Pilot

The seventy-minute Pilot of Starsky and Hutch, also known as "The Threat", was released on April 30, 1975, on the ABC network.

Plot Summary
Intended to kill Starsky and Hutch, a couple of men end up accidentally killing a couple in a Ford Gran Torino that looks similar to that of Zebra Three. Now the two detectives must investigate not only to find out the ones who caused the murders, but also find the ones who want them dead.

Characters (as listed in the credits)

 * Det. Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Debut)
 * Det. Dave Starsky (Debut)
 * Fat Rolly
 * D. A. Mark Henderson
 * Canell
 * Huggy Bear (Debut)
 * Captain Dobey (Debut)
 * Frank Tallman
 * Mrs. Gretchen Knebel
 * Steele
 * Vinnie
 * Patty
 * Tourist
 * Lijah
 * Stan
 * Secretary
 * Apartment Manager
 * Coley

Trivia

 * David Soul originally wanted to play Starsky, believing Hutch was too "white bread".
 * Huggy Bear scored as high as Starsky and Hutch with the audience.
 * Feature script originally set at night, and titled Night Side.
 * Paul Michael Glaser didn't believe a TV series would follow the pilot.
 * The recurring joke "I'm Starsky, he's Hutch!" most likely was repeated so often throughout the pilot, so that audiences would be able to distinguish them from the get-go.

Continuity

 * When Starsky jumps into the swimming pool after the hitman, he is wearing his trademark white cardigan. As he climbs out, however, he is wearing a blue shirt. A moment later, he is wearing the cardigan.
 * When Starsky comes out of the pool, his famous Mexican sweater has a very wide strip in the middle with a pattern of hearts. However when he first went in the pool and when he gets his sweater dried in the next scene, it's his original sweater he was wearing throughout the pilot which has a much narrower strip with a pattern of right side up and upside down triangles.
 * The license plate number on the Torino that Starsky drives to the gym is the same as the Torino with the bullet holes in the window that is seen in the police garage, but it is supposed to be a different car. (848 ASB)
 * (at around 1h 04 mins) Zane or Cannel put two shotgun blasts through the door, with Starsky just to the left of it in the hall. When the bad guys open the door from the inside the two holes made by the blast are gone.
 * When Starsky jumps into the swimming pool after the hitman, his gun is in his right hand when we see him in his blue shirt. When we see him a second later with the sweater back on, his gun is now in his left hand.
 * Near the beginning of the film we see Starsky and Hutch about to get into their car in a very busy street, they themselves are virtually surrounded by onlookers, but as they get into the car and drive off the street is deserted.

Miscellaneous

 * The gym owner is credited as "Vinnie" but is called "Frankie" throughout.
 * On the Captain's door, his name is spelled "DOBY" instead of "Dobey".

Other

 * About 8:30 min in, after Starsky & Hutch bust the pickpocket, there are many background people laughing and grinning, as they stare straight into the camera, while they watch the filming. It is evident that those weren't paid extras.
 * The two hit men (Zane and Cannell) are allegedly watching the famous John Wayne western "Red River" on TV. However, the footage they are watching of a cattle drive is in color, whilst "Red River" was a black and white film.


 * At the end in the alley, a boom mic is visible in Hutch's car rear window reflection as he drives away.