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View Full Version : Things I've noticed about Filmore.



I.R Joey
03-11-2006, 04:31 PM
Thanks to our dorms handy digital recoreder, and access to Toon Disney I've now been able to watch every episode of this really great (and really underappreciated) show. Here are some bits of trivia I've noticed.

-At some point in every single episode there is long, drawn out chase scene in which the safety patrol persues a suspect. These often involve incredibly silly props getting in the way.

-Someone on the show is an anime/manga fan. At one point in a certain episode the cheerleading squad captain says that the teams pyramid is "as strong as a Geodude using its harden attack." In that same episode it is revealed that one of the suspects writes a comic strip with a very "manga like" name. Also, Ingrid apparently has some cute anime charecter on her bed sheets, and is fluent in Japanesse.

-Filmore constantly has flashbacks to the days before he was on the force. Infact many of his cases tie into his life as a delinquient. However, we rarely (if ever) see Ingrid or the other safety patrolers have flashbacks.
The only other one I can think of is Vallejo in two episodes. Red Robins don't fly and The shreds fell like snowflakes.

-I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this(if so I'll edit it), but the artist in the episode "Master stroke of malevolance" is modled after series director Chris Roman (our very own Kzanth), who also studied painting in college.

-The episode field trip of the just features two charecters played by Orlando Brown and Raven-Symone. Mr. Brown (Filmore) and Miss Symone (Alexandria) would later go on to star in the hit the Disney channel show "That's so Raven" This is interesting because I believe this episode was made before "That's so Raven premeired" (I could be wrong).

-Principle Folsom is constantly threatining to tear down safety patrol headquarters and turn the space into something else. She's like the mayor who's always threatning the police chief to get the job done.

-And finally, and perhaps the key to the shows working so well is the way the charecters are written. One of the best things about the show that I've come to realize is that very often Filmore and Ingrid aren't the focus. In other words they're not the people with the problems that need solving, the suspects are. They've got these really interesting charecter flaws and motivations going on even without the safety patrol around. Infact, often times I've found that Filmore and Ingrid are just there to put the pieces together for those of us who are watching. I think there many actions/superhero shows that could learn alot from that. Instead of always making it the hero with the issues that need resolving, sometimes its best to make an episode a charecter study of the villan, using the hero as a foil to disrupt things.

Shame this show didn't have more episodes. In my mind it deserved just as much attention from Disney as Kim Possible, The Proud family, and it's succesor American Dragon. I could only imagine how really cool a Filmore t.v special like "So the Drama" or "The Proud Family movie" would have been.

trayguy
03-11-2006, 05:05 PM
It would be nice to hve Filmore back on with new episodes.

Erased Paper
03-11-2006, 08:05 PM
-The episode field trip of the just features two charecters played by Orlando Brown and Raven-Symone. Mr. Brown (Filmore) and Miss Symone (Alexandria) would later go on to star in the hit the Disney channel show "That's so Raven" This is interesting because I believe this episode was made before "That's so Raven premeired" (I could be wrong).

Isn't it actually "Codename: Electric Haircut"?

Lonestarr
03-11-2006, 11:04 PM
Many fine points, I.R. What strikes me about the show is how enjoyably quirky it is, like its writers were trying to out-quirk the show they had worked on prior to this, "Pepper Ann". It's nice to see bit characters reappear in other episodes, the amount of clubs and organizations at X is truly staggering, and, of course, the references (Silence of the Lambs, Eminem, the "Pokemon" reference you cited). It's these quirks and the writing (that cycled through several cop show cliches while managing to make them seem brand-new, at least to its young audience) that make "Fillmore" so entertaining.


Isn't it actually "Codename: Electric Haircut"?

That was a different episode with Raven doing a voice.

Undrave
03-12-2006, 02:33 PM
I wish the show would run at a different time so I could watch it more (or get a DVD release...but that's not the Disney way -- ) because it did feel like it would have been lots of fun to watch. It seems to be really underapreciated and not exploited enough by the company.

