographie - An Extraordinary Life - ab 30.08.2019
