Hutch's football poster

[mortmere]

The football poster on Hutch's door has always baffled me (read: I've never liked it). Why does he have a poster of George Andrie, #66, a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, ruining the otherwise beautiful decor?

Apparently Hutch likes football enough to own a ball (seen on the top shelf of his cupboard in ”The Fix” and in his car in ”JoJo”) and to make that drunken offer in ”Starsky's Lady” to play it professionally, but still... The poster just looks so out of place among his neatly framed art posters and photographs.



The poster is a late development: it only appears there in the latter half of S3 (”Murder One”), but then stays there until the end. Before that, the door was happily undecorated.

What can we learn about the poster itself? Any clues as to why it's there?

Andrie's football career ended in 1972 (due to bad back – does Hutch sympathize?). He was with Dallas Cowboys when they won the 1971 NFL season. The other players in the poster are wearing the American Conference's Pro Bowl uniforms from 1971-1972. (One of them might be a Norwegian from Kansas City Chiefs, Jan Stenerud.) These would've been some guys Andrie played against in the Pro Bowl, if he played in that game. Though if he played, he'd have been wearing a different uniform - let me say, the content of this poster makes less and less sense the more I learn about it!) 

Anyway, the above details date the poster to around 1972. 

Where has Hutch been hiding it for six years?

The most interesting detail, though, and reason I ended up writing this post is SHOES: this poster seems to be as much about Adidas football shoes as it is about a specific football player or team. I noticed only recently that those shoes on the right bottom corner are not on anyone's feet – they are two different left-foot shoes, placed there like in an advertisement. (After some completely unnecessary research, I'd say the one on the right is a "University" football shoe, and the other one is a ”Turf Streak” football shoe.) 

The #66 on the poster is prominent, but nothing on the poster says what it was primarily for, and I guess we'll never know what is the main reason it appeals to Hutch: the game, the players, the team, or the shoe brand? 

I'm warming to the poster's presence now, though. It reminds me of another sports poster that doesn't seem to have particular significance to its owner: Starsky's Speedo poster that is seen at least in ”Gillian” and ”Committee”. Starsky says he hates water, but still he has a swimming poster (two, in fact) prominently on display. The Speedo poster is also among the few things I've noticed he took with him when he moved.

All this got me thinking these posters might be gag gifts, like the ant farm and the tree (though I personally love that tree! the best gift ever!). The idea that the ugly football poster is a jokey but affectionate gift from Starsky (who was a defensive back in his high school football team) makes it a lot nicer.

DISCLAIMER: I don't like American football and know nothing about it except what I learned in writing this, so excuse any terminology flubs. I drafted this post a couple of months ago, and now I'm amazed that I bothered doing all that research to date the poster. It was a bitch to find out what the red and white uniforms of the players in the smaller photo were about, but the "A" on the helmet got me there in the end. Luckily, there are VERY dedicated football sites! Fans, be it sports or media fans, tend to be pretty thorough. :D

Comments

[matsir]

I, too, noticed it as off-personality for Hutch. This and the Speedos poster are probably paid placements, but my head-canon explanations are 1. It's from Starsky and he put it up just for that reason. 2. It's covering a crack/stain from one of the many break-in-and-destroys that his place has had. or 3. It's a souvenir of a one night stand. Hutch had no idea who the attractive mid-westerner was when they hooked up at the MSP airport hotel, but has fond memories of their night together and gets a secret thrill displaying a conquest's photo out in the open! (I *may* over think these things!)

[mortmere]

#3, you're killing me! :D I like the way your mind works. Now we need that worked into a fic.

Funny, my innocent mind didn't even consider they might really be paid placements (any less than in the case of Starsky or any number of other characters in the show wearing Adidas shoes). This one looks awfully untidy and vague to be a planned piece of advertising. I don't know, sometimes these things are so baffling. Another ad, from the T.J. Hooker ep where Leonard Nimoy guest-starred, comes to mind - I know it was a real advertisement for whipped cream, but it was placed in such a funny way, for no apparent reason... Let's see if this link works: http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/mortmere/media/bWVkaWFJZDoyMjc2NTUxNw

[matsir]

'Top Your Favorite Bottom'!?!?!!! Ohmyghu, I'm hurting from laughing and loving it! That is the best bit of out of context slashiness ever!

[mortmere]

AND there's a cherry on top! :D

[garrideb]

I was thinking #2 also, that a poster is the lowest-energy way to "fix" a gouge in the door. But I love your idea for #3! As much as I ship S/H, I'm all about the Hutch/OMC, too.

[garrideb]

Great post! I agree that the posters seem a bit out-of-character, but living in an area where football is ubiquitous, it never bothered me too much. I appreciate the research you did to look for deeper meanings!

[mortmere]

Hmm, this is Andrie in 1972:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/5e/c1/3e5ec10df9b0ab47694861a58ede34c0.jpg

[mortmere]

Thanks! Well, yeah, I can't really say the poster has diminished my enjoyment of the show too much. This type of research is always fun when one gets going.

And, of course, the reality of our households doesn't entirely reflect who we are, and sometimes there are things put on display just to give a certain appearance - hmm, would Hutch attempt to reassert his masculinity in some way after realizing he's hopelessly in love with his partner... A sign of his S4 syndrome creeping in? :D

[matsir]

Umm, maybe. But if you're trying to reassert your masculinity, wouldn't you put up a poster of the cheerleaders? Back then they wore less than a Playboy bunny. Of course, if he's in love with Starsky he might not be thinking too straight about playing it straight ;)

[freshcandy]

Oooooh, good one with #3! I love just thinking about it. New headcanon.

[freshcandy]

mortmere, this topic came up with fresca and she thought that too - that it's a lame attempt to prove he's straight - "nothing to see here!"

This angle interests me too. Particularly how you put it - "S4 syndrome". It's right in line with him wearing that bowling shirt that says "Al" - he's looking for ways around being Hutch; he's deliberately stepping out of character. That could include the whole mess with Kira too. Oh, the lovely angst of it.

[freshcandy]

OH MY GOD! ahahahahahahaha, with whipped cream no less, nooooo it's too perfect

[freshcandy]

Hutch is an odd sort of fellow. Maybe Starsky had the poster, being more of a sports guy. Let's say one day Hutch is meditating at Starsky's house - because he meditates and he's always at Starsky's house, whatever. He comes down from his session, and he's feeling very universal and high and zen. And the first thing that catches his eyes when he opens them is this poster. And in his current state, he suddenly sees a certain poetry in it, he's compelled by the motion of the figure, he's almost moved to tears. He asks to have it, and Starsky lets him :D

[matsir]

Awww. That's a nice backstory. Works for Gen or Slash.

[mortmere]

Ah, well, true. Or maybe he keeps the cheerleader pictures on the corner wall by his sleeping alcove (we never see that corner of his apartment again after Iron Mike)? And probably in the bathroom, too. Those are the relevant places for girlie pics, he thinks. The poster on the door is just to say "I'm a big manly man like him and I like manly games". His cunning plan also involves playing Village People's new album "Macho Man" very loud, so his neighbors and the good patrons of Chez Helene hear his message, too. (Lol, that album was released just five days after "Hutchinson for Murder One" with the Andrie poster was first aired. This must be an omen that I'm on the right track with this theory... :D )

[mortmere]

This poster is sparking so many good backstories that it should be a turned into writing challenge for all you writers out there.

[mortmere]

I remember talking about the poster with Frex before (but then it was about how Hutch probably fancied Andrie). But yes, "he's looking for ways around being Hutch" sounds just about perfect. I hate seeing him do it, but it really looks like he's doing it.