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Philly Heat
July 1, 1995
Lee Tergesen played Ivan Loki in this unsold pilot for ABC.
"Philly Heat" was filmed in 1993-94, and it had been conceived as a
one-hour drama series to begin airing in the 1994 fall season.
However, the show proved to be too costly to
develop.
That's because "Philly Heat" -- written and produced by
Tom Fontana -- depended on real footage to drive the story.
According to an item at AllYourTV.com,
this is how it worked:
Filmmakers rode along with Philadelphia's
real Engine 50 and onboard a second mock Engine 50, manned by actors and firefighter-actors from
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22. ... The footage was processed and printed, then given to the writing staff, which developed dialogue, script and stories around
the real incidents. In the fall, dialogue was filmed on a sound stage that was built in a warehouse along the Delaware River.
The same report says "Philly Heat" aired as a three-part
miniseries during the summer of 1994. But I've only found evidence
that the one-hour pilot ever aired, and not until July 1, 1995.
Lee appears briefly in a scene in the middle of the show. At a
pub frequented by firefighters, he
taunts John Falletta, a heroic-but-troubled firefighter recently
suspended for disobeying orders. "I can't believe the city's
best fireman got bounced from the city's best company," Loki
says to Falletta (Adam Trese).
Falletta's snappy comeback: "You should trim your nose hairs."
(Lee/Loki is sporting a rather droopy moustache.) More testy words
are exchanged, and Loki stalks away to rejoin his friends.
The heated exchange prompts Kevin Gaffney (Tate Donovan) --
Falletta's best friend and fellow firefighter -- to warn: "Loki's a pinhead. You know you should stay
away from him."
Falletta's very Oz-like reply: "He's my bitch."
A few minutes later, Falletta walks over to Loki and starts a
fight. He's dragged away, the scene ends, and that's the last we see
of Lee in "Philly Heat."
Some notable guest appearances: Julianna Margulies, who played
nurse Carol Hathaway on "ER," plays ... a nurse! Pat McNamara
plays the owner of the pub where the Loki/Falletta brawl takes
place. He also plays the owner of the pub in "The
Beat." (Avoiding type-casting, he's Dr. Prestopnick in
"Oz.")
The main cast members included Peter Boyle, Ving Rhames, Tate
Donovan, Adam Trese and Mary Mara (another Fontana regular, like
Lee).
Click here for an ABC press release promoting and providing more
details about the show.
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