I.R Joey
03-13-2006, 07:22 PM
One of the things I really like about Filmore is that it never really delved into very serious youth problems. The fact that it never dealt with gang violence, drug use, and other such things kept an element of escapism that was always appreciated. In other words it had an element of fantasy, but not to the point where we couldn't relate to alot of the silly social/political school problems that most of us have gone through.

hobbyfan
03-14-2006, 10:12 PM
What I liked most about Fillmore during its run on ABC (Sept. 2002-early 2005) was that it paid homage to the Quinn Martin crime dramas of the 60s & 70s (i.e. "The FBI"), with each segment as an "Act". Fillmore was like a cross between a younger John Shaft and Barnaby Jones. Series creator Scott Gimple (who also gave us Heroes Anonymous for Bongo) must've grown up in the 70's, same as I did.

Disney & ABC slept on Fillmore, and the fact that the reruns are on Toon Disney (digital cable) hurts me since they don't have a spot for it on Disney Channel, yet can run "That's So Raven" 10 times a day, it seems. More proof that network programmers are idiots.

zimbach
03-21-2006, 06:31 PM
What I liked most about Fillmore during its run on ABC (Sept. 2002-early 2005) was that it paid homage to the Quinn Martin crime dramas of the 60s & 70s (i.e. "The FBI"), with each segment as an "Act". Fillmore was like a cross between a younger John Shaft and Barnaby Jones. Series creator Scott Gimple (who also gave us Heroes Anonymous for Bongo) must've grown up in the 70's, same as I did.
You missed the most obvious Quinn Martin reference: all the characters are literally named after the streets of San Francisco.

k-unit101
03-26-2006, 01:02 PM
I loved this show. I thought it was really clever for a Disney cartoon, and it was definitely underappreciated. It didn't have very many episodes, but each episode was very interesting and over-all it was just a really great show. Here on the East Coast it airs at 6:30 weekend mornings on Toon Disney.

I.R Joey
04-05-2006, 01:21 AM
Some very interesting stuff here from one of the people who worked on the show. Just thought I'd share it with everyone, as it's really cool info.

Question. Is there going to be a DVD set?

Answer: Disney TV Animation has been talking about putting some of their series on DVD, but right now I haven't heard anything about Fillmore.

Question. 'Yea There Shall be Bully Payback'; Missing episode or mistake?

Answer: Mistake! Like I said on the forum "bully payback" was deemed too odd or something like that. It was switched to 'A Dark Score Evened". I'll talk to Scott, he'd know better why it was changed.

Question: So what is Vallejo's first name, anyway?

Answer: Scott wanted to give props to the voice actor, so Vallejo's first name is Horatio (after Horatio Sanz). I think it's said at the end of "The Shreds fell like Snowflakes".

Question: Where's Ingrid's mom?

Answer: Believe it or not, she passed away. I know Scott wanted to address that at some point, but we never did. I'm not even sure WHY she passed away.

Question: Regarding character design: the white streaks in Ingrid's hair, lighting or dyed? and Anza's jacket, why does he never take it off?

Question: Ingrid's white streaks on her hair...They're supposed to be highlights, like 'anime', as if her hair was so shiny it was a reflection. Anza...I guess he's always cold! No, we just never had an opportunity to have him take the jacket off. Maybe he's got a lot of tattoos and doesn't want to show'm off.

Question: Since there's a Fillmore comic on the official website, is there a possibility of a series being published?

Answer:That IS a possiblity. Scott wisely retained the publishing rights, and has been trying to get a comic off the ground, although it's been tough going.

Question: What's your favourite episode?

Answer:"I like "A Wurm in our Midst" a lot also, because I did a lot of work on the storyboarding for that show, so I feel like a lot of my influence is in it. As a fan of the series, I think "To Mar a Stall" is probably the best because it is a very straightforward mystery and has some great moments with Julian in permanent detention."

hobbyfan
04-08-2006, 01:14 PM
Question: Since there's a Fillmore comic on the official website, is there a possibility of a series being published?

Answer:That IS a possiblity. Scott wisely retained the publishing rights, and has been trying to get a comic off the ground, although it's been tough going.


A Fillmore comic? How about a link to the website? I wonder if Scott can get a deal with Slave Labor with the rest of the Disney line they've got?:cool: