Why the Heck Would They Change His Name?

Cop Hater was the first book in Ed McBain's awesome 87th Precinct series, inspired by Dragnet and thus created with the idea of presenting police work in a relatively realistic manner, but with the identity of the lead protagonist shifting between different detectives in the precinct from one book to the next. The lead in this first book was Steve Carella, who (after McBain's unsuccessful attempt to kill him off in the third book) would become the most common lead protagonist.

Cop Hater involves the murder of several police officers. At first, it appears the killer must be a psycho who just wants to kill cops. But Carella gradually begins to suspect there might be a deeper purpose, which in turn leads to inadvertently putting his fiance, deaf/mute Teddy Franklin, in danger. It's an excellent story with a very satisfying ending.

It was published in 1956 and I just recently learned that it was adapted into a film in 1958, with Robert Loggia playing the lead character.

It's a very faithful adaptation of the book, with a screenplay written by Henry Kane--another talented crime novelist. The cast is great, with the detectives all looking like regular, working-class joes, doing their job and following up clues in a methodical fashion. Eleanor Parker does a wonderful job as Teddy Franklin and establishes a real rapport with Loggia.

There's a fun bit involving a gang of teen gang members who have been arrested after they attacked a cop. The leader of the gang is played by an impossibly-young Jerry Orbach, years before he switched sides and became a grizzled veteran cop on Law and Order.

Not only did the movie keep the book's plot intact (which includes scenes of cops following up leads that prove to be dead ends, adding to their growing frustration), but it also includes the plot point that the city is suffering a really intense heat wave. As in the book, the heat keeps everyone sweaty and on edge, adding to the overall tense atmosphere of the story.

There are several odd changes, though, both involving name changes. First, Loggia's partner is changed from Hank Bush to Mike Maguire. I suppose this might be because the actor (Gerald O'Loughlin) looks more like a Maguire than a Bush.

The other and more inexplicable change is to Loggia's character. He's not Steve Carella. He's Steve Carelli.

It's not that big a deal and certainly doesn't affect the quality of the movie, but I can't help but wonder why. The character still has an obviously Italian name, so it wasn't that. (Besides, for a 1950s film, it didn't shy from including a black detective in the precinct.) It's such a silly, little change. Was it a typo in the script no one noticed? Was it some weird decision by an annoying producer?

We'll probably never know. The movie is on Amazon Prime and is worth watching.