Now we mourn Karl Malden, Lt. Mike Stone of 'Streets of San Francisco'

July 1, 4:18 PMTV on DVD ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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    Karl Malden pictured in the 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film
    "I Confess." (Wiki Commons/public domain)

This parade of celebrities passing is getting tougher and tougher for a TV fan like us to take. First, Ed McMahon, then Gale Storm.

And now Karl Malden. The Associated Press reports Malden has died at age 97. Bless his heart.

Malden had a long career as a movie actor before stepping into TV. And not B-movie roles, either, but some real film classes. "On the Waterfront," "Gypsy," "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Patton," "Pollyanna" and "How the West Was Won," to name a few. Nice additions to your resume. And that's just a small portion.

But on television, he will probably best be remembered as Lt. Mike Stone on "The Streets of San Francisco" with Michael Douglas as young Inspector Steve Keller. Stone was a hard-nosed (no pun intended) veteran city cop working with an inexperienced (at the beginning) partner. The partnership jelled beautifully -- the show ran from 1972-77 and became a source of pride for the City by the Bay.

Speaking of that nose, an Associated Press obituary said Malden attributed it to breaking it playing basketball or football. He joked about it, saying he was "the only actor in Hollywood whose nose qualifies him for handicapped parking."

But "Streets" wasn't Malden's only iconic TV work. He became well known for his ever-present (it seemed) commercials for American Express Travelers Cheques for 21 years.

They became so much a part of popular culture that Johnny Carson spoofed them on "The Tonight Show."

His final TV role was a guest role on "The West Wing" as Father Thomas Cavanaugh in 2000.

Two seasons in four volumes of "The Streets of San Francisco" are available on DVD. A reunion film, "Back to the Streets of San Francisco," in 1992, is not available, sadly.

"The Streets of San Francisco" is a police drama we enjoy watching again and again. We hope you do, too. Thanks, Karl.

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