| "Star Struck" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 2.12 | → |
| Production number: 67406 First aired: 7 January 1992 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Robert Nathan & Sally Nemeth Story By David Black & Alan Gelb Directed By Edwin Sherin | ||
An obsessed fan tries to blame the voices in his head for the brutal beating of a soap opera actress.
Plot[]
Plot
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Paul Sorvino as Sergeant Phil Cerreta
- Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
- Michael Moriarty as Executive A.D.A. Benjamin Stone
- Richard Brooks as A.D.A. Paul Robinette
- Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff
Recurring cast[]
Guest cast[]
- Blanche Baker as Lucy Neven
- Stephen Joyce as Jack Gaffney
- Bradley White as Jesse Unger
- Jordan Charney as Dr. Mandell
- Lenka Peterson as Olivia
- Werner Klemperer as William Unger
- Cheryl Lynn Bruce as Dr. Raphael
- David Drake as Tim Voorman
- Kimberley Pistone as Sara
- June Stein as Munroe
- Currie Graham as Mitchell Burkitt
- Allison Janney as Nora
- Pippin Parker as Kleinman
- Adam Redfield as Nichols
- Eda Seasongood as Helen Neven
- Julie White as Sandy
- Jessica Weglein as Amanda
- James Colby as Donahue
- Michael Arkin as Harpy
- Adam Heller as Ronson
- Ivan Kronenfeld as Blair
- Paul Malluk as Whitney
- Ed Jupp Jr. as Wadsworth
- Paul Albe as EMT
- Ashley Carin as Jessica
- Ashley Chase as Tisha
- Norman Levy as Foreman
- Joseph Mosso as Policeman
References[]
- Bellevue Hospital Center
- Auditory hallucination
- John Hinckley, Jr.
- President of the United States
- Ronald Reagan
- John Lennon
- Atlanta, Georgia
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Los Angeles
- Denver, Colorado
Quotes[]
- Logan: It's his John Lennon theory.
- Cragen: I hope her mail is more interesting than mine.
- Logan: No contest, this should be postmarked 'Bellevue'.
- Cerreta: We have three solid cuckoos in town, one in Atlanta, two in St. Louis, three in L.A., and one in Denver.
- Logan: Thou shalt not steal, except when nobody gets hurt?
- Jack Gaffney: This guy has got toys in the attic.
- Stone: They say if this goes to trial, you'll be able to testify.
- Helen Neven: Don't force yourself, honey.
- Lucy Neven: I'll testify, if I have to crawl into the courtroom.
- Jack Gaffney: Ghost of John Hinckley, is that it? Shoots the President of the United States and gets off?
- Paul Robinette: We're not Gods. We're not even angels.
- Lucy Neven: He sounds crazier than ever.
- Stone: He's shrewder than ever; he wants to sound crazy!
Trivia[]
- The cast for this episode included three actors who previously appeared on WWII-themed programs. Michael Moriarty and Blanche Baker were in the miniseries "Holocaust." Moriarty played a Nazi officer, and Baker played a Jewish woman condemned to die at Auschwitz. Werner Klemperer played Colonel Klink in "Hogan's Heroes." [It is further interesting to note that Klemperer, as well as three other actors who were featured in prominent roles as Nazi officers in "Hogan's Heroes," was Jewish.] Moriarty, Baker, and Klemperer all won Emmy awards for their respective roles in these programs.
Background information and notes[]
- This episode seems to be based on several different stalking victims, including the cases of Rebecca Schaeffer, Theresa Saldana, and Andrea Evans.
- Rebecca Schaeffer was stalked and then murdered, prompting the passage of anti-stalking laws in California. Schaeffer was best known for her role in the sitcom My Sister Sam. Schaeffer's story is recounted in the true crime book True Stories of Law & Order by Kevin Dwyer and Juré Fiorillo. (Source: Rebecca Schaeffer at Wikipedia)
- Theresa Saldana was the stalking victim of Arthur Richard Jackson, a 46 year old drifter from Aberdeen, Scotland. Jackson stabbed her in the torso 10 times, with a 5 1/2 inch knife, near the front of her home in broad daylight, almost killing her. Saldana recovered after 4 hours of surgery, and a 4-month hospital stay. (Source: Theresa Saldana at Wikipedia)
- Andrea Evans dropped out of public view for nearly a decade. Years later she revealed that she had left to escape a persistent stalker who had gone as far as breaking into the ABC studios in New York City, intent on killing her. (Source: Andrea Evans at Wikipedia)
- Jack Gaffney mentioned John Hinckley in this episode. Hinckley injured U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three others during an assassination attempt in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981. The event was the culmination of an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster. After repeated viewings of the 1976 movie Taxi Driver, in which a disturbed protagonist, Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro, plots to assassinate a presidential candidate, Hinckley developed an obsession with Jodie Foster, who played a child prostitute in the film. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and remained under institutional psychiatric care until he was released on September 10, 2016. He now lives with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. (Source: John Hinckley, Jr. at Wikipedia)
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
St. Teresa's Hospital |
Office of |
Chambers of |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "His Hour Upon the Stage" |
"Star Struck" Law & Order Season 2 |
Next episode: "Severance" |