PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR WRITERS ON HIGHWAY PATROL
1. This is basically an action documentary series. We take great
care not to imitate any of the other well-known police,
detective, sheriff, or district attorney type shows that are
on the air.
2. We show the crime quickly or let it have happened. Our crooks
are clever or the problem insurmountable and Mathews solves
it. We do not like to have criminals caught or the crime
solved because thieves fall out. It must be solved by Mathews
thinking and using good police work.
3. The tag must wrap up the crime and all the criminals leaving
no loose ends. Another very important element in our tag is
that after Mathews has apparently solved the crime, some other
last minute thing must happen so that our audience will not
know the picture is over. An example would be -- two minutes
before the end, Mathews solves the crime and holds the
criminals at bay -- but a minute and a half from the end they
do something which makes it look as though they are going to
get away and Mathews' quick thinking and courage stops them.
We like to have a last line to the criminal and final going
away shot.
Dan Mathews, played by Broderick Crawford, is the head of the
Highway Patrol and as such, travels from town to town and
office to office. There should always be a crisp clean
introduction of Broderick Crawford as Dan Mathews as though
the dialog and camera or voice over are saying, "This is Dan
Mathews, Head of the Highway Patrol." Dan has no personal
life so we don’t talk about wives, children, girl friends nor
does he, at any time have any personal relationship with any
of the characters. This does not mean, however, that he
cannot know his officers and their families. It is very
important that he is not written tough. He can fight and
enter gun play. He walks very well and we prefer not to have
him run unless absolutely necessary. He should never be
brought into anything that would be out of his jurisdiction,
such as -- investigating a pick pocket, etc.
|