Dear Detective (TV Series) Pilot (1979) User Reviews

Viva Vaccaro!

[moonspinner55 · 8/10 · 18 February 2001]

Brenda Vaccaro never really fit into any conventional Hollywood mold; even a brief stint as Michael Douglas' real-life girlfriend didn't get her major press, so the lady had to find her own way. Terrific early spots in "Midnight Cowboy" and the Robert Mitchum mood piece "Going Home" didn't quite afford her a following, but in 1974 she got an Oscar nod as an unabashed man-chaser in "Once Is Not Enough", and Hollywood finally began taking notice. In this TV-pilot/French remake, Vaccaro really hits her stride playing a crafty crime-solver. Brenda is surrounded by colorful cohorts (including a charming Ron Silver, back when he really WAS charming), and she's feisty, funny, and totally into her character. The subsequent television series was also good but lacked the consistently strong writing of this opener. Years have gone by, but I still think of this movie and some of Vaccaro's expressions and responses. She's a gem!

Hilarious daily non-cop life details, simpatico boyfriend

[bonesukl · 10/10 · 18 August 2004]

I assume this series was short lived and not a success. I saw only a couple of episodes. But I loved it. I loved the cop's day off, doing the spring cleaning with her daughter and sister (?) in tow, to the strains of Italian opera. I loved the stake-out in the beauty salon, when she has to go do her duty with her hair full of curlers!

And I loved it that her boyfriend was a Classics professor! And that in at least 1 episode that I remember, he shows an unexpected knack for detective work!

I note that this series is not available for home viewing. How may one lobby to get it by way of video or DVD? It haunts me!

Brenda Vaccaro is a charmer but the film falls flat

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 12 October 2009]

Brenda Vaccaro gives a completely charming performance in "Dear Detective", but the rest of the film is below her level. She is sweet and endearing, but the script gives her only one chance to show her much-respected detective skills (comparing two photographs and noticing a small but crucial difference), and even has her behaving extremely unprofessionally at least once (delaying the investigation and stopping an entire train full of passengers just to to give a letter to her potential love interest). The script at least manages to successfully mislead the viewer regarding the motive of the murders that Vaccaro's character, Kate, is investigating, but does not even bother with an attempt at explaining how the killer is able to stab the victims with an ice pick from a very close distance in very public places and get away without anyone noticing anything, one time in fact right before the eyes of many policemen! And a car passing in front of a moving train is as close as the film gets to "action". The romantic parts work slightly better, thanks largely to Vaccaro's presence. Dean Hargrove's direction is mostly flat, save for a bizarre music-slapstick-comedy sequence. Apparently this led to a short-lived TV series with the same main cast. ** out of 4.