Saturday, September 3, 2011

Rumors/Rezi Badiyi

By now most of you know that the article in the UK’s the Daily Mail got somehow garbled in my phone interview and that the story of the imminent revisiting of Cagney & Lacey either on television or the big screen is simply not accurate.

These things happen, although I am not at all clear how in this case since I was asked at the outset of the interview if the rumor of an upcoming production was true and I unequivocally responded that it was not. The conversation went on about the plausibility of such a thing and I acknowledged that we had often been approached by various writers and producers over the years and that we even had a few viable approaches including making it multi generational by bringing Cagney’s niece, Bridget, onto the force.

I believe I went on to lament that my perception was that MGM, the holders of the Cagney & Lacey copyrights, had other priorities, including revisiting their motion picture series of the James Bond franchise. That led me in the interview to segue into my thoughts about the website and the taking of the successful survey of fans, urging MGM to release the entire series on DVD.That was really my purpose in doing the interview in the first place. Oh well. 


I normally don’t mind these things. I have been misquoted or misunderstood more than once in my life, and am only sorry to have disappointed those of you who got excited about the prospect. You know… eventually the story will be accurate. Someday MGM will get around to remaking Cagney & Lacey; hopefully while our fan base is still on the planet. In that case, the Daily Mail has scooped all its competitors once again.
I don’t want to leave this site without making mention of the passing of one of the members of the Cagney & Lacey first family, director Reza Badiyi. He was more than a good friend. He was an inspiration to all of us as well as being one of the most prolific, efficient and caring directors I have ever known.

It was in one of our very first episodes with Sharon as Christine Cagney. We had a strong scene of conflict between the two women. It was a very good… very tough scene, with both women pulling out a lot of potent emotional pyrotechnics. Everyone on the set had to be impressed with the talent these two were demonstrating in those early days of our series as Reza, next to the camera, watched carefully. “Cut,” he said, then added, “…Let’s do one more.” He moved to the two actresses who had given their all and probably couldn’t imagine why their director hadn’t printed the take and moved on. Instead he came close, leaned toward them, and very gently said, “Don’t forget the love.”

Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly have told me more than once it was one of the most important directions they had ever received in their storied careers. “Don’t forget the love.” We will not, and we will always remember this beautiful, talented, man… Reza Badiyi.

Barney Rosenzweig, September 2, 2011

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Barney for this story, your blog, the book, your dedication to this incredible show, your talented and generous work.

Judy said...

Very sad to read of Reza Badiyi's passing....Among C&L's many unique qualities was the ability of everyone involved to create a community, a closeness between the creators and fans, so that when one of the "team" was lost, the sadness felt very real. Sidney Clute, Barbara Avedon, Ray Danton, Shelly List, Al Waxman, Dick O'Neill. I imagine everyone here who reads these names feels as I do and remembers with great affection these strangers who created something that had such impact on our lives. We didn't know them, but they sure knew us.

Nicky G said...

what a great read, thank you...
I first watched Cagney and Lacey when i was a teenager in England with my mum,
I wanted to be a cop but ended up being a teacher.
My mum is now very ill and i am not sure how much time she has, so we are now watching all seasons on Netflix.
It all brings back great times, So thank you for this amazing show.
Nicky from Tampa.Fl

D.J. said...

Thanks for sharing this wonderful insight. I so appreciate your dedication to your viewers/fans. C&L is still the finest example we have of strong female role models who don't have to give up being women to be successful! "Don't forget the love." Now I won't either. Keep us posted! Look forward to your reports always! :)

Tania Badiyi said...

Barney, I wanted to share with you that your beautiful account in your blog of Reza's ' don't forget the love' was read out loud to close friends and family gathered today to celebrate his life. Everyone was so moved by your memory of Reza's contribution. Indeed his gentle reminder contributed to all those he touched in work and in his personal life, and his spirit continues to do so. The girls and I have experienced tremendous love from all those he touched and inspired with his passion for life. Although you were not able to join us today, your presence and love was very much felt through the reading of your blog about Reza. The girls and I look forward to celebrating Rezas life with you and Sharon when you are next in town. Much love to you both.

CagneyandLaceysWebSquad said...

Tania, thank you so much for your comment. Barney would like to reply direct. Please could you let us have your e-mail address, either to his Assistant Carole R Smith, or if you don't have her address, to contactus@cagneyandlacey.com and we will forward it to him. Many thanks.

Nordsmetal said...

interesting article, thank you for this