FUZZ (1972)--Directed by Richard A. Colla. Stars Burt Reynolds, Tom Skerritt, Raquel Welch, Jack Weston, Yul Brynner. Evan Hunter, under his familiar pen name of Ed McBain, began writing novels about Detective Steve Carella and the fictional 87th Precinct of Isola in 1956, a series of police procedurals that continues to be published under the McBain banner nearly fifty years later. One of the most popular was 1968's FUZZ, which introduced Carella's arch-nemesis, an extraordinarily clever and vicious criminal known only as The Deaf Man.

Hunter wrote the screenplay for Filmways' adaptation of FUZZ, which accurately captures the chaotic camaraderie and the plodding lead-chasing that goes into typical police work. Clearly influenced by the works of Robert Altman and William Friedkin, FUZZ presents an offbeat squad of Boston detectives involved in a variety of crimes, some serious, others not so. Besides a mysterious terrorist nicknamed The Deaf Man (Brynner) who's assassinating various Boston political figures, the 87th Precinct investigates a serial rapist, liquor store holdup men, teenagers setting fire to holdup men, and the disappearance of office supplies from their own station house.

While Hunter's screenplay manages an even balance between the character-based humor and intricate mystery aspects that highlight his novels, director Colla keeps the pace rapid and the atmosphere of the squadroom properly gritty and hectic. Reynolds is miscast as the Carella of the novels (Robert Lansing, who played Carella in the 1960-61 TV series, is whom I picture), but is always at home in this type of lighthearted cop role, and works well with Weston (as Meyer Meyer) and Skerritt (as Bert Kling). Turner Classic Movies' Robert Osborne claims Welch (as undercover operative Eileen Burke) refused to share scenes with Reynolds (the two reportedly didn't get along while shooting 1969's 100 RIFLES), but they do in fact appear together in the squadroom. FUZZ's black comic tone won't appeal to everybody, but it fits snugly within the anti-police attitudes of the era and provides an entertaining film. Also with Dan Frazer (KOJAK), Peter Bonerz (THE BOB NEWHART SHOW), Tamara Dobson (CLEOPATRA JONES), James McEachin (TENAFLY), Steve Ihnat (THE HONKERS), Stewart Moss, Bert Remsen, Royce Applegate, Britt Leach, Norman Burton, Don Gordon (BULLITT), Brian Doyle-Murray (CADDYSHACK), Albert Popwell (DIRTY HARRY), Neile Adams, Richard Stahl, Charles Martin Smith (AMERICAN GRAFITTI)and Uschi Digard. Score by Dave Grusin; Dinah Shore performs the closing theme.

This film had a certain amount of notoriety sometime in the mid-70s right after its first network TV broadcast (which would have been in 1973 or 74). Within a day or two after its showing, some miscreants in Boston doused a woman with gasoline and set her on fire (killing her) and the Mayor blamed the TV broadcast of FUZZ, which featured a similar scene (also set in Boston) of youths setting a bum on fire. IIRC, there was a racial angle to the crime as well (black-on-white violence). If I've remembered any of this wrong (it's been 30 years), I apologize.

I think Brian is right about the racial angle in the Boston copy cat crime. The ABC affiliate pre empted the film when it re ran later in the season, and it was a fairly big story at the time.
I caught the TCM broadcast as well and found the movie wildly uneven and all over the map, but there are some good performances and a few laughs. Raquel looks fine but is serious miscast and exudes not one shred of credibility as a policewoman. Some sequences are rediculous and destroy any serious aspirations the film might have posessed.
And what the hell is up with that final shot? It makes no sense what so ever. Maybe it was supposed to be a witty final twist or something but comes off more like proof this film was mis-directed.
A could have been in my book.
Uschi Digard fans need not track this down..she is only featured in a brief clip seen on a machine at porn store.