Cagney & Lacey. . . and Me

Barney Rosenzweig
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 9780595411931
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/07)

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Rosenzweig’s story.  “Cagney & Lacey” aired from 1981 to 1988.  These were my high school, through college and marriage, years.  I remember enjoying the show when it aired on television.  The show presented two strong women who were working in a male-dominated field and having to deal with their issues as women.  I had no clue how much hard work went into getting this show on the air and keeping it there.  Rosenzweig truly believed in this series and fought hard to get it on the air.  He felt that it was time to have a show that stop focusing on the sexual exploitation of women.  He was tired of seeing this reoccurring pattern of disrespect in both media forms of movies and television.  “Cagney & Lacey” was to be his vehicle in which to start a new trend.  I am grateful to him for doing this and had no idea how much of a struggle it took to get a great show on the air.

In addition to having to fight studio execs to get this project rolling, Rosenzweig also had to deal with the myriad of egos involved in producing the show – this ranged from writers, to actors, to investors and so on.  The stress of having to compromise and placate everyone had to have been totally exhausting and quite a learning experience.  To get the show to succeed, he also had to go to battle to get it into the best time slot.  There were other issues going on such as getting screwed over financially by people that looked after their own best interests.  He had to learn creative ways to get publicity for the show when he was dealing with people that weren’t very supportive of its success. Rosenzweig also had personal issues going on while he was on the set.  At the beginning of the series, he was married to a woman who helped get the show started.  By the end of the series, he was seeing Sharon Gless, who he eventually married.  

I learned a lot about what goes on in Tinseltown with trying to get shows to air.  Normally, when I watch a television show, I might only wonder about how they did their special effects.  Now when I watch a show, I am going to wonder a lot more than that.  I am going to think about how many struggles it took just to get that show to air.  I will never look at another television show the same again. 

“Cagney & Lacey…and Me,” is a must read for fans of the entertainment industry.  In addition to learning about how show biz works, there is also a fascinating story going on about the personal issues that were being dealt with at the time.  To quote Rosenzweig: “Approaching my 70th year on the planet, I confess to being less interested in what is to come than what has transpired.  My past…the mistakes and the triumphs, the wins and all of the other stuff, is my legacy.”  This autobiography is also Rosenzweig’s legacy.

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