‘Spenser for Hire’ Turns 40: Barbara Stock on Kissing Robert Urich & More (Exclusive)
Spenser For Hire, the crime drama TV series, premiered 40 years ago today, on September 20, 1985. Based on Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels, the series starred Robert Urich as Spenser, Avery Brooks as Hawk, Ron McLarty as Sgt. Frank Belson, and Barbara Stock as Susan Silverman. The series ran for three seasons until it ended on May 7, 1988, and was later followed by four made-for-TV movies between 1993 and 1995.
I sat down with actress Barbara Stock, who played the love interest to Spencer. Barbara shares her memories of working in Boston, her work with Robert Urich and how the fans brought her character back to the series!
Tell me a little bit about working with Robert Urich on Spenser For Hire. How
did you land the gig?
I had done a guest lead on a show called the Yellow Rose with an incredible cast: Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd, Edward Albert, Jr., David Soul – I was playing his girlfriend on it.
The Yellow Rose was produced by John Wilder, and he told me at the end if the series got picked up, he was going to add me to the show the next season. I would have loved to have done it. But the show got cancelled and John Wilder’s next show was Spenser for Hire, and I think I was the first person he brought in.
Then I went off to New York for the Christmas holiday and I got a phone call. They wanted to see me back in L.A., and I was sick with a cold. I ended up being the very first person to audition and the very last. When I walked into the room and met Robert [Urich] for the first time, his eyes just lit up. We just had such a connection, and it just felt so right. There were four actresses who tested for the network, and Avery Brooks, who played Hawk, and I found out at the same time that we had been cast.
Warner Bros. Television/Courtesy: Everett Collection
Then we went to Boston and shot the pilot, and it got picked up. Robert and I had a great chemistry and working relationship. He was a really good guy. We had a lot of fun just in the makeup room, getting ready in the morning. It showed in our relationship on camera. Then John Wilder, the producer, and Robert apparently did not get along. John left the show after the first season and they brought in Juanita Bartlett, who had produced The Rockford Files, and she did not want Spenser to have a girlfriend. So, I was gone.
But what was really good is that year I was off the show – I made a movie [The Verne Miller Story] with Scott Glenn and I met my husband [William G. Dunn]. He was the executive producer. So yeah, it all worked.
Yet, Spenser For Hire brought your character back.
Yes, the show was not doing well in the ratings in the second season, and they had an idea to do a Spenser For Hire write-in campaign, fans writing letters to get the show picked up again, and apparently a lot of those letters said ‘bring back Susan Silverman.’ It was the end of the second season, and I got a call from the costumers on the show. We had been good friends. I thought that it’s strange, I hadn’t talked to them since I left the show the year before. They said, ‘We’re just thinking about you and wondering how you’re doing?’ I said, I’m great, and we finished our conversation. Ten minutes later, the phone rang again, and it was Robert Urich. He said, ‘Well, I don’t know how you’ll feel about this, but I’m thinking that Spenser misses Susan, Spenser wants Susan back, and if we get picked up for a third season, would you consider coming back?’
Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
I told him I had to think about it because I was pretty happy with my life the way it was. I was not sure if I wanted to go to Boston on location for another year when I was in a serious relationship and happily working in LA. I met with the producers, and these were new producers again, and so I went back for the third season and I’m really glad I did.
Did you like working in Boston?
Well, I am an East Coast girl at heart, even though I’m not from there. My son and I went there a couple of years ago and it was really good to be back. I took him to some of our filming locations.
We had a fun scene we shot at Trinity Church. Spenser was joking about us getting married, and it was a fun happy moment. Of course, Spenser and Susan never got married.
How were the kisses with Robert Urich?
As you might suspect, Robert was a good kisser. We had plenty of practice at that because we were there for two seasons with a lot of romantic scenes. But I think it was our friendship and respect, as well as the romance, that showed through. It reflected Spenser and Susan’s relationship in Robert Parker’s novels. We were proud of that.
Fans can celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Spencer: For Hire by catching the series free on The Roku Channel and Tubi.
